Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

“So, I want to knock him down and make him definitely mine before this year ends. Can you help me come up with a plan?”

Grace squeezed her eyes shut.

Sincerely worried about the mental state of the Student Council President she greatly respected, she asked again.

“That’s great! You’ve finally decided to confess to the teaching assistant, right?”

“Yes. I want to make it a fait accompli.” *1

“The vocabulary….”

At this moment, Julia was sincere.

How much effort had she put in this year to seduce Eugene Oslo?

She proposed outings, went on trips, invited him to her room, and even visited his room, but there was no progress.

That is, there was no explicit progress in their relationship.

Julia didn’t lament anew that her year-long efforts, or rather, her three and a half years of waiting, had been meaningless, nor did she blame Eugene’s hopelessly oblivious nature.

Instead, she felt the need to change her approach. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

For example, even if she hugged him and smiled longingly in a leisurely atmosphere, he would surely push her shoulders away in embarrassment instead of hugging her back.

A more direct method was needed.

Meanwhile, Grace seemed quite puzzled by Julia suddenly bringing this up.

She opened her mouth, looking perplexed.

“President. Didn’t you say things were going smoothly? Even when you went out together, you said the result was good, regardless of the process.”

“That’s right.”

“Then why again… Why before the end of the year in the first place?”

“Ah.”

To explain the reason, there was a need to understand the background situation she and he were in.

First, Julia reflected on herself.

Her status as a 4th-year undergraduate and the Student Council President of the Frauvian Federation University of Magic had a predetermined end.

That end was the graduation ceremony just two months away.

In other words, two months later, Julia would have no justification to remain at the University of Magic.

Given her family background, even after graduating, she wasn’t forced to look for a job for a living.

So, if she wanted to, she could visit the University of Magic every day, but it would look quite suspicious to others.

And the real problem lay with Eugene.

The dissertation “On the Polarity Magic Studies of Moving Objects.”

Julia had finally received a copy after pleading with her father. Then, she spent an entire night reading it.

Although she had no intention of pursuing the academe, Julia was also set to graduate from the Frauvian Federation University of Magic with excellent grades and thus could sense it.

She realized the impact the dissertation would have on the academic world.

Julia hoped for a bright future for Eugene.

Therefore, when imagining the most hopeful future, Julia realized that his hope might be her despair.

If the dissertation passes and the journal containing it is published, it would be like crossing an irreversible river at that moment.

The reputation of Eugene Oslo as a magic scholar would skyrocket instantly.

At least for the next year, he would be as busy as her father, if not more so, which meant there would be woefully insufficient time to meet.

Waiting is familiar. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

She had already waited for three years.

But four years is long.

Very long.

The up-and-coming magic scholar Eugene would travel throughout the Federation, meeting various people.

Perhaps he would only return to Frauzen occasionally.

Julia could wait even for that, but to be honest, she was afraid.

Right now, she needed certainty…

Clap—

“Uh!?”

“Student Council President, calm down. Calm down.”

She flinched at the sudden sound of applause.

Grace Brown’s worried expression was right in front of her.

Only then did Julia realize that she had been muttering to herself absentmindedly and that it stemmed from unnecessary anxiety.

She mechanically regained her composure.

She neutralized her emotions by manipulating her expression. It was a technique she hardly used anymore, now that she was gradually improving her discord with her father, but it was really helpful when calming anxiety like this.

“…Thank you.”

With a much more relaxed mind, she smiled slightly.

Julia calmly explained the aforementioned circumstances and then asked again.

“Miss Grace. I’d like to be with the person I have in mind before the year ends. May I ask for your advice?”

Eventually, the strategy meeting began.

The policy was set. She wanted to hear a definitive answer from the other party.

So, what needed to be decided was ‘when’ and ‘where’.

Since they had already done this a few months ago, both shared their opinions quite naturally.

Grace, who spoke first, made what might seem like an obvious suggestion.

“How about inviting the teaching assistant as your partner to the year-end ball?”

“Of course, it’s an option I’ve considered, but…”

The year-end ball is to be held in about a week.

The timing is perfect, and since it’s a banquet held within the Frauvian Federation University of Magic, there’s nothing awkward about inviting Eugene.

The elevated atmosphere of the banquet would also help achieve the goal.

However, Julia thought it had clear pros and cons.

“It might not be appropriate for the confession itself, though it would be fine after the relationship progresses or after a commitment.”

“Uh. I suppose so?”

Grace also agreed.

The atmosphere of the ball is, to put it nicely, elevated and joyful, but to put it badly, noisy and chaotic.

It’s nearly impossible to convey sincere affection amidst the loud dance music and laughter.

Then, they considered moving to a different location just for the deed, but this, too, was problematic.

Since the ball also serves as the retirement ceremony for the current Student Council, Julia cannot leave her seat carelessly. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Moreover, her beauty is likely to shine even more in the ball rather than fade, so she’ll draw even more attention.

It would be truly difficult to slip away unnoticed.

Julia shook her head.

“We’d better think of another plan.”

“…”

“Is there something you don’t like about it?”

“No? No!”

At that question, Grace Brown shook her head vigorously. There’s no way she could dislike anything about the Student Council President’s logical argument.

But it was also true that she felt disappointed.

Just as the climax of a revenge plot is the moment of achieving revenge, the climax of a romance novel is the moment when the lead couple comes together.

Just as the achievement of long-awaited revenge through ordinary poisoning would diminish the charm of the climax, there’s nothing more deflating than a couple who overcame various misunderstandings and obstacles coming together through ordinary conversation in a quiet restaurant.

Julia Müller and Teaching Assistant Oslo were the most novel-like protagonists among Grace’s acquaintances, and that’s why Grace wanted their union to be beautiful.

