Lily once again walked into the classroom under a barrage of stares.
“Did she really say that?”
“She did!”
“How arrogant…”
Lily calmly found a seat and sat down. She was already used to being the center of attention.
She knew that the reason she was being talked about now wasn’t because of the freshman assessment, nor because she had become the fastest freshman to get published in a leading journal, but because of the latest rumor:
According to reliable sources, the Magic Research Association thought highly of her and was planning to invite her to join, while also recommending her to take on this year’s Magic Discourse Tower challenge.
But many people were unhappy about it. There were plenty of junior mages in the association whose achievements and contributions were no less than Lily’s—so why should the opportunity go to her?
When Lily heard about this, she reportedly went on a tirade, declaring that all the other junior mages in the association were nothing but useless rabble compared to her.
“Don’t bother processing my membership yet. Just prepare my invitation and a more lavish welcome ceremony, and wait for me to return in glory!”
Word had it that after she said that, the upperclassmen who’d originally had objections all backed off: Fine, let her go! Let reality slap her in the face!
What outrageous nerve! She’d better not fail to even clear the minimum qualifying stage and end up owing the association credits—that would be hilarious.
Then it would be hard for her to join the association later, because they’d have a perfectly legitimate reason to reject her: you don’t have what it takes.
Some thought she was being cocky just because she had a bit of talent, and that she’d get what was coming to her sooner or later.
Others, knowing about the conflict between Aaron and the Magic Research Association, suspected there was some behind-the-scenes maneuvering by the association—deliberately building her up only to tear her down. But it was also true that Lily couldn’t resist rising to the bait.
Before things blew up, there was still room to turn things around. Now, though… let’s just say Lily was still too young. It was only natural that she got played.
And sure enough, Lily was once again in the spotlight.
Lily couldn’t help but think: maybe she should just cut a deal with Avril—use her fame to help Avril promote products and make some pocket money on the side.
Speak of the devil, and Avril appeared.
(Avery changed to Avril)
A note quietly made its way to Lily.
[Did you deliberately blow this up? Are you confident about tackling the tower?]
Lily turned her head. Avril was sitting right behind her. But she didn’t meet Lily’s gaze, as if she’d just happened to sit there by accident and the two of them weren’t even close.
Lily was a little speechless: [Afraid I’ll offend the association? That’s a little quick to distance yourself!]
Avril replied pragmatically: [It’s got nothing to do with the association. I’m distancing myself so I can be a neutral third party—that way people will actually bet on the odds I set.]
That’s right—she was getting ready to open another betting pool on Lily’s tower challenge. If she seemed too chummy with Lily, people might suspect she was rigging the game.
Avril pressed: [You still haven’t answered my question.]
Lily: [Sigh. What if I said I didn’t mean for this to happen, and that I was actually set up by the association? Would you believe me? They prodded me a couple of times, I took the bait, and next thing I knew, the whole thing went viral and now I can’t back down…]
Avril: [Like I’d believe that!]
Was Lily really the type to get all hot-headed from a few provoking words? Definitely not!
So while some people thought Lily was being too arrogant, and others thought the association had screwed her over, Avril was suspicious: was Lily actually planning to turn the tables on the association?
Lily: [If you’ve already got your answer, why bother asking me?]
Well, Lily had to admit: Avril really did know her.
Some might be confused: Lily was the one under fire right now—how was she screwing over the association?
Actually, now that things had blown up, Lily had already managed to shift certain “focus points” and “contradictions” elsewhere.
Almost everyone had forgotten one thing: did Lily herself even want to join the association?
She had wanted to, at first. But after Chris told her about all the inside politics, she’d lost interest.
Unless she was strong enough to crush everyone in the association and silence all dissent, it would be hard to dodge hidden daggers even if she could handle the open ones. Joining would just bring a pile of headaches, and she couldn’t be bothered.
But Lily was interested in the Magic Tower.
So here was the problem: if Lily refused to join the association, could she still get a spot for the Magic Discourse Tower?
Absolutely not!
They were already making a “special exception” to recommend her—and she wasn’t even a member. Why waste the opportunity on her?
So how could she get the spot without joining?
Lily’s strategy: I’ll give them exactly what they want. You want me to draw all the hate? Fine. I’ll act even more reckless than you expected, and you can sit back and enjoy the show!
Lily had Chris relay her arrogant remarks back to the association.
Unsurprisingly, with the association’s help spreading the word, the news traveled fast.
The association was thrilled: Perfect. The whole academy is watching Lily make a fool of herself. Aaron’s only student—bringing shame to him all across the Magic Holy City!
Lily was equally pleased: she’d easily secured the Magic Tower spot, and even the opposition couldn’t be bothered to object anymore.
Lily would call it: a win-win.
Thank you, Aaron. Thank you to all the instructors who hold a grudge against him.
As for the fact that more people were now lining up to laugh at her—did she care?
If being laughed at got her such a great opportunity, then she hoped more of that “good fortune” would come her way!
Besides, it wasn’t over till it was over. Who’d be laughing at whom in the end was still up for grabs.
Avril: [Alright, I figured you were planning to pull one over on them, but I’m not sure how confident you actually are about the tower.]
Lily: [Not very. But if you invest in me, my chances get a lot better.]
Avril silently shot a pair of eye-rolls at the back of Lily’s head.
Again: Like I’d believe that!
But that was actually Lily’s honest answer.
Lily had no idea what the tower’s specific mechanics were like—how could she be sure she’d clear all ten floors?
She was prepared for the possibility of failing. Others thought she had nothing to her name and that a debt of a hundred credits would drag her down. But in reality, she could afford to lose.
Lily knew her own weakness: she was severely lacking in magical knowledge and exposure. She was working hard to make up for that gap. A hundred credits in exchange for this opportunity—it was a bargain.
After a while, Avril passed another note: [The Discourse Tower is really unusual, so I don’t want to give you any tips in case I mislead you. But you could ask Aaron—he’s done the tower before, and his info should be more reliable.]
Lily: Got it! Thanks! (＾＿－)
Avril: [By the way, Chris is the one passing messages to the association, right? Did you bamboozle him again?]
Lily: [What do you mean “bamboozle”? And what do you mean “again”? He volunteered to cooperate.]
Avril: [Got it. He’s been bamboozled senseless.]
Lily: …
This made Lily sigh inwardly: Sigh. She and Avril always had such great chemistry—they just lacked a little mutual trust.