Chapter 38

The auditorium erupted into chaos in an instant.

In the center lay Tirisia Bruerd, sprawled out inside a massive crater.

Perched atop her was Rusika Rafisle, a dagger plunged deep into Tirisia’s shoulder.

Tirisia lay motionless with her eyes closed, while Rusika looked down at her, tears streaming down her face.

Every student present felt that the outcome had finally been decided.

It was a victory for Rusika, who had displayed overwhelming power through her runaway magical circuits.

“That Bruerd… lost? How could this happen…”

“Was Rafisle really that strong?”

“This isn’t even a duel anymore.”

“I thought someone might actually die, seriously.”

Seeing the two people, who usually ranked quite differently at the Academy, now in a tangle, many students reacted with confusion.

“Lord Erto… shouldn’t you intervene?”

Haidiera asked worriedly, gazing at Erto, who silently watched the two.

“She hasn’t directly admitted it, but fainting is a condition for losing…”

Perjena shrugged with one eye open.

But Erto shook his head slowly while quietly staring at the downed Tirisia.

“…I don’t think she’s fainted.”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean…?”

Perjena and Haidiera hurriedly turned their gaze back to the center of the auditorium.

There lay Tirisia Bruerd, eyes closed, not moving a muscle.

Tears continuously fell from Rusika onto Tirisia’s cheek.

Thud, plop,

“What… have I been fighting for until now…”

At that moment.

Tirisia’s aquamarine eyes slowly opened, and she calmly asked Rusika,

“Are you done?”

“…Huh?”

Rusika’s expression hardened.

Tirisia let out a cold sigh as she looked at her friend’s tear-streaked face.

“I meant are you done saying what you wanted. If there’s nothing more to discuss, let’s just wrap it up. You can consider this duel a win for me. I’m going home.”

“You… is that really something you should say?”

Rusika replied with a quivering voice.

But Tirisia paid no heed to her emotions and tiredly turned her gaze away.

“You’ve gotten enough of a reaction out of me, haven’t you? If I’ve had a dagger stuck in me, you should feel satisfied, right? Continuing this conversation would only lead to the same things being repeated… how about we just call it a day?”

“Ti…Tirisia.”

Rusika’s eyes drained of sadness.

The emptiness was swiftly replaced by a boiling rage.

“Tirisia Bruerd―!”

She released the dagger she had plunged into Tirisia’s shoulder and grabbed her by the collar with both hands.

“Is this seriously how you’re going to react?!”

Bang!

Rusika’s fist crashed into the half-raised face of Tirisia.

“Don’t you feel even a hint of regret?!”

Bang!

“At least for Erto, if not for me!”

Bang!

“The words that should come out of your mouth are not those shameless ones!”

Bang!

“―Rusika.”

A pause.

Rusika’s hand, which had been raining blows on Tirisia, halted in mid-air.

In the pink hues of her pupils, she saw her friend’s expression reflecting back.

In those glacier-like aquamarine eyes, there was an intense, searing anger.

“Enough already.”

Tirisia’s last warning tumbled from her lips.

But Rusika showed no sign of stopping.

She hadn’t heard what she wanted to hear yet.

“Shut up! You’re going to apologize to Erto and me right now―!”

Bang!

As her fist roared forward, it struck Tirisia’s forehead.

A red shockwave exploded, and everyone in the audience held their breath.

Yet the next moment, Rusika found herself staring into two shining eyes beneath her fist.

Tirisia glowered at her, completely undeterred.

“Stop whining, Rusika.”

Slap―!

Tirisia’s palm slammed into Rusika’s cheek.

“Ah.”

With that simple strike, Rusika was sent flying sideways, rolling a couple of times on the grass.

Crash―!

She smashed into the side of the auditorium with a booming sound.

“…”

The inside of the auditorium had gone deathly silent.

All eyes fixated on the silver-haired girl standing with her head bowed over the grass.

From her, an unnamable aura of pressure radiated without her even revealing her magic.

Everyone sensed it.

Tirisia Bruerd was genuinely furious now.

“…You should have kept your mouth shut when I was being nice.”

Swish―

Tirisia gripped the dagger embedded in her shoulder and pulled it out.

Some of the students covered their mouths, anticipating both her suffering and the blood that would likely spill, but nothing of the sort happened.

Thud!

Tirisia casually tossed the dagger she had pulled out onto the grass.

