Rihart Cronel.
He was a man whose presence was far more commanding than the rumors suggested.
Dressed in a raven-black dress uniform tailored for the banquet, he exuded a heavy, oppressive intimidation owing to his solid build and striking height that easily surpassed one hundred and ninety centimeters.
Furthermore, his dazzling good looks were undeniably worthy of being called an incomparable beauty.
Beneath his neatly slicked-back platinum blond hair, his blue eyes evoked a summer sea, while the depth of his gaze, sharp bridge of his nose, and chiseled, well-defined jawline fully brought out his masculine beauty.
Looking like a mythical god of war that newspaper illustrations couldn't begin to compare with, everyone watched him in enraptured awe.
Even Mona, who took no interest in her own appearance, let alone others', was inwardly surprised by the flawless symmetry and sense of balance in the man's features.
“So handsome…”
Beside her, she could hear Olivia's dazed murmur.
After his entrance, the banquet hall, which had fallen dead silent, quickly grew even more clamorous than before.
“What an extraordinarily handsome man!”
“To think such a splendid gentleman is our war hero… The Empire's future is truly bright.”
“Lineage, military achievements, appearance—there isn’t a single flaw to be found.”
Even amidst the blatant stares and praises pouring in from every direction, the man's expression remained dry.
He appeared indifferent, or perhaps utterly bothered by everything around him.
“How should I put it... he's so perfect he hardly seems human. Haha.”
Mona silently agreed with the remark coming from someone behind her.
Yes, that man named Rihart lacked any trace of warmth.
‘Perhaps that's what draws people's gazes even more...’
Finishing her brief observation, Mona soon lightly bit her lip and reminded herself of her purpose for attending this banquet.
Now was not the time to stand dazed by mere mortal beauty.
Far more important than whether a war hero possessed any humanity was finding Professor Thomas right away.
‘That damn bastard of a professor. Why can’t I see him anywhere...?’
Among the people currently within her field of vision, Professor Thomas was nowhere to be found.
Instead, far off toward the terrace, Mona spotted a man who might know where Professor Thomas was.
It was Professor Jerome of the Academy, who had once encouraged Mona to join the Department of Magical Formulas.
‘Before a familiar face vanishes, it seems I really should move...’
The problem was that, by etiquette requiring an unmarried lady to be escorted by family or a partner at a banquet, she could not wander around at will.
‘Of course, even if someone with no presence like me wandered all over the place, no one would care.’
However, her father, having brought her along merely as a shield to reject Olivia's marriage proposals, was not about to let her go easily.
Just then, a gleam sparked in Mona's eyes as she watched the flow of the crowd.
She noticed the chamberlain, who had been attending the imperial family, stepping back briefly before emerging with a military medal of honor.
“Mona, where are you going?”
Count Bellose, astutely catching onto Mona’s attempt to slip away, blocked her path.
“For an unmarried lady to wander alone without an escort violates imperial decor—urgh!”
At that moment, as Rihart moved to the center of the banquet hall to receive the military medal, nobles began rushing en masse toward the center.
"Good heavens!"
While Count Bellose flailed about, swept up in the throng, Mona took advantage of the commotion to quickly slip away from her family.
She then moved against the flow of the crowd like a salmon swimming upstream, heading toward the corner terrace where the professor from the Department of Magical Formulas had been standing moments before.
Just as Mona expected, the professor—never one to leave his seat easily—was still standing on the terrace, engaged in quiet conversation with an acquaintance.
"The Grand Duke of Cronel truly has an extraordinary son."
"To become a dragon slayer at just twenty-four years of age... Is that even possible, Professor?"
"What is more astonishing is the knight order's high survival rate. It proves he is far more than merely a formidable warrior; he is a brilliant commander... Hm?"
As Mona hovered, looking for the right moment to speak, Professor Jerome unexpectedly recognized her first.
"Is that not Miss Mona Bellose? It is good to see you."
Wringing out every ounce of her nonexistent sociability like moisture from a dry cloth, Mona broke the ice.
"It is an honor to see you in a place like this, Professor."
"Haha. Everyone is in a frenzy trying to catch a glimpse of the war hero, so what are you doing over here?"
"Because you were here, Professor Jerome."
She had merely stated a fact, but the Professor of Magical Formulas suddenly wore an expression of deep emotion.
"Passing over a war hero just to see me! Haha! You are as studious as ever."
As Mona broke into a cold sweat over the professor's self-indulgent sentiment, he spoke with a wistful look in his eyes.
"Miss Mona, would you not consider a double major, even now?"
"...Pardon?"
"You are far too precious a talent to remain solely in such a forgotten, corner-dwelling field as the Department of Monster Studies."
She was already stretching herself to her absolute limits just handling one major; a double major was out of the question.
Whose future was he trying to ruin?
Just as Mona opened her mouth to say something, an acquaintance of the professor chimed in.
"Oh, it is my first time seeing Professor Jerome praise a research student so highly."
"Well, it was also my first time seeing a student who scored full marks on my magical formula exam, only to lose top honors upon admission because of general etiquette, a class where practically anyone can get a perfect score."
“So there really are students who can get a perfect score on your exams...!”
