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Time flew by.

And during that time…

…Nothing much happened.

Rene and Diana hadn’t approached me even once since the day of our confrontation.

I sometimes locked eyes with Rene on my way to the training hall, but…

“….”

…She would simply avert her gaze without a word.

I’d thought about approaching her and starting a conversation, but the awkward atmosphere held me back.

As for Diana…

‘I suppose it’s for the best.’

She hadn’t spoken to me or even been seen with Rene.

However, I couldn’t shake off the lingering feeling of unease.

Still, since Diana had no concrete evidence to support her claim of me being Arsene’s descendant, I decided to put it out of my mind for now.

And then there was Fron, who had been acting strangely subdued lately.

“….”

Fron was even worse than Rene.

She would literally get up and leave whenever we were in the same space.

She seemed content to stay put during classes, as she had no choice then.

‘This is getting complicated.’

Even Baltan, noticing the shift in Fron’s demeanor, had refrained from provoking me further.

At least that was a small mercy.

Baltan only enjoyed challenging those at the peak of their abilities. He wouldn’t waste his time on someone who had hit a low point.

Lastly, Luna was busy honing her medical skills in preparation for the final exams.

The medical instructor had offered to take her under his wing, and upon hearing this, Luna had readily accepted with delight.

So, she was preoccupied with her medical training.

This meant that the only one I could have a proper conversation with was…

[…Yes, right there. Scratch that spot.]

…The parasitic demon was currently demanding Sijo to scratch his thorns with its beak.

Looking at his carefree attitude, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

Since he was stuck inside my body, Samuel didn’t have to worry about taking the exams.

That was why he was more relaxed than I was, even with the exams right around the corner.

‘And here I am, having pulled an all-nighter to study for the written exam…’

It felt a little unfair.

In any case…

“Alright everyone, let’s begin the exam!”

It was time.

This was just one of the many trials Idea had prepared for us, in addition to the practical exam.

The practical exam was a tournament-style battle between all the first-year classes.

There was only one representative spot for each class.

Because of this, some skilled students might end up with unfairly low scores just because they weren’t chosen as their class representative.

To address this issue, the academy had implemented a new rule.

Idea would personally observe the matches and assign scores based on individual performance.

This way, even if a student lost against a stronger opponent, they could still earn a good score based on their skills and effort.

So, Idea had drawn up a tournament bracket for all the students.

“Here it is! Check who you’ll be facing!”

*Thwack*

Idea posted the bracket on the board.

The students immediately crowded around it, eager to see who their opponents would be.

“You’re going down!”

“How dare you challenge me? I’ll reunite you with your dear old dad today!”

“…Isn’t that a bit too harsh, even for you?”

“Why? I’m simply granting your wish to see your beloved father again. You should be thanking me.”

“…!!”

*Thud* *Thud*

“Ow, my ribs! I was just kidding…!”

The students exchanged taunts and declarations of war with their respective opponents.

The atmosphere in the classroom was electric with anticipation.

‘Now then, who will I be up against?’

As I scanned the bracket for my name, my eyes fell upon Luna’s.

And her opponent was…

“Luke?”

The name rang a bell.

He was one of the delinquents who used to hang around Kyle.

After that incident, though, he had apparently turned over a new leaf.

He hadn’t caused any trouble since then, so I didn’t pay much attention to him.

I heard he even apologized to Luna for his past behavior.

Anyway, in terms of skill, he was about average for Class A.

‘He’ll be a tough opponent for Luna…’

“I-I can’t believe I’m not up against a support-class student…”

“….”

I offered a sympathetic look to Luna, who was clearly in denial, before turning away.

It wouldn’t be easy for her, but I was confident she would excel in the other exam subjects.

Luna was a model student, after all.

The important thing was my own opponent.

Besides Fron, there weren’t any other students in our class who could match my level.

But I still had to be cautious, as there might be some hidden talents I wasn’t aware of.

As I searched for my name on the bracket, Samuel spoke up.

[This is a good opportunity to see how much you’ve improved. I’ve been rather curious to witness your newfound strength after sensing your mana growth.]

“Me too, actually.”

I was also curious about my own progress.

I had been training diligently on my own, but it was difficult to gauge my true strength without a proper benchmark.

This was because I had experienced rapid growth without going through the ‘Fighting Spirit’ stage.

At this point, I wasn’t even sure if I was stronger than Baltan.

It wasn’t that I lacked the skills or the power.

I simply didn’t know where I stood.

That’s why it was crucial for me to objectively assess my abilities, and this final exam would be the perfect opportunity to do so.

Lost in thought, I continued scanning the bracket.

And then…

I froze.

My eyes were glued to a particular line on the bracket.

My name was there.

But it was the name of my opponent that made both Samuel and me freeze in our tracks.

A moment later…

“Haha, this is going to be fun.”

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter, my voice laced with a hint of madness.

Samuel, however, sounded less than pleased.

[…What’s so funny?]

“Hmm? You don’t find it amusing?”

[Not in the slightest.]

“Well then, allow me to make it more entertaining for you.”

[You…!]

I couldn’t resist teasing Samuel, who was clearly on edge.

And for good reason.

《 Adel vs. Eris 》

My opponent was none other than the female student who harbored feelings for Samuel.

I threw my head back and let out a hearty laugh.

“The festival of madness has just begun. Let’s see if your beloved can withstand the might of my blade.”

[You…!]

Enraged, Samuel lashed out with his thorns.

*Whoosh* *Whoosh*

With a few swift movements, I dodged the thorns that came flying towards my face from my wrist.

A sly grin spread across my face as I uttered,

“This will be the end of your arrogance, Mr. Samuel.”

So it begins…

What fate awaited Samuel and Eris…?

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