Chapter 188

After the finals of the Sports Festival.

The award ceremony soon began.

As the winner’s prize, there were scholarships, outing and overnight permissions, and exemption rights, just as Professor Miel had mentioned earlier.

“That concludes the Sports Festival.”

With the closing speech by the Dean of the Military Department, Berge Erkazhan, the Arsen Sports Festival, which had lasted for three long days, came to an end.

And that night.

A party was held in the central plaza.

It was a post-festival party arranged by the faculty for the students who participated in the Sports Festival.

“Oh, Senior! Over here!”

“We saved you a seat!”

The atmosphere was lively, like a festive holiday.

Regardless of the results of the Sports Festival, everyone blended together and enjoyed lovely conversations. Of course, not everyone felt that way.

“Hey, let’s just go somewhere else.”

“Yeah. It feels a bit wrong sitting on the floor like commoners.”

“It’s also ridiculous bumping into them.”

The students were clearly divided into two groups.

Nobles and commoners.

Watching the increasingly polarized scene at the post-festival party was a girl with sky-blue hair, who let out a deep sigh.

“What a sad sight.”

The representative of the winning team, Irist Senior.

Sighing repeatedly, she muttered with a complicated expression.

“Can you believe they won’t mingle even here? And to think the student council exacerbates this kind of discrimination, it just doesn’t sit right with me.”

“But hopefully, it’ll be okay now.”

Suddenly, a voice interjected.

The barbarian, Ulan, who served as the vice representative of the winning team.

As he surveyed the wall of class distinction, his expression remained impassive.

“You said you’d change things.”

“Exactly. That’s the goal. Regardless of class and identity, as long as we’re at Arsen Academy, we’re all just students.”

Iris steeled her resolve once more.

With plans to launch a new student council, she aimed to uproot the pervasive discrimination and bad customs within the academy.

“Once the fall semester school trip is over, the election campaigns will officially kick off.”

“I see.”

“Speaking of which…”

Iris, trailing off, cast a nervous glance toward Ulan, as if she had something important to say.

“If you have something to say, just spit it out.”

“Ah, yes!”

With Ulan urging her on, Iris gathered her strength and continued in an overly serious tone.

“Just as I mentioned before, can I count on your support?”

“Of course.”

“Are you really okay with this?”

“Yeah, we promised.”

Was it the refreshing response?

The tense expression on her face suddenly relaxed, and Iris smiled brightly.

“Thank you. I feel much more secure now.”

A smile of relief spread across her lips.

Just then, a voice calling out for Iris echoed from a distance.

“Iris! There you are.”

A girl with purple hair.

It was Kamila Tanesia, Iris’s close friend.

She had also been in the same class as Ulan during the Sports Festival.

“What’s up? Need anything?”

“Well, it’s just that others were asking where you went, so I came to look for you.”

After wrapping up her response, Kamila alternated her gaze between Iris and Ulan before suddenly breaking into an odd smile.

“If this is an important conversation, feel free to finish it. I can tell the others where you are.”

“It’s fine. We’ve said everything we needed to.”

On the other hand, Iris shook her head.

Having secured a promise for cooperation in the election campaign, there was nothing more to discuss.

“Then I’ll excuse myself. Ulan, I hope you enjoy the party.”

Iris bowed her head politely.

After her courteous farewell, she soon vanished with Kamila. Left alone, Ulan turned as if he had been waiting.

His gaze was fixed on the table piled high with all sorts of delicacies from before he even began talking to Iris.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

In one corner of the lively party, a table was enveloped in an awkward silence.

“……”

Three girls faced each other.

Ivella, Delia, and Fertisha.

Somehow, the three found themselves in the same spot, silently stealing glances at one another. As the eerie quiet persisted,

“Ahem! Hmph!”

Ivella broke the silence first.

After a moment, she turned towards Fertisha, who sat demurely with white hair, and spoke.

“If I remember correctly, your name is……”

“It’s Tisha Lapidis.”

Fertisha proudly revealed her pseudonym.

Perhaps thanks to her beaming smile, it became easier to strike up a conversation. Shaking off her nervousness, Ivella quickly got to the point.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, I was just about to ask you something too.”

“Oh? To the both of us?”

“Actually, I’ve been curious for a while. Since you spoke first, let’s have a back-and-forth Q&A.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

Ivella nodded with a dazed expression.

Then, with a serious face, she began.

“About what happened during the defensive battle earlier……”

What she wanted to inquire about was the unimaginable anomaly that occurred during the first defensive battle.

Delia also looked towards Fertisha with an intrigued expression, mirroring her own curiosity.

“Ah, that’s a straightforward question.”

After explaining the situation,

Fertisha smiled brightly. And then, in an airy tone, she answered.

“Well, actually, I have a special ability.”

“A special ability?”

“Yes, but I can’t really disclose it.”

“……What?”

Ivella frowned.

Anyone could say such a thing.

This response felt more like a joke rather than a serious answer, causing her to begin to retort, when Fertisha continued.

“The thing is, it’s a family secret so I only tell very close people about it. Once we get to know each other better, I’ll definitely share it with you.”

“……”

Ivella was momentarily speechless.

Having heard about a family secret, continuing to prod would be rude.

“Then it’s my turn to ask, right?”

“Uh-huh, I guess so……”

Ivella let out a low hum.

Though she desperately wanted to ask more, she found herself unable to, leading her to fall silent.

After a while, she sighed as if resigning herself.

“Sigh, fine. What do you want to know?”

“Are you two dating Ulan?”

“Cough! Wh-what?!”

Surprised by the sudden question, Ivella spat out the water she had been drinking.

Her expression was filled with shock.

In contrast, Delia’s reaction was different. She responded with a relatively calm expression.

“S-suddenly, why are you asking that?”

“I’m just curious.”

