[Episode 173] Suspicion (3)
Trisha waved her hands dismissively.
“Go away! I’ve already warmed up the room.”
The wolf spirit showed no aggression, merely panting with its tongue out.
Unable to stand it any longer, Trisha pushed the spirit aside with her hands and burst into the room.
“Phew.”
She dusted herself off and surveyed the room. Damian was still engrossed in his bath, so it was empty. The glowing fireplace filled the space with a cozy ambiance.
Damian’s quarters were plain but strangely comforting, possessing an undefinable something that settled the mind.
T h i s w a s c op i e d f r o m ki n gm t l. o r g
Despite the annoyance of Luna’s wolf spirit lingering outside the door, Trisha doubted Luna had the nerve to enter the room. She knew Luna’s temperament all too well.
“Hmph.”
Trisha grabbed the poker and hung her hand-washed undergarments to dry, stirring the fire as she had always done.
“This is really irritating.”
***
The crescent moon hung in the dawn sky.
As usual, Trisha had claimed my bed and fallen asleep first, forcing me to find another place to sleep.
I collected my stitches from Silveryn and from Vivi, and headed out to the garden.
T hi s w a s c opi e d f ro m ki n g mt l . or g
It was a cloudless night with a cool breeze.
I attached a letter to Silveryn’s stitch and sent it, then did the same with a letter for Vivi.
As the platinum stitch took to the sky, I sighed without realizing it.
Vivi’s illness lingered in my mind like a stain, though it was not my affair, nor was it something I could influence. Perhaps it troubled me because I lived without much regard for my own life.
After watching the stitch fly off, I slowly crossed the garden for a stroll.
That’s when I saw her – a woman with cropped hair walking towards me. As she came closer under the moonlight, I was the first to speak.
“Luna, you’re up for a walk, too?”
“…Yeah. Quite a coincidence…”
Our encounter seemed fated. At this hour, in this vast place, to meet again.
T h i s w a s co p i e d f r om king m t l . o r g
Luna looked disheveled as if she had woken up abruptly. What had driven her out of bed at this time?
“Aren’t you tired?”
She averted her gaze slightly before responding.
T h is w a s c opi ed f r o m ki n g m t l . or g
“I had some things on my mind. Plus, the air feels just right now…”
“Then… shall we walk together?”
Luna nodded twice.
“Yes.”
She adjusted her direction to match mine and we walked side by side. I broke the silence with a question.
“What were you thinking about?”
“The sparring lottery is tomorrow… I’ve been pondering it.”
“Whoever faces you is probably losing sleep over it. Is there anything particular on your mind?”
“Yeah… I need to maintain my performance, and there are expectations from my family.”
Right, I had almost forgotten that Luna came from a distinguished family.
“Is there a specific opponent you’re hoping for?”
“I just hope it’s someone… not too aggressive.”
Luna was skilled enough to toy with Sion, who even seniors feared. From my perspective, she had little to worry about. My concerns were for Trisha, whose combat skills were severely lacking. I hoped she wouldn’t suffer at the hands of a malicious opponent.
“Do you know how the lottery is conducted?”
“They gather around an artifact for the draw…”
“Mm… then tomorrow, let’s go together… No.”
I couldn’t move freely with my identity exposed.
Luna looked momentarily disappointed and then suggested.
“Let’s check at the library then.”
***
The central square of Eternia’s student quarter was adorned with an unfamiliar structure.
It resembled a fountain, a round, white edifice filled with opaque, milky water.
I heard that names were drawn from inside it. Magic would supposedly decide who would be paired with whom. The details weren’t directly conveyed by the professors, so I wasn’t certain.
Trisha, beside me, was visibly excited.
“I’m nervous!”
I had planned to attend the lottery alone, but Trisha whined about having no one to go with, so we ended up together.
The alchemy and magic departments weren’t part of this sparring evaluation. Their focus was on research achievements rather than combat skills. Hence, Cecil and her group were also absent.
Students from the combat and magic departments loosely circled the structure.
“Damian, who do you think you’ll end up with?”
“I don’t know.”
To be honest, I didn’t want to fight anyone. I didn’t want to lose, but I also didn’t want to reveal my full capabilities. I wished I could just watch from behind.
I glanced toward a group of seniors. There’s no explicit hierarchy, but there are unspoken ranks among the same grade students. Just looking at the group’s dynamics, it was easy to gauge the power balance.
