༺ Ring – Interlude ༻
The mood… isn’t very good.
I didn’t expect to be asked so blatantly if I liked Dorothy. It hit me hard.
She seemed to have already noticed, there was no point in hiding it.
“What do you want to say?”
“…”
Luce lowered her head and, without flinching, grabbed my sleeve with her fingers and slightly pulled it. The Ring of the Abyssal Queen on her ring finger gleamed with a black pearl hue.
I was reminded of the time I survived the Thunderbird Subjugation and met Luce again. It felt like a reenactment of that time.
The words that Luce then uttered were,
“Please like me, Isaac.”
Her intimate tone tickled the air.
“Please like me more than that senior.”
Luce lifted her head while looking at me with a tender gaze.
“That might… be enough.”
She was revealing herself as she was, without trying to hide anything from me.
For a while, I couldn’t utter a single word.
Silently, I pretended to ponder the meaning of Luce’s words, deliberately pausing.
Eventually, Luce’s face gradually reddened.
She tried to maintain a calm expression, but the wandering of her eyes suggested she realized the gravity of what she had said.
It was similar to the reaction she had when she asked me, ‘Do you want to touch my breasts?’
It was immediately apparent that she had blurted out something embarrassing to me because her emotions got the best of her.
“This is, well…”
Luce tried to stammer something out.
Shall I take a guess?
“Was that a confession just now?”
“An appeal for affection… We’re friends, after all.”
Luce smiled awkwardly.
Well… with such a reaction, it’s best to respond lightly and end it.
She probably wouldn’t want to express her feelings to me, especially after a tense situation with Dorothy and the mood turning sour.
I gently tapped Luce’s shoulder and smiled.
“Silly, friends don’t say things like that.”
“…Right?”
“Let’s have dinner. What did you bring?”
“Oh, meat and sandwiches. I only packed things that Isaac likes.”
I casually cheered her up and expressed my gratitude.
Luce took out a mat from the basket she brought and we sat down to have dinner together.
All the while, Luce sneakily glanced at me. The atmosphere was awkward throughout.
To break the uncomfortable silence, I teased Luce, and she gradually teased me back, bringing back the old vibe.
I was about to leave.
“But Luce…”
There was one thing I was curious about. I really had to ask.
Luce, munching on her sandwich, looked at me.
“…How did you know the smell of my saliva?”
“…”
Luce’s mouth abruptly stopped.
…The atmosphere turned awkward again.
***
Morning. In the Magic Department, Orphin Hall.
I was settling into a tiered lecture hall, getting ready for class. It was the classroom for the second-year B class.
Around me, I could see guys like Ian Fairytale, Mateo Jordana, and Tristan Humphrey.
Normally, Luce, the top seat of class A, would naturally come sit beside me and display all sorts of affectionate actions.
But she was nowhere to be seen today. It seemed she decided not to come.
‘Is it because of that incident?’
Luce had asked me to like her more than Dorothy.
Even I would have felt embarrassed. It was understandable.
Each time Luce came to the class B classroom, she exuded an incredible presence. Then I had to endure the burdensome stares of the students.
Certainly, being alone felt more liberating.
Of course, it’s not that I don’t want to see Luce. How can I dislike having such a pretty and lovely person cherish me so much that she always wants to be by my side?
I’ve even gotten used to the burdensome stares of the other students.
For some reason, I felt a bit of emptiness.
“Professor Daisy arrives.”
Then the female professor of the second-year B class of the Magic Department kicked the door open and entered. Several students were visibly startled.
It was Professor Daisy, known for her ‘Middle school syndrome’. Her first words during orientation were ‘In my eyes, a classroom is like a crime scene just waiting to happen.’ Which solidified her eccentric image. Anyway, her skills were outstanding, so I liked her.
Professor Daisy entered the classroom with books tucked under her arm and stood in front of the lectern. The students hurried to their seats.
“Before we begin the class, there is an announcement,”
Said Professor Daisy in a solemn tone.
It was that time of the year.
“Soon, there will be a duel evaluation. Like last year, it will involve using one or two duel request tickets to challenge an opponent of your choice.”
Duel evaluations were held once every semester.
Each student receives two duel request tickets.
With one ticket, they could challenge anyone within their year.
