Ring Interlude
The mood isnt very good.
I didnt expect to be asked so blatantly if I liked Dorothy. It hit hard.
She seed to have already noticed, there was no point in hiding it.
What do you want to say?
Luce lowered her head and, without flinching, grabbed my sleeve with her fingers and slightly pulled it. The Ring of the Abyssal Queen on her ring finger glead with a black pearl hue.
I was reminded of the ti I survived the Thunderbird Subjugation and t Luce again. It felt like a reenactnt of that ti.
The words that Luce then uttered were,
Please like , Isaac.
Her intimate tone tickled the air.
Please like more than that senior.
Luce lifted her head while looking at with a tender gaze.
That might be enough.
She was revealing herself as she was, without trying to hide anything from .
For a while, I couldnt utter a single word.
Silently, I pretended to ponder the aning of Luces words, deliberately pausing.
Eventually, Luces face gradually reddened.
She tried to maintain a calm expression, but the wandering of her eyes suggested she realized the gravity of what she had said.
It was similar to the reaction she had when she asked , Do you want to touch my breasts?
It was imdiately apparent that she had blurted out sothing embarrassing to because her emotions got the best of her.
This is, well
Luce tried to stamr sothing out.
Shall I take a guess?
Was that a confession just now?
An appeal for affection Were friends, after all.
Luce smiled awkwardly.
Well with such a reaction, its best to respond lightly and end it.
She probably wouldnt want to express her feelings to , especially after a tense situation with Dorothy and the mood turning sour.
I gently tapped Luces shoulder and smiled.
Silly, friends dont say things like that.
Right?
Lets have dinner. What did you bring?
Oh, at and sandwiches. I only packed things that Isaac likes.
I casually cheered her up and expressed my gratitude.
Luce took out a mat from the basket she brought and we sat down to have dinner together.
All the while, Luce sneakily glanced at . The atmosphere was awkward throughout.
To break the uncomfortable silence, I teased Luce, and she gradually teased back, bringing back the old vibe.
I was about to leave.
But Luce
There was one thing I was curious about. I really had to ask.
Luce, munching on her sandwich, looked at .
How did you know the sll of my saliva?
Luces mouth abruptly stopped.
The atmosphere turned awkward again.
***
Morning. In the Magic Departnt, Orphin Hall.
I was settling into a tiered lecture hall, getting ready for class. It was the classroom for the second-year B class.
Around , I could see guys like Ian Fairytale, Mateo Jordana, and Tristan Humphrey.
Normally, Luce, the top seat of class A, would naturally co sit beside and display all sorts of affectionate actions.
But she was nowhere to be seen today. It seed she decided not to co.
Is it because of that incident?
Luce had asked to like her more than Dorothy.
Even I would have felt embarrassed. It was understandable.
Each ti Luce ca to the class B classroom, she exuded an incredible presence. Then I had to endure the burdenso stares of the students.
Certainly, being alone felt more liberating.
Of course, its not that I dont want to see Luce. How can I dislike having such a pretty and lovely person cherish so much that she always wants to be by my side?
Ive even gotten used to the burdenso stares of the other students.
For so reason, I felt a bit of emptiness.
Professor Daisy arrives.
Then the female professor of the second-year B class of the Magic Departnt kicked the door open and entered. Several students were visibly startled.
It was Professor Daisy, known for her Middle school syndro. Her first words during orientation were In my eyes, a classroom is like a cri scene just waiting to happen. Which solidified her eccentric image. Anyway, her skills were outstanding, so I liked her.
Professor Daisy entered the classroom with books tucked under her arm and stood in front of the lectern. The students hurried to their seats.
Before we begin the class, there is an announcent,
Said Professor Daisy in a solemn tone.
It was that ti of the year.
Soon, there will be a duel evaluation. Like last year, it will involve using one or two duel request tickets to challenge an opponent of your choice.
Duel evaluations were held once every sester.
Each student receives two duel request tickets.
With one ticket, they could challenge anyone within their year.
The challenged could refuse, but if both tickets were used, they must accept the duel.
So, the rules were similar to last years, with one exception.
