I saw Ares being defeated, but this was strange.
Was he truly giving it his all in the duel, or did he just lose without even trying? It was a puzzling match.
Anyway, whether it was luck or if Elise had been hiding her true skills, I couldn’t tell.
With no great burden, I raised my sword, and our duel began.
While students usually exchange blows a few times to gauge each other’s abilities, I wasn’t going to do that.
After all, I was dealing with students who were essentially on the same level as me.
Not wanting to spend a long time on this, I gripped my sword tightly and struck out.
“Hmm?”
During my training in the Forest of the Demon Realm, I had swung my sword underwater a few times.
It felt strangely similar to that time.
I swung, but it didn’t cut.
Elise smoothly deflected my sword as if dancing and immediately twisted her body to counterattack.
I had never paid close attention to her dueling style, mainly because she didn’t seem that different from other students.
But in this moment, seeing her movements, I realized.
‘She had been hiding her skills!’
If this was the case, it meant I didn’t defeat Ares simply by luck.
She had undoubtedly defeated him with her own ability.
I didn’t know why she suddenly revealed her skills, but it couldn’t just be for the simple reason of wanting to be the top of the practical exam.
“You seem to be deep in thought.”
With a small smile, Elise continued swinging her sword.
Neither fast nor slow, her swordsmanship was like dancing with a partner in a royal ball, yet it was still quite intimidating.
‘She can handle such complex swordplay at this level?’
It could be said she had a natural talent for swordsmanship, but it also seemed like a great mentor had drilled these skills into her since childhood.
I was still curious about her hidden identity, though.
“You’ve learned difficult swordplay very well.”
“Oh my, is that so?”
“But this is where it ends.”
With a thud! Elise’s sword cut through the air and fell to the floor.
Regardless of how impressive her swordsmanship was, she was still just an 18-year-old student.
“Winner: Daniel McLean.”
In the end, I secured the top position of the third years, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.
Even defeated, Elise was smiling and gazing at me intently.
“You’re really impressive.”
“If you wanted to face me, you could have just said so. There was no need to go all the way to the finals.”
“Oh my, what do you mean?”
With a hoho and a hand covering her mouth, Elise laughed. I might have hit a nerve with that jab.
“Now that it’s vacation, do you have other plans?”
“Um, I do.”
I was thinking of visiting Yggdrasil.
At that, Elise nodded with an alluring smile and a soft snort, as if teasing me.
‘What is this?’
My senses were sharply alert, but I didn’t have the guts to confront her about my unease, so I just let it slide.
*
After the duel, vacation began.
Most students were heading home or going on trips, but some stayed behind.
For example, Tana Krista.
She didn’t want to return to her suffocating family, one of the most distinguished branches of the Mayas.
After all, once we graduated, I’d have to live with that family’s leash around my neck.
For the next two years until graduation, I planned never to get close to them again.
‘It’d be great if Eve or Daniel were staying behind.’
I wished the three of us could hang out together during this vacation. Recently, Tana could say that her life with friends was the happiest she’d ever been over her past 18 years.
‘Thinking back, I wasn’t exactly ostracized.’
Back then, she had intentionally alienated herself because of the harassment from Mei for liking Ares, but Tana had always been a bright and sociable girl.
With Daniel and Eve dating, she didn’t feel the need to befriend other classmates again, nor did she have any desire to mend relationships with the friends who turned their backs on her.
“Hmm? Isn’t Tana getting ready?”
While staring out of the dormitory corridor window, she saw Eve struggling with her heavy bag.
It looked like she was heading home.
“Yeah, I’ll be staying at the dorm.”
“Huh? Really? Is there a specific reason?”
“It’s not that, I just… don’t want to go.”
Since saying she had nowhere to go felt like a dramatic runaway teen moment, she didn’t want to go there.
Eve thought for a moment and then cautiously made a suggestion.
“Then would you like to come with me? Staying alone in the dorm during vacation is quite boring.”
“Huh?”
An unexpected proposal.
Tana thought for a moment and slyly asked back.
“Is it really okay?”
“Of course! My siblings will adore you!”
“Then wait a moment! I’ll get my stuff ready right now!”
Feeling as if she were suddenly off on an adventure, Tana began packing her things with a big grin.
As I waited while humming a little tune, a blonde guy climbed up the stairs.
Ares Helias.
He was smiling and greeting numerous female students but seemed to be searching for someone, and Eve instantly realized whom he was looking for.
“Lina already left.”
“What? She left?”
“Yes, she left for Yggdrasil with Daniel.”
“What?!”
Ares’s expression turned incredulous.
He thought the hometown friends were heading home together, but now he looked disappointed as he stomped back down the stairs.
