The Shadow Gambit

The Academy’s Graduation Festival begins today. Most of the grounds are opened to the public, and the crowd becomes a chaotic blend of students and outsiders. With booths and events designed to attract external investment, the campus will be a beehive of noise—the perfect environment for someone to vanish without a trace.

Our plan is loose, the kind of strategy where a single slip-up spells disaster. Louis will infiltrate the Headmaster’s office first to disarm the traps and keep Pisa Tecon occupied. I will pose as a student from the Swordsmanship Department to enter the office and steal the Holy Relic. Aiden, after intentionally failing his preliminary match early, will join Erkel and head toward a secondary entrance we’ve scouted. Meanwhile, Elliot will play the part of a deep-pocketed investor, drawing the eyes of students and faculty alike.

Every time anxiety gnawed at me, I had to remind myself that this was the best we could do. This was the result of four of us putting our heads together for hours; worrying now wouldn’t change the cards we were dealt.

Taking a steady breath, I slipped the ring Louis had made onto my index finger.

Yesterday evening, during our final meeting, Louis had delivered the rings with a face so hollow he looked half-dead. There were five in total, identical in design. The bands were a rugged, unpolished silver set with a transparent magic stone, engraved with ancient script on the inside. The writing was a frantic scrawl, nearly illegible from the haste of its creation.

We each chose a color and divided the rings. Louis had stayed up for two nights straight, and though his rambling explanation was hard to follow, the rings were simple enough to master quickly.

Once a member completes their task, they rotate the magic stone to activate it, causing the other four rings to heat up and change color. From there, we can signal success or failure by shifting the stone to blue or red. The fatal flaw is the short signal range, but we concluded that as long as we stay within the Academy grounds, we can work around that limitation.

The idea for the rings came from Erkel.

When Louis saw Erkel’s bright, trusting smile, he had shifted his eyes and laughed awkwardly. But once his pride as a mage was piqued—and the pressure of being the only one capable of the task was applied—Louis delivered.

The function was simple, but considering the deadline, the performance exceeded expectations. I wasn’t expecting something as sophisticated as Gredore’s letters anyway. Even if he could have made something detailed enough to send text, we wouldn’t have the luxury of time to read it in the heat of the moment.

Louis had whined about the “crude aesthetics” wounding his professional pride. I didn’t understand why he cared about the looks of a disposable item, but I respected his craftsmanship nonetheless.

In truth, Louis’s talent is immense—it’s only because he’s compared to a freak like Cedric Klein that he feels overshadowed. If it had been any other student (the ones Abel usually refers to as “morons”), they wouldn’t have achieved half of what Louis did in twice the time.

First Aiden, now Louis. To be honest, I hadn’t thought much of it when Louis said he was joining the Magic Department. But seeing my childhood friends performing so far beyond expectations filled me with a sense of pride, even though I’d done nothing to help them.

A knock at the door broke my reverie. It was polite, yet carried a strange sense of urgency. I opened the door, thinking that even a person’s knock reveals their personality.

“Why don’t you just transfer here while you’re at it?”

Why does he still look so delinquent even when he’s dressed up? Unlike his usual self, Elliot had his hair pushed back to reveal his forehead. Despite the sober coat he wore, he still had the air of a young lord who enjoyed a bit of rebellion.

Was it the hand shoved into his pocket? Or that smug, mocking smile?

“You could just say it looks good on me. You’ll never be popular talking like that,” I retorted.

The reason I hadn’t fired back immediately was because of the person standing beside him.

Elliot is tall and has a sharp, intimidating impression. He is well-versed in etiquette and can be charming when necessary, but only when it serves a purpose. Usually, he’s so indifferent he seems bored by the very existence of the world—the type of person who is difficult to approach.

To speak to someone like Elliot so casually requires either immense courage or a long-standing friendship. I searched my memory, trying to place the striking beauty standing next to him.

