Father… Now that I hear that word, Ariana’s face keeps overlapping in my mind.
Especially those long lashes of hers are a dead ringer for that guy.
“O-Ode to the moonlight that protects the Empire.”
Everyone hastily bowed their heads at the sudden appearance of the Duke.
Only Black Wolf stood there blinking, utterly unfazed.
Equal respect to everyone, huh… seriously admirable…
“Raise your heads. I’ve come here simply as a father.”
At Calias’ words, everyone slowly lifted their heads. He shook the hand he was holding once before letting go and said,
“You’re Professor Allen, right? Thank you for teaching my daughter so well. This may not be much, but consider it a gift.”
“Not at all. Teaching students is my duty, after all.”
“That won’t do. You saved her life too, did you not? Even that hothead gave his thanks, so how could I be any less grateful? It would hurt me greatly if you didn’t accept this.”
“…Then I must accept it.”
“Just kidding.”
Calias only said it was a joke after handing over the parcel he’d been holding. Honestly, with no change in expression whatsoever, it was impossible to tell if he was joking or not.
Ariana’s pretty honest, wearing her emotions on her sleeve, so this is kinda surprising…
Though they’re both dukes, Calias seems far colder than the boisterous Balkan.
“Feel free to visit our territory anytime. We’ll welcome you with open arms.”
“Yes… sure…”
Where exactly is the Selene family territory again?
To be honest, I don’t remember, but I nodded without hesitation anyway.
“Please, take a seat. Ariana’s match is ongoing right now.”
“No need. I wouldn’t want to inconvenience others. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Come on, what’s inconvenient about it? A parent just wants to see their child, right? Isn’t that so?”
“T-That’s right…”
“Exactly!”
Ignoring the professors’ awkward expressions, I guided Calias to the sofa.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“No need. Don’t bother yourself. Rather… how has Ariana been doing lately?”
Why’s his voice getting quieter all of a sudden?
Anyway, this unexpected parental consultation caught me off guard.
Since I secretly wanted to experience this kind of thing myself, I smiled gently and replied,
“As you probably know, Ariana recently became a Sword Expert. Her relationships are fine, she’s academically top-tier, so she should graduate without issues.”
“Expert… That’s an unfamiliar sword, isn’t it?”
“Oh, that one was taken from—no, given by the Capital Defense Force. They say dragon fangs were mixed into its forging. A legendary blade crafted by dwarves, so Ariana really likes it.”
I suddenly thought it was lucky Calias hadn’t seen Ariana’s middle-school syndrome phase. If he’d witnessed her getting drunk on swords, her dignity might’ve been compromised.
It’s important to protect Ariana’s honor, isn’t it?
Ah, you’re wondering how I know all this?
An adjutant of the Sage came by and explained everything.
He earnestly insisted it was a truly precious item and urged us to use it well.
When I asked if such a valuable thing could even be given away, he responded,
“[Of course! The Commander personally selected it.]”
His reply resonated with a moment of silence, filled with unspoken effort.
Empathizing with his sentiment, I couldn’t help but assure him we’d use it well.
There was no way I could return such a blade now.
“Hmm. I should thank the Gold Eagle Palace then.”
Calias quietly nodded. Following his lead, I turned my gaze to the arena.
Aria, who had been struggling a bit earlier, was now overwhelming her opponent.
“That girl has truly mastered the Moonlight Swordsmanship. All thanks to Professor Allen, I suppose.”
“Not at all. It’s Ariana’s talent that made the difference. I merely helped her gain combat experience.”
I kept my eyes glued to the arena as I answered.
“To be honest, I was against Ariana’s admission.”
“Eh? Why…?”
“Because I believed teaching her myself would be better. Minerva is undoubtedly the finest educational institution, but the Moonlight Swordsmanship is special.”
Indeed, the Moonlight Swordsmanship differs from other styles.
It must be the secret technique of the Selene family.
Perhaps Calias teaching it himself would’ve yielded even better results.
“I already had experience teaching children, so I was quite confident. With Ariana’s talent, I never doubted she’d reach Master level within ten years.”
“Definitely true. Then why did you allow her admission to the Academy?”
“I didn’t.”
“… Pardon?”
Caught off guard by his unexpected answer, I blinked.
Calias continued calmly,
“She just left on her own accord. What you might call running away from home.”
“But… is that okay?”
“If someone doesn’t want to stay, there’s no reason to hold them back, is there? Not like the family didn’t support her. I provided all necessary living expenses. I just didn’t pay much attention, that’s all.”
Listening to the conversation, Cain cautiously asked,
“So your absence from Academy events until now was because…”
“I never felt the need. Looking back, it was rather immature of me.”
Thinking about it, it wasn’t really immature—at least not on Calias’ part, but rather Ariana’s.
She ran away, yet grew up straight as a royal and entered the Royal Ban ranks. Quite commendable, if you ask me.
Even her occasional rebellious behavior is understandable.
“Then why today…?”
Cain hesitantly asked again.
Naturally, it must be because he finally realized the preciousness of his daughter later in life…
“It’s due to an arranged marriage.”
Huh?! That’s not it…?!
Startled, I opened my mouth,
“E-Eh? An arranged marriage? What do you mean by that…”
“Her coming-of-age time has arrived, so it’s time to secure an heir, isn’t it? My other children are already married. Only Ariana remains.”
