The steady stream of first-year students finally began to thin, and the once-crowded path to the stone entrance was now reduced to only a handful of late arrivals rushing in with hurried steps.
By the time the final student stumbled forward, it was almost the end of sunset.
Klein didn’t move from his spot, while Liora stood beside him, and the pouch is now noticeably heavier.
The last student hesitated for only a second before sighing and dropping his share into the pouch, not even bothering to argue anymore as he passed through the doorway.
Liora exhaled slowly, lifting the pouch slightly and giving it a small shake, "That’s everyone I guess."
Klein’s gaze stayed on the empty path for a second longer before he took the spear from the ground and rested it against his shoulder.
Eleanor stood quietly nearby, "It’s over,"
Klein gave a small nod.
"Yeah."
Without another word, he turned and stepped forward, crossing the threshold of the stone doorway.
Liora followed right behind him, while Eleanor walked in last.
Inside, several students had already gathered, some sitting against the walls catching their breath, others standing in small groups, comparing what they had managed to collect.
The moment Klein stepped in, many eyes turned towards him.
"...That’s him..."
"He was outside..."
"With the Saintess..."
"...Asshole."
Liora leaned slightly closer to Klein, "Seems like we made quite the impression."
At that moment, several academy staff stepped in, wearing academy uniforms.
They moved in a coordinated manner, each one of them carrying a small tablet-like device along with a collection container as they spread out across the hall.
"Form a line. Submit all collected marbles and any acquired golden bands. Your names will be recorded alongside your totals."
The murmurs resumed as the students began to move.
One by one, students approached the staff.
Names were spoken.
Marbles were poured out.
Golden bands were handed over.
Each contribution was recorded with precision as the staff worked efficiently without unnecessary delay.
Klein, Liora and Eleanor who already split the marbles among them, also stepped forward and submitted the marbles.
---
The last submission was recorded, and the staff stepped back in unison.
A few seconds later, the hologram in the ceiling began to glow.
The murmurs died down almost instantly.
Even those who had been sitting straightened, their eyes fixed on the formation as the results were about to be revealed.
A moment later, a projection of light rose from the center, forming clear lines of text that hovered in the air for all to see.
"Final rankings..."
"First place."
"Klein Faress - 25,670 credits."
The students were quite dumbfounded to see the final result.
They know he cheated but still that’s a lot of credits.
But before the murmurs could rise, another line appeared beneath it.
"Additional reward for first place: 10,000 credits."
"...That’s over thirty-five thousand..."
"...What the hell..."
"...That’s insane."
The projection shifted again.
"Second place."
"Liora Blythe - 15,678 credits."
She blinked once, then let out a small breath as a grin spread across her face.
"...Not bad."
The next line followed immediately.
"Additional reward for second place: 7,500 credits."
Liora let out a quiet laugh under her breath, "Yeah... I’ll take that."
Then, the final name appeared.
"Third place."
"Eleanor De Valeria - 12,365 credits."
"...Of course..."
"...Saintess..."
The final line followed.
"Additional reward for third place: 5,000 credits."
The projection held for a few seconds longer before stabilizing with the three names remaining at the top.
Klein had a faint smile on his face seeing this ’Hmm, I still need more credits to get that spear.’
Eleanor walked toward him and extended her hand toward him.
"Congratulations, Klein."
Without thinking much of it, Klein simply reached out and took her hand.
And the moment their skin touched... everything stopped.
The noise in the hall vanished and the movement of students froze mid-gesture.
Klein’s expression went completely flat.
-_-
"...Fuck."
Azara materialized at his side as if she had always been standing there, "You are continuing to cheat on me, huh,"
Klein slowly turned his head toward her with a flat look, already being used to dealing with her.
"You really have the free time to visit me often, huh," he replied dryly, not even bothering to hide the lack of enthusiasm in his voice.
Azara tilted her head slightly, "Time behaves differently for me. And you... are far more interesting than anything else I could be doing."
