A-4 Group, was it because of the chaotic match between Lev Denec and Caeran?
-What’s going on?
-They forfeited.
-Who?
-B rank.
The Hall of Struggle and the coliseum was somewhat noisy.
At first, it was an exciting match.
They fought without giving each other any time.
Then, the genius Caeran, who was regarded as the most outstanding among the freshmen, took a hit.
As the match leaned towards B-ranked Lev Denec, an unexpected turn of events was about to happen.
-I will forfeit.
For some reason, he conceded.
The members of the Royal Class, who were watching, kept silent in astonishment.
At that moment, Melissa cautiously asked Selena, who was sitting next to her.
“Caeran… lost, right?”
“…Maybe.”
Selena answered briefly.
Her interest was solely on Lev Denec’s Wind Archery.
The blue Wind Archery he displayed in his duel against Gailon.
But this time, he didn’t show that skill at all.
‘Why?’
Why didn’t he use Wind Archery?
Moreover, his movements were completely different from before.
He was much more natural and nimble than when Selena helped with the practical training.
This was an achievement that could not be reached in such a short time.
Certainly, Caeran’s talent was formidable, but Lev also hadn’t used all his power.
He was truly a man whose depths were unknown.
‘If he had used Wind Archery, he would have had a chance… Was he holding back?’
While she was left with questions,
–Rustle!
Twin-tailed Lily began munching on snacks and chattering.
“Isn’t this a victory for Lev? That’s what I think!”
“Lily!”
Aveline retorted angrily.
“There’s no way he would have gone easy on Caeran!”
“Still, it’s Caeran who fell…”
“Why aren’t you cheering for the same circle!”
“Umm… you’re right…?”
Lily had joined the Royal Class Circle because she liked Caeran.
-Lily, you’re a genius, so can’t you summon someone stronger?
-Ahem, of course!
-Right, so keep supporting me… I mean our circle.
The reason was probably that he had praised Lily’s skills.
The so-called genius had acknowledged only Lily.
That alone made her happy, but,
-I can just use this as a medium to resummon.
For some reason, she didn’t mind Lev that much.
Thanks to him, nothing major had happened during the dungeon exploration, and he wasn’t a bad person.
‘Hmm…’
The youngest, Lily, couldn’t quite understand this ambiguous feeling.
–Thud.
-!
At that moment, a woman approached them.
“Hmm~. Do you guys know each other?”
A languid voice, droopy eyes with tear points, and sky-blue hair…
She wore a purple robe, symbolizing the third-year students.
.
.
.
Right across, Rezilus, the guild master of [Crow Pay], was pondering with his finger on his chin.
His henchman next to him asked first.
“Boss, what do you plan to do?”
“What do you think?”
“I think we need to watch the remaining matches since it wasn’t as clean as expected… But Caeran is undoubtedly the brightest gem among the freshmen.”
“No, I meant the other guy.”
“Excuse me?”
He was referring to B-ranked Lev Denec.
“He didn’t exactly… show his skills as a marksman… I’d say it was just a performance to draw attention…”
That was the truth.
The marksman didn’t fight like a marksman.
But it felt like he was controlling Caeran’s feelings, leading him to do something.
There was definitely something fishy there, making Rezilus intrigued.
“Maybe. Let’s keep an eye on it.”
“Yes.”
Seeing Rezilus smile, the henchman answered briefly and disappeared.
*
After the match, there were many procedures to go through than expected.
Since he forfeited, they had to submit a pledge stating they wouldn’t contest the outcome.
The instructor gave sermons and nagged him about how letting a close-range fighter get close would make the fight difficult, so it was advisable not to pick a close-range opponent for the next one, among other things.
Anyway, time had passed a bit.
Since the match started in the late afternoon, it was already getting dark.
——————————————————
[Mission Object]
1 – Graduate from Claris Academy without being expelled or repeating a year.
2 – Stop the Caeran ending.
——————————————————
“Halfway there.”
At least he could breathe a sigh of relief regarding Caeran.
It would take quite a while to notice the parasite.
At the very least, if the ‘Copy’ trait could be removed, it would be a tremendous gain.
If that happened, wouldn’t the only thing left be to graduate smoothly from the academy…?
In Chapter 3 of the fanfic, the demon race begins to act, tormenting the characters.
Liris also darkens, but Yeriel will also be tested with the power of the Tarchangel, and Edwin will grow even more through this.
Since the gap with Caeran would narrow a bit, it wouldn’t be all bad.
“Let’s rest for now.”
Sweat clung to his entire body. So, he wanted to wash up.
As he finally exited the coliseum,
–Good job!!
–Don’t be discouraged!
–I knew you would make it!
–You were really cool today!
Outside, families and friends were gathered to wait for the students who had just had their duel.
In contrast, he felt lonely.
‘Sigh, no one cheering for me.’
It was all Lev Denec’s accolades.
Once you fall from grace, it seems that one’s image doesn’t easily return.
What’s more, the people he liked were in the previous world.
But glancing at the female students whispering as they stole glances at him, he suddenly thought of Aria.
She was the one who always monitored him.
–You said there was a ranking match today? I’m supporting the medical team…
–Huh? You can’t monitor?
-…Yes. So just because I’m not there…
–Yay!
–Are you really that happy?
–No, I just wanted to try it…
It seemed that during the ranking match week, duels occurred continuously, and with many spectators, medical accidents would happen, so medical students not participating in the ranking matches seemed to get drafted there.
If she had watched his match today, she probably would have been waiting here.
‘As expected, I knew this would happen, but I’m just glad I’m not hurt.’