The challenged could refuse, but if both tickets were used, they must accept the duel.
So, the rules were similar to last year’s, with one exception.
“However, there is a change. This year, first-year students from the Magic Department are also included as potential duel opponents. Please keep this in mind.”
The students were visibly surprised, exclaiming, “Huh?”
The reason Märchen Academy included first-year students as potential duel opponents was clear.
My juniors, the first-year students of the Magic Department at the time, were known as the Golden Generation due to their strength.
It was probably to balance things out, by diverting the attention of the strong first-year students towards their seniors. It helped maintain an overall balance.
In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, second-year Ian Fairytale received a duel request from the first-year, Priestess Miya.
This was because Ian was a ‘Light Element’ hero who had been slaying demons.
It was a sub-event that offered a lot of experience points.
Having confirmed that defeating Verga and completing the sub-event yielded a substantial amount of EXP, I expected this event would be no different.
Of course, in this context, the demon slayer was The Nameless hero. That was probably why Miya showed no particular interest in Ian.
So, does this mean the sub-event is out of reach?
It wasn’t feasible to challenge Miya either. Even if I did, there was no guarantee that it would trigger the sub-event, and it seemed difficult to defeat her right away. It was simply an unnecessary risk.
It would be fortunate if I didn’t get severely beaten while aiming for the sub-event.
‘Anyway, who will I face?’
It was clear that dueling with others would help me grow. It never hurt anybody to have more combat experience.
With my skills at the time, I could even consider challenging someone from class A, maybe someone like Keridna Whiteclark.
Mateo also seemed like a suitable opponent.
Tristan, brimming with enthusiasm, was sure to challenge me.
Well, there’s still plenty of time. I’ll think it over slowly.
***
“Hello, Senior. Would you like to duel?”
“…”
Even with [Clairvoyance] and [Psychological Insight], sometimes I was startled by a person’s unexpected actions.
Could now be one of those moments?
While I strolling through the outdoor corridor of Orphin Hall, I encountered a female first-year with jet-black hair. She blocked my path and challenged me to a duel.
Yep, it definitely was.
“What if I refuse?”
“I’ll use both tickets. Then you have to accept, right?”
The junior waving two duel request tickets, with a folded black fan against her lips, was Priestess Miya.
Race: Human
Elements: Fire
Danger: X
Psychology: [Wants to defeat you to gain the attention of Luce Eltania.]
Students passing by all turned their attention towards me and Miya.
“Looks like the Priestess has already chosen her duel opponent?”
“What’s that? Is she using both her request tickets?”
“Who is that senior?”
“It’s Senior Isaac, the top student of Class B of the second year.”
“Why would the first-year top seat challenge Isaac…?”
The students who walked in the outdoor corridor murmured.
Miya, accustomed to always being the center of attention, seemed unfazed by the whispers of the students.
“Why do you want to duel with me?”
“I’ve become curious about you, Senior. That’s all. I wish to duel with you, so let’s duel Senior.”
A gentle early summer breeze caressed the skin as it passed.
Miya tilted her head with a lovely smile. Thanks to [Psychological Insight], her intention to crush me mercilessly was clearly evident.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t tell me you’re frightened?”
“…”
It seemed Miya…
…Was intent on seriously provoking me, Luce’s weak spot.
In an official event like a duel, no matter how badly I could be defeated by Miya, it would be difficult for Luce to intervene.
I was not sure what her intention was, but it was unlikely she harbored any good intentions towards me.
Anyway, it seems I might be able to capitalize on this sub-event…
‘This is…’
Too… unexpected, isn’t it?
* * *
“The movements of the Ice Kingdom, Düpfendorf, are unusual.”
In the northern part of the Zelver Empire, in the Whiteclark Duchy, it snowed every day.
The Whiteclark Ducal Family. Their symbol was the white dragon that the ancient Ice Sovereign summoned as his familiar, and a secret capable of turning the world upside down was hidden in the basement of their grand mansion.
The Whiteclark Mansion, in the underground Round Table meeting room.
Luxurious and opulent in appearance. However, the meeting room was dark, illuminated only by the faint light of glowing lamps.
Around the round table, figures made of elements sat in each high seat.
A figure of fierce flames. The Fire Sovereign.
A figure of crackling lightning. The Lightning Sovereign.
