“So, please help me just this once. You know that guy, right?”
“Hmm… I don’t know.”
Tenna looked visibly reluctant.
Of course, who would feel good about being asked to fight in someone else’s place during lunch?
It was a bothersome and exhausting task that didn’t really offer any reward.
Moreover, Tenna had recently resolved to live earnestly and felt a sense of accomplishment from studying again, so being approached with such a proposition only added to his reluctance.
In the past, he would have accepted such a suggestion thoughtlessly, intoxicated by his own power, but not anymore.
And it felt like a betrayal to his friend, Jake.
Ever since he had stopped engaging in fights, extorting money from kids, and other delinquent acts, he had grown distant from those he once considered friends, while Jake remained by his side, quietly supporting him.
In the past, he would have treated Jake like a subordinate, but now he simply felt grateful that Jake treated him consistently.
The story goes back about a year, to this time.
He had suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of a girl.
It was literally so brutal that his knee was completely shattered, truly terrible and tragic.
After that, Tenna lost a lot of power in his faction.
It was only natural.
What kind of trust could someone have after being brutally beaten by a mere ten-year-old girl?
A position won through strength was usually like that.
Fortunately, the others were equally embarrassed as they had been knocked out by the girl and ended up hospitalized, so they hadn’t leaked any rumors.
How pitiful that looked.
However, even then, Jake didn’t distance himself from him, encouraging him by saying it was just that the girl was strange, and that he was still a strong kid, so he should try to live well from now on.
He even helped him with his workouts and introduced him to the joy of sweating and the satisfaction of building his body.
And it was Jake who persisted at his side, affirming the change he had undergone.
But accepting this proposal felt like betraying someone who believed in him, and it left a bad taste in his mouth.
However…
“I’m not just asking for a favor. If you help me this time, I’ll give you 400,000 Gil! Right on the spot. What do you say?”
“……”
400,000 Gil was hard to ignore.
That sum was significant for Tenna, who had no parents after leaving the orphanage and lacked a social safety net.
Besides, for Tenna, who was strapped for cash to enter a fighting tournament recently, it was an irresistible temptation.
‘Jake, I’m sorry. Please turn a blind eye to this just this once.’
In the end, Tenna stood up.
——
At that moment, Third was already on the roof waiting for Jack.
The roof was swept by a chilly wind fitting for the season, but it probably wouldn’t be a big factor in the fight.
Checking the wind, Third surveyed the roof.
He looked for structurally weak points, and conversely, where it was strong enough not to break even under sufficient force.
He also analyzed the sound of footsteps near the area and how far the sound would spread from here.
To Third, all of it represented variables.
As he continued to eliminate these variables one by one, he heard footsteps approaching the roof.
But it was strange.
The person he was supposed to fight was only supposed to be Jack, yet he could hear more than one set of footsteps.
“What’s this? Looks like he’s not alone.”
Jack, and behind him, a multitude of students.
It looked as if they were preparing for some kind of gang fight, and Third asked dryly.
“What’s going on here?”
Jack answered, indicating Tenna next to him.
“What, you’ll figure it out when you see.”
“Hmm.”
Third nodded at Jack’s words.
Could it be that they hired mercenaries?
The others seemed like weaklings, but the one standing in front of Jack looked well-trained.
Was he determining his own level?
In response, Third readily accepted.
Regardless of the situation, warming up was necessary.
“Alright. Do as you wish.”
Third’s demeanor showed no signs of wavering.
Even though the only fighters around were just Jack’s friends who followed along to watch the fight, Tenna thought it was quite strange how composed Third was facing all these opponents.
It started to give him a bad feeling.
‘This feeling… I think I’ve felt it before.’
That confidence and this strange atmosphere.
Also, this eerie sensation…
Yes, exactly one year ago.
It felt eerily similar to what he experienced with that girl back then.
‘Could it be that those rumors are actually true?’
Even though Tenna had distanced himself from that subject, he couldn’t help but hear about Third’s infamous reputation.
After all, Third’s presence was highly regarded within the Academy.
In response to the terrifying rumors surrounding him, Jack had said this.
“I’ve heard that no one has properly seen him fight. It’s likely an exaggeration. He’s probably not that impressive.”
Surely, rumors tended to exaggerate.
He too had experienced the transformation of a solo fight against five people becoming a legend of 17 to 1.
There was likely a lot of embellishment involved.
If Third really was strong, there would be rumors detailing how he fought.
The dark impression and atmosphere surrounding Third had likely fed into those rumors.
If that was the case, Tenna thought there was no reason for him to lose.
His body and skills had evolved beyond those days of extorting money from kids, no doubt about it.
