Page 104

On the way to the international individual competition finals.

I was dazed the entire time, thanks to Seron’s unexpected actions.

I already knew Seron liked Vikamon.

But I never expected to experience such physical contact from him.

No matter how hard I tried to forget, I kept recalling the soft touch of Seron’s lips on my cheek.

‘Is this... okay?’

My thoughts grew increasingly complicated as I walked toward the finals venue.

It was still morning, so the path was empty.

Soon, though, this place would be bustling with people.

The autumn morning breeze felt especially pleasant.

Click-clack—

At that moment, for some reason, I noticed a familiar figure approaching.

My gaze naturally followed.

My eyes gradually widened as I took in the person’s appearance.

The inside of the robe, revealed by the morning sunlight, showed artificially darkened chestnut-brown hair.

But the face beneath the robe was unmistakable.

"...Nikita?"

I called out her name, one I hadn’t spoken in a very long time.

Before I knew it, she ran toward me.

My arms instinctively extended forward.

Thump—

She threw herself into my embrace.

Her small, light frame felt exactly the same as before.

Why was Nikita here?

I didn’t know.

I had believed I would never see her again.

Nikita had attempted to assassinate Iris.

As a result, she could no longer appear in public.

I thought I’d never see her again, yet here she was before me.

"...Junior."

Her voice trembled faintly, carrying the weight of emotions she had long held back.

"I missed you."

Hearing those words, I realized something as well.

"Indeed."

A smile unknowingly spread across my lips.

Perhaps this was a smile reserved only for Nikita.

"I missed you too."

She was someone who always pressed forward with determination, no matter the situation.

Watching her gave me immense comfort.

But Nikita had always been destined to die.

Her fate in the scenario was to perish, no matter what.

I hated that.

So I struggled against it.

I wanted to see her live beyond the scenario.

And now, Nikita was standing before me.

That simple fact made me happier than anything else.

That’s why I had missed her so much.

Nikita’s wide-open eyes shifted downward as hesitation crossed her face.

Then, she glanced up at me timidly.

What is this cuteness?

Her face showed she had much to say, but she bit her lip, as if it wasn’t the right time.

"I know I shouldn’t be here, but I couldn’t hold back."

Her ears turned red as she carefully spoke.

"I... I missed you so much."

Her unfamiliar words seemed to embarrass her.

Gone was the fearsome image of the “Dragon of Calamity.”

That fact brought me relief.

"Junior, no, Vikamon, I have to tell you something."

Suddenly, she tightly gripped the lapel of my coat.

"The Veil Bandages—you must never use them again. You’ll lose all three of your emotions."

Her eyes burned with desperation.

Her trembling lips showed just how much she had been worried.

How did she know this?

It was probably thanks to the first prince’s intelligence network.

"...So you knew."

Nikita understood the meaning behind my bitter smile.

She also realized that I couldn’t simply discard the Veil Bandages.

"It’s okay."

Her eyes shone with unwavering resolve.

"I’ll recover every emotion you’ve lost."

Just then, footsteps approached from behind us.

It was around the time people would start appearing.

Nikita stepped back from me.

Though I missed her warmth as it faded, it was okay.

It was enough just to see that she was safe.

"Nikita, is magic fun?"

At my question, she slowly smiled.

"Yes, more fun than ever before."

That radiant smile was all the reward I needed.

"So, Vikamon, wait for me."

With that, she turned to leave.

"I’ll return next year."

Next year.

What kind of return would it be?

I didn’t know.

But I hoped she would continue doing what she wanted to do.

Having lived a life bound by restrictions, I didn’t want to take away her newfound freedom.

"I’ll look forward to it."

Doing everything she wanted—that was the freedom I had given to Nikita.

She looked at me for a long time, as if trying to etch my face into her memory.

Then she shook her head slightly, as if holding back words she wanted to say.

"See you next year."

With that, she vanished quickly, her movements as sharp as ever.

I’m looking forward to next year.

For that, I’ll have to navigate the scenario even better.

‘I feel recharged.’

And it’s an incredibly powerful recharge.

* * *

In Front of the Finals Entrance

"Senior, is something wrong?"

I looked up at the familiar voice.

It was Aisha, her face filled with concern.

Aisha, the Iron Swordswoman.

The one who had trained alongside me, she had passed the individual competition as the top first-year in martial arts.

