I Became The Academy’s Narrow-Eyes

< Chapter 107: The Beginning of Chaos (1) >

"Hmm…"

After the dissolution, Ms. Phibian was left alone in the drawing room, immersed in her thoughts.

‘Could it be…?'

Ceylon is the same person as the monster.

After feeling strongly about this possibility, Ms. Phibian tirelessly observed and tested Ceylon to prove it.

However, the possibility that Ms. Phibian felt did not become clearer, but rather it faded more and more.

Considering Ceylon to be the same person as the monster was far too natural in his behavior.

No matter how skilled a man is at deceiving and acting sly, it would be impossible to hide the truth and act so naturally.

Unaware of Ceylon's background, which allows him to perform almost magical acts due to his special abilities, Ms. Phibian could only think this way.

‘Well…'

Looking back, it seems absurd.

Ceylon, a black magician who has reached such a transcendent state?

Moreover, the only evidence to support this is her conjecture and her intuition.

Going further would be nothing more than stubbornness.

Also, although the monster is not essentially evil, he is still a black magician in the end.

Accusing Ceylon of being a black magician without solid evidence would clearly be an insult to him.

No matter how annoying and exasperating that man is, one must maintain some decency.

Thus, Ms. Phibian shelved that possibility and revised her speculation.

From Ceylon is likely the monster, to Ceylon could possibly be the monster.

Sigh…

The intriguing emotion that came from being the only one who knew the man's identity vanished, leaving her feeling empty.

In fact she neither knew herself nor would acknowledge if she did.

The identity of the emotion she was feeling now was disappointment.

She realized that she had been under the illusion of having a special person and a special relationship, and the disappointment she felt upon recognizing that it was just a misconception.

Yes.

Ms. Phibian had come to regard Ceylon as a special person.

And she had secretly hoped to have a special relationship with him.

A chronic condition experienced by romance novel experts.

They felt no excitement for ordinary people, ordinary meetings.

Conversely, they felt a great interest in special people, special meetings.

Therefore, Ms. Phibian felt an interest in Ceylon.

It was the first time.

Ceylon was indeed a special person.

He came from a commoner background.

Yet, he possessed enough skill to become the top student at the academy.

Moreover, he held a unique technique that could destroy his own illusion magic.

‘He must be hiding the secret of his background.'

On the surface, he might act like a clueless man, but underneath, he was as cunning as a serpent—truly devious.

Though he might come across as a rude and pathetic man who indulges in childish pranks involving others' names and seems to know nothing but nonsense, there is an unwittingly gentlemanly and polite aspect to him.

Above all,

he was handsome.

Ms. Phibian recalled Ceylon's appearance.

The first words that came to mind were:

Handsome man.

Prince.

"It's strange…"

Every time Ms. Phibian thought of Ceylon, she was taken aback.

The Ceylon of her imagination possessed an astonishingly delicate appearance and ideal bodily proportions.

And, unbelievably, this was the true, unexaggerated, and unembellished appearance of Ceylon.

In reality, he appeared pathetic, silly, and frivolous.

How could mere thoughts transform him into an ideal handsome man, a prince?

"That atmosphere is the problem."

I am a foolish person.

I am a trivial person.

It seemed as if this intensely frivolous impression and atmosphere forcibly implanted such information into the minds of others.

He truly was a mysterious character.

A special character.

Thus, Ms. Phibian could not withdraw her interest from this man.

Every time she interacted with him, she couldn’t discard the anticipation of the extraordinary experiences that awaited her.

Of course, she had no intention of purely acknowledging this.

She could not help but be drawn to a man who enjoyed playing childish and pathetic pranks with others' names.

If Ms. Phibian were to purely acknowledge this,

she would have experienced an unbearable cognitive dissonance.

The emotions of a young lady—soaked in romantic novels—were so intricate and delicate.

"…"

The action Ms. Phibian was about to take also stemmed from such complex and delicate emotions.

-Whoooosh-

As Ms. Phibian summoned her mana, the wind began to stir, gathering in one place and taking shape.

To the uninitiated, wind spirits first bring to mind creatures with wings.

However, most wind spirits actually took the form of horses with flowing manes, like the ones that had accompanied Ms. Phibian, flitting through the wind.

The wind spirit that had just revealed itself under Ms. Phibian's will also took the form of a horse.

Except it was as small as Ms. Phibian's fist, making ‘tiny' the most fitting description.

It was a manifestation of the wind spirit Fyures.

-Whiiiiing-

Fyures emitted a tiny neighing sound as it took off, using the air as its ground, darting out the window.

When wind mages summoned Fyures, their objectives were usually predefined.

Its insignificant size and mana reduced the risk of detection, and its mobility allowed it to move freely, whether on land or in the air.

Pyures were primarily utilized for reconnaissance missions, leveraging their particular strengths.

Indeed.

Currently, Ms. Phibian was considering carrying out reconnaissance.

On whom?

Ceylon.

Ms. Phibian was definitely interested in him.

She wanted to know more about him.

Generally, this would not be a difficult task.

Simply expressing interest through conversation would usually suffice.

However, for Ms. Phibian, it was a challenging task.

The way Ceylon treated Ms. Phibian.

And Ms. Phibian's personality.

Considering all these factors, it was dreadfully difficult for Ms. Phibian to honestly express her interest in Ceylon.

"Haha, are you interested in me? I'm indeed a man with many sins~"

Ms. Phibian doubted she could keep her composure if Ceylon responded teasingly like that.

