Chapter 411

Hector, the man of the hour, finally threw in the towel, and just like that, the duel was over.

Honestly, calling it a duel feels like an overstatement. The entire Dueling Arena looked like it had been hit by a meteor.

The ground was upended by powerful lightning, chairs in the stands were wrecked beyond recognition, and the walls were on the brink of collapse.

At this point, fixing it could take ages; it might just be easier to tear it all down and start fresh, maybe even make it sturdier.

“Sivar, are you alright? Did you get hurt anywhere?”

Kara was the first to rush over when the duel ended. Just like Hector, she jumped high to get closer.

I checked the shoulder where Ragnarok had bitten me. It was split in two but was already mending itself.

“Sigh. You’ve really lost your mind. Your father is feeling pretty lonely.”

“Shut up, Father. What’s with the whining?”

“··· ···”

Kara immediately scolded Hector for his grumbling. Hector’s mouth jutted out like a pouty child.

Seriously, how can he act like such a whiner at his age? It’s almost laughably typical.

“Well, I guess it’s a sign that he’s finding some leisure amid all this.”

Despite his lighthearted comments, his demeanor screamed relaxation. He didn’t seem to feel the need to stress anymore.

This was the real Hector showing through: the king, the warrior, all thrown aside, revealing a genuinely human side.

It’s funny how his human qualities made him appear gallant yet whiny at the same time.

But hey, at least he wasn’t sulking about it too much, so that’s a relief.

“Impressive. You’re Sivar, right?”

“To fight evenly with His Majesty, I must show you my respect.”

“The scars of glory etched on your body are not mere embellishments.”

Before long, the clan heads who had been with Kara came down. They were all showering me with compliments.

While I was grateful for their goodwill, confusion crept in.

“Would you consider meeting our granddaughter?”

“Whoa there! What are you saying?”

“You’re all just the same.”

“Your granddaughter is only 15!”

“By the time she graduates from the Academy, she’ll be of marriageable age.”

Okay, now that’s overboard with the flattery. I couldn’t help but cock my head in disbelief.

When Hector lost in the Soul World, the reactions from the clan heads were anything but pleasant. It wasn’t goodwill back then.

No, that was chaos. The strong Academy Student was an unexpected surprise, coupled with Hector’s defeat.

These two factors had plunged Tartar into confusion, but right now, it didn’t look like that was the case.

‘Something feels off. The conditions are the same…’

While I pondered this in my mind, other clan heads started chatting with Hector.

“Your Majesty, it seems you’ve finally stretched your legs after quite a while.”

“I was on the verge of dying, not just stretching!”

“Haha, you’re such a drama queen. Still, the sight of that blue-white lightning will be hard to forget.”

“Guess that means you were up against a serious opponent.”

The backhanded compliments had me scratching my head. The faith the clan heads had in Hector remained unchanged.

They seemed to think it was just a ‘duel’ where he merely loosened up his body.

And honestly, it wasn’t an unreasonable assumption since Hector had certainly surrendered in a pretty embarrassing manner.

Hector’s declaration of defeat was far from shabby. He had only declared before things got too intense.

Maybe that was how their thought process worked. Given Hector’s stature, it wasn’t impossible.

‘Could it be he planned this all along?’

If that were true, he’d deserve praise as a political master for maintaining his image while boosting mine.

You could tell just by looking at the legal texts he personally compiled that he was fit to be a king. Now, it seemed he was acquiring the finesse of a diplomat too.

‘Or maybe not. His skills in politics have already been proven.’

Hector was the one who elevated Tartar to the center of trade routes. Naturally, diplomacy was paramount.

I shook my head, watching Hector joke around with the clan heads.

Even if it looked disgraceful, he got what he needed out of this. I didn’t have any plans to hold a grudge against him.

Having a grudge would only sour things between Kara and me. That was simply not an option.

“By the way, Student. Have you received a blessing from Lord Gulrak too? I mean, you used lightning, after all.”

“Not quite.”

“Not quite?”

“Lord Gulrak despises me.”

The expressions on the clan heads’ faces were priceless. They looked like they were wondering if I was joking.

But this was no joke. It was a fact that Gulrak had it out for me.

“Haha! Lord Gulrak hates you? Yet he lent you lightning?”

“A fine young man with a great sense of humor! We’re holding a ceremony tomorrow, so you should come up!”

“He might bless your weapon even more.”

That reaction came off as a nudge to get struck by lightning again. Or maybe it was just their way of being nosy.

Still, I smiled and nodded along. Honestly, I was just hoping to relax after everything.

“Here’s your weapon. Looks tough, a good weapon indeed.”

“Thanks.”

After receiving Mjolnir, I could finally head back to the lodging. I felt a bit tired, probably from all the fighting.

Of course, I’d recover quickly with a hearty meal and some rest. A little sleep would do the trick too.

Before long, Hector left with Kara and the other clan heads, and I met up with some acquaintances I had evacuated with.

“Sivar! Are you hurt anywhere?!”

“Yeah.”

I first ran into Grace, who was anxiously checking my body, just as I’d expected.

