There are often things in the world that don't go as planned.

"...What the fuck is that."

Like the rock falling in front of my eyes right now.

It was a meteor.

The ultimate magic that all magicians dream of.

The magic that anyone with an interest in magic would want to cast at least once.

-Phew...

It was falling right in front of Luin's eyes.

"A meteor...?"

How could a student cast a meteor....

I don't know how an academy student could create a meteor the size of a mountain, but.

"This doesn't make any sense."

The rock that filled his two eyes seemed to have no intention of denying its own existence.

"Oh my.... how magnificent."

A pleasant laughter annoyingly reached Luin's ears as he was watching the meteor with trembling eyes.

"I didn't expect them to strike first. They must have a competent leader?"

"..."

"Indeed, in a siege, it's a good tactic for the defending team to strike first."

"What are you talking about...!"

"Ah... it brings back old memories. How scary the meteors falling from the sky were when I was young.... Even now, 20 years later, my heart still pounds when I recall the memories of that day."

"Don't just stand there and watch, do something!!!"

Luin shouted at Elysia with a trembling voice, but nothing reached Elysia's ears as she was reminiscing about her memories while watching the meteor.

"Ah... how big and beautiful the meteor I saw when I knew nothing was.... The students will surely be able to create a magnificent meteor as well."

"Hey!!!"

"Of course, I'm a fallen black magician. Ah, of course, when I was young, I was a priest serving God, so I don't even know how to write the 'me' in meteor."

"Hey!!!! Do something!!!"

When Luin's voice, with veins popping out of his neck, woke Elysia from her thoughts, Elysia let out an exclamation of 'Ah, that's right!' and began to speak to Luin.

"Why should I?"

She said she had no intention of helping.

"What... did you say?"

The moment the surprised Luin was about to pour out harsh words, Elysia shook her head and shut his mouth.

"This class is for the students to develop their independence, student Luin."

"..."

"I am the 'leader' of the siege team, and I will only follow if you give me a 'specific command' within my capabilities, I cannot move on my own."

"No...! We'll die if we get hit by that!?"

"I'll save you if it looks like you're going to die, so don't worry and just lead."

"You... fucker! You must know too! That wasn't made by a student! It must have been that bastard Hans...."

"Pardon?"

Elysia shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

"Unfortunately, the person who created that meteor seems to be a student, just like you, student Luin?"

"What did you say...?"

"Because I made a promise with Hans, we agreed not to use attack magic on each other."

"...It could be a lie!"

"The execution is terrible. The cohesion is terrible, and the sustainability doesn't seem to be very good either."

"..."

"Of course, it seems like a work of art like that was created with the support of Hans's various buffs and theoretical knowledge. But the meteor falling in front of our eyes was definitely created by a student, student Luin."

"Don't fuck with me...."

The meteor falling from the sky was getting closer and closer, making Luin's shouts meaningless.

He had to make a choice.

To run away or surrender.

If he surrendered like this, he would surely be scolded like a dog back at the dorms.

Not only would he get an earful from that bastard Hans, but if Ricardo saw this, he would surely say, 'Your guts are rotten. I need to make you roll around more.'

He wanted to avoid being scolded for his guts by that bastard at all costs. From that overly talented guy, at all costs...!

So!

"Everyone...! Scatter!"

Luin clenched his fists and shouted at the students with a loud voice. With the heart of a leader who would take all the responsibility.

"Looking at where it's falling, it doesn't seem like they know our exact location!"

"...Oho."

"After we scatter in the opposite direction of where the meteor is falling, we'll regroup."

The students who heard Luin's words nodded their heads and started to run. After all, no one wanted to get hit by a meteor head-on.

-Swooooosh...

Elysia watched the retreating back of Luin and clicked her tongue in a voice that he couldn't hear, as if she was disappointed.

"To make a mistake like this when you know about the enemy."

The moment the running Luin saw Elysia, who was at the very center of where the meteor was falling.

-Rumble.

With the falling meteor, Elysia's figure disappeared.

"Get down!!!"

Luin shouted at the students with a loud voice to get down. And he crouched down, covered his face with his arms, and squeezed his eyes shut. Because he thought that crazy instructor would be fine even if she got hit by a meteor.

-Thud...!

