[Julian’s POV]
’Why. Why. Why. Why!!!!’
Julian’s thoughts spiraled as frustration and disbelief gnawed away at what little composure he had left.
’Why can’t I beat him!? Why can’t I even find a single damn opening!?’
Slowly rising from the ground, Julian breathed heavily as he used the back of his hand to wipe away the dirt that had begrimed his face.
His entire body was beginning to ache from their prolonged battle, yet the humiliation burning inside him was far worse.
’Tch... that bastard even dared to take my necklace away!?’
His expression twisted further at the thought.
He stared ahead at Ruvian, who appeared exhausted as well, but strangely, he no longer seemed intent on engaging him... just simply remained where he was, catching his breath.
’Is he taking a damn break?’
Julian narrowed his eyes suspiciously before turning toward the other side of the battlefield.
Four of his squad members had already been eliminated by Lady Calyra, and now, only Loden remained.
The two of them were currently battling high in the sky, with brilliant coruscations of light and ominous darkness repeatedly illuminating the air from the lingering aftereffects of their spells.
Even from this distance, Julian could tell that their battle was growing increasingly intense.
Julian gritted his teeth in frustration.
He was running out of time.
If he didn’t end this quickly, Lady Calyra would eventually defeat Loden and join forces with Ruvian. And if that happened, it would practically be the end for him if this turned into a two-against-one battle.
But knowing that only made the pressure weighing on him even heavier. His gaze returned to Ruvian as his grip tightened around his sword.
’But how... how am I supposed to win this!?’
It was then that Julian recalled the mixed strengthening and healing potion Loden had given him.
’Ah, right... I... I still have that.’
Honestly, he had never intended to use it. He genuinely believed that he would be able to defeat Ruvian without relying on something like this.
But it seemed he had been wrong.
Although his pride vehemently resisted the idea of using it, he would rather swallow that indignity than lose here and be eliminated from the test.
No, that would be far more humiliating.
And Julian refused to tarnish the name of the Rozenberg!
Without much hesitation, he summoned the potion from his dimensional storage. He stared at the vial for a brief moment, his expression conflicted, before finally uncorking it and chugging the entire contents down.
*****
[Loden’s POV]
Dodging dozens of magic projectiles hurtling toward him from every direction, Loden wore a playful yet faintly exasperated expression as he searched for a better opportunity to close the distance and attack Lady Calyra.
But every time he tried to approach, several more [Magic Missiles] immediately curved through the air and followed after him.
’She can even make the [Magic Missiles] pursue me? My, how troublesome!’
He lamented inwardly.
It was not as though he couldn’t avoid them. The real problem was that Calyra gave him almost no opportunity to counterattack while doing so. Still, his real objective here had never been to defeat Lady Calyra.
Loden knew perfectly well that he wouldn’t be able to. So, all he needed to do was keep Lady Calyra occupied for as long as possible...
...until Julian was pushed into a corner and finally resorted to using that potion.
That was the entire reason he had arranged things this way in the first place.
At one point, while weaving through another barrage, Loden briefly glanced toward the other side of the battlefield.
His eyes immediately narrowed with interest.
Ruvian was still standing.
More surprisingly, he had somehow managed to keep the academy’s top scholar completely occupied, fighting Julian almost evenly despite the difference between their reputations and standing.
’As I thought... that Ruvian Castelor guy is truly an anomaly.’
A faint smile appeared on Loden’s face.
’I knew he would serve perfectly as the trigger for Julian to use that potion in an actual fight.’
Another [Magic Missile] suddenly streaked toward him. Loden swiftly flew aside to evade it, only for another projectile to approach from the opposite direction.
Instead of retreating again, he waited until the very last second before twisting his body between them. The two [Magic Missiles] flew past him and collided with each other.
Boom!
A burst of mana exploded behind him. Loden glanced back at the fading light before letting out an exaggerated sigh of relief.
"Ah, that was fun. Any more games you want to play with me, Lady Calyra?"
Calyra did not immediately respond.
She merely stared at him with her usual blank expression, watching how he kept maintaining his distance despite having several opportunities to retaliate.
After a brief silence, her eyes slowly narrowed.
"You don’t seem to actually want to fight me...."
Loden blinked before immediately answering in an innocently playful tone.
"No, no... I actu—"
"—you’re waiting for Julian to be taken over by a demon, aren’t you?"
Loden froze. For the first time since their battle began, the playful ease on his face completely disappeared.
He had expected Calyra to notice that he was stalling eventually. But he certainly hadn’t expected those words to come out of her mouth.
For several seconds, he simply stared at her.
Then, slowly, very very slowly...
A wicked grin crept across his face.
"Ahh~ so the two of you already knew." (+1,000PP)
His shoulders relaxed as though some invisible burden had suddenly been lifted from them.
"Why didn’t you say so? I could’ve dropped the pretense if you did."
Calyra raised her magic staff and pointed it directly toward him.
"But you’re not a demon... that’s what Ruvian said."
Her gaze sharpened.
"So why? Why are you working with them?"
At those words, Loden’s grin abruptly vanished. He tilted his head slightly, genuine curiosity appeared on his face.
"That guy can tell whether I’m a demon or not?"
His smile slowly returned.
"How interesting~"
"Answer my question first, Loden."
For a moment, Loden simply looked at her. Then, an impish smile spread across his face as he lifted one finger to his lips.
"Answering your question? Sorry, Lady Calyra."
Slowly, he wagged his finger from side to side before continuing.
"But I...
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[Chapter 312: Don’t Want To~]
Plot Points= 63,000 PP
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