“Indeed. Miss Mona was the only one who wrote a proper answer for the low-mana maintenance-type defensive formula utilizing triple-mana circulation.”
“Pardon?! Why on earth would you put such an advanced problem—one that even an active mage like me would struggle to solve in time—on the Academy entrance exam...?”
“Just for fun! Purely for fun! How else would I discover such fascinating students? Gah ha ha!”
As Mona hesitated, unable to find an opening to interject into their conversation, the professor’s acquaintance addressed her.
“You said you are Miss Mona, correct? Research on multi-mana circulation has been drawing even more attention lately. If you are interested, come visit the Magic Tower. I can arrange an internship for you.”
On top of a double major, now they were trying to drag her into the notoriously grueling Magic Tower internship.
Were these people devils?
“It is still not too late, Miss Mona.”
Watching the man go so far as to hand her a business card embossed with the seal of the Magic Tower, Mona broke into a cold sweat.
“...I believe it is already far too late.”
“Haha! See, this is why Miss Mona is so delightfully amusing!”
“...”
“When I asked you to join the Department of Magical Formulas as a researcher three years ago, you replied, ‘That sounds rather boring.’ Do you remember that, Miss Mona?”
“Yeees...”
“I, too, was quite bold at Miss Mona’s age. Ah, it brings back memories.”
Finding whatever he said so utterly hilarious, the Professor of Magical Formulas chuckled heartily and repeatedly launched into ‘back in my day’ speeches.
From heroic tales of tackling equations everyone considered insoluble purely for fun, to anecdotes about refusing unfair proposals from the Dean of the Academy.
Only after patiently listening through the old professor's long, winding reminiscence was Mona finally able to ask about Professor Thomas's whereabouts.
“...Hmm. You're looking for him because Professor Thomas hasn't been showing up at the lab lately?”
“Yes.”
“To worry about your supervising professor’s well-being! How truly admirable. The fellows under me are just counting the days hoping I'll fall ill and cancel class. Haha!”
“...Um, Professor. If the person Miss Mona is looking for is Thomas Levett, I believe I saw him earlier over there, in the corner of the balcony.”
The one who provided a surprisingly useful clue was none other than the mage who had offered her the internship.
Just as he had said, the moment she turned her head toward the outer balcony, a familiar mustache caught Mona's eye.
“He was gathered with some of the Magic Tower's most notorious fools. Tsk. The victory celebration is merely an excuse; they will undoubtedly sneak off to a social club.”
“Thank you so much!”
Pressed for time, Mona gave a quick bow and hurried away.
“Ho-ho. To be so fiercely dedicated to academia.”
Watching Mona's retreating figure swiftly vanish, Professor Jerome chuckled, thoroughly impressed.
“Indeed. With such a brilliant war hero right before her eyes, she still searches for her department professor. It is no ordinary passion.”
The Magic Tower mage nodded in agreement with an approving smile.
“She clearly has more than enough competence to take a double major. I find myself coveting her talents more and more.”
“Seeing how neither time nor place dampens her pursuit of learning, she would make an exceptional Magic Tower intern as well.”
“Now, now, I made my claim first.”
Even long after Mona had disappeared, the two continued to murmur words that would have horrified her had she heard.
***
“Mona, where did this girl suddenly vanish to?!”
Amidst the bustling crowd, Count Bellose looked around with an anxious expression.
Meanwhile, Olivia was urging her fraternal twin, Liam, so she could catch a glimpse of Rihart receiving his medal.
“Liam! Clear a path, will you? I can’t see Lord Rihart’s face properly.”
Standing on tiptoe to look for an opening at Olivia’s behest, Liam’s shoulders slumped.
“Noona, the front is already packed with people, so it's hard to move.”
“Olivia, don’t be impatient. Just wait until the victory ceremony ends and the afterparty begins. There will certainly be an opportunity to dance with Lord Rihart.”
At her mother’s advice, Olivia chewed on her lower lip.
The surrounding area was teeming with young ladies whose ambition burned just as fiercely, all eager to catch even a single glance from Lord Rihart.
Now was not the time to be idle.
“...All right, Mother. Still, if we want to catch his eye, we must position ourselves as close to the center of the banquet hall as possible.”
Watching his wife and Olivia persistently hold their ground in the center, the count spoke with an anxious air.
“Dear, Mona has vanished, so I think we should go look for her....”
“Is that really important right now?”
“Father, you already turned down the marriage proposal from Marquis Roussel that was tied to our family business anyway.”
“W-Well, that is true, but....”
Faced with the strong assertions of both women, the count yielded like a chastised puppy and held his tongue.
“This is taking quite a while.”
“Indeed.”
The Bellose family struggled not to be pushed back from the center of the gallery until the victory ceremony drew to a close.
Yet, as the ceremony wrapped up, sighs laden with disappointment could be heard from all around.
“Haa....”
“What is the matter?”
“They say Lord Rihart won't be attending the after-party. Rather than revel in the joy of victory, he wishes to devote himself to mourning the fallen....”
“Oh my goodness.... The war hero’s heart is as noble as his deeds.”
Making all their waiting utterly pointless, Rihart Cronel vanished without a trace, eschewing not just social dancing but the after-party altogether.