After running into Nikita on my way out of the dormitory, I met Aisha, and we made our way to the finals venue together.

As for Seron, he hadn’t shown up since then.

"No, sorry. It’s nothing."

The finals were about to begin.

I couldn’t keep spacing out like this, so I refocused.

"Ah, Senior Hannon!"

"Oh, Senior Hannon, you passed as well."

Two more familiar faces appeared.

They were both from the student council: first-year Spirit Lord contractor Foara Silin and first-year martial arts runner-up Midra Fenin.

It seemed the first-year finalists had come together.

"What about the first-year magic department?"

"Heh, none of them made it."

Midra let out a sinister laugh.

The magic and martial arts departments had always been fierce rivals.

Naturally, the fact that the first-year magic department had failed made him smug.

Well, this year’s first-year magic department doesn’t really have any standouts compared to the martial arts department.

Of course, that’ll change with next year’s first-years.

Next year’s magic department will surpass the martial arts department.

And as for the current second-years, well, they’re beyond comparison.

Just then, a familiar face approached the finals entrance.

One was a dark-haired woman with a hint of decadence—Third Princess Iris Hysirion.

The other had hair resembling a starry night sky—a sleepy-looking woman, Sharin Sazaris, the daughter of the Blue Tower Master.

Different groups followed behind each of them.

Iris was surrounded by her usual team.

Among them, I caught the eye of Dorara, the magic department’s runner-up, who grimaced in response.

Turning my gaze the other way, I looked toward Sharin, who was also accompanied by her usual group of members.

The so-called “protagonist team.”

Although Lucas wasn’t there, they were still a formidable group.

Among them, I spotted Isabel.

The moment my eyes met Isabel’s—

Whoosh—

Isabel suddenly averted her gaze.

I tilted my head in confusion, my face reflecting my bewilderment.

What’s this?

Did I somehow end up disliked without realizing it?

Recently, Isabel had been trailing after me so much.

So now, having her avoid my gaze like this is a little disconcerting.

It feels like I’ve gone back to the time when Isabel used to dislike me.

‘Not that it wasn’t the case originally.’

Still, a strange, unpleasant feeling lingered.

“Hannon.”

“Hi.”

In the meantime, Iris and Sharin stopped right in front of me.

Iris greeted me with a familiar smile.

Sharin wore her usual languid expression, though today, her eyes seemed slightly troubled for some reason.

More than that, I didn’t understand why they both stopped precisely in front of me.

For this Martial Arena finals, not only participants but also spectators were present.

Because of this, those who recognized Iris and Sharin were glancing curiously in this direction.

The reason being, both Iris and Sharin’s gazes were directed solely at me.

The scrutinizing stares from the crowd felt sharp.

Don’t try to dig into me.

“Well, look at you, Mr. Popular.”

Card, who appeared out of nowhere, whistled next to me, and I dealt with him with a punch.

“Greetings to the Third Princess.”

“Gr-Greetings to the Third Princess!”

Meanwhile, the first-year students paid their respects and greeted Iris.

Unlike the second years, the first years didn’t get many chances to meet Iris.

Iris waved her hand at them.

“For now, I’m just a fellow student at the academy, so don’t be too formal.”

“Understood.”

Aisha, ever dependable, was the first to heed Iris’s words.

“Hannon, I’m going to keep climbing up.”

Meanwhile, Ban, the lazy genius, spoke to me.

I smiled in response to Ban’s words.

So this is an extension of the last mock match, huh.

“Ugh, all the first-year Magic Studies brats were knocked out. What an embarrassment.”

Then Dorara muttered in clear dissatisfaction.

“They tried their best, Dorara. It’s just unfortunate, that’s all.”

“Unfortunate, my foot.”

Joachim, the battle priest of Iris’s team, gave him a stern look, to which Dorara snorted disdainfully.

I silently observed this exchange and then smirked.

“Well, even someone like you made it through.”

“What the—!”

Dorara lunged forward, but Hania stepped in to block him.

“Dorara, don’t cause trouble before the finals.”

“Grr…”

Under Hania’s glare, Dorara reluctantly lowered the hand that had moved toward his staff.

What a shame. I could’ve turned it into a preliminary match right here.

“And Hannon, don’t provoke others before the match. Remember, there are no relationships on the battlefield.”

So strict.

Hania gave me a slightly stern look.

I’ll need to have a talk about our fake relationship contract soon. I just don’t know when.

