“Doesn’t Professor Rupert look more handso the more you see him?”
The female students, leaving the lecture hall after their art history class, began whispering as they watched Rupert depart.
“He might not be as perfect as the third prince or Adrian, but he has his own charm.”
Recently, the number of female students at the academy showing interest in Rupert had been noticeably increasing.
Though Rupert himself paid little attention to his appearance, there was no denying that he was objectively good-looking.
Unlike Edric, whose features were as chiseled as a marble statue, or Adrian, whose gentle deanor softened his visage, Rupert’s expressionless face often gave him an aloof and cold impression. This used to deter many won from approaching him.
However, ever since the Sorset family had been elevated to the rank of marquess, Rupert’s popularity had soared.
Young, not just in age but in appearance, with a strong family backing, exceptional abilities, and a handso face—these qualities combined made him irresistible to many.
Of course, in terms of sheer popularity, Edric and Adrian still reigned supre.
Yet, while their high status made them seem unattainable, Rupert carried a different aura, as if he were just close enough to be within reach, further fueling his newfound appeal.
“Professor, here, take this for when you’re hungry.”
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
It had also beco increasingly common for female students to boldly express their affection for Rupert.
Two individuals, however, were decidedly displeased with this growing trend.
“Miss Isabella, could you co forward and interpret this equation?”
“M-? Are you talking to ?”
“Is there another student nad Isabella in this class?”
Isabella, who had been attending the Introduction to Magic Theory lecture, turned pale as she made her way toward the blackboard.
“What in the world is this?”
The equations covering the board were far beyond her comprehension.
She had been attending lectures diligently and believed she had so talent for magic. Yet, no matter how hard she tried to make sense of the formulas before her, they remained incomprehensible.
“This is a basic formula for calculating constants when stabilizing magical coordinates! Students must master this level of skill to use magical transformations effectively in practical scenarios!”
“…Yes.”
“Any student of the Imperial Academy’s Departnt of Magic should be able to solve this. Lately, I’ve noticed so people are neglecting their studies because they’re distracted by other matters!”
Pop!
Zinnia’s voice, already loud as she explained the formula to Isabella, grew sharper and more intense, eventually tinged with outright fury.
As her tirade reached its peak, Zinnia conjured a fla in her hand, her voice dropping to a low and nacing tone.
“As an associate professor at this academy, I simply cannot tolerate such behavior.”
“…Yes, ma’am!”
Isabella’s response shot out of her mouth before she could even think.
“Killing intent? Did I just feel killing intent…?”
Though she couldn’t explain it, Isabella was certain that if her answer had been even a second slower, sothing terrible might have happened. It was an almost prophetic sense of danger.
“I liked him first! I recognized his charm from the beginning!”
Zinnia found it increasingly difficult to control her temper whenever she saw female students openly showing interest in Rupert these days.
What infuriated her the most was how these sa students, who once looked down on him for being a young professor and acted condescendingly, were now shalessly vying for his attention.
“Zinnia, make sure to bring up the topic of cards during your al with Professor Rupert today…”
“Master! I told you, this is an important dinner!”
“Well… It’s just that no matter how much Rupert asks, I can’t simply give him an Ultimate Rare card…”
Yustaf stamred under Zinnia’s sharp tone.
“She used to be such a sweet child…”
The Zinnia who returned from her mission over the sumr break was completely different from the one he rembered.
Her physical transformation was striking—gone was the girl with a youthful, uncertain deanor, replaced by a confident, fully matured young woman.
In the past, she often seed restless, as if she didn’t belong, consud by anxiety and self-doubt. But now, she voiced her opinions with a newfound confidence that made her master proud, even if he sotis missed the way she used to be.
“Today’s the first ti I’ve arranged a one-on-one dinner with Professor Rupert, and you want to ruin the atmosphere by talking about cards?!”
“Ruin the atmosphere?!”
Yustaf was deeply hurt by his pupil’s dismissal of his card-related struggles. She had no idea how many humiliations he had endured due to his lack of an Ultimate Rare card.
“You still don’t understand n.”
“What?”
Yustaf couldn’t comprehend why Zinnia, who was practically fidgeting with anticipation for her dinner with Rupert, was acting so unsure of herself.
“Unless Rupert is completely uninterested in won, there’s no way he wouldn’t be attracted to Zinnia.”
His assessnt wasn’t biased because she was his apprentice. He had personally witnessed countless male students at the academy snapping their heads around like magnets whenever Zinnia walked by.
Her striking red hair, combined with her curvaceous figure, exuded a sensual allure that would catch the eye of any healthy young man. Yustaf knew this all too well.
“First of all, you need to change your outfit.”
“My outfit?”
