Chapter 58

Luna seemed to buy into Antonio’s words, but in reality, she was only partially convinced.

Sivar had just emerged victorious against Hector. Regardless of whether he was berserk or not, it showed he was strong.

Moreover, his “destructive power” could be compared to or even exceed Hector’s. Just unleashing his death beam would end matters without needing to go far.

‘His strength is just ridiculously strong from the get-go.’

Among it all, ‘power’ stood out the most. Perhaps because of the Red Magic, Sivar’s physical strength was beyond expectations.

So Luna decided. For now, she would pretend to go along with Antonio and bring up what she wanted to say.

Practice didn’t matter at this point. With a demon involved, there were more important things than individual scores.

Of course, she would have to have some excuse to seek help from the professors just in case.

However, perhaps due to her lack of experience, Luna faced a significant problem even with a plan in place.

“It’s okay if you don’t accept it. You’re going to need time too.”

The issue was her lack of awareness. She had no clue that this whole practice was being broadcast in real-time.

If she had been a bit more perceptive, she might have thought the professors were keeping an eye on everything.

But no matter how smart you are, being ignorant is still a problem. Moreover, Luna had just moved from the countryside.

That’s why she viewed this moment as an opportunity—a chance to say what she wanted to Sivar.

To an outsider, it might look like a ‘confession,’ making the situation all the more riveting.

“But I really hope you’ll accept. I… I’m really curious about you.”

Just like now. That statement was dripping with the potential for misunderstanding.

She had pointed out Kara’s slip of the tongue last time, yet here she was making a similar mistake herself.

Unfortunately, Luna was completely oblivious. Besides, the situation was causing her stress.

She had to deceive the team, and she thought this was her only chance.

Luckily, Sivar had taken care of the attackers, making the opportunity easy to grasp.

All that remained was Sivar’s consent. Luna looked at him blankly and opened her mouth.

“Can you answer me?”

It was a request that could sound quite desperate. Sivar looked around upon hearing it.

It seemed as if he was checking if anyone was listening, but there was no one around. Sivar had taken out all of them long ago.

Seeing his action, Luna unintentionally glanced around. If anyone heard, it would be a disaster.

It was a secret that shouldn’t be easily revealed. If someone knew, the situation would become complicated.

‘Please. Please. Please.’

Luna prayed desperately inside. She wanted Sivar to accept her request.

Having sacrificed her chance this time, if he rejected this too… it would be quite the headache.

Did Sivar sense her troubled thoughts? He rolled his eyes and spoke in his typical blunt tone.

“When?”

“!!”

At his word “when,” Luna’s eyes widened. She quickly stammered, asking urgently.

“Y-you’re accepting it?”

“Yeah.”

Sivar’s blunt affirmation brought a sun-like brightness to Luna’s expression.

The burdens she had carried inside her were released in an instant. That emotion radiated from her face.

“That’s right!”

Unaware that the professors were watching, Luna clenched her fist and shouted.

From an outsider’s perspective, she looked like someone who had successfully asked for a date. It was enough to make anyone’s heart flutter.

In fact, the professors were sending enthusiastic applause in response to Luna’s reaction. They all gathered cheerfully to support her.

‘Hehe. Finally, that feels refreshing.’

Regardless, Luna was endlessly pleased with the thought that she had secured a date. She finally had the chance to be alone with him.

How long had she been anxious up until now? Worried someone might find out Sivar’s secret.

Now, she no longer needed to worry about that. Once she discovered Sivar’s identity, she would find someone to share the secret with.

While Luna joyfully shifted her feet, she suddenly remembered something she had forgotten.

“Oh! This isn’t the time for that. I need to hurry to where Grace is. It might be a bit dangerous by now.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine on my own. So go quickly.”

“Okay.”

She had no intention of fighting Sivar. To be honest, it would be a waste of time to do so.

In a training bout, maybe, but combat in practice didn’t offer much benefit.

No matter how skilled she might be, one punch from Sivar would put her down—what would be the purpose in that?

It would be far more beneficial to avoid injuring each other’s feelings while giving each other a clean getaway.

“Oh, and Sivar.”

“?”

Just as Sivar was about to walk past Luna, she called his name. He turned back to look.

Though Luna usually kept a neutral expression like Sivar, she was surprisingly expressive when it came to emotions.

“I look forward to working with you from now on.”

Just like that. Her happiness and joy were evident in her expression.

With a pure and beautiful smile that reflected her country girl charm, she even tossed her hair back alluringly.

Even Sivar, who was usually indifferent to such matters, found himself momentarily captivated by her beauty.

Considering the stress she had been under recently, every little expression of emotion carried immense power.

“……Okay.”

Sivar replied nonchalantly before stepping into the forest. Luna waved goodbye to him as he left.

Now left alone in the woods, she glanced at her teammates surrounding her like a cocoon and began to move.

There was no need for any cleanup, but it would be better to get disqualified just in case. So, she removed the bracelet attached to her wrist.

“Heheh. Heheh.”

Unable to contain her joy, she even started humming. She swayed her body as she expressed her current mood.

If someone were watching, she would have likely suppressed her emotions, but there was no one there. At least, that was how it appeared to Luna.

‘If I really knew the future, what should I ask first?’

Click!

As she pondered that, she struggled to remove the bracelet. A blue curtain began wrapping around her.

As soon as the sleep magic activated, she slowly closed her eyes.

‘I’m glad Sivar is nice.’

He really is nice.

There’s no way he would casually gossip about someone else’s embarrassing moments.

******

It was a miscalculation. Grace, separated from Sivar for a moment, thought that way.

It would have been better to search for the valley together and plan from there. That would have been safer and more effective.

However, Sivar’s antics had been too bizarre, and she felt that she and Lee Yeon-joo alone would suffice.