As Tana packed her things, she peeked her head out curiously, asking.
“Did Daniel and Lina go together?”
“Yes, she told me earlier.”
Tana looked at Eve with a strange expression.
Eve, with a dazed look, ultimately tried to ask.
“You let that go? Don’t you like Daniel?”
“Uh?”
Eve appeared flustered at the sudden topic but didn’t outright deny it.
“Is it fine for Lina to go on a trip with him? What if they start dating this vacation?”
“Oh, that’s okay.”
Eve replied with a smile.
“I was just rejected.”
“…What?”
Tana’s packing came to a sudden halt, and she slowly emerged to the corridor looking bewildered.
But Eve calmly explained the situation.
“I didn’t confess, but I guess it was pretty obvious. Daniel politely turned me down because he already liked someone.”
“…”
“Since we’re going to be apart during this vacation, he thought it would be good for me to sort out my feelings. He said he wanted to stay friends, but he understands if I’m being selfish. He also asked me to let him know if it becomes uncomfortable.”
“Wait…”
What is going on? Tana couldn’t find words as she just opened and closed her mouth aimlessly.
While Eve was saying this casually, Tana couldn’t understand it at all.
Tana Krista, a girl burning with love, couldn’t wrap her head around Eve’s current situation.
She had even fiercely liked Ares but hadn’t even shown jealousy when he spent time with Daniel, another guy!
Of course, she had diluted those feelings to some extent by now.
Still, Tana, an actively loving girl, couldn’t understand Eve’s calm demeanor.
She didn’t fight back and yet accepted defeat.
And she was just acknowledging it like this?
‘Has Eve not liked Daniel that much after all?’
What if her emotions were minimal enough to brush off? But Tana doubted that. She had seen how close Eve had been with Daniel.
‘Something seems off.’
Thinking that way, a flood of thoughts began to emerge in Tana’s mind.
Tana was aware of Daniel’s skyrocketing popularity and if she knew, then Eve definitely did too.
Lina had been showing excessive obsession with Daniel without holding back.
May was bold enough to approach him in a shameless manner.
And Tana had seen Adriana trying to kiss him as well.
Not to mention the oddly good vibes around Eris during the campfire.
Throughout all those situations, Eve had acted as if she was completely disassociated from them.
‘The guy she likes is getting tangled up with so many girls, and she’s not reacting at all?’
There was definitely something going on with Eve.
Thinking that, Tana hurriedly packed her things and told Eve.
“I think this vacation is going to be really busy.”
“Really? Is that so?”
“Yeah, let’s make it work.”
The girl who loved reading, Eve.
Due to the trauma from the sexual harassment she faced, she was subconsciously building a self-defense against relationships.
Just like reading a book.
She was feeling the situations before her as if they were mere scenes from a novel.
When reading a romance novel, the female lead often gets jealous when the male lead is swayed by another girl, but the reader doesn’t feel the same jealousy.
Somewhere along the line, Eve had become a reader in her own romantic story.
And her best friend, Tana Krista, had decided to help heal her heart during this vacation.
*
Clank clank
I tried to doze off in the carriage, hugging my light load, but the bumpy road jolted me awake.
Inside the carriage heading towards the village closest to Yggdrasil.
I wasn’t alone; Rin and Hayun were also with me.
Of course, I had brought Rin along.
‘Where else would I put this ticking time bomb?’
It was more worrying to have a girl who might blow the world up out in the open.
She had also secured a recommendation from Professor Veritio to go to Yggdrasil, so she could accompany me.
Though it was somewhat unexpected, Hayun was in a pinch as her family had cut ties with her, and now she could barely afford the dorm fee during vacation.
I had suggested we go to Yggdrasil together to learn swordsmanship, and she gladly accepted.
‘To be honest, I was just a bit scared of going alone with Rin.’
The expression Rin had when I mistakenly thought it was just the two of us on this trip would probably haunt my dreams tonight.
“Going to Yggdrasil, you sure picked your friends well.”
Hayun smiled and said, returning my smile too, though I wasn’t feeling that at ease.
‘I wonder if Eve is all right?’
When I mentioned it, I answered vaguely, as if it weren’t my business, but I felt strangely uncomfortable.
I tried to gather my thoughts with Mei, but she had already been whisked away by the dean back to her family home.
‘And with Rin…’
I planned to make an affirmation during this trip.
Because the purpose of this journey was to talk things over with Eris.
‘This time, I will…’
What should I say?
While I firmly resolved in my heart, I couldn’t find the fitting words until Mei’s carefree declaration surfaced in my mind.
‘I will charm you!’
I couldn’t help but blush at the thought and covered my face with both hands.
