Winter Winslet, Monastrell, and Sophia.
Among Judgment of Candela fans, these three were collectively called “The Good, The Bad, and The Weird.”
The Bad was, naturally, Winter Winslet.
The Weird was Monastrell, who had once tried to gouge my eye out.
And the Good was Sophia.
The reason these three were grouped together was simple.
They were the three strongest people in the Academy.
At the Royal Academy, only two people.
The fact that Monastrell and Sophia weren’t afraid of clashing with Winter Winslet was because they had the power to fight me if necessary.
They hadn’t come to intimidate me for no reason.
However, the battle we started in an open space ended surprisingly anticlimactically.
The result was my victory by decision.
Boom.
With a tremor that shook the ground, the earth spirit Sophia had summoned fell to its knees.
The heavy infantryman sculpted from soil was three times the size of a man and a fearless servant that felt no pain, but it couldn’t withstand the rainstorm of ice spears.
How many had I fired? Around two hundred thirty, I think.
The spirit’s thick armor hadn’t been easy to pierce, but the shot that struck its leg joint was fatal.
As ice crystals grew inside its inner knee, the expanding force split the soil apart.
The guardian, having lost one leg, used its remaining two arms to shield its summoner, Sophia.
That was all it could do.
And after that, Sophia didn’t summon any additional spirits.
“Looks like it’s settled.”
Dispelling the magic power I had drawn out to its peak, I surveyed the surroundings.
A thirty-meter radius had been devastated.
Thirty meters was precisely the distance to the edge where the spectators had gathered.
It had originally been a flower garden filled with white and yellow blooms—thousands of hyacinths and freesias—but now it was unrecognizable.
The battlefield, where Spirit Arts and magic had clashed, was locally scarred with scorch marks, erratic currents, and lightning strikes, but the dominant sight was frozen devastation.
The full, unfiltered display of Winter Winslet’s 「S-rank」 talent, 「Element: Ice」, had turned this place into a magical disaster zone that wouldn’t thaw naturally for at least three days.
Crack, crraaack.
The sound of the reverse-summoned spirit collapsing.
From within the crumbling mass of earth, Professor Sophia walked out.
I asked,
“Do you admit defeat?”
“I haven’t even used half of my strength yet.”
Childish.
I asked,
“Then do you want to keep going?”
“…No.”
Exactly as I expected.
From the start, since this saintess had no intention of blowing up Academy property or risking injuries among spectators, the fight was doomed to stall out.
She hadn’t even triggered a Death Flag for me, meaning she’d never intended to go all out.
Sophia sighed deeply, confirming my guess.
“Any further fighting would trouble the Academy and might put the onlookers in danger… Ending it here is the sensible choice.”
“The restoration cost for this ruined park will be billed to the Theology Department.”
“You’re nothing if not consistent.”
“You didn’t hold back just to save that money, I assume.”
“I only judged that this was enough to get my point across. If you ever commit a true injustice, I’ll stand in your way with much greater force. So, I’ll ask once more—please reconsider that duel with the student.”
“My answer hasn’t changed.”
Which meant no.
I had no intention of backing down, since I planned to discipline Shannon through skill and then recruit her as an ally afterward.
But the saintess misunderstood my intent, shutting her eyes tightly and appealing to God.
“Why would God grant someone like you such great power…? Great power must always be wielded with good will. For the world’s sake, and for your own.”
“If you came to preach, you’ve knocked on the wrong door, saintess.”
“I just don’t want you to commit an irreversible sin against that child, Shannon. With your skill, you could punish a disobedient student without hurting her, couldn’t you? So when the moment comes, please, show mercy.”
I knew what she was worried about.
But since I planned to make Shannon an ally, I had no intention of seriously injuring her anyway.
“I’ll try.”
“Try…?”
Professor Sophia repeated my words softly.
It wasn’t dissatisfaction or disbelief.
She looked almost moved, as if she hadn’t expected such words to come out of Winter Winslet’s mouth.
“Very well. I’ll trust you. Many have testified to your cruelty, but I believe there’s still a shard of goodness left in you. And even if not, I’ll pray that someday there will be.”
The scary thing about prayers is, sometimes they hit the mark.
Monastrell, Sakis Rubas—why were so many people around Winter Winslet so damn sharp?
***
Today, a lot of people seemed to want to see me.
After parting ways with Sophia, the dean of the Magic University immediately summoned me for a meeting.
The nerve—a mere dean, summoning me?
The former dean had been fired after offending Professor Winslet, yet this new one apparently hadn’t grasped what kind of place the Academy was.
Still, I had been thinking I should meet him at least once, so I graciously made my way to the dean’s office on the third floor of the Magic Department.
Bang.
Upon arrival, I pushed the door open without knocking.
A large man sat in the chair.
“Oh… I thought you’d at least know how to knock.”
Ignoring him, I sat in the main seat first.
I even asked for his name.
“Name?”
“Jonathan Kingfisher… apparently.”
