Chapter 103: Reunion with Nikita

The Road to the International Individual Tournament Finals

I was in a daze the whole time because of Seron’s sudden actions.
I already knew that Seron liked Vikarmern.
But even so, I never expected to be on the receiving end of this kind of physical contact.
No matter how hard I tried to forget, I kept recalling the soft touch of Seron’s lips on my cheek.

‘Is this… really okay?’

My head became a tangled mess of thoughts.
It was while I was caught up in those thoughts that I made my way to the finals conference hall.

Since it was still morning, there weren’t many people around.
Before long, this path would be packed with people.
The crisp autumn breeze felt particularly refreshing.

Click-clack—

At that moment, for some reason, I noticed a figure walking toward me—one with a strangely familiar silhouette.
My gaze naturally followed upward.
And then, my eyes slowly widened.

The inside of the robe was revealed under the morning sunlight.
Dark brown hair, artificially altered with some tool, came into view.
However, the face beneath the robe was unmistakable.

“…Nikita?”

I called the name.
A name I hadn’t spoken in a long time.

Before I knew it, she was running toward me.
My arm instinctively reached out.

Thump—

She threw herself into my embrace.
A small, light body, just like before.

Why was Nikita here?
I had no idea.
I had thought I would never see her again.

Nikita had tried to assassinate Iris.
Because of that, she could no longer appear in public.
I had assumed I would never see her again, yet here she was, standing before me.

“…Junior.”

Her voice trembled.
It was the voice of someone who had been holding back so much.

“I missed you.”

The moment I heard those words, I realized something.

“You’re right.”

Before I knew it, a smile had formed on my lips.
A smile that, perhaps, only Nikita could bring out.

“I missed you too.”

She was someone who never wavered, always pressing forward with unyielding determination.
I had found great comfort in witnessing that.

But Nikita had never been able to escape her fate of death.
In the scenario, she was a character who had to die.

I hated that.
That’s why I struggled desperately against it.
Because I wanted to see her continue living, even beyond the scenario.

And now, that very Nikita was right in front of me.
That simple fact filled me with immeasurable joy.

So yes, I had missed her.

Nikita’s eyes widened, then she hesitated, glancing downward slightly.
Then, she peeked up at me, stealing glances.

What is this… Why is she so cute?

Nikita looked at me with a face full of things she wanted to say.
But soon, as if telling herself not yet, she bit her lip.

“Honestly, I shouldn’t have come like this… but I couldn’t hold back.”

With the tips of her ears turning red, she carefully opened her mouth.

“B-Because I… really m-missed you.”

She seemed embarrassed, probably because she wasn’t used to saying such things.
The fierce ‘Dragon Girl of Calamity’ was nowhere to be seen in her now.
That fact alone gave me a sense of relief.

“Junior… no, Vikarmern, there’s one thing I have to tell you.”

At that moment, she grabbed my collar tightly.

“You must never use the Veil Bandages again. If you do, you’ll lose all three of your emotions.”

I could see the urgency in Nikita’s eyes.
Her tightly bitten lips trembled, showing just how much she had worried.

I hadn’t expected her to know this much.
It must have been the intelligence network of the First Prince’s faction.

“…So you knew.”

She caught the meaning behind my bitter smile.
And along with that, she probably realized that I couldn’t take off the Veil Bandages.

“It’s okay.”

Nikita’s eyes shone with determination.

“I’ll make sure you get back all the emotions you’ve lost.”

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed behind us.
It was around the time people would start arriving.

Nikita took a step back from me.
I felt a bit of disappointment as her warmth faded away, but it was fine.
Just knowing that she was safe and well was enough.

“Nikita, is magic fun?”

Hearing my question, Nikita slowly smiled.

“Yeah, more than ever before.”

That bright smile alone made all my efforts feel worthwhile.

“So, Vikarmern, wait for me.”

With those parting words, Nikita turned away.

“I’ll be back next year.”

Next year.
In what way would she return?
I didn’t know.

But I hoped she would continue living as she wished.
She had spent her life in captivity, bound by constraints.
I didn’t want to be the one to take away her freedom.

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Doing everything she wanted to do—
That was the freedom I had given to Nikita.

She gazed at me for a long time, as if trying to etch my face into her memory.
Then, she shook her head slightly.

It was as if she had something she wanted to say but chose to hold back.

“See you next year.”

And with that, Nikita left at a swift pace.
Her movements were as sharp as ever.

I was looking forward to next year.
If only to prepare for it, I had to push the scenario forward even better.

‘I feel stronger now.’
And it was a strength I could truly rely on.

* * *

At the entrance to the finals venue—

“Senior, did something happen?”

Hearing the familiar voice, I lifted my head.

There stood Aisha, her face filled with concern.

