Night Festival (1)

‘Huh, what the…? Why is he…?’

Standing amidst the crowd as a mere spectator, I found myself deeply confused upon seeing the Hero.

The fact that the guy who should have been flustered in the middle of the crowd after receiving Lilia’s confession (disguised as an attack) was here instead implied two significant things.

First, the Hero was never Lilia’s intended confession target from the beginning.

Second, I was the one who had taught Lilia a confession method shocking enough to stun anyone who received it.

“……”

-Shiver, shivers…

“L-Lillith? Why are you suddenly trembling?”

…I’m screwed.

While my failed confession operation had the secondary goal of messing with the Hero, its primary purpose was to make Lilia at least a little happier. To help her let go of any lingering feelings for that Hero who would abandon all the heroines and return to Earth, and to find new love for herself.

But what if the confession wasn’t meant for the Hero?

What if Lilia had never been interested in the Hero from the start and had already found a new love interest?

And what if some crazy mage had interfered with that confession and completely ruined her chance at love?

-Whoosh!

“L-Lillith?!”

…I have to stop this.

Before Lilia’s inevitably doomed confession escapes her lips, I must stop it at all costs.

With a chilling clarity and trembling limbs, I pushed through the crowd to intervene, but the “special confession method” I had taught Lilia was already in its final stages. Her confession target had already subdued her and pinned her to the ground.

“Miss Lilia? What in the world is happening?”

“I-I couldn’t control my burning feelings for you, Senpai! S-so I suddenly challenged you to a duel!!”

“Huh?! W-wait, are you saying…?”

Oh no, I’m too late…

“I fell for you the first time we sparred together in swordsmanship class! The way you wielded that massive sword so reliably-I genuinely fell in love with you!!”

“Wait, Lili…”

“I want to spend the rest of my life crossing swords and spears with you until my last breath!!! P-please accept my feelings!! Karaham Samuel August-senpai!!!”

“……Huh?”

…Wait, Karaham?

Does that mean… the “kind senpai” Lilia liked wasn’t the Hero, but Karaham…?

‘The senpai Lilia likes is probably from the swordsmanship department, right? Just one year above her.’

Like Gyeotmwa Josyegigot, Karaham is also in the swordsmanship department and is in the same year as Ethan and me… Correct.

‘He’s also one of the top five in the department in terms of skill.’

In the last evaluation match, Karaham placed third. Natalie lost to Ethan and dropped to fourth.

‘And he holds a high status that Lilia couldn’t easily approach, right?’

The son of the August Margrave family. Though he has an older sister, being the son of a margrave still places him far above ordinary people in terms of status.

‘Come to think of it, doesn’t this include Ethan too?’

…Right, the Luminor Academy still has more nobles than commoners, after all.

Swordsmen with high status in the swordsmanship department-when you think about it, there are actually quite a few of them. I had overlooked that.

Well, when you’re playing a game, you tend to focus only on the main and supporting characters, whether they’re nobles or not.

But the current top ranks of the swordsmanship department are composed slightly differently from the original story due to various changes.

Ethan is a given, and Karaham, who should have lost his motivation and wandered after Lizzie’s death in the original, is now diligently swinging his sword.

‘Wait, no. This isn’t the time…’

First, I need to explain to Karaham about Lilia’s confession. That the confession she just made wasn’t her idea but something I had jokingly suggested.

If this continues, Lilia’s first love will end in vain because of my prank…

“W-was that… serious, Miss Lilia…?”

“Yes… K-Karaham-senpai…”

“W-wait a moment, Prince Karaham. What Miss Lilia just said wasn’t meant to be strange…”

“…As the son of the August Margrave family, I’ve had many marriage proposals from noble ladies, but no one has ever confessed to me with such passion before, Miss Lilia.”

“……Huh?”

“You want to spend the rest of your life crossing swords and spears with me until your last breath… H-how could you say something so moving…”

“K-Karaham-senpai…”

“……”

“I’ve fully understood your feelings, Miss Lilia…!”

…What?

Why… Why does the atmosphere feel so good…?

“Karaham-senpai…”

“Miss Lilia… No, Lilia.”

“…Karaham-senpai.”

“If you’ll have me, I’d like to accept your confession.”

“…Senpai!!”

“Lilia!!”

As if swept up in the emotional moment, the two of them locked lips right in the middle of the park.

Their bold, unreserved kiss sent the surrounding atmosphere into a frenzy, leaving me staring dumbfounded at the scene.

-Smooch!!!

-Smack, smooch!!!

Ugh. Ughhh.

No matter how you look at it, that’s a bit… Right in the middle of the park? In every sense, those two are quite bold…

…I have a feeling that by next semester, there will be one more couple using the Marriage/Engagement Dormitory.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The failed confession operation, which ended with Lilia’s success, caused a major stir within the academy.

‘Come to think of it, since the confession succeeded, does that mean the failed confession operation actually failed…?’

Well, it’s not that important. The key point is that my actions somehow circled back 360 degrees to the original plan.

My desire to help Lilia find a new partner instead of the Hero was fulfilled, so in terms of results, it was a perfect success.

The problem was that this confession didn’t just change the relationship between those two but also altered the dynamics among many students in the academy.

Students from close-combat departments-swordsmanship, spearmanship, and martial arts-began imitating Lilia’s confession method when confessing to their crushes.

“Senpai! Please accept my feelings!”

-Clang!

“Darian! This is how I feel!”

-Clash!

“Lazarus! The truth is, I’ve liked you for a long time…!!”

-Wham! Thud!! Wham!

This confession method, where one challenges their crush to a duel and then declares their love afterward, spread like wildfire among students from the three close-combat departments.

With so many students swinging swords and thrusting spears in the middle of the academy, the administration had to issue a notice: “If you’re going to use the duel confession method, do it in the training hall.” As a result, the Luminor Academy’s training hall became packed with couples throughout the semester.

‘Who knew there were so many girls like Lilia in the academy?’

Girls who wanted to confess their feelings but were too shy to do so in a conventional way.

The refined confessions used by typical noble ladies didn’t suit the athletic girls. Those in swordsmanship, spearmanship, or martial arts naturally lacked the feminine charm of other female students.

Writing pretty love letters, baking sweets to win someone over, or delivering heartfelt speeches-none of these came naturally to them. Lilia’s confession method was a beacon of hope for these girls.

A confession where they could channel their emotions into a duel and then spill their hearts out when asked why-no need for elegant handwriting, cooking skills, or smooth talking.

This straightforward, passionate method spread like a storm among the athletic girls.

But why did the male students accept these confessions so readily?

‘This isn’t even worth thinking about.’

Single men generally accept confessions from women unless there’s a major issue. For men, being confessed to is like a badge of honor.

Though I never received a confession in my past life, my experience as a man made it easy to understand the psychology.

Nowadays, guys even brag about being called to the training hall by girls. In the past, such a thing would have been met with, “What did you do to piss them off?”

This trend will probably fade after a semester, but thanks to Lilia and Karaham’s flashy debut, the Luminor Academy has seen a surge in new couples.

…And so, about a month after that confession incident.

“You’ve worked hard this year, Young Master Ethan.”

“Yeah. You too, Lillith.”

-Clink.

Now, at the Night Festival marking the end of the hunting event, I clinked glasses with Ethan.

“Senior Lillith! Your glass is empty!!! Let me refill it for you!!!”

“Prince Ethan, you too!! Since Lilia is serving Senior Lillith, how could I not join in?! Ahahahaha!!”

“…Y-yes.”

“…Sure, just a little.”

Seated across from Ethan and me was the loudest couple in the world.