The dean was a middle-aged man with a greedy look.
His sagging jawline reminded me of a grouper fish.
He kept glancing at me sideways, as if wondering what stance to take.
Even after I’d been so polite as to give him a hint?
Winter Winslet was the real power of the Magic University.
Ambiguous hierarchies only tired everyone out; better to hammer the pecking order in from the start.
“Sit. How long do you plan to just stand there?”
“Hmph. You’re quite bold.”
Trying to put on airs, the dean waddled around the room once before finally sitting in front of me.
Creak.
The sofa groaned under his weight.
“I’ve heard plenty about you. The eldest son of the Winslet Count family, a baron in your own right, and a 7-class mage. Impressive. Meeting someone like you in a shabby academy like this—feels like fate from the heavens, I’d say.”
And after setting that tone, he came out with this gem:
“So, what do you say? How about becoming my man?”
…
I was momentarily at a loss for words.
What the hell is this idiot?
***
One block from the Magic Department stood a café operated by the Magic University’s botanical garden.
It was run out of a greenhouse, where one could enjoy both the scent of flowers and the sunlight, making it very popular.
However, it was staff-only, so students weren’t allowed.
Right around the time Winter Winslet was visiting the dean’s office, Charles, Breda, and Corrigan—the three professors of the Magic University—were enjoying their afternoon tea there.
No matter how busy they were, they always met once a week.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“It’s fine. I already ordered your usual sandwich, Professor Charles.”
“Thanks. What were you two talking about?”
“The new dean.”
“Ugh.”
Charles grimaced immediately.
“Did you two meet with him too?”
“Yes. I met him just yesterday.”
“Whoa, really, Professor Breda? I thought he only called in the junior professors to lecture them.”
Of the three, Breda had the longest tenure—eleven years at the Academy.
She clicked her tongue.
“From the way he’s acting, I think he plans to summon every single professor in the Magic University.”
“Ugh, I hate that. What’s his deal?”
Their ordered treats arrived, briefly pausing the conversation.
The three-tiered stand—sandwiches, scones, tarts, cakes—was quickly cleared from bottom to top before the topic returned to the new dean.
“I heard he used to work in the Royal Magic Department before coming here. That’s supposed to be a big deal, right?”
“If it was the Support Bureau, it’s not exactly prestigious.”
“Really? Then why act so high and mighty? Once you agree with him once, he just keeps bragging endlessly.”
“Was bragging all he did?”
“Of course not. When I finally responded, he told me my mindset was why I was stuck teaching kids in an academy.”
“What, is he insane?”
Corrigan, who had been quietly listening, sighed.
“When I went, he made me sit and wait for thirty minutes while he trimmed his bonsai right in front of me.”
“Completely unlikeable…”
“Why does he do that?”
“He’s probably trying to intimidate people.”
“And what’s he going to do after intimidating us?”
“Exactly.”
“Well, with a personality like that, no wonder he’s balding.”
Short laughter followed.
The three professors continued exchanging creative insults about the pot-bellied, balding dean, venting their stress.
“Oh, right. Did you all get that?”
“That?”
“The tacky gift from the dean. Here, look…”
Breda pulled a small item from her bag—a brooch studded with jewels.
The other two nodded.
“Oh, I got the same thing. Did he buy these as souvenirs from some trip?”
“Phew. I was worried he was giving me jewelry because he had a thing for me. Guess it’s just a souvenir. What a relief… I think.”
“You don’t think it’s fake, do you?”
“Who cares? It’s ugly anyway. A spider shape, of all things—gives me chills just looking at it.”
“Terrible taste.”
“My point exactly. I accepted it because refusing would’ve caused trouble, but who knows how much he’ll brag about it later…”
All three sighed at once.
“That’s just how work is. It’s not like we have any power. We just have to endure.”
“I hope he doesn’t start making factions or picking fights.”
“Seriously.”
“Keep me out of any blowback.”
They nodded vigorously in agreement.
Then Charles spoke up, as if remembering something.
“By the way…”
“Yes?”
“If the dean really is summoning every professor… Do you think he’d try that with Professor Winslet too? He is technically part of the Magic University.”
The other two professors burst into incredulous laughter.
“No way. He might push around people like us, but that tyrant?”
“The last dean got fired just for offending him…”
“He’s new; maybe he doesn’t know how things work here yet.”
“Still, some instincts are universal. One look into Professor Winslet’s eyes, and anyone would think, ‘Oh, I shouldn’t mess with this guy.’”
“Exactly. Ugh, just imagining it gives me chills.”
Charles rubbed her arms as if shivering, while Corrigan muttered seriously,
“But honestly…”
“Honestly?”
“I kind of hope it happens. Aren’t you curious what would happen if the dean and Professor Winslet met?”
A moment later, as if they all pictured the same outcome, laughter broke out across the table.
“Poor dean.”
“He’d deserve it!”
“Wow, life’s funny. Who would’ve thought we’d ever be cheering for Professor Winslet?”