Amid the bustle, someone parted the crowd and stepped forward.
It was Professor Rakam, who had once taught a cycle class.
“Everyone, attention.”
The hubbub died down instantly as the professor took everyone in with a sweeping look.
“Is everyone here? I heard some of you prepared hard to save face in front of the juniors. Anyone unprepared? If so, raise your hand.”
Th i s w a s co p ie d fro m king m t l. o r g
A few who looked like seniors boldly raised their hands.
Professor Rakam shook his head as if he had seen the outcome of the duel.
“Tsk tsk, don’t be too confident, or you’ll get hurt. This year’s freshmen aren’t easy. They managed to obtain the Horn of Summoning, which your class couldn’t in your first year. They’re definitely not easy opponents.”
Professor Rakam wrapped up the chit-chat and moved on to the main event.
“Some might be as unprepared as slugs, while others have sharpened their swords, ready to properly educate the new students. Just put your hand in this fountain and take whatever you get. This magical liquid will determine your fated opponent. The order is free. Just make sure to draw before the evaluation day. Refuse to draw, and you’ll receive the lowest score. Simple, right? Anyone didn’t get it?”
T h i s w as c op i e d fr om k i n gm t l .o r g
The student square remained silent.
Soon, one student boldly approached the fountain.
It was Sion.
The upperclassmen combat students sneered and whispered among themselves. It was clear they were not saying anything pleasant.
Even the seniors had not started yet, and seeing a freshman step forward shocked some. Sion, unfazed by the scorching stares, drew something from the fountain, pocketed it, and disappeared.
Watching her confident demeanor, Professor Rakam laughed heartily.
“Shall I draw, too?”
“…!”
“…!”
Although it seemed like a joke, Professor Rakam actually reached in, pulled something out, and left.
That professor… was from the magic department, right? One of the magic students would face a professor, which was truly unfortunate for whoever it was.
Now, others began to draw their lot one by one.
“Whew… ah!”
Trisha took a deep breath before approaching the fountain. She drew a box and came back to me.
“Let’s see who you got.”
T hi s w a s c op i ed f rom k i n g m t l .o r g
Trisha then clutched the box tightly, refusing to reveal it.
“Not yet! Not until you show me yours.”
“…What’s the point of keeping it secret?”
“I don’t know! Until you tell me your opponent, I won’t either!”
“…”
I glanced covertly towards the fountain. Luna had silently come and drawn her lot. She exchanged glances with me from a distance and then left.
As Trisha nudged my back, urging me on.
Th i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k in gmt l . o r g
“Damian! You draw, too!”
I wanted to draw quietly without drawing attention, but it seemed many had been watching me from the moment I arrived in the square. Whispers could be heard.
“Damian, Damian.”
“Is that really Damian?”
“Is the rumor about his escort mission true? He looks too unscathed.”
I pretended not to hear and diverted my attention to the fountain, setting my hand inside. Even as I waited, my nape prickled with the sensation of being watched.
Soon, something bubbled up in the water and brushed against my hand.
I grabbed it and swiftly pocketed it.
When I returned, Trisha was alone, staring at her lot with a shell-shocked expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s… bad news.”
***
I stood in front of the ‘Alchemy for Solving Domestic Disputes’ section in the central library, as we had agreed.
Luna was already there, waiting on the opposite side of the shelf.
“Luna?”
“…Yes.”
“Did you check who it is?”
“Not yet.”
“Me neither. Shall we check together?”
“…Okay!”
I took out the lottery box from my pocket.
“Here, take my lottery box. Let’s exchange them and tell each other who we got.”
T h is wa s co p ie d f ro m k i n g m tl. or g
“…Okay.”
Luna pushed her box through an empty spot on the shelf. I took it and handed her mine.
“Ready?”
“Yes.”
“One, two, three!”
We opened the boxes simultaneously.
Inside was a small piece of parchment with a name written on it.
Luna was the first to speak up.
T hi s wa s c o p i e d f r om k i ng m t l.o r g
“Ruskeus.”
The name of my opponent.
“Ever heard of him?”
“Yes… I think he’s a second-year in the combat department’s advanced class.”
It wasn’t going to be an easy match.
I quickly pulled out the note to see Luna’s opponent.
A very familiar name was written there.
“…Pavela.”