Chapter 40. Don’t Like Me

***

A world where the Talent one receives holds the greatest value.

ㅡRoyal High Academy.

Having thoroughly read the novel set in this world, I knew how unfair it was and how one’s fate is determined by their given Talent and abilities.

However, even if my given Talent was low, I was in a state of seeing hope that I could reach beyond that through effort.

And now.

I was feeling a completely different kind of surprise.

‘To this extent with pure individual strength, not Talent…’

Until now, even though I thought a Talent’s grade wasn’t everything, I believed the Talent ‘level’ itself was truly significant.

That there was an unbridgeable gap in level beyond grade.

But now I felt like I was newly realizing that even level wasn’t everything.

“……”
“……”

Facing each other now. I could feel surprise in Luna’s purple eyes too.

Though it was surely a different kind of surprise than what I felt. She too showed no movement now, as if equally surprised.

So I didn’t feel the need to thrust my spear again. The duel ended with just that one exchange.

Glancing at the ground a bit away from her, I saw the completely destroyed kite shield. Even I could feel anew how much power my spear that struck the shield contained.

I achieved this degree of twisting after breaking through such vast mana. I was finally able to make Luna drop the kite shield from her hand.

Still, I didn’t reach a skill.

Though I gained more than expected from the duel with Luna, the concept itself was still vague.

ㅡ[Pierce one point and twist]

I understood the concept much more clearly than before the duel. But I couldn’t fully comprehend it.

Still, I felt good.

More than the joy of winning the duel with Luna, I felt I had gained a bigger clue towards reaching a skill.

“Duel stop!”

At the instructor’s calm voice, I lowered the tip of my spear blade to the ground.

At the same time, I felt the need to reconsider Luna anew.

‘Not just her Talent, but Luna’s potential is ridiculous.’

In fact, Luna barely used her Talent in the duel just now.

She was so focused on blocking my spear with her shield that the ‘damage correction’ ability of Combat Healing hardly applied.

Yet she was this good.

She blocked my spear to that extent with just her own pure strength.

‘Is this the power of high nobility?’

In the novel, the Vermont Count family was known as quite a prestigious family, famous for having wealth and power beyond their high rank of count.

They also appear as a family that fully supports Leonhardt later when he becomes Luna’s lover.

“The result of the duel. Student Han Chunsung’s victory.”

Even as I heard the instructor’s voice announcing the duel result, I smiled unknowingly.

‘Indeed, Talent isn’t everything.’

I knew that Luna had realized mana on her own before receiving her Talent, and even gained the power to utilize it.

So she could handle mana now despite being only Talent level 2.

Besides that, Luna, who could handle various armaments including hammer and shield, was a typical elite student from a prestigious family.

A student who was already somewhat complete, having received education befitting her family’s status from childhood, rather than just making efforts after receiving her Talent.

“……”

Luna, still blankly looking at me, seemed not to understand the situation that had unfolded.

How I had twisted the kite shield to make it leave her hand. That was natural, actually.

It was a concept close to a mystery that even I didn’t fully understand.

Still, looking at her, I could understand one thing.

‘I must become friends with Luna.’

I really had to become friends with Luna somehow.

Not just for the power of her Talent. Now looking at just Luna herself, her talent and qualities felt truly innate.

To the point where I felt anew that she wasn’t a main heroine for nothing.

“…Han Chunsung.”

As Luna opened her mouth then, I met her gaze with a faint smile.

I had no intention of gloating about winning the duel at all. Honestly, I thought about teasing her a bit before the duel, but now I was cleanly acknowledging her.

“Just what are you? Do you like me?”

But at those words that followed, I was at a loss for words.

“……”

Blinking foolishly for a moment, I wondered if I had misheard.

It was really so out of the blue. I doubted my ears for a moment.

‘She was calmly dueling until just now, what is she suddenly saying?’

I couldn’t understand at all how she reached such a conclusion.

Or why Luna was looking at me with such a strange expression.

“Luna?”

As I carefully called her name, Luna bit her lip while exhaling softly, but every aspect of her appearance was foreign to me.

As if. She had taken it that I liked her.

“Um, Han Chunsung. It’s really a request… so. Don’t like me. If you really have such feelings, I hope you’ll give up on me early on.”

As she suddenly spoke as if truly apologetic, I couldn’t understand at all where I had acted in a way to cause such a misunderstanding.

Really, I couldn’t understand at all.

But I had to speak urgently.

“No, Luna? I don’t understand at all what you’re… saying right now. Why on earth… do you think I like you?”

I didn’t know why she had such an absurd misunderstanding, but it was incomprehensible and I couldn’t understand her words at all.

In the first place, no matter how pretty Luna was, she wasn’t my type. Rather than Luna, I thought of gentle and sweet girls with cute impressions like Milia as my ideal type.

“Luna. I really don’t have such feelings at all, so. I hope you won’t have needless misunderstandings. If you suddenly say that… it really makes me look weird.”

Even as I spoke repeatedly.

“…I’m sorry.”

Leaving those words with a strange look in her eyes, Luna turned away.

…I had no words at that sight.