“That robe you always wear—that’s why Rupert hasn’t fallen for you yet.”
“But this robe is a gift from you, Master…”
The robe, which Zinnia wore every day, was the first gift Yustaf had given her after accepting her as his disciple. She treasured it as much as Rupert’s books.
“I appreciate that you value my gift, but isn’t this the ti to focus on winning?”
Having heard about Zinnia’s competition—mbers of the royal family and the powerful Bluewell duchy—Yustaf felt an uncharacteristic fire of determination ignite within him.
“The royal family and the Bluewell duchy, huh? I’ll have to pull out all the stops for my pupil.”
Though he lacked the authority of the imperial or ducal families, Yustaf possessed resources they did not. As the continent’s greatest mage, one word from him could rally every mage, including the Tower Master, to lend their support.
“Cancel all of this afternoon’s lectures!”
“What? But isn’t that a bit sudden…”
“Consider it a gift for the students! A surprise break now and then is good for them!”
Yustaf resolved to take Zinnia to the capital’s finest clothing store.
“I will ensure that you erge victorious, my dear apprentice.”
Of course, 99% of his motivation ca from his affection for his student. But there was a tiny, almost imperceptible part of him that thought, “If Zinnia and Rupert end up together, he might give a few cards…”
“Oh… Welco, Miss Zinnia.”
“Am I too late?”
“No, I just arrived myself.”
At an exclusive fine-dining establishnt where reservations were out of reach for most nobles, Rupert, who had arrived early, stamred slightly upon seeing Zinnia arrive a little later.
“Ah, is my dress… too flashy?”
“No, it suits you very well.”
The reason for Rupert’s flustered reaction was the striking red dress Zinnia was wearing.
With its deep neckline and exposed shoulders, the dress highlighted her figure in an undeniably captivating way.
“This is the knockout move,” she thought.
Though Zinnia felt embarrassed wearing such a revealing outfit for the first ti, she had been practically forced into it by her master, Yustaf, who had strongly recomnded it.
Her nerves were on edge, so much so that her face stiffened as she noticed people—from restaurant staff to passersby—staring at her with wide-eyed admiration.
“Does Rupert like it?”
Pushing past her embarrassnt, Zinnia subtly glanced up at Rupert.
Seeing him staring at her, seemingly spellbound, gave her a newfound confidence.
Up until that mont, she hadn’t fully trusted Yustaf’s bold assurances. But now, observing Rupert’s reaction, she started to wonder if her master’s advice had actually been spot-on.
However—
“Wow! This is exactly the Fla Witch look!”
While Zinnia’s recent growth had aligned her outward appearance with the infamous Fla Witch from the original story, sothing had always felt lacking.
“Her outfit didn’t match!”
The typical mage’s robe she usually wore failed to capture the full essence of the terrifying, iconic villainess.
As one of the most morable antagonists from the original story, Rupert had always wanted to see her portrayed accurately at least once.
And now, seeing Zinnia in an outfit reminiscent of the original Fla Witch, Rupert found himself unable to look away.
“It’s been so hot lately, hasn’t it?”
Zinnia, believing Rupert’s reaction stemd from her and Yustaf’s strategy, deployed her second move.
“Use your best assets to your advantage!”
Though she felt mortified even thinking about it, she adjusted her posture to accentuate her figure, fanning herself lightly with her hand in a move her master had assured her was a surefire way to seal the deal.
“Though the nights have gotten cooler recently, it’s still warm during the day, don’t you think?”
“Pardon?”
“My little sister has been obsessed with Elsa again lately, so I made her so toys for playing Frozen Kingdom…”
Rupert did react to her, but not in the way Zinnia had expected.
“You really should listen to Yustaf’s advice more often, Miss Zinnia! You wouldn’t believe how much trouble I’ve been having because my sister never listens these days.”
“…Yes…”
Rupert proceeded to launch into a lengthy tale about his sister Ada’s recent antics and wrapped it up with a lecture about the importance of following her master’s guidance.
“What is this?! Why is he treating like a child?!”
Zinnia and Yustaf’s plan hadn’t been poorly conceived.
If Zinnia had been eting a man for the first ti, her allure would likely have been irresistible.
However—
“Yustaf should really train his apprentice to stop pretending to be a grown-up when she’s still so young.”
What Rupert failed to account for was that he had known Zinnia long enough to have an unshakable image of her as the timid, delicate girl who once hid behind her master.
To Rupert, Zinnia was no different from a slightly older Sena.
What Rupert didn’t know, however, was the truth behind Zinnia’s appearance.
Due to her unique Dragonoid heritage, her physical growth had been stunted for years.
In reality, Zinnia was not only older than she looked but also older than Rupert himself.
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