A Bet Sealed in Childhood
Clearly, it should have been class time right now.
Yet before Ludenberg Lavante's eyes appeared the Ashytara Solenute of his childhood.
No—the moment from back then manifested right in front of him.
Was this an illusion, or had he simply lost his mind, swept away by a storm of overwhelming sensations?
His senses twisted, and the past replayed itself.
A day so brilliantly clear it bordered on sweltering heat.
Ashytara and Ludenberg, having carelessly tossed aside their training armor, sat panting in the shade of a tree.
Ashytara's face was etched with exhaustion from the session as she vented her complaints to Ludenberg.
Just moments ago, Duke Leonard Lavante's utterly grueling training had left their bodies completely drained.
"Ugh, training's way too tough. How're you holding up, Rud?"
Ludenberg, entranced by the sudden remnant of the past even before class began, had forgotten his present self entirely. Unwittingly, he answered her question just as he would have back then.
He wasn't fully aware of his current situation and treated Ashytara with the old familiarity.
"Hmm? I'm still okay so far."
Unlike Ashytara, who groaned in complaint, Ludenberg seemed remarkably fine.
Ashytara gazed at him in admiration.
"No matter how I think about it, Rud, you're incredible. How do you handle training that intense without breaking a sweat?"
"Nah. I've been at it longer than you, so this much is just par for the course. Tara, you're the impressive one. I never expected you'd push yourself this hard. It's been four years already."
To her question laced with awe, Ludenberg smiled awkwardly and turned the praise back on her.
"Ahaha, thanks. I threw such a fit just to stick around the duke's estate instead of heading back to the palace—I gotta make it worth it."
To Ashytara's joking tone, Ludenberg laughed along.
"You're doing great already. Tara, you'll surpass me before you know it."
"You're overpraising me. Oh, right—Ludenberg. If you awaken divine power, which one do you want? The baptism ceremony's coming up soon."
"Hmm... Probably Terra's divine power? Father's got it, so it'd be easy to get advice from him. For you, Tara... Solem's, obviously."
"Yeah. I'll probably have to head back to the palace within two months, at latest."
"That's a shame."
"Me too. But we'll see each other again anyway, so it'll be fine. The year of service at the Solem church is regrettable... but I'm a princess, after all."
"I hope you've grown even more by then. I'll make sure I keep up so I don't fall behind."
"Of course. Hey, Rud—wanna make a bet?"
"What kind?"
"There'll come a day when we meet again and test our skills. If I manage to land a hit on you, you grant one of my wishes. Deal? You never slack on training, so you'll definitely be stronger than me."
Ludenberg held Ashytara's skills in high regard, but confident in his own strength, he accepted the wager readily.
"Gladly. Oh, wait—if I win, what're you putting up?"
"I'll grant one of your wishes, same deal."
"Yeah. Deal."
The instant Ludenberg accepted Ashytara's bet—
"Ludenberg!"
A hand shaking him, and a voice calling out.
It was odd. Ashytara was right there before his eyes, smiling brightly—why was her voice calling to him?
That tiny doubt snapped Ludenberg back to reality.
The remnant of the past scattered from before Ludenberg's eyes, replaced by the familiar sight of his desk.
"Ugh..."
The moment reality crashed back in, a storm of sensations battered him anew.
Ludenberg looked up at the one who had pulled him from the illusion.
As expected, it was Ashytara.
"You okay?"
"Tara...?"
Still reeling from the aftershocks of that past echo, Ludenberg unwittingly called her by her old nickname, his voice uncharacteristically tender.
Ashytara's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at him.
"You..."
Ludenberg, catching her flustered expression—equal parts shock and quiet delight—finally shook off his daze. Only then did he realize what he'd said.
"Ah, no."
"Just now, you called me 'Tara'..."
Ashytara gazed at him with a wistful look.
Ludenberg, meanwhile, wore a look of utter mortification.
