Early the next morning, as soon as Erich reached the classroom door, he saw the young princess standing there. She wore her usual school uniform, a light golden shawl draped over her shoulders, her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes stared straight at him, and four maids stood in a neat row behind her, completely blocking the hallway.
Erich froze in his tracks and instinctively wanted to turn around and leave, but it was already too late. The young princess dashed forward in a few quick strides, grabbed his collar, and shoved him directly against the wall. Looking up at him, her eyes were completely red:
“Why are you avoiding me?”
Her tone carried an interrogation and a subtle hint of grievance.
Pinned against the wall and unable to move, Erich could only raise his hands in surrender with a sheepish smile. “No, no, I'm really not avoiding you. I just... missed my little cabin a bit.”
The young princess clearly didn't believe him. Her hand still gripped his collar, and she stared intently at him as if trying to judge whether he was telling the truth.
Having no other choice, Erich reached out and gently rubbed her head. “Look, didn't I come back in one piece? The cabin isn't far away. If you want to see me, you can come over anytime. If you want to meet, is it like I can just run away?”
He didn't know if this counted as coaxing, but the young princess's expression did soften a bit. She released her grip, let out a huff, and turned her head away. “Then promise me, you aren't allowed to avoid me.”
“I promise, I promise.”
Erich nodded repeatedly. After much persuasion, he stood at the door with the young princess for a long while before finally coaxing her into letting him go. Even as she left with her maids, she kept looking back every few steps. The look in her eyes made shivers run down Erich's spine.
He quickly slipped into the classroom, letting out a long sigh of relief only after he sat down in his seat.
A light chuckle came from beside him. Isabella rested her chin on one hand, looking at him. “You've got quite the romantic luck, Erich. I think you should just give in to her.”
“Give in to what?” Erich rolled his eyes at his desk mate. “I'm not the kind of man who lives off a woman.”
Isabella laughed even harder. “What, is living off a woman too much of a grievance for you? That is a genuine princess, you know.”
Erich shook his head, ignoring Isabella.
He couldn't quite describe what he felt for the young princess, but one thing was clear: he simply couldn't bring himself to live off someone else.
After quietly finishing his classes during the day, Erich returned to his cabin in the graveyard in the evening. Before he could even light his lamp, a few knocks sounded at the door.
Outside was Margaret, holding a tray with a square wooden box on it. Though her face was tense, the joy of a long-awaited reunion was still visible:
“This is a small token from the young mistress.”
Erich took the box and opened it. Inside was a neat arrangement of several potion bottles—mana recovery, healing, and even some to enhance elemental sensitivity. Alicia must have spent a fortune on these.
“The young mistress was worried you would fall behind in your magic, so she specifically had me deliver these,” Margaret added.
“Thank her for me.” Erich placed the box on the table and turned to pour a cup of hot water for Margaret. “Come in and sit for a bit.”
Margaret didn't decline. She sat down at the table and took a gentle sip from her cup. The two of them chatted casually for a bit—how Alicia had been putting in extra practice lately, what events the academy was preparing for, and how the weather was getting colder and colder.
Erich chatted with her for a while, and seeing that her cup was empty, he stood up to see her out.
“Remember to use the potions. Don't hoard them.”
“I will.”
Erich agreed with a smile, walking her down the path of the graveyard. The moonlight shone on her, making the maid look exceptionally ethereal. Erich walked her part of the way, only turning back once they had fully entered the academy grounds.
The days that followed were relatively peaceful.
The final battle of the Ranking Tournament took place as scheduled. It was an eight-person free-for-all, kicking up clouds of dust in the arena.
Erich didn't show off too much, but he didn't hold back either. After a chaotic melee, he securely took first place, with Isabella in second and Alicia in third.
Once the final rankings were released, Erich and Isabella were transferred together to Solar Class A. With this, Erich could finally enjoy the academy's top-tier teaching resources. He had specialized mentors to guide him during classes, unrestricted access to the training grounds, and borrowing privileges for the library's restricted section.
During his first month in Class A, Erich's magic proficiency entered a period of rapid growth. First came Lightning, then Fire, and finally, he even unlocked elementary mastery in Wind magic.
He even managed to barely grasp the basics of Spatial magic.
One day, Erich saw Lorraine practicing a Spatial displacement spell called 【Blink】. Instantly green with envy, he shamelessly pestered Lorraine to teach him. Annoyed to no end, Lorraine reluctantly demonstrated it a few times, explaining the principles and the key points of the incantation. As she explained, she remarked, “You won't be able to learn it; this thing requires talent.”
In the end, in less than two weeks, Erich had mastered Blink. Not only had he mastered it, but he also grew increasingly proficient with it, eventually using it even more smoothly than Lorraine herself.
When Lorraine saw Erich cleanly perform five consecutive blinks on the training grounds with her own eyes, her expression instantly turned into one of shock and irritation. “How on earth did you practice that?”
“Talent.”
Lorraine glared at him for a long time, stamped her foot in anger, and turned on her heel to leave. She ignored Erich for several days after that, feeling the distinct frustration of the apprentice outshining the master.
Erich's life gradually stabilized, and his little cabin became quite lively.
The young princess visited every few days. Each time she came, she brought several maids carrying bags of food and daily necessities, practically wishing she could remodel Erich's cabin into some sort of villa. Irene would also drop by occasionally, mostly to chat with Erich, drink tea, and sometimes share her insights on death. Margaret's visits were the most regular, coming almost every day or two, bringing some snacks or delivering some potions. She never stayed long, leaving right after finishing a cup of tea.
Isabella, on the other hand, was much more casual. She would often knock on the door and climb in through the window before he could even answer. Sometimes, the two of them would sit side by side on the roof, watching the moon, occasionally exchanging a few words, but mostly just sitting together in quiet comfort.
Vivian would also show up once in a while.
There was no pattern to her visits. Sometimes it was dusk, sometimes late at night, but she would always appear silently at the door.
She always addressed Erich as “Master,” her voice devoid of emotion. Whenever Erich asked what she was there for, she would simply say, “Just checking to see if you are doing well, Master.”
Whenever Vivian visited while Margaret was there, the atmosphere became rather interesting.
On the surface, Margaret remained elegant and poised, but her words would always carry subtle, unspoken thorns.
Vivian, however, always seemed completely unbothered, but this very calmness made Margaret even more wary. Once, after Vivian had left, Margaret said to Erich, “That maid of yours is not simple.”
I know, Erich thought to himself.
Time flew by. The autumn wind swept away the fallen leaves, and the weather grew colder by the day. By December, Radiant City had already seen its first snowfall. The academy's curriculum shifted from magical theory to intensive practical application training, and the atmosphere in the classrooms grew increasingly tense.
All the first-year freshmen were spreading the same piece of news: the dungeon adventure was about to begin.
It was an annual tradition of Morningstar Academy—the first official practical assessment for first-year freshmen. They would head into a real dungeon for several days of exploration and training. Every class had to participate, and the results would be factored into their end-of-year evaluations.
Rate on N.U.
