That afternoon, after the humiliating defeat during my sparring session with Ethan, we sat down for lunch. But I couldn’t help noticing how awkward Ethan seemed—he kept glancing at me, almost as if he were worried about something.

“...Hmm.”

“...Hmm.”

Since enrolling in the academy, Ethan had become more confident, but today, his behavior was getting on my nerves. The tense atmosphere made it hard to enjoy my meal, so I finally decided to break the silence.

“Master Ethan, do you realize that your constant worrying is making me feel even more uncomfortable?” I asked, trying to sound calm.

“...I’m sorry, Lillis.” He looked genuinely apologetic.

“Or perhaps you’re trying to make me forget about our duel in the ‘Application of Magical Swordsmanship’ class by making me feel uneasy? If so, that’s quite a strategy.”

“N-no, that’s not my intention at all…” he stammered.

I couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his mind. It wasn’t like he had committed a crime by defeating me. After all, as a 1.5-division student, I would likely have to spar with him another one or two times this semester. If he kept acting like this after every duel, it would be endless.

“Just so you know, Master Ethan, I wasn’t emotionally scarred by losing to you.”

“I know, Lillis. You’re not the type to be upset over something like that.”

“Are you sure you know that?” I pressed, sensing his hesitation.

“But really, it didn’t bother you at all?” he asked, still unsure.

“No, it didn’t. And it won’t in the future, either. If anything, I was more worried that you’d want me to act like I was upset so you could enjoy the feeling of victory.”

“I wouldn’t ask you to do that, so don’t worry...” Ethan finally managed a small, relieved smile, seemingly reassured by my words.

“Yeah, I was overthinking it. You’re stronger than anyone else I know, Lillis.”

“Not necessarily, but I won’t get down over losing a mock duel in class.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“In fact, I wanted to talk to you about that duel today. What exactly was the point of it?”

“...Huh?” Ethan’s expression tightened, surprised that I was bringing this up.

I didn’t give him time to recover, instead launching into a critique of the sparring match.

“What was that about, Master Ethan? Not once did you actually aim your sword at me. In a duel between swordsmen, shouldn’t the first targets be the wrists and waist? What’s the point of holding back?”

“I-I was just worried I might not be able to control my strength...” he admitted.

“Isn’t that why the seniors from the Divine Arts Department cast Heavenly Shields on us before each duel? The duel is designed so that the shield breaks if we take a serious hit.”

“B-but it’s still dangerous. If I accidentally caused more damage than the shield could handle, you could really get hurt, and I don’t want to see you injured, Lillis...”

“It’s more embarrassing for me to be labeled a swordsman who lost because my opponent held back, Master Ethan.”

“...I’m sorry, Lillis. I didn’t consider that.” Ethan’s shoulders slumped as he realized his mistake.

It was obvious to anyone watching that he had held back, trying to find the safest way to subdue me. That’s why our duel had dragged on so long. When I sparred with Bolt, Natalie, or Karaham, they didn’t hold back, and I quickly lost as soon as my Heavenly Shield was broken. But with Ethan, as soon as my shield was about halfway depleted, he started to go easy on me.

That’s why the duel had dragged on unnecessarily, and why I had even managed to appear somewhat equal to him for a moment. If we had fought at full strength, I wouldn’t have lasted two minutes against Ethan. That’s the reality of a close-quarters duel between a mage and a swordsman.

There was no way I, who used swordsmanship as a supplementary skill, could defeat someone who used magic as a supplementary tool to enhance their swordsmanship.

“Please, next time we spar, don’t hold back like that, Master Ethan. It doesn’t help my growth, and it’s detrimental to your own swordsmanship as well.”

“...You’re right. I’m sorry, Lillis.”

“Even if the Heavenly Shield breaks and I get hurt, I won’t blame you. Besides, we live in an age where even if you lose a limb, the church can reattach it almost immediately.”

“...That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think?” Ethan responded, looking slightly alarmed.

“I’m just asking you to take the duel seriously, Master Ethan.”

...Honestly, he’s still just a kid, no matter how you look at it.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“Have a good afternoon, Lillis. I’ll see you at dinner.”

“See you this evening, Master Ethan.”

After our somewhat stern conversation during lunch, Ethan and I parted ways, heading in opposite directions for our afternoon classes.

“I might have been a bit harsh with Ethan today.”

But it was necessary. His mindset during the duel had been completely off. Ethan knew better than anyone what it meant to hold back during a duel—especially with someone like me who was determined to grow stronger. If he let these small hesitations continue, they could lead to fatal mistakes later.

Better to hear harsh words from me now than to lose his head because of indecision later.

-Step, step, step.

“Is there something else you need to say?”

I hadn’t walked far before I heard footsteps behind me. At first, I thought Ethan might have come back for another conversation, but as I glanced back, I realized that wasn’t the case. The footsteps belonged to someone else—someone I had hoped to avoid at all costs within the academy.

“Master Ethan? Do you have something else to say—”

“Long time no see, bold little lady.”

“Ah, damn it…”

I barely managed to stop myself from cursing out loud, but I couldn’t hide the displeasure on my face. Seeing my reaction, McHart smiled and leaned closer. Remembering his abilities too late, I tried to step back, but his hand was quicker, grabbing mine before I could react.

By the time I realized the danger, it was already too late.

-Grab!

A shroud of darkness engulfed us, the air around us thickening with McHart’s dark magic. In an instant, I was pulled into his realm, trapped in the space he controlled.

“Shit, I let my guard down.”

I shook off his grip and backed away, but McHart’s Inner Darkness wasn’t a space I could simply escape by putting distance between us. There was no point in cursing anyone but myself for being so careless.

I’d gotten too comfortable in the recent peaceful days and had momentarily forgotten that Luminor Academy was a place meant to gather a demon king’s hunting party, filled with dangers like this.

“I wasn’t sure if I had the right person, but it looks like I found you after all.”

“I apologize for my behavior at the banquet, Prince McHart Paris Valtoria.”

“There’s no need to force an apology you don’t mean. I already know it’s not sincere.”

“No, I truly regret the mistakes I made back then…”

“If you really meant that, you would’ve come to my quarters in the guest residence to apologize. It’s not exactly hard to find my location here at the academy, is it?”

“...”

McHart stepped closer with that eerie smile, his black aura surrounding us. The world around us had been consumed by darkness, with only a small area around us still visible, as if we were standing in a spotlight within his domain.

...Now that he had dragged me into this space, there was no point in pretending or being polite anymore.

“Ah, fuck. You’re a real piece of shit, aren’t you?”

McHart’s grin widened into a sickening curve. Just looking at him made me feel like the lunch I had eaten was going to come back up—it was that nauseating.