“Foara Silin!”

Suddenly, a voice rang out from Isabel’s team.

Turning my head, I saw a brown-haired woman pointing a finger at Foara.

Beaquirin Monem, the former pinnacle of the Academy’s Spirit Studies before Foara, who contracted with the Spirit Lord, appeared.

“Y-Yes?”

Foara looked flustered as Beaquirin’s expression contorted fiercely.

“This time, if you run away from the ring, I won’t let it slide.”

Beaquirin glared at Foara with a venomous look.

The relatively frail Foara shrank under the pressure.

“Answer me!”

“Y-Yes!”

Looks like he’s been thoroughly targeted.

Beaquirin’s unique trait is Persistence.

It seems Foara is the current target of her obsession.

‘Originally, if you took the Spirit route, Lucas would’ve been the target.’

I’m reminded again how the overall storyline might remain the same, but the finer details have changed significantly.

And it’s my responsibility to steer things in the right direction.

My gaze swept across the individuals gathered here.

These people will continue to play key roles in the main storyline.

I sincerely hope I can guide the scenario to its conclusion without major issues.

“Is this all for the Zerion Academy participants?”

“The third-years aren’t here.”

As they said, all the third-year students had been eliminated.

Since Nikita’s absence, the third-years, the weakest batch, had no standout individuals.

They failed to survive the intense preliminaries.

Thus, the ones here were effectively the representatives of Zerion Academy.

“There’s one more.”

I walked toward the bushes where someone was sneaking around.

I reached in and pulled the person out.

“Eek!”

A strange cry emerged as a petite girl was dragged out of the bushes.

It was Seron Parmia.

The same Seron who had sneaked up on me this morning for a surprise kiss on the cheek before running off.

“Where are you trying to sneak off to alone?”

“Ugh, prince potato, let go! Let me go!”

“Not a chance. After what you did, you think I’d let you go?”

“You should let me go because I did that!”

Seron’s face was bright red with embarrassment over her actions.

Honestly, watching her makes me wonder why I even bothered worrying.

At that moment, I felt an intense, piercing stare.

I turned my head, but as soon as I did, the gaze vanished without a trace.

Where I looked, Isabel and Sharin were standing.

Sharin snorted as if to say she wasn’t staring at all, while Isabel continued to avoid my gaze.

What was that?

It felt like my back was being drilled into.

Rubbing my neck, I spoke to Seron.

“We should stick together as Zerion Academy students. That way, we’ll seem like a friendly academy without any outcasts.”

I hoped Seron would get along better with the others.

“Why don’t you take this chance to make some friends?”

“No thanks. You’re all I need.”

Seron pouted and turned her head.

Why does she have to act cute while being annoying?

‘What the hell? Did I just think she was cute?’

Dear God, help me!

For a moment, I actually found Seron adorable.

My brain must be malfunctioning.

“Grantoni, open up my brain and take a look!”

“Heh heh, are you sure?”

Grantoni’s eyes gleamed as if ready to inspect my brain for real.

“Just kidding.”

“Too bad.”

Watching him gave me chills.

“Hannon Irey.”

Then, a voice I’d heard that morning spoke again.

A woman with flowing azure hair appeared.

The Unyielding Azure Flame, Eve.

“Be prepared for today’s match.”

Eve didn’t say much.

She simply declared her warning.

With that, she confidently turned and walked away.

Her self-assured steps carried an imposing presence.

It was clear her intent was to defeat me.

‘Honestly, I thought she’d have tried to erase the remnants of the ancient dragon already.’

But yesterday, she had been surprisingly quiet.

‘Well, she didn’t get a chance since I was with Iris after fainting.’

This time, too, it would be nice if she didn’t get the chance, but that’s unlikely.

‘She must be planning to handle it during the finals.’

Eve would undoubtedly aim to erase the dragon remnants during the match.

Her unyielding azure flames were more than capable of doing so without drawing the audience’s attention.

On the other hand, I couldn’t reveal the dragon remnants to the spectators, meaning I couldn’t use them.

It’s clear Eve was banking on that.

But there was one thing Eve didn’t know.

To face me in a match, there was a prerequisite.

I had to win every match to advance to her.

Looking at the girl with honey-blonde hair standing before me, I chuckled dryly.

“Isabel.”

The first match of the 64 finalists.

My opponent was the main heroine of Flame Butterfly’s Arc.

Isabel Luna.