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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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I was honestly surprised.
Both Sepia and Tia had exceeded my expectations. They were much stronger than they had been in the original story.
Sepia’s improvement was understandable. She had the Lemegeton. But Tia’s power-up was unexpected.
A Light Spirit.
Light Spirits were known for their support abilities and their powerful light magic, which was particularly effective against demons and undead.
They were rare and highly sought after, considered among the strongest types of spirits.
I hadn’t expected Tia to form a contract with one, let alone use it in a duel.
And it seemed to be a high-level Light Spirit.
Sepia looked devastated.
Her pride had been wounded.
She bit her lip, her clenched fists trembling. It was her usual reaction when she was upset.
“How did I do?”
“You were amazing.”
Tia returned to the stands and asked, a bright smile on her face. I answered honestly.
“And your performance was unexpected.”
“Shall we watch the next match?”
Tia and Sepia’s duel had been so intense that the following matches seemed dull in comparison.
Most of them were just cautious exchanges of blows. But I couldn’t focus.
Sepia’s seat was still empty.
[Ethan, shouldn’t you go check on Sepia?]
Arthur, sensing my concern, spoke through our shared Battlefield Commander link. He probably felt awkward going to see Sepia himself because of Arianna.
I stood up.
“Where are you going?”
Tia, who had been watching the match, looked at me. I gestured towards Sepia’s empty seat.
“Ah, Sepia… Go ahead.”
“I’ll be back.”
My match against Arthur wasn’t until tomorrow, so I could leave for a while.
There were a few matches I wanted to see.
Anya vs. Sonny, and Tesha vs. Reus. I asked Arthur to let me know when those matches started.
He nodded readily.
I left the stadium. Finding Sepia wasn’t difficult.
She always went somewhere private to sulk when she was upset. And in the academy, that meant her dorm room.
I contacted her through my communication crystal.
[Ethan…? What is it?]
[Come outside.]
[…Where are you?]
[The dormitory lobby.]
Sepia didn’t reply immediately. She probably wanted to be alone.
[Are you… alone?]
[I’m coming…]
Sepia’s eyes were red and puffy when she arrived in the lobby. She had been crying. I decided to pretend I hadn’t noticed.
We went to the cafe and sat down. I ordered two cups of tea.
“You fought well.”
“…”
Sepia pouted and remained silent. A long silence followed. Sepia finally spoke.
“But I lost.”
“It happens. Don’t worry about it.”
“I hate losing to Tia. Because…”
Sepia trailed off and shook her head.
She didn’t want to talk about it.
It was because they were rivals. Spirit Summoner vs. Mage. It was a classic rivalry.
“I just… hate losing to Tia.”
“But you were dominating the match.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
Another silence. I pushed a cup of tea towards her.
“Drink up. It’s your favorite.”
“…”
“If you don’t want it, I’ll drink it.”
Was that too childish?
I chuckled. I always felt like teasing her.
“Drink your tea and let’s go.”
“I want strawberry cake too.”
“I’ll get you some.”
I went to the counter and bought a slice of strawberry cake.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“I don’t really like sweets.”
“What…? Since when?”
I had slipped up. What if the original Ethan did like sweets?
“I’ve always disliked them.”
“…So, you were just pretending to like the cookies I gave you?”
“Something like that.”
Sepia seemed to be lost in thought. She picked up a strawberry with her fork and offered it to me.
“Here, have a strawberry.”
Sepia loved strawberries. It was a little strange that she was offering me the only strawberry on her cake.
“Come on. My hand is getting tired.”
I reached for the strawberry, and she smeared whipped cream on my nose.
“Ah…”
Sepia giggled.
“You looked so silly spacing out. Say ah~ I’ll really give it to you this time.”
I took her hand and ate the strawberry.
Sepia gasped, surprised.
I was going to eat all of her strawberries.
“Wow, this is delicious! What am I going to do, Sepia? I ate your strawberry.”