However, there is a change. This year, first-year students from the Magic Departnt are also included as potential duel opponents. Please keep this in mind.
The students were visibly surprised, exclaiming, Huh?
The reason Mrchen Academy included first-year students as potential duel opponents was clear.
My juniors, the first-year students of the Magic Departnt at the ti, were known as the Golden Generation due to their strength.
It was probably to balance things out, by diverting the attention of the strong first-year students towards their seniors. It helped maintain an overall balance.
In Magic Knight of Mrchen, second-year Ian Fairytale received a duel request from the first-year, Priestess Miya.
This was because Ian was a Light Elent hero who had been slaying demons.
It was a sub-event that offered a lot of experience points.
Having confird that defeating Verga and completing the sub-event yielded a substantial amount of EXP, I expected this event would be no different.
Of course, in this context, the demon slayer was The Naless hero. That was probably why Miya showed no particular interest in Ian.
So, does this an the sub-event is out of reach?
It wasnt feasible to challenge Miya either. Even if I did, there was no guarantee that it would trigger the sub-event, and it seed difficult to defeat her right away. It was simply an unnecessary risk.
It would be fortunate if I didnt get severely beaten while aiming for the sub-event.
Anyway, who will I face?
It was clear that dueling with others would help grow. It never hurt anybody to have more combat experience.
With my skills at the ti, I could even consider challenging soone from class A, maybe soone like Keridna Whiteclark.
Mateo also seed like a suitable opponent.
Tristan, brimming with enthusiasm, was sure to challenge .
Well, theres still plenty of ti. Ill think it over slowly.
***
Hello, Senior. Would you like to duel?
Even with [Clairvoyance] and [Psychological Insight], sotis I was startled by a persons unexpected actions.
Could now be one of those monts?
While I strolling through the outdoor corridor of Orphin Hall, I encountered a female first-year with jet-black hair. She blocked my path and challenged to a duel.
Yep, it definitely was.
What if I refuse?
Ill use both tickets. Then you have to accept, right?
The junior waving two duel request tickets, with a folded black fan against her lips, was Priestess Miya.
[Miya]
Lv: 156
Race: Human
Elents: Fire
Danger: X
Psychology: [Wants to defeat you to gain the attention of Luce Eltania.]
Students passing by all turned their attention towards and Miya.
Looks like the Priestess has already chosen her duel opponent?
Whats that? Is she using both her request tickets?
Who is that senior?
Its Senior Isaac, the top student of Class B of the second year.
Why would the first-year top seat challenge Isaac?
The students who walked in the outdoor corridor murmured.
Miya, accustod to always being the center of attention, seed unfazed by the whispers of the students.
Why do you want to duel with ?
Ive beco curious about you, Senior. Thats all. I wish to duel with you, so lets duel Senior.
A gentle early sumr breeze caressed the skin as it passed.
Miya tilted her head with a lovely smile. Thanks to [Psychological Insight], her intention to crush rcilessly was clearly evident.
Why arent you saying anything? Dont tell youre frightened?
It seed Miya
Was intent on seriously provoking , Luces weak spot.
In an official event like a duel, no matter how badly I could be defeated by Miya, it would be difficult for Luce to intervene.
I was not sure what her intention was, but it was unlikely she harbored any good intentions towards .
Anyway, it seems I might be able to capitalize on this sub-event
This is
Too unexpected, isnt it?
* * *
The movents of the Ice Kingdom, Dpfendorf, are unusual.
In the northern part of the Zelver Empire, in the Whiteclark Duchy, it snowed every day.
The Whiteclark Ducal Family. Their symbol was the white dragon that the ancient Ice Sovereign summoned as his familiar, and a secret capable of turning the world upside down was hidden in the basent of their grand mansion.
The Whiteclark Mansion, in the underground Round Table eting room.
Luxurious and opulent in appearance. However, the eting room was dark, illuminated only by the faint light of glowing lamps.
Around the round table, figures made of elents sat in each high seat.
A figure of fierce flas. The Fire Sovereign.
A figure of crackling lightning. The Lightning Sovereign.
A figure of clear water. The Water Sovereign.
