Chapter 153: Loki vs. Johanna 5
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 153: Loki vs. Johanna 5
Johanna’s eyes fluttered open.
The first thing she saw was the vaulted ceiling of the training ground.
Her head spun, and a heavy numbness clung to her limbs. It took a moment for the realization to sink in: she had blacked out.
‘I lost.’
Johanna replayed her final memories of the fight.
She had poured every last drop of her mana into that final swing. She’d expected Loki to retreat or dodge, but instead of backing away, he had lunged forward, swinging his staff.
In that split second, she had been certain of her victory. But then, the signature red cloak Loki always wore began to glow with an eerie light. The mana she had imbued into her sword was suddenly, violently siphoned away, flowing directly into his staff.
The momentum shifted in a heartbeat. Johanna tried to pull back, but having committed everything to that single strike, she had nothing left to give. Her strength failed her, and she had collapsed on the spot.
“………”
Her clothes were drenched in sweat as if she’d just stepped out of a downpour. Her head throbbed—a brutal combination of mana depletion and the aftereffects of losing consciousness.
Her arms and wrists tingled with a dull ache. She didn't even have the strength to sit up, let alone stand. The shallow cuts where his daggers had grazed her earlier stung as sweat seeped into the wounds.
And to top it all off, she had lost the duel—and the wager—to Loki.
Strangely, though, she didn't feel bitter.
‘…Where did Loki go?’
If he were the Loki she knew, he should have been hovering over her the moment she woke up, gloating about his win.
Using her sword as a makeshift crutch, Johanna managed to push herself into a sitting position. That was when she spotted him.
Loki was leaning heavily against his staff, which was planted firmly into the stone floor.
He looked in even worse shape than she did. His eyes were half-closed, and his skin was a ghostly, deathly pale.
“Se~nior.”
His voice was as playful as ever, but it lacked its usual rhythmic energy.
“You’re finally… awake? Though you were only out for about ten minutes.”
Johanna used her sword like a cane, limping toward him with heavy, sluggish steps.
“When you get back up… you have to call me Oppa, okay?”
With those final words, Loki’s eyes drifted shut.
Startled, Johanna rushed to his side, but she let out a breath of relief when she realized he had simply succumbed to exhaustion. He was fast asleep.
Johanna sat back against the staff and gently pulled Loki’s head onto her lap. With a trembling hand, she softly stroked his hair.
It was a gesture she’d done many times before, but it felt different now. Loki was unconscious, and Johanna was too drained to speak, leaving the training ground wrapped in a heavy, peaceful silence.
Having just recovered from her own faint, Johanna stared blankly at Loki. Her gaze eventually drifted to his red cloak—an item she usually didn't give a second thought.
The cloak was no longer glowing. In fact, the fabric looked duller, almost drained of color.
“…Mana absorption? No, damage reflection?”
Johanna muttered to herself, fighting to stay awake.
She stayed by his side partly because Loki had stayed by hers until she woke, but mostly to ensure no one else stumbled into the training ground and saw his face without the mask.
If his mask were nearby, she would have put it back on him, but it was tucked away in his Pocket Dimension.
Loki’s popularity—or rather, the relentless, unwanted attention on him—had skyrocketed the moment the world learned he was the Emperor’s disciple.
“You’re hiding so much, aren't you?”
To the students who entered the Academy specifically to build political connections, Loki was a prize they couldn't afford to ignore.
Of course, the ultimate connection in the Academy was Lucas.
But Lucas was the Crown Prince and the future Emperor. Even for high-ranking nobles, approaching him was a daunting task. A friendship with him was a golden ticket, but a single mistake? That could lead to a family’s ruin. History was full of Emperors who had done exactly that over minor slights.
But Loki?
He was the Emperor’s disciple, yes, but he was also a commoner. He was far more approachable than Lucas. Even if things went south, the risk was significantly lower.
Furthermore, even if the students themselves had no interest in him, nobles were bound to follow their families' orders. Every noble house in the Empire—and likely those from foreign nations—must have sent agents to dig into his past. To them, every scrap of information was a potential weapon.
Johanna hadn't sent anyone to investigate, but she was well aware of the results of those inquiries.
‘No records prior to his enrollment at the Academy.’