Aisha, the Iron Maiden of the Greatsword.
She had always been a reliable training partner, and as expected of the top-ranked first-year in Martial Arts, she had passed the individual tournement.

After running into Nikita earlier on my way out of the dorm, I had now ended up heading to the finals venue with Aisha.

For the record, Seron had been nowhere to be seen since then.

“No, sorry, it’s nothing.”

The finals were about to begin soon.
I couldn’t afford to stay lost in thought any longer, so I pulled myself together.

“Hey, Hanon-senpai!”
“Oh, Hanon-senpai, you passed as well!”

Soon, two more familiar faces appeared.

Poara Silin, a first-year Spirit Lord Contractor from the student council.
Midra Penin, also from the student council, the second-ranked first-year in Martial Arts.

It seemed that the first-years who had passed the finals had naturally grouped up together.

“What about the first-year Magic Department?”
“Heh, none of them made it.”

Midra let out a sinister chuckle.

The Magic and Martial Arts departments had long been famous for their rivalry.
So his face clearly showed how amusing he found the Magic Department’s failure.

‘Well, to be fair, this year’s first-year Magic Department didn’t have anyone particularly outstanding compared to Martial Arts.’

Of course, things would be different when next year’s first-years arrived.
Next year, the Magic Department would vastly outshine Martial Arts.

‘And as for the current second-years… there’s nothing more to say.’

Just then, a familiar face approached the entrance to the finals venue.

One was a woman with jet-black hair and an air of decadent charm.
The Third Princess, Iris Hyserion.

The other was a drowsy-looking woman with an unusual hair color, like a galaxy woven into strands.
The Blue Tower Master’s daughter, Sharin Sazaris.

Different groups had gathered around them.

As always, Iris was surrounded by her team.
Among them, my eyes met those of Dorara, the second-ranked student in the Magic Department—who immediately grimaced.

On the other hand, when I turned to look at Sharin, I saw her usual group.
The so-called protagonist’s team.

Lucas wasn’t present, but the lineup was still impressive.

Among them, I spotted Isabel.
And the moment our eyes met—

Swish—

Isabel suddenly averted her gaze.

I tilted my head in confusion.

What the…? Did I do something to make her hate me without realizing it?

Lately, Isabel had been following me around so persistently.
So having her avoid my gaze like this felt oddly unsettling.

It was almost like we’d gone back to when she actively disliked me.

‘Well… that was how things were supposed to be.’

Still, something about it left a strange, nagging feeling.

“Hanon.”
“Heyyy~”

In the meantime, Iris and Sharin had stopped right in front of me.

Iris greeted me with a familiar, smiling expression.
Sharin, as usual, wore her characteristic drowsy look.

But today, for some reason, her gaze held a hint of awkwardness.

More importantly…

Why did they both stop right in front of me?

The finals arena allowed spectators as well as participants.

Because of this, people who recognized Iris and Sharin were looking at us with curiosity.

It was because both Iris and Sharin’s gazes were solely focused on me.

The sharp stares of the crowd, trying to dissect me, were uncomfortable.
Stop trying to analyze me.

“Wow, popular guy.”

Card suddenly appeared beside me, whistling—so I dealt with him with a swift punch.

“We greet the Third Princess.”
“W-We greet the Third Princess!”

Meanwhile, the first-years hurriedly bowed to Iris in a display of respect.

Unlike the second-years, the first-years rarely had the chance to run into Iris.
Seeing their reaction, Iris waved her hand.

“I’m just an academy student right now, so there’s no need to be so formal.”
“Understood!”

The ever-reliable Aisha was the first to respond.

“I’ll keep climbing up, Hanon.”

Amidst the conversation, the Lazy Genius, Van, spoke to me.

Hearing him, I smiled as well.
So he’s treating this as an extension of the last mock battle.

“Tsk, all the first-year Magic students got wiped out. What a disgrace.”

Dorara muttered in clear discontent.

“Dorara, they did their best. It’s just unfortunate, that’s all.”
“Unfortunate, my ass.”

When Joachim, the battle priest from Iris’s team, scolded him, Dorara just scoffed.

Watching the exchange, I smirked.

“Yeah, it’s a shame. Especially since even someone like you made it through.”

“Wha—!?”

Dorara nearly lunged at me, but Hania quickly blocked him.

“Dorara, don’t cause trouble before the finals.”
“Tch…”

Under Hania’s sharp gaze, Dorara lowered his hand from his staff.

Shame. I could’ve turned this into an early 63-person battle.

“And Hanon, don’t provoke others before the match. In the arena, there are no lovers or relationships.”

She’s strict as ever.

Hania looked at me with her usual stern expression.
I should probably have a talk with her about our contract relationship soon.
But when would be a good time…?

“Poara Silin!”

Just then, a voice rang out from Isabel’s team.

