Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

Ding-dong―

A grand bell sound echoed throughout the campus of the University of Magic.

It was the bell signaling the end of the midterm exams that all students had been eagerly waiting for.

While most students left the lecture halls cursing, there was someone quietly steeling their resolve amidst it all.

They say the end is a new beginning.

“Hmm!”

Squeeze. 

Grace clenched her hands.

It’s time to start the plan.

#June 1st. Slightly cloudy.

For students, whose work is learning, the end of the midterm exams meant liberation from work.

Therefore, the behavior of students who finished their exams was not much different from that of office workers liberated from work. That means they let loose.

However, the Student Council wouldn’t be able to do that. Their work continues even after exams are over.

With such expectations, Grace entered the Student Council building, and sure enough…

“President, Vice President.”

She found the two of them sitting in the Student Council room as always.

Grace, who suddenly opened the door and appeared, immediately drew their attention.

The Vice President, Gustav Mach, furrowed his brow. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“Coming here right after exams end, you really have nothing better to do. Don’t you have any friends?”

“Ugh!”

“…It was a joke. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I do have friends.”

She protested angrily.

What do you mean by no friends, it’s the opposite. She came here after refusing invitations to play together now that exams were over…

Grace decided to quickly remove the nuisance.

“Vice President, get out.”

“Huh?”

“I said, get out of the Student Council Room.”

“W-wait. I said I’m sorry. Are you really going to be like this over one joke?”

“It’s not because of that! I have something to discuss ‘alone’ ‘between women’ with the President.”

She responded, emphasizing each word distinctly.

At that, Gustav’s expression gradually settled.

“When you put it like that, I can’t argue. It’s an invincible logic.”

Grumbling about the authority of the Vice President, Gustav eventually had to leave the Student Council room, half-driven out.

Like exterminating a pest, Grace waved her arms to drive Gustav far away so he couldn’t even eavesdrop from outside the door, and only then did she close the door.

So, they were alone.

No matter how elegant the President was, it seemed she couldn’t concentrate on work in the midst of this commotion.

The President, Julia Müller, put down her pen.

“Miss Grace. What is it you want to talk about?”

“…Um, well.”

Their gazes met.

The Student Council Room is spacious and quiet. It was originally like that, but after considerable interior work was done following Julia’s inauguration, it now had dignity comparable to the Chancellor’s office.

In that space, amber eyes shone. The eyes of a predator.

Although she had steeled her resolve, Grace naturally became hesitant in front of that gaze.

Is the person sitting there really the same as the one in front of the research building?

“……”

Suddenly, she thought in reverse.

Such a solid and beautiful person.

Though she never shows it, she must be surely painfully burning inside.

In romance novels, they say they enjoy the misunderstandings between the leads, but seeing it in reality made her heart ache. She was standing here to resolve that.

Recalling her original intention, Grace took a deep breath and walked briskly.

She walked to the front of the Student Council President’s desk.

“President.”

Finally, standing in front of Julia, she opened her mouth.

“President, you like TA Oslo, don’t you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m sorry. I saw everything. How you were in front of the research building on the rainy day before the midterm exams. How your heart is…”

At that moment, Julia’s expression noticeably fell. Grace interpreted this as a sign of wariness.

She hurriedly waved her hands.

“Don’t misunderstand! I want to help. I, despite how I look, have quite a bit of experience in love.”

She didn’t bother to explain that this ‘experience’ came from reading dozens of romance novels. Instead, she pushed a bit more.

“I want the President I respect to be happy. I’ll help, so tell me. You like TA Oslo, right?”

“……”

Perhaps her passionate speech had an effect.

The President’s sharp gaze, which had been glaring at Grace, gradually returned to normal.

Thankfully, her sincerity had gotten through!

The tension that had been building up suddenly dissipated, and perhaps because of that, she ended up having a slightly impudent imagination. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Julia Müller was the most ‘romance novel protagonist-like’ person Grace had ever seen. From her appearance to her nature.

If so, how sweet would the ‘I like you’ coming from those crimson lips be? It would surely be ecstatic…

“You like him, right?”

“…Sigh.”

The President, seemingly tired of the continued offensive, let out a deep sigh as if giving up.

Soon, her mouth opened.

“Yes. I want to conquer and monopolize him.”

Grace slapped her own forehead.

A series of questions and answers followed.

Q. Since when did you want to, li-, conquer him?

A. About two and a half years ago. Almost three years ago.

Q. Has there been any progress in the relationship since then?

A. Unfortunately, almost none.

Q. How exactly have you been expressing your affection?

A. Contract signing, providing sponsorship funds, etc.

At this point, Grace inwardly sighed.

She had secretly thought that TA Oslo’s obliviousness was the core of the problem, but this side’s condition was just as strange.

How to put it… If casting a fishing line or throwing a harpoon is normal, this was like keeping a fish trapped in a net but only looking at it.

It was bizarre in many ways.

It’s a relationship she had never seen in novels.

“Hmm……”

Her head became complicated. She sat in a chair placed next to the Student Council President’s desk and let out a groan.

Then, Grace slowly raised her head.

Isn’t she revealing her circumstances too readily to someone who’s just a member of the Student Council?

It was quite contradictory to have such thoughts after asking first, but strange was strange.

“Why?”

Grace asked.

The President answered.