The perfectly straight hole that had been made in her shoulder, along with her uniform, instantly closed up as if the chill had repaired it in an instant.

“…Hydrokinesis.”

Erto, who recognized the phenomenon, murmured with a pained expression.

It was one of the very reasons why the Bruerd family had become a prominent noble house.

Water, liquids, and the ‘flow’ of all things were manipulated freely by the vision of the Bruerd family.

Among them, Tirisia Bruerd, bestowed with the strongest talent of all time, possessed a somewhat special body.

Hydrokinesis accelerated her body’s metabolism explosively through magic, granting her remarkable recovery abilities.

The semi-immortality that could be described as monstrous strength constantly activated within Tirisia, without her even being aware of it.

She had once told Erto that she didn’t even know how to deactivate it.

“…Kugh, Tirisia!”

Rusika, rising from the wall, spat blood-tinged saliva.

Tirisia stood still, without conjuring any weapons, spoke to Rusika.

“And you better speak properly, Rusika.”

“What?”

“Did you want to bless Erto and me? How long do you intend to leave out the most important detail?”

“…What do you mean?”

Tirisia sighed and looked at her long-time friend with sincerity.

With an air that suggested she knew exactly what was going on inside her friend’s head.

“You liked Erto just like I do, didn’t you? You still do?”

“Uh…”

“You aren’t still pretending to deny it, are you?”

At Tirisia’s question, Rusika opened and closed her mouth, unable to respond.

“Seriously, it’s a bit funny to say you like Erto sincerely but then say you want to be a side character and step back for us… you know that, right, Rusika?”

“Tirisia―!”

Crash!

Rusika, transformed into lightning, charged straight at Tirisia.

The distance closed in the blink of an eye.

It was an onslaught so fast that human reflexes couldn’t keep up.

―But the metabolism of Tirisia Bruerd transcends humanity.

Thud!

Rusika’s punch was blocked by Tirisia’s palm.

And then,

Crash―!

Tirisia’s palm, swirling with water, struck Rusika’s cheek once again.

“Aagh!”

Rusika rolled across the grass once more, barely managing to regain her stance.

“What you keep calling surrender is actually incorrect.”

Tirisia stood her ground, attacking Rusika solely with words.

“You couldn’t even muster the courage to challenge me, the one who also liked Erto, stepping aside on your own. Isn’t that right?”

“Shut… up!”

Crash!

Rusika’s figure vanished, and a moment later, appeared from behind Tirisia.

Boom!

But her fist was stopped by a sphere of water that emerged in midair.

“It’s the truth.”

Crash―!

Tirisia countered with a backhand that connected with Rusika’s cheek.

“Kyaaah!”

Rusika screamed in pain as she flew back, rolling over the grass.

“With your position, skills, and looks lacking, you think you handed Erto over to me? Don’t kid yourself. You were just too afraid to fight me.”

“Kugh… huff… huff…”

Rusika struggled to get up.

Red blood dripped from the corner of her lips.

Tirisia watched stoically, continuously peeling back the facade of her long-time friend, Rusika.

“You didn’t have the guts to compete with me seriously for Erto, but you rationalized it as if you never had feelings for him in the first place… Did you think I wouldn’t catch on?”

“Shut up, shut up!”

“Nobody asked you to play the role of a side character. Don’t dress it up as surrender. You merely lacked the confidence to go after Erto and cowardly gave him up.”

“Aaaah!”

Crash!

With a flash, Rusika charged at Tirisia, grabbing her by the collar with both hands.

Pzzzt!

Red lightning erupted from her whole body.

“What do you know! Do you even know how I felt?!”

The condensed bolt filled the space, glowing hot as if ready to incinerate everything within.

Boom boom boom boom boom boom!

In the midst of all that brilliance, Tirisia stared coldly at Rusika.

While her skin burned in the heat of the current, it simultaneously healed rapidly, repeating the process.

Ultimately, it was as if she wasn’t even being damaged at all.

“Your love was only that weak. It was so shallow that you’d run away without even trying if the opponent was stronger. Rusika Rafisle.”

“Aaaaaah! Shut up! Please!”

Her pink eyes filled with tears.

Tirisia looked at her and sneered in disbelief.

“Crying again? Is that all you’re good for? Crybaby Rusika.”

“Aaaah… aaah!”

Tirisia raised her hand amidst the surge of lightning.

Rusika stiffened, unable to think of escaping, and the next moment she shut her eyes tight, bracing for the incoming pain.

