Rematch with Winston

The bustling arena. I make my entrance. Behold, I have descended.

Me, handsome?

I tried to just brush it off, but my lips twitched at the unfamiliar compliment. In all twenty-six years of Kim Geundae's life, "handsome" was a word that had never once been directed at him.

Shrugging my shoulders, I stepped onto the arena stage and began to stretch. Just then, the announcement for Winston Arcadia's entrance echoed through the stadium.

...For some reason, hearing Winston get cheered made my stomach turn. To think the bastard who hurt Ronia was receiving this kind of applause. I would make absolutely sure to toy with him and leave him in utter ruin.

Thud, thud. Winston slowly climbed the steps and spoke to me.

"To think I would get the chance to face you again. It truly is a stroke of heaven's luck."

"I think so too, young lord. After all, it means I get to beat you to a pulp once more."

"...Your attitude hasn't changed a bit since then. I'm relieved."

Winston cracked his neck, swept his hair back, and sneered.

"As the son of a mere adventurer, you should have stayed in your place, scraping up whatever crumbs fell your way. What could a brute from a family of mercenaries possibly know of true nobility?"

Is this bastard seriously trying to provoke me with that? Why do these nobles always say the exact same things? There must be some kind of "Commoner-Despising Utopia" where they all get their scripts.

"I know my place perfectly well, thank you. But why did you sweep your hair back like that? Did you have some kind of mid-life crisis after getting dumped by Lady Verdia?"

"How do you know about that?!"

Winston's face contorted like a demon's.

"A handsome face like yours will get wrinkled if you scowl like that..."

I kept responding to his provocations. No, actually, I provoked him even harder.

"But you know, I don't think Lady Verdia has any interest in you at all. When I saw her the other day, her eyes... Haha, oops. Maybe I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shouldn't have said that?"

"......"

Winston's mouth flapped open and shut like a fish. Honestly, if you're going to start a verbal spat, you should at least have some decent banter. Don't pick a fight you can't win. Has he never heard of that saying? What a foolish young lord.

Following my relentless teasing, a brief silence fell over the arena, and the referee opened his mouth.

"Begin!"

The moment the match started, a magic circle formed beneath my feet, and ice began to creep up my legs.

"First, I shall seal those annoying movements of yours."

"......"

This is the grand strategy he came up with? Honestly, I was deeply disappointed. It's not like I'm some half-baked amateur...

Crash! I coated my entire body in Aura and effortlessly shattered the ice. Winston's eyes went wide.

"How did you break free? That was a 5-Circle spell!"

I didn't bother answering his question. I merely offered him a bright, cheerful smile.

Whoosh! In an instant, I flashed behind Winston and slammed my scabbard into the back of his head.

"You bastard!"

Winston frantically began drawing magic circles again. Countless chunks of ice and jagged frost spikes flew toward me. The arena floor turned into a veritable skating rink, leaving absolutely no stable footing.

"This place is my domain now! There is nothing you can do!"

Does he think the world revolves around him? Winston was completely failing to read the situation. Seriously, has he never heard of "Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will find victory in a hundred battles"? He only knows himself, but knows nothing of his opponent.

Shring. I drew Aeterna, conjuring a fierce gale that swept away the ice and frost blanketing the arena.

"W-What is the meaning of this?!"

Moving my newly freed feet without a moment's pause, I began drumming on the back of Winston's head with my scabbard like a hyperactive percussionist.

"Haha! I realize this every time, but this part is always the most fun."

"Urgh! Ice Area!"

Crack! The ground froze rapidly, radiating outward from Winston. Taking advantage of the moment I slipped and lost my balance, he immediately began drawing another magic circle.

"Ice Age!"

Boom! A massive block of ice crashed down, completely enveloping me. My limbs were bound, rendering me unable to move, and my breath escaped in frosty plumes. My fingers grew numb, as if gripped by severe frostbite.

