In a cafe room near the Hero Department.
Inside the room were four female students.
"Theo always arrives right on time."
Irene.
"Is Theo... always so punctual?"
Alice.
"I, I think so. He was like that last time too..."
Alphs.
"Hehe, only 10 minutes left."
Seria.
All lectures at Elinia Academy, unless there is a special event, end at 4:30 PM.
Right after their classes, they had taken the carriage to the cafe near the Hero Department as designated by Theo.
'Hehe, so this is the final lineup.'
Seria glanced at the other girls.
'Theo really has a playboy nature. All his aides are girls. He's truly a man led by desire.'
This made her want him even more.
For her, seizing something popular among many was as thrilling as snatching something owned by someone else.
Of course, she would have wanted Theo even if he wasn't popular.
"A person who splits time down to the minute... Well, he won't be late."
Irene said, looking at Alice.
Seria gazed at Irene enviously.
'Theo's fiancee. My biggest rival.'
She had seen Irene's face before and knew quite a bit about her.
No, she knew her well.
After losing a subtle battle for Theo's attention previously, she had conducted her own investigation.
'To be honest, I admire her.'
That woman led a life reminiscent of a hamster running endlessly on a wheel.
After investigating her activities since the first semester, it was clear that she only slept in the dorms and spent most of her day at the training grounds.
She even ate all her meals alone in the cafeteria.
Yes, that woman was a true loner.
There were many loners in the tower where Seria had spent her childhood, but most were temporary.
And the tower was a gathering place for such people.
Environment has a significant impact on people.
Those who aren't loners become so after entering the tower.
However, Elinia Academy was mostly filled with students who enjoyed studying while having fun.
But that woman focused solely on training.
Which first-year student spends even their holidays swinging a sword in the training grounds and eating in the cafeteria?
Honestly, if not for her looks, she would have often been called crazy.
'But to proceed comfortably... I need to take down the boss first.'
Sorry, but it can't be helped.
A hunter does not sympathize with their prey.
Seria didn't feel the need to compete with the other two women.
Irene was that formidable an opponent.
With that thought, Seria spoke to Irene.
"Did you also receive an artifact from Theo?"
"Yes."
"Oh my, what did you receive?"
Of course, she already knew that the artifact Irene received was a wrist guard.
"This."
Irene extended her wrist.
"Oh, he gave me this."
Seria held up her wand artifact, [Fortune Wand], which she had placed beside her.
It was a hero-grade artifact that increased the accuracy and duration of debuff spells.
Generally, the value of a main weapon artifact is higher than that of other parts.
No student was unaware of this fact.
"Theo seems to have a cute side too. Giving his fiancée a wrist guard as an artifact."
"Our family is a lineage of knights, so we have many primary weapon artifacts. Theo must have known that."
"Oh, then it can't be helped. I was just curious about what kind of artifact Theo would give to his fiancée~"
While Seria was gently prodding Irene,
"He gave me this."
Alice, who had been observing, joined in the teasing of Irene.
She instinctively knew that this gathering wasn't just for fun and laughter.
Knowing how important first impressions are in any setting, she understood that if she didn't stand her ground now, she would end up being overshadowed.
"Isn't it pretty?"
Alice held her hero-grade bow artifact, [Sharp Shooting].
Seeing her bold demeanor, Seria looked at Alice for a moment.
Alice looked back at Seria.
"..."
"..."
In that brief exchange of glances, the two women realized something.
They shared a common goal called 'taking down Irene.'
With a somewhat sly smile, Seria said to Alice,
"What a pretty bow! It suits you, Alice. What's its effect?"
"The power of the arrows increases, and it has a special effect that extends the range for a certain period!"
"Hehe~ I don't know much about archery, but that sounds great just from hearing it. Theo's really is remarkable."
"Right. Theo might seem aloof on the outside, but he's actually very warm-hearted."
Though it was their first meeting, Seria and Alice hit it off immediately.
Environment has a significant impact on people.
Despite Irene's strong and upright mental fortitude, she was gradually being overwhelmed by the surprisingly well-coordinated attack of the two women.
"Theo has always been like that. Maybe Seria and Alice don't know much about him since you haven’t known him for long──"
"Oh my. Isn't it more impressive to understand someone in such a short time? Alice from the Exploration Department really has a good eye."
"Thank you, Seria. I knew the top student of the Magic Department would have an adventurous spirit."
The verbal sparring continued, no less intense than an actual battle, though no weapons were involved.
Caught in the middle, the innocent Alphs didn't know what to do.
Just as Irene was being bombarded by the combined attack of the two women,
"By the way, what kind of artifact did you receive, Alphs?"
Seria's gaze fell on Alphs.
To her, Alphs looked like a young lamb trembling in front of a sheepdog.
'It would be good to capture the mob characters too.'
Along with the boss raid, a strategy to handle the mob characters.
As expected of the top student of the Magic Department with excellent intelligence, Seria instinctively employed an advanced raid strategy she had never learned.
Whether her strategy hit the mark, the mob character in front of her hesitated.
"Uh, um... I, I..."
"Oh, did you... not receive one? I'm sorry for asking something unnecessary."
A mob character killed by a casually thrown fireball.
After dealing with the mob, Seria was about to refocus on the boss raid—
"No, I did receive one..."
—her eyes widened at the mob character's response.
"Oh my. What did you receive?"
"I, I got this..."
The mob character began fumbling in a large backpack she had brought.
"A belt?"
Seria looked at the belt on the table and felt relieved.
It wasn't a primary weapon.
"Theo really has a cute side. Does Alphs also have a primary weapon artifact in her family?"
"No, my parents... they both passed away when I was young, and the family no longer exists."
"I, I'm sorry."
Seria, who had inadvertently cast a Taunt, fell silent.
However, her mouth opened wide in less than ten seconds.
"These and these... he gave me these."
Alphs had taken out two more artifacts from the table.
On the table lay a belt, a gambeson, and greaves, one after the other.
Regardless of the fact that primary weapon artifacts are generally more valuable, the case of three items is different.
Alice, with her mouth also wide open, asked Alphs,
"You received all three of these?"
"Yes, yes. Is there something wrong?"
Alphs looked anxiously at Seria and Alice, as if wondering if she had done something wrong.
'This wasn't a mob character. She was the boss...!'
Seria couldn't manage her expression in the face of this unexpected twist.
Looking again, the design and color of the three artifacts on the table were similar.
Obviously, they were a set item.
With a high probability, no.
Considering Theo's tendencies, it was 100%.
'He went that far for her? Who is she?'
It was an incomprehensible level of favoritism.
Before she knew it, Seria had stood up from her seat without realizing it.
Alice felt similarly to Seria.
From using a student at the bottom rank as an aide, it was clear there was some unknown connection...
While Seria and Alice were in shock,
Creak─
"Nice to see you."
Theo entered the room.
He arrived precisely at 5:30 PM, the promised time.
He calmly surveyed the surroundings.
'The atmosphere is unusual.'
[Mercy of Renimid] lined up on the table and Seria standing up...
'What happened here?'
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