He looked around and quickly spotted Shul’s group.

“Ah, sorry, sorry for keeping you waiting! Is everything alright?”

“Rodrigo-sensei!” multiple voices shouted.

“Oh dear, oh dear—it’s my fault for being late. Sorry… ah!”

Rodrigo had barely taken two steps when he stumbled, nearly falling. Seeing his comical sight, a nearby table burst into shrill laughter.

“Hahaha! Look at that bird-like fool!”

“Like a fucking idiot!”

“And he’s a teacher? What’s this called—academy style?”

“Grandpa here hates bookworm dorks like you. What the hell are you doing in a place like this?”

“Go back and lick your principal’s ass—maybe he’ll give you a raise!”

The mercenary who’d tripped him laughed loudest, raising his hand high with middle finger extended.

…

Rodrigo pushed up his slipping glasses and sighed deeply.

“I expected some hostility… but not this harsh… huh!”

Whoosh!!!

A fierce surge of magical energy erupted from him. Tables and chairs groaned under the overwhelming pressure. The mocking mercenaries snapped their mouths shut, faces shifting from scorn to terror.

“Th-this…”

“A Sorcerer…”

“It’s real…”

Soft gasps came from nearby tables. Everyone quickly looked away, pretending nothing happened.

The finger-flipping mercenary turned pale, trembling in his chair. Rodrigo shot him one cold glance and walked off.

Only at Shul’s table did his expression soften. He muttered a spell, wrapping them in a simple soundproof barrier.

Rodrigo finally relaxed.

“Phew… that startled me. Didn’t expect trouble so soon…”

Though he’d just intimidated the thugs with Sorcerer-level aura, he seemed more nervous than they were. He slumped into an empty chair, sipped fruit wine Shul handed him, and his color improved.

“Hard work, teacher~”

“Guess even you struggle with those types!”

“Obviously! I’m an educator—not some thug who fights for a living.”

Rodrigo chuckled bitterly, lacking any Sorcerer’s dignity. No wonder—as Misra Academy’s top lecturer, he’d lived in an ivory tower among students. Talent and hard work earned him Sorcerer rank, but he had zero real combat experience. A pure researcher.

That magical display had scared them off, but a skilled high-level Mystic Warrior could easily defeat him.

Why had he come to this den of villains?

“So you’re overworking yourself, teacher!” Kokoro said. “For a Great Secret Treasure paper, just check the restricted archives. You’ve got clearance as a top lecturer, right?”

“Easy for you to say, Kokoro. To shock the old guard, I need hands-on research. Or I’ll rot as a lecturer forever.”

“Eh… such a pity,” Kokoa pouted. “Your classes are great, teacher—you’re kind and all. Even if you look poor and boring, everyone loves your lectures! Just stay a lecturer!”

“Praising or insulting me, Kokoa…? Never mind. Everyone’s here—hmm?”

He frowned slightly, scanning each face.

The eldest, slightly stout youth—Shul.

The burly guy—Karo.

The thin, bespectacled boy—Elwin.

The lolita-sized twins—Kokoro and Kokoa.

The easygoing girl—Clara.

And—

“Huh? Who’re you?”

A girl sat at the table’s end. Lovely almond eyes, delicate nose, heart-shaped face, pink lips, long lashes—cute yet stunning, a standout beauty anywhere. She wore a gothic-lolita robe hybrid. Her medium-long hair curled at the tips, dyed rare icy blue streaked with silver-gray.

Her only flaw: a ruler-flat chest… though some might call that an advantage.

Rodrigo stared oddly. She yelped “Eep!”, sweat beading on her brow, then forced an ultra-cocky smirk—obviously faking it before a Sorcerer.

“Hmph~ hmph~ Another mundane mortal. Of course you don’t know my name! Listen well! I am Chimera Elonmede, princess of endless dark chaos—”

“They call her Chumilan,” someone cut in.

“Oh, Miss Chumilan—hello, hello.”

“—I’ve said it countless times! I—I mean, I’m Chumila! Aaaaaah!”

“Sorry~~” Rodrigo smiled, eyes glinting with suspicion.

“Miss Chumila… may I call you that?”

“I am the Queen of Chaos!”

“Then, Miss Chumila—”

“Ignored again…” Chumila puffed up angrily for a second, then instantly smoothed her expression—faster than flipping a book.

“Miss Chumila, I don’t know you. No Elonmedes in my Misra Academy students. Who exactly are you…”

“Hehehe, a long tale! Born from formless chaos—my origin, my path, all mysteries! I followed my heart’s call on a grand journey to seek—”

“Enough. Shul—what’s her story?”

“Well… a chance travel companion?” Shul scratched his head, grinning awkwardly. “After splitting from you, teacher, we joined a trusted caravan. Met her there.”

“She was being harassed by infiltrating thugs. Looked really distressed,” Clara added. Chumila flinched.

“So you rescued her? Became best friends?”

“Well… hahaha…” Clara looked away. Others avoided eye contact too.

“She said she’s heading to Cassol City—same as us. Didn’t plan to befriend her, but it just… happened. Right?”

“Exactly! These souls won my heart! A destined bond!”

Chumila brightened instantly, radiating pure joy—like a lonely, socially awkward child finally finding friends.

Rodrigo frowned slightly.

Years at Misra Academy taught him to read students. Beneath her weirdness and clothes, Chimera Elonmede seemed like a good kid craving friendship.

The problem? Location.

Her magical aura felt weak—barely Intermediate Magician or Mystic Warrior level. Shul said she’d been alone when they met.

A sixteen-year-old girl. Stunningly beautiful. Bizarre behavior. Eye-catching. Weak.

Alone in villain-infested Barbra? Heading to trouble-ridden Cassol City?

What a joke?