Chapter 101

“What did you say?”

Jacqueline wondered if she had heard wrong.

But Luke Rousseau repeated himself.

“It’s best to be careful around Professor Winslet. I’m saying this for your sake.”

While Jacqueline was still at a loss for words in the face of his sudden bombshell, someone stepped forward to confront Luke directly.

It was Shannon.

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re trying to say.”

“Hmm… You don’t get it? I didn’t think what I said was that hard to grasp.”

“You’re telling us to be careful around the professor? That he’s a dangerous person? What grounds do you have for saying something like that? Do you make a habit of spreading nasty rumors about other people?”

When Shannon appeared to be defending Professor Winslet, Luke scratched the back of his head, as if her reaction had caught him off guard.

“Seems I brought it up too suddenly. I guess I’d be taken aback too if someone said that out of nowhere. Sorry about that.”

But despite Luke’s apology, Shannon didn’t hide her displeasure.

In fact, she crossed her arms and started glaring at him, prompting Luke to continue, flustered, in an attempt to explain himself.

“I know it’s wrong to say this when the person in question isn’t here, but you all know, don’t you? Just how bad Professor Winslet really is.”

“No. I don’t.”

Shannon replied immediately.

When Luke looked to the side, the other two first-years didn’t seem particularly convinced either.

“Well… he’s kind of a jerk, sure, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say he’s a bad person…”

Jacqueline answered in an uncertain voice.

“They say geniuses are always a little bit off in some way.”

And Rita shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

Luke Rousseau was dumbfounded.

What’s with these girls?

At the academy, everyone hated Professor Winslet.

That had been an unbreakable rule of the academy for the past few years.

Luke tried to understand the three girls.

“If you just entered this year, you might not know. About the things he’s done at the academy. But listen carefully. What I’m saying isn’t baseless slander.”

Shannon asked,

“Can you prove it?”

“Of course.”

Saying that, Luke Rousseau pulled out a small note and handed it to Shannon.

When Shannon looked up at him with a gaze that practically said, “What is this?”, Luke answered,

“It’s the meeting location for the group I lead.”

“Meeting?”

“Yes. If you’re interested in the ugly truth about Professor Winslet, come to the place written on that note at 10 a.m. tomorrow. You’ll see a lot of evidence.”

Come and see for yourself.

Because of Luke’s matter-of-fact tone, Shannon couldn’t press him any further.

But that didn’t mean she had nothing left to say.

“There’s one thing I want to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“You hold a grudge against Professor Winslet, don’t you?”

A moment of silence passed.

Then, with a slight delay, Luke Rousseau smiled and said,

“A grudge, huh. I think that’s a matter of perspective.”

“Don’t play dumb. I’ve heard the rumors about you.”

“Rumors about me?”

“They say you tried to set Professor Winslet’s house on fire. Using explosion magic.”

“You’re saying something that could get me in serious trouble. It’s funny for me to say this, but… don’t you think you shouldn’t believe every rumor you hear?”

But Shannon was already convinced.

“It’s true, isn’t it? You might be able to fool others, but not me.”

A mage’s mana carries traces of the magic they frequently use.

And a rare few with heightened senses can detect this, something often described as “smelling” it.

And from Luke’s mana, Shannon could smell ash and smoke.

It was proof that he had studied explosion magic.

“…Right, you’re the exchange student from Karaf, aren’t you? Looks like I’ve run into quite the troublesome opponent.”

Luke pushed up his glasses with the tip of his finger.

A flicker of emotion passed through him.

The fluctuation in his mana field made it clear.

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Shannon quietly warmed up her own magical circuits.

You never knew how someone might react when their secret was exposed.

But despite her tension, Luke Rousseau soon let out a sigh and quickly regained his composure.

He spoke.

“Fine, I’ll admit it. I do have a debt to settle with Professor Winslet. That’s why I studied explosion magic. But I never actually used it.”

“Were you planning to?”

“No. I got as far as the brink of doing it… but I backed off. Someone else was living in the professor’s house.”

“Someone else? A family member?”

“No, just a servant, I think. Strange, isn’t it? It’s hard to imagine someone that cold and heartless living with another person.”

“……”

“Anyway, I couldn’t go through with the explosion plan if it meant dragging an innocent person into it. Whether you believe me or not, that’s the truth.”

Having said his piece, Luke Rousseau actually looked relieved, as if a weight had been lifted off his chest.

“Got all your questions answered? If there’s anything else, feel free to ask.”

Shannon shook her head.

“Then the rest, you can confirm tomorrow at the place I mentioned on that note.”

With that, Luke Rousseau walked away.

