Clap clap clap –
I lightly clapped my hands.
It was an excellent match where either side winning wouldn’t be surprising.
Ariana, who didn’t back down despite the disadvantage in skill.
Lux, who calmly secured victory against the awakened Ariana.
Since both pushed their limits to the fullest…
Isn’t this match worthy of being called the best of this Olympia?
And this isn’t because she’s my student – it’s purely objective fact.
“That’s what you call having eight arms. Allen.”
At the sudden Black Wolf’s ambush, I pouted my lips.
“…You’ve gotten so smart.”
“I was always smart.”
“Sure sure.”
There’s no way I could win with words anymore.
Having nothing left to say, I messed with Black Wolf’s ears while standing up.
Now that the match is over, I should head back to the lodgings.
I wonder what we’ll have for dinner tonight?
“Is there anything you want to eat for dinner?”
“…”
For some reason, Black Wolf just stared at me silently without answering.
I blinked and asked,
“Why?”
” Aren’t you going to visit Ariana?”
“Huh?”
“You went to see Senna.”
“Ahh…”
That’s when I finally realized what Black Wolf was saying.
She was asking if I wasn’t going to console Ariana.
Hmm… Ariana is strong, so she’ll be fine, right?
Then Black Wolf said with a detached look,
“Discrimination is not good.”
“…Right. You’re right. Thanks. I almost made a mistake there.”
I nearly became a teacher who discriminates against students.
No matter how strong Ariana seems, she’s still a young girl.
In thinking of her as merely a warrior due to today’s impressive match…
Even if Ariana reaches Master level, she’ll always be my student.
“Shall we go? We should all dine out together tonight.”
While pondering new menu options, I headed towards Ariana with Black Wolf.
***
“Hya~ Lost huh. What a shame.”
Sitting on the bed, Ariana grinned and said.
Contrary to her words, there was no trace of regret on her face.
She’s not the type to dwell on wins and losses anyway.
Did my best but lost is lost.
She knows well that losing to a stronger opponent isn’t shameful.
“Hiiing…”
“Why are you the one crying when I’m the one who lost?”
Ariana looked perplexed.
Because tears were dangling from the corners of Senna’s eyes.
“But still~ Ariana could have won too…”
“It’s fine. That girl was just stronger.”
She pointed at Lux who was sitting dazed in the back.
With half-closed eyes, she seemed quite exhausted.
“I’m satisfied with just awakening my bloodline. It’s proof that mastery is within reach.”
[Unleashing the Bloodline: Selene’s Eclipse]
Ariana couldn’t forget the exhilaration of feeling like she could do anything upon awakening.
It felt like this was how Masters perceived the world.
The only regret was not fully utilizing that power.
Looking back, she had been so intoxicated by the strength that she forgot the subtleties of moonlight swordsmanship and relied too much on brute force.
“Sniff~ I’m itchy. I want to swing my sword right now… Can’t I?”
She glanced awkwardly at Senna, who firmly declared,
“No way! Absolute rest today!”
“Aah, I get it… No need to yell like that.”
“Not just today. At least three days of no training. Your whole body’s exhausted. Pushing too hard will only harm your health.”
As befitting a Holy Maiden, Senna was quite stubborn about these things.
Ariana stuck out her lower lip in obvious dissatisfaction.
“Fine fine. If Senna says rest, I’ll rest.”
Hearing the familiar voice, Ariana turned her head.
Allen and Black Wolf were entering the room.
“Don’t rush. Since you’ve experienced it once, you can improve gradually. Overdoing it will break your body.”
“…Got it.”
Approaching the dejected Ariana, Allen smiled and ruffled her hair.
“Good job. That was an amazing match. I’m proud to have you as my student.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Not just today’s match – you’ve always been a source of pride.”
Allen answered leisurely then wore a playful expression.
“If only you’d stop occasionally letting your guard down, that would be great.”
“Eek! Just wait. I’ll beat you straight-up soon.”
“Ha! Now you’re getting arrogant too. No matter how much you try, you can’t beat me. Do you even know who your teacher is?”
“Ack! Don’t press!”
Allen pressed down on Ariana’s head while looking at Lux and said,
“Lux has worked hard too. How did you manage to hide such splendid magic until now? If you had used it during our spars, I would have struggled quite a bit.”
Allen didn’t hold back his praise.
He knew Lux, who always appeared dignified, was actually weak to compliments.
