Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Wolf Daniel
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I'd seen him beat Ares, but this felt strange.
A match that left me wondering if the guy had fought in earnest or just lost without even trying his full strength.
Whatever the case, it was a duel with Elise that I couldn't tell if it was luck or her hiding her true skill.
I raised my sword without much pressure, and our duel began just like that.
Students usually exchanged a few blows to gauge each other before really going at it, but I wasn't one for that.
Dealing with students who were all about the same level anyway.
I had no intention of dragging it out, so I gripped my sword tightly and charged right in.
"Hm?"
Back when I trained in the Demon Realm Forest, I'd swung my sword underwater a few times.
It felt just like that.
I swung, but it didn't connect.
Elise smoothly deflected my blade as if dancing, then twisted her body for a counterattack.
I hadn't paid close attention to her spars before, naturally because she wasn't much different from the other students.
But the moment I saw her movements now, I realized it.
She's been hiding her strength?
If so, that meant she hadn't just lucked out against Ares.
She'd beaten him with pure skill.
I had no idea why she'd suddenly revealed it, but it probably wasn't just to claim top spot in the practical exam.
"You seem lost in thought?"
With a small laugh, Elise kept swinging her sword.
Not fast, not slow. Her swordplay resembled a waltz with a partner at a royal ball, but that didn't make it any less threatening.
She handles such intricate swordsmanship at this level?
I could chalk it up to her natural talent, but I also glimpsed traces of top-tier instruction drilled into her from a young age.
Her veiled background piqued my curiosity, but...
"You've mastered some tricky swordwork."
"Oh? Do you think so?"
"Still, that's as far as it goes."
With a sharp clink!, Elise's sword sliced through the air and clattered to the ground.
No matter how impressive her swordsmanship.
She was still just an 18-year-old student.
"Winner: Daniel McClein."
I'd claimed the top spot among the third-years, but a nagging unease wouldn't fade.
Even in defeat, Elise smiled as she gazed at me intently.
"As expected, you're amazing."
"If you wanted to spar with me, you could've just said so. No need to make it to the finals."
"Oh my, what are you saying?"
She covered her mouth with her hand and laughed delicately. I'd probed just once, and it hit the mark.
"Vacation's starting now. Got any plans?"
"Yeah, I do."
A trip to Yggdrasil.
Elise nodded with a seductive smile that felt like temptation itself, letting out a soft hum.
What the...?
My instincts screamed a warning, but I couldn't exactly grill her over nothing, so I let it slide.
*
The duels ended, and vacation began.
Most students headed home or off on trips, but not everyone.
Take Tana Christa, for example.
As a branch member of Meias, one of the kingdom's most prestigious houses, she had no desire to return to that suffocating family.
After graduation, she'd be leashed to them for life anyway.
She had two years left and planned to stay far away if possible.
It'd be great if Eve or Daniel stuck around too.
She imagined the three of them hanging out this break. How fun would that be?
For Tana, her recent life with friends was the happiest in her 18 years.
Come to think of it, I wasn't a total outcast.
Back then, May bullied her for liking Ares, leading to intentional isolation, but Tana had always been bright and sociable.
Once she befriended Daniel and Eve, she didn't need others and had no interest in reconnecting with those who'd turned away.
"Hm? Tana, not packing?"
Gazing out the dormitory hallway window, she saw Eve emerge from her room, dragging a packed bag.
The heavy load suggested a trip home.
"Nah, I'm staying in the dorm."
"Really? Any reason?"
"No, not really... Just don't feel like going."
Saying she had nowhere to go sounded too much like a runaway teen wallowing in self-pity.
Eve pondered Tana's awkward reply before cautiously suggesting,
"Wanna come with me? Staying cooped up in the dorm all break sounds boring."
"Huh?"
An unexpected offer.
Tana hesitated, then probed slyly.
"You sure it's okay?"
"Of course! My little siblings will love you!"
"W-wait then! I'll pack right now!"
Suddenly headed on a trip, Tana grinned widely as she rushed to pack.
Humming a tune while waiting, she spotted a blond guy ascending to the fourth floor.
