The early morning mist had not yet fully dissipated as small groups of students began to move along the main thoroughfares of Glory Cael Magic Academy.
When a tall, slender figure in blue appeared, freshmen and upperclassmen alike instinctively lowered their voices. Some stopped to bow respectfully, while others cast looks of mixed awe and admiration from a distance.
"Good morning, Princess Vivian."
"Good day, President."
"Your Highness, you're here so early."
The greetings rose from all sides, polite and restrained, carrying clear notes of respect.
Vivian Kahn, the Eldest Princess of the kingdom, was a second-year student and the Student Council President of this top-tier magical institution.
She possessed lake-blue hair that reached her waist, outshining the morning light. It was meticulously tied into an elegant high ponytail. Her ice-blue eyes gazed calmly ahead, and her exquisite features were like those carved from ice and snow—perfect, yet lacking warmth.
She merely nodded slightly or gave brief responses as she continued walking. Her natural aura of majesty and distance made any attempt at more intimate conversation seem inappropriate.
This high prestige did not stem solely from her noble status as a princess.
At Glory Cael, strength and ability were the true credentials. Vivian's reputation had been earned bit by bit through her extraordinary self-discipline and performance, which far surpassed that of her peers.
In the last ten years, she was the only freshman to pass the year-end exams with top marks in every subject and successfully run for a position as a Student Council officer.
Her schedule was precise to the minute. It was said she began meditation and physical training at four in the morning every single day without fail.
Her notes were models praised privately by professors—organized, insightful, and even supplemented with obscure references.
She was impartial in handling Student Council affairs. Whether dealing with nobles or commoners, she followed the academy's regulations and personal performance as her only standards. She had even clashed with professors of deep backgrounds over this.
In public, her poise was always impeccable, her speech and behavior a textbook example of royal etiquette.
Her magical prowess was equally outstanding. Her mastery of ice magic was superb, which was precisely why she held the position of Second-year Representative.
At this moment, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, she had appeared at the academy not because she had any elective classes at this hour.
She arrived early to handle the backlog of Student Council documents and to arrange the upcoming week's schedule. To her, efficiency was a virtue, and wasting time was intolerable.
However, as she reached the quaint stone building that belonged exclusively to the Student Council and grasped the cool brass doorknob, she paused for a moment.
From inside the room, she could faintly hear the voices of several of her capable subordinates.
And the center of their conversation seemed to revolve around the news bulletin from yesterday that had caused such an uproar.
"...Greg Sass? That former Duke's son? He defeated a Demon King Cult executive? You've got to be kidding me!"
A slightly excited male voice rang out. It was Karl, a third-year student in charge of discipline.
His voice was full of disbelief. "I took Basic Magic Theory with him last year! That guy couldn't even manage a basic steady output of mana. He was constantly scolded by the professor in class! Him? Defeating a Demon King Cult executive? Was the executive a total pushover?"
"Shh, keep it down, Karl!"
Another, more composed female voice spoke up. It was Emily, who was in charge of clerical work.
"The news was released by the academy. Although it wasn't very detailed, since it was published, it must have been preliminarily verified. And I heard... the source of this news was indirectly confirmed by the Headmistress herself."
"The Headmistress?!"
A third voice joined in—Daniel, who was responsible for event planning. His tone was surprised. "Wasn't the Headmistress attending the Magic Tower Exchange? I remember Professor Martin mentioning that the exchange shouldn't be over for a few more days."
"You just don't get it, Daniel."
Karl seemed to have found an outlet, lowering his voice with a hint of mystery. "What kind of person is the Headmistress? She's a Great Archmage above level 80! Maybe she saw this coming and predicted the academy would face this disaster, so she ended the exchange early and rushed back! That's the foresight and responsibility of a top-tier expert!"
Hearing them talk about the Headmistress, Vivian felt a bit helpless.
She knew these ordinary students had such a filter because they rarely saw the Headmistress.