And she would have probably said something like that…
While he was having such trivial thoughts, a familiar voice resonated in his ear.
“You loser defeat kid. Are you a loner?”
Dustin and Scarlet showed up.
“Ahem.”
Defeat, loner, awkward.
He couldn’t refute that.
“I knew this would happen. With a personality like yours, no friends…”
“Hey, hey. Scarlet, enough. Lev, sorry it didn’t work out, but don’t be disheartened. The ranking battle isn’t over yet.”
“Hmm…”
As he remained silent, Scarlet seemed to feel guilty for her harsh words and patted his back in a form of consolation.
“Yeah! At least you put up a good fight against an S-ranked opponent. The evaluation committee will take that into consideration. Most importantly, I think you won…”
–You two! What are you doing there?! The next duel assessment is coming up!
Their conversation couldn’t go on for long.
An academy official called for Dustin and Scarlet.
It seemed that, being a war hero, they had a busy schedule.
“Seriously, it’s so busy, where’s Umberto… has he gone underwater again???!!!”
“Haha, he’s always been a quiet one, so he doesn’t tell us. He’s probably off hunting demons somewhere… Lev, we’re heading out? Good luck with your remaining matches.”
“Yes.”
With that, the two said what they needed to and hurriedly disappeared.
Though he felt down, their warm conversation lifted his spirits a bit.
.
.
.
“A-4, Lev Denec’s belongings.”
“Please pick them up from here!”
When he arrived at the locker, there was an extra box in his belongings.
It was a neatly arranged three-tier bento that was hard to find even in Korea.
And a note.
As he opened the paper, a pleasant fragrance, like freshly laundered shirts, wafted up.
——————————————————
Lev!
Thanks for your hard work!!
I originally wanted to eat together after the match…
But… Umberto called, so I’ll return to the dorm first!
The duel was… regrettable, but you were cool!
You always give me courage.
But… just because you lost once, don’t go all-out in the next 2, 3 matches!
This time, I don’t think you’re significantly injured.
I’m allowing it specially!!
——————————————————
Though there was no name written, I could tell just by looking at the neat handwriting.
‘Voice support activated.’
It was obviously Yeriel’s letter.
“…?”
As I read it twice in a somewhat touching moment, I discovered something chilling.
‘Umberto’s call…?’
The shaman, Umberto, visiting the Black House.
Umberto, in the fanfic, had no significant presence apart from being described as handsome, and it always appeared he acted solo.
It was only mentioned that he had perished while doing an expedition alone against the demon race…
Moreover, wasn’t it mentioned that Scarlet and Dustin said Umberto was out of contact?
At that moment, a status window appeared, seemingly to resolve my doubts.
–Chime!
——————————————————
[Anonymous Feedback: Was Umberto not a villain?]
[Due to reader feedback that a mere MacGuffin was uncomfortable, he has been given a demonic narrative. Consequently, the development of Chapter 3 will be accelerated.]
——————————————————
–Ding!
——————————————————
▶[Supporting Role Quest]
[Main Event ???]
[Mission Object: Until Yeriel becomes a Tarchangel – 19 minutes 00 seconds]
[Mission Object 2: Prove you are no longer a supporting role]
[Reward: ‘Lev Denec’s’ common trait ‘Supporting Role’ will be removed. Anonymous feedback (real-time) will not occur.]
[Remaining Time: 19 minutes 00 seconds]
——————————————————
“…!!”
For once, the writer was being quiet.
Wait, but what’s the status of the rewards…?
‘Could it be that he’s considering to bail now?’
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed he wouldn’t have the chance to develop his character anymore, so he was trying to throw a last desperate stroke.
What a pathetic guy.
At that moment, I shouldered the Gray Ashen Bolt.
Once more, it was time to start my real job.
*
At that moment, in the twilight of Sellafi Black House.
Yeriel was guiding Umberto, who had visited the dormitory.
“Please follow me this way?”
Why does something like this happen every time it’s Lev’s duel day?
‘I wanted to eat the bento together…’
The highly customized victory bento she had painstakingly analyzed based on Lev’s frequency of reaching for side dishes while eating together.
It was indeed a pity, but she couldn’t refuse the request of the war hero.
“What a wonderful… dormitory.”
“Thank you!”
The fact that someone of such high standing was interested in Sellafi Hall held great significance.
For instance, it would have promotional benefits…
Too materialistic, but given that only freshmen can reside in Sellafi Hall, the upcoming second semester was also the last chance.
Yeriel asked Umberto with a friendly smile.
“I didn’t see you at the welcome ceremony. Did you arrive at the academy today?”
“That’s right. I sneaked in. I hate to say it myself, but people are just so captivating.”
As he said, Umberto was one of the more popular heroes.
Naturally, being the youngest and especially due to his appearance.
With pale skin, blonde hair, and red eyes…
Yeriel found his vampire-like appearance slightly intimidating, but his reserved nature and the mysterious aura he exuded made him immensely popular.
Even though he was a shaman.
If the news of his arrival spread through the academy, many female students would have likely created a cloud of people just to see him.
“You must be tired, so I’ll bring you some tea!”
“That sounds great. Can you show me around inside first?”
“Of course! This way, please!”
Yeriel smiled brightly.
It wasn’t common for someone to show interest in the dormitory.
Now was the time for her sales smile.
At that moment, Umberto turned around and said.
“That smile. Still beautiful.”
“!”
At that moment, Yeriel felt a tingle of fear but managed not to show it and replied.
“Ah… thank you?”
Then a question arose in her mind.
‘He’s definitely supposed to be a reserved person… right?’
