Midnight Confession and Morning Warmth
The sensations were strangely different from those I had grown used to every morning.
Suddenly, a sweet scent brushed against my nose, and a gentle tickling sensation caressed my cheek. I slowly opened my eyes.
Right in front of me, Rie was breathing slowly and deeply, fast asleep.
Her hair, shimmering like threads of gold, floated across my cheek, and it felt anything but annoying.
“…”
I stared at Rie for a moment, then—without realizing it—reached out my hand.
I carefully stroked her cheek, wondering if this was all just a dream.
There was no thought in my mind to belittle myself. Rie was a far greater woman than I would ever be.
That I had truly spent the night with a woman like her, and that we had even exchanged promises for a future… it still felt almost unbelievable. And deep down, my heart was fluttering, so a smile naturally rose to my lips.
“Umm…”
Ah, what a fool I am. I should have just lightly touched her cheek instead of stroking it for so long.
I hurriedly pulled my hand away and waited for Rie to fall back asleep, but…
“What are you doing…?”
Even in her sleepy haze, Rie asked in a voice still thick with sleep.
She must have been woken by the sensation of my hand on her cheek.
“Sorry. Did I wake you?”
“Yeah… I woke up, but… I’m fine…”
As she whispered that, Rie suddenly twisted her body this way and that, then burrowed into my arms with a sluggish motion.
Afterward, she rubbed her cheek against my chest and let out another deep, even breath.
“…Lucian.”
“Yeah.”
“Are we going to get married?”
“Of course.”
It was such an obvious question that I didn’t even need a moment to consider it.
I had fallen completely for Rie now, and after sharing my body with her, it was only fair that I should bear the responsibility.
“…Thank you. I was worried you might hesitate for some reason.”
“There’s no way I’d hesitate. I’m not a fool, and I know perfectly well that we’re not just having a one-night fling. Why would I hesitate to answer? That would be like beating me with a stick. No, I should just eat a month of chocolate restrictions.”
“Whoa. A month of chocolate restrictions. Is that for real? I can’t believe it.”
Of course it was for real. Why wouldn’t it be? I would never let anyone impose a month-long chocolate ban on me.
I wasn’t some weak-willed protagonist from some other world, nor was I some shameless bastard. I had more than enough resolve not to do anything that would make a woman burst with excitement.
I had seen far too many men who prepared a full table of food and still kicked it all away. I had no intention of doing anything like that.
“Umm…”
“Are you thirsty?”
“Yeah. Just a little…”
“Wait here. I’ll go get some water.”
I had run around like that from last night until the wee hours, so I was bound to be thirsty.
I was certain I had burned through far more stamina than a normal sword practice session would.
I poured water into a cup, handed it to Rie, and then sat on the edge of the bed, letting my thoughts wander.
Of course, I had expected swordsmanship and magic to be my top two subjects. The rest of the lectures had also placed me first, so I had officially claimed first place in the entire first-year Literary Division.
With that, I could easily stand as a rival to Rie—the so-called academy genius.
There was no longer any reason to hear anyone say, “Why is Lucian even rivaling Rie?”
What remained was simply becoming more familiar with mana manipulation and polishing my swordsmanship just a bit further.
I wasn’t trying to become a knight or a swordsman like Rie, nor was I aiming to be a mage.
I didn’t have a clear dream yet, but one thing was certain.
Besides the theoretical parts I studied at my desk, a new option had opened up in other areas!
“What are you thinking about so intensely?”
Rie set the cup down and rose from the bed, quietly approaching my side.
In response to her question, I instinctively turned my head sideways, then let out a soft groan without realizing it.
Since she had only just woken up, Rie was still completely naked.
I hadn’t noticed it before when I was half-asleep, but in this clear, rational state of mind—surrounded by the morning sunlight instead of moonlight or artificial light—Rie radiated an almost holy aura, as if a saint had descended from the heavens.
How beautiful and sacred her appearance was.
For a moment, I wondered if I had really forced myself on her.
“Lucian?”
“Ah, sorry. I was just thinking about the past and what’s to come.”
“Thinking about the past…”
“Really, the absolute worst time of my life. A time when I couldn’t even do a single technique in swordsmanship and couldn’t manage even the tiniest bit of mana manipulation.”
At that, Rie swatted me.
It was a time with no relevance anymore, and she had grown so much more powerful than back then. Why would she try to belittle herself like that?
“It’s not like that. It wasn’t some lonely pit-digging thing you’re thinking of. I’m calm now.”
“Then…”
“While remembering those worst moments of the past, I’ve decided I’ll never go back to that place. My source of resolve is to move far, far ahead—upward. It’s not always the smoothest path, but it certainly gives me a good kick in the butt.”
As I spoke, Rie stared at me for a moment, then suddenly hugged me from behind.
The soft, warm sensation of her breasts pressed against my back, and I couldn’t help but shiver.
“You’re allowed to be a little arrogant, Lucian. You have every right to be.”
“I’m plenty arrogant already. I hear my friends teasing me about it all the time.”
“…Who said that?”
“That’s…”
Just as I was about to blurt out Raoul’s or Locke’s names, I instinctively clamped my mouth shut and remained silent.
If their names had slipped out, I was certain Rie would exact some incredibly cute revenge on both of them.
Instead, I quickly changed the subject before she could ask who had said that.