Jacqueline and Rita, who had just come to check the class cancellation notice, murmured nervously now that they were dragged into something much heavier.

“What is even happening right now…”

“Seriously…”

Seeing Shannon fidget with the note she’d received from Luke, Jacqueline asked,

“Are you going to go?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“He said it was some kind of meeting, but what kind of group is it, anyway?”

“It’s nothing special. Not worth your attention.”

The last comment came again from behind the three.

When they turned around, Rita recognized the speaker and politely greeted her.

“Oh! Senior Stephanie!”

Once again, it was Stephanie Wells. A stylish upperclassman who also took Professor Winslet’s class.

Adorned with expensive clothes and jewelry, she made Jacqueline instinctively shrink back and retreat behind Rita.

Rita tilted her head.

“What’s wrong, Jacqueline?”

“It’s nothing. Just… never mind.”

Stephanie asked the three,

“So, what did that guy say to you?”

“That guy… you mean senior Luke?”

“Yeah, that timid little man.”

Stephanie spoke dismissively of Luke Rousseau, who was four years older than she was.

Maybe it was because she came from a noble family, but it also seemed like she genuinely disliked him.

Rita spoke up.

“He didn’t say much. It just seemed like he doesn’t think very highly of Professor Winslet.”

“I knew it.”

“You knew it?”

Stephanie’s eyes narrowed.

“Yeah. That guy’s the president of the anti-Winslet fan club. Looks like he’s still going around filling freshmen’s heads with nonsense.”

“…Anti fan club?”

At the sudden mention of such a term, the three girls exchanged glances.

“Is that for real?”

“Then the meeting he invited us to earlier…?”

“Well, his attitude did seem a little extreme for just an anti-fan club.”

“Besides, it’s not like the professor is a star….why would there be an anti-fan club? Does that mean there’s a regular fan club, too?”

“There is. And I’m the president of it.”

Stephanie chimed in again.

“You are?”

“Yeah. Surprised? That someone as principled as me would be a fan of anyone?”

“Uh… not exactly.”

Stephanie Wells’s devotion to Professor Winslet was already well-known among the students.

In fact, it was enough that she was considered a bit eccentric even within the magic department.

Jacqueline herself had seen Stephanie a few times after class, cornering the professor to make suggestions or showering him with gifts.

Of course, every single one of them had been politely declined.

Still, none of them had expected her to actually be the president of a fan club.

“You know, this isn’t exactly the kind of information I just go around sharing. But there are a few similar fan clubs around the academy. Two here at the Magic Department, one at the Knight Department, and one more at the Theology Department….four in total. But the real one is the group I run. It’s the largest, and it’s got the longest history.”

“How long has it been around?”

“I started it when I was a freshman, so of course, this makes it our third year.”

“Wait, you’re calling that a long history…?”

“Professor Winslet was appointed to the academy four years ago, so three years is a long time, okay? And you…yeah, you with the tacky red hair. Why do you keep questioning everything I say?”

“Who are you calling tacky?”

Jacqueline snapped back, but when Stephanie started glaring at her, she quickly ducked behind Rita again.

With a scoff, Stephanie continued.

“Anyway, our fan club is nothing like the rest of those wannabe groups. We’re professionally organized.”

“Professionally organized?”

“That’s right. We have a dedicated information team to make sure we never miss a single move Professor Winslet makes. We’ve got records of every event he’s attended, every social gathering, every interview. We track his clothing, accessories, and even what cologne he wears. Impressive, huh?”

As Stephanie spoke proudly, Jacqueline, Shannon, and Rita found her tone a little unsettling….even a touch creepy.

Still, they did their best not to show it. She seemed like someone you didn’t want to anger.

“That’s… impressive.”

“Oh, and that’s not all. We even know a few of Professor Winslet’s secrets….things we obtained through unofficial means. I’m pretty sure our fan club is the only one with access to those.”

“Secrets?”

“Hmph, that’s as much as I can share with outsiders. Anyway, now you understand that our club is the one that’s most devoted to Professor Winslet in this entire academy, right?”

“Y-Yeah…”

“By the way, are any of you interested in joining the fan club? I’ve actually been keeping an eye on you all during Professor Winslet’s class. Thought you might make good new members.”

Rita glanced at the other two as if to get their opinion. Jacqueline quickly shook her head in disgust.

“No, not really…”

“I am.”

“What?”

Jacqueline turned to Shannon in shock.

It was the exact opposite of her own response.

As Jacqueline began to wonder if she’d misheard, Shannon firmly repeated herself, as if to remove any doubt.

“I said I’m interested. In that fan club of yours.”