LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 43 - "Who Are They Infatuated With to Be Acting Like This?"
Chapter 43: “Who Are They Infatuated With to Be Acting Like This?”
Even when most of the students had begun to fall asleep one by one, there was always at least one who couldn’t.
One such person was Trixie, the girl with the scent of jasmine.
“Sigh.”
Trixie set her glass down with a sharp clink.
The buzz from the alcohol made her feel a bit better.
**Fritia.**
This drink, distributed by the Fritz family, had a deep history and rich flavor. Its high alcohol content was both an advantage and a disadvantage.
It had been quite some time since she had last had a drink, not since that day she was humiliated on the Agora Board.
—”Enhance your charm.”
Flan’s words still echoed clearly in her ears.
Trixie had never heard anything like that before.
From the beginning, she had always considered herself to be perfect, and indeed, flowery praises always followed her.
Pretty, beautiful, a genius… The list of compliments was endless.
She had never been starved for attention. In fact, she often found the excessive attention she received to be a nuisance.
“Enhance my charm, huh.”
Could it be that even with all this charm, it wasn’t enough for Mr. Guidance? Did it mean she needed to enhance it even more to continue learning magic from him?
That was the only interpretation that made sense.
Flan’s attitude had also been firm, without a hint of deceit.
“Ugh.”
As she downed the high-proof alcohol like water, she pondered.
Should she reveal that she was the eldest daughter of the Fritz family?
She quickly shook her head.
Even if she did, it was obvious he wouldn’t care. That must be why Flan reacted the way he did.
Who exactly was Mr. Guidance? As her thoughts spiraled, Trixie sighed deeply.
“Ugh…”
Eventually, her sigh woke Hailey, who had been sleeping in the bed next to her.
“Trixie… What’s wrong? Are you drinking?”
“No.”
Hailey, slightly raising her head, looked at Trixie through half-closed eyes, then asked bluntly,
“Are you feeling lonely?”
“What?”
“You keep fidgeting, drinking, and sighing strangely…”
“Shut up.”
Trixie dismissed Hailey’s suspicions.
For Trixie, the very idea of feeling lonely was unthinkable.
“Trixie, you’re always so cold when you talk. Isn’t it scary to even start a conversation with you? Anyway, just go to sleep.”
Mumbling this, Hailey closed her eyes again. Trixie, too, lay down and opened Trivia.
[ ▷ Please give me some attention ㅠㅅㅠ ]
[ ▶ It’s only natural to be interested in magic. ]
[ ▷ I’m really interested in magic too! ]
[ ▷ Please teach me some magic ]
[ ▷ Can we meet in person for lessons? ]
There was still no reply.
[ ▷ Sorry for the late introduction. ]
[ ▷ I’m Trixie of the Fritz family! ]
Just in case, she added more to her message. Still, there was no response.
“Why isn’t it coming?”
Frustrated, she muttered aloud.
“What?”
In the end, Hailey’s curiosity got the better of her, and she sat up in bed. Trixie reflexively closed Trivia.
“What are you looking at?”
“Wow, you’re waiting for a reply on Trivia, aren’t you?”
“So what?”
“If it’s a relationship issue, you should’ve told me! I’m an expert in that. So, who’s the person you like?”
“There’s no one I like.”
“Come on~ It’s no use hiding it now.”
Hailey grinned with satisfaction.
“If you can’t sleep and are waiting for a reply, it must be a guy, right?”
“It’s a guy.”
“There you go!”
“I’m just trying to learn magic.”
“Look at you. Then let me ask you this.”
Apparently wide awake now, Hailey excitedly chattered on.
“How often do you think about this guy in a day?”
Trixie took another sip of Fritia, her eyes shifting.
Normally, she wouldn’t have participated in such a conversation. But perhaps due to the buzz from the alcohol, her lips parted.
“Almost all the time except when I’m asleep.”
“Do you feel happy when you get a reply?”
“Yeah.”
“Then that’s liking someone. Why deny it?”
“It’s a bit different.”
Trixie shook her head.
“We only talk about magic. I’m just learning.”
“Would you ask someone you dislike to teach you magic? You can do that because you like someone who’s good at magic. I do that with Louis too.”
“Shut up.”
Frustrated, Trixie downed the Fritia.
Receiving guidance from someone, waiting for someone… This was the first time Trixie had ever experienced such a relationship, leaving her utterly confused.
The only thing she was certain of was that there was no going back. That kind of ‘learning’ was something she couldn’t experience anywhere else.