“Speaking of which, I heard the Duke Hanniel is coming to the academic festival.”
“…Yes. That’s right.”
As I returned to serious conversation, Rie immediately dropped her casual tone and reverted to proper honorifics.
It was fine to speak casually with her, but she insisted on that formal demeanor. I thought she must be tired of living like this.
“Did the Duke mention any specific person he’s sponsoring this time? I suddenly got curious.”
“I’m not sure. I don’t think I asked him about that part. But lately, Lebechia has been pouring a lot of effort into training mages, right?”
“Exactly.”
Magic here wasn’t just some transcendent power gained by wielding mana.
There was the academic field of Magicology itself, and the grand organization known as the Magic Tower that researched it. Magic functioned as a true discipline.
It was probably somewhere between mathematics and science—precisely, physics.
Of course, mages didn’t just cast magic freely.
They engaged in all kinds of research, and even worked in places where magic seemed unnecessary.
From what I heard, the quality of mages directly reflected a nation’s national power. As the empire that wanted to become the center of the continent, Lebechia had no choice but to focus heavily on mage training.
“In other words, Rie, you’re saying the Duke Hanniel will take notice of those who show talent in magic?”
“I think so. But why did you suddenly ask?”
“Most third- and fourth-year seniors are already being sponsored. On the other hand, many of our freshman and second-year seniors probably haven’t been sponsored yet.”
“Ah… Are you planning to do some more of that networking thing?”
“It’s not really networking. I just want to make acquaintances around me. People are good at gossiping about strangers, but it’s much harder to talk badly about people you know. My goal isn’t to make friends; it’s to reduce my enemies by one, no matter what.”
“…That seems like an over-analysis, Lucian. Why would they ever be hostile toward you?”
It was the natural thing to think.
But the human heart was incredibly mischievous and sometimes strange.
When someone was praised for being outstanding, people would somehow get a grudge and say weird things without realizing it.
The problem was that such things spread and distorted into completely different forms from the original.
Worse, people believed those distorted, absurd versions even more.
Spicy things were more stimulating, more delicious—people always chased after the rumor-mingled spice rather than the mild.
“Preparing isn’t a bad idea. I’m not buying weapons or hoarding grain. It’s just that I want to get to know the faces of the people who will probably take one piece after another.”
“…If that leads to girls getting entangled around you…”
Why was I always worrying about that? It turned out it was all because of that!!
I rested my chin on my hand and felt certain it would never happen.
It was true that wherever one looked, someone with good abilities, high family status, and good looks was surrounded by girls. But that was always done while watching the other person.
I was certain that even if girls were interested in me, the moment they saw Rie standing beside me, they would probably think, “This doesn’t seem right,” and quickly turn away.
First, the Hanniel Dukedom—the noble house Lebechia respected most—was where Rie would one day become the next Duke Hanniel as his successor.
And besides that, Rie could already fight knights and invoke sword aura.
If she took just one more step—very, very small—she would reach the realm of **Sword Master**.
“I heard the youngest Sword Master was in his early thirties, but…”
Rie was aiming to reach it in her early twenties.
Not only was she excellent in swordsmanship, but she was perfect in magic and every other aspect.
Looking at it this way, it seemed the very game itself wouldn’t even stand a chance against other girls.
“If I let my guard down, it means I’m either crazy or that’s not me.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. So hit me. Then either I’ll snap back to my senses, or the imposter will confess. I bet it’ll be one of those two.”
“Okay. If you say that, I can believe you. But if you really do let your guard down, I’ll make sure you never eat chocolate again. Got it?”
…Whoa. I felt like I had just heard something extremely creepy and scary.
A chill ran down my arm, so I must have heard correctly.
Not a month, not a year, forever—no chocolate. Would I even survive that?
But the other way around, it meant that as long as I didn’t let my guard down, none of that would ever happen.
While leaning on my back and sharing warmth, I thought about everything I needed to do at this academic festival.
First, meeting the Duke Hanniel was a given.
Next, I wasn’t sure if it was possible, but I should contact Sir Edwin first.
Finally, I should make the acquaintance of those who were quite proficient in magic.
“How much work there is. If I’m not careful, it might be busier than midterms.”
With a sigh, I turned my head slightly, and a silver watch casually placed on the table caught my eye.
Speaking of which, I needed to meet that acquaintance again.
I had thought it was just a nice watch, but I never imagined it was actually Veizsäcker’s creation.
I wanted to ask where he had gotten it from and why he hadn’t told me earlier.
“Eek.”
My body suddenly lurched backward and I fell.
The weight of Rie, who had been leaning on me, was too much for me to handle.
Just as I was about to ask why, I could only let out a sigh while looking up at the ceiling.
…And it turned out today was still a weekend.
Rie’s soft, warm body pressed against my back, and the gentle rise and fall of her breathing reminded me that this was no dream.
I had once believed the world was divided—genius and ordinary, talent and mediocrity. But Rie had changed that for me. She had turned my limitations into fuel and my doubts into determination.
Now I understood that true strength wasn’t about raw power or perfect rankings. It was about choosing to face every challenge head-on, even when the path felt impossible.
And I had chosen her. Not as a rival, but as my equal—my partner, my future, my everything.
The sun climbed higher, painting the room in golden light. I closed my eyes again, savoring the moment before the world demanded its due.