CHAPTER 88
Greetings Are Everything
After the war with the Demon King and the demon tribe, the Principality of Betelgeuse was left in ruins. From the perspective of Betelgeuse and others harmed by the demons, Dynaise Academy—despite its great power—must have seemed like a passive bystander that did nothing to ease their suffering.
But the group that wants to take control of Dynaise Academy might be just as dangerous.
“So that’s why you want the Arcane Astra. But what exactly is it?”
“I don’t know the full details. But it’s said to be the core that keeps the academy running and also the one that maintains the contract binding the Empire’s Five Sinners.”
“If someone gets it, they could use the Academy’s resources however they want?”
“That’s what I’ve heard.”
“Really? Hmm. I find it hard to imagine the Academy’s five powerful sinners or those free-spirited professors submitting to someone else’s orders.
But if you could freely open and close the teleportation gates inside the Academy… that alone would be incredibly valuable.
So, if I find the Arcane Astra, do I report it to you? Or to Prince Lorenzo?”
“I’m in charge of this mission inside the Academy.
Prince Lorenzo is our ally. King Mazdari is a devout follower of the Church.”
“I see… So that’s why…”
That explained why Lorenzo had been staying in the background. Even though he pledged loyalty to the Church, who knew if that loyalty would still hold when the Arcane Astra actually appeared?
“Understood. If I find any clues about the Arcane Astra, Miss Fiona, I’ll share them with you.”
“In fact, it’s more than that…
We’d like you to officially join our team.
And Lady Idnia, I hope you will act under the guidance of me and Prince Lorenzo.”
Fiona bluntly told Idnia to work under her.
‘That’s a bit too aggressive, isn’t it?’
Even Lorenzo was startled.
But Fiona was serious.
*‘Lady Idnia is just too exceptional. If I don’t keep an eye on her… well, it’s unlikely, but what if she finds the Arcane Astra and keeps it all to herself?
More importantly, if we split into teams and both do well, that’s fine. But if her side gets better results than ours… that’s a problem.
Saintess candidates should just quietly compete for the title and follow my lead during the mission.’
To be honest, Fiona had always felt inferior to the saintess candidates.
Chosen as a secret agent for the Church not because of her noble birth but purely out of necessity, Fiona had once dreamed of being a saintess herself.
She could accept Marie.
A peasant girl raised in a convent after her parents lost their children to a plague—Marie had no background, so if she was selected, it was clearly thanks to her own strength.
Fiona even felt a sort of kinship with her.
That’s why in the original game, Fiona was kind and helpful to the protagonist Marie, earning a lot of affection from players as a friendly NPC.
But Idnia, with her noble birth and powerful background, becoming a saintess candidate?
That, Fiona could not forgive.
Now, she had been assigned to manage Church-affiliated people inside the Academy.
Officially, she was in charge of all Church agents here—but she had interpreted that as being allowed to command even the saintess candidates.
‘I can’t let my personal feelings get in the way. I’m just being a firm leader and showing how the Church gets things done.’
That’s how Fiona justified her envy and inferiority complex.
*‘Huh. This is a new experience.
In the game, Fiona was always so warm and helpful. But now, she seems annoyed with me.
Well, I guess things change when the person you’re looking at isn’t the same.
Is it because I have too high of a status now? Hmm… maybe I’d get along with Professor Sadia.’*
Even though Fiona was being rude, Idnia wasn’t angry.
She was actually excited—like she had discovered a new route in the game.
But that didn’t mean she was going to just accept everything.
“Hm. I don’t think that’s going to work.”
Idnia rejected Fiona’s offer to work under her.
“…So, it’s because of your noble status? You can’t accept being led by someone like me, a commoner?”
“No, that would be disrespectful to Prince Lorenzo as well.
What I’m saying is—we’re in different dorms. Is there really a need to act together all the time?
Each of us has different conditions. I think we should move independently.”
What Idnia said was completely reasonable.
Fiona and even Lorenzo couldn’t help but agree.
“I see. Then, can you report your progress so far?”
“To be honest, there’s nothing significant to report yet.
I’ve been so busy keeping up with my studies.”
“Really?
But I heard rumors you’ve been leaving your dorm at night quite often.”
“Oh, that’s actually part of my unique study method.
I’m surprised it reached someone from Notos dorm.”