I could finally see why Lutera had lost. The 5-Circle realm was not something an eighteen-year-old mage should normally be able to achieve.

Crack. Craaaack.

"No way...!"

Boom! Channeling Aura into Aeterna, I unleashed a raging tempest. The ice encasing me shattered into a million glittering shards, and a biting, merciless gale swept across the entire arena.

I grinned widely and threw another jibe at Winston.

"By any chance, do you know what 'bingsu' is? Your ice would make the perfect shaved ice dessert."

"B-Bingsu?! You insolent bastard!"

Fortunately, it seemed shaved ice existed in this world too, judging by how beautifully the provocation landed.

I flexed my triceps to their absolute limit. I gripped the hilt of Aeterna, now brimming with Aura, so tightly that it felt as if the handle might shatter. And then... I swung.

KABOOM!

Worthy of a 6-Star master, the strike didn't just send Winston flying—it completely shattered the blue protective barrier surrounding the arena.

A brief silence descended.

Through the suffocatingly quiet arena, the announcer's voice boomed like thunder.

I walked over to Winston, who was collapsed on the ground, wheezing hoarsely.

"Young lord, have you ever heard the phrase 'There is always a heaven above heaven'? There is always someone better out there. I suggest you look up at the sky and realize exactly where you stand."

Whoosh! I conjured a light breeze to sweep away the surrounding frost. Then, without looking back, I waved my right hand and walked out of the arena.

The moment I stepped outside, Ronia, who had been waiting for me, wrapped her arms tightly around me.

"You must be cold, right? Let me warm you up."

The sensation pressing against my chest... it was even more distinct than last time. I would probably never forget this feeling for the rest of my life. It was a beautiful sensation that I had never experienced in either my past life or my current one.

...I'll leave what kind of sensation it was to your imagination.

"I'm fine now. Thanks to you, Lady Ronia, I feel much warmer."

"Right? I'm glad I could share my warmth with you too."

As Ronia and I were sharing this sweet moment, Line arrived.

"Hound! I watched your match!"

Line ran straight over, threw her arms around me, and clung to me. Then, she began sniffing my neck.

"Lady Line? Doing this so suddenly is a bit..."

But Line smells so good too... The alluring scent wafting from her flowing hair was a highly dangerous stimulant for Hound, who was currently at a very hot-blooded age.

"W-What do you think you're doing?!" Ronia shrieked.

"He's going to be my husband in the future anyway, so what's the big deal...?"

Husband? What is she talking about? Since when did things progress that far?

"W-What?! Is that true?!" Sparks seemed to fly from Ronia's eyes.

"Huh? No, I've never heard of such a thing either!"

Line pressed her lips against my neck.

"Lady Line!" I hurriedly pushed her away.

"I am incredibly honored by your affection, my lady, but it's really difficult for me if you keep doing this..."

"Really? Well, I don't mind."

"......"

It seemed Line's possessiveness over me was truly off the charts. Desperate to escape this impending warzone, I quickly made up an excuse to flee.

"I-I'm still really cold, so I think I need to go rest! Thank you all!"

While warming myself up, my mind began to wander.

It's true that I wanted a harem... but this is surprisingly exhausting. Now I finally understand why those manga protagonists from that neighboring country acted the way they did...

As I lay there, completely drained and staring blankly at the ceiling, Mikaris walked in.

"You're a bit late ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠today."

"Haha, yes, a little. Some things came up."

In an instant, Mikaris's brow furrowed.

"Lift your head."

"Pardon?"

"I said, lift your head."

Confused, I tilted my chin up. Mikaris's eyes widened, and she shrieked at me.

"Y-You! What is that on your neck?! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Which bitch was it?!"

"Huh? What do you mean? What's wrong?"

"There's a mark on your neck!!"

It was the first time in my life seeing Mikaris scream like that. I hurriedly grabbed the silvered mirror on the desk and tilted my head back. And there it was... a hickey. Right on my neck.

