Five days passed without any major incidents.
At least, nothing truly happened.
However, for Lily those five days felt unusually long.
Ever since the encounter with Count Troy, she had been constantly on edge. Every small sound made her tense up. The creaking of a door, footsteps in the street outside, even the faint rustling of wind against the window sometimes made her think someone was watching her.
More than once she had jumped out of her chair thinking the count had come back.
Of course, nothing ever happened.
But the fear lingered in the back of her mind.
By the night before the academy entrance exam, Lily still hadn't fully relaxed.
She lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
Her excitement about the exam kept her awake.
Her fear of possible revenge kept her awake.
It was a terrible combination.
What if the count shows up tomorrow…?
What if he's waiting outside the academy…?
What if—
Lily rolled over and buried her face into her pillow.
"Stop thinking about it…"
But her thoughts refused to stop.
Before she realized it, faint sunlight began slipping through the curtains.
Morning had arrived.
Lily slowly turned her head toward the clock beside her bed.
8:00 AM.
She blinked.
Then blinked again.
Her brain took several seconds to process what she was seeing.
The academy entrance exam began at 8:30.
Her eyes suddenly widened.
"WHAT?!"
She jumped upright so quickly the blanket flew off the bed.
"Eight o'clock?!"
"Thirty minutes before the exam starts?!"
"THIRTY MINUTES?!"
Lily rushed out of bed in a panic, nearly tripping over herself as she scrambled to get dressed.
If she took the normal route she had planned to reach the academy…
She would absolutely be late.
Her mind raced while she pulled on her boots.
"What do I do…?"
She paused.
Then frowned.
"Do I really have to use that…?"
For a moment she hesitated.
She knew exactly what option she had.
But she really didn't want to use it.
"Hmmm…"
She stared toward the window.
Then sighed.
"Okay… I don't have any other choice."
8:05 AM.
Lily rushed outside.
The morning air was cold and fresh, and the city streets were already starting to fill with people.
But Lily didn't stop running.
She raised her hand.
"Flight!"
8:06 AM.
A swirl of wind gathered beneath her feet.
The air compressed, lifting her body upward.
Then—
WHOOSH.
She shot forward into the sky.
The spell Flight was considered an intermediate wind spell.
In theory, the magic itself was simple. Wind mana was used to create lift while also pushing the caster forward through the air.
But the real difficulty wasn't understanding the spell.
It was maintaining it.
To stay airborne, the caster had to release a perfectly steady stream of mana every second. Any disruption in the flow would cause the spell to collapse.
For most mages, maintaining that kind of precise control was extremely exhausting.
Even experienced students struggled to keep the spell active for long periods.
But Lily had always been slightly unusual.
Her mana regenerated far faster than most people's.
Because of that, she could sustain spells for longer periods than other students.
However, that didn't mean it was comfortable.
Maintaining such delicate control placed an enormous strain on her mental concentration.
And flying at high speed through the city certainly didn't help.
8:10 AM.
Lily soared above the rooftops, rushing straight toward the academy.
Cold wind slammed into her face.
Her hair whipped wildly behind her.
"I hate flying!" she shouted.
A few people walking in the streets below looked up in surprise as she streaked overhead.
But Lily didn't care.
Right now, she was more worried about arriving on time.
8:25 AM.
Lily finally descended in front of the academy gates.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she nearly collapsed.
Her legs trembled.
Her head spun.
Her body felt numb from the cold wind.
"Ugh…"
"I really hate flying…"
She took a moment to steady herself before slowly walking toward the main building.
Inside the academy's grand hall, hundreds of students had already gathered for the entrance exam.
Since the test hadn't started yet, everyone stood in groups talking loudly.
The room buzzed with nervous excitement.
Conversations echoed across the large chamber.
Lily immediately regretted entering.
Her head still felt dizzy from the flight spell.
And the loud noise made it worse.
"Too loud…"
She covered one ear slightly and walked toward a quieter corner of the hall.
That was when she noticed two people standing nearby.
A boy.
And a girl.
The boy had short black hair that reflected the light slightly. His posture was perfectly straight, and his expression remained cold and distant.
He stood almost completely still.
Blinking occasionally, as if to remind himself he was still present.
The people around him clearly noticed him.
But none of them dared approach.
There was an invisible wall of tension surrounding him.
The girl standing nearby had soft brown hair that reached her shoulders.
Every few seconds she glanced toward the boy.
Then quickly looked away.
Her fingers repeatedly twisted together nervously.
She clearly wanted to say something.
But couldn't gather the courage.
Lily watched the situation for a few seconds.
Her mind quickly formed a conclusion.
Ah… I see.
She nodded to herself.
Then walked toward the girl.
"Hello. My name is Lily Aedile. May I know yours?"
The girl didn't react.
She was still staring at the boy.
Lily tilted her head slightly.
Then the girl suddenly noticed her.
"O-oh! Sorry! What did you say?"
Lily smiled politely.
"It's okay. My name is Lily Aedile. May I know your name?"
The girl quickly straightened up.
"Oh! Of course, Miss Aedile."
"My name is Olivia."
She gave a small polite bow.
"Olivia Holder."
"Holder… Miss Holder…" Lily murmured thoughtfully.
Within a few seconds, Lily felt confident she understood the situation.
She must have a crush on that boy.
It was obvious.
At least, that's what Lily believed.
"Miss Holder," Lily said calmly, "I noticed you were trying to talk to that boy over there."
Olivia froze.
Her face immediately turned red.
"Y-yes… but I don't know how to talk to him…"
Lily nodded confidently.
"It's okay."
"I'll help you."
"N-no! That's not necessary—"
But Lily had already started walking.
She approached the boy directly.
"Hello. My name is Lily Aedile. May I know your name?"
The boy slowly turned his head.
His expression remained completely neutral.
"My name is Kane."
He paused.
"Kane Wall."
Lily immediately continued.
"Well, Mr. Wall, my friend here has something she'd like to tell you."
Before Olivia could stop her—
Lily gently pushed her forward.
Olivia stumbled slightly.
Her hands started fidgeting again.
"U-um…"
She looked down.
Then up.
Then down again.
"Kane…"
"Yes?" he replied calmly.
Olivia swallowed nervously.
"Your… your shoelaces are untied."
Silence.
"…What?"
Both Lily and Kane spoke at the same time.
Lily slowly looked down.
Kane's shoelaces were indeed untied.
Realization struck her.
Olivia hadn't been staring at him because she liked him.
She had just been worried about his shoelaces.
But she had been too nervous to tell him.
Lily stared blankly for a several seconds.
Then nodded.
"Ah."
"Just as I thought."
Kane quietly bent down and tied his shoelaces.
"…Thank you."
Olivia looked relieved.
"Y-you're welcome…"
After a moment, Lily spoke again.
"So, Mr. Wall… are you also taking the academy exam?"
Kane nodded.
"Yes."
"My family are knights."
"But I chose magic instead."
Lily tilted her head.
"Is that unusual?"
Kane hesitated briefly.
"…My family doesn't think so."
Olivia spoke quietly.
"I heard knight families usually don't like their children becoming mages…"
Kane didn't respond.
But the slight tightening of his expression confirmed it.
Just then—
A loud bell rang through the hall.
CLANG.
Everyone immediately fell silent.
An academy instructor stepped onto the stage.
"The entrance examination will begin shortly."
"Candidates, please proceed to the testing grounds."
Lily straightened up.
Olivia nervously clasped her hands.
Kane remained expressionless.
The exam was finally about to begin.