Chapter 27

Tap— Tap—

Rain had begun to fall.

However, the entire arena was covered by a dome, so no rain entered the interior.

The falling raindrops struck the dome, sending vibrations reverberating throughout the arena.

“Huff..! Huff…!”

Aslan raised his head and looked at his opponent.

Ariel Prodenteia.

Top of the first-year knight department, and second overall among the freshmen.

He had never thought he could win.

He had simply hoped that he might be able to land a single blow.

That was why Aslan didn’t give up.

Victory wasn’t his goal.

He thought that if he clashed with her over and over, just once, he might land a strike.

That was why Aslan didn’t let go of his sword.

With steady steps, Aslan approached Ariel.

As someone who dreamed of becoming a knight, the word “give up” didn’t suit him.

Aslan swung his sword.

He had been a bit surprised by Ariel’s unconventional movements, but still, the determination with which he charged at her without giving up was impressive.

He really did have what it took to be a protagonist.

If it had been me, I would’ve given up right away.

She must be watching, right?

I looked around the arena, searching for the imperial princess, Lumina.

Now.

The duel between Ariel and Aslan would influence the entire overarching story, including the connection that would later form with Lumina.

However, no matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t find any sign of her.

The arena was completely packed with people, so I assumed I simply hadn’t been able to spot her.

I turned my gaze back toward the arena.

“……”

And once again, I saw Aslan miserably embedded in the wall.

***

“How was it?”

Before I realized it, Ariel had come out of the arena and taken the seat next to me, then asked carefully.

I silently gazed into her eyes.

Eyes filled with anticipation and excitement.

There was no sign of confusion or nervousness. Clearly, Aslan had failed to land even a single blow.

“Hmm…”

The story I knew had changed.

I didn’t know why, but Ariel had quickly and decisively overpowered Aslan and returned to the stands.

The virtue of the Prodenteia family’s swordsmanship was “humility”.

It was a style that never underestimated its opponent, securing victory by thoroughly assessing the enemy’s capabilities first….or so I had understood.

But in the battle just now, there was no trace of that “humility”.

There was only overwhelming force.

“You did well.”

Since she had asked how it went, I replied by saying she had done well.

But the answer must not have satisfied her, because her expression turned slightly pouty.

Anyway…

I turned my eyes toward the opposite side of the stands, where Aslan was now sitting.

Still, perhaps because of his unique personality and nature, it was a relief to see that he wasn’t discouraged and was smiling.

If he was the Aslan I had seen in the novel, I believed he would never fall into despair even in a situation like this and would find a way through.

[Next up are Ethan Bernard and Lumina Crayte. The named students, please proceed to the arena…]

Then, my name was called.

According to the pre-arranged matchups, my opponent should have been Leena.

I turned my gaze toward the stands to look for Leena…

Hmm?

Something felt off.

I was certain the notice had listed Leena as my opponent.

But the name that had just been called was definitely Lumina.

What in the world…

In the story I knew, Lumina didn’t participate in this practical training session.

Because of her status as an imperial princess, she was exempt from any exercise that involved a risk of injury.

But she had decided to participate.

And her opponent was me.

So, across the arena, I faced her.

Lumina Crayte.

The faint smile she wore as she looked at me wasn’t much different from the first time we met.

There was no time to figure out the imperial princess’s sudden change of plans.

What mattered now was whether or not she had seen the practice match between Aslan and Ariel.

“Do your best.”

As I stood up to head for the arena, Ariel who was sitting beside me said those words.

I nodded at her words and made my way straight to the arena.

And soon, I was face-to-face with Lumina atop the stage.

I wasn’t sure what had brought her here, but I didn’t really care about having a practical session with her.

“Were you surprised?”

A bit of small talk before the session began.

Surprised, of course.

Originally, the storyline where Lumina moved on her own wasn’t supposed to happen at this point.

“Yes, I was a little surprised.”

Since she was the one to ask a question first, I had the right to ask one too.

“Did you see the practice match just now?”

“Which practice match are you referring to?”

“I mean the one between Ariel and Aslan.”

At my words, Lumina’s face twisted slightly.

“I’m sure you’re the only one who can casually talk about another woman in front of me.”

Lumina said that with a faint smile.

But I wasn’t sure if I could really call that a smile.

In short…

It was terrifying.

Ah, come to think of it.

With things like this…

[Main Quest Failed!]

[No Penalty for Failure!]

My coins were gone.

***

Ethan Bernard’s sparring partner had suddenly changed.