Thinking that a huge vibration would follow, Luin bit his lip hard.

"Everyone, hold on so you don't get blown away...!"

-Ping!

What's this.

The moment 10 seconds passed for the crouching Luin, Luin began to have a question.

Why.

'Nothing is happening.'

Because he didn't feel any impact.

At the very least, an earthquake that would crack the ground should have occurred, but at the reaction where not even a dust cloud appeared, let alone an earthquake, Luin slowly began to raise his head.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

"Ha?"

Luin, who had raised his head, let out a short curse at the scene in front of his eyes.

"Fuck."

Because in the place where the meteor had fallen, there was a magic that looked like a blue eye. Yes. Detection magic, one of the basic magics.

Ward.

"What... is this."

The surprised Luin's ears began to hear Elysia's calm voice, telling him the current situation. While breaking the ward that was stuck in the ground.

-Crack.

"Student Luin, you get a demerit."

"...What?"

"When a great magic is approaching, avoiding it is a good choice. You can avoid annihilation, and after regrouping, you can take care of the magician who has run out of mana."

"Wait a minute... then."

"However, you must judge the authenticity of the magic. Just because magic is cast honestly doesn't mean it's all dangerous."

"Don't tell me..."

"Yes."

Elysia nodded her head and answered Luin's question.

"It's illusion magic."

Luin blinked his eyes and furrowed his brow. Don't be ridiculous.

"How is that illusion magic."

"Hmm?"

"How much mana does illusion magic consume... what kind of person would create that without thinking...."

"Is it bigger than a meteor?"

"..."

Elysia calmly began to retort, as if she had read Luin's thoughts.

"The attributes of a meteor are fire, earth, and wind."

"..."

"Student Luin and the other students, didn't you feel anything strange about the meteor just now?"

"...It wasn't hot."

"That's right. If you were well aware of the characteristics of a meteor, you would have been able to notice the opponent's magic. Whether it was a fake with a strategic meaning, or a bombardment aimed at annihilation."

"..."

"I'm not saying that student Luin's judgment was bad. But it's a foolish mistake to be foolishly caught when you know well about the opponent's magic."

"Ha...? So that meteor just now was a fake to find our location?"

"Yes. It's a strategy that experienced magicians can easily see through, but it's a kind of 'bluff' that they thought would work on inexperienced students."

"..."

"And."

Elysia looked up at the sky and smiled slightly.

"It's going to start now."

"What is...."

"Didn't they find our location?"

"..."

"If you confirm the location by putting detection magic in the illusion magic, the area to be hit becomes clear...."

-Clap.

Elysia clapped her hands and smiled.

"It's coming now."

Luin's eyes trembled as he saw the dozens of bombardment magics falling from the sky.

"It's a hidden picture puzzle."

*

At the same time.

"Ah... this is so much fun!"

Schuen, who was firing bombardment magic at Luin's location, was running wild with a big smile.

"This is it. The thrill! The ecstasy!"

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

Schuen's specialty was bombardment magic.

At the strategy of Chartia distracting the enemy with illusion magic and saving mana while repeatedly dropping bombardments, Malik was nodding his head with a satisfied smile.

"Very good."

Malik was a veteran of war.

Malik, who had gathered the students on the castle walls, drew a simple map on the ground and began to make a plan.

"From now on, we will take a 30-minute break and then continue to fire bombardments. Chartia."

"Yes."

"How much mana is left?"

"I created the meteor illusion.... I have about 30% left now."

"That's enough."

"...?"

"Then what about Schuen?"

"I'm going to shoot until I faint!"

"That's too much. Take turns."

Schuen, who was firing bombardments without paying any attention to Malik's words, still seemed to be at ease.

Malik looked at Schuen and Chartia with a satisfied smile, nodded his head, and then began to speak softly.

The fact that the defending team was at a disadvantage.

"The gap between us and the enemy is bigger than we think."

"..."

"Even just considering the talent that was brought out through this class, they must have gotten strong enough to not be ignored."

"..."

"Although it's the same for us, even just looking at the students from the same swordsmanship department, we're at an overwhelming disadvantage."

"..."

"Isn't that right? Veilin."

"Pardon...?!"

Veilin, who was guarding the castle walls without any presence, opened her eyes in surprise at Malik's call and nodded her head.

