Noah, who had been blankly staring at the pierced wall, slowly nodded his head.

“……”

“……”

Why? He had never failed to control his mana even once.

Ah.

Only then did the glittering ring on his ring finger catch his eye.

Damn the purity of holy power…

There was a problem in the process of converting holy power into ordinary mana. The problem of converting too well.

His holy power disguised as mana, while its nature might change, couldn’t hide its power. It burst out of the mana sphere, not only penetrating Professor Heres’s barrier but also piercing through the wall.

Clap clap!

At that moment, two strong claps broke the silence that had fallen over the classroom.

The owner of the applause was Professor Heres.

“Come on, everyone, let’s move our bodies. Is anyone hurt? Let’s check if there are any injured students around us as well.”

At Professor Heres’s cheerful voice, the students followed his words, moving their bodies and looking around.

Fortunately, there were no injuries.

“Ha… Alright then. I’m glad no one was hurt.”

Heres, who had let out several sighs, approached Nigel, who still had her hand on the magic sphere.

“Nigel, are you not hurt anywhere?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s good. We’ll talk about this a little later, but you must have been very surprised. Would you like to go back to your seat and rest? The remaining students, please go back for a moment as well.”

“Yes.”

Nigel returned to her seat, receiving Allen’s worried gaze as he rushed to the podium.

“Fortunately, there’s a restoration spell on the entire academy building. Isn’t that right?”

Heres smiled warmly towards Nigel and snapped his fingers.

Then, the fragments scattered around the classroom gathered in the cracks and returned to their original state, as if puzzle pieces were being fitted together.

“How about that? Impressive, isn’t it? It’s something I designed together with the magic faculty professors a few years ago.”

Only then did the students release the tension from their bodies.

“You’re all very lucky to know this at the beginning of the semester. Don’t hold back the power you have, feel free to destroy the building anytime. Ah, of course, when I want to see it too. I’m the chief manager of this design, you know.”

Heres’s class ended earlier than scheduled.

And Nigel was immediately summoned to the Dean’s office as soon as the class ended.

‘Causing trouble on the first day of the semester and being called to the Dean’s office… It would be a miracle if my trust isn’t broken.’

“Haah……”

A sigh escaped involuntarily due to the overwhelming situation.

“Don’t worry too much, Nigel. The Dean called you because he’s concerned about you, not to reprimand you for your mistake.”

Heres smiled kindly and knocked on the Dean’s office door.

“I’ll be waiting outside, so don’t be nervous, okay?”

“Yes.”

Nigel nodded and entered the Dean’s office.

…No, Heres’s words about the Dean calling out of concern were wrong.

Because there’s no way a concerned person’s expression could be so cold.

Unlike the warmth seen at the eve party or entrance ceremony a few days ago, there was none to be found now. No, this appearance was more natural.

Like well-processed metal, behind his beautiful and soft face, a cold and sharp true nature was hidden.

“Student Nigel Ars? Have a seat.”

At the cold command wrapped in the shell of an invitation, Nigel sat across from Widrun.

Widrun, known as the Sage of the Continent, had an appearance that didn’t match his elderly age known to the public. Just by looking at his exterior, one could mistake him for an academy professor.

Splash.

He poured steaming tea into a cup and held it out to Nigel.

Nigel hesitated to drink, but the habit ingrained in her body overcame the hesitation and she reached for the teacup.

“It’s been a while. Well then, shall we start our conversation in earnest?”

Clack.

An irritating sound of porcelain colliding was heard.

“Nigel Ars, answer honestly. Did you intend to hurt the students today?”

Nigel knew that look well.

It wasn’t suspicion. He was certain.

That Nigel had intended to harm the students.

“……”

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Widrun’s eyebrows twitched in displeasure.

“Because I don’t think anything will change even if I answer. If I have to answer, it’ll only hurt my mouth, won’t it?”

Crunch.

Nigel roughly chewed on a cookie placed on the table and swallowed it. It was disgustingly sweet.

“…I see. Then let me change the question. Why did you approach Noah Beselion?”

What? Are you saying that a commoner orphan shouldn’t associate with a high noble because they’re not on the same level?

As expected of a sage, each question he asked was digging into Nigel’s nerves.

Snicker, Nigel gave a sardonic smile.

“Why are you laughing?”

Widrun’s eyes grew colder. His gaze was closer to that of a guard looking at a criminal locked in prison rather than a dean looking at an academy student.