“But, she’s still young! Isn’t it too early to think about marriage?”
“Young? Are you calling a swordsman who’s reached Expert status a child?”
“That’s beside the point. What does Ariana think about this?”
“Of course, I intend to hear her opinion. I’ll have her choose someone she likes from the families I’ve pre-selected. They’re all reputable houses, so picking any of them should be fine.”
The conversation felt like it was veering off track somehow.
It seemed clear he had no intention of changing his mind, so I decided to focus on the match instead.
“Let’s talk about this later. The match is almost over.”
“Family matters. Even someone as esteemed as you shouldn’t interfere…”
“The match. Focus on it, please. Isn’t this the first time you’ve ever seen your daughter like this?”
“…Very well.”
Clutching my teeth, I spoke firmly, and Calias calmly gazed down at the arena.
Indeed, these are family affairs, and even as a professor, I had no business interfering.
Still, something about this felt off, and I couldn’t shake the feeling.
At the very least, if Ariana opposes it and it proceeds forcefully, then…
Pushing aside these complicated thoughts, I refocused on her.
***
“Ugh, I’m getting this weird prickling sensation. Is someone talking trash about me somewhere?”
As Ariana furrowed her brow, a wave of water surged toward her.
[Water Magic: Whirlpool]
Spinning rapidly, the water rushed toward her. In response, Ariana slashed vertically with her sword.
[Moonlight Swordsmanship: Crescent Slash]
Splitting the water into two streams, Ariana slipped through the gap and shouted,
“Don’t meddle with someone’s thoughts!”
“What’s wrong with you? Who’s got time to look around during a match?”
Satis tilted her head in confusion at Ariana’s outburst. Meanwhile, the water flowing from under Satis’ feet had risen to ankle-deep levels.
Despite her best efforts to attack and stop it, she couldn’t prevent the rise.
‘How can she maintain this amount of water? What kind of person is she?’
In the dry arena, sustaining such phenomena solely through her mana is no easy feat.
Ariana’s thoughts raced rapidly in this precarious situation.
‘The water isn’t rising anymore. This must be her limit. She chose this difficult method just to slow me down.’
Amy once said that field-type magic consumes more mana than regular attack spells. Unlike fire, which spreads endlessly when there’s fuel, water requires constant mana infusion unless near a river or sea.
‘Mana consumption can’t be ignored, so she’ll definitely make her decisive move soon. Thus…’
Continuously pressuring her will prevent her from deploying wide-area magic.
Having calculated this, Ariana moved swiftly.
[Moonlight Swordsmanship: New Moon Dance]
Grimacing, she swung her sword with full force, sending numerous sword energies toward Satis.
“This is futile, don’t you get it yet?”
[Water Magic: Rising Waterfall]
Blocking the sword energies with a wall of water, Satis prepared her next spell.
“If this doesn’t work, you’re just wasting your strength… Where did she go…?”
The downside of Rising Waterfall is its wide range, momentarily obstructing her vision.
Knowing this, Satis always used it when there was enough distance between herself and the opponent.
Yet, disappearing in that brief moment?
“Where could she have gone?”
[Water Magic: Water Prison]
Caught off guard, Satis enclosed herself in a magical prison.
Originally meant to restrain opponents, it also functioned excellently as an all-around defense mechanism when utilized correctly.
“I didn’t expect you to know assassin techniques. Still, it’s useless. You’ll have to approach me to swing your sword, won’t you?”
Taunting while slowly scanning her surroundings, Satis saw no sign of Ariana.
With the water reaching her ankles, created solely by her own mana, movement should’ve been visible…
Just as her caution reached its peak in the eerie silence,
… Splash
“There you are!”
[Water Magic: Roar of the Water Dragon]
Satis unleashed her most powerful offensive spell in the direction of the sound.
The mighty water dragon roared, unleashing a colossal water cannon across the arena like a real dragon’s breath.
But there was no sign of Ariana.
Frustrated, Satis clenched her teeth at the cratered arena.
“So you won’t come out, huh? Fine, let’s see how long you can hide.”
[Water Magic: Boiling Hell]
The water that filled the arena shot upward into the sky.
Gradually forming a massive orb of water, it began to boil.
This was a wide-range magic that poured scalding hot water everywhere.
“I doubt you can withstand this…”
“At this moment, I’ve been waiting.”
The cool voice from behind sent shivers down Satis’ spine.
The instant she turned around in panic,
[Moonlight Swordsmanship: Total Eclipse]
The surroundings darkened.
The only thing reflected in Satis’ pupils was the faintly glowing sword of Ariana.
Watching the sword slice through her Water Prison, Satis murmured unconsciously,
“Beautiful…”
Mesmerized by the goddess-like figure, Satis quietly closed her eyes.
Thud –
Leaving the fallen Satis behind, Ariana sheathed her sword.
“My Blue Dragon is beautiful, isn’t it? Don’t be sad. Your opponent is me, after all.”
Smirking, Ariana turned her head toward the VIP room where Allen sat.
Seeing the familiar face sitting beside him, her expression instantly soured.
“What’s that guy doing there?”
It was her father, whom she hadn’t seen since entering Minerva four years ago.