“Because I trust you. If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have chosen you as a Student Council colleague.”

“!”

Grace’s heart rang with a zing. It was the most touching recognition she had received in her nearly 20 years of life.

At this moment, Grace swore complete loyalty to the President.

That loyalty was immediately manifested in action.

She jumped up from her seat and faced the President across the desk.

Bang!

She slammed both hands on the desk.

“This won’t do!”

“Eh?”

“I’ll praise your aggressive side. But that’s not enough. You need to be a bit more honest, more ticklish…”

The President tilted her head. It seemed too abstract.

So, she changed her language.

“Go on a date as soon as possible.”

The President’s eyes widened.

“D-date?”

“I mean a meeting. Whether it’s a date or an outing, meet and spend time together.”

Grace said.

“If you don’t say it and if you don’t express it, that person won’t know. Shouldn’t you express yourself generously?”

Julia slowly lowered her head.

As she listened quietly to something disguised as advice from her junior in the Student Council, a voice crossed her mind.

It was Eugene’s voice.

When was it? At the end of the first year’s summer semester?

The side profile of Eugene berating his father was still vivid.

It was the decisive moment when she had her heart stolen, so she couldn’t forget even if she wanted to.

But how about now? [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Now, it felt like that rebuke was being shouted at her.

Don’t treat them like glass artwork, just express yourself. It was a perfect fit for her, who cared for him but didn’t express it.

What could she do?

She had already grown up like this.

With each passing year, Julia came to understand her father, Klaus Müller, more.

When one is so afraid of growing apart and breaking, how can one express oneself freely?

Two years had passed like that. She did her best to keep him close, but without actually expressing herself.

“……”

A decision had to be made. Her lips parted.

“If you don’t express it, they won’t know. That’s right.”

“T-then?”

Julia looked at Grace with a sorrowful smile.

“I don’t know very well. Would you please help me?”

No answer came. Because Grace suddenly hugged Julia.

After the hug lasted for a while, finally, the ‘strategy planning’ began.

It was called strategy planning, but in reality, it was just Grace talking by herself.

“You have to be honest.”

It’s okay to be subtle. But the expression of goodwill must be clear. Don’t try to tempt with money and material things, but reveal your emotions.

After establishing ‘how,’ it was time to decide ‘where.’

This was an area Julia was confident in. Julia offered opinions:

“The World Expo in Lutenberg two months later.”

“Are you crazy?” Grace rejected.

It was rejected from the start for the reason that such a place wasn’t good. It was incomprehensible to Julia, but she continued to offer suggestions.

“The Frauzen Museum of Magic History.”

“Are you insane?” Grace exclaimed.

This, too, was puzzling to Julia. Why, it seemed like a place Eugene would gladly go along with.

The excellent suggestions that Julia offered, Grace rejected in favor of things like tailor shops or dessert cafes. Or nearby hills with beautiful scenery.

Julia suggested, “Rather than that, how about inviting him to our mansion garden, where we have a chef and nice scenery?”

“It’s too early for that!” Grace protested.

Even the perfect compromise was rejected. Julia thought to herself, “I’ve already invited him into my room once, and now this suggestion is too early?”

Of course, she didn’t want to tell Grace about that fact. It was a precious memory.

Perhaps because the suggestions Julia was offering seemed quite frustrating to Grace, Grace kept shouting like this.

“You understand? Even in romantic relationships, there’s a theory established after a long history. A theory no less than magic studies!”

When asked about the source of this theory, she evaded the question.

She was a rather unreliable advisor, but her enthusiasm alone was sufficient.

Several days passed from then.

#June 5th. Clear.

As usual, Julia headed to the research building.

Grace wasn’t there. Despite her history of secretly hiding and peeking, she had retreated today, mumbling something like: 

Therefore, Julia was truly alone.

“♬♪――”

She sat on the bench, humming and swinging her legs.

These were habitual actions, but today, their meaning was a bit different. Intentional actions to pretend normalcy.

About 30 minutes passed like that.

Finally, a gray-haired man walked out of Research Building 3.

Her gaze met with Eugene Oslo, who was stretching as if familiar with the routine.

As she waved with a bright smile, his expression hardened.

How mean. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

But Julia smiled even more.

Because there was a silver accessory glinting in the sunlight around the middle of Eugene’s tie as he approached.

His stride seems as long as his tall height. Soon standing next to the bench, he said:

“Is it another coincidence, Miss Fire Inspector?”

A slightly sarcastic tone. She wanted to tease him.

She parted her lips.

“No. I waited.”

“…Huh?”

“I waited to meet you. For 30 minutes.”

Confusion spread across Eugene’s face.

Maintaining a calm expression, she stood up from the bench. Her unique magic creaked slightly due to nervousness, but fortunately, it wasn’t noticed.

Now for the last words.

Her lips felt as if they were glued together.

A brief but awkward silence followed. It needed to be broken.

Julia smiled.

“Eugene.”

“Why are you calling me?”

“Would you like to go out together on a holiday?”

That one line was enough.

“…Let’s go clothes shopping together. You’ll need a new suit for formal occasions like academic conferences, and I happen to need clothes, too.”

But she added an unnecessary excuse. A mistake she would never make normally.

That’s how sincere she was.

Swoosh.

The wind blows. A warm breeze carrying the leaves of fresh greenery.