“It’s funny that you’re asking questions when you’ve already drawn your conclusions.”

Nigel stood up from her seat.

“Nigel, I haven’t heard your answer yet. Please sit down.”

“I’ve already heard more than enough to overflow. You’re not the Sage for nothing.”

Nigel bent her knees and held both sides of her uniform skirt to curtsy.

“…Stay away from Noah Beselion. While I’m still asking nicely.”

“Yes, Dean. Thank you for your kind words. Have a good day.”

Bang!

Nigel closed the door violently and left the Dean’s office.

The coldly cooled air in the empty corridor momentarily gave her goosebumps.

It was unpleasant. Because she could clearly see how she appeared in Widrun’s eyes. As if she was trying to do something to a high noble’s child without a fiancée…

Thud thud.

At that moment, approaching footsteps erased Nigel’s stray thoughts.

“…Nigel? Did you have a good talk with the Dean?”

Heres appeared from around the corner, his face brightening as he approached Nigel.

“…Yes.”

“Why do you look so down? Don’t worry, you might break a wall once in your life. You can just buy a new mana sphere.”

Heres’s warm voice slowly calmed Nigel’s heart.

“I’ll explain it well to the Dean later. Now, let’s go eat. I saw Noah and Allen waiting outside the corner window.”

Pat pat.

Heres smiled and lightly patted Nigel’s shoulder.

With that brief touch, Nigel’s stiff body relaxed.

…Yes, this was reality. If there’s something bad, there’s also something good.

Nigel shook her head roughly.

“Yes, let’s forget about today’s incident.”

“Yes. Thank you, Professor.”

“Come on, I haven’t done anything to deserve a bow. If other professors see this, they might misunderstand that I’m bullying poor Nigel. Quickly, lift your head.”

“Yes.”

“That’s right, you look good when you smile. You have a teleportation stone, right? Don’t mind me and go ahead. At this rate, Allen might cause trouble first.”

Nigel followed Heres’s gaze and looked out the window.

“…!”

She saw Allen struggling to enter the building at any moment, and Noah restraining Allen’s body with one hand while blankly staring at the top of the building.

“…I’ll go ahead then.”

“Alright.”

Heres waved at Nigel, who was holding the teleportation stone in her hand.

After that day when she broke the annex wall, two major changes occurred for Nigel.

The first one was…

“Nigel, let’s have a match today for sure. I’ll only use my left hand!”

“Nigel, won’t you let me properly measure your mana? I’ve made a new measuring device this time…”

“…No, thank you.”

Several times a day, students she didn’t even know would express interest in her mana. Most of them were second and third-year students, not those who were present at the scene.

It seemed that her breaking the wall had properly stimulated the interest of students who were cooped up in the dormitory looking for something interesting.

And the second change was…

Swoosh.

“Who is it…! Oh, s-sorry Nigel.”

The provocations from the Political Science department had not only decreased but were almost non-existent.

“Watch where you’re going, Ars.”

Of course, except for Sid Cromwell.

“Thanks for your concern, Cromwell.”

Tch, Sid turned his head abruptly and left the cafeteria.

With that graceful gait that could be featured in Chapter 1 of “Noble Walking.”

Watching his back, Nigel gracefully raised her hand and slowly extended her middle finger, flicking it at Sid’s retreating figure.

“It seems the provocations have gotten worse than last week?”

“That’s right.”

“Why does Sid only act like that towards you while getting along well with other Magic department students? Where else can you find someone as nice as Nigel?”

Hearing the voice from behind, Nigel quietly lowered her hand.

“By the way, tomorrow’s the weekend. Want to go out somewhere? Weren’t you lonely last week when Noah and I went home and you were alone?”

“No.”

Rather, I liked being alone.

I caught up on studying at the library and supplemented the plan for Noah Beselion’s awakening.

I also wrote and sent three letters to Tillin and a heartfelt letter to Zeronin telling him to properly experiment if he’s going to give gifts.

“I had a good time.”

“Come on, you don’t have to pretend to be okay in front of us. So, we’re going out this weekend, alright?”

I don’t know how this conclusion was reached, but…

“…Fine, whatever.”

I had no reason to refuse since this weekend was free anyway.

“Noah? Are you okay with Sunday?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Since Noah Beselion is coming along too, I’ll be able to build more trust with him.

“Great! Then let’s have fun!”