It was the first time that someone other than Ricardo and Malik hadn't forgotten about her.

Of course.

-When I'm not here, please take good care of a student named Veilin.

-Who is that.

-...

Although it was Malik who knew because of Ricardo's request.

Malik knew.

That if he were to fight Hanna right now, he would lose.

A gap had formed in a short period of time.

Hanna, who had been taught swordsmanship separately by Ricardo, had had enough time to grow, and he knew that he had not held a sword for a long time.

So.

"We go into a war of attrition."

Malik's plan was to slowly wear down the enemy using the strategy he was best at.

The operation name was.

[Algae Extermination Operation.]

Of course, it was a name that Schuen had come up with.

*

And so, two days later.

Malik, who had climbed the castle walls, bit his lip and let out a sigh.

"They've held out longer than I thought."

While feeling the killing intent of the siege team that had come right up to their noses.

"They look ready to kill."

Malik, looking down from the castle walls, let out a low laugh as he looked at the murderous faces of the siege team.

"This is why young people are scary."

Malik was envious of the high-spirited passion of the young blood.

The defense team consisted of 9 people.

Starting with Hans, the Magic Department instructor.

Himself from the Swordsmanship Department, and the stealthy Veilin and Rohan.

The Magic Department had Shuen, Chartia, and Airi.

And from the Healing Department, there were Yuria and Sophia.

The siege team also had 9 people.

Elysia, who was the Apostle of Meekness.

Sigor Look, Histania Hanna, and Mikhail from the Swordsmanship Department.

Luin and Folkner from the Magic Department.

And Gail, Lin, and Silvaren from the Healing Department.

"...This is a headache."

If you think about it calmly, the difference in power was overwhelmingly disadvantageous for the defending side. Just looking at Histania Hanna and Mikhail, they were monsters who could take down half of the defending side's personnel, so it was strategically advantageous to avoid a full-frontal battle.

If it turned into a one-on-one situation, that was also something that couldn't be ignored.

Even if I were to hold down either Histania Hanna or Mikhail, there wasn't enough power left to properly hold down the other one.

The moment the battle turned into a close-quarters fight for Shuen, who specialized in long-range magic, it was obvious that she would be unable to use her power and would be retired, and the same went for Chartia.

"..."

The advantage of the defense team was that there were many talented individuals who were good at magic.

"Shuen-gel...! Mana recovery complete!!! Let's use meteor again!!"

"Calm down! They're right in front of us."

"...Ugh. The mana is wriggling inside me!"

Malik declared that the result could change greatly depending on how the strategy was planned.

Since he was the leader.

He had no intention of losing gracefully.

"Hoo... I was trying to drag it out for 3 days, but it's not going as planned."

But it's okay.

Because I've prepared plans from A to Z.

Malik, 'the greatest brain in this world (as determined by Ricardo),' who had anticipated numerous situations, took a deep breath and, looking at the personnel assessing the situation below the castle walls, opened his lips heavily.

"Did you like the gift I prepared?"

"..."

"Seeing your expressions, it seems you all received it without exception. As the person who prepared the gift, I'm happy."

It's a look that could kill.

Except for one person.

"Hans-nim~ your strategy was good."

"Elysia-nim, you also dispelled the barrier so easily. I didn't know you could dispel the maze barrier with one finger."

"I'll let you know what to improve on next time."

"Haha!"

"Haha!!"

Malik thought there was no need to worry about those two.

"..."

What should I do from now on?

The remaining time is one day.

I had to consider whether it was better to go with Plan C, which was to buy time through bombardment, or to go with Plan T, where a small elite group would go down and crush the enemy camp.

Malik, drawing up a plan in his head, wiped his dry face and let out a low sigh.

"Magic teacher."

"Yes, student Malik."

"Can you use fog magic around the castle walls right now?"

"I can use it, but it will be blocked immediately. My role ended the moment Elysia-nim arrived."

"..."

"Then those soldiers."

Malik looked at the doll soldiers created inside the castle and said to Hans.

"The doll soldiers will be fine. It seems Elysia-nim also brought an army."

"What do you think the approximate number is?"

"The other side's forces seem to be about 300 mid-level undead. Our side has about 150 soldiers."

"The difference is bigger than I thought."

"That's what makes it feel like a siege battle."