And then,

Crash!

The slap sent Rusika crashing to the ground.

The lightning sphere vanished, and smoke rose from the charred earth.

Covered in black ashes as well, Tirisia climbed on top of the downed Rusika.

“So, do you get it now? The time you wasted for that surrender never existed.”

“Ugh… huuh! Huh!”

Tirisia grabbed Rusika by the collar.

Rusika, completely resigned, simply cried quietly.

Slap!

The unforgiving sound of a slap echoed throughout the auditorium.

“It wasn’t surrender in the first place, it was giving up. Now, coming back to me asking for that time to be returned won’t lead to anything I can say. I have nothing to apologize for.”

“Huhh! Uhh!”

Rusika’s voice was morphing into wailing.

The agony of her swollen cheek paled in comparison to the shame of being unable to refute Tirisia’s words.

After all, everything she said was correct.

She was the one who had given up on Erto.

Slap!

“I was willing to let you vent as a friend, but your whining just always goes too far, Rusika.”

“Hiaaa… uhn, aah!”

Slap!

“And,”

Tirisia, pulling back Rusika’s head tightly, coldly stared into her teary eyes.

“If I had indeed left Erto for you, you should have been grateful and accepted it. Why do you have to make things so complicated?”

“Ah…! Aah…!”

The pink eyes opened wide, then fell prey to sadness, erupting into a childlike cry.

“Aaaaah!”

“Why pretend to bless us all along, only to be scared of actually taking Erto for yourself?”

“Stop, please stop! Uuaaaaaah!”

Tirisia refused to stop talking, despite Rusika’s wailing.

“But I suppose that’s just you. You’ve always given up and acted out against Erto.”

“No… no!”

“Now you’re scared to say you love Erto? You’ve always been like that. A crying baby and a coward. That’s Rusika Rafisle.”

“No, I’m not… aaaaah! Uhh, uhh!”

“Still refusing to admit it, huh? Rusika.”

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Thud.

Rusika’s hand drooped helplessly to the ground.

The repeated shocks finally caused her consciousness to fade.

However, Tirisia continued to spew words at Rusika’s face, who lay unconscious.

“That side of you, incapable of being honest, has annoyed me since long ago.”

Slap!

The auditorium began to stir.

Slap!

Tirisia’s hand kept striking Rusika’s unconscious face.

Slap!

Red blood splattered onto the grass.

And then,

“Enough.”

Tap!

A boy’s hand emerged behind her, catching her wrist before another slap could land.

The aquamarine eyes, filled with murderous intent, turned around.

There stood the man she once loved.

“Erto…”

His eyes filled with sadness as he whispered to Tirisia.

“The battle is already over. So just stop.”

Two female students who followed him also cast hostile glances at Tirisia.

“K-keep your duty… Bruerd!”

“If you bully her more, I’ll deal with you. Little brat.”

“…”

Tirisia silently gazed at Erto, then withdrew from Rusika.

The fury dissipated, replaced by sadness as her aquamarine eyes surveyed Erto’s complexion.

“…I didn’t want it to end like this.”

“…Just go.”

Erto knelt next to Rusika, checking on her condition, barely offering a parting word.

“I… don’t know when I’ll be able to leave home if I go now.”

Tirisia gazed at Erto with a face that hoped for a more sincere goodbye.

But Erto didn’t look her in the eyes as he responded.

“…So?”

“…”

For a brief moment, Tirisia was taken aback, then she accepted it and turned her back on Erto.

“Sorry, I’ll be going.”

“Wait a minute, Tirisia.”

Tirisia, who was about to leave, turned back at Erto’s call.

He looked at her with an empty gaze and spoke to Tirisia.

“Be happy.”

“…”

“If you can’t, then all of this becomes a ridiculous farce, doesn’t it?”

Erto’s words were both a plea and a warning for Tirisia.

A warning that if she didn’t obtain happiness that exceeded what she sacrificed, everything would be meaningless.

A warning that one day she might have to bear the weight of what she destroyed.

Tirisia quietly turned her head and—

Whoosh―

Vanished like mist.

“I’ll take Rusika to the hospital. You two handle things here.”

“Ah, got it, Lord Erto.”

“I’m leaving this to you two, keep an eye on that girl. Damn.”

After hearing their replies, Erto picked up Rusika and walked out of the auditorium.

The duel had ended.

There were no winners.

Only injuries were left behind.

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