Samir watched the long line of carriages heading north and spoke with clear interest.
“There are quite a few prestigious families here.”
“Prestigious families?”
As Radéus’s butler, Samir possessed a surprisingly broad range of knowledge.
“Yes. That crest belongs to the Librecht Ducal House, one of the ten greatest noble families on the continent. And that one is the Bahamut family, famous for their southern beastfolk bloodline. Oh! Even the Zeppeli family of alchemists is here!”
He added proudly, ‘Though even all of them combined are still nothing compared to Radéus!’
Still…
Maybe he’s right.
If families who called themselves prestigious had all sent people into this training institution, then Libra truly deserved its reputation.
Of course, they probably wouldn’t send their true heirs. But failed successors and branch-family descendants? Those were more than possible.
As expected, almost nobody’s attempting this alone.
At the foot of the mountain range stood countless young nobles who looked obviously high-born, surrounded by escorts and retainers.
Nerha stepped down from the carriage and sent Samir back.
“...Are you really certain you’ll be alright?”
Although Nerha carried proper climbing gear, ascending such a massive mountain without magical equipment or expert guides still sounded suicidal.
“How many times do I have to say it? The only real danger is breathing trouble. Everything else is nothing to worry about.”
Ordinary people—or amateurs without proper martial training—often suffered severe breathing issues or even coughed blood when climbing mountains this high.
But Nerha had once crossed entire snowbound mountain ranges beyond the western territories. Compared to that, this was hardly an obstacle.
“Hm…”
After sending Samir away, Nerha lightly concealed his identity and observed the other applicants.
None of them really impress me.
A fair number had decent physiques, but none caught his eye as true talent.
They’ve got plenty of energy, but that’s about it.
Typical children of noble families.
They had consumed countless rare elixirs and learned top-tier cultivation arts, so their internal energy was considerable—but their bodies hadn’t been trained enough to properly handle that power. Their movements were clumsy.
Honestly, even Becker and Zecron—the ones he’d met earlier—looked more promising.
It’d be nice if there were a few with real potential.
Nerha had no intention of entering Libra solely to improve himself.
He planned to gather talented people beneath him and eventually build his own faction within the Radéus family.
Young talents alone wouldn’t help him seize control of the clan immediately, of course. But if he chose well now, some of them might eventually rise to the family’s core leadership.
At least around here, there’s nobody worth watching.
There were likely applicants entering through other mountain routes as well, but among the people gathered here, not one met Nerha’s standards.
Step. Step.
Hm? Wait.
Nerha’s eyes suddenly shifted toward a lone figure preparing to climb the mountain.
She’s alone?
Unlike the others surrounded by attendants, this person carried the same solitary determination as Nerha himself.
Interested, he moved closer to observe.
A woman.
Among the roughly tied blond hair were traces of crudely cut strands.
A swordswoman? Judging from the way her body’s trained, she definitely learned the sword.
Though she wore heavy winter gear, it wasn’t enough to fool Nerha’s eyes.
Still, she carried no visible weapon. And someone seriously trained in swordsmanship wouldn’t normally enter a mage-training institution. Perhaps he was mistaken.
“Whew… Shall I go?”
The blond girl, around Nerha’s age, took a deep breath as if finally preparing to begin the ascent.
That was when it happened.
“Excuse me, miss.”
“...?”
A guard who appeared to serve some noble approached her.
Pointing toward a refined-looking young nobleman, the guard began gesturing enthusiastically, clearly trying to persuade her.
“I refuse. I can climb on my own.”
The girl frowned slightly and shook her head.
But instead of retreating after being rejected, the guard pressed further.
“The gentleman inviting you is the third young master of House Librecht. Since he has courteously extended his invitation, it would be wise for you to accept.”
Two more men stepped forward, surrounding her.
What a mess.
There were people everywhere. Any of them could become future classmates—or rivals—and yet they were making a scene like this.
“Can’t you understand simple words?”
“We would rather not resort to force.”
“I already have companions.”
“Companions?”
One guard snorted mockingly.
Anyone could tell she had been preparing to climb alone. The expression on his face clearly said, What kind of pathetic excuse is that?
“With all due respect, who exactly are these companions?”
“That person over there.”
“...Huh?”
Nerha tilted his head blankly.
The direction she pointed…
…was directly at him.
The girl turned and walked toward Nerha.
Wait. Why me?
Their eyes met.
Her sharp gaze remained steady, but hidden within it was a desperate plea.
Please help me.
As Nerha stared at her with cold disbelief, the girl suddenly dropped to one knee before him and bowed deeply.
“My apologies, young master! I thought you had already gone ahead to Libra!”
“......”
“This Lucia was terribly worried that you might have gotten lost. I’m truly relieved to see you safe.”
“......”
She even revealed her own name in advance to avoid inconsistencies in the story.
And with unbelievable shamelessness, she had casually turned him into someone with no sense of direction.
Unbelievable.
Nerha had no idea what she saw in him that made her attempt such an absurd act, but he smirked and decided to play along.
