The Freshman Tea Party and the Dragon’s Roar

A grand round table occupied the center of the library hall, where the first tea party of the new semester had gathered a considerable number of freshmen.

Young ladies from prominent families and noble young masters were almost equally represented, creating a remarkably balanced proportion.

“For the inaugural tea party each year, participants must be invited by the Student Council,” a voice explained.

“They must have meticulously curated the invitation list to ensure such an even distribution.”

“I see,” Iordera acknowledged with a nod.

“Does that imply everyone here is among the top-ranked freshmen this year?”

“Not quite,” Mrs. Su chuckled softly.

“They are merely the top-ranked among those ‘willing to attend the tea party’.”

‘Indeed, what sensible person would spend their second day of school at noon drinking tea and chatting?’

The library, accustomed to this peculiar tradition, had even designated a “spectator area” in a corner of the hall.

Not only was there an alchemical device that clearly transmitted the sounds from the tea party, but a one-way mirror was also embedded in the wall.

It was, in essence, a full-blown setup.

At the tea party, after a few sips of black tea, conversations had already begun to flow freely.

The freshmen, buzzing with excitement for their new academic journey, initially discussed their first day’s classes and their respective instructors.

“Did any of you enroll in the Aether Magic class?” a girl gushed.

“The instructor is absolutely incredible!”

“Oh, tell us everything!” another chimed in.

“Professor Luna?” a third girl confirmed.

“She is wonderful indeed; she looks around our age and is so beautiful.”

Upon hearing that name, Iordera nearly let out a dragon’s roar.

‘Aether magic, a professor, seemingly young, and beautiful—that almost certainly points to a certain witch.’

The name Luna was one Hecate had casually used when probing her in the prison, a name that had elicited a subtle flicker of abnormality from Iordera at the time.

‘Because -8000.’

Evidently, Hecate, in her guise as the Aether Magic instructor, enjoyed immense popularity among the students.

“Though I didn’t enroll in that course, I’ve certainly heard others speak of it,” one girl added.

“Professor Luna is simply amazing!” another exclaimed.

“She’s beautiful and kind-hearted, powerful yet gentle.”

Iordera’s lips twitched involuntarily as she thought, ‘Just wait until she has her hands around your necks; then you’ll know how gentle she truly is.’

“When you say she’s around our age, I can’t quite agree,” a different voice chimed in.

“Her face might appear youthful, but her figure is far more developed.”

‘Indeed. Could any of you mere children possibly compare to C++?’ (TL Note: A humorous reference to the programming language C++, implying maturity, complexity, and a ‘well-developed’ or ‘stacked’ figure, playing on the previous comment about her figure.)

“That’s wonderful,” another sighed wistfully.

“I wish I could have enrolled in Aether Magic, but I’m completely clueless about it.”

After a brief discussion about their teachers, the tea party’s conversation shifted to the various legends circulating around the school.

“The abandoned dorms aren’t haunted; that’s just a myth,” a student declared.

“We went there last night, a group of three fire mages, and lit the entire building up like day.”

“So that’s your excuse for sneaking out after curfew?” someone quipped.

“Ahem, allow me to share a more credible legend,” a male student interjected.

“You all know about the back mountain, right? They say a fearsome dragon resides there!”

Iordera had always considered the academy’s legends to be mostly fabricated and utterly dull, devoid of any real discussion value.

Yet, she noticed a sudden shift in the demeanor of everyone present at the tea party the moment that last sentence was uttered.

Several of the younger girls, in particular, turned visibly pale.

“The dragon on the back mountain?” one girl stammered.

“I heard it this morning.”

“Me too,” another confessed.

“It scared me right out of bed.”

“I had woken up early today, eager to get a head start on my studies, but that dragon’s roar left me feeling utterly disoriented all day long.”

“The same happened to me.”

The students’ discussion at the tea party caused the library staff to begin murmuring amongst themselves.

“Don’t even mention them; I heard it myself when I arrived this morning,” one librarian whispered.

“How strange,” another replied.

“We’ve never heard anything like it before.”

