Chapter 20

Shannon hadn’t truly forgotten Jacqueline.

After all, they had only exchanged names the day before.

Jacqueline’s bold behavior of shoving her face forward and asking Shannon’s name despite it being their first meeting was hard to forget.

Shannon had just hoped the girl would pass by without noticing her.

But knowing Jacqueline’s personality, that hope was clearly in vain.

With no other choice, Shannon replied,

“I remember now. Jacqueline Dogwood, right?”

“You remembered! Hehe.”

Watching the orange-haired girl beam with a bashful smile, Shannon could immediately tell that Jacqueline was an emotionally expressive person—

The complete opposite of herself.

“So, what do you want?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, why’d you come over? You were in the middle of your run.”

“Oh, I just wanted to say hi… Um, wait, am I bothering you?”

“……”

Honestly, it was annoying.

Shannon hadn’t come to the academy to make friends or enjoy a carefree student life.

She wasn’t planning to stay long anyway, so she didn’t care much for forming relationships.

Maybe that sentiment showed on her face.

Jacqueline began to fidget nervously.

“We’re classmates, right? So, I mean… I just thought, since we’ll be seeing each other often, we might as well get along. We’re even on the same dorm floor, and we’re in some of the same classes.”

Since first-years were required to take four core courses, it was inevitable that Shannon and Jacqueline would run into each other frequently.

On top of that, they’d coincidentally ended up in the same elective—

Professor Winslet’s class.

…And that realization hit Shannon like a slap to the back of her head.

Her expression shifted as she asked,

“You’re taking Professor Winslet’s class, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Uh, Mhmm, for now.”

She added a question just to be sure.

“Did you pass the test?”

“Well, um… for now?”

“I see.”

Shannon quietly widened her eyes—

A subtle reaction, but a genuine sign of surprise at Jacqueline’s answer.

She hadn’t really expected a first-year like Jacqueline to have passed Professor Winslet’s test.

The difficulty of that skill evaluation had been absolutely absurd.

And yet, this girl had made it through.

Even now, just like when they’d first met, Jacqueline gave off the vibe of a total novice when it came to magic—

A rough, unrefined presence.

Is she one of those raw-talented types who rely purely on instinct?

With that thought in mind, Shannon gave her another look. This time, with a hint more respect.

Her voice too softened slightly as she said,

“Jacqueline, I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor? Sure! Just say the word!”

“…You haven’t even heard it yet.”

Still a bit uncertain, Shannon went ahead and explained her situation:

How Professor Winslet had insulted her, how she’d challenged him to a duel, and how she needed someone who had witnessed the event.

Jacqueline replied without hesitation.

“Alright. I’ll help.”

“…Are you sure you want to decide that fast?”

“Of course! You wanna take that smug professor down, right? Then I’m totally in!”

…

Shannon still had her doubts, but she felt a wave of relief.

Compared to the professors who had backed away at the mere mention of Winter Winslet’s name, Jacqueline was far more dependable.

If it had been her in the same position, Shannon would’ve turned it down just to avoid the hassle—

But Jacqueline hadn’t.

Shannon spoke plainly.

“Thanks.”

“Aww, come on. No need to thank me. We’re friends, right?”

Jacqueline gave her a cheerful smile and nudged her lightly with her elbow.

That kind of closeness was hard for Shannon to adjust to so quickly.

Jacqueline asked,

“So, what do I need to do?”

“Just write down exactly what you saw and heard. The things Winter Winslet said to me after the test ended, and how I responded.”

“After the test was over?”

“Right.”

“Uh… hmm.”

Jacqueline’s expression suddenly turned uncertain.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

Shannon looked at her questioningly, and Jacqueline scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“Um, I kind of… fainted back then, so I don’t remember anything.”

“What?”

Shannon’s expression twisted in an instant.

“You said you passed the test.”

“Well… I did faint, but somehow it still got marked as a pass? So I’m able to take the next class. But the thing is, I don’t actually remember what happened yesterday…”

Shannon rubbed her face in frustration.

“Then you can’t write a statement.”

“Isn’t there any way? Maybe if I try really hard to remember…”

Shannon fell silent and let out a deep sigh.

No matter how hard you try, you can’t remember what you never knew.

After a moment, Jacqueline who was still squirming with guilt suddenly perked up as if something had come to mind.

“Oh, right! Rita!”

“Rita?”

