"Helmut has a girlfriend?"
The tone was almost accusatory. The sudden appearance of Theresa, the top third-year student from the magic department, caused the second-year students from the swordsmanship department to look on, bewildered.
"You know seniors are not supposed to..."
The student cut himself off mid-sentence, his face twitching as he clamped his mouth shut upon catching Theresa's slightly upturned lips, sensing a chill in her demeanor.
"Who got rejected? Do you have a death wish?"
The gentle, cooing voice that was usually reserved for Helmut was nowhere to be found. Instead, her voice dripped with malice, her intent deadly serious.
There are no normal people in the magic department. Especially not the top students of the department; it was an unchanging truth passed down through the Academy. Even the swordsmanship department students knew this.
Observing their hesitance, Theresa haughtily asked, "Who is that girl?"
"We've never seen her before."
"How can you be so sure she's his girlfriend?"
"If she's not his girlfriend...why would they be walking around like that?"
"Helmut isn't known to be particularly friendly."
"We've never seen Helmut with a girl before, either."
"Could she be a student from our school? It's possible, right?"
"She looks about our age, but there's definitely no girl like her in the swordsmanship department, not in the first, second, or third year."
"Maybe she's from the magic department or the scholarly department?"
Theresa narrowed her eyes, her gaze piercing as she fixated on the irritating back of the mysterious girl's head.
Lavender hair. It was a rare color. Despite limited interactions between grades, Theresa was certain there were no female students with such hair color in the magic department.
"Well, I can always find out who she is later."
Theresa spoke nonchalantly, but inside, she was boiling with rage.
The reason Theresa had remained so composed until now was that there were no girls fluttering around Helmut.
Alea, despite her beauty, was a man and merely Helmut's friend, similar to the delicate-looking Asuka.
'He's the one I've set my sights on. I won't let him be taken away just like that!'
Even after being humiliated by Alea, Theresa's tenacity knew no bounds.
A skilled magician is bound to be confident, and that confidence translates into the will to achieve her goals.
That was why, despite the humiliation, Theresa could not easily give up on Helmut.
She took immediate action. The second-year students from the swordsmanship department murmured as they watched Theresa make her way towards Helmut.
"Helmut's really stepped in it this time, hasn't he?"
"She looks like she's about to rip his hair out?"
"Shouldn't he be grateful to be targeted by such a beauty, girlfriend or not?"
"Jealousy's killing me. Damn, why am I stuck spending the festival with these losers?"
"I don't want to be with you either."
"But who is Helmut's girlfriend, anyway?"
"Exactly."
As everyone speculated, Theresa pursued the duo.
It was almost time for the puppet show to start. Since it was a brief performance for the festival, it wasn't lengthy or grand. Lasting about 20 minutes, it was shown once every hour.
Swordsmanship department students generally preferred more dynamic events, making it unlikely for Helmut to encounter anyone he knew. That made it more comfortable for them.
Despite the occasional curious glances, after paying the entrance fee, they quietly found seats and settled down.
The small theater where the puppet show was set to unfold was sporadically filled with students from the scholarly and magic departments, mostly in pairs.
Seeing this, Alea felt a twinge of regret.
'Should I have suggested watching a puppet show?'
It wasn't intentional, but the ambiance suggested as if they were on a real date.
One unexpected detail was the show's genre: horror, not the fairy tale style one might assume from a puppet show. Even the title, "The Curse of the Puppet," was ominous.
As it was prepared by the top students from the magic and scholarly departments, the effects promised to be impressive.
Alea thought she had seen a few pale faces on the way in. Little did she know.
'Of all things, puppets…'
Alea frowned.
"The Curse of the Puppet? Does that mean the puppet is a magician, or the puppet itself is cursed?"
Helmut, neither joking nor making any relevant point, analyzed the show's title. He seemed unbothered.
'It should be fine.'
Alea trusted her own bravery. She remained calm in life-threatening situations and battles, so a mere puppet show couldn't possibly scare her.
However, as the show began, the atmosphere grew unnervingly intense.
The room darkened, and red lights bathed the stage, creating a vibe that made one want to flee.
The music that heightened the sense of unease accompanied the appearance of a bisque doll that was unsettling just to look at.
Not a person in disguise, but an actual puppet walked onto the stage, sending shivers down the spine.
'Such intricate magic, all for a puppet show.'
This wasn't a hastily prepared event. The talents from Greta Magic Department were indeed pouring their skills into unnecessary endeavors.
"Thank you for visiting our tale of puppets during the festival," a doll in a dress greeted in a feeble voice, spreading her skirt.
It wasn't controlled by strings but by magic, adding an eerie effect.
Its focus-less eyes and mask-like face smiled, sending chills all over.
Unknowingly, Alea leaned back into her chair, regretting choosing seats far from others.