A figure of billowing wind. The Wind Sovereign.
The moderator and the next Northern Grand Duchess with pink hair, Aichel Whiteclark, held a power that could shake the world
She stood in a respectful posture in front of these powerful figures.
The Council of Kings.
Regular etings occurred once every three years, and ergency etings could be convened upon the proposal of one or more mbers when global-scale issues arose.
Aichel Whiteclark of the Whiteclark Ducal Family was chosen as the moderator of the Council of Kings eting.
Typically, not all Kings would attend these ergency etings.
This was because they had a mutual agreent not to interfere in each others territories unless their own nation was at risk.
Most often, they showed no interest in matters unless they were intriguing; they hardly felt a sense of crisis unless it involved a potential world-ending scenario.
However, the subject of this ergency eting was so beyond imagination that, unusually, all four current Kings attended.
It seems that you have realized the ergence of the next Ice Sovereign.
[Dpfendorf indeed, it would be strange if you were not aware. Ha ha]
The voice of the aged Fire Sovereign, an elderly man, echoed in the round table eting room.
The Fire Sovereign, emitted a scoffing laugh as if in disbelief, and lightly stroked his long, flowing beard. As he did, the flas flickered.
The Ice Kingdom, Dpfendorf.
A nation comprised of mighty ice magic beasts and the powerful human descendants of the Frost Race.
Ice magic beasts who had reached the celestial and earthly realms, like the Glacial Bear, Frost Spirit, and the Icebound Crocodile, also considered Dpfendorf their holand.
For over a thousand years since the passing of the original Ice Sovereign, the throne had remained vacant.
The people of Dpfendorf had long awaited the ergence of a new Ice Sovereign.
Aichel Whiteclark, a lover of peace, had been closely monitoring Dpfendorfs activities. Recently, she had noticed unusual movents in the country.
The one served by the White Dragon and the Primordial Beast of Ice, the next Ice Sovereign, The Naless Hero.
Aichel lowered her eyes.
Its impossible that Dpfendorf didnt feel the mana of the Ice Sovereign that spread every ti demons have appeared at Mrchen Academy since last year. An especially crucial mont was when the power of the Primordial Beast of Ice spread briefly.
A monster among monsters, presud to have even surpassed the Primordial Elental Kings.
The next Ice Sovereign, a formidable force that even the Elental Kings who were present dared not provoke.
Each country ruled by the Elental Kings had a treaty with the Zelver Empire to generally not interfere with each other.
Whether The Floating Island had appeared in the Zelver Empire or not, as long as the damage did not affect their own nation, there was no reason to intervene.
The next Ice Sovereign was at Mrchen Academy, belonging to the Zelver Empire.
This fact was certain, yet none of the Elental Kings had visited the academy.
This was due to the treaty issue and also out of respect for the next Ice Sovereign.
[Id like to see him once. Hopefully, a frail-looking boy. Then, Id sincerely cherish him]
The Elental King of water, the Water Sovereign stroking her cheek, had the form and voice of a mature woman.
[Water Sovereign, the next Ice Sovereign is not a pushover for you to impose your perverted desires upon.]
[Please dont misunderstand, Mr. Jaul. I just want to make a good impression on the new Ice Sovereign.]
To the critique from Jaul, the Lightning Sovereign, the Water Sovereign replied with a voice tinged with laughter.
[Because the next Ice Sovereign seems to be quite dangerous.]
The Water Sovereign added in a soft voice.
[Probably quite soon.]
Yes. It wont be long before Dpfendorf welcos its new King,
Aichel responded to the Fire Sovereign.
The air grew tense. Aichel hid her surprise at the fact that even the strongest beings in this world could feel tension.
Isaac, a second-year student at Mrchen Academy.
The people of the Ice Kingdom, Dpfendorf, along with a massive army and catastrophic ice magic beasts, would unanimously serve him as their King.
No one could predict how powerful an Elental King he would beco, being accompanied by the White Dragon and the Primordial Beast of Ice.
The balance of power that constituted the world was on the verge of entering a new phase.
Perhaps soon
The most dangerous Elental King in the world might erge.
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