Klein exhaled slowly, "...You’re making a big deal out of nothing."
Azara’s gaze lingered on him for a moment as she spoke "I’m just... keeping track."
A soft voice suddenly cut through the frozen silence of the hall.
"Hmm... what do we have here?"
HUH? Klein’s eyes widened in shock.
He quickly turned his head to the side... and saw her.
A beautiful woman with long, flowing blonde hair stood a short distance away, wearing an elegant, long white dress.
Her features were refined and breathtaking as her blue eyes settled on the scene before her.
Azara raised her hand and covered Klein’s eyes with her palm.
"What are you doing here?"
The woman tilted her head slightly with a soft smile still on her lips.
"I just sensed Death’s aura for the second time near my Saintess in this world, so I came to take a little peek."
Before either of them could react further, the blonde woman vanished from her previous position and reappeared directly in front of Klein.
She leaned forward slightly, close enough that even with Azara’s hand covering his eyes, he could feel the gentle pressure of her presence.
"But it seems like our Death is interested in a mortal."
Azara’s fingers pressed a little more firmly over Klein’s eyes as her tone grew colder.
"He is not your concern."
The blonde woman let out a quiet laugh.
"Oh? But he is standing right beside my Saintess. And you, of all beings, are lingering around him. That alone makes him interesting."
Klein remained still, Azara’s palm still covering his eyes.
He could feel the tension in the air between the two women... one radiating the heavy, absolute presence of Death, the other carrying the soft yet equally overwhelming aura of Life.
Azara muttered in a cold voice "Leave."
The blonde woman did not move away.
Instead, she remained leaning slightly toward Klein, "I only came to look. Besides... it has been a very long time since I last saw you this... attached to anything."
Azara’s silence stretched for a moment.
Klein, still blinded by her hand, finally spoke.
"Are you both just going to keep talking over my head?"
Azara’s fingers twitched slightly against his eyes.
The blonde woman chuckled softly "How rude of us. My apologies, little mortal."
She straightened slightly, though she still remained close.
"I am simply curious why Death herself has taken such interest in you."
Azara’s voice remained flat as she spoke.
"That is not something you need to know."
Keeping her smile, the blonde woman spoke "I only came because I sensed you twice near my Saintess,"
"The first time I thought it was coincidence. The second time... I decided to look for myself."
Azara’s voice was cold "You have looked. Now leave."
The blonde woman tilted her head, "You are unusually possessive today, Azara. That alone is interesting."
She leaned a little closer to Klein again, "Tell me... do you even know whose company you keep?"
Klein’s expression remained flat behind Azara’s palm.
"I’m getting a pretty clear idea. One of you is Death. The other is... Life, I’m guessing."
The blonde woman’s smile widened slightly, as if pleased by his quick conclusion.
"Correct."
Klein spoke "I’d prefer if the hand covering my eyes was removed so I could at least look at the people arguing over me."
Azara did not move her hand "You do not need to look at her."
The Goddess of Life let out a soft, almost amused breath.
"How protective. Truly unusual for you."
She straightened a little, her gaze shifting fully to Azara.
"I will not interfere. But if your interest in this mortal continues to bring you near my Saintess, I will keep watching."
After a long moment, the Goddess of Life took a single step back.
"Until next time, Azara."
She glanced once more toward Klein.
With that, her form dissolved into soft motes of golden light, vanishing from the frozen hall as though she had never been there.
Azara finally lowered her hand from Klein’s eyes.
Klein blinked once, then looked at Azara "You really need better timing."
Azara’s gaze condensed slightly "I will visit again."
Before he could reply, her form faded into black mist and vanished, leaving him standing alone in the middle of the hall once more.
As she left, the time flow of the world resumed.
Eleanor was still holding his hand, looking at him with mild curiosity, completely unaware of what had just occurred.
Klein slowly released Eleanor’s hand and exhaled.
"...This is getting complicated."
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