"Ah..."

Mikaris marched over and grabbed me by the collar.

"Who is she? Which bitch did this? Who dared... who dared lay a hand on what is mine?!"

"...It was Lady Estupina."

The temperature in the room plummeted instantly. A chill ran down my spine. This was pure, unadulterated rage.

"I-I couldn't help it! The moment I stepped out of the arena, she suddenly ambushed me..."

"......"

"Do you not believe me?"

Her gaze showed absolutely no sign of understanding. It was freezing. The air felt like it was turning to ice. I had only just warmed my body up after Winston's magic, but now I felt myself freezing all over again.

How on earth do I get through this...?

As I was fidgeting anxiously, Mikaris spoke.

"Fine. I'll just have to cover it up."

"What?"

Mikaris climbed onto my lap and forced my head back.

"Mika, what are you doing?"

"Stay still."

"...?!"

Mikaris began to bite my neck. She sucked and licked so hard that it actually stung. My mind started to grow hazy.

Only after a long while did she finally let me lower my head.

"There. Now it's covered."

Looking in the mirror, my entire neck was bright red. No wonder it stung so badly.

"Ah..." My head was still spinning. I felt like if things kept going like this, we might actually cross the line. But Hound was still a minor... I had to grit my teeth and hold back, no matter what.

My coming-of-age ceremony isn't far off. Just a little longer... let's just wait a little bit longer.

As I stared blankly into space, trying to regain my senses, Mikaris spoke to me.

"How does it feel? Can you focus only on me now?"

"...Of course."

Hearing my answer, Mikaris finally smiled in satisfaction and climbed down from my lap.

"I suppose I'll have to be the one waiting for you when your next match ends."

"I'll be waiting for you..."

Mikaris looked immensely pleased. Maybe just becoming entirely hers wouldn't be such a bad thing after all...

No, no, snap out of it! I dream of a harem. It has to be a harem. Probably...

Mikaris returned to her seat and opened her magic tome.

"Alright, you can go do whatever you need to do now."

"Yes..."

"And don't you dare meet any other women."

"......"

I left the room under the heavy weight of her suspicious gaze.

I was practicing the Flowing Water Sword in the training ground, but I couldn't fully concentrate. Too many things had happened today, leaving my mind in a complete jumble.

Just then, a rare face approached and spoke to me.

"Are you Hound Egil?"

"I am."

Turning my head, I saw Saint Richmond.

"What brings you to see me, young lord?"

"Nothing major. It's just... I get a rather strange feeling from you."

Is this because of his Hawk Eye? I immediately began to feel on guard against Saint Richmond.

"No need to be so defensive. You just feel a bit different from other people. As you can see, my eyes are slightly different from the norm."

"......"

"Anyway, it seems I'm not the only one with unusual eyes. Let's get along well as kindred spirits."

Saint Richmond was far more sly and easygoing than I had expected. In the original novel, when he was helping the protagonist, he had seemed like such a blunt, stoic guy.

But wait, did he actually perceive my Eye that Sees Crisis?

The more I thought about it, the more terrifying the Hawk Eye ability seemed.

But now was not the time to be distracted. Tomorrow was the long-awaited finals—my fight against the Crown Prince.

In the original novel, the Crown Prince was supposed to be at the 4-Circle, 4-Star level at this point... but I couldn't be sure about his current strength. My very existence had drastically accelerated the growth rate of everyone around me.

At first glance, it might seem like an easy victory for me, but things change when you're dealing with a magic swordsman. Being a magic swordsman is practically a cheat code that can easily bridge a gap of one or two Stars in power. That was exactly why I had been so obsessed with becoming one myself.

Of course, a magic swordsman's strength ultimately depends on the user, but since my opponent was the Crown Prince, it wouldn't be an easy fight. In the original novel, he was an absurdly overpowered munchkin.

"...Still, I'll win."

I will win the finals tomorrow and elevate my worth to new heights.