I teased her. Sepia glared at me.
“Ethan, you’re so childish. Are you having fun?”
“Well…”
“But the cake is mine. I’m not sharing.”
She took a large bite of the cake and smiled contentedly.
“This is so good. It must have been made this morning.”
“Really?”
“But I’m not sharing with you. That’s your punishment for teasing me.”
Seeing her enjoy the cake made me want some too. I reached for it with my fork.
Sepia swatted my hand away, like a knight defending her castle.
“Ethan, you said you don’t like sweets. So, this is mine.”
“But I bought it.”
“You gave it to me, so it’s mine now.”
We smiled at each other. We were both being childish.
“Say ‘please,’ and I’ll give you some.”
“Please, Sepia.”
Sepia blinked, surprised.
“I’ll make a special exception for you, Ethan.”
She cut a piece of cake and offered it to me.
“Say ah~”
I ate the cake.
It was delicious. Maybe it had been made this morning, like she said.
“How is it? Delicious, right?”
“Yeah, it is.”
Sepia finished her tea. The cake seemed to have improved her mood.
Sweets were the best cure for a bad mood.
I watched her eat, her cheeks slightly puffed out.
She was cute, even when she was eating. She was cute all the time, except when she was throwing a tantrum.
“Is it that good?”
“Yeah! I feel much better now.”
She had been upset about losing the duel, and now she was happy because of the cake.
She was such a child.
“Why… why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?”
“No. Should we get going?”
We left the cafe and returned to the stadium. Sonny and Anya’s match was about to begin.
“Sepia, you’re back?”
Tia greeted us. Sepia turned away, a sullen expression on her face.
“Sepia, you shouldn’t run away just because you lost.”
“Who said I ran away?”
“Shh, Sepia. Be quiet during the match.”
Tia teased her, treating her like a child. Sepia glared at her.
“It’s starting.”
Arthur said, and we turned our attention to the screen. Sonny and Anya’s avatars appeared, both of them grinning.
Anya had her usual massive hammer slung over her shoulder. Sonny also had his polearm resting on his shoulders.
“Anya vs. Sonny. This should be interesting.”
Tia was right.
Sun Wukong vs. a barbarian.
It sounded like the title of a B-movie. And B-movie titles were always intriguing.
“Begin!”
The referee shouted, and Sonny charged forward. Anya met his attack head-on.
Their weapons clashed.
A shockwave rippled through the arena as the polearm and the hammer collided. Sonny used the momentum to kick off the ground.
Anya was stronger.
But Sonny was faster.
Sonny preferred to use his speed and agility, while Anya relied on brute force.
If she landed a single blow, it would be over.
—Whoosh!
She swung her hammer. Sonny dodged, flipping through the air.
Anya wasn’t fazed.
She swung again, predicting his movements.
But Sonny dodged again, anticipating her attack. Anya’s hammer slammed down, and Sonny blocked it with his polearm.
A clear, ringing sound echoed through the stadium.
Sonny stumbled back and landed gracefully.
“Damn, she’s strong.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Anya cracked her knuckles, like a boxer preparing for a fight.
She planted her hammer firmly on the ground.
The hammer extended, like Ruyi Jingu Bang, and she used it to propel herself towards Sonny.
She aimed a kick at him, then swung her mana-infused hammer.
It seemed like Anya had learned to control her mana. But Sonny was too fast.
Their weapons clashed a few more times.
But even Sonny’s mana-infused polearm couldn’t withstand the force of Anya’s hammer.
It snapped.
“Oh dear.”
Sonny tossed the broken polearm aside and drew two daggers, holding them in reverse grip.
He was also skilled with daggers.
He would get close to his opponent, using his speed and agility to inflict small, but numerous, wounds.
Sonny pulled out a handful of his hair and blew on it.
Seven Sonnies appeared.
It was his cloning technique. The seven Sonnies surrounded Anya, like a pack of hyenas.
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