Alex crossed his arms confidently, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Well, you don't have to worry about him anymore. That guy's way too useful for me to be rotting in some dungeon."

He glanced up at the sky, the light filtering through the academy's arcane barrier shimmering like a second sun.

"You could even say… he's the one who'll save me from the daily poverty that's haunting me like a cursed spirit."

A determined glint flickered in his eyes.

"I'll save him, I'll save my accounts that are getting emptier every day, no matter what."

He clenched his fists.

"And one more thing—no one gets away with torturing my slav—"

Before he could finish, Charlotte's sharp elbow slammed into his gut with unrelenting precision honed from years of magical combat training as a princess.

He doubled over, coughing. "Ack—!"

"I mean—!" he quickly corrected, raising a hand in mock surrender. "No one gets away with torturing my friend."

Charlotte narrowed her eyes, but the corner of her mouth twitched with satisfaction.

"Good," she said simply. Her tone was cool, but her eyes were warm.

Alex straightened up slowly, grumbling something under his breath. He dusted off his coat with exaggerated drama and decided it was time to change the topic.

"So… how's the situation with the first-years? Everything under control now? After all, after signing the contract, they can't betray you… after all?"

Charlotte nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah. After signing a mana contract, it's safe to say the first-years are now all united under us. But we still need to be cautious—if Lucas makes a move, we'll need eyes everywhere."

Then she suddenly crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks in frustration like a grumpy cat about to pounce as she said,

"But just so you know—" she declared, "I could've handled the first-years without your help! I didn't need you to step in!"

Alex raised an eyebrow and gave her a mocking smile that could only be described as a masterpiece of smugness.

"Of course you could."

Charlotte's face flushed red with a mixture of embarrassment and irritation.

"I'm serious, okay?!"

"Of course you are," Alex said again, even more smugly this time.

Without another word, Charlotte raised her hand and whispered a spell under her breath.

Suddenly, gravity around Alex's left leg increased dramatically and he lost his balance. With a loud thud, he collapsed to the ground, face-first.

"Woman! What the hell was that for?! I was agreeing with you, wasn't I?!"

Charlotte simply gave an elegant shrug and a smug little "hmph" before turning on her heel and walking toward the warp gate with all the poise of a noble heiress.

Alex groaned, peeling himself off the floor as he stood up and followed her.

The two soon arrived at the warp gate near the entrance of the main building, known as the Central Spire—a giant tower embedded with floating runes and shimmering glyphs, standing as the heart of Zenith Academy.

As they walked through the corridor flanked by light crystals and holographic notice boards, Alex glanced over at Charlotte.

"So, how do you plan to deal with the second and third years?"

Charlotte sighed, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"We have to win over the third years. The second years are already under Lucas's thumb. Buying their support is almost impossible without offering something even he can't."

Alex nodded slowly.

"You're right about everything… except for one thing."

Charlotte blinked. "Oh? And what's that?"

Alex's tone shifted—calm, steady, firm.

"It's not 'we' anymore. It's 'you.'"

Charlotte froze mid-step. Her expression stiffened. Her breath caught, but she quickly masked it.

Alex kept walking, his gaze forward.

"As promised, I've helped you all I can. But now… I have more important things to deal with. Like Draven's situation."

He turned to face her.

"You'll have to handle things alone from now on."

Charlotte stood still, arms crossed tightly against her chest.

"...Don't worry," she said after a pause. "I'll prove I can do better than you did."

Alex's lips curled into a faint smirk.

"That's what I wanted to hear."

He added casually, "To be honest, I have some beautiful ways to make you the student council president this instant—with both the second and third years supporting you."

Charlotte blinked, stunned. "Wait—what?"

But Alex just continued walking as he said,

"But where's the fun in that?"

"If I spoon-feed you everything," Alex said, walking ahead with hands in his pockets, "you'll never learn anything on your own."

He turned slightly, gaze half-lidded.

"And that would just make your father think Lucas is more competent than you."

Charlotte stiffened again, this time from a place deeper than pride.