As expected, Lux’s face turned slightly red as she replied,
“Still, I can’t compare to Professor…”
“That’s natural. It’s difficult to face a Master with incomplete magic.”
“…”
Lux’s expression soured at Allen’s words.
Though it was true, did he really have to say that now?
More than realizing her magic was incomplete, Lux’s mood dropped because of Allen’s thoughtless comment.
Finding her adorable reaction amusing, Allen chuckled and said,
“Just kidding. You’ve worked hard too.”
Slowly approaching, he ruffled her hair just like he did with Ariana. Lux’s expression quickly returned to normal.
Though Allen teasing her like this was annoying,
she couldn’t bring herself to hate him.
Her feelings for him were simply too strong.
Lux thought to herself that the saying “the one who loves first loses” definitely exists for a reason.
“Now then. Every day is a day I empty my wallet. Let’s go eat something delicious.”
Allen’s playful tone made Ariana frown.
“Isn’t that lacking in tact? How can you invite the winner and loser to the same meal?”
“Ah…”
Realizing he hadn’t thought it through, Allen scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“Then, Ariana, do you want to rest?”
“What, wha…?”
“Nope. Go train. If you want to win next time, you need to work hard starting now.”
“But, but! You just told me to rest earlier! No pushing yourself!”
“Take it slow. Light stretching should be fine.”
“Wha, wha…”
At this shocking statement, Ariana’s eyes wavered.
Unable to contain his laughter at the sight, Allen’s poker face crumbled.
“Just kidding. How could I leave you behind?”
“…Not going!”
With a mischievous grin, Ariana bit her lip and pulled the blanket over her head.
Though aware of her usual personality, he didn’t expect her to joke around in this situation.
Disappointment and hurt welled up in her chest, bringing tears to her eyes without her noticing.
“…Uh oh? This isn’t…”
Caught off guard by the more intense reaction than expected, Allen looked flustered.
Thud!
“Ow!”
Black Wolf, putting force into it, hit Allen’s side and said,
“Trash.”
“That’s too much… How could you do that?”
While rubbing his sore side, Allen muttered anxiously,
“I, I thought this level of joking would be fine…”
At this immature remark, Amy glared coldly.
Lux also turned her head, clearly unable to overlook this one.
Finally realizing the seriousness of the situation, Allen broke out in cold sweat.
He had gotten too emotionally close, making a joke with his student that he would normally reserve for a younger sibling.
“T… Sorry. Ariana.”
“…”
Approaching with an expression of someone who committed a mortal sin, Allen received no response from Ariana, who remained covered by the blanket.
Thinking carefully, Allen whispered,
“It was wrong of me. Please forgive me. I won’t make this kind of joke again.”
“…Fine. Just go away.”
At Ariana’s cold words, Allen hesitated.
He knew leaving here would be irreparable.
If only he had thought more before making the joke, Allen regretted.
“Hmm… In this situation…”
Deciding to go all-in after crossing the line,
Allen immediately took action.
“Pardon me.”
“Kyaa!”
Startled by the sudden floating sensation, Ariana let out a shrill scream.
Allen had suddenly picked her up in what’s commonly called a “princess carry”.
“What, what are you doing?!”
“I’ll kidnap you unless you forgive me.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
“Admit defeat gracefully if you don’t want to embarrass yourself.”
“Stop joking and put me down right now… Kyaa!”
As Ariana started struggling, Allen quickly moved.
He really walked out of the hospital room.
“To the restaurant we went to last time! I’ll go ahead!”
“Hey you idiot…”
Allen moved fast enough that Ariana’s voice echoed as reverberation.
Facing this completely unexpected turn of events, the remaining students could only blink in surprise.
Stunned, Senna pointed at the door and asked anxiously,
“Eh… Should we go too?”
“Haa…”
Sighing deeply, Amy shook her head and said,
“Watching him now, he’s exactly like our dad.”
“Is he really this playful?”
“Don’t even mention it. There was this one time with Balkan…”
Recalling the numerous pranks she endured as a child, Amy talked about them with Senna while chasing after Allen.
The last one remaining, Lux, quietly murmured to herself,
“…Jealous.”
Though she clearly won the match…
Somehow she felt like she lost to Ariana.
“Should I ask too…?”
If I secretly request when we’re alone, maybe he’ll do it for me too…
With that thought, Lux followed after them.
