The Rivalry at the Grand Gathering
The duel ceremony would begin at six o’clock this afternoon in the academy’s main hall, the venue for the grand reception.
Most of the classmates would be there, and the seniors would surely attend as well if their schedules allowed it.
I couldn’t possibly walk into that place with a swollen, throbbing head, so I tested the painkillers that Locke had prepared—one after another.
At first I tried them exactly as instructed: crushed into powder, dissolved in water, and soaked in cloth.
The cold cloth still felt icy against the swollen side of my head, and a pained hiss escaped me before I could stop it.
But after holding it there a bit longer, the throbbing slowly eased, replaced by a pleasant coolness.
*What can I call this? Like wind from a fan blowing into a place where I applied water paste?*
To my surprise, the effect worked.
The areas that had been painfully swollen felt noticeably calmer now.
Just how many times had I bashed my head against something, I wondered, to carry these medicines around everywhere?
I kept the compress going for about thirty minutes, then peeled it away.
Looking into the mirror, I could see the swelling had clearly reduced.
More importantly, the constant aching that had made me want to cry was mostly gone.
The guy who had made such a big deal out of it was right—the effect was real!
I let the medicine settle further, then quickly prepared myself so I wouldn’t be late for the ceremony.
I wasn’t particularly fond of fussing over appearances, but people are judged first by what they look like.
Better to put in some effort and arrive with dignity than show up rumpled and invite unnecessary scorn.
I changed into the formal suit that nobles liked to wear for these kinds of social gatherings and stood before the mirror.
At this level, I could at least hold my head high and proudly declare myself a member of a noble family when I arrived somewhere.
I reached for the doorknob, but my foot suddenly froze mid-step.
This was still an important occasion, yet it felt a little too plain.
*…Should I bring something just in case?*
I hesitated for a moment and then remembered a gift my friend had given me.
A silver pocket watch with an antique charm, elegant and refined, but I had never once taken it out of its case to examine it properly.
I opened the case and took out the watch inside.
It had just the right amount of subtle silver shine—neither too flashy nor lacking.
The engraving on the front and back was well balanced; it naturally conveyed its own quiet beauty.
It would make a fine accessory, so I slipped it into my pocket and left the room.
“Lucian!”
As I stepped outside, Raoul waved and called my name.
Raoul was dressed quite handsomely too. The deep-blue suit suited him perfectly.
He must have known his own vibe was lighthearted, so he deliberately chose that color.
He had even shaved his forehead in a bold, daring style change.
“Did you put in some effort? Is there someone important who might see you?”
“Of course. I have no intention of giving anyone anything to nitpick about on such an important day.”
What else was I supposed to do? I was only trying to look good for Rie.
Give it up, that girl already has someone she likes.
Whoever that person was, it was probably something Lucien couldn’t even imagine.
“But that’s not your concern, is it? You’re looking pretty sharp today too.”
“What? I’m naturally sharp. You’re just sharp for the moment.”
“…Doesn’t that kind of thing give you self-doubt? I would’ve felt it immediately.”
“No, not at all.”
I was telling the truth. I only put in extra effort because I was conscious of Rie. What does it matter if you know the name Lucian but not the name Raoul?
Raoul had dozens of close friends I couldn’t even imagine, let alone a hundred.
The trick was to act like you didn’t care and keep a straight face. I was only stating facts; I hadn’t tried to look my best because I was trying to impress Rie.
“Locke probably went ahead.”
“Probably. The grand reception hall is closer to the martial division building than the literary division one.”
A few meaningless words passed between us.
Of course, I had no intention of talking only about such trivial things until we reached the reception hall.
It wasn’t just a party to drink and have fun. The duel ceremony was, in a way, a social event.
For students like me and Raoul, and for those from commoner backgrounds, it was an extremely important occasion.
It was a place to meet people, talk, form connections, and see how we interacted.
How we did that could determine whether our academy life would be truly enjoyable or merely passable.
“I heard rumors about who was coming today.”
“You already know who the classmates are coming, right? And the seniors?”
“First of all, the third-year martial division ace, Senior Michael Isaac von Israb.”
“Yeah. I was wondering why he wasn’t coming. He always shows up.”
The mercilessly defeated third-year Senior Michael Isaac von Israb.
I didn’t know the details, but if my guess was right, he wasn’t coming with any bad intentions.
He had accepted defeat with a bow to Rie, then thanked me for realizing where I needed to improve and how I should train.
Instead of that, as a martial artist, he probably came to remind the new first-year martial division students of their responsibilities and to offer them guidance whenever they felt stuck.
“And this is just a rumor, but it’s pretty reliable.”
“Why the long delay, Senior Raoul? Just say it already.”
“There’s a third-year senior who’s famous. Not Michael, but the… ‘Witch’ is supposed to come.”
The moment I heard the word witch, my steps halted.
She was coming to the duel ceremony? I’d heard she was the perfect example of a reclusive loner, but really?