Not just Grace, but Eli too was in a similar boat. She held onto a potion, looking worried.

She was prepared for any eventuality, just in case something had gone wrong. Truly adorable and endearing.

“Eli, is that potion mine?”

“Uh, yeah? Do you want some?”

“Yeah.”

“Hehe. Here you go.”

Once she saw I was fine, Eli beamed and handed over the potion. I took a sip.

“Hmm?”

The moment I tasted it, my eyes widened. Regular potions were usually bitter and harsh.

But the potion Eli gave me was sweet and not bitter at all. Just the right amount of sweetness.

“I made it with date palm. It’s a potion for kids who dislike bitter tastes.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“But you don’t like bitterness.”

Touché. I could relate as I drank the potion like yogurt. It was so good, I wanted more.

Meanwhile, Grace continued to check my body. Though checking was okay, her wandering hands were getting a bit too forward and obvious.

“Hah… haah…”

“··· ···”

“You’re just so cool…! I want to hug you…”

Her unnervingly breathy voice was an unsettling bonus. I found myself staring at Grace, feeling quite embarrassed.

Realizing her own awkwardness a little late, Grace coughed and averted her gaze.

Her pale face was turning a bright shade of red, like a ripe persimmon.

“Grace, that was a bit creepy.”

And of course, our very own Luna was there to deliver the blunt truth. She dropped that fact bomb heavy.

Grace’s face flushed even more at Luna’s words as she shouted.

“W-Who said I was creepy! I was just worried about Sivar!”

“Sounds a bit too creepy for that, though.”

“It’s not creepiness; it’s affection! Can you correct that?”

“Sure, Luna. Grace was just expressing her affection.”

For once, Eli defended Grace. Luna didn’t say anything after that.

But, who was Eli? She had a habit of sneaking in and catching everyone off guard.

-Hug!

Eli approached me with her signature bright smile and squeezed me tight. Not from the side but head-on.

Mind you, I was still shirtless, so it was all rather mortifying.

‘Ahh, the feels…’

Despite that, there was a sense of comfort in it. Especially since my bare skin felt her warm embrace fully.

I found solace in that feeling, glancing down at her head, only to catch sight of her squished breasts.

That alone was enough to make the universe feel expansive, but it didn’t stop there. Eli did something rather unorthodox.

-Rub! Kiss!

She rubbed her face against my chest and suddenly pressed her lips against me.

It was entirely unexpected, and I was jolted awake from the shock.

“What, what, what are you doing?!”

Naturally, Grace couldn’t just stand by and let that slide. She yanked Eli away from me.

Eli still wore her cheerful smile, but her actions were anything but innocent.

-lick

It was as if she was openly licking her lips for my attention. Such a strange thing to do.

Did she even realize she was acting that way? Still wearing that grin, she turned to Grace and said.

“Grace, Sivar’s chest is really sturdy! You should try hugging him.”

“How can you suggest such a thing with people around?!”

“There’s no one else here anyway.”

Right now, we were in the Waiting Room. Other students had evacuated outside the Dueling Arena or returned to their lodgings.

Only my acquaintances remained, so there was no one watching us.

“Well, hugging is enough for just when we sleep.”

“Oh, that’s true. I’m envious.”

“Pfft. Envy won’t get you anywhere, right?”

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Grace.

She didn’t know about the guy building a harem right in the front yard. No one knew when she’d eventually find out.

‘Not just in the front yard, but right in the main hall!’

The moment she realized, that place would be in ruins. I had to pretend to be oblivious.

“But really, to show a power close to that of the Destruction King… impressive indeed. You’ll be getting higher evaluations from now on.”

“Is that good for you?”

“Of course! We won’t be able to belittle you with comments about having no origin anymore. The moment we do, we’ll be cutting off relations with general-level figures.”

Grace was feeling all too pleased about it, acting as if it were her own affair. She even crossed her arms, raising her nose in the air.

Eli was just so amazed by it all, but Luna was another story. She wore her typical blank expression and mumbled.

“So, what happens to Sivar now?”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“Now you’ve proven yourself. Seems like it’s about to get rather bothersome.”

For some reason, Luna hit the nail on the head. Broken clocks can be right twice a day, I guess.

Grace seemed to share similar concerns as evidence of her thoughtful demeanor.

“That aspect is indeed worrisome. Rumors tend to spread quickly.”

“Right? Even you, Grace, might find it tough.”

“I don’t expect help from my family. If anything, they’ll pressure me to marry… *ahem*.”

She cleared her throat, eyeing me as if to gauge my reaction. That’s probably her ideal scenario.

To marry under pressure from the family due to circumstances. A perfect plot twist.

“They might insist on rushing you into marriage. But I’ll respect Sivar’s choices.”

“What about you, Eli?”

“I’m just fine being by your side!”

Eli smiled brightly while holding onto my arm tightly. Whether it was intentional or not, I felt a heavy sensation.

Seeing the scene, Luna stroked her chin and whispered.

“This is troublesome…”

“?”

That was a rather peculiar statement.

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