“Ugh, it was quite a powerful roar, wasn’t it?”

“I heard it too,” Mrs. Su said, glancing at the young Iordera beside her.

“Iordera, did you hear anything?”

“No,” the pale-haired girl replied impassively.

“I arrived late, so I heard nothing.”

“What a pity then,” Mrs. Su stated with mock seriousness.

“I suggest you come early tomorrow to listen; it’s truly magnificent.”

“One listen in the morning, and you’ll feel invigorated all day.”

“…”

Having exhausted the topic of campus legends, the tea party eventually circled back to discussions about themselves.

“So many of this year’s freshmen are experts,” one lamented.

“I’m the only newbie here.”

“Me too.”

“Hey, who do you all think is the strongest among our freshman class?” another asked.

“Probably the Little Prince,” a student speculated.

“Given his noble background, he surely had private tutors before coming to school, so his foundation must be far superior to ours.”

“And who knows how many rare treasures he carries with him?”

“I think that young lady from the imperial capital is also very powerful,” another offered.

“She exudes the aura of a true expert.”

“The one with long golden hair and a tall figure?”

Iordera couldn’t help but perk up her ears.

‘Long golden hair, tall figure… that sounds like ‘C Language’.’ (TL Note: A humorous comparison, playing on the previous ‘C++’ joke, implying another character with a ‘well-developed’ figure.)

“Oh, please,” another girl scoffed dismissively.

“I’m also from the imperial capital, and she doesn’t have a trace of our accent when she speaks.”

“She’s probably from some village surrounding the capital.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Just as the discussion threatened to devolve into a chaotic exchange of opinions, a male student stepped forward to mediate.

“It’s alright,” he said smoothly.

“There’s a freshman ranking competition tomorrow anyway; we’ll know who’s truly strong once they actually fight.”

“That’s true.”

“Then we’ll just have to wait for tomorrow.”

The lively atmosphere of the tea party was thus restored.

By then, however, the tea party was nearing its conclusion, with only a few lingering conversations.

Most simply savored their desserts, indulging in the hazy drowsiness of the afternoon.

Iordera rose, turning to ascend the stairs.

The tea party had concluded without incident, and her duty as a security guard was effectively over.

‘Even if I didn’t actually *do* anything, it was still a day of hard work.’

Having spent several days in the library, Iordera had grown somewhat familiar with its layout, and her confidence had steadily increased.

However, she still didn’t know the exact location of the restricted section, only that such a place existed and required a key for access.

For now, she was limited to browsing the books in the open sections.

That was perfectly fine, though, as they were free.

Juneburg’s municipal library, by contrast, not only had a sparse collection but also charged one silver coin per book.

Iordera wandered through the encyclopedia and historical records section for a while, eventually finding a few books that piqued her interest.

“The Heralds: Deeds of Legendary Figures”

She had no particular interest in the other contents, her primary motive being to find the section pertaining to Hecate.

“Iordera, Iordera,” Mrs. Su’s voice suddenly called from behind her.

“Iordera, stop reading.”

Mrs. Su’s voice was hushed, as if delivering a discreet warning.

Iordera turned to see a kind-faced old woman standing beside her janitor friend.

“Ahem,” Mrs. Su cleared her throat.

“This is Mrs. Lailila, our library director.”

‘The director?’

Iordera glanced at the woman, then at the book in her hands, and in her nervousness, her grip loosened, letting it fall to the floor with a soft thud.

‘What kind of experience is it to be caught slacking off by your superior during work hours, and to be essentially pilfering on the job?’ (TL Note: “摸鱼” (mō yú) is a Chinese slang term meaning to slack off or goof off at work. “监守自盗” (jiān shǒu zì dào) literally means ‘to steal from one’s own charge,’ implying embezzlement or stealing from a place one is supposed to guard, here used humorously as Iordera is a ‘security guard’ reading library books for free.)

Mrs. Lailila, the benevolent old woman, simply smiled.

“It’s quite alright,” she said.

“Read whatever you wish; it causes no harm.”