But having personally interacted with the Headmistress, Vivian knew she was by no means the type of person who could predict the future.
The Headmistress had likely just found the event tedious and used some excuse to skip the rest of the Magic Tower Exchange so she could return early.
However, out of respect for a Great Archmage above level 80, Vivian did not intend to point this out.
Fortunately, their topic didn't linger on the Headmistress for long. They were students, after all, and they preferred gossiping to discussing the greatness of their teachers.
"Speaking of which..."
Emily's voice rose again. "Do you guys know... that Greg Sass used to have an engagement with our president, Princess Vivian?"
"Of course we know!" Daniel chimed in immediately, his tone certain. "But wasn't it because Greg Sass was so... well, hopeless, that the royal family took the initiative to break it off? That matter caused quite a stir in noble circles back then."
"But now the news says..."
Karl's voice was filled with confusion. "If what happened yesterday is true and Greg Sass could defeat a Demon King Cult executive on his own, how could he be the good-for-nothing waste the rumors said? That strength is definitely not weak! At the very least... he's much stronger than me."
He sounded a bit reluctant on that last part.
"Exactly!" Emily agreed, her thoughts wandering. "Could it be that his previous behavior was all just an act? But why would he do that? It couldn't possibly be... just to break the engagement with Princess Vivian and get himself kicked out of his family, right?"
At this point, Vivian's ice-blue eyes flickered slightly.
She knew she couldn't keep listening.
The fire had already spread to her.
Regardless of whether Greg Sass's past foolishness was real or an act, she, Vivian Kahn, had never felt a single shred of regret for her decision to support the royal family in dissolving that ridiculous engagement.
To her, marriage was not a game, nor was it a simple bargaining chip to maintain the interests of the royal family and the nobility.
Her future partner had to be someone who could stand by her side, an expert with matching strength and character.
And the former Greg Sass—the profligate who possessed only a handsome face but was arrogant, foolish, and unmotivated—didn't even have the right to stand near her.
She would rather choose a more drastic path than marry a person like that.
Click.
The heavy wooden door of the Student Council room was pushed open. The sound wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced all the whispering inside.
Vivian walked in with a normal expression, as if she hadn't heard a thing.
She was still wearing her perfectly tailored academy uniform, her steps steady as she walked straight toward the large chairman's chair at the far end of the room, where neat stacks of documents were laid out.
"P-President, good morning!"
"Good day, Your Highness!"
Karl, Emily, Daniel, and the others hurriedly stood up, bowing and greeting her with varying degrees of flustered guilt.
In their eyes, while President Vivian was beautiful and powerful, she was also extremely serious, even a bit frightening.
They wouldn't dare joke around in front of her, let alone discuss private matters related to her.
Vivian gave a faint "mm" in response before taking her seat. Her gaze swept over the stacks of categorized documents on the table, and she began her focused review.
Seeing that the president didn't seem to have heard their conversation, the few of them quietly breathed a sigh of relief and hurried back to their own seats, throwing themselves into their work.
The Student Council room returned to its usual efficient and slightly oppressive silence, broken only by the scratching of quills on paper and the occasional rustle of turning pages.
However, this peace did not last long.
About half an hour later, there was a light knock on the door before it was pushed open.
A young woman wearing gold-rimmed glasses, possessing an intellectual and gentle aura, and dressed in a standard black-and-white head maid's dress walked in.
She first bowed politely to everyone in the room, then turned her gaze directly toward Vivian in the chairman's seat.
Vivian looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her ice-blue eyes.
She recognized this maid. Layla was one of her sister Lilith's three personal maids, known for her meticulousness and knowledge.
Why would she come to the Student Council?
"Is something the matter, Layla?" Vivian put down her quill and asked, her voice as cool and steady as always.
Layla stepped forward and stopped in front of Vivian's desk, performing a standard, elegant maid's bow. Her voice was soft and respectful.
