I walked in silence after leaving the common dorms.

“Today’s no good, huh?"

Today, I tried to invite Feyt into another tour of the academy. I had thought that, with Carine away, it would finally be the perfect chance for it. My work was mostly done, the academy was mostly empty, it was a perfect moment for a quiet walk.

I had even planned where to take him first, starting from a great view from a certain window in the second floor, all the way to inviting him to my office. I even had told the others I would bring in someone for counseling as preparation, so none would bother us.

It would have been a very… memorable day.

Instead, I had been rejected with that awkward smile of his.

I exhaled slowly as I continued walking down the cobblestone paths. The clouds had already cleared for a perfectly clear sky, the earlier light rain had already stopped as well, creating a cool and calming breeze…

It was just one more way the world was telling me how much of a good day that had been wasted.

Feyt… he looked awful.

He didn’t look pale; he didn’t look weak. But, he looked hollow, like someone whose mind had wandered off while his body sat in empty silence. I almost couldn’t believe I would actually see him act this way.

After he told me he was sick, I wanted to make sure, so I held out my hand for a spell.

Though I told him it would soothe him… I had a sneaking suspicion something was off, and I cast another spell instead. A spell meant to detect.

I slowed down my pace as I brought my open palm in front of me.

“He wasn’t sick at all…” I muttered, my words trailing off.

I took a long breath and let it out slowly, my chest feeling heavy.

My spell had detected nothing. No anomalies, no illnesses, no major injuries… He was as healthy as he should be… And that was what concerned me.

Why…

Why would you lie, Feyt?

If he wasn’t sick… then what else could possibly make him shut himself inside like that?

I had taken a small peek of his room, it was dark and empty. No books were open, nor were the curtains. There weren’t even any sweat stains on his floor or body. It was as if he was sitting in total darkness, doing nothing at all…

Was Carine’s absence affecting him that badly?

Enough to make him shut himself?

Enough to make him reject a free meal?

Enough to make him reject my invitation?

I curled my fingers into a fist, my nails digging into my own skin. Then, I let it go as I stopped in my tracks. I stared up at the sun setting in the distance. It was a beautiful sunset, and the cloud was clearing their path for its beauty.

It was the exact sunset I had hoped for on the tour. But Feyt, with his curtains drawn closed, wouldn’t be able to see it.

What a waste…

—

Royal Knights Academy - The Student Council's Office

By the time I entered the office, the smell of warm tea had already begun to steady my thoughts.

What I didn’t expect, however, was the presence of another in the room.

I thought I told everyone to leave early today…

A council member in a white uniform stood before my desk, black twintails swaying as she shuffled through stacks of papers, humming a tune to herself.

Oh, it’s Talia…

I stepped inside, closing the door behind me with a soft click.

Talia straightened suddenly like a cat that got spooked, and the papers she'd been organizing nearly scattered everywhere. Quick reflexes saved them, her palm slamming down to keep the stacks stable.

She turned slowly, fixing me with a silent glare.

"President. Could you not slam the door next time?"

"I didn't slam it at all." I offered a warm smile. “Sorry if I startled you, Lady Taseid.”

She lightly scoffed. "Slammed or not, you're aware I have [Enhanced Hearing], yes?" Without waiting for a response, she turned back to her organizing, separating documents into neat piles efficiently.

I chuckled lightly and made my way over to her. "What brings you here, Talia? I thought I mentioned I'd be meeting with a student."

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“Hmph, I want to ask that myself,” she scoffed. She separated another thick stack and deposited it onto my desk with more force than necessary. "I was heading back to the dorm when Grand Marshall Glenn intercepted me. She said these needed to reach you urgently." She gestured at the mountains of paper. "I saw that the office was empty, and I wasn't about to carry all of… this to your dormitory, so here I am."

"Ah. I see."

She straightened, brushing off her uniform, one eyebrow arched elegantly. "So. Where is this student?"

“Well,” I said, my words trailing off as I lightly scratched my cheek. “He seemed… rather tired. I thought it would be best if he focused on resting first.”

“Hah?!” she scoffed, her eyes narrowed in disdain. "They're aware you're the Student Council President, yes? The Saint, no less. This student sounds like more trouble than he's worth."

"Trouble? No, nothing of the sort!"

"No trouble?" The eyebrow climbed higher. "I was under the impression this was a disciplinary meeting."

I shook my head quickly, perhaps too quickly. "Please, he's not like that at all. I was... hoping to congratulate him, actually."

Talia looked at me in silence, chin like a hawk judging its prey.

"That's… certainly a first." She turned back to the papers, slapping a palm against the tallest stack. "Regardless! Here are your documents."

I glanced at the mountains of paper before me. It consumed much of the space; it was like a wall was built directly on my desk.

"May I ask... what exactly all of this is?"

"Tournament preparations. Details, regulations, budget allocations, participant lists." She ticked each category off on her fingers. "The Grand Marshall requires your approval and signature on everything by tomorrow noon. Though she specifically requested the budget sections tonight. Something about needing to order reparations really quickly."

