Chapter 37: A Hollow Apology

An Unexpected Apology

Lucy silently observed the situation.

Regardless, this was Abet and Angelica’s issue to resolve.

Whether Angelica’s feelings had truly changed or she had some hidden agenda remained unclear. But in the end, accepting the apology was solely Abet’s decision to make.

Angelica cautiously lowered her head, while Abet’s face was filled with embarrassment.

Who would have thought that Angelica, infamous for her strong temper, would be the first to apologize?

The choice—whether to accept or reject the apology—was now placed directly before Abet.

She clenched her fists.

She could have forgiven Angelica for insulting and ostracizing her a hundred times over.

But she could never forgive her for mocking her father’s death.

Memories of all the mockery and sarcasm flashed through Abet’s mind.

‘Since he took his own life, I guess he had a conscience, unlike others?’

The words had stabbed her heart like a knife.

I can’t forgive her.

That was the conclusion Abet’s heart had reached.

However, she didn’t follow through with it.

“Okay…” she said quietly, accepting Angelica’s apology.

Of course, it didn’t erase the sadness she had carried until now.

She simply felt she had no right to blame Angelica.

Furthermore, she doubted Angelica’s sincerity.

Her sudden change in attitude was undoubtedly because of Lucy.

If Abet were to reprimand Angelica now, while standing under Lucy’s protection, it would be no different from using Lucy’s position for her own gain.

She couldn’t bring herself to do that.

It might have been acceptable in terms of power, but it felt shameless to leverage Lucy’s influence as her mentor.

“Thank you, Miss Abet! Let’s be friends from now on!” Angelica declared loudly, as if making a grand gesture of peace.

The female students from her faction, who had appeared at some point, began clapping and cheering, creating a raucous atmosphere.

Yet, Abet did not look happy at all.

Soon after, Angelica added a bright, “Nice to be acquainted with you,” before returning to her seat.

Lucy, resting her chin on her hand, glanced at Abet.

Her expression remained gloomy.

“Is that really okay…?” Lucy asked quietly.

Of course, she couldn’t keep acting like the other kids in the class.

Abet tried to force a smile.

Her expression was bitter, lingering with unsaid thoughts, but Lucy decided to respect her choice for now.

Magic Theory Class

The lesson began with defensive magic.

Professor Anderjan drew various spell patterns on the blackboard, explaining the meanings contained within them.

Lucy diligently wrote everything down, memorizing the patterns each time.

She did this to test whether she could still learn new magic in this world.

If the game system was accurate, then Lucy—who had already reached Lv. 100—should no longer be able to acquire new spells.

To learn magic here, I need to understand how it works.

In the game, learning new magic was as simple as spending skill points.

But in this world, magic had a structured learning process.

“To acquire a specific spell, one must first meet certain conditions, such as possessing the necessary amount of magical energy,” Anderjan explained. “After that, you must memorize the theory and meaning behind the spell, visualizing it in your mind. Only when you can clearly recall and activate it can you say you’ve truly mastered a magic.”

He then introduced the spell for a Transparent Shield, one of the most basic defensive spells.

The students carefully drew the spell pattern on parchment.

“First, we will engrave the spell onto the parchment, then attempt to activate it.”

After the students finished memorizing the spell, Anderjan scanned the room.

“Would anyone like to come forward and demonstrate?”

The class collectively avoided eye contact.

Then, a confident boy with spiky hair raised his hand. “I’ll try it!” he declared, walking up to the podium.

He placed his parchment on the podium and channeled his magic into the drawn pattern.

“Protect my body…”

At that moment—

A blinding light burst from the parchment.

Then, BANG!—

The spell exploded.

The boy’s face turned pitch black, covered in soot. He coughed up smoke before being promptly escorted to the infirmary.

Anderjan sighed. “That was an excessive release of magical power. Please be careful.”

He looked back at the class. “Is there another volunteer?”

The students, having just witnessed the explosion, desperately averted their eyes.

Anderjan’s gaze landed on Lucy.

“Miss Lucy, what do you think?”

“Me?” Lucy blinked.

“As the top student, wouldn’t you like to demonstrate for the class?”

Lucy hesitated.

To be honest, she wasn’t confident.

She had never learned magic in this world’s structured way.

It was entirely possible that she wouldn’t be able to cast the spell at all.

Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if I fail in front of everyone?

But with her classmates’ expectant stares weighing on her, Lucy had no choice but to step forward.

If it doesn’t work, then so be it.

She poured her magic into the parchment.

A faint light flickered—

Then, a transparent protective shield formed in front of her.

Her worries had been unnecessary. She had succeeded in a single attempt.

This was an unexpected discovery.

Originally, Lucy hadn’t been able to use Transparent Shield.

But if she could learn it through study, then she might be able to acquire other spells as well.

Lucy was pleased.

Anderjan and the rest of the class burst into cheers.

“As expected, you succeeded on the first try,” Anderjan said. “If you continue practicing, you’ll soon be able to cast it without using the parchment.”

Lucy raised her palm.

“Like this?”

A Transparent Shield instantly formed at her command.

Seeing this, Anderjan adjusted his glasses and swallowed hard.

“…Just to clarify—Miss Lucy, you’ve never used this spell before?”

Lucy shook her head. “This is my first time.”

Her casual response left Anderjan speechless.

“As expected…”

Physical Education Class

The academy believed that a strong body housed strong magic power.

Perhaps for that reason, today’s class was a physical fitness test.

The first challenge was an endurance run: eight laps around the 400-meter track.

Among the twenty students in the class, Lucy was in the lead.

She ran silently, her long hair tied to one side for ease.

Her face remained calm, even as she neared the seventh lap.

The other students, however, were struggling.

Despite being wizards, their stamina was poor.

Lucy finished with ease, lapping the last runner twice.

“Wow~ As expected, you’re fast!” the PE teacher praised her.

Lucy accepted the water bottle at the finish line and sat down to rest.

Abet, drenched in sweat, finished next, panting heavily.

She glanced at Lucy’s drink.

Lucy hesitated, then handed it over.

“Thank you,” Abet said before gulping it down.

“You did well,” Lucy commented.

“It’s thanks to your training,” Abet admitted. “If not for you, I wouldn’t have placed this high.”

After class, Lucy went to change—only to overhear Angelica and her faction whispering suspiciously nearby.

“Thank you for your hard work, Angelica.”

“You all too.”

Three female students… Angelica, Amel and Beichel.

“You spread the rumors well, right?”

“Of course! Just like Lady Angelica said..”

“Shh.”

Angelica and her friends were chatting quietly so that no one would hear.

Something was off.

Lucy held her breath and eavesdropped on their conversation.

“Just like you said, I spread rumors here and there that Lady Angelica and Abet had reconciled.”

“Good job, all that’s left is…”

In the midst of their gloomy conversation, Angelica suddenly looked at the bathroom stall Lucy had been in.

Angelica’s voice rang out.

“Why is that stall locked…? Surely, no one’s eavesdropping, right?”

She began striding toward Lucy’s stall.