Alex's eyes softened.

"I want you to be the person who stands on her own two feet... and proves she's worthy of being queen if that's your goal—not because someone put her there, but because she earned it."

Charlotte's face turned a brilliant shade of red. This time, not from fury—but something else entirely.

She looked at him with a hint of defiance and something that almost resembled admiration.

"If someone else had lectured me like that," she said slowly, "I would've made their life hell in this academy… and then gotten them expelled."

Alex grinned.

"Well, that sounds rude—but it matches your bitchy personality perfectly."

Charlotte shot him a sharp smile that screamed 'shut your mouth,' and he wisely zipped it.

"But don't worry," she continued. "I'll prove my worth. Not for my father. Not for the academy. Just to you. To prove myself right."

Alex clicked his tongue. "Tsk. So rude, after everything I've done for you."

"But I'm looking forward to it."

Charlotte smirked back, cheeks still slightly flushed.

They walked side by side in a comfortable silence, the tension between them fading into the background.

But just as they were about to reach Miss Selena's office, something entirely unexpected happened.

"YOUUUU!!! I FOUND YOU! I FINALLY FOUND YOU, YOU INGRATE DISCIPLE!!!"

A voice boomed down the corridor like thunder from an irate god.

Alex's soul almost left his body.

His eyes widened in horror.

"Oh no..."

Rick Colesan—his former master and notorious madman of the rune department—was sprinting down the hallway in full-blown rage mode. His robe flapped wildly behind him like a raging banner, and scrolls flew from his sleeves like projectile weapons.

"RUN!" Alex yelped and spun around, but Charlotte grabbed his arm.

"Why the hell is he chasing you?!" she hissed.

"Just run! Don't think about useless stuff!!" he whisper-shouted.

Too late.

Rick appeared in front of them in a literal blink, his hand landing on Alex's shoulder with the crushing force of disappointed expectations.

"WHERE. THE. HELL. DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!"

Alex, knowing he couldn't escape anymore, gave the most awkward, toothy smile in recorded history.

"Master! You're alive—I mean, I'm alive! I missed you so much! Honestly!"

Rick's eyes twitched.

"You little—! Why the hell didn't you tell me that you were alive?! As your master I had the right to know! I held a memorial! There were tears! I cried!"

"I had... circumstances," Alex mumbled.

Rick narrowed his eyes.

"I see. I'm not even gonna ask anymore."

Alex sighed in relief.

"But tell me—" Rick said suddenly. "Where are you going?"

"Miss Selena's office. I needed advice on bonding with a spirit. And after that I swear I was coming to meet you!"

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. 'He's lying through his teeth.'

Rick grabbed Alex's wrist like a hawk seizing its prey.

"To hell with Selena! When you have a master like me by your side, I'll teach you how to bond with a spirit myself! Come with me!"

Alex groaned as he was dragged away like a sack of potatoes.

"Yes, Master..."

Charlotte tilted her head, following them with interest.

'I wonder… what kind of spirit will choose him?'

She looked down at her own hands, a flicker of pain in her eyes.

'I couldn't even bond with a single one.'

Inside Rick Colesan's office.

The room looked like a magical tornado had swept through an ancient archive.

Scrolls covered every inch of the floor, shelves leaned precariously under the weight of enchanted tomes, and glowing symbols danced in the air like lazy fireflies.

Rick gestured dramatically at a circular table.

"Sit! We will begin soon!"

Charlotte and Alex sat down, the latter eyeing a scroll that just tried to bite him.

"You don't need Selena. You have me—and I'll make sure you bond with the highest-grade spirit there!"

Alex blinked. "...Spirits have grades?"

Rick grinned wildly. "Oh boy. We've got work to do."

Then he dove into a pile of scrolls headfirst.

"Where did I put it… the Scroll… no… not the frog contract… definitely not the Demon Seed one—AHA!"

Papers exploded upward like geysers as Rick began throwing stuff everywhere.

Alex slumped in his chair.

'Maybe... I should've gone to Miss Selena after all.'

----------

A/N:

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