.｡.:✧ Chapter 56 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Though I witnessed Ares being defeated, the match left a strange impression on me. It was unclear whether he had fought earnestly or had been unable to utilize his full strength and suffered defeat.

The duel with Elise was equally ambiguous, whether it was sheer luck or concealed prowess on her part.

With little sense of pressure, I raised my sword, and our duel commenced.

Unlike most students who cautiously exchange a few blows before engaging, I did not follow this pattern.

After all, those students were all the same to me.

Without intending to prolong the time, I immediately exerted force in my strike, but…

“Hmm?”

I remembered training in the forests of the demon world, where I practiced swinging my sword underwater on several occasions.

It felt similar to that time.

I struck