Heart to Heart
How does that bastard Barkan have the nerve to say something like that with a straight face?
I blurted it out without thinking, but now it’s so cringeworthy that my whole body shudders on its own.
Of course, I didn’t let any of it show.
I’m not cut out to be that guy.
If I were a true superstar, I’d have to savor even this kind of embarrassment. It made me realize why manufactured stars could never become the real thing.
I quickly slipped out of the arena.
But then—
“Hey, Undefeated Nemesis.”
“Ah, I’m Ethan Lukidus, Reaper of the North. King of the North. You? Just wait right there.”
Why were these two walking comedy acts here?
The duo greeted me with a bizarre routine they’d clearly rehearsed.
“You were incredible! Undefeated Nemesis!”
“As expected from the Reaper of the North. Declaring war on the king himself—what a legend.”
“...Could you please stop?”
Aelin and Yubel burst out laughing at the same time.
“Where did you even hear that nonsense?”
After winning their fifth and sixth matches, the pair had gone on to claim victory in the eighth and ninth rounds as well.
Since their bouts had ended before mine, I assumed they’d already left.
“Saw it in the waiting room. You’re my next opponent, after all.”
Yubel pointed straight at me.
“If you saw it in the waiting room, how did you manage to come out and—”
“The second I heard what you were saying, I headed straight for the arena. Had to tease you.”
“You came up with that whole skit in under three minutes?”
“I’ve done plenty of this before.”
Yubel shrugged.
“You really know how to enjoy life.”
“Hmm. Seems like I’m the only one enjoying it, though.”
Yubel jerked his chin toward Aelin. I looked over and saw her sunk in despair, clutching her head and tearing at her hair.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“Her next opponent is that guy, remember?”
Ah.
Now that I thought about it, if I faced Yubel, Aelin would naturally end up matched against Barkan.
But damn, that stung my pride.
Didn’t that mean she saw me as a step below Barkan?
“It’s not like that. You look like the type who’d go easy on someone because of their face. That man seems like a genuine cold-blooded bastard.”
“If I keep up the acting, I could switch over to cold-blooded myself.”
“Don’t make it too scary, okay?”
Yubel waved his hands with an easy laugh, trying to placate me.
“I should get going. Might as well comfort her while I’m at it.”
Yubel spoke as he gently guided the dazed Aelin away.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Let’s have a good fight. Even though I said all that, don’t actually go easy on me.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“But don’t go too hard, either.”
“I’ll make sure to go hard.”
“Hah…”
With that final exchange, the noisy duo finally left.
They look good together.
Wearing a satisfied smile, I brought up the holographic window and scrolled through the list of events, looking for anything worth doing.
Maybe I’ll stop here for today.
There was a limit of ten events per person.
I had already cleared five today alone.
Factoring in the mandatory Tail-Chasing event, I only had four slots left. If I pushed any further today, I’d end up with nothing to do for the rest of the White Night Festival.
What should I do?
I considered finding Linea and Isana, but both of them had their own schedules.
That meant I had to come up with something to do by myself.
The professors and my masters are probably busy too.
Who could I meet?
Maybe I should just wander alone.
With those thoughts swirling in my head, I strolled through the academy grounds. As I walked wherever my feet carried me, a glimpse of flowing platinum-blonde hair caught my eye.
Even though it was tightly wrapped in a robe, my eyes weren’t fooled.
I crept up quietly and tapped her on the back.
“Nice to see you.”
“Eek?!”
Seris jumped in surprise and staggered backward.
She clapped a hand over her mouth and frantically scanned our surroundings.
Luckily the noise pollution from every direction was so loud that no one else had heard.
“W-what the—Ethan!”
Once she confirmed it was only me, Seris dropped the polite speech.
“Why would you scare me like that out of nowhere!”
“It reminded me of last time we met.”
“E-even so, don’t scare me… My heart can’t take it…”
“Understood.”
“Follow me first.”
I followed Seris into a damp back alley.
It wasn’t particularly clean, but with no people around, it was the perfect secluded spot.
“Is wandering around back alleys in a robe some kind of hobby of yours?”
“Of course not…!”
“I seem to remember you doing exactly this before.”
“I can’t let my identity be discovered. I have to endure the creepiness. At least the barrier keeps my body from actually getting dirty.”
Seris shuddered as if the very thought disgusted her.
Her words and her body language were saying completely different things.
“...Don’t look at me like that. Creepy is still creepy.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your eyes looked suspicious.”
“You’re hardly in a position to call anyone’s eyes suspicious.”
“So you’re saying you didn’t think anything at all?”
“Should I tell you that I judged you as a two-faced person whose words and actions don’t match, or should I keep it to myself?”
“So you did think it!”
Seris planted both hands on her hips, fully entering displeased mode.
“Have you gathered many points?”
“Fewer than you, obviously.”
