The vast garden of the cradle was filled with a sweet fragrance that was almost dizzying. Flowers of various colors bloomed beautifully all around for spring.
In the most popular gazebo scattered around the garden, several female students were gathered, deeply engrossed in conversation.
Their jacket lapels were adorned with badges symbolizing their freshman status.
“So? What happened next?”
“Quit pestering me! I was just about to say.”
A certain female student, urged on, expressed a bit of annoyance and cleared her throat again.
“So, I was suddenly surrounded by the Parnis group, right? I thought it was the end. The upperclassmen were far away, and just then I got knocked out and couldn’t move my body…”
As she recalled, her face became redder and hotter.
“But suddenly, I heard a metallic sound and the death cries of the monsters! So when I opened my eyes, he wrapped around me and said, ‘Are you okay? You’re not hurt…'”
“Squee! Are you crazy?!”
“What should I do, really…”
The brief recollection of the female student ended amidst loud screams erupting from all around.
“So? What happened after that??”
“This weekend, we’re supposed to meet… secretly go to the capital…”
With her head bowed shyly as she concluded, the surroundings became a ruckus even more chaotic than before.
Everyone present were female students from prestigious families known for their long history and significant influence. Forming their group separately, they were preoccupied with catching up after a long pause due to their external commissions.
However, the topic of conversation was nothing noble or special. It was no different from the usual interests of people their age.
Even if stripped of the niceties, 80% of it revolved around relationships. No matter what other topic someone brought up, it always led back to the same direction.
Students in their prime, thrown into the dangers of external commissions, often found themselves developing unexpected feelings instead of focusing on the success of the tasks.
In such a situation, there’s no way they would pay attention to rules; the shared notion was simply that it was fine as long as they didn’t get caught.
“I envy you so much… sigh, why is our group filled with pigs or duds… Should I just switch groups after the probationary period…”
“Just accept it? Who knows? That might be the one destined for you.”
“Are you insane? I’d rather hang myself than do that.”
A cheeky joke was met by a serious comeback from a female student talking to someone who had been silent all along.
“Haewon. Don’t you have anything?”
“Ugh, nothing. I barely survived, what do I care about men…”
Shaking her head, the female student had a medal hanging on her chest from the Chunmu Order.
She had ventured for an external commission and unfortunately suffered severe injuries due to southern terrorism. One of her arms was still wrapped in a thick cast. But everyone who heard the news expressed relief that she had survived.
“I guess so. Ugh, I really have no luck…”
“Enough. The fact that I’m alive is good. Even thinking about it now… ugh…”
The student, Haewon, shivered as she held her shoulders.
“Honestly, if it weren’t for him, I would have been inside a monster by now.”
“Him?”
“That guy, you know. The one with the mask… the aberrational type…”
“…Ah.”
The male student, whose face was hidden behind a sleek mask, had blended into the scenery of the cradle by now.
Soon, the female student, Haewon, began to recount her experiences from the south vividly.
It was so repetitive, she couldn’t recall how many times she had done so, but the vividness would never compare to a newspaper article.
The female student’s memory ended again by describing the back of the masked man wielding a blade.
“Anyway, I saw him again. Skills aside, how can anyone manage to stay alone like that? Is that why rumors can’t be trusted?”
“Who knows? Maybe he’s too good-looking so he hides his face.”
“Look at you. You’re completely out of it. But if he really is that good-looking, it might not be bad to be a teaching assistant…”
“Crazy girl… Should I smack you on the behind instead?”
“Squee! Where do you think you’re going…?”
“…tch.”
Amid the ongoing chaos, someone clicked their tongue, and the atmosphere suddenly cooled down. The playful female students coughed awkwardly and quietly adjusted their postures.
At the end of the gazebo sat a female student, seemingly displeased, pouting.
“…Haha, I wonder if our Yeseo has anything going on this time…?”
“Nothing.”
The immediate response came to someone’s awkward question.
The blonde hair of Jin Yeseo, tied tightly behind her, reflected a brilliant light. Her eyes gleamed bright green like top-grade emeralds. Her features were perfectly sculpted like a flawless statue.
