Chapter 65
“Good morning.”
“Mm… Good morning.”
When Lian Qi and I got up the next morning, there was an inexplicable awkwardness. We glanced at each other, then turned our backs to one another and changed our clothes. I slept in my uniform last night, so there wasn’t much to change, but anyway, I was too embarrassed to face her.
I tried my best not to think about what happened after she threw me on the bed last night. It was too shameful. It wasn’t until I had bathed and changed into a new uniform, staring at the vermilion kiss mark on my neck in the mirror, that I had to face reality.
This time the mark is a bit obvious. What should I do? If I go out like this, my classmates will misunderstand and think I’m Lian Qi’s girlfriend, and that we did shameless things.
I’m a boy. I cannot accept the identity of “girlfriend.”
Just then, Lian Qi walked into the bathroom, squeezing me to one side.
“Look what you’ve done.” I pointed to the kiss mark on my neck, blaming her.
“Oh, it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it.”
She picked up the toothbrush from the sink, acting as if nothing was wrong. She’s always like this after bullying me, it makes me want to punch her.
“How am I supposed to go out like this?”
“Does your world have anything like Band-Aids? Just stick one on,” she said, then started brushing her teeth in front of the mirror.
“Won’t that just make it more obvious?”
I felt helpless. Seeing as she was brushing her teeth and couldn’t answer me, I figured I’d just ignore her.
Afterward, I thought and thought, and it occurred to me to pull my loose hair forward over my shoulders. That should mostly cover the kiss mark on my neck, right?
At that moment, I was truly thankful I have long hair.
“Fei’er, come help me tie my tie!”
“Coming, coming.”
She can’t even tie her own tie without me. I don’t know what to do with her.
“Does your back still hurt?” I asked as I helped her with her tie.
“It’s fine now. What about you? Is your stomach still cramping?”
“N-No, it’s not.”
Her words made me think of last night again, and my mind was a mess.
I hope she’s really okay, and not just putting on a brave face for me.
But her first opponent, Wood, was a powerhouse from the student council. It wouldn’t be surprising to meet someone of his strength in the finals, yet she met him in the very first match. You can only call it a coincidence.
So, her opponent in the second match might not even be as strong as Wood. Therefore, I have 100% confidence in Lian Qi.
“You just need to not be like the first match, where you tanked every attack just because you’re from the Enchantment school.”
“Alright, alright. I promise I’ll try my best not to get hurt.”
“That’s more like it.” I patted her shoulder lightly and smiled. “Okay, let’s go to the cafeteria for breakfast now, shall we? Then we can go see who your opponent is today.”
… … …
After eating breakfast, Lian Qi and I, like most of the students, stood on the athletic field, watching the floating tournament bracket in the sky.
When the time came, the magically enchanted text in the sky changed. The names of those eliminated in the first round were erased, and the winners automatically advanced to the next round.
The names on the bracket were suddenly halved, making it easier for me to find Lian Qi’s name. I saw that her opponent was clearly—Ivan Reyes.
The son of a member of the Magic Academy’s board of directors, nicknamed the “Little Overlord of the Silver Spear.” Lian Qi just confronted him in the dining hall yesterday. How could it be such a coincidence!? To run into him today?
“Lian Qi… look.”
“Yeah, I see him. Perfect. Today, neither of us will rely on outside help. We’ll settle this with our own strength.”
Settle this…?
I could almost feel the killing intent coming from Lian Qi. How can a girl have such strong killing intent?
Three hours later, the duel between Lian Qi and Ivan began as scheduled. I don’t know if it’s because Lian Qi became famous overnight for defeating Wood, but as I sat in the stands and looked around, I could clearly feel that the crowd was even larger.
I heard a boy next to me say to his good buddy: “That transfer student is so strong! She even beat the son of Og ‘The Steel,’ the Captain of the Royal Capital Guard. I’m still betting on her to win today.”
“But don’t you know? The Little Overlord of the Silver Spear is no pushover. I heard he awakened his magic at age four, and at age eight, he began studying under Archmage Larnitis. He’s known as a genius. Today’s match is going to be a good show.”
“Really? But his genius reputation has been completely overshadowed by his bad one.”
Eh, eh, eh?
…
I was quite surprised after hearing the two students’ conversation. I looked at the gray-haired boy standing opposite Lian Qi on the stage. This Ivan was actually once hailed as a genius?
No wonder so many people are paying attention to this match today. I glanced up at the VIP section of the stands and saw the Student Council President, Allen Oniste, resting his chin on his steepled fingers, staring grimly at Ivan and Lian Qi on the stage. His maid stood by his side.
I can tell he’s very concerned about today’s match.
Well, if you gave me a desk, I’d want to strike that pose too, because I’m also very concerned about Lian Qi.
I also noticed that it wasn’t just the Student Council President; there were also a dozen or so girls sitting in the VIP section, all wearing the Magic Academy uniform. They must be the Little Overlord of the Silver Spear’s harem group, right?
I heard the referee’s resonant voice echo across the entire stage—
“Magic Academy Graduation Festival, Upper Division Ranking Tournament, Second Round, First Match! Lian Qi versus Ivan Reyes! Begin—!”
Lian Qi and Ivan both erupted with crystal-red magic power at the same time.
“Heh.”
Ivan squinted, a disdainful smile on his face.
“Honestly, I had no interest in the Graduation Festival ranking tournament at all, because even taking first place is meaningless. This kind of competition is just child’s play in the Demon King’s eyes. But you pissed me off, and you hurt my buddies. For me, this is a stage for revenge.”
“Sigh. Don’t you know that villains die from talking too much? If you want revenge, then come on!”
The moment she spoke, Lian Qi had already vanished, leaving only a puff of smoke where she’d been. In the blink of an eye, she had flashed in front of Ivan. It seems she’s already mastered winding magic power around her feet to increase her movement speed.
Ivan didn’t dodge or flinch, a smug smile on his face.
“!?” Lian Qi’s hand, which had been reaching for him, retracted, and she simultaneously jumped back, creating distance between them.
What made Lian Qi instinctively avoid him? I saw that Ivan himself hadn’t moved, but two more heads and four more arms suddenly sprouted from his upper body, each hand holding a silver spear condensed from magic.
“Three heads and six arms?” Lian Qi stared at him coldly. If she had been just a fraction of a second slower in avoiding him, she would have been pierced by the silver spears.
Even I was shocked. Isn’t Ivan from the Evocation school? He can actually create a Transmutation/Illusion-type clone? Considering his talent, it’s not impossible.
“Did you really think I’m just some dandy?”
Ivan said coldly.
Isn’t there a saying that one fist is no match for four hands? His three-headed, six-armed form momentarily left Lian Qi with no way to attack.