But in truth, there wasn’t much of a reason for it.

Lumina, who originally wasn’t required to participate in this session, had decided to join.

The academy was a small society.

There were clearly defined factions, and those factions often continued their ties even after graduation.

In that sense, Ethan Bernard was someone Lumina needed to keep an eye on.

Ariel Prodenteia, whom she had considered the most dangerous presence in the academy, had shown little movement.

So, she had thought one of her concerns had been removed. But that wasn’t the case.

A person had appeared who had managed to win over both the Saint and Ariel Prodenteia.

Recently, rumors had even spread that he had held a private meeting with the Imperial Princess, and his recognition had skyrocketed overnight.

Ethan Bernard.

A figure had emerged who warranted even more caution and attention than Ariel.

Thus, Lumina had decided to attend the practical session.

Of course, it wasn’t as if she had gone out of her way to arrange a session with Ethan.

The Imperial Princess had suddenly declared her intent to participate, throwing the faculty into a frenzy.

The main question was: “Who would face the Imperial Princess?”

It couldn’t be someone too strong.

There was a risk the Princess could get hurt.

Nor could it be someone of high social standing.

The side that lost would suffer significant damage to their reputation.

Ariel and Aslan’s match had been arranged under the same logic.

Aslan was weaker than Ariel, so there was no fear of her getting hurt, and it didn’t matter if Aslan’s social image took a hit by losing.

In that sense, it wasn’t particularly surprising that Ethan had been chosen as the Princess’s sparring partner.

He might have been a subject of scrutiny for the Princess herself, but the professors had no idea whether Ethan was connected to Ariel or the Saintess.

He had simply been chosen as the Imperial Princess’s sparring partner because of the image he had built up over time…that of a notorious good-for-nothing.

“Then, please take care of me.”

Lumina looked straight at him, who had finished preparing for the practice and politely greeted him.

Though Ethan Bernard was widely known as a good-for-nothing, Lumina had never seen him act that way.

From the moment the two stepped into the arena, the sound of murmurs began to rise from the crowd.

Even so, since he was a man from a highly esteemed count’s family, they tried to keep their voices down as much as possible. But when whispers gathered and piled up, they became a loud noise all the same.

“Yes, please take care of me as well.”

Lumina Crayte.

Top of the Magic Department, and top freshman overall.

Compared to her, Ethan Bernard ranked in the lower-middle of the Magic Department, and overall, he was considered in the lower tier.

While the gap between them wasn’t quite as wide as the one between Ariel and Aslan in the previous match, it was still significant.

However—

– Ah, are you talking about the Sage?

A private meeting with the Saintess lingered in her mind.

For some reason, the Saintess’s words had stuck with her.

– Hmm… he’s remarkable, isn’t he? To be honest, I don’t know much about the Sage myself. He doesn’t show up clearly to me.

A man whose presence even the powers of the Saintess who was blessed by the gods could not perceive.

Though the Saintess had been able to read all of Lumina’s emotions with ease, she said she couldn’t read a single feeling from that boy.

You were right.

The Princess let out a faint smile as she recalled someone else’s words.

Gerald Bernard.

Court Mage and Lumina Crayte’s instructor in palace magic.

Just before entering the Academy,

She had once been warned to beware of a good-for-nothing who could seduce noble ladies, saintesses, and even commoners as easily as breathing.

Back then, she had assumed it was simply her teacher’s advice to be wary of men in general…but to think such a person actually existed.

And even more surprising, that person turned out to be his son.

Now, what was she supposed to do about this?

I want your son, too.

Even if the whole world collapsed, he was the kind of person who would stand by her side no matter what.

Even if it meant turning the Imperial Princess into his enemy, he would remain by Ariel’s side to the very end. And she found herself wanting that kind of man for herself, too.

But before that,

She wanted to make that insolent man.

Pay the price for not choosing her.

Wuuuuuuuuung—

A magic circle formed in her hand.

It was a basic low-grade spell called Lightning Shock.

But no matter how low-tier a spell might be, its power could become that of a mid-tier or even high-tier spell depending on who cast it.

Electricity burst forth from the magic circle in her hand, shooting straight toward Ethan.

And the moment her spell struck him—

Bang—

It unleashed a force that could never be called a mere low-grade spell.

Her attack kicked up a cloud of dust that briefly obscured the view, and when the dust cleared not long after—

“Hmm?”

—She saw Ethan standing completely unscathed, as if he hadn’t been hit at all.

He was the very boy who had been said to possess no talent for magic.