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chapter 63
“Ah, you’re here.”
“What’s this? I thought you’d be more surprised.”
Felix approached from behind, complaining softly.
“I already pretended to be surprised, didn’t I?”
“That…?”
“…! Didn’t you hear me say that?”
“Oh, right. I see now.”
He grumbled, but that was already a sufficient display of effort.
If it had been someone else, it probably would have ended with a kick to the shins.
“What about Aiden?”
“Oh, he’s in a lecture right now.”
He scratched near his mouth as if trying to remember.
“Probably… Advanced Aleph Duchy language, I think? Anyway, it’s definitely boring.”
“Makes sense.”
You seem to be capable of everything except physical activity.
I swallowed the words that rose to my throat.
Felix may look like a muscle-head, but that wasn’t really the case.
He was surprisingly good at studying—
“Of course, I skipped my lecture to come here too! Haha!”
—Or was he?
Maybe he’s just as much of a fool as Mei?
“Sigh. Well, you’ll figure it out on your own.”
I had wanted to scold him, but seeing his smiling face, I gave up.
‘It’s a bit disappointing that Aiden can’t come.’
This tournament event was for the Magic Department students. Naturally, all major-required and elective courses were canceled, and if there were general education lectures, attendance was excused for Magic Department students.
In other words, non-Magic Department students didn’t receive these benefits.
Even for Felix, it was unlikely that top student Aiden would skip class without permission.
I sighed and turned my gaze toward the still-empty arena, and Felix propped his chin on his hand and sneaked closer to me.
He wore a mischievous smile.
“Why, bored because it’s just the two of us?”
“Not really. Two is less noisy than three.”
That was a trap.
“Felix, I told you, frivolously running in the stands is—Escliff Princess?”
“Unnie! You’re already here! …But who’s this gentleman beside you?”
The moment I internally muttered that, as if on cue, two more people appeared.
Seeing their strangely shining eyes, I muttered to myself.
‘Scary. The laws of romance fantasy.’
Quarterfinals, Group 2.
The match Claude participated in was overwhelming, just like the previous rounds.
“Just fall already, you trash.”
Daniel Ion.
The son of a fairly famous mercenary, he was skilled in practical combat even if his written grades were poor.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t match Claude.
“Do you really think you can be my opponent?”
“Ugh!”
The commoner student, unable to exert any power against Claude, collapsed immediately.
[Ah, following Group 1 in the quarterfinals, another overwhelming match!]
[Winner: Claude Escliff!]
Even as the announcer’s voice echoed throughout, Claude’s expression showed no satisfaction of victory.
He merely stared at me with calm eyes.
Just before our eyes met, Mei tugged me sharply.
“Mei.”
“You don’t need to look. People like that…”
Her voice was unusually cold, hardly like Mei.
With a steely gaze at Claude, she turned her head toward me.
“Unnie, I have a favor to ask.”
“Mm.”
“Make sure he can’t hurt you anymore, not even think about it.”
She spoke with a firm expression.
“Smash him.”
“Uh… okay.”
Caught off guard by her unexpected tone, I gave a dumb response.
Mei smiled faintly.
An angelic smile, but somehow chilling.
I rolled my eyes and thought,
‘She must have a lot bottled up.’
I could make excuses, but Mei would clearly get fed up with Claude too.
Unlike me, the legitimate daughter of a duchess, Claude was an illegitimate child—a fallen noble, practically a commoner.
Mei’s mother was a maid, but to enter a duke’s household, she was likely a minor noble herself.
In theory, her status wasn’t much different from Claude’s.
This must have irritated Claude greatly.
Helena controlling Mei must have made things even worse.
Considering Claude’s brazen attitude even toward his own sister, imagining him treating his sister like a slave wasn’t an exaggeration.
“Looks like it’s my turn soon.”
Daen, who had been listening to our conversation, stood up.
Felix followed his gaze.
“You were in Group 3, right?”
“Yeah. I didn’t expect the second Escliff to finish so quickly.”
Daen removed the glasses he wore to watch the match.
Though glasses suited him, without them his face looked even more striking.
He looked at me and asked,
“Was the final on Friday?”
I nodded, and he gave a confident smile.
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“…Did you all take something as a group?”
They all seemed eager to fight me.
Even Felix, resting his chin on his hand, grumbled:
“Ah, I wish I were in the Magic Department too. I wanted to fight Carnis.”
Daen sneered.
“You’ll be eliminated by me before that.”
“Huh? Want to try?”
“In which event?”
“Your choice!”
Felix shouted indignantly, and Daen said coldly:
“Then in academics.”
“…Not that.”
“You said choice!”
“….”
KO.
Ignoring the sulking Felix, I spoke to Mei.
“So, how’s practice going?”
“The tournament practice?”
“Yeah.”
Magic Department students of all years participated, and their performance was graded.
But there was an exception.
Those with non-combat traits, like Mei.
“Yes. Want to watch?”
“Can I?”
I asked, eyes wide.
Mei treated injured tournament participants.
Since it was professional work, I assumed she would do it alone with the grading professor.
In the original story, Carnis did.
“Of course.”
But Mei answered surprisingly cheerfully.
“Well, Claude completely crushed his opponent, so the treatment—”
“Not just that.”
She added with a bright smile.
“Another patient will come, right?”
…the doctor is encouraging violence.
If she thought I had no basic ethics, that would be a big—
“Can you treat an arm even if it’s detached?”
I guessed right!
Mei tilted her head slightly at my serious question.
“Hmm, it’s hard to reattach, so please just cut it cleanly.”
“Of course.”
At that moment, Daen had already neatly defeated his opponent in just a few minutes.
Unlike Claude, his handling was gentle.
He even helped the fallen opponent to stand.
‘As expected of the original male lead.’
Except for his obsession with the military and studying, his personality was flawless.
Meanwhile, the others…
“Huh? What are you looking at?”
The muscle-head scratching his chin.
“….”
The bratty younger brother glaring at me.
“Ah, you’re here, Escliff.”
Overdone narcissistic tsundere…?
“What? Why are you here?”
“Am I not allowed to be here?”
I turned my head sharply toward Felix.
He shouted indignantly,
“No! I really said I had a lecture!”
“…The professor let me leave early.”
Aiden explained calmly.
“If you finish the practice tasks, you can leave early. It might be hard for others to finish in two hours, but it’s a piece of cake for me.”
Hearing his arrogance, my eyes went cold.
“Annoying guy.”
“I don’t want to hear it from you!”
“Right.”
Felix agreed next to me, then froze when I glared at him.
“Actually, Aiden, you are kind of annoying.”
“Not annoying, just competent.”
He muttered stiffly, then suddenly looked at me and mumbled,
“…Well, not something to say in front of a princess.”
“Of course—”
-It is.
Just as I was about to retort calmly, a sudden pain made me clamp my mouth shut.
“Wait, wait a second.”
“Why?”
“My stomach… feels off.”
Did I eat something bad?
Since becoming an S-rank hunter, I’d never felt unwell, but maybe I caught a light cold.
“Unnie.”
Mei’s voice came from beside me.
Assuming she was worried, I lifted my lowered head.
“It’s nothing. I’m fine…”
But seeing Mei’s expression, I froze for a moment.
