“Nigel!”

The next day.

A voice filled with joy stopped Nigel in his tracks.

Noah’s fine blue-silver hair fluttered refreshingly here and there, following the cool wind cutting through the hot air.

His cheeks were more flushed than usual, perhaps due to the early summer heat.

His body was full of life, unlike yesterday when it seemed he would fall into eternal slumber.

Nigel smiled bitterly at the gap.

“Could you hold out your hand?”

As Nigel followed Noah’s words and held out his hand, he felt the familiar weight of an object in his palm.

“This is…”

“I saw Nigel’s locket on the way to the dormitory. So I quickly picked it up!”

Unlike yesterday’s memory of being covered in dirt, the locket was spotlessly clean and shiny.

A corner of Nigel’s heart ached at the proud face like a child reporting their own good deed.

“Thank you.”

“For what, all I did was pick it up. I’m glad you found it again. It’s a precious item, isn’t it.”

The corners of Noah’s mouth drew a gentle arc.

It was truly an amusing situation.

He had regained the lost locket in his hand, and also gained a justification to secretly treat Noah Beselion.

Once final exams were over, summer vacation would soon follow, and naturally, the relationship between Noah and Meriel would deepen, and the mana deficiency would be healed.

And when the second semester began, there weren’t many overlapping classes, so he could naturally keep his distance.

‘At this rate, if I just keep my mouth shut and pretend I don’t know anything, it’ll be a happy ending.’

Yes, as long as he ignored the stinging feeling in his heart every time he saw Noah’s face smiling without knowing anything, the situation Nigel wanted had come to be.

As long as he didn’t dig into and ignored the possibility that Nigel’s secret was on the same scale as Noah’s life.

“What are you two talking about without me?”

At that moment, Allen wedged himself between Nigel and Noah.

“Talking behind your back.”

Nigel, who had quickly hidden the locket in his pocket, replied nonchalantly.

“I knew it! That’s why Noah’s expression was so bright! My first friend Nigel’s complexion doesn’t look good because he feels guilty for talking behind my back.”

“Is that so?”

“…You guys weren’t really talking behind my back, right?”

“No.”

“No, we weren’t.”

Nigel and Noah spoke at the same time.

“Then that’s a relief. Okay. It looks quite important, so I’ll let it slide this time without asking what you two talked about.”

Allen folded his arms as if doing a favor.

“What an honor, Allen. I won’t ask you what urgent business you suddenly had over the weekend either.”

“Th-that, I told you I really had circumstances!”

Allen, caught off guard, hurriedly looked at Noah. But Noah had already taken Nigel’s side.

“…Ugh!”

Nigel saw Allen’s face full of betrayal.

“Don’t tell me, like during the magic sword competition, you two planned this again, mmph!!”

“Class is starting, let’s hurry and go!”

Allen, who quickly covered Nigel’s mouth for fear the secret would be revealed, forcibly walked away.

Several days had passed since the secret night treatment began.

And its effects quickly surfaced.

“…Noah, have you been secretly doing special training lately without telling me?”

Just before class ended, Roneh, who wiped the sweat from his forehead with the towel around his shoulder, struck up a conversation with Noah.

“Why would I do that.”

Noah spoke in a voice filled with annoyance without even looking back.

“Right? Yeah… I’ve known you for years, Noah, there’s no way you would do that.”

“Why are you suddenly asking that?”

“Well, your movements have gotten better than before, so I wondered if you had some secret method. If you’re hiding it, hurry up and spill it. Share it with our swordsmanship kids too.”

Roneh grinned and put his arm around Noah’s shoulder.

“Get off me, teacher. You’re getting sweat on me.”

“Aw, come on. Are you our Cledian now? Avoiding me like I’m dirty.”

Roneh raised his lost right arm and shook his head wildly.

“Our Cledian, please stop harassing Professor Cledian so much.”

Boos erupted from the surroundings at Roneh’s brazen words.

Noah heaved a deep sigh and opened his mouth.

“It’s true my physical condition has gotten a bit better… It’s probably because I’ve been getting good sleep the past few days.”

Nigel and Allen exchanged secretive glances and felt relieved at Noah’s words.

“And in the first place, all my training is what you set up for me, teacher. You’re the one who nags that I’ll ruin my body if I go even a little over the training amount, so why are you suddenly saying this.”

“Yeah, yeah. No matter what I say, you talk back ten times more, just like when you were little. Nigel, you know, when Noah was young…”

“Stop saying nonsense in front of my friends.”

“Tsk.”

Roneh clicked his tongue, twisting the corner of his mouth.