“My roommate. She passed the test too! What if we ask her to write the statement?”

Shannon looked concerned.

“Do you think she’ll cooperate?”

“Mhmm, I’m sure she will. We’re friends.”

Well, not exactly friends…

But for the sake of making the duel with Professor Winslet happen, Shannon kept that to herself.

“Please ask her.”

***

It wasn’t until the weekend that Shannon finally got to meet the girl named Rita.

She looked neatly dressed with braided hair and glasses—

Rita was a quiet, composed girl.

Yet, she didn’t come across as timid. Her eyes which were partly hidden behind round frames sparkled with intellectual curiosity.

Her gaze, as she sized Shannon up, wasn’t rude or wary. It was just calm and confident.

Rita greeted her.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ve been busy this week greeting people I know.”

“No worries. I really appreciate you making time for this.”

“Jacqueline just wouldn’t stop pestering me. ‘We have to help with this!’ she kept saying.”

Jacqueline cut in.

“Help a friend, and take down that annoying professor. Two birds, one stone, right?”

“Exactly, exactly.”

It was an early Saturday morning.

The three of them met at a café located above a bookstore across from the Magic Department.

It was close to the lecture halls, so the place was packed with students during exam season, but at the beginning of the semester, it wasn’t very popular.

Mostly because of its subtly expensive prices.

Shannon pulled out her wallet without hesitation.

“My treat today.”

“What! Really?”

“I’m the one asking for a favor.”

“Oh, come on, what kind of favor is that between friends?”

Even as she said that, Jacqueline’s eyes sparkled as she looked through the glass wall at the display of dessert replicas.

“Wow, can I get something from over there? They say the ones on the bottom shelf are the café’s signature menu items…”

“Go ahead, pick whatever you want.”

“Ah.”

Jacqueline dramatically clapped a hand over her mouth.

It was funny to see her acting so shy about this, when she’d been so bold at their first meeting.

Jacqueline asked,

“I’ve been wondering…. Shannon, are you a noble by any chance?”

“A noble?”

Shannon shook her head.

She was from Karaf, a city-state.

Naturally, that tiny administrative district didn’t have enough land to grant titles, so there were no nobles in Karaf.

Instead, talented mages were held in high regard.

Shannon’s maternal great-grandfather had been the head of a powerful magical school, so she was treated better than nobility in Karaf. But there was no need to bring that up.

Instead, Shannon threw the question back at Jacqueline.

“But why do you ask something like that?”

“Oh? It’s nothing, really… just the vibe, I guess? You’ve got that noble air about you. Haha, although living in the dorms made me think you probably weren’t one.”

The Academy didn’t require all students to live in the dormitories.

It was just that no commoner could afford to commute from the capital city of Lambart with its outrageous rent and cost of living.

“But still, you’re so generous! Maybe not a noble, but definitely a rich girl! I’ve got such an amazing friend.”

“……”

Shannon didn’t bother correcting the misunderstanding.

“Ugh, this one looks delicious, and that one’s just too cute.”

Faced with a wide array of breads and pastries, Jacqueline seemed to be struggling with her self-control.

Perhaps feeling guilty about having her friend pay, she rested her chin in her hand, seriously debating which one to choose from the many options.

Shannon didn’t want to waste time on something so trivial, so she made the decision for her.

“Just order everything over there.”

“Ugh. You really do have a different sense of money.”

A little while later, their window-side table was crowded with three people, three drinks, and a mountain of dessert plates that could easily be mistaken for a small display.

Shannon doubted whether the three of them could finish it all, but she didn’t mind if there were leftovers.

What mattered was getting the written testimony.

“Alright. Time to show what I can do.”

Jacqueline said as she picked up her fork.

“I’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines. You’ve got this, Rita.”

“Thanks. And you too, Jacqueline. Dig in and enjoy.”

“Okay. …Wow, this honey parfait is seriously sweet. Shannon, you better try it before it melts!”

Shannon ignored Jacqueline’s suggestion and turned to Rita instead.

“It’s already been a few days. Will you be okay? The more accurate the testimony, the better.”

“No problem. I’ve got a pretty good memory. And besides, it’s not exactly the kind of incident that’s easy to forget, right?”

“…That’s true.”

Scratch, scratch. Munch, munch.

For a while, the only sounds were the quiet scribbling of a pen and someone softly chewing.

Shannon barely touched her tea, watching as Rita’s testimony came together.