The third-year senior who had been so gloomy I heard rumors he might not even be human?
“Senior Nox, that means Senior Nox Babayaga is actually coming.”
“I’m not one hundred percent sure. I just overheard some third-years talking about it.”
“The senior who never left his room-slash-lab before. If that senior is showing up at the duel ceremony, there must be a reason.”
“Then, Lucian, you’re saying Senior Nox Babayaga will definitely appear?”
I nodded at Raoul’s words.
Senior Nox Babayaga, a woman who had once been a commoner rather than a noble like Locke’s father, had her title stripped.
At only eighteen, she had displayed an overwhelming magical talent and become the youngest member ever registered in the Magic Tower.
Yet aside from her talent, she was so introverted that few people had ever seen her face properly—an archetypal reclusive loner.
There was still a story circulating about a prince who had wanted to meet her after she graduated two years ago, only to be rejected without even seeing her face.
If her personality had just been a bit more approachable, she might have received the same spotlight as Rie, but because she was so strange, her talent hadn’t been fully appreciated.
In short, she was a character so peculiar that no single word could describe her.
She was the kind of woman who could become noble gossip, yet no one ever openly discussed her.
Being a member of the Magic Tower at eighteen was far beyond the word “great.”
She might even become the youngest-ever Tower Master.
Every student at the academy knew how foolish it was to poke at such a person and earn her wrath.
‘In a situation like that, the story of Senior Nox attending the duel ceremony probably meant she had wanted to participate and it had somehow spread among the others.’
I had heard similar stories from friends at the Magic Tower.
I didn’t know what she was thinking, but I did know one thing for certain: her skill was beyond any mage at the academy.
“Rumors say she never shows her face at any official academy event. Do you think she’ll really come?”
“You’ll find out when you see her. Anyway, it’s an unexpected heavyweight showing up. What about the other seniors?”
“I don’t know the rest. But since it’s a duel ceremony, the student council president probably won’t be there.”
I hadn’t expected this much. It was fortunate I had decided to attend.
As Raoul and I headed toward the grand reception hall, we continued our conversation, until suddenly the boy stopped dead in his tracks and lightly shoved my back.
“Why? What is it?”
“Lucian. I’m sacrificing my friend’s happy time for your sake. Remember that.”
“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Later, when you ask Rie for help, tell her you need some time to exchange swords again.”
The moment a name left his mouth, I finally understood the situation.
Right ahead, pacing as if she were waiting for someone, was Rie.
No, I had barely noticed her, but how had this guy spotted her so easily?
I was about to ask if he had some Rie-detection skill when Raoul had already slipped into the grand reception hall, circling around from afar.
Thanks to memories that had begun to fade, the scene was once again crystal clear.
The memory of a situation I hadn’t expected at all, accompanied by a woman I had never imagined.
Rie’s warm breath, the soft plumpness of her lips.
The smooth skin that seemed to melt, the secret place that grew damp and glistening…
Pull yourself together. This was then. This is now.
I wasn’t even the first person to feel awkward after getting too close, yet why did it keep happening?
I took another step forward, and only then did Rie notice me and hurry over.
I could see the effort she was putting into choosing the right words and the right expression.
“Were you waiting for someone?”
“Huh? Ah… yes. I was waiting…?”
“The answer ‘I was waiting’ sounds like the person who finally came has made waiting unnecessary.”
“N-no, I suppose so. Yes, that’s right.”
“Let’s go in quickly. The more we stand here, the more people will notice.”
Rie had deliberately referred to me as her rival so that I wouldn’t feel burdened and could remain close.
So I had planned to play along with the rivalry, then at some point shift it into a story of two people whose eyes had met.
Starting off as lovers from the very beginning would surely cause endless gossip from all sides.
It might be better to play this teasing game until one of us fell for the other.
*…No. There must be something else.*
There was a world of difference between starting as rivals and starting as lovers, but today, since Rie had nearly cracked my skull, it was probably fine to stand this close.
To others, it would simply look like a girl apologizing and a boy accepting.
“Is your head feeling better?”
“It was about to split open! Look. The swelling hasn’t gone down at all.”
“S-sorry. I was too careless…”
“No. It was my own foot that tripped me. And I think some of what you said was reasonable too.”
“Huh?”
“I tried, but I only went as far as I could go. You’re right—there was never a single time I pushed myself to the absolute limit, right up to the brink of death.”
In novels, the word ‘wall’ always appeared.
When you broke that wall or crossed it, you could finally surpass your own limits and become stronger.
That was something that only happened in stories or comics, not in real life.
Pushing your body to its absolute limit? That wasn’t crossing a wall; it was crossing a river.
The River of Death.
Even here, I didn’t need to push my body to the limit to survive.
So there was never a time when I had tried as desperately as Rie, or when I had pressed me as harshly.
“Thank you for the advice. Thanks to you, I think about it again.”
“…I’m glad. Thank you for saying that. And… I’m sorry.”