Glancing beside her, Helmut seemed curious, watching the stage intently. She had thought him unemotional, but apparently, he was fearless too.
Alea tried to steady her nerves.
'It's just a puppet show. What are you doing, Alea!'
She couldn't allow herself to tremble in fear.
But Alea harbored a trauma related to dolls.
As a child, Hecate played a prank by sending a doll to Alea's bed in the middle of the night.
Seeing the white face approaching in the dark, Alea instantly summoned her magic and incinerated the doll.
Even as it burned, the bisque doll reached out towards her, a sight terrifyingly memorable. One remaining hand was all that was left as it burned away.
Hecate had then complained.
'It was a gift! How could you burn it like that? Do you know how expensive that doll was? It even had diamonds on its dress!'
'If you're giving a doll as a gift, you should hand it over, not make it crawl into someone's bed!'
'I wanted you to wake up with the doll beside you! It's more natural for the doll to move on its own than for me to place it there! Scaredy-cat.'
Ever since, Alea disliked all human-like dolls. She hadn't expected even a puppet show to feature such things. Yet, walking out after paying felt too cowardly.
'It's just a puppet show.'
Desperately reminding herself that she was the top student of the magic department and could destroy any ghost that appeared, Alea focused.
But at a certain point in the eerily started puppet show, when a doll's neck snapped with a crack and transformed into a bleeding woman amidst black smoke.
"…"
Alea didn't scream. She just froze, clutching Helmut's arm as if to tear it off.
She gripped it so hard, not even realizing what she was holding.
Her mind tried to analyze the magic behind the effect, but her heart beat wildly, out of control.
Helmut, noticing after a moment, asked softly.
"…Scared?"
"Who, me scared?"
Pointing to her hand clutched around his arm, Helmut looked at Alea.
It actually hurt a bit. He wondered why she was reacting this way.
He had heard that ghosts were one of many things that could cause human fear. Generously, Helmut offered.
"You can hold on if you need to."
"I don't need to hold on!"
After her sharp retort, Alea withdrew her hand, but it soon found its way back as the supposedly exorcised puppet screamed and writhed.
"Kyyaaaah!"
Alea's complexion turned ghostly pale. Even behind the mask, her paleness was evident.
Finally, the puppet shriveled up as if burned by a brilliant blue magic circle.
A tearing sound filled the air as a disembodied voice laughed menacingly, "Kiyaahaha! I shall return!"
Red lines dripped blood from above the stage, a terrifying finishing touch. Applause erupted.
The puppet show left a profound impression on Alea, momentarily losing her consciousness.
As the lights came back on, Alea blinked back to reality.
"It's over."
Helmut was looking at her, seemingly amused by her reaction.
"What's scary about it? It's just a puppet moving on a far stage."
Mentioning the sound effects were a bit loud, Helmut added lightly. Alea's face flushed with heat.
"I wasn't scared! I just dozed off for a bit!"
Alea abruptly stood up, unaccustomed to showing weakness.
Helmut was pretty sure the lavender-haired girl beside him was frozen in fear, despite having never been so certain about anyone before.
But instead of pressing the issue, he asked.
"Hungry? Want to grab something to eat?"
"…Sure."
Above all, Alea wanted to leave the theater. Her mind was a blank slate.
Feeling weak all over, as if she had expended all her energy gripping Helmut's arm, Alea gathered her strength.
Helmut was watching. Recalling this, Alea clenched her teeth.
'Even if he doesn't know who I am, I can't let him see me weakened by a puppet show.'
Pretending to be calm, Alea said.
"Go ahead. I'll follow slowly. I want to take a closer look at the stage."
She didn't actually want to go anywhere near the stage, but it was an excuse. Helmut readily agreed.
"Okay."
After he left, Alea took deep breaths, slowly regaining her composure with a few shaky steps.
However, she failed to notice something she normally wouldn't miss: the approach of someone behind her.
That someone suddenly pushed Alea from behind.
"Oh, excuse me!"
The voice was familiar. Crumpled on the ground, Alea looked up to see Theresa, arms crossed, looking down at her with hostility.
She had waited for a moment when they were separated to pounce. It meant having to endure a pointless puppet show.
The dramatic scene on stage was less captivating than the mystery girl clinging to Helmut.
Throughout the puppet show, Theresa gnawed on her lip.
The puppet show wasn't scary. The girl was clearly feigning weakness to cling to Helmut.
Theresa tilted her head and asked.
"Who are you? You don't seem to be from the magic department. Do you attend our academy?"
The girl behind the mask seemed pretty, but she was definitely not someone Theresa knew.
"What does it concern you?"
Alea stood, glaring coldly at Theresa. The confrontation snapped her back to reality. Perfectly so.