“That’s not it.”

“Then why can’t you call me familiarly? Oh, I see. You still haven’t forgiven me, have you?”

“Don’t jump to conclusions, Reedmore. We’re in the middle of the square. Have some common sense, please?”

“Fine… How can I demand familiarity from you, right? After all, I committed such a crime against you. Sorry. I couldn’t understand your feelings. You can leave me and go. How dare I have the honor of sitting next to you and sharing a meal?”

Passersby cast odd glances our way.

“Stop talking nonsense and move, now!”

Attempting to pull him up by the forearm, I found him standing firm as if rooted to the ground.

“Fine. I get it, Reed. Please move!”

“Will do.”

Finally smiling, he started walking after my shout. He complained while fanning his flushed face.

“Where did that Young Lord Desmiere from the day he cried and begged to become friends go?”

“I’m right here! Can’t you see your proud friend?”

There was no point in responding, so I quickened my pace as if I hadn’t heard him. He didn’t care and soon caught up.

As things returned to normal, the events of the morning came back to my mind.

“By the way, today, Oakley and Sheets’ heirs approached me. They proposed sharing a meal.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. Do you know them?”

“Sure. Felicia from Marquis Oakley Family and Pogos from Count Sheets Family.”

Casually, Reedmore shared information I was already aware of.

“They’re a bit… peculiar. They don’t care much about the people around them.”

“Hmm. Like you, maybe?”

“To be honest, they’re obsessed with spirits. Both of them can only summon lower-level spirits for now, but they’re passionate.”

We were almost at the restaurant. Reedmore shrugged.

“I haven’t seen them much, but well, they’re not bad.”

As we entered the restaurant, Felicia and Pogos, who had already taken their seats, enthusiastically waved at us.

“Over here, over here!”

Their welcome was more enthusiastic than I had anticipated. I walked slowly and sat in front of them. Pogos extended a plate he had prepared in advance.

“I got your share of food ready. And nice to see you, Reedmore.”

He nodded at Reedmore, who reciprocated with a handshake. Felicia followed, shaking hands with him.

“I heard you two have become quite close recently. Seeing it in person, it’s even more than I expected. Have you really become good friends?”

“Yeah, we’re really close. Right, Khalia?”

Reedmore, releasing the handshake, proudly directed his gaze at me. Felicia and Pogos observed us with curious eyes.

“Yep.”

I coughed to ignore the hot gazes pouring in from the side.

“K?”

Thunk, Reedmore nudged me with his elbow.

“Re…edmore and I are good friends.”

Reedmore’s gaze became confident. He puffed out his chest and had a look as if to say, ‘Look at this.’

“Heh.”

Pogos made an intriguing sound, his expression a mix of curiosity and interest. He quickly drank water from a cup, clearly quenching his thirst.

“It’s quite different from what I see in class.”

Felicia added.

“Speaking of which, why did you suddenly call me?”

Anticipating the conversation veering off-topic, I quickly posed my question.

Reedmore went to fetch his portion of food, and as Felicia sliced into the roast bird, she responded.

“It’s interesting. A second-year student, known not to have received proper elemental education, suddenly summoning a wind spirit. How? What method?”

“In that case, perhaps you should rephrase the question from ‘suddenly’ to ‘now that.’”

It’s been a while since I summoned the spirit. If they were really curious about me going crazy with spirits and summoning them, why ask now instead of at that time?

‘Helena’s friend.’

My thoughts turned to the girl in the same elemental magic class. Could it be that Helena, after the fight in front of Valentina Forest, is planning to use them for some scheme?

Purposely pretending to strain the relationship between her friend and them, making me lower my guard, is it part of a plan to approach me?

Lowering my gaze and pretending to focus on eating, I eagerly awaited their reaction.

Pogos glanced around before leaning toward me and speaking softly.

“Well, honestly, from the beginning, there was curiosity, but fear held us back. It’s not that we weren’t scared of you. I am a faithful follower. With all those tales about being the daughter of a devil, using such power to harm us, what would we do?”

Felicia interjected.

