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I headed towards the magic department’s arena after seeing that there were no major issues at the swordsmanship’s arena grounds, but the scene I saw there was sheer madness.

“Louise! Louise! Louise!”

“The future Tower Master is turning the match around!”

“Louiseeeeee! Show us that magic you used last year!”

Mages and students were waving their wands in the air and shouting loudly. The energy felt like a military pep rally gone completely off the rails.

The madness left both the Principal and me speechless. To be honest, I had somewhat prepared myself after sensing the growing excitement as we approached the magic arena, but I had only imagined a crowd gathering for Louise’s duel, not this idol concert-like atmosphere.

Snapping back to my senses, I glanced around. Even the students from other arenas had abandoned their matches to join the cheering crowd.

What the hell is wrong with all of you?

Even the teachers who should’ve been restraining the students were joining in.

Even if we excuse the students, shouldn’t the teachers show some restraint? It seemed they’d chosen to be mages before being teachers.

“...I guess we didn’t really need to come and cheer her on too, right?”

Rutis finally broke the silence. The scene unfolding before us was so overwhelming that even Rutis’s usually talkative mouth was momentarily shut.

“In this situation, we should come and cheer her on even more. Imagine how Lady Louise would feel without her club members here to support her.”

Ainter, who had joined us on the way, replied to Rutis’s words.

I agreed. Louise wasn’t particularly attention-hungry, and with all these mages going wild, she’d likely be shrinking into herself. In such a situation, she might panic if she couldn’t even see her familiar club members.

Looking toward the arena, I saw Louise trembling slightly as she gripped her staff with both hands. It wasn’t noticeable unless you really focused—or even if you did, it was easy to miss—but she was definitely shaking. Our capybara seemed to be the type to get scared when given too much attention...

What would have happened if we hadn’t come?

As Ainter said, Louise would have been fighting a lonely battle if the club members hadn’t been here. Not against malice, but against a sea of rabid fans.

Looking now, Louise’s opponent was the same guy who was thoroughly beaten by the Mage Duchess’s unique magic last year. He genuinely looked happy to be facing Louise again. If someone walked in without context, they’d probably think he was the one winning.

“Ah, Lather’s there too. Looks like he finished early.”

I instinctively almost turned to look at Erich’s words, but I managed to resist. He was a mage too, so he might have contributed to this madness. He wouldn’t be much help for Louise’s mental state.

“Woooooah!”

“The triple burst! Triple burst!”

And not long after, the crowd erupted in another thunderous cheer. Louise cast the Mage Duchess’s unique magic again, her opponent grinning as he eagerly received its full brunt like he was embracing a gift.

As expected, all mages were crazy. The sane ones were a tiny minority.

These guys have nothing but magic in their heads.

No matter how you looked at it, the idea of mages being symbols of reason was clearly an elaborate PR stunt. To begin with, a truly rational person wouldn’t dedicate their entire life to a single field of study.

I had just shattered one more stereotype about mages.

***Louise finished her duel victoriously and came down from the arena to a standing ovation from all the mages. Everyone could see that Louise’s face had turned bright red, but the crazed mages didn’t seem to care, their cheers reaching a fever pitch. If I, her future husband, hadn’t been watching, they might have even tried to carry her on their shoulders.

“O-Oppa...!”

“You did well.”

Louise, who came to us almost running, looked up at me with moist eyes. I could read the extreme mental distress in those eyes. But to be honest, I might have reacted the same way.

“That was amazing, Louise. Your moves were even sharper than last year.”

Meanwhile, Lather, who had been buried in the crowd, quietly approached and offered words of praise.

It seemed that he realized how ugly his behavior had been as the heat in his head cooled down. As a club member, not only did he fail to comfort Louise, but he had joined the legion of madness.

“...”

Unfortunately, his realization came too late. Louise just stared silently at Lather while being nestled in my arms. For someone as kind-hearted as Louise, this wordless gaze was probably the closest she could come to expressing resentment. Lather seemed to understand this and quietly closed his mouth with an awkward expression.

Make sure to always reflect on today’s events, Blue Hair.

“Um, Louise? I don’t know much about magic, but even to me, you were really cool!”

“Thank you...”

Fortunately, Louise’s battered mental state was restored by Sarah’s praise. The betrayal she felt from one club member was soothed by the support of another. If anything, that was the silver lining in all this.

***We arrived at the club room for the after-party after the practical exam. I put a macaron that Louise had made earlier into my mouth, but I couldn’t properly taste it.

I felt conflicted. After watching Louise’s duel, anxiety rose from deep within my chest.

Everyone has improved.

At first, Louise was shrinking under the weight of the frenzied cheers. But once she started wielding her staff, she stood firm and confident, a strong and capable mage. The fervor might’ve gotten to her a little, but it didn’t change the fact that she shone.

A friend’s progress was something to be happy about. Even more so when that friend would become family in a few years. Yes, it was definitely something to be happy about, but—

Am I the only one falling behind?

I couldn’t help but have negative thoughts. It wasn’t just Louise who had advanced far. I didn’t see Rutis and Lather’s matches directly, but from what I heard from them, it seemed that they ended with better results than last year. Louise, who found a teacher in the Mage Duchess, and Rutis and Lather, who received excellent education as royalty, were all advancing further than me.

Of course, I was improving too. I neglected my training during the first semester when I was following Louise around, but I have given it my all since then. Even during the winter vacation, I focused solely on training except for the time I spent with Sarah. I saw results proportional to my efforts, and I gained confidence that I could beat anyone except Rutis.