She wanted to get closer to Mr. Guidance, to see and learn more.
“Flan.”
Trixie thought of that commoner student’s name and muttered it without realizing it.
“Trixie, why did you suddenly bring up that name?”
Hailey, who was lying across from her, reacted strongly. Trixie asked,
“Why?”
“Because I don’t like him.”
“Why not?”
“Do I really have to explain?”
Hailey sighed deeply and continued.
“During the rank evaluation, he cheated, he won because Aria brought a scroll, during the exploration evaluation, he was carried by you, and if left alone, Louis could’ve easily represented us, but he even suggested changing the criteria, didn’t he?”
The reasons went on and on. However, none of them matched Trixie’s thoughts.
Flan’s skills were more than fitting for an A rank.
Even looking back at the difficulty level set when she faced him at the training ground, that was clear.
Aria lost purely on skill. Now that she thought about it, when he blew away the mana crystal, Flan must have interfered with it.
During the exploration evaluation, it was closer to Trixie being carried by Flan.
In hindsight, she realized just how amazing he was.
Moreover, Flan had grown even more since then.
Before she knew it, he had risen to the point of being selected as the representative for the first-year combat division of the Magic Department.
‘At first, I thought he was a scout, but that’s not it.’
Trixie prided herself on her keen senses.
After observing for a while, it was clear that Flan and Elyse didn’t even know each other. Excluding the scout theory, only one possibility remained.
…It’s thanks to Mr. Guidance.
Mr. Guidance had transformed Flan, who was nothing more than an F-rank student, into a monster in a short period of time.
“Sigh…”
She emptied the remaining Fritia straight from the bottle, clenching her fist in a strange fit of jealousy.
Why wouldn’t he pay attention to her? If Mr. Guidance focused on her, she could prove herself several times over.
‘There’s no other choice.’
She had to see it for herself.
It was simple. All she needed to do was check Flan’s Trivia directly, and all her questions would be answered.
Trixie was confident that her analytical skills were second to none. At least she thought so.
She would analyze everything—how he communicated, what kind of questions Mr. Guidance liked, what words would get a faster reply… She planned to analyze it all.
Meanwhile, Hailey added one last comment.
“Trixie, you should ignore Flan too. There’s nothing good that will come from getting close to him.”
“You.”
Trixie quietly opened her lips.
“Hmm? Why?”
“You’re ignorant.”
Hailey pointed her index finger at her chin.
“…Me? You’re calling me ignorant? Are you drunk? Your tongue is completely twisted.”
“You don’t know Flan at all.”
Just then, a reply arrived.
[ ▶ Are you serious about learning? ]
[ ▷ Of course! I’ll be your disciple or whatever you want! ]
[ ▶ It will be very difficult. ]
[ ▷ I can endure it! ]
[ ▶ Then defeat Flan first. ]
She hadn’t expected this kind of reply, causing her to tilt her head in confusion. Trixie quickly began typing.
[ ▷ Flan? ㅅ? ]
[ ▶ Yes. ]
[ ▷ But he seems like a scout! ]
[ ▶ What scout? ]
[ ▶ He’s just my disciple. ]
“Ah!”
Her doubts were resolved.
Trixie jumped up from her seat, even letting out a gasp without realizing it.
So it was true. Trixie’s guess was almost spot on. Mr. Guidance had indeed turned Flan into a monster.
“Why did you suddenly scream?”
Ignoring Hailey, Trixie quickly put on her outerwear.
You never know—Flan might still be at the storage.
“Trixie, are you really going out like that?”
Hailey stood in Trixie’s way.
“You shouldn’t go out. Your eyes are completely glazed over.”
“Move.”
Trixie pushed Hailey aside and stormed out.
Seeing her staggering back, it was clear she was no longer in her right mind. Her tongue was slurring too.
Hailey quietly muttered.
“Who on earth is she infatuated with to be acting like this?”
Recalling their conversation, Hailey’s eyes suddenly widened.
“Could it be… Flan?”
◈
“Hm…”
At the entrance of the storage room across from the Magic Tower, Becky crossed her arms with a displeased expression.
She couldn’t help it.
Aside from herself, there was someone else who had come to see Flan. That someone was Louis.
“Becky. What brings you here?”
Louis asked Becky first.
“Huh? Oh… And you, Louis?”
“I wanted to get some advice from Flan. I was really impressed by his performance during the evaluation.”