Turning my gaze toward them, I saw a brown-haired woman pointing aggressively at Poara.

Beakiring Monem.
Before Poara, the Spirit Lord Contractor, had appeared, she was at the top of the Special Department’s Spirit Studies as the contractor of a high-ranking spirit.

“H-Huh?”

Poara, caught off guard by the pointing, looked flustered.

Beakiring’s eyes twisted in anger.

“If you run away from the ring again, I won’t let it slide.”

She glared at Poara with a fierce expression.

Compared to her, the timid Poara visibly shrank back.

“Answer me!”
“Y-Yes!”

Well… he’s definitely on Beakiring’s hit list now.

Beakiring’s unique trait is [Persistence].
And it seemed that her latest target was Poara.

‘Originally, if you followed the Spirit route, the one being targeted should’ve been Lucas…’

Once again, I was reminded that while the broad strokes of the scenario remained the same, the finer details had changed significantly.
And it was my responsibility to guide these changes.

My gaze swept over the people gathered here.
These individuals would play key roles in the main story moving forward.
I sincerely hoped the scenario would reach its conclusion without any major issues.

“Is this everyone from Zeryon Academy?”
“I don’t see any third-years.”

As they said, all the third-years had been eliminated.

With Nikita absent, the already weak third-year generation had no standout talents.
They hadn’t been able to survive the brutal preliminaries.
Which meant that those present here were now the official representatives of Zeryon Academy.

“There’s one more.”

I walked toward someone sneaking through the bushes.
Then, without hesitation, I reached in and grabbed them.

“Kyaah?!“

With a strange yelp, a short girl was dragged out of the bushes.

Her identity—Seron Parmia.
The same person who ambushed me with a surprise cheek kiss this morning and then ran away.

“And where do you think you’re sneaking off to alone?”
“Ugh, Prince Annoying, let me go!”
“No way. You think I’d let you off after what you did?”
“Because I did that, you should let me go!”

Seron’s face flushed bright red—probably embarrassed by her own actions.

Honestly, watching this girl made me question why I even bothered worrying about anything.

At that moment, I suddenly felt an intense, piercing gaze and turned my head.
But the second I looked in that direction, the feeling vanished completely.

Standing there were Isabel and Sharin.
Sharin, upon meeting my gaze, snorted as if she hadn’t been staring in the first place.
Isabel, on the other hand, kept her head turned away.

…What was that?
It really felt like someone was burning a hole into the back of my head.

As I rubbed the back of my neck, I spoke to Seron.

“You should be sticking with the other Zeryon Academy students. That way, the audience won’t think our academy has a bunch of outcasts.”

I genuinely wanted Seron to get along with the others.

“Take this chance to make some new friends.”
“No thanks. As long as I have you, I’m fine.”

Seron pouted and turned her head away.

…Why was she acting all cute while being stubborn?

‘Wait. Hold on. What the hell did I just think?’

Oh, dear God.

Even for a moment, I had actually thought Seron was cute.
Something was definitely wrong with my brain.

“Grantoni! Open my brain and check it immediately!”
“Heheheh, really?”

Grantoni’s eyes gleamed ominously, as if he was seriously about to do it.

“Joking. It was a joke.”
“Aww, what a shame.”

Just watching him sent shivers down my spine.

“Hanon Airei.”

At that moment, I heard a voice I had already heard this morning.

A woman appeared, her blue hair flowing behind her.

The Unyielding Azure Flame—Eve.

“Be ready for today’s match.”

Eve didn’t say much to me.
Just a single declaration—telling me to be prepared.

Leaving only those words behind, she strode away confidently.
That was all she needed to say.

Her steps were brimming with unwavering determination, carrying an undeniable intensity.
I could feel it clearly—her resolve to put me in my place.

‘Honestly, I thought she would’ve already tried to erase the Elder Dragon’s remnants from me.’

Yet yesterday, she remained strangely quiet.

‘Well, I was with Iris after I passed out…’
She probably didn’t have the opportunity to act.

I would have liked to keep it that way, but unfortunately, that wasn’t an option this time.

She’s basically saying, ‘I’ll deal with it in the main tournament.’

No doubt, Eve was planning to erase the remnants of the Elder Dragon from me.
With her Unyielding Azure Flame, she could do so without attracting the attention of the audience.

Meanwhile, I had to ensure that no one discovered those remnants, meaning I couldn’t even use them.
Eve was definitely counting on that fact.

However, there was one thing she hadn’t considered.

To face Eve in a match, there was a condition that had to be met first.
I had to win every single one of my matches to get to her.

And now, standing before me, I saw a girl with honey-blonde hair.

I let out a small, exasperated chuckle.

“…Isabel.”

Round of 64, first match of the main tournament.
My opponent—Isabel Luna, the main heroine of the Blazing Butterfly Arc.