“Then, when Young Lord Desmiere started hanging out with you and showed friendship, we thought it might be okay.”

“What are you talking about?”

Upon returning with a full plate, Reedmore casually asked as he took his seat.

I observed them and continued to eat as if nothing was happening, with a puzzled look.

It marked the first instance where someone openly acknowledged their fear of me, yet behaved so confidently.

Are they my enemies or friends?

“We were talking about the friendship between you and Khalia.”

“Still?”

“How do you even know about it?”

Since earlier, their demeanor seemed quite familiar to me.

The three exchanged glances, and Felicia shrugged before saying, “Our parents know each other, and we happened to cross paths a few times when we were young. Children play among themselves at boring parties or hunting events, you know. We naturally got acquainted.”

“Oh.”

It made sense. Nobles of high rank naturally cultivate friendships through such encounters in their childhood. If I were a normal daughter of a marquis, I would have experienced it as well, but that wasn’t my case, so I couldn’t recall it immediately.

“I understand what you’re trying to say now. It makes sense why you suddenly approached me. However, is it really okay for you to come this close to me?”

Felicia straightened up, her face adorned with a broad smile.

“Challenge Oakley then. Without us, who will guard the eastern border?”

It was a confident tone. As she said, Marquis Oakley, who guards the eastern border, is also a Margrave. Pogos followed.

“Anyway, Felicia and I aren’t rooted in the capital. Once we graduate from the academy, we’ll go back to our territories. Except for occasional visits, we’ll live our lives there. So, it doesn’t matter much.”

“Yeah…”

I nodded.

Connecting it with Helena might trigger sensitive reactions.

In my mind, I classified them as acquaintances, neither foes nor allies. This realization brought a sense of ease.

We continued to share the meal and engaged in various conversations.

“So, let me get this straight. If you go alone to the First Library at midnight, you’ll find magical books you didn’t see during the day? And some spirit appears to guide you to the secretary’s place?”

Felicia and Pogos enthusiastically shared the details, while I calmly summarized the information.

“It’s not some spirit; it’s the soul of the founding Head of the Magic Tower, one of the academy’s founders. It’s entirely different from a ghost.”

“Nonsense.”

Reedmore chuckled.

“It’s true!”

Caught up in his excitement, Pogos slammed the table, prompting laughter from Reedmore.

“Has anyone actually seen this ghost?”

“Hey, Valentina’s place is in the Magic Forest. It’s not an ordinary location. Besides, it’s a long-standing legend.”

“So, have you guys seen it?”

“We tried several times, but we failed. It’s difficult to even sneak in there at night. After curfew, dorm access is restricted, and all buildings with classrooms are locked.”

Felicia said with a pout, while Pogos continued to express his enthusiasm.

“It’s not just about being there at that time. According to the legend, when specific conditions are met, only a special person receives the soul’s choice.”

“So, what changes if you’re chosen by this special soul to read a secretive magical book?”

“Khalia, are you seriously asking that? You know it’s just a rumor circulating among freshmen every year.”

Reedmore interjected.

“I’ve never heard of it.”

I murmured quietly. Reedmore’s face briefly paled.

Felicia looked at him with a pitiful glance and clicked her tongue.

Despite initially dismissing it as nonsense, their growing enthusiasm piqued my curiosity.

“It supposedly dramatically enhances the power you seek. Whether it’s magic, swordsmanship, or spirits! You gain tremendous insights in one field, and your skills skyrocket. Amazing, isn’t it?”

“Well, even if it’s nonsense, you don’t have to pay attention to such talk, Kay. There are many real legends and phenomena in the academy. I’ll tell you everything, so you only need to trust me!”

His unexpectedly resolute voice hinted at an attempt to assume an elder-like demeanor.

Pogos added in a jesting tone, “Well, there’s no use explaining further to someone like you Reedmore, who’s clueless about mysteries.”

“You’re being stupid. Don’t tell him weird things.”

Reedmore, Felicia, and Pogos engaged in lively banter. I sat quietly with them, choosing not to get involved.

A single phrase lingered in my mind: a significant surge in power.