“Is that so? I, I came… uh…”
Becky scratched her cheek. She couldn’t honestly say that she was worried about Yusia being alone with Flan.
“I wanted to do the Glow-in-the-Dark Cube together. I’m totally obsessed with them.”
“The one Yusia has? That’s not a cube, it’s a puzzle.”
“A pu-puzzle? Oh. I just said it was a puzzle.”
“I see. Then let’s go in together.”
The two entered the storage room simultaneously.
In the distance, they could see Flan sitting and concentrating.
The boy’s figure, bathed in the storage room’s light and shadow, looked noble as ever.
He looked less like a living person and more like a sculpture positioned in the act of reading.
Both of them silently watched Flan for a moment.
He was elegant.
…Even while merely assembling a Glow-in-the-Dark Puzzle.
“Yusia, each time you memorize one, add a puzzle piece. How should you categorize naturally occurring mana disasters?”
“Lord Flan… I don’t know about such things…”
“You’re being taught right now. Simply fitting puzzle pieces together won’t help you grow.”
“Lord Flan… Can’t I just assemble it?”
“I won’t allow it.”
As Yusia sniffled, Flan continued to seriously assemble the Glow-in-the-Dark Puzzle. The two stared at the somewhat absurd scene, dumbfounded.
Suddenly, Flan noticed their presence and turned his head. When he saw the two, his brows furrowed.
“Oh, oh? My goodness!”
Yusia, sitting across from Flan, looked as if she had seen a savior.
“So many people! Perfect! The more, the merrier with Glow-in-the-Dark Puzzles!”
However, Flan’s gaze returned to the Glow-in-the-Dark Puzzle. Yusia also focused back on it.
“Concentrate, Yusia. Disasters are often considered unpredictable phenomena, but if you understand the concept of ‘purity,’ that’s not always the case.”
“Lord Flan… I don’t know about this… Sob.”
Flan continued to explain to Yusia, but suddenly noticed that the two were still staring at him, and his expression soured.
“…Are you here for me?”
“Yes, we are.”
Louis answered on behalf of both of them.
“I want some magical advice, and Becky wanted to do a Glow-in-the-Dark Puzzle with you.”
“No, I didn’t. I hate Glow-in-the-Dark Puzzles.”
Becky quickly shook her head.
Flan let out a deep sigh.
As he used telekinesis, the puzzle pieces began to move precisely, forming a perfect picture.
After finishing, Flan finally spoke.
“Yusia and Becky, do the Glow-in-the-Dark Puzzle together. You’re well-matched.”
Whether it was a compliment or not was unclear. Becky scratched her head.
“And Louis, you want advice?”
“Yes. The technique you used during the evaluation, it was an interference type, right? If you don’t mind, could you teach me?”
“Another time. This isn’t a space where I can use magic bullets.”
But Louis subtly suggested,
“Oh, Flan. If it’s a matter of space, we have something available.”
“Space?”
“Yes. The same equipment we used during the evaluation is also available in the training room inside the Magic Tower. It’ll only take a moment.”
Flan hesitated for a moment.
“It’ll be a very brief moment.”
“That’s all I need.”
Finally, he nodded in agreement.
For him, honing a magician was a kind of pastime. And someone like Louis was a gem worth polishing.
Both his skills and attitude were commendable.
As Flan left the storage room, two female students followed him closely.
Flan asked Becky and Yusia.
“…Are you following me?”
“Yes!”
Yusia responded energetically, while Becky quietly avoided Flan’s gaze.
“Well… Since Yusia is following you, I have no choice but to follow her if I want to do the Glow-in-the-Dark Puzzle.”
And at that very moment—
Whoosh—
Something lunged at Flan.
No, it was more like a strange movement, making it hard to tell whether they were trying to grab him or hug him.
It was Trixie. This time, instead of the scent of jasmine, a strong smell of alcohol wafted from her.
“Ugh… Ah.”
Failing to grab Flan, she stumbled and fell on her backside.
“Trixie, are you out of your mind?”
Flan narrowed his eyes and asked.
Trixie, still swaying, got up and tried to grab Flan again.
When Flan dodged once more, she stubbornly chased after him and grabbed his collar, eventually resting her forehead against his chest.
“Hey…”
She shouted angrily.
“How… How could you! Hide something so important from me!”
“……?”
Flan narrowed his eyes. The other three tilted their heads in the same direction.
“Right now. Right nooow! Show me your Trivia! Hurry up!”