"Haha... then can I take over the command of the soldiers?"

As soon as Malik's words were finished, Hans snapped his fingers and a small magic circle was created at Malik's feet.

"I have transferred the command to you."

"...That was fast."

With Hans's smiling eyes, the scarecrow soldiers with round eyes began to look at Malik.

"Good. It seems worth a try."

Malik clenched his fist at the vast amount of information coming into his head and let out a faint smile. It would be complicated, but with this kind of operation, he could bring a 100% win rate to 101%.

-Rumble rumble rumble rumble.

Rohan's voice began to be heard loudly in Malik's ears, who was getting used to it.

"Senior director!!! Luin is preparing siege magic!!"

With Rohan's shout, a giant blue bow began to appear in Malik's eyes.

"Is it Luin?"

Malik, who saw Luin with a determined look drawing the bowstring taut, smiled faintly and clenched his fist.

"This is fun."

As a person of the same kind as Ricardo, he was a person who was interested in stimulating things.

"Shuen. Prepare a defensive magic!"

"Alright-yot."

"Chartia and Yuria, cast the magic I ordered on the doll soldiers, and the rest of you, listen to the plan from now on."

In this situation, he thought that Plan Z would be more interesting than other strategies.

Because a siege battle.

"Here they come!!!"

...starts from now.

*

Late at night.

"...Hoo."

Luin and the siege team students, who had poured out siege magic several times, were preparing another strategy. The stamina consumed to capture the impregnable castle walls was too much.

They needed to break down the castle walls.

In order to let Elysia's forces into the castle.

They thought that a reckless charge was necessary even to destroy the scarecrow soldiers standing on the castle walls.

Of course, the person who did that job.

"We'll resume in an hour, so I'm counting on you."

"..."

"Histania Hanna."

...was Hanna, who had the most explosive power at this point.

The biggest advantage of the siege team was that they could get on the opponent's nerves. Luin was planning to use this advantage to the end.

A strategy of digging in at once when they were off guard.

·

·

·

"...Hoo. Why am I so nervous about this?"

Luin, who was looking at the moonlight alone, trembled his eyes and let out a low breath. The emotion he felt at the same time as the trembling made even his breath tremble with the weight of responsibility.

It was a series of failures.

The first failure that came to him, who had been growing without failure.

He had experienced numerous failures after losing his magic, but facing failure never became familiar. Even though it should have been a little familiar by now.

He had thought about it dozens of times.

How could he repeat such a failure?

At the continuous failures, people left, and the warmth of the remaining people gradually became too far to grasp, and he felt a sense of skepticism and lost his confidence.

He wasn't like this when he first met Ricardo.

-Hey.

-Hmm?

-What are you doing hitting on Yuria?

-Ah...

They thought of each other as equals, and maybe he thought he had the upper hand. Because he was great back then. It was embarrassing to say it himself, but he, who had the strong backing of the Magic Tower, had not even once thought that he would be pushed back by that guy.

So he didn't bow down to that guy.

-Hey, if someone asks you a question, answer. Don't just ignore me like a mute.

-[Who are you.]

-Don't be ridiculous. You can talk, can't you? Talk, don't just show me on a note.

-Who are you?

-You don't know me?

-I don't remember men.

-The rumor about you getting in through connections must have been true.

-Hmm... it seems like you did too.

-You son of a bitch.

-Anyway, your hair color is pretty.

-What? Are you flattering me?

-It's like green algae.

-...What?

-It's like trash that pollutes the water quality.

Because he wanted to stomp on the guy who was acting up with Olivia as his backing.

And that guy who was sticking with Yuria was annoying.

That guy, who was annoying whenever he walked down the hallway, was with Yuria every day. The two people, who were annoying in a different sense, being together was on his mind, and he didn't feel good about it.

A person he was attracted to as a member of the opposite sex.

-Haha... but it must have been really hard.

-Uh... you think I had it hard?

-Yeah. Your shoulders must have been heavy. I can't say I'm similar to you, but I know well how hard it is to meet expectations.

-...

And a person he disliked as a person being together.

-Oh, hello, Mr. Green Algae.

-...Don't pick a fight.

-It's just amazing to see a living seaweed walking.

-You son of a bitch...!

-Oh... there's Yuria-ssi coming.