Her beauty naturally captivated the eyes of passersby, but oddly enough, she had no interest in that direction whatsoever.
In fact, it was almost the opposite.
At the beginning of the semester, there had been a bunch of people getting too close for comfort to avoid the professors watching her. However, Jin Yeseo’s response was to report them all to the student council, publicly shaming them.
What she hated most in the world were men who strutted around without merit.
She found it objectionable that they were overvalued due to the higher ratio of talented female mages.
The number of exceptional mages born each generation was always overwhelmingly female. Just look at the headmaster of the cradle and Haewolhwa, or the top two in the second year—all were female seniors, weren’t they?
It had been quite some time since the discussion about choosing a fiancé had arisen in her family, but she’d long since made it clear she had no interest.
She only thought about fulfilling her duties as a successor when the time came, perhaps with a stallion of good lineage.
What particularly stung her was that the subject of conversation among her classmates just happened to be that guy.
In terms of talent and lineage, it should have undoubtedly been hers, the top student of the first year. However, an unknown wild horse had come in and taken her place.
Originally, she had planned to recover from past mistakes during their external commission, but the events in the south only widened the gap between them.
As it stood, she couldn’t show her face to the seniors she respected. Her pride was another matter altogether.
– Agh…
As Jin Yeseo continued her thoughts, she clenched her jaw in frustration.
She absolutely would not let this opportunity slip away again.
*
After catching up with delayed academic schedules, appearing at the Security Bureau to testify about the incidents in the south, and visiting those who had left their names in the hospital records to check on their well-being.
In no time, two days had passed, and the day of the ranking competition had arrived.
In every dueling ground, cheers and chants from the crowd echoed loudly. The sounds of magic exploding intermingled in between.
Today, numerous figures could be seen roaming around the cradle’s grounds. Head hunters, military strength enhancers, professors in charge of special talents, and more.
Come to think of it, it was mentioned that on the days of official ranking competitions, access for outside personnel was allowed in the cradle.
But someone in the distance caught my eye. It was Team Leader Myosanga from S&C, whom I had met to gather equipment right before heading out to the south.
For some reason, she seemed to be looking for me, so I hurriedly ducked out of sight. When she saw my name on the hospital records, she had made such a fuss.
Thank goodness she hadn’t mentioned that I’d used up all the medicine she had given me. If the news got to my sisters, I might end up tied up with chains.
As I moved to the location where my duel would take place and spent some time in the waiting room, there was a knock-knock sound on the door, and the guide opened it, peeking in.
“Yoo Jin-hyun? It’s time to head to the dueling grounds. Are you all ready?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
I nodded and stood up, following her out.
As we entered the hallway, the vibrations and noise gradually filled the space from afar.
The usual faint excitement and exhilaration felt before a fight enveloped me too.
Eventually, as I stepped out into the glowing exit at the end of the hallway, the sight of a well-laid dueling ground with solid earth and the students packed into the spectator seats began to unfold before my eyes.
Aren’t official ranking competitions usually less attended than duels? It felt like there were significantly more people here compared to when I faced Minha.
I glanced at the large ranking board set up on the side of the dueling ground. Maybe it was because I was last in today’s ranking match, and all the idle folks gathered here.
Also, amidst the names on the ranking board, familiar names caught my eye.
…
Ryu Seunghun vs Choi Woojin (W)
…
(W) Ha Yena vs Shin Mu-young
“…”
I had a feeling that Mu-young’s face from before looked pretty grim.
Hoping both were present, I quickly turned my head toward the stands. Soon after, I spotted both of them sitting a bit far apart.
– This is the last ranking match of the day. Contestants, step forward.
The preliminary bell for the duel rang and the loudspeaker amplified the voice of the lead professor.
On the opposite side, a female student with golden hair tied back was slowly walking toward me.
From a distance, her eyes sparkled green.
The female student with a lineage from the western regions, Jin Yeseo, finally reached right in front of me.
She stared directly at me and said.
“I’ve always wanted to fight you once. This is perfect. I can’t believe the opportunity came.”
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