Thus, having some confidence was necessary.
‘Yeah, how often does a case like that girl come about?’
With that, Tenna shook off his inexplicable anxiety and raised his fists.
Let’s take it as a sparring session.
Assuming a fighting stance with his fists raised, Tenna said, “I’m sorry. I’ll get serious.”
“I feel the same way.”
-POP!
Before his words even completed, Tenna was shocked to find that Third had vanished from in front of him, and cold stone floor appeared in its place.
Was it reminiscent of that nightmare from a year ago?
‘What the…?’
Tenna tried to grasp his current situation, but regrettably, his thoughts couldn’t extend long.
He soon lost consciousness, his face smashing against the ground.
The tingling pain in the back of his neck and a body that felt numb. In that moment, Tenna could only experience horror.
-CRASH!
Once Tenna’s massive figure fell to the cold rooftop floor, time seemed to start moving again as gasps of surprise began to emerge from various corners.
“What, what happened?”
“Huh?”
“What was that just now?”
It happened in an instant.
Third’s movement was barely visible.
In their eyes remained only the sight of Tenna, who had collapsed helplessly, and Third, who was glaring at them with fierce intensity.
“Then, are you next?”
And in that moment, Jack and his friends realized the truth.
The reason why no one had seen Third fight properly was that he was so overwhelmingly powerful that they couldn’t even comprehend it.
‘Ha, we’re really screwed.’
——-
“Well, we made such a bet after all.”
“Hmmm.”
Back home, Luke was sharing the story of his bet with Kaila to Kate.
Kate, nestled in Luke’s arms, listened with great interest.
As a golem with a magical mind, Kate had no reason to be interested in what was happening at the Academy.
Nevertheless, the reason Kate was engrossed in Luke’s words was simply because being in her owner’s arms felt incredibly cozy after a long time.
Moreover, the gentle strokes through her hair felt delightful.
Although it wasn’t her true form.
Currently, Kate was in the same state as Luke, thus in a “scarecrow” state.
This was a function Luke had enchanted into Kate to draw the attention of the Forest Keepers when he secretly ventured into the woods to cut through space with the Moon Shadow.
Kate felt somewhat flustered when the function was suddenly checked, but still, Luke’s hand that brushed down her hair was not entirely unpleasant for her.
It was a sensation she couldn’t feel in her true form as a doll.
“How does it feel?”
“I agree, as expected of the creator of the original object. The owner clearly understands what feels good.”
“Ha ha ha, I’m glad to hear that.”
Luke smiled gently at Kate’s positive response.
This was a kind of insurance for Luke.
It wouldn’t happen, but if he were to lose the bet, he would have to be petted all day long.
That meant he would effectively waste a whole day being pampered by a female student.
And Luke planned to utilize Kate’s function then.
If he had Kate with him during that time, he would have the whole day to himself, wouldn’t he?
But as soon as he mentioned it, Kate’s response was fierce.
“Declined! That function is not for such use!”
Kate immediately pulled away from Luke with a feigned angry expression and challenged him.
Luke, surprised, asked, “Why? What’s the problem?”
“Hmph!”
With Luke appearing completely oblivious, Kate sneered, pulling her hat down and standing up.
It was like a declaration to say she didn’t want him to pet her anymore.
“Going to embrace a complete stranger! I am not that kind of being! What do you think of me, owner? Does this object look like a doll that gives hugs to anyone?”
“U-uh? What do you mean by that?”
Upon hearing Kate’s words, Luke began to sweat as though he had said something really terrible.
Then Kate stated her argument in a clear and concise manner.
“The master has made a very insulting remark. This object is a doll before it is a golem. The master has not embraced this object for more than 4,323 hours, 23 minutes, and 02 seconds since the time calculated from Arinseia! You used to always hold me while sleeping. This is evident neglect to me. No, more so, since you only commanded me as labor, this is abuse.”
At that moment, Luke finally understood.
He had, for effective enchanting of her doll-like characteristics, kept her in his arms while sleeping for quite some time in the past.
However, after successfully enchanting her, he felt no need to have physical contact and had thus neglected that.
Though he had no counterarguments against that statement, he indeed had a reason for it.
“Ah, no. I couldn’t help it since I was only working during Arinseia with no sleep.”
“You had many opportunities to make time. The fact that you didn’t was the master’s fault. Therefore, I will refuse your commands.”
“……”
For a moment, Luke began to wonder if giving Kate such high intelligence and judgment was a good idea.
A rebellious golem…
More than that, it felt so peculiar to hear her say that with his own face.
It was as if she was so cute even when showing a frustrated face.
‘What kind of expression should I make if I don’t want to seem cute?’