He cleared his throat lightly.
“Indeed, Lucia. I told you to wait, yet you grew impatient and tried to climb ahead alone?”
If some random nobody had dragged him into something like this, he would have humiliated them thoroughly.
“My apologies, young master.”
“Well, correcting your reckless personality has always been difficult. Truly difficult.”
The moment he said that, Lucia widened her eyes furiously, clearly asking what nonsense he was spouting.
Nerha returned a look that plainly said:
What are you going to do about it?
A silent battle unfolded between them for several seconds.
Naturally, Lucia surrendered first.
“Y-yes, of course. I failed to realize you were merely concerned for me…”
“Right, right. So try not to run ahead again. It’d be troublesome if this happened another time.”
“......”
The girl named Lucia was now chatting warmly with a mysterious lone boy.
Watching this scene, Alpheon Librecht—the third son of House Librecht—felt his insides twist with rage.
“What do you mean ‘young master’?! That bastard’s alone too!”
It was actually a sharp observation.
After all, true noble heirs usually traveled with at least five attendants.
Because Nerha hid his hair beneath a hat and dressed modestly, nobody recognized him.
Silver-brown hair was the symbol of Radéus. Had he removed the hat, his identity would’ve been exposed immediately.
“Botan! Drag those filthy bastards over here!”
“Young Master Alpheon, causing trouble here would be unwise. Too many people are watching.”
“Shut up! I’m a Librecht! Who cares what some third-rate families think?! Obey me now!”
Nerha stared at Alpheon’s tantrum with mild amazement.
...Wow.
They were roughly the same age, yet it had been a long time since he’d seen someone this utterly lacking in common sense.
Even spoiled brats usually tried to maintain appearances in public.
“My apologies.”
Forced by Alpheon’s insistence, the guards eventually surrounded Nerha and Lucia.
“Quietly beg the young master for forgiveness. Do that, and this matter can end peacefully.”
“......”
Nerha hesitated briefly.
What should I do?
As expected of guards from a prestigious family, every one of them was skilled.
If he struck first, he had a good chance. But in a direct confrontation, even Nerha couldn’t guarantee overwhelming victory.
Should I just reveal who I am? That little brat probably approached me because she figured it out anyway…
In the end, however, Nerha never needed to reveal himself.
Because Samir—who was supposed to have left—suddenly jumped from the carriage and ran toward him.
“Young Master Nerha! You forgot this—... Huh?”
“N-Nerha? Nerha Radéus?!”
The guards paled instantly.
No matter what, there was no way they wouldn’t recognize the only direct Radéus heir entering this year’s class.
“Eh?”
Samir tilted his head at the suddenly frozen atmosphere surrounding Nerha.
The situation settled quickly after that.
The moment Alpheon Librecht learned that the “bastard” he’d insulted was actually Nerha, he immediately backed down.
Even Alpheon understood that opposing Radéus was hopeless.
“Thank you very much, Young Master Nerha.”
“Hm.”
The blond ponytailed girl, Lucia, bowed politely in gratitude.
“How did you know I was Nerha Radéus?”
At the question, Lucia smiled slightly and pointed toward her eyes.
“I’m rather observant. Even with the hat, you couldn’t completely hide Radéus’s signature silver-brown hair. Naturally, I noticed.”
“Oh?”
Easy to say—but in reality, very difficult.
Unless someone was specifically paying attention, few would notice such details.
Especially since Nerha wasn’t the only applicant this year with silver-brown hair.
“But how were you sure I’d help? I could’ve ignored you—or even sided against you.”
“Like I said.”
Lucia’s smile deepened.
“I’m very observant.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You were staring at me with such intense interest that I knew you wouldn’t simply pass by as a stranger.”
“...!”
“Of course, unlike that Alpheon idiot, your gaze wasn’t clouded with disgusting desire.”
Interesting.
Had she sensed his gaze from that distance—and deliberately used him?
That level of perception was abnormal for someone their age.
She’s talented.
If she had chosen a profession like scout or ranger instead of magecraft, she probably could’ve become extraordinary.
Nerha found himself growing even more interested in the girl named Lucia.
“You seem to be climbing alone. If you get bored, should I accompany you for conversation?”
“Sorry, but I’m not interested in flirting.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know. But I genuinely prefer being alone.”
Lucia naturally distanced herself from him and began walking toward the mountain path.
“One day, I’ll repay this debt. Since you’re entering Libra as well, we’ll meet again soon enough. We have plenty of time.”
“T-that ungrateful woman!”
After hearing the full story, Samir pointed angrily at Lucia’s retreating figure.
But Nerha only smirked and stopped him.
“It’s fine. Like she said—we have plenty of time.”
Barring something unexpected, neither of them was likely to fail the entrance trial.
At this rate, they might even meet again before the day ended.
Thinking that, Nerha slowly began climbing the Pallarest Mountain Range himself.
And roughly half a day later—
Nerha arrived safely at Libra.