The upside-down letters didn’t make it any harder to follow.

“Hmm.”

The testimony was shockingly accurate.

Apparently, Rita hadn’t been exaggerating about her memory.

Still, Jacqueline who had been watching from beside her pointed out a few spots where she disagreed.

“Didn’t Professor Winslet sound a lot nastier there? Like, ‘Trash!’ or ‘Idiot!’ or something?”

“Jacqueline, you passed out back then. What I remember is correct.”

“Still, it’s Professor Winslet. He’s the worst. You could definitely make him sound even worse.”

“Sorry, but this is a legal statement.”

“…I just hope it stays written exactly like this.”

The statement was completed smoothly under Rita’s swift and steady hand.

“All right, take a look.”

Shannon flipped through the stack of papers she was handed and the pages fluttered softly.

She nodded.

Having watched the process the whole time, it didn’t take long to confirm the contents.

“Yeah. No issues.”

“Right?”

Rita pushed her glasses up and smiled lightly.

Throughout the whole process of writing, she hadn’t asked a single question or voiced a single complaint.

Now, curiosity flickering in her eyes, she asked Shannon,

“I wrote the statement like you asked, but… are you really going to duel him? That professor?”

Shannon was instantly irritated.

It was a question she’d heard so many times over the past week that she was sick of it.

“What, do you think I’m going to lose?”

“It’s not really about who wins or loses… I just wonder if it’s something you really need to go through with.”

Something she really needed to go through with?

The words pricked at something deep inside Shannon, like a needle.

She shot back with a sharp tone.

“What do you mean by that? You know what he said. You even wrote the statement yourself. Or are you saying I’m overreacting?”

Now she was glaring at Rita.

Rita raised both hands in front of her shoulders, trying to calm her down.

“I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“It felt like… maybe you were pushing yourself into this.”

“…What?”

“I mean, think about it. There were plenty of chances to back out before things escalated to a duel, but you didn’t take them. It’s like… you want to fight him.”

“……”

“Well, that’s just how it looked from where I’m standing.”

Shannon couldn’t find anything to say in return.

So she couldn’t help but respond like this.

“Don’t talk like you know me when you don’t, okay?”

“Right. My apologies.”

Before the atmosphere grew any colder, Shannon placed the finalized statement into an envelope and stood up.

Jacqueline grabbed her arm.

“Where are you going now? It’s our first weekend since starting school. Don’t you want to hang out? Maybe explore the campus?”

“Sorry. I’m busy.”

“Even on the weekend?”

“I have to prepare for the duel.”

“Prepare for the duel…”

Shannon glanced back at Rita and said,

“Like you said, I don’t know whether I want to fight or not… but either way, I’m not planning on losing.”

Jacqueline looked at Rita.

“What about you, Rita? Got plans today?”

“I’m heading back to the dorm too. I’ve got studying to do, review, and preparation.”

“What! Studying on a weekend?”

“If you don’t want to regret it when exams come around, you’d better start getting ready early.”

“Still, it’s our first weekend after starting school…”

Jacqueline made a face like the world was ending, but in the end, she had no choice but to follow her friends back to the dorm.

However, the three of them never made it back to their rooms.

Someone stopped them in front of the freshman dormitory.

“Hey, you three. Are you first-years?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“For fuck’s sake, where’ve you been all morning? You think you can just skip out like that?”

“……?”

“Go to the backyard of the dorm. Right now.”

“Why?”

“Why do you think? You think a senior’s words are a joke?”

“……”

“All your classmates are back there. I’m telling you nicely….go.”

The senior waved them off as if shooing them away.

Since he was practically blocking the entrance with his body, the three of them decided to head to the back of the dorm for now.

As the sound of people shouting and yelling grew louder in the distance, Jacqueline tilted her head in curiosity.

“Maybe it’s some kind of welcome party for freshmen? Like a barbecue or something.”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

When they arrived, Jacqueline witnessed something far more shocking than a barbecue party.

Instead of a neatly prepared roast pig, what she saw were naked men and women lying face down in a line.

Those in their underwear were all their fellow first-years. They were other freshmen.

On the other side, a man fully dressed was dousing the freshmen with buckets of water.

“This is holy water, you little brats! Be grateful and drink up! Hahaha!”

Splash!

“What is this…”

While Jacqueline stood stunned, Rita let out a deep sigh.

“Not a welcome party…it’s more like the freshman hazing ritual.”