In other words, I still didn’t have the confidence to surpass Rutis.

A teacher really is important, huh.

There was a limit to advancing alone. But the family knights said they had nothing left to teach me, and it was difficult to ask the Patriarch, who spent more time in the Council.

Without a guiding hand, I couldn’t be sure if I was even heading in the right direction or moving at the right pace. Sure, the Academy offered lessons, but those were generalized teachings for the masses, not tailored to the unique needs of the Krasius family’s style.

“—rich.”

Maybe I needed to find a private tutor. Someone who couldn’t teach the Krasius’s way, but at least provide one-on-one instruction tailored to me.

“Erich.”

“Huh?”

A light tap on my shoulder woke me up from my thoughts.

“Why are you sitting there alone? Is something wrong?”

Looking up towards the voice, I saw hyung holding a cookie.

This was embarrassing. My expression must have been pretty bad if hyung felt the need to speak up.

“No, it’s nothing. I’m just thinking about something...”

I trailed off as a realization hit me. Come to think of it, I didn’t need to look far for a teacher, did I?

Someone who could provide me with instruction befitting the Krasius family and who could give me one-on-one lessons, someone who was skilled and could show me the way forward.

Isn’t that hyung?

That was exactly hyung. He walked the same path as me and had reached heights I couldn’t yet imagine. He was the ideal person who had arrived at the place I was ultimately aiming for.

I’d forgotten such a simple answer. Honestly, I’d forgotten because I had never even seen hyung carrying a blade, let alone a sword.

“Um, hyung.”

“What?”

His response was a bit curt, but that was just how he usually spoke. If anything, he was more polite with strangers or people he needed to keep at a distance. I learned that during our year together at the academy.

So, I gathered my courage and continued. If it worked out, great. If not, I’d survive. It wasn’t like hyung would lash out and call me arrogant for making the request.

“Could you maybe teach me?”

And even if he did hit me, that would be fine too. I’d be learning firsthand what kind of techniques he had.

***I frowned at Erich’s sudden words. Teach him? Me? With what qualifications?

“Oh, Advisor! Are you taking on disciples now?”

Unfortunately, Erich’s voice wasn’t particularly quiet, so it drew the attention of other club members, especially a certain redhead who was obsessed with swords and was the loudest.

Rutis’s voice instinctively brought back memories from last year. Last year during the inter-class competition, Rutis coughed up blood because I failed to control my strength. When I visited him to apologize, this lunatic had the audacity to request further instruction. A maniac like that was bound to react to any mention of teaching.

“I’ve never taught anyone.”

Anyway, I answered firmly, loud enough for both Erich and Rutis to hear.

It was true that I was stronger than Erich, but being strong didn’t automatically make someone a good teacher. If that were true, then why would we need education specialists? They’d just have strong people teach and be done with it.

“And if I interfere, I might trip you up when you’re already doing just fine on your own.”

I meant it. Regardless of whether I had a talent for teaching or not, Erich was objectively growing well. Being at the top of his class in an academy full of nobles meant that his future as a big shot was guaranteed.

It was hard to compare anyone to Rutis, who had the resources of a prince from a nation of knights. However, the fact that Erich could even stand in the same ring as Rutis spoke volumes about his exceptional talent.

“I might have been lucky so far, but there’s no guarantee it’ll continue to go well.”

But seeing Erich speak so dejectedly, I understood him a bit.

“A spear? You’re a swordsman, so why would you even think about switching to a spear? If you keep switching your main weapon, you’ll end up neither here nor there.”

I had felt the same way before.

When I was sent to the North with just a sword, rolling around in actual combat, I became anxious about whether I was doing things right and tried to learn all sorts of techniques. Looking back now, as Gerard said, I was on the verge of becoming a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none.

“All the alcohol I get from now on is yours.”

“The spear suits you better than the sword. I guarantee it.”

And then, he immediately taught me. What a crazy bastard.

“...Still, I can’t. Someone who can’t teach properly will only mess things up.”

Although my heart wavered for a moment, I shook my head again. I understand, but I can’t help.

I wasn’t about to let Erich stumble down the same chaotic path I had with Gerard. If the older brother walked a path of fire, then the younger brother should walk a path of flowers.

“Then, Advisor, how about having a duel with Erich?”

“A duel?”

While Erich couldn’t speak after my firm refusal, Rutis attempted to assassinate him.

Was he crazy? This was coming from the guy who’d ended up coughing up blood the last time he sparred with me. And now he wanted to shove someone else into the line of fire?

“Originally, warriors gain enlightenment just by observing a master’s sword technique. If direct teaching is difficult, then letting him figure things out on his own might be the next best thing.”

But surprisingly, Rutis’s words made sense.

“Besides, you and Erich are brothers. If Erich progresses on the right path, he’ll become like the Advisor. If he knows what the end point looks like, he’ll know how to chart his own path.”

The following words were also very reasonable.

As I turned my gaze from Rutis back to Erich, I saw Erich looking at Rutis with sparkling eyes. He seemed touched by this unexpected support.

Hmm.

“So I just need to show you?”

I casually asked Erich.

“Y-Yes!”

“Come on, then.”

I jerked my chin at Erich, who was nodding hurriedly. This felt like I was a delinquent who was inviting someone to the rooftop, but these kinds of things were better handled on the spot.

That said, a duel was out of the question. I wouldn’t be able to face Mother if I failed to control my strength with Erich as I did with Rutis. A family where the older brother beat up his younger brother to the point of bleeding was a disgrace.

Ah.

A decent idea came to mind.