She knew this because the members of the Disciplinary Committee had told her.
It wasn't that they had investigated him with the intent of social climbing. They had started digging long before the world knew Loki’s true status.
Their reason was much simpler: Johanna had shown interest in him.
To the Disciplinary Committee—which was, for all intents and purposes, the Johanna Fan Club—this newcomer was a person of extreme interest. Initially, the "Anti-Loki" and "Pro-Loki" factions had engaged in some truly heated debates.
“I mean, he’s a commoner! With Lady Johanna?! Do you honestly think that makes sense?!”
“I’m a commoner too. Want me to tell Lady Johanna you said that?”
“I’m sorry. I take it back.”
“And if we’re talking status, what about that bastard Rophri Alphser? Are you saying Lady Johanna should end up with someone like him?”
“I am a sinner. Please, just kill me now.”
“The commoner thing aside, did you see that mask? No one wearing that can be sane.”
“But did you see how the uniform fits him? He’s got a great build.”
“I heard he’s actually quite talented based on the entrance ceremony.”
“He doesn't doze off in class and works hard. He’s probably smart, too.”
“In the end, doesn't only Lady Johanna’s heart matter?”
And so, the Pro-Loki faction had won the day.
But winning didn't mean they stopped watching. Because they all owed Johanna a debt of gratitude, they investigated Loki just to be safe.
However, when no information could be found, a second meeting was called. These meetings occurred every time Loki did something noteworthy. The 19th meeting had been held recently, following the revelation of his status as the Emperor’s disciple.
“So you’re saying everyone here investigated him and found absolutely nothing? And you call yourselves nobles?”
“You didn't even try to investigate.”
“I’m a commoner! How am I supposed to dig up dirt? What, should I go home and ask my village chief?”
“Sorry.”
“Actually, I did ask him, and he had no idea what I was talking about.”
“………”
“Well, you never know.”
“But isn't it dangerous if there’s no information at all?”
“Like what?”
“Like… what if he’s an assassin who approached Lady Johanna on purpose?”
“While wearing that mask?”
“…Okay, probably not an assassin.”
“Can’t we just tell Lady Johanna we found nothing?”
“And what reason will we give for looking into him?”
“We’ll just say we did it because it seemed like she wanted to recruit him into the Disciplinary Committee.”
Johanna knew something that the Disciplinary Committee and the rest of the world did not.
She knew that before entering the Academy, Loki had been at the Adelian Duchy. He had told her himself, and Duke Freya had confirmed it.
She didn't know what he had done before that, but it didn't matter.
What mattered was the present.
And what mattered most was…
“The one by your side right now is me.”
And she had every intention of staying there for a long, long time.
* * *
After some time had passed, Loki finally woke up. The two moved to a corner of the training ground where they could sit more comfortably.
Instead of Loki’s staff, Johanna was now leaning against the wall, but their proximity remained the same. They sat together, reviewing the details of their duel.
“…The Mobius Cloak?”
“Yes. It’s an artifact that can reflect an opponent’s attack.”
“That’s impressive.”
“It is. Honestly, it’s a great trump card for turning the tables in a crisis, but I can only use it once a day, so I have to be very careful.”
If he used the Mobius Cloak recklessly, he wouldn't have it when he truly needed it.
“I didn't plan on using it at the Academy, but you were just too strong, Senior.”
“Why don't you usually use it?”
“Well, my main strategy is catching people off guard, right? If I show all my cards, that becomes impossible.”
To be honest, he had wanted to hide his illusions, magic tools, and Shadow Step until after graduation, but if he had, he might not have even been admitted to the Academy, let alone the Special Class.
“Anyway, Senior. When are you going to call me Oppa?”
“……Loki, you’re a first-year.”
“Yes, a first-year. Who won the duel.”
“I’m a second-year.”
“I’m aware. And I won the duel.”
“……I’m older than you.”
“I know that too. But I still won the duel.”
“…………”
Loki grinned from ear to ear.
“…Fine. I’ll call you that.”
“Yahoo! You’re not sulking, are you, Senior? A promise is a promise.”
“It’s a fact that I’m older.”
Johanna paused, her face flushing slightly with embarrassment.
“…So, you have to call me Noona, too.”