Idnia answered calmly, but inside, she was shocked.
She assumed the professors would know—after all, they had all kinds of powerful surveillance magic.
Even someone like Baroness Bulem could use advanced ice magic. The Five Sinners of the Empire? Probably even more powerful.
But how did Fiona, a student from another dorm, know?
*‘It must mean there are Trinity Church members in my dorm too…
Probably other dormmates noticed and reported it.’*
Just then, Lorenzo interrupted.
“Fiona, let’s stop here. Someone’s coming. It’s not good to reveal your identity as a secret agent.”
“Yes, Prince Lorenzo.”
So, Fiona was technically in charge—but it seemed Lorenzo held more real authority.
He may be working with the Church, but clearly had his own agenda.
“Oh, and Lady Idnia, I forgot to mention something important. We’ve discovered the entrance to a huge dungeon beneath the Academy.”
“…What?”
Idnia kept her face calm, but Marie gasped beside her.
It was widely known that Lorenzo and his team roamed the black market at night.
But that had only been a cover—searching for the Arcane Astra in the Academy was their real mission.
‘Well, I already knew that, but now that someone’s coming, this conversation ends here.’
Idnia acted surprised and turned toward the new arrivals.
“Wow, this is the garden? Incredible.”
It was Carl and the Boreas dorm students.
They greeted Idnia politely.
“Lady Idnia, you were here.”
“You look stunning today. The way you dealt with Baroness Bulem was amazing.”
“Haha, yeah! That was epic!”
After seeing how Idnia handled the situation with Baroness Bulem, the Boreas students had come to admire her.
“But Lorenzo… what are you doing here?”
“I was curious about the garden. And you? Seems like you’ve become close with Lady Idnia.”
“Of course. She asked me for a special favor.”
Carl exaggerated the small request to check on Bolson as if it were a big deal.
Lorenzo was slightly surprised but could tell Carl was teasing.
*‘It was probably nothing major.
Still, these northerners seem to like her a lot.
When did she win over all these barbarians?
I thought Crown Prince Rudolf would be the center of attention here… but maybe Lady Idnia is the real powerhouse.
I never expected someone from the fallen Betelgeuse principality to be this socially skilled.’*
While Lorenzo was thinking that, the Boreas students wandered around the garden and even checked out the ice storage Idnia had built.
“Whoa… this is an ice cellar?”
“These turnips… I’ve never seen them grow this big.”
“They’re usually just emergency crops planted after frost damage.”
“Can I try one?”
“What? You’re from a knight’s family and you want to eat it raw?”
“I’m still hungry. I’ll pay with Aca Coins!”
Idnia smiled at the sight.
“Well, if you want to buy them, I won’t stop you. But let’s wait until everyone is here, and we set up rules for the club’s budget. Ah, they’re arriving now.”
Crown Prince Rudolf, Isolde, and students from the Zephyros and Euros dorms showed up.
Now, the entire Wizard Ball Club was assembled.
“You got here first. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No, not at all. I was just getting things ready.
Let’s set the rules for the Wizard Ball Club. For now, I’ll act as temporary captain.
Everyone okay with that?”
“Of course.”
“Definitely.”
“And I’d like to appoint an agricultural director for the garden work. Marie of Astraea.”
“…Me?”
“Yes. Please guide us in farming techniques. Now—anyone here with experience in Wizard Ball?”
“I’ve played a version of it at a convent for women.”
Two girls from Notos dorm, Alisa and Esther, raised their hands.
“What’s different in that version?”
“No elbow-bending when throwing the ball, running starts allowed, no hitting players directly. We also banned magic from directly damaging other players.”
“It’s a favorite among nuns.”
“Marie, you trained in a convent too, right?”
“Yes. But we didn’t have enough nuns… and not many could use magic. So we just played regular kickball.”
“Kickball?”
“It’s a field game where you kick a ball into the opponent’s goal.”
“Oh, that.”
Idnia realized she was talking about soccer and nodded.
“Then I’ll ask those with experience to help teach Wizard Ball techniques.
Also, please follow Marie’s and my instructions regarding gardening work. We’ll divide tasks as fairly as possible.
Any objections?”
“…”
“Uhh… no, I guess not.”
Lorenzo and Carl realized that by agreeing to this club, they were giving Idnia a lot of control.