The corners of Nigel and Allen’s mouths, who had often overheard funny stories about Noah’s childhood from Roneh, dropped at the same time.

“Alright, let’s end the chitchat here. Come on! Everyone worked hard in the heat. With that, class dismissed!”

At Roneh’s short and intense signal, the students’ faces lit up.

Recently, a popular professor among students was not one with admirable qualities or great achievements, but one who personally bestowed the blessing of ending class 10 minutes early to students roasting under the scorching sun.

“Ah, wait a moment!”

Roneh’s loud voice suddenly stopped the students’ steps as they were rushing to find something cool.

“Nigel Ars, Noah Beselion, Sid Cromwell! These three head straight to the headmaster’s office. You’ve won a meeting with the headmaster!”

Soon, only four students were left alone in the training ground that had been filled with chirping like a flock of sparrows.

None other than the top three students of the department and… Allen Evans, who had the department’s top students as close friends.

“Don’t mind me and go ahead.”

Allen’s plan to take out the fruit juice he had been saving and share it, taking advantage of the early end, was shattered to pieces.

Why did he have to have commoners as friends!

Allen bit his lip hard at the petty and dirty reality where only the department’s top students were chosen.

Meanwhile, Cromwell, intoxicated with the joy of being chosen, waved his hand as if telling Allen, who was deflated, to get out of the way.

“Yeah, get going now. Evans.”

“Sid, I wasn’t talking to you, you know?”

“I know that too. That’s why I answered on purpose.”

After being sparring partners during the midterm swordsmanship exam, the relationship between these two had improved to the point of joking around with each other.

The top three said goodbye to Allen, who had barely avoided failing, and walked side by side to the headmaster’s office.

While walking, Sid kept talking non-stop, excited at the thought of having a constructive conversation with the headmaster.

By the way, for the headmaster to have one-on-one meetings with the department’s top students.

‘I feel bad saying this to Sid who’s happy, but what a crappy system, whoever made it.’

He considered giving up being at the top, but the cards of a single room, teleport stone, and tuition exemption given to the year’s top student were too great to give up.

Also, it didn’t suit his temperament to sit still and give up when he was capable of doing it.

Right, let’s think of it as enduring about 10 minutes of nonsensical talk and spoiling his mood in order to enjoy these many benefits.

By the time he finished rationalizing, they had already arrived at the headmaster’s office without realizing it.

Knock knock.

Sid knocked on the door with an excited face.

“Come in.”

Immediately, a sweet and soft voice like vanilla ice cream was heard from beyond the door.

“Ah, our proud new students. Good work coming in this heat.”

Widrun smiled with his eyes and made eye contact with the three students in order.

Nigel lowered his head deeply, his stomach turning at Widrun’s disgusting mask looking at him fondly as if nothing had happened.

“Then, shall we talk with Sid first? It won’t be too long, so please wait a bit while having some cookies.”

Widrun took cookies from the cookie jar and placed them in Nigel and Noah’s hands.

In the process, he gave the cookie with the crumbled end to Nigel and the pretty one without a single blemish to Noah.

‘Yeah, even if I feel crappy, at least I’m getting cookies.’

Nigel forced a smile and left the headmaster’s office.

Click.

“Um, Nigel. Shall I give you this?”

As soon as the door closed, Noah held out the cookie he was holding to Nigel.

Did he think Nigel wanted it because he stared at Noah’s cookie? Nigel let out a deflated laugh at the amusing misunderstanding.

“No, it’s fine. You eat it.”

The sound of munching on the cookie echoed through the vast hallway.

Nigel, who finished eating the cookie first, tried to wipe his lips with his wrist as usual.

At that moment, Noah’s white handkerchief entered Nigel’s empty hand.

“Ah, thanks.”

Nigel naturally tidied his mouth with the handkerchief, tapping it.

A subtle scent of soap emanated from Noah’s handkerchief, which looked like it wouldn’t sweat even in midsummer. Not the cheap yellow soap used in the orphanage, but the scent of luxurious white soap with a floral fragrance.

“I’ll wash it and give it back next time.”

“It’s alright to keep it.”

“No, what’s the point of me having a handkerchief with the Beselion family crest.”

At the quick refusal, Noah’s face stiffened slightly.

“By the way, your physical condition seems good these days?”

However, Noah’s complexion brightened again at Nigel’s caring question.

“Yes, maybe it’s because I’ve been sleeping well the past few days, but I feel light when I wake up.”

Nigel’s eyes, which seemed to be probing, narrowed and met Noah’s, then immediately drew a crescent shape.

Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t been found out.