Ares Helias.
He chatted and waved to the swarm of girls but scanned around like he was searching for someone. Eve knew exactly who.
"Rin's already gone."
"What? Gone?"
"Yeah, she left with Daniel for Yggdrasil."
"Say what?"
Ares gaped in disbelief.
He'd assumed his hometown buddies were heading back together, so he scowled in disappointment and tromped back down the stairs.
Tana, packing in her room, must've overheard, as she peeked out and asked,
"Daniel and Rin left together?"
"Yep, they told me earlier."
Tana eyed Eve with a peculiar look.
Finally, she asked the flustered Eve,
"You just let that happen? You like Daniel."
"Pardon?"
Eve hadn't expected the topic, but she didn't deny it outright.
"It's fine if they travel together? What if they start dating this break?"
"Oh, that's okay."
Eve smiled as she replied.
"He just turned me down."
"...What?"
Tana's hands froze mid-pack, and she stepped into the hall, baffled by Eve's words.
But Eve calmly explained.
"I didn't confess, but he must've noticed. He politely said he had someone he liked already."
"..."
"With the break separating us, he hoped I'd sort out my feelings. He wants to stay friends, knows it's selfish, and said to speak up if I'm uncomfortable."
"But..."
Tana floundered, mouth agape, unable to respond.
Eve framed it as unavoidable, but from Tana's view, it made no sense.
Tana was the girl who'd burned with passion like no other.
She'd aggressively pursued Ares without even getting jealous when he hung out with Daniel, another guy!
Of course, those feelings had faded by now.
Still, to Tana—the aggressively romantic girl—Eve's attitude was incomprehensible.
She'd lost without a fight.
And accepted it?
So calmly?
Does Eve not like Daniel that much?
No, that didn't fit. Tana had watched them closer than anyone.
Something's off.
Once that clicked, suspicions piled up.
Tana knew Daniel's skyrocketing popularity—and so did Eve.
Rin no longer hid her obsessive attachment.
May brazenly flirted without shame.
She'd seen Adriana try to kiss him.
And Eris with that campfire vibe.
Through it all, Eve acted like an uninvolved bystander.
Her crush tangled with all those girls, and no reaction?
Something was wrong with Eve.
Resolved, Tana grabbed her bags and declared,
"This break's gonna be busy."
"Huh? Really?"
"Yeah. Let's do our best."
Eve, the book-loving girl.
Since the sexual harassment trauma, she'd unknowingly built defenses around romance.
Like immersing in a book.
Treating her reality as mere pages.
Reading a romance, you don't get jealous of the heroine when the hero wavers—the reader might, but not her.
Eve had become a mere reader on her own love frontlines.
And her best friend, Tana Christa, vowed to heal her heart this break.
*
Clatter clatter
I'd packed light, so I tried sleeping in the carriage hugging my bag, but the bumpy road—or lousy driver—jolted me awake.
Inside the carriage bound for the village nearest Yggdrasil.
Not just me—Rin and Hayun were along too.
Bringing Rin was a no-brainer.
Where else would I park this ticking time bomb?
Out of sight, she'd fire the humanity-ending signal flare.
She'd gotten a Yggdrasil recommendation from Professor Vertio, so she could tag along.
Hayun was unexpected, but disowned by her family, she struggled even with dorm fees over break.
I suggested tagging along to learn swordsmanship, and she gladly accepted.
Truth is, traveling alone with Rin scared me.
Her face when she first mistook it for a solo trip? Might haunt my dreams tonight.
"Yggdrasil, huh? Good friends you got."
I smiled back at Hayun's grinning remark, but my mind wasn't at ease.
Eve's okay, right?
She'd responded numbly like it was someone else's issue, but it still bugged me.
I'd tried telling May to buck up too, but she'd already been dragged home by the Dean.
And Rin...
I'll make it clear on this trip.
Because the goal is telling Eris.
This time, I'll...
What to say?
As I psyched myself up inwardly, no words came—until May's blunt line bubbled up.
'I'm gonna seduce you!'
I yelled it in my head, then flushed and buried my face in my hands.