He'd worked so hard to keep his distance from her—all of it could unravel in this one moment.
He had no choice but to brush it off awkwardly.
"Forget it."
"No."
Ashytara met his eyes with resolute determination.
For some reason, she sensed this might be her chance for a real conversation with Ludenberg.
She'd planned to wait patiently until his loneliness wore him down enough to need someone—but an opening like this changed everything.
She leaned in gently, ready to ask if he was hurt anywhere, what was wrong...
But just then, Nah Tes stepped into the lecture hall, cutting her off before she could finish.
Ludenberg seized the moment as his escape from the awkwardness.
"Professor."
"Hm? You're that student from last time... Right, Ludenberg. What is it?"
"I'm not feeling well—sorry, but I need to step out and rest."
Nah eyed him steadily.
His face was ghostly pale; he looked like he could keel over any second.
"Alright. It's just the first class anyway—I was only planning a quick intro. Go see a Mare priest, pronto."
"Thank you."
He bolted from the room and headed straight for his dorm.
Behind him, Professor Nah's clear voice rang out.
"Well then, let's start with my introduction. My name is Nah Tes, and I'll be your history professor from here on out..."
Ashytara stared blankly at the lecture hall door.
For some reason, Professor Nah suddenly felt like the enemy; she shot the doorway a faintly resentful glance.
Finally, a chance to talk... and it's gone.
It might have been his last vulnerability before loneliness broke him completely.
Once he realized he'd let his guard down even once, he'd never give her another inch.
Even so, I can't just leave Ludenberg alone.
That glimpse of him—grumbling comfortably, walls down for once—was a sight she hadn't seen in ages.
It dated back years. Back when they trained together under Duke Leonard Lavante, endured the same imperial tutors, and vented together whenever lessons got brutal.
It felt just like those days, stirring cherished memories she'd thought she'd moved past.
No. Dwelling on the past won't help now. Ludenberg looked really rough... will he be okay? Outdoor training today'll be brutal, like yesterday.
She shook her head to dispel the echoes and focused on his unnatural state moments ago.
Ashytara had never seen Ludenberg suffer like that—not once.
The Ludenberg she knew might gripe through grueling sessions with his father, but he'd never shown real pain or that level of exhaustion.
She resolved to check the healing center after class, just in case he was there.
"Alright. Today was just my intro and a rough outline of how we'll approach history. Next class, we'll dive into the real stuff—starting a thousand years back."
"Yes, Professor."
"Oh, and I left textbooks at the Wisdom Pavilion—grab yours there. That's it for today. Good work."
"Yes!"
The moment Professor Nah dismissed them, Ashytara hurried to the Knight Faculty's healing center.
"Excuse me."
The door opened, revealing a neat green-haired Mare priest.
"Hm? What can I do for you?"
"Did a boy with dark ash-gray hair stop by here by any chance?"
"Ash-gray hair? Oh, that Ludenberg kid? Yeah, he was here briefly this morning."
"Ah, really?"
"Yep. Came in earlier—didn't look good at all."
"How bad was it?"
"He insisted he was fine and left... but he sure didn't look fine. Body checked out—no physical issues. Probably something mental."
"Ah..."
"Well, if you see him, tell him to get plenty of rest. Not my wheelhouse."
"Got it. Thanks for letting me know."
Stepping out and closing the door, Ashytara felt a surge of frustration bordering on fury.
Where the hell did he go in that state?
He was probably holed up in his dorm—high likelihood—but Solemnute Adem's dorms forbade opposite-gender visits.
She wanted to storm the boys' dorm, drag him back here by the collar, and shove him under a priest's care. But as a princess, she couldn't flout the rules like that. All she could do was stomp in place.
Give up? No way. Ludenberg might show for outdoor training later. He's never skipped a single session.
Worry clouded her face.
She'd never seen him look that wrecked unless it was something catastrophic.
"Haa."
But for now, all she could do was sigh.