Chapter 78
Leaving behind that ominous encounter with the unsettling woman, I returned from the bathroom to find our club members gathered together.
“Mars! What took you so… Are you okay? You look pale.”
“Nah, it’s nothing. Just… ran into a weird person.”
Hearing from someone who clearly possessed extraordinary power that she wanted to win just to duel me had drained my energy in an instant. The fighting spirit from a total stranger wasn’t the thrill I’d hoped for.
“Weird how? Should I go beat her up?”
“What am I, five years old…? No, she was just really weird, that’s all.”
I shot back and approached Polo, who was warming up. I slapped a heavy hand on his shoulder.
“M-Mars?”
“Win this. Crush all those powerhouses in your way and show everyone you’re the son of the Count!!”
“Huh? Uh… y-yeah, got it.”
Polo was a bit thrown by my sudden intensity, but he mumbled agreement under the weight of my aura. Satisfied, I let go. If that woman really won and demanded a match with me, I might end up putting on some showy display for the crowd. It wasn’t that I hated dueling—it was just a hassle…
“What, no cheers for us?”
“Of course we’ll cheer. The magic matches are this afternoon, right?”
“Yep. You better not go anywhere—cheer loud!”
“I said I got it~”
The young lady and the princess were competing in the magic division of the Martial Festival. The princess might not take first, but with her solid grasp of magic, she’d put on a good show. And the young lady? Everyone knew she was a magic genius—no worries there. If anything, I pitied whoever got hit head-on by her baptism of spells.
“Polo Helios, please proceed to the waiting area for your next match!”
“Ah, got it!”
Soon, Polo finished prepping under the staffer’s guidance.
“Alright, I’m off.”
“Do your best~”
“Give it everything you’ve got.”
“You can do it!”
“Fighting.”
So many people flooding in… I hate crowded places like this…
Helios Count had sneaked into the academy to check on his son Polo’s preliminaries—and to gauge Mars’s condition. Masked and suppressing his presence, no one noticed him. A few skilled professors seemed to sense something, but pinpointing the world’s pinnacle Aura Lord was impossible.
Weaving through the throng, he claimed a high seat with a clear view of the stage and other stands.
……Next up: a duel between Amor Academy’s Polo Helios and Tse from Hwarim Academy!
There he is.
Ignoring the announcer’s lively voice, he spotted his son entering the stage—and the boy cheering amid a gaggle of girls. Blissfully unaware of the Count, Mars beamed support at Polo from afar.
Even at a distance, the Count’s innate senses pierced Mars’s state. He clicked his tongue.
“Tsk tsk. Slacking on training shows—gained some flab, lost all tension. Even with my presence suppressed to the limit, this oblivious…?”
Seeing his disciple gone soft in the brief time away, the Count resolved to drill some discipline into him during their upcoming special duel.
Clang!Clang!Scraaaape!
“Hmmm… not bad. Textbook Helios swordsmanship.”
The Count appraised his son’s technique with mild disappointment. Polo was strong—blood of his blood, and a fine swordsman. But for some reason, his hidden potential slumbered unawakened, a fatherly regret.
“Not possessed by a heart demon… self-doubt, then. Can’t awaken that for him…”
With his precious son victorious, the Count rose to leave.
“Oh, right—before I go—”
-----!!
In a blink faster than thought, he briefly unveiled his presence. Imagining his disciple trembling in terror, he chuckled and vanished back home. No one knew the continent’s mightiest Aura Lord had visited.
A chill ran down my spine—shiver!
“H-Huh?!”
“What’s wrong, Mars?”
Luna, smoothing the saintess’s rumpled clothes beside me, eyed my sudden shudder curiously. But that familiar sensation left me speechless. I scanned the stands with aura-enhanced eyes before speaking.
“D-Did I imagine it…? Haah…”
“Something bad happen?”
“If you wanna call it that.”
The heart-squeezing dread, the ingrained pain signaling crisis—it was the instinct of a beaten dog, unforgettable.
“Guess I’m just tired. No way that guy would show up here.”
He loathed public spots like this—no reason to come. Maybe for the finals if Polo advanced, but not for prelims. I knew he wouldn’t waste time.
“Ah, Polo won.”
“Duh. Whose kid is he?”
In my distraction, Polo had triumphed, shaking hands with his foe. We nodded knowingly at the announcer praising his upright, resolute swordplay.
I steadied my racing pulse, awaiting Polo’s return.
“I’m back.”
“Good work.”
Polo and I clashed fists briefly—no words needed. Our signature bro-pose swelled my chest with manly pride.
“Hey, Polo. Ever mention the Count coming to the academy?”
“Nah. Told him I was competing, got an ‘okay,’ but no follow-up.”
“Yeah, figured.”
As expected, the Count was an antisocial type who’d skip the hype. If he’d come, he’d drag me off for 100km runs now, weighted down with iron.
Next: Bellum Academy’s Prazia Auros versus Amor Academy’s Melcom Torso!!
“Senior Melcom?”
“You know him?”
“Yeah, upperclassman in our department. Solid fighter—overwhelms with brute force. Tricky to handle.”
Thud. Thud.
The announcer introduced a hulking brute, greatsword slung over his shoulder dwarfing his frame—like a goblin from old tales.
“That a person? Or a gorilla?”
“Young lady. Shh.”
I stifled a laugh at her blunt mutter, noting his overwhelming presence. Those bulging arms screamed power that could crush me.
Not that it matters to me.
Glancing at his opponent—
“Ah.”
Click-clack.
The beauty’s entrance stirred the crowd. Men gawked at her looks; women pitied Melcom’s matchup. But knowing she was the woman I’d just met, I rooted for my senior instead.
Some students grinning at her were likely Bellum Academy folks.
“Wait—the announcer said Prazia?”
“Yes. Know her?”
“Heard rumors. A real dragon-blood from the North—”
Match start! *Whistle!*
BOOM!!!
“—showed up…”
“……”
The duel ended before the princess finished. Melcom slammed into the wall at the whistle, arms unused, embedded like modern art. Prazia stared blankly.
Uh… m-match over! Winner: Bellum Academy’s Prazia Auros!!!
“Waaaaaaah!!”
Amid the presumed Bellum students’ roars, she trudged back to the waiting area. Suddenly, I worried Polo might lose to her.