Today was the third day of school.
For most people who’ve experienced bullying, weekends are a relief—two days without having to face their torntors.
But not for Will. Will was genuinely curious about what his bullies had planned next.
So, he practically skipped his way to school.
He was excited.
After the first day of isolation and the second day of graffiti-covered desks, he couldn’t wait to see what surprises the third day would bring.
However…
When Will arrived at school, the first thing he noticed was…
His desk was unexpectedly clean.
The ssy insults scrawled all over it yesterday were completely gone. The wooden surface looked brand new, gleaming under the sunlight.
If he didn’t look closely, Will might’ve thought the school had replaced his desk out of pity.
“Hmm…”
He ran his fingers lightly over the surface of the desk.
Then he crouched down to inspect the underside and the legs.
It was definitely the sa desk as yesterday, but…
If you looked at it from the side, you’d notice a faint layer of transparent wax on the surface, catching the sunlight with a subtle shimr.
Wow, magic!
Oh, not a joke.
Will was fairly knowledgeable about the magic of this world. Beyond the combat spells he had ticulously studied and organized, he had also compiled a list of everyday utility spells for the story’s writers to use for plot convenience.
One of the more niche utility spells was called Restoration Technique. It could erase all superficial marks on an object’s surface from a short ti fra. While not a large-scale spell, it required significant talent and a high affinity for water magic—though witches with versatile bloodlines could bypass these limitations.
Judging by the desk, it wasn’t just Restoration Technique at play. A layer of Stasis Gel had been applied, lightly spread across the surface and reinforced with a cooling spell to maintain its state. This gel was a rare dungeon-sourced material, highly sought after and often sold out imdiately in markets.
Of course, the gel had limited durability and would wear off over ti. But for students at this level, it would be nearly impossible to cast a spell strong enough to remove it.
“Hmm… things are getting interesting. I wonder what this will lead to…”
Will stood in front of his desk, pretending to be confused and unsure of what to do. He kept running his fingers over the surface, all the while eavesdropping on the conversations around him.
Particularly the voices coming from the direction of the blond boy in the green jacket—Felix.
“…What the hell is going on?! Why is his desk so clean today? Where’s all the stuff we wrote yesterday?”
“Boss Felix, we tried, but nothing would stick!”
“Yeah, yeah! No matter what kind of marker or pen we used, no matter how hard we pressed, or even when we tried a bit of magic, nothing worked!”
“And, and… Boss, look at my arm! Why are there words on it now?!”
“This is terrifying… Boss, maybe we should just stop?”
Hearing this, Will chuckled quietly. Whoever had cleaned his desk had also added a counterasure spell.
Counterasure spells weren’t sothing just anyone could cast. They required a combination of strong magical talent and intricate spell construction.
“It’s your fault! I wrote on it yesterday just fine! If you don’t want to do it, then leave! Otherwise, get your act together and figure it out!”
As expected, Felix wasn’t exactly a calm and collected leader. When his underlings ssed up, he resorted to yelling at them rather than rallying them with charisma.
“Felix, don’t get mad at them. I think soone tampered with the desk. After all, it was like this when we got here this morning. It’s possible soone did sothing over the weekend or early this morning.”
The red-haired girl, Belle, was surprisingly different from what Will had imagined. With her heavy makeup and sharp deanor, he had expected her to join Felix in berating the others.
“This is so annoying. And you, Hunter, you didn’t do anything, did you?”
Felix suddenly turned his frustration toward the blue-haired boy with curly bangs, Hunter.
Hunter’s role in the group seed a bit odd. Unlike the other lackeys, he didn’t blindly follow Felix’s orders and seed to have his own thoughts. He rarely chid in with Felix but occasionally exchanged words with Belle.
“With all due respect, it’s obvious the desk was tampered with. There’s even a counterasure spell. Hmph, use your brain. That’s not magic we can deal with. Stop wasting your ti. Do you think we have soone backing us, but he doesn’t?”
“You—”
“Felix, Hunter has a point. Let’s co up with a new plan tomorrow. For now, let’s leave it.”
“No worries. I’ve been preparing sothing better. You lot can’t handle this, but I’ll show you what real bullying looks like!”
…
And with that, their loud scheming session ca to an end.
Will couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. These guys really didn’t think much of him, discussing such important plans just five ters away in the sa classroom.
Even more ridiculous, did the “Young Master Will” from the original story really not have ears? How could he graduate without ever figuring out who was behind this?
Oh well, soone destined to be crushed by a sli couldn’t be expected to notice much…
Still, their conversation revealed so intriguing details.
If they were genuinely upset about him being a privileged mber of the Hysterm family receiving special treatnt, they would naturally fear the family’s influence. But their words suggested they had soone backing them and were confident the Hysterm family wouldn’t intervene.
Of course…
It was true that the Hysterm family didn’t care much about his ntal well-being.
The fact that his father hadn’t visited him after his injury, choosing instead to send money and gifts, made it clear. Will was the youngest son, not particularly valued by the family. His placent in the elite class was more about maintaining appearances—”if his older brothers had it, he should too.” He was an easy target.
—The question was, how did these people know that?
Details about his standing within the Hysterm family were limited to high-ranking insiders. Felix, the son of a viscount, shouldn’t have any connection to the Hysterm family.
Belle and Hunter were talented commoners. Their families had made their fortunes through dungeon adventuring, giving them decent wealth but still a gap compared to nobility.
None of them seed like they’d have access to such specific information about the Hysterm family.
“This is getting interesting. Hmm… but…”
Will glanced at his desk.
The desk that had been filthy and covered in insults yesterday now glead under the morning sunlight, practically radiant.
“Whoever did this—this ‘beyond average magical talent’ and ‘beyond average resources’ act—who could it be?”
Turning, Will looked toward the classroom door.
Sure enough, outside the half-open wooden door, a strand of golden hair peeked out, disappearing quickly as if its owner had been caught.
As expected!
That tsundere witch!
Will could almost picture it: Leah waking up early, sneaking into the empty classroom while it was still quiet, and tiptoeing over to his vandalized desk.
Then…
Using Restoration Technique to carefully clean the desk, applying a layer of Stasis Gel, solidifying it with ice magic, and even adding a cheeky counterasure spell. All of this while the morning sun rose, before quietly sneaking out of the classroom.
She probably stood there for a few minutes, pretending nothing had happened, while secretly checking to see if the bullies’ plans had failed.
But…
The mont Will walked in…
The mont he might have noticed…
The mont he might have figured it out…
She would pull her hat down and run away!
Even if she did sothing kind or gentle, she’d never admit it outright.
If you asked her, she’d probably cross her arms, look away, and say, “What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Figures. All those lessons I gave her were wasted. She didn’t take any of it to heart… Where’s the directness I taught her?”
Will scratched his head, feeling the coin in his pocket, freshly soaked in blood-red mint.
He pondered how to train the little witch next, but…
As he sat down, he noticed sothing in his desk.
A letter.
The envelope was a cute pink, imdiately sparking curiosity.
—
To Dear Will,
I… I have sothing very important to tell you.
Could you… could you et at the third warehouse by the back gate, in the fifth cabinet?
From soone who admires you.
—
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