-...Where.

-You fell for that again?

He hated it to the point of grinding his teeth.

And when he lost everything at the ball.

-Mr. Luin, what can you do?

At that guy's sarcasm, his heart, which had not been shaken, began to waver.

The first thing that he had to admit to himself, who had always thought he was better than that guy and had vowed to crush that guy's pride someday...

-...You said you could see the inner self.

...ended with the beginning of love.

A person he wanted to look good for.

A person he wanted to have.

This moment, where even the word 'friend' was awkward, was so frustrating for Luin.

His heart...

"..."

...disappearing was a lie.

I wish she would smile again.

It's okay to turn back time.

Please...

The moment Luin, who had become deeply emotional, was making a meaningless complaint to the moonlight, a woman who approached with a rustling sound swept her hair up and said in a sharp voice.

"What are you doing here?"

"...Why are you here? You should get some sleep."

"I just came because it seemed sad that sunbae was alone."

"...Are you saying I'm pitiful because I'm being bullied?"

"Hmm...? Sunbae has a lot of friends."

"That was in the old days. I don't have any now."

"Why?"

Hanna looked at the blue weeds around Luin and said with a natural expression.

"There are friends of sunbaenim everywhere."

"...Huh?"

"Weeds."

"...Are you calling me green algae too?"

"Isn't your name Green Algae?"

"You..."

Hanna smiled faintly and began to carefully say the words she hadn't been able to say to Luin until now. They had never been on good terms, but she had received the greatest kindness thanks to Luin.

"Green Algae-sunbae."

"It's not Green Algae, just call me sunbae."

"Yes, Green Algae-sunbae."

"...Haa."

"Honestly, we're not on good terms, are we?"

"It's you who's being snappy."

"Have you ever thought that you're a person who people don't want to get close to because of your personality?"

"..."

"From my first impression until now, I've thought that sunbae is not a person with a good personality."

"...Fuck."

"Honestly, I've wanted to punch you more than once. When I was a first year, you would put your feet up on the desk during meetings, and when I gave my opinion, you would snap at me..."

"..."

"If we were friends, I would have killed you."

Hanna, who was listing Luin's faults, smiled faintly and said.

"But still, I'm grateful to you, sunbae."

"To me?"

"Yes."

Luin looked at Hanna with a bewildered expression. Come to think of it, he had never received a compliment from Hanna. Of course, he had never complimented her either.

The moment a pleasant smile was about to appear on Luin's lips.

"...I met the butler."

As a familiar name came out of Hanna's lips, Luin shut his mouth.

"...Give me either a compliment or an insult."

"It's a compliment. My relationship with the butler is a relationship connected through sunbae's face."

"...Face."

-Bang...!

-Keok...

-Didn't I say the young lady was sleeping?

Luin, who recalled the past, bowed his head and let out a long sigh. No matter how you look at it, he had nothing to say to Hanna, who had brought up the greatest dark history among his dark histories.

"...You know, sunbae."

Hanna, who was looking at the moon in the night sky, opened her lips lowly towards Luin.

"You like Yuria-sunbae, don't you?"

"...No."

"Liar. It's written all over your face."

"What are you talking about."

"You snap at others like a mad dog, but you wag your tail in front of Yuria-sunbae. I want to beat you up so much."

"I do that?"

"Yes."

"Ha."

At Hanna's words, Luin washed his dry face and let out a sigh. He had never thought he would hear such words from a junior.

Hanna said to Luin.

"You know it too, don't you, sunbae?"

"..."

"It's hopeless."

-Squeeze...

"Decide. Don't drag it out."

"You... no way.."

Hanna, who saw Luin's trembling pupils, made a disgusted face and grabbed her sword.

"Haa... I almost caused big trouble."

"...Why."

"I almost really killed you."

"Hey..."

"If you had said just one more word..."

"Aren't you hating me too much?"

"In the first place, you shouldn't ship a plant and a person."

"Fuck."

"Because I like the butler."

"What's so good about that bastard who drools over pretty girls?"

"That's his charm."

"Bullshit."

"And he's handsome."

"...Fuck."

Luin was tattered.

The time is gradually approaching.

The time for the magician in love to make a decision.

"Let's go."

Luin began to slowly walk towards the huge castle walls.