🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 19
“Ah, I’m starving.”
“What’s on the cafeteria menu today?”
The Imperial Academy’s knight training grounds.
After finishing their morning drills, the knight cadets headed en masse toward the cafeteria.
Felix frowned at the sweaty crowd of men.
Until not long ago, he’d never had to walk to the cafeteria with this bunch.
There used to be someone who ran over to him every morning with a five-tier lunchbox in hand.
“Damn, it’s raining.”
“Run!”
The cadets scattered, sprinting as a light drizzle began to fall.
Feeling the unpleasant dampness soak through, Felix clicked his tongue.
He’d never once been caught in the rain before—
Because the moment a single raindrop fell, there would always be someone who appeared out of nowhere, like a ghost, holding an umbrella over him.
‘Convenient, sure.’
Felix smacked his lips unconsciously.
After finishing a bland lunch amid a crowd of sweaty men—
“Hey, Felix. Wanna spar to help digest?”
His classmate Leo brandished a wooden sword with a grin.
Though they’d technically graduated, this was the most crucial time for knight cadets.
Whether they passed the entrance exams for one of the Four Knight Orders would determine their future as knights.
So every day, the cadets trained and sparred relentlessly in preparation for those exams.
Felix, in particular, was everyone’s favorite sparring partner—
With swordsmanship and mana levels far above average, he was both admired and envied.
“Coming at me again? I won’t go easy this time.”
Felix snorted, lightly raising his sword.
Facing Leo, who approached with a fighting grin, Felix let out a quiet chuckle.
Maybe it was the rain earlier, but he was in a foul mood.
‘I’ll finish it in five moves.’
Maybe seeing the guy’s face twist in humiliation would make him feel better.
Most cadets couldn’t withstand the sheer force of mana imbued in his sword; they’d be defeated within ten moves.
Thinking that, Felix poured his full mana into his weapon and struck.
Crack!
Sparks of blue fire burst where their swords collided.
“Urgh!”
Felix hit the ground hard, falling on his backside.
“……”
“……?”
A stunned silence filled the training ground.
Felix just sat there, too dazed to even feel the pain.
What… just happened?
“Uh… Leo wins!”
The referee—another cadet—shouted awkwardly, but no one reacted.
“……”
“……”
All eyes turned toward Felix, the man who had lost in a single exchange.
Leo scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish.
“You okay? Guess you’re not in top form today, huh?”
“Yeah, happens to everyone sometimes.”
No one doubted Felix’s skill; they simply assumed it was an off day.
Felix forced a casual smile and got up.
“Ah, must be a bit of indigestion from lunch.”
“Thought so. You barely put any mana into your strikes. Go get some rest.”
Leo nodded, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder.
‘What the hell?’
Felix’s mind raced.
That was a lie—his digestion was fine.
But his mana… it hadn’t even reached half of its usual strength.
‘Maybe I’m just mentally exhausted from dealing with Lorena’s mood swings lately?’
Lorena, who was carrying his child, had become increasingly demanding.
“Stay with me.” “Talk to the baby.” “When are we getting married?”—
Especially that last one. She was relentless about it.
Shouldn’t they book the wedding hall soon? When would they register the marriage?
It was a headache.
Felix did want to marry her soon—she was beautiful, kind, smart, and adored by every male student in the academy.
To make her his wife would make every man green with envy.
‘But I didn’t think Mother would oppose it that fiercely.’
When he’d told her he broke off the engagement with Frisia, she had gone absolutely ballistic.
This, from the same mother who had always sighed about how Frisia wasn’t good enough for a daughter-in-law.
‘…Could it be because of that spell?’
Did she really think he was still dependent on Frisia’s mana to live?
If so, that was an insult.
Yes, he had once relied on Frisia’s mana when he suffered from mana insensitivity—
But after his mana channels had fully opened, he hadn’t needed her help anymore.
Well… maybe sometimes, when he felt a little drained, he’d see her and immediately feel recharged—
But that was a tiny effect at best.
Felix truly believed the mana that once belonged to Frisia was now completely his.
“Frisia is from a noble lineage! And you would marry some common girl who crawled out of nowhere? Unthinkable! If you truly cannot give that wench up, then keep her as a mistress!”
Frisia as his wife, Lorena as his mistress…
The image made the corners of his mouth curl up.
He looked, he thought, like the perfect example of a capable man.
‘Well, even if she were just a mistress, Frisia would come running the moment I called.’
The last time they met, she’d been furious—like a cat baring its claws for the first time—
But that was understandable. She’d been obsessed with him, after all; hearing he was marrying another woman would drive anyone mad.
The memory of her furious face sent a strange thrill through him.
‘She always used to be so obedient… that fire actually made her look different.’
That afternoon, Felix went into the city with his friends to blow off steam—
Trying to forget the stress from both his mother and Lorena.
“Eh? Look, it’s the parasite.”
“What’s she doing here? Wait, Felix, she’s not looking for you, is she? Gross.”
“Parasite” was what Felix’s friends called Frisia.
Felix looked up, startled—
‘Huh?’
A familiar mop of hair hurried down the street.
That messy hair and thick glasses—yes, it was definitely Frisia.
But dressed in a perfectly fitted uniform, she looked like someone else entirely.
‘What’s with that outfit? Did she really get a job at the Magic Tower?’
He’d thought she was bluffing… but apparently not.
‘A position at the Tower pays quite well, doesn’t it?’
His mind started spinning.
These days, it wasn’t unheard of for noblewomen to work—
But still, most preferred to stay home, embroider, attend social clubs, and spend money.
A wife who actually earned money was rare—
Unusual, but oddly attractive.
‘Why do I feel like this? Do I regret letting her go?’
How typical of him.
The very picture of a scoundrel.
Smirking, Felix strode toward her.
“Hey.”
One hand in his pocket, the other casually raised in greeting.
Frisia turned, startled by the voice—then froze, eyes wide like a startled rabbit when she saw who it was.
Felix gave a leisurely smile, looking her up and down.
“So you really did get a job, huh?”
“Wh–what…”
Frisia stammered, clearly lost for words.
Who wouldn’t be surprised?
After the scene she’d caused the last time they met, she never would’ve expected him to be the one to speak first again.
He had sworn that day he’d never forgive her—but seeing her now, looking different, piqued his curiosity.
“How’d you manage to get into the Magic Tower with your grades? I’m honestly curious.”
He stepped closer and closer to her, until he was close enough to touch.
Then—
“……!”
Felix stopped breathing.
Something inside him twisted violently.
A fierce hunger welled up from deep in his gut.
It felt like breathing fresh air after being trapped in a suffocating space for far too long.