Therefore, Ms. Phibian thought of an alternative method of showing indirect interest—

No, not "stalking," but "reconnaissance."

‘This is… Yes, it's for that man. It’s also possible those dark mages might approach Ceylon to use him.'

The reason I'm conducting ‘reconnaissance' on him.

Is to actively help him in case he is in danger.

The reason for helping him?

‘That is…'

Yes. To owe him a favor.

This pathetic man, although he may not look it, topped the entrance exams.

Moreover, he is a commoner and isn’t affiliated with any factions.

He is a talent coveted by all houses.

So, let’s owe him a favor and make him mine—

No, make him my servant.

Let's bring him to the Leolalian house.

‘This is all for the sake of the house…'

Having justified her reason, Ms. Phibian continued her ‘reconnaissance' without hesitation.

Ms. Phibian closed her eyes.

Suddenly, her sight and hearing connected with Pyures racing through the air.

Although the vision and hearing were blurred, like seeing and hearing underwater due to the limits of magical achievement, she was satisfied.

Pyures soon spotted Ceylon.

He was walking through District 1.

Then he noticed someone and his face lit up with joy.

"Who is that? Why does he look so pleased?"

Ms. Phibian focused her mind.

Though it greatly consumed her mana, it temporarily sharpened her vision.

"Ms. Drin Lebringer…?"

Ms. Phibian scoffed.

"What a mess, really."

Ceylon had not been at the academy for long, yet he already had many female cadets around him.

Among them were—

Kasha Hanahan.

Adryn Teln.

Ms. Bauer.

Adella Espien.

The composition of these female cadets was dazzling indeed.

‘And he even approached me, didn't he?'

Inside Phibian's mind, it was an undeniable fact that Ceylon's history with women was impressive.

That's what Phibian thought.

Now, Ceylon seemed to be extending his clutches towards Ms. Drin.

"Not a chance."

Phibian smirked mischievously, thinking she would finally witness Ceylon's frustration.

She recalled Ms. Drin Lebringer, whom she had encountered at the entrance ceremony.

A person of overwhelming dignity and grace, difficult to approach.

Such a figure would hardly entertain such a foolish and pitiful man.

"Just like I did."

Just as Phibian had done.

Phibian looked forward to seeing Ms. Drin coldly ignore Ceylon and Ceylon's awkward reaction.

"Hehehe. I'll tease him a lot when we meet tomorrow."

Even that sly man would lose his composure if he was coldly ignored by Ms. Drin Lebringer after approaching her without knowing his place.

"Uh…?"

But surprisingly.

The situation unfolded completely opposite to what Phibian had anticipated.

Ms. Drin Lebringer and Ceylon had started to converse naturally.

Their conversation seemed not just comfortable, but even joyful.

"Impossible…!"

That Ms. Drin Lebringer, interested in such a pathetic and silly man?

Phibian could not believe it and drew more mana.

Then, her connection to the Fyures enhanced her hearing.

Their conversation became clear.

Surprisingly.

From their conversation, it seemed they already knew each other.

And it seemed like she had heard rumors at the entrance ceremony that Ceylon and Ms. Drin were acquainted.

Back then, she thought it was just idle gossip born of curiosity about the commoner valedictorian.

"…"

For some reason, Phibian's expression darkened.

"Kekekekeke!"

"If Ms. Drin wishes, I'm willing to give up not only my sleeping time but also my fighting time—oh, Ms. Drin? Ms. Drin!?"

The moment Ceylon seemed to show more emotion towards her than when he dealt with herself, it happened.

But it didn't end there.

Phibian adjusted the position of her Fyures.

Ceylon maintained the closest distance possible without being noticed, scrutinizing his surroundings intently.

At some point, Ms. Phibian's face had turned into a visage of rage, as if she was astounded by what she saw.

Upon hearing the story, it turned out that Ceylon and Ms. Drin had no special relationship.

They were alike.

Yet, the way he presented himself to others was vastly different from how he treated her.

– "You were the one who comforted me, even preparing flowers."

‘Your used flowers to soothe her when she was upset? And all you did was make fun of my name when you were with me!'

– "Ms. Drin, it's so touching… Is this what it feels like to be proposed to?"

‘A proposal!? Are you insane? What kind of delusion are you under!? Are you actually expecting something!? Don't you know your place!?'

– "Who else but a merciful person like Ms. Drin could give such a wonderful token of friendship to someone like me? Naturally, Ms. Drin would be the first."

‘What!? The first!? Then what about the token I gave from our family!? And when I gave you a ring, you didn’t like it that much! The token I gave is far more precious than that cheap sword!'

"Ah…"

Suddenly, Ms. Phibian felt dizzy.

For a moment, she wondered if her anger and resentment had reached a tipping point.

But that wasn't it. Her mana was depleted.

In her zeal for ‘reconnaissance,' she had overexerted herself maintaining her sensory sharing with Fyures.

"…"

– Thud.

As if watching a melodrama, Ms. Phibian, who had been standing with her fists clenched, suddenly sat down heavily.

"What on earth…?"

Ms. Phibian recalled the happy sight of Ceylon cherishing the mediocre sword Ms. Drin had gifted him.

Then, she visualized how Ceylon had reacted when receiving the embrace of the green ring, the emblem of the Leolalian family.

A feeling of disappointment surfaced on Ms. Phibian's face as she compared the two reactions.