With a beaming smile.

Her face, which showed nothing but a smile, gave no clue about her feelings or intentions. The only signal was the white smoke emanating from Fertisha—

meaning she wasn’t lying.

However, she couldn’t fully decipher the intent behind the question. Just as Delia’s eyes narrowed, Ivella, who had been hesitating, finally spoke up.

“W-well, we’re not dating, not yet……”

“What? What did you say?”

“But! It’s not like I have any ill feelings towards Ulan, it’s just that I want to take it slow and steady, you know? Yeah, that’s it.”

Ivella, stumbling over her words feverishly, clearly showed she was unable to compose herself. In contrast, Delia maintained a calm demeanor as she spoke.

“Probably, soon, it will be that way.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Ulan and I will be dating soon.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Delia nodded with an expressionless face.

As soon as that statement ended, Ivella sprang out of her confusion.

“Wait! Who do you think you are to decide that…!”

“During this summer vacation.”

Immediately after Ivella spoke,

Delia gazed into the turquoise eyes of Fertisha and confessed the fact that had unfolded during the vacation.

“I confessed my feelings to Ulan.”

“……Huh?”

Her eyes trembled in surprise.

At that moment, she wanted to shout, “Don’t mess with me!” but she couldn’t.

Unlike her shaking heart, the golden eyes in front were steady like a placid lake.

“Therefore, I’m the strongest candidate.”

A confession. In an instant, her heart sank, and with it came an inexplicable sense of anxiety and defeat.

“……”

Simultaneously, flames of jealousy surged within her.

As she silently bit her lips hard, Fertisha, with a curious expression, asked again.

“So what did Ulan say in response?”

“I haven’t heard his answer yet.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because there’s something more important going on right now.”

Stopping the threat of the Abyss.

With the truth discovered during the Hero’s Trial, her eyes sparkled with determination.

“So, I told him to answer after everything is resolved.”

She answered seriously.

In contrast, Fertisha looked somewhat deflated. She shrugged her shoulders.

“Come on, what is this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Then it’s like you’re not anything special.”

“That’s…….”

Her words pierced like a dagger.

But accepting Fertisha’s statement meant conceding, so Delia immediately went on the defensive.

“W-well, while we were at the duchy, I did make an impression on his father, so we can consider ourselves special.”

“Hmph! That’s the same for me.”

Just then, an unexpected counterattack came from the corner.

It was Ivella, who had been igniting the flames of jealousy from the sidelines. Having grasped the situation from the conversation between Fertisha and Delia, she matched their arguments.

And thus, the back-and-forth between the two girls began.

Meanwhile, Fertisha, the original instigator of all the chaos, stood a bit away and eavesdropped on their conversation.

‘Hmm, I see. So that’s how it is.’

She finally understood.

That Ulan and those two weren’t actually dating. More accurately, both girls had only unilaterally developed feelings for Ulan.

‘So, to sum it up…’

This meant that Ulan’s romantic relationships weren’t messy at all. With this newfound realization, Fertisha couldn’t help but chuckle awkwardly.

‘Looks like I had an unnecessary misunderstanding.’

Having belatedly understood the truth, Fertisha hummed a tune. For some reason, she suddenly felt quite cheerful.

With a smile brightening her face.

While watching Ivella and Delia still squabbling amongst themselves, a sudden voice rang out.

“Is everyone here?”

“Oh, Ulan!”

The man at the center of all the conversations and events.

Ulan appeared, alongside the soft-haired girl, Noa.

“I was searching everywhere for you.”

“Were you with Noa this whole time?”

“No! We just ran into each other on the way here!”

Noa quickly shook her head.

Instinctively sensing the strange atmosphere between Ivella and Delia, she hurriedly explained the situation.

“I found her holed up in a corner, just eating by herself, so I brought her over.”

“Ah, I see.”

Ivella’s expression brightened.

After narrowly avoiding a possible misunderstanding, the atmosphere among the group quickly shifted.

It became much more cheerful than before.

It was incredible how just adding Ulan changed everything. Fertisha blinked in wonder as she observed the transformation.

As some time passed and the party atmosphere continued to flourish,

Suddenly, a booming voice emerged from the barracks set up beside the plaza.

“Attention! Announcing from the organizing committee.”

“In about 10 minutes, at precisely 9 PM, a campfire event will be held in the central plaza of the academy.”

The voices belonged to Edeline and Million, who had hosted the Sports Festival.

Using a voice amplification device, they conveyed this announcement throughout the party area.

“The campfire we’re hosting this time is one of the longstanding traditions of Arsen Academy.”

“If you throw a piece of paper with your wish into the fire and make a wish before it turns into ash, it will definitely come true!”

Edeline shouted enthusiastically.

Of course, such statements were of the superstitious variety.

Most students paid them no mind, continuing to revel in their respective festivities.

‘Not that anyone would be gullible enough to believe that.’

Noa chuckled softly.

However, in contrast to the general reaction, there were those who showed particular interest.

“A wish……”

“It will definitely come true?”

Ivella and Delia.

Upon hearing that wishes would come true, both their interests instantly shifted towards the campfire.

Meanwhile, Ulan appeared indifferent.

Until they heard the tail end of the announcement.

“Furthermore, a special roast pig, which can only be tasted near the campfire, will also be provided, don’t miss out.”

“Let’s go right now.”

“Yeah!”

Ulan immediately sprang into action.

Ivella and Delia followed behind him, as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Seeing this scene, Noa wore a bewildered expression. However, she soon broke into a laugh and began to walk along with them.

And at that very moment.

Aside from the academy’s campfire, there was another place where towering flames erupted. A horrifying site where corpses were stacked to ignite a horrible fire.

It was the Imperial Castle of the Rubens Empire.

Chapter 43: Different Dreams

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