Should I approach Luna here and stop her? I couldn’t do that.

‘That would be like…’

It would clearly look like I was clinging to Luna after being rejected.

Moreover, numerous students had been watching my duel with Luna now.

“……”

As I blankly looked around, some students were leaving after the duel ended, but I could clearly feel the gazes of students looking at us with strange eyes.

And those students’ gazes gradually turned towards me.

‘Why… are they looking at me like that.’

As the students’ eyes took on a pitying look, as if looking at a man rejected after confessing, I was truly at a loss for words.

They say when a situation completely surpasses understanding, thoughts stop connecting. That’s exactly how I was now.

It was truly a dilemma.

If I followed Luna and stopped her to say it really wasn’t like that, I would look like a clingy man, but if I stayed still like this, I would be misunderstood as a man who liked Luna and got rejected.

“…”

Suddenly, Milia looking at me entered my vision.

Looking as surprised as me now. As she stood there quietly looking at me, one method unconsciously occurred to me.

A very good way to clear up the misunderstanding that I liked Luna…

But soon I shook my head vigorously.

‘No matter how confused I am… what a ridiculous thought.’

To clear up the misunderstanding related to Luna, the absurd thought of just confessing to Milia right away occurred to me for a moment. But that was really something I shouldn’t do.

“Phew.”

Even as I sighed, unable to hold it in, a bitter laugh escaped at the ridiculousness.

‘I clearly won the duel, but.’

It felt like I had lost.

This strange feeling, as if I had suffered a crushing defeat… what should I do?

‘Still, what I gained is what I gained.’

Gaining a more concrete concept of a skill through the duel with Luna was clearly a big harvest.

Though the price felt too high…

***

Tap. Tap.

Heavy, dull heel sounds interlocked, echoing in the dark dormitory corridor.

It was Luna and Milia.

A deep silence and strange quiet lingered between them.

“…”
“…”

Though it would normally be a warm atmosphere with words exchanged between them, there were no particular words between the two.

Then some female students passed by them.

“The dinner menu was really worse than expected.”
“I know. The money we get as C-class students seems too ambiguous too.”
“To eat something really tasty is too expensive. What’s 20 silver, really…”
“So I was going to ask my family for some support, but 20 silver is barely enough for living expenses, so it won’t work.”

As the female students passed by chatting brightly. Glancing at them, Luna felt extremely envious of them today.

Normally, she too.

Should be exchanging conversation with Milia like them now. But she couldn’t.

“…”

Luna glanced to the side.

Even as she watched Milia walking without a word, her heart felt truly uncomfortable.

‘Why did it turn out like this?’

She really didn’t know why… it had become such an awkward atmosphere.

Milia and I originally never had such a heavy, silent atmosphere at all.

We used to talk warmly, chatting happily about what happened today. Now it felt like an invisible wall was blocking between Milia and me.

“Luna.”

When Milia suddenly spoke, Luna answered right away with great surprise.

“…Yes?”

“Your duel today was really cool.”

“Ah, no. What do you mean cool… I lost pathetically in the duel.”

“No. It wasn’t pathetic. Han Chunsung is just too strong. I think Luna did plenty well too.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. Really. I thought, as expected of my cherished friend, Luna.”

At Milia’s kind words, a smile escaped unconsciously.

‘As expected. It’s Milia.’

My most cherished and precious friend, and the friend I want to stay close with going forward.

I was so grateful she spoke to me warmly first.

“Still, even thinking about it now, I’m quite regretful about the duel. It’s not that I don’t acknowledge Han Chunsung is strong… but I wonder if I didn’t make enough effort. If I had been Talent level 3, it might have been different.”

The difference between level 4 and 2 was indeed big.

But it was ridiculous for me to blame the level too. Because level is proof that one has made efforts and evolved their Talent that much.

“No. Thinking about that too, it’s just that Han Chunsung is too strong.”

“Is that how I should see it.”

As I received Milia’s words like that.

I saw that Milia’s eyes looking at me were just a tiny bit, really slightly, more subdued than usual.

So I thought again.

At the end of the duel I had with Han Chunsung today.

The reason I suddenly uttered such strange words to Han Chunsung.

At first I didn’t want Han Chunsung to get closer to Milia, but ironically, after ending the duel I thought again.

ㅡWhat truly looking out for Milia means.

While already knowing my closest friend’s heart, how I should act…

At first I didn’t know why Han Chunsung took interest in us and approached.

Still, I tried to prevent it preemptively.

By rejecting him first to eliminate any chance of him taking interest in me.

Knowing how Milia usually thinks of me. Kind Milia might try to give up her feelings by jumping to conclusions.

‘But is this right?’

I, who am clumsy with others except Milia, didn’t know well, but I honestly wondered if this was enough.

Still, at least because of today’s events, I thought Han Chunsung wouldn’t take interest in me going forward.

“…”

A faint smile formed as I looked at Milia who had suddenly fallen silent.

Milia’s now complicated eyes seemed to be thinking of Han Chunsung again.

Perhaps because we had spent so much time together, Milia’s changes were clearly visible… now I felt like I could even sense those thoughts.