Chapter 20: Hops

Early the next morning, Su Na, whose stomach was already grumbling with hunger, headed to the academy cafeteria with Levi.

In some ways, this world was surprisingly similar to her previous one.

For example, compared to filling their stomachs, the young men and women at the academy clearly preferred sleeping in for a little longer.

That said, the cafeteria wasn’t completely empty.

As Su Na picked up her breakfast, she attracted quite a few curious glances.

By now, however, she had long grown accustomed to being stared at and didn’t feel uncomfortable in the slightest.

“This bread actually looks pretty good.”

Sitting beside Levi, Su Na casually handed her a small cake.

Then, under Levi’s hesitant gaze, she reached over, took a piece of bread from Levi’s tray, and bit into it.

“Mmm…”

Without a hint of embarrassment, Su Na placed the bread—now bearing two neat rows of tiny teeth marks—back onto Levi’s plate before leisurely helping herself to the delicate pastries on her own tray.

Levi lowered her head, hiding her face as her shoulders trembled slightly.

“You’re supposed to soak it in the soup before eating it,” she whispered.

Levi had also enrolled at the academy, though through the Guardian admission program of the Warrior Department.

Apart from paying the tuition, the Guardian program had virtually no other entry requirements.

It existed specifically as a companion track for the attendants of noble students.

After all, in this era, a noble who couldn’t take care of themselves was considered a proper noble.

The Warrior Department itself was rather interesting.

Just as Su Na had learned earlier, nearly everyone in this world possessed mana.

However, not everyone was blessed with exceptional magical talent.

The Warrior Department taught students how to temper and strengthen their bodies by harnessing the mana already flowing within them.

It was another path to becoming stronger.

Furthermore, because every warrior possessed an elemental mana affinity, they naturally developed a certain resistance to magic.

The strongest among them were even capable of charging through enemy spells and defeating mages in close combat.

And close-quarters combat just so happened to be the greatest weakness of most mages.

After all, in the early stages of their education, mages spent far more time studying theory than practicing combat.

They were scholars first and foremost.

That said, a mage’s ability to unleash devastating long-range, large-scale destruction was something warriors simply couldn’t rival.

Once they reached the rank of High Mage, their combat prowess underwent a qualitative leap.

A single High Mage could easily wipe out an entire organized army.

The reason the kingdom’s internal power struggles had remained confined to political maneuvering instead of erupting into full-scale civil war was precisely because two Saint Mages stood at its peak—the Pope and the Headmaster of the Royal Academy.

With two living strategic weapons comparable to humanoid nuclear arsenals overseeing the kingdom, who would be foolish enough to challenge the order they maintained?

Even so, warriors had undeniable value.

At the very least, they made outstanding companions and bodyguards for mages.

That was why even a specialized institution like the Royal Magic Academy maintained a Warrior Department.

If possible, it was always better to cultivate a team from an early stage.

Moreover, because mages required such an exceptionally long period of growth, nearly every one of them came from either noble or wealthy families.

In a sense, the academy had already solved its graduates’ employment problems before they even graduated.

That was also why Su Na attracted attention wherever she went.

A beautiful, wealthy, and influential female mage like her was a dream partner in the eyes of many Warrior Department students.

If they didn’t seize the opportunity now, when would they?

From Su Na’s perspective, though…

It also looked suspiciously like a perfectly legitimate way for nobles to cultivate private military forces.

While looking through the academy’s course catalog earlier, she had noticed numerous classes covering military theory and battlefield tactics.

In other words, academy graduates were essentially reserve officers.

Although they probably wouldn’t be entrusted with commanding an army immediately after graduation, leading a squad of soldiers would be well within their capabilities.

Combined with the fact that the Royal Magic Academy was filled with noble-born mages, it had gradually formed an independent system of its own.

No wonder its influence rivaled that of the Church itself.

On the way back after breakfast, Su Na happened to run into Yulia once again.

This time, Yulia behaved much more normally.

The two simply exchanged polite nods as a greeting.

Unlike yesterday, she didn’t look as though she wanted to cling to Su Na like an octopus.

Then again… perhaps it wasn’t that Yulia didn’t want to.

As the two passed each other, a petite girl following behind Yulia shot Su Na a sidelong glance before hurrying after Yulia, whose pace had suddenly quickened.

“Big Sister Yulia, wait for me!”

As though she had just uncovered irrefutable evidence, Su Na pointed at the girl and complained to Levi.

“See? See? I told you she was definitely after me.”

“It’s only been half a day, and she’s already charmed another little sister.”

“Yesterday you said I was just overthinking it.”

Levi turned to watch the two girls, one chasing after the other.

She fell silent for a moment.

For once, she couldn’t quite find the confidence to refute Su Na’s conclusion.

The Kingdom of Loriman had always maintained a remarkably open-minded culture.

Relationships between men and women, women and women, or even between humans and beastfolk were all considered perfectly ordinary.

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