The year-end ball. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Isn’t it quite a beautiful setting?

“Still, I think the ball is good. Who knows? If I help, I might be able to create just the right atmosphere.”

“Miss Grace. I’m no longer the Student Council President. I can’t use you beyond asking for advice—”

“President.”

Interrupting Julia’s words, Grace looked into her amber eyes and continued.

“It’s okay to be cunning. I think crimes committed by those in love can be forgiven to some extent.”

“…That’s quite a dangerous ethical view.”

“So what?”

If Grace had been a judge, they would have had to worry about the Federation’s criminal law system.

Fortunately, she was just an undergraduate student at the University of Magic, and now, she was helping Julia.

Julia smiled softly and replied.

“Do you have a partner to invite to the banquet hall?”

“Hmm. I guess I could just take Senior Gustav along.”

The Vice President, who wasn’t present, could be heard gasping in shock, but neither of them paid attention to it.

Julia opened her lips, facing Grace’s sparkling eyes.

A plan had just occurred to her.

“Miss Grace.”

“Yes.”

“Would you like to join me in my last abuse of power as Student Council President?”

Grace answered with a bright smile instead of words.

While establishing a detailed plan afterward, Julia realized that there was one task that needed to be accomplished for the plan to work.

Partner invitation.

She had to find a way to call Eugene to the year-end ball without making him suspicious.

#December 23rd. Clear.

It was the next morning when she realized that her worry had been unnecessary.

Early in the morning, Julia couldn’t help but widen her eyes when she saw the name written on the envelope of a letter delivered by the head maid.

“Eugene?”

As far as she remembered, this was the first time he had sent her a letter.

With trembling hands, she broke the seal and checked the contents.

It was an awkward letter in many ways.

Judging from the ink marks, it seemed he had used a fountain pen, but the handwriting was rough for such a tool. The fact that the combination of emotional words resulted in a stiff format like a research proposal also contributed to the awkwardness.

In short, it was a letter that anyone could see Eugene had written himself.

That alone made Julia’s lips curl into a smile.

The content was simple. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Could she accompany him as a partner to the year-end ball?

Considering that it’s usually the man who proposes partnership, it is more than ordinary, but Julia, knowing Eugene’s nature, didn’t think of this as ordinary.

“…Really?”

Did he really send the letter?

And for entering the ball together?

Still, with wide eyes, she carefully folded the letter, held it to her chest, and then rolled around on the bed.

The bed, spacious to the point of vastness, easily accommodated this eccentric behavior.

Julia turned her ears bright red as she listened directly to her heart pounding as if it would burst.

Eugene is approaching.

#December 29th. Clear.

The year-end ball, despite its name, is not such a romantic event. This was the common opinion of the undergraduate seniors, who made up more than half of the ball participants.

The fact that it starts with the retirement ceremony of the Student Council makes it crystal clear that this banquet lacks youthfulness.

Befitting a ball held in the auditorium, which is mostly used for boring purposes like classrooms and exam halls during the semester, the ballroom smells of old books.

Unless one is an extreme bookworm, no one among the ball participants likes that smell. Freshmen and sophomores are reluctant to approach this event, and naturally, it becomes a place teeming with gloomy-faced upperclassmen.

University of Magic students facing graduation gradually face reality. Even the freshness of spring struggles to breathe life into their desolate hearts, let alone winter.

Therefore, most ball participants harbor one of two thoughts: ‘Let’s form friendships with those likely to advance to key positions in the academe and politics in the future,’ or ‘Let’s endure and enjoy this last party before graduation, even if it’s not fun.’

And all those pessimistic views disappear the moment they stand in front of the ballroom.

This was a long-standing tradition. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

After all, it’s about cramming hundreds of young people in their early twenties, at the peak of their beauty, into one place. It’s bound to become exciting somehow.

The attire also contributed significantly to creating this atmosphere.

The sight of everyone dressed in tailcoats and dresses gives the students, who are usually buried in piles of books, a feeling of being in a different world.

But for me?

It was the opposite.

“…”

Around 7 PM, just before the start of the ball…

I was currently standing alone in front of the main entrance of the auditorium, stiff as a board.

There were several reasons. Because my partner hadn’t arrived yet, because I was nervous about meeting that partner, and because the tailcoat I was wearing felt terribly awkward.

The tailcoat was too great a challenge for me, who had just gotten used to suits.

Didn’t Susan and the twins, and even Lena, say it suited me in their own way? No matter how much praise I received, compliments were meaningless as long as I felt awkward myself…

After waiting another five minutes or so, it happened.

A strange murmur circulated among the people who, like me, were standing in front of the auditorium waiting for their partners.

Clop, clop—

A carriage, larger and more splendid than any other, appeared.

I knew that carriage.

As soon as the carriage door opened, those who had been chatting about who might come out of it had to close their mouths.

Because a cane stretched out instead of a person’s leg.

And.

Making everyone momentarily forget the cold of the winter night, someone stepped out of the carriage, the hem of their dress fluttering.

A golden evening dress with exposed shoulders.

The dress length was altered just enough not to hinder her walking, and a blue brooch blended seamlessly into the chest.

The sight of her looking around with flushed cheeks.

Was it because of the cold? I couldn’t tell.

“Ah.”

The next moment, our eyes met as she turned her head.

I saw her.

Three and a half years since we met…

There stood a proper woman, no longer able to be called a girl or a student.

She looked only at me.

“Eugene—!”

Julia, in a daylily-colored dress, smiled brightly. *2

T/N

A fait accompli is something that has already happened or been done and cannot be changed
Given the description of a golden dress in daylily colors, its color probably looks like this.