"Good day, Princess Vivian. Forgive me for interrupting your work. I have come at the command of Princess Lilith to report that, after this period of dedicated study and training, Her Highness's level has successfully risen to LV20. Furthermore, she has increased her proficiency in the supreme-tier fire magic, Flame Burst, from LV1 to LV2, Molten Burst. Both indicators have met the requirements you previously set for lifting the grounding order."
Layla paused slightly, lifting her eyes to ask cautiously, "Therefore, Her Highness has sent me to inquire if the grounding punishment you set may now be lifted?"
In this world, there were only two ways to increase one's level.
The first was to constantly improve one's understanding of magic through study. When a certain level was reached, the level would increase.
The second was to increase one's understanding of magic through combat and slaughter. When enough was accumulated, the level would also rise.
Vivian had heard that in ancient times, the second method seemed to be the mainstream way for humans to level up because it didn't require high natural talent and the speed of improvement was quite considerable. However, the downside was that the method was far too dangerous.
Because of this, most people nowadays preferred to sit before books and study rather than enter dungeons to fight.
But while the first method was safe, it wasn't without its drawbacks. It relied too heavily on individual talent. No matter how hard those with average talent worked, they would eventually be left behind by those with genius.
Vivian was now deeply aware of this once again.
Reaching LV20 shortly after entering the academy and even raising the proficiency of a supreme-tier magic to LV2 was something Vivian knew her former self could never have achieved.
That familiar sense of pressure, like tiny ice needles, crept up her spine once more.
"Princess Vivian?"
Seeing that Vivian hadn't responded for a long time and was just staring quietly at a spot on the desk, Layla called out again more respectfully.
Vivian snapped back to reality, her ice-blue eyes instantly regaining their clarity and composure, as if the momentary lapse had been an illusion.
"Yes, I understand."
Her voice was devoid of emotion, as if she were stating a common occurrence. "Lift her grounding. However, remember to tell her—"
Vivian looked up, her gaze meeting Layla's. It wasn't harsh, but it carried an undeniable authority. "—as a princess of the Kingdom of Kahn and a student of Glory Cael, I expect her to be prudent in her words and deeds from now on, and to mind her conduct at all times. I do not wish to see a repeat of her previous behavior—violating the curfew late at night and wandering aimlessly within the academy, only to be discovered by a patrolling professor, which damages the reputation of both the royal family and the academy."
"Yes, I understand. I will certainly convey your teachings to Princess Lilith exactly as you said."
Layla bowed deeply, her tone solemn.
She knew very well that this was already the most lenient treatment Princess Vivian could offer within her own principles.
Having received an affirmative answer, Layla bowed again and then silently withdrew from the Student Council room, gently closing the door behind her.
Silence returned to the room.
But Vivian felt that the cold, sluggish feeling lingering in her heart had not dissipated.
She took a soft breath, trying to pull her focus back to the club activity funding applications waiting to be reviewed in front of her.
However, just as she lifted her pen, the whispers from Karl and Daniel behind her became clear in the quiet room.
"...That's incredible, Princess Lilith..."
"Yeah, LV20 so soon after starting, and she even practiced Flame Burst to LV2... That talent is terrifying."
"As expected of the magic genius the kingdom only sees once in a century. It makes me feel like I don't even have the energy to be jealous..."
"It seems there's no doubt Princess Lilith will definitely become the First-year Representative..."
The voices were low, filled with pure admiration and a bit of self-deprecating sighs, with no ill intent.
But hearing it, Vivian's fingers tightened imperceptibly.
The hard metal quill seemed to emit a faint creak under her unconscious grip.
She lowered her gaze, her thick, fan-like ice-blue eyelashes hiding the complicated undercurrent that flashed in her eyes.
A second later, she looked up again, her expression as cold as before, as if that moment of loss had never happened.
She refocused on the documents before her, though the knuckles of her hand holding the pen remained slightly white.
Rate on N.U.