A figure of clear water. The Water Sovereign.
A figure of billowing wind. The Wind Sovereign.
The moderator and the next Northern Grand Duchess with pink hair, Aichel Whiteclark, held a power that could shake the world…
She stood in a respectful posture in front of these powerful figures.
The Council of Kings.
Regular meetings occurred once every three years, and emergency meetings could be convened upon the proposal of one or more members when global-scale issues arose.
Aichel Whiteclark of the Whiteclark Ducal Family was chosen as the moderator of the Council of Kings meeting.
Typically, not all Kings would attend these emergency meetings.
This was because they had a mutual agreement not to interfere in each other’s territories unless their own nation was at risk.
Most often, they showed no interest in matters unless they were intriguing; they hardly felt a sense of crisis unless it involved a potential world-ending scenario.
However, the subject of this emergency meeting was so beyond imagination that, unusually, all four current Kings attended.
“It seems that you have realized the emergence of the next Ice Sovereign.”
[Düpfendorf… indeed, it would be strange if you were not aware. Ha ha…]
The voice of the aged Fire Sovereign, an elderly man, echoed in the round table meeting room.
The Fire Sovereign, emitted a scoffing laugh as if in disbelief, and lightly stroked his long, flowing beard. As he did, the flames flickered.
The Ice Kingdom, Düpfendorf.
A nation comprised of mighty ice magic beasts and the powerful human descendants of the Frost Race.
Ice magic beasts who had reached the celestial and earthly realms, like the Glacial Bear, Frost Spirit, and the Icebound Crocodile, also considered Düpfendorf their homeland.
For over a thousand years since the passing of the original Ice Sovereign, the throne had remained vacant.
The people of Düpfendorf had long awaited the emergence of a new Ice Sovereign.
Aichel Whiteclark, a lover of peace, had been closely monitoring Düpfendorf’s activities. Recently, she had noticed unusual movements in the country.
“The one served by the White Dragon and the Primordial Beast of Ice, the next Ice Sovereign, ‘The Nameless Hero’.”
Aichel lowered her eyes.
“It’s impossible that Düpfendorf didn’t feel the mana of the Ice Sovereign that spread every time demons have appeared at Märchen Academy since last year. An especially crucial moment was when the power of the Primordial Beast of Ice spread briefly.”
A monster among monsters, presumed to have even surpassed the Primordial Elemental Kings.
The next Ice Sovereign, a formidable force that even the Elemental Kings who were present dared not provoke.
Each country ruled by the Elemental Kings had a treaty with the Zelver Empire to generally not interfere with each other.
Whether The Floating Island had appeared in the Zelver Empire or not, as long as the damage did not affect their own nation, there was no reason to intervene.
The next Ice Sovereign was at Märchen Academy, belonging to the Zelver Empire.
This fact was certain, yet none of the Elemental Kings had visited the academy.
This was due to the treaty issue and also out of respect for the next Ice Sovereign.
[I’d like to see him once. Hopefully, a frail-looking boy. Then, I’d sincerely cherish him…]
The Elemental King of water, the Water Sovereign stroking her cheek, had the form and voice of a mature woman.
[Water Sovereign, the next Ice Sovereign is not a pushover for you to impose your perverted desires upon.]
[Please don’t misunderstand, Mr. Jaul. I just want to make a good impression on the new Ice Sovereign.]
To the critique from Jaul, the Lightning Sovereign, the Water Sovereign replied with a voice tinged with laughter.
[Because… the next Ice Sovereign seems to be quite dangerous.]
The Water Sovereign added in a soft voice.
[…Probably quite soon.]
“Yes. It won’t be long before Düpfendorf welcomes its new King,”
Aichel responded to the Fire Sovereign.
The air grew tense. Aichel hid her surprise at the fact that even the strongest beings in this world could feel tension.
Isaac, a second-year student at Märchen Academy.
The people of the Ice Kingdom, Düpfendorf, along with a massive army and catastrophic ice magic beasts, would unanimously serve him as their King.
No one could predict how powerful an Elemental King he would become, being accompanied by the White Dragon and the Primordial Beast of Ice.
The balance of power that constituted the world was on the verge of entering a new phase.
Perhaps soon…
…The most dangerous Elemental King in the world might emerge.