Seris answered curtly, then added in a small voice.
“...Four hundred points.”
“That’s quite a lot.”
That put her firmly in the upper ranks.
Most people couldn’t even gather five hundred points by the time the White Night Festival ended.
It wasn’t a number that required hesitation. She could have said it with confidence.
“What about you?”
“Seven hundred.”
It wasn’t an overwhelming lead since I had only received points for participating in the integrated tournament. Once I factored in the championship and Tail-Chasing, the number would skyrocket.
“Doesn’t that mean you’re in first place?”
“I am.”
“Sigh. Who else would take first if not you?”
Seris let out a small laugh.
“Since we’ve run into each other like this, want to do some events together?”
“I decided to stop for today.”
“Tsk.”
“If you’ve already gathered four hundred points, you must be close to the event limit too.”
Flinch—
Seris’s reaction was so perfect it was as if the onomatopoeia had materialized in real life.
“I don’t have many left either. But… I really want to do some with you. If not today, who knows when I’ll get another chance.”
“Then let’s do Tail-Chasing together. It’s on the last day, and I’m planning to participate for sure.”
“Tail-Chasing? It’s worth mandatory participation?”
Seris opened the event window and scrolled through it with her finger.
When she saw the reward for winning Tail-Chasing, her eyes widened.
“Why does Tail-Chasing give five hundred points for first place? That’s integrated-tournament level.”
“The scale is huge. Just like the integrated tournament, participation itself is restricted.”
The requirement for entering Tail-Chasing was to be in the top five percent of the overall White Night Festival point rankings.
It wasn’t quite as strict as the integrated tournament, but the conditions were still brutal.
“It sounds really difficult. Just how large is the event?”
“It’s a pursuit battle across an artificial forest and sea.”
If the crowd favorite was the integrated tournament, then Tail-Chasing was the academy’s personally backed grand finale.
Not everyone in the top five percent will join.
It had the atmosphere of a high-stakes exhibition match, so most people were staying quiet about it. Unless their ranking was on the line by a single tick, they’d probably avoid participating.
I was only joining because it looked fun.
“Alright. As long as I can participate with you, Ethan, I’m happy with anything.”
“This is a competition, you know.”
“Just being able to do it together with you already means something.”
“I see.”
It was a satisfying answer.
What pleased me wasn’t that the saintess had shown me favor—it was that Seris had said those words to me.
Hmm.
The smell, however, was far from satisfying.
The shabby stench of the back alley refused to let me grow used to it.
Cursing my useless nose, I suggested to Seris that we should leave soon.
But for some reason she seemed reluctant to exit the alley.
“Can’t you just avoid letting your identity be discovered?”
“Actually the identity isn’t the problem… it’s scary.”
“Scary? Explain in detail.”
While separated from me, her escort, Seris had been under the protection of the Holy Empire.
It felt suspicious, but right now the Holy Empire had no reason to harm her.
“They don’t touch me. But their gazes are strange. It’s not dirty or ugly—it’s that they treat me too well.”
“Too well?”
“It goes beyond normal consideration for a saintess. They keep praising me as the only saintess who accompanied the hero and even talk about erecting a statue…”
“Hmm. That is strange.”
Kindness without a price should always be viewed with caution.
Especially since Seris and I had already interfered with the Holy Empire’s plans.
“That’s why I’ve been running around alone under the excuse of experiencing the events by myself. I have no idea what they’re plotting.”
“You did well. Just in case, I’ll stay with you today. Even if we run into the Holy Empire’s delegation, I have the justification of being your escort.”
“Thank you.”
Seris breathed a sigh of relief.
I’m uneasy.
Something suspicious was in the air.
A rotten taste that stimulated my instincts lingered on my tongue.
This White Night Festival.
It didn’t feel like things would flow smoothly at all.
You felt the Pandemonium?
That’s right. I can’t be completely certain, but it was definitely…
You’re the one who told me the Pandemonium collapsed that day.
But…
The usual relaxed air in the demon’s voice had completely vanished.
Katrina frowned.
Whenever the demon reacted like this, it always brought troublesome matters with it.
Just how much more would it torment her this time?
Katrina suddenly clutched her throbbing head.
She had never tried it before, but she felt like smoking a cigar.
That woman’s aura is no joke. Her festering wound could burst at any moment.
Stop circling around and explain it properly. What do you want?
We must obtain that child. Without fail.
The demon spoke with strong conviction.
It was rare for her to display this much determination.
Ethan? That was already the plan.
We need to move the plan forward. If we follow the original schedule, it will be too late.
When do you want to do it?
After the White Night Festival ends. That would be ideal.
She imagined it.
After the White Night Festival, the sight of herself having surpassed every other woman.
The image of her lovely husband craving only her.
Not bad.
For the first time in her life, Katrina and the demon’s opinions were in perfect sync.