“You’re kidding me…”

Talia pressed a hand to her neck, rolling her head to work out a kink as she drifted toward the couch in the center of the room. A glass of tea waited there, poured by herself, no doubt. She sank into the cushions with a sigh that sounded like she had worked the entire day.

"I'll wait for the first half. Best of luck. Just let me know if you need something to drink."

“T-Thank you. I’ll make sure to do it fast."

Had I taken that tour with Feyt, I might have had the energy to face all of this tonight.

Instead, I pulled out my chair and sat down, the leather creaking beneath me. Talia made herself comfortable on the couch, producing a small book from somewhere, probably her uniform pocket, and began reading as though she hadn't just buried me in paperwork.

I picked up the first document and a pen.

…

I worked through the first stack in silence, trying to take my mind off the things I didn’t get to do today. The scratching of my pen against paper filled the room alongside the occasional turn of a page from Talia.

My work paused over one particular entry.

“Reinforcements of the arena walls. Allocation: 4500 gold.”

Seeing that much money written down, I thought of the small town I'd grown up in. I remembered the way the gates and walls keeping us safe from monsters had decayed in sections, and how we'd patched them ourselves with whatever money and materials we could get, because the official repairs wouldn't come at all.

But here…

Four thousand and five hundred gold… All for a wall.

That could have fed my entire town for a year and a half…

I signed off on it anyway. What choice did I have?

"Documents on the budget are mostly done," I announced, setting aside the completed stack. "As expected, there's quite a lot allocated to reinforcing the walls, haha."

I expected some kind of response from Talia, but silence remained.

I glanced over my desk. She had set her novel aside, staring out the window at the darkening sky. Her expression had shifted from boredom to something more… annoyed.

"What is it, Lady Taseid??"

"Nothing," she replied immediately, the mask sliding back into place. A pause. "Well... not exactly nothing."

She took a small sip of her tea, her gaze drifting toward the deepening blue beyond the glass. When she spoke again, her voice carried an edge I rarely heard from her—something almost like genuine bewilderment. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"I still can't believe that boy turned out to be a prodigy. Of all people."

I set my pen down carefully, keeping my expression neutral. "Ricent?"

"Who else would I mean?" She set her tea down with a little more force than necessary, the porcelain clinking against the saucer.

"Honestly, the nerve of that… kid. Shows up late to his class, acts as if he knows me, got into a duel, and a lecture at the first day, and then he proceeds to do that."

I bit back a smile. "That being...?"

Talia sat up straighter. "Him blowing the arena open, of course! I know he wants to show off, but pay some mind to the academy’s budget, you buffoon!” she shouted into the air. She then sunk back onto the couch, letting out a tired sigh. “And of course, just because he’s a mage, he’s excused for having no manners at all. Damn, commoner.”

The word landed between us like a stone in still water.

Commoner.

Talia's mouth snapped shut. She looked away quickly, reaching for her tea with hands that weren't quite steady.

"I—that is to say—Uhh—!!" She took a hasty sip, winced at the temperature, and set it down again. "You're not like that at all, President. Obviously. You're the president, and you’re the Saint! You have perfect manners, unlike him and the others—Urk!!"

I kept my smile warm. "Don’t worry, I understand what you meant."

"Good. Yes. Because I wasn't suggesting—" She picked up her book again, holding it like a shield, hiding her stammering lips. "A-Anyway! The point is, that boy needs to learn some respect! Seriously! Talent means nothing without manners."

I turned back to my documents, picking up my pen. "I'm sure he'll learn in time."

"Hmph. He'd better."

The scratching of my pen resumed. Talia turned a page with perhaps more force than necessary. Outside, the sky deepened toward night.

Another commoner making waves, I thought, signing off on another budget line. Another name spreading through the academy like wildfire.

I was happy for him, truly. Every commoner who succeeded in spreading their name in a bright light made the path a little easier for those who came after. I had started it, Feyt followed, and he was next.

But… Feyt still stood apart.

Ricent was gifted a Magical Talent. Feyt, meanwhile…

The odd times I had access to his files and records, I would find redaction sections about his Talents, saying he refused to reveal them. However, after receiving several papers and notes from instructors and staff, I soon learned that, though he appeared not to harbor any Enhancing Talents, his test results betrayed that observation.

He was nearly toe-to-toe with some students who had physical Talents like [Enhanced Agility]

His test scores wasn’t to scoff at either. His written exam came with outstanding results, and he was ranked first amongst the Standardized Examinees in the entrance exam.

Not to mention, his skills was coveted enough that he would receive the help and attention of a particular nobility.

He was the perfect example that commoners could rise up. With effort, one could achieve things that were said to be impossible.

The only unfortunate part… was the path he had chosen to walk.

His dependence and closeness to that same nobility.

I knew for a fact that once that family sees no use of him… He would be disposed off, set aside as easily as he had been given those privileges.

The worst part for me was realizing that Feyt… might not realize that.

He had come this far through sheer determination. To watch that be reduced to a footnote in someone else’s success would be… wasteful.

There was no immediate action I could take. Not without overstepping my boundaries.

Still…

There would come an opportunity.

One day…

I’ll save him…

I promise…