Honey-thick blonde hair. A slender frame accentuated by a plunging neckline and a tightly tailored waist. Rosy cheeks and blue eyes far too vivid to forget. I was lost until she flashed a smile, and then the pieces clicked.

“Hello, Llewellyn. You’ve probably heard ‘it’s been a while’ so much lately that it’s become cliché, hasn’t it?”

“…Lucia?”

“You look quite shocked. Can I take that to mean you’re surprised by how much prettier I’ve become?”

Lucia Isen laughed playfully, yet there was a touch of shyness in her smile. In her pale lilac dress, she looked as radiant as a garden in full bloom. She was right—I knew she was beautiful, but seeing her fully dressed up like this, it was hard to recognize her at first glance.

But even knowing it was Lucia Isen, a question remained. She had to know how important today was. Dragging an outsider into this only increased the risk. I was already struggling to handle Louis and Aiden; my nerves weren’t steady enough to accommodate Lucia too.

I signaled Elliot for an explanation, but he ignored me, pretending not to notice.

Lucia spoke up instead, as if she knew exactly what I was thinking.

“I don’t know anything.”

It was a meaningful smile for someone who claimed to know nothing.

“Why you’re wearing that uniform, why Elliot is suddenly pestering professors about investment deals he never cared about… none of that is my business. It’s not my field of interest, and it looks dangerous at a glance. So, please, say nothing. I truly wish to remain in the dark.”

“Then…?”

Lucia linked her arm familiarly with Elliot’s.

“Elliot asked for my help. When else will I get the chance to put the future head of the Dylan family in my debt? It’s a rare opportunity.”

Elliot scowled immediately. “Debt? It was a trade.”

“Since you haven’t paid the price yet, it’s a debt,” Lucia said, tilting her head slightly. Her pained expression was so convincing that even I, knowing the situation, felt a pang of sympathy. Elliot let out a short, hollow laugh.

“…That wasn’t enough?”

“Goodness, Elliot… if you’re serious, I might actually be disappointed.”

I watched their exchange with genuine admiration. To draw that kind of reaction out of Elliot—it seemed her beauty wasn’t the only thing that had sharpened since we were children. Elliot fell silent with a grimace, while Lucia hid her laugh behind her hand. It was the smile of a victor, the picture of a perfect lady.

“He said he needed to draw attention. I suppose two are better than one for that.”

In other words, the two of them planned to parade around the Academy arm-in-arm.

It would certainly be more effective than Elliot moving alone. A lady of Lucia’s beauty and status wouldn’t lack for popularity, and people live for romantic gossip. It was a rational choice, but…

“You picked a well-matched pair,” I said.

“I had some help with the coordination,” Lucia replied, complimenting Elliot’s pocket square.

Seeing Elliot respond as if it were no big deal made my stomach churn. I realized the source of the sour feeling in my chest.

It was Helena. Thinking of the pink-haired girl who had been so devoted to Elliot made me feel guilty, even though it wasn’t my business.

I understood why Elliot chose Lucia. Elliot’s standards for people were sky-high, and he had once remarked to me that Lucia Isen was “passable.” He would only choose a partner of that caliber for such a critical day.

The problem, however, was that they looked too good together.

It didn’t matter that I had recommended Lucia as his partner for the engagement ceremony or his debut. Elliot would have chosen her purely on logic, with no romantic feelings involved. A single date at the Academy wouldn’t define their relationship.

But still… even if Elliot had never accepted Helena’s feelings, Lucia was Helena’s relative and her best friend. Whether their move today was large or small, it would cause a stir, and it would definitely reach Helena’s ears. She would be heartbroken to find out that Lucia, of all people, was the one by Elliot’s side.

Of course, I’ve been gone for a long time. I don’t know the current state of their relationship. Helena might have moved on from her childhood crush, or the friendship between Lucia and Helena might not be what it used to be.

Did Elliot really lack the means to draw attention on his own? I was sure the two sharp-witted people in front of me had noticed my internal conflict, yet both of them played dumb.