"O-hohoho!! This is a guaranteed victory for our team!"
It was afternoon. A student sat alone, elegantly enjoying tea time.
This was Mercrose Magic Academy. Among the three great academies, it was the one that placed the heaviest emphasis on magic. Because of this, it tended to attract far more nobles who adhered to bloodline elitism than the other schools.
Magic was everything. Pedigree was everything.
That was the education they received, and the hierarchy of the academy was decided accordingly.
Since no members of the Three Great Noble Families currently attended this school, the one reigning at the top of Mercrose Magic Academy was... a member of the upper nobility, House Hartnett.
However, in the social pecking order of the aristocracy, they still ranked below Albert's House Alium and Clarice's House Cleveland. Consequently, the members of House Hartnett were under constant pressure to excel beyond those of the other two houses.
Charlotte Hartnett, the eldest daughter of that house, had grown into a woman more obsessed with her lineage than anyone.
Since childhood, she had been plagued by a sense of inferiority. This was a common trait among the upper nobility, but she, in particular, harbored a deep complex regarding the Three Great Noble Families.
Amelia Rose.
Rebecca Bradley.
Ariane Algren.
She had often encountered them at parties since they were young, and she despised the way they carried themselves—acting as if their status was the most natural thing in the world.
I am lovelier than anyone. I am this beautiful and noble.
She had striking, light-pigmented blue hair and an exceptional figure—a well-defined bust and a slender, tightly cinched waist. Standing at 175 centimeters, she was also quite tall.
And yet, despite all that, why was she labeled as being inferior to those three?
Arrogant as she was, Charlotte did possess genuine talent. Her magical aptitude was top-class even among the nobility, enough to rival the Three Great Noble Families.
However, in this year's Magics Chevalier, she had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Rebecca Bradley. She had sworn revenge, vowing that she would be the one to stand at the summit next year.
It was during this time that word of the Magics War reached her. Charlotte was not one to let such an opportunity slip by. She had formed a team immediately, and now she was laughing triumphantly as she looked over the announced league brackets.
"Look! Casey, Cathy! Team Algren is right here!"
" "Indeed they are, my Lady." "
Sweeping her beautiful blue hair back as it brushed against her chest, Charlotte let out a delighted cry.
Standing behind her were two maids: the elder sister, Casey Charlier, and the younger sister, Cathy Charlier.
They were identical twins, and their appearances were virtually indistinguishable. The only difference was the location of their beauty marks: Casey had one under her right eye, while Cathy's was under her left.
From their height of 165 centimeters and bust size to their weight and overall proportions, they were identical. Even their magical strengths and weaknesses were mirrors of each other.
The Charlier family had served House Hartnett for generations. Though the three girls were the same age and had grown up as childhood friends, a clear line between master and maid was always strictly maintained.
"Ufufufu! To think that both an Algren and a Rose are here! But... what I find truly unforgivable is..."
She crumpled the league announcement in her fist.
League A contained both Team Algren and Team Hartnett. While other teams were present, Charlotte fixated on Team Algren more than any other. It was partly because of Amelia and Ariane, but there was someone else she found even more intolerable.
"Ray White. This person's existence is something I simply cannot overlook."
She squeezed the paper even tighter before tossing it toward Casey.
"Well? Did you conduct the investigation?"
"Yes."
"Tell me everything."
The younger twin, Cathy, stepped forward to report their findings.
"Ray White. Origin: Ordinary. As a sorcerer, his abilities are below average."
"Hmph... What a joke. To think such a person is allowed in a Magic Academy..."
To Charlotte, who placed supreme value on bloodlines, Ray's presence had been an eyesore since his enrollment. However, the Academy was what it was. As long as he kept a low profile, she found him unpleasant but didn't go out of her way to act against him.
Yet, he had dared to enter the Magics War. That, more than anything, was unacceptable.
An Ordinary who didn't know his place.
She decided that now was the time to deliver a hammer of divine justice. Since they were in the same league, a confrontation was inevitable. There, she would defeat two of the Three Great Noble Families and force the Ordinary to realize his own insignificance.
Nothing had ever made her heart dance with quite this much anticipation.
"However..."
"Is there something more?"
Cathy hesitated for a moment but quickly continued.
"There are other rumors regarding Ray White."
"Speak."
"First, he is on surprisingly good terms with the daughters of the Three Great Noble Families. In addition, it is said he contributed to Lady Amelia Rose's victory in the Magics Chevalier Newcomers' Tournament. Furthermore, he is reportedly skilled in close-quarters combat. There are several such rumors that would be quite impossible for a typical Ordinary."
"Hmph. Surely those are all fabrications. He's just spouting nonsense to make himself look important."
"And... he was actually quite handsome."
Cathy offered her honest impression. The truth was, Ray's intrepid features were actually quite popular among the girls. If he had been born a noble rather than an Ordinary, he likely would have been even more sought after.
"...Is that really true?"
Charlotte might value bloodlines, but she also prioritized a man's looks. Above all else, she was a woman who could be described as a "face-con."
While falling for a man of lower status was out of the question, she felt that if he was going to serve under her, she wouldn't mind owning him as a pet. She was haughty enough to consider such a thing.
"Yes. Right, Casey?"
"Cathy and I investigated him together, and we believe his face would be to your liking, my Lady. Furthermore, his physique is not bad. This may be a fine opportunity for you to take him in as a pet."
"Ufufu. Well, that certainly gives me something to look forward to..."
A wicked smirk played across Charlotte's lips.
Despite her grand proclamations, she had never actually had anyone under her command besides Casey and Cathy. Furthermore, Charlotte had zero immunity to the opposite sex.
However, she was intrigued. She figured she might as well make Ray White her own on this occasion. Besides, she had heard the rumors of his closeness with the daughters of the Three Great Noble Families.
The idea of stealing him away from those three—imagining such a scenario caused her face to twist with dark pleasure.
"My Lady. Your face looks quite ugly right now."
"Wh-!? How dare you say that to your master!?"
"My deepest apologies. My tongue seems to have slipped."
"Though, I must agree. I also thought you looked rather unsightly just now," Casey added.
Cathy and Casey responded with complete flat tones. Though they were master and maids, the three had been together since birth. In a sense, they were best friends, and such sharp-tongued remarks from the maids were a common occurrence.
Of course, Charlotte secretly appreciated that dynamic.
"Honestly. Both of you will be punished later. Anyway—can we win?"
"Of course."
"With you and the two of us together, we are invincible."
That was no mere boast. Having been together forever, the three of them knew everything about one another. They were aware of everything down to the questionable books Charlotte hid under her bed.
In terms of pure coordination, they were likely the best in the entire tournament. Ray and his team were already aware of their reputation and were on high alert.
Arrogant and haughty as she was, Charlotte's strength was undeniably among the best in the student body.
"That aside, my Lady."
"What is it now?"
"The stares from our surroundings are becoming quite severe."
The reason Casey and Cathy spoke up was that Charlotte had brought a table and chairs into the courtyard of Mercrose Magic Academy without permission and was casually enjoying tea time.
The teachers were so exasperated by her antics that they had long since stopped scolding her. Instead, she had become a local legend of the academy.
The upper noble enjoying a solitary tea time in the middle of the courtyard—that was Charlotte Hartnett.
"We're embarrassed, so we'll be taking our leave now."
"Excuse us."
With that, the two maids turned and walked briskly toward the school building.
"Wait, what!? Are you idiots really just going to leave your master behind!?"
The Magics War was drawing near.
Just how would the battle between Team Algren and Team Hartnett play out?