Above all, she never predicted that other teams would combine forces and launch an ambush in such a short time.

‘No. I might have thought other teams would join forces against Sivar, but…’

With Sivar—the ecosystem-destroying species—around, other teams would likely band together to target them.

Though she hadn’t disregarded this simple thought, she merely dismissed it with a “no way. It’s just a guess,” not really preparing for it.

The problem was that it was far too soon. Barely 12 hours had passed since the practice began.

“Please remove your bracelet, Princess Berce. If you comply, there won’t be any issues.”

A male student aimed his sword at Grace and Lee Yeon-joo while making threats. Around him were about four teammates.

Grace meticulously surveyed their faces. Some were familiar to her.

In particular, the male student standing at the front. She knew who he was, even if she didn’t know his name.

“You are in the same team as Jerca Yeongsik, right? Don’t tell me Jerca Yeongsik is participating in this cowardly act?”

“No, Yeongsik Jerca is not involved.”

The male student, a team member of Elvin’s, shook his head. Hearing that, Grace felt a bit relieved.

She knew Elvin had a strong sense of pride but also a righteous spirit. So it made sense that he wouldn’t take part.

No matter how ridiculously strong Sivar was, he’d prefer facing them fairly rather than using underhanded tactics.

“Did you send someone to Sivar’s side?”

“Yes. There are far more people on this side, including the top student of the entrance exam.”

“L-Luna…?”

Lee Yeon-joo, who had been trembling beside her, made a surprised murmur. It wasn’t just her; Grace was taken aback too.

She never expected Luna would be involved in this. It made sense but was still cowardly.

‘I can’t comprehend it. There’s no need to knock us out.’

Sivar is like a tiger. One that lounges casually unless provoked.

The theme of the practice isn’t even a death match but survival. There was no reason to disqualify other teams.

Moreover, wasn’t the difference between 1st place and joint 1st place negligible? Anyone with a bit of common sense could figure out the practice’s goal.

‘Unless conflict arises resulting in mutual disqualification.’

All of this seemed pointless. With few exceptions, nearly every team banded together to bring down Sivar.

If anything, this could count as teamwork. Grace internally let out a bitter smile and glanced back.

In a defensive position now, they had surprisingly reached the safety barrier. There was no room to escape.

If they could manage to escape outside and find their way in 10 minutes, that would be more than lucky, but the odds were slim.

Besides, they weren’t fools; they would pursue them to the end, making it nearly impossible.

‘The best bet is to hold out until Sivar arrives.’

How long could they last? The other side was composed of five well-rounded individuals, while they had only a magician and a thief.

Moreover, the distance between them wasn’t far. To a magician, distance is life, and it’s cut off now.

It was utterly bleak, but Grace sought a strategy as best she could.

‘Yeon-joo…’

Right now, there was only one trustworthy person. Grace stole a glance at the side.

“Ugh… ugh…”

Lee Yeon-joo was trembling, gripping her dagger tightly with both hands. Grace merely wished she wouldn’t be a hindrance, let alone a help.

Grace couldn’t help but click her tongue as her evaluation of Yeon-joo dropped steadily.

At this point, there was only one escape route left. They had to engage in a gamble.

The bracelet was structured in such a way that even the wearer couldn’t easily take it off, so if they held out long enough, Sivar would arrive.

“……I can’t understand why you choose such a difficult path. There are surely easier methods.”

“You might think so, Princess Berce. But for us, this is the best option.”

“I see it as the worst. Whoever made this plan must have been incompetent.”

She hadn’t meant to, but Grace harshly criticized Antonio. Still, it wasn’t entirely unwise, as they’d split into teams to ambush and cut support.

What mattered was how well they could keep Sivar’s feet tied. There might be a chance to disqualify him.

To Grace, that would be the worst-case scenario. Sivar getting knocked out, leaving her in a state of limbo.

‘It’s frustrating that communication is blocked too.’

Due to the nature of survival, they couldn’t communicate with each other—unless there were two or more magicians present.

“The conversation has stretched on. If you find it hard to take off the bracelet, then all you need to do is step outside the barrier.”

“And if I refuse?”

“If you refuse…?”

The boy scoffed, as if finding it ridiculous. Gradually, he retracted the sword he was aiming at her and slipped it back into its sheath.

But that wasn’t a sign of retreat. He raised the sheathed sword and continued quietly.

“We have no choice but to use force.”

With that, the boy lunged at Grace. The distance was too short for even a spellcast.

Yet Grace wasn’t about to take it lying down; she yelled out as she braced herself for a fight.

“Slippery…!”

Sadly, Grace didn’t manage to finish her sentence. The boy’s sword was aimed directly at her face.

Just as Grace squeezed her eyes shut, half-giving up, an unexpected event occurred.

Whack!

The boy charging at Grace suddenly toppled sideways. He let out an inexplicable scream.

Hearing the commotion, Grace slowly opened her eyes. When she did, she saw the boy who had aimed his sword at her was now unconscious.

He seemed to be completely knocked out, with his eyes rolled back in his head.

“What… what just happened?”

“What happened…!”

Thud! Smash!

Before the male students could even react to the sudden situation, a stone flew in from somewhere, striking them perfectly on their heads.

All five of them fell down at once, cleanly taken out one by one by that little stone.

In this utterly baffling situation, a voice suddenly rang out in Grace’s ear.

“Sorry.”

It was Sivar, who had somehow approached Grace’s side without her even sensing him.

“Ahh!”

“Ahh!”

Thanks to him, both Grace and Lee Yeon-joo let out a shrill scream.

Startled, the two jumped up right from where they stood.

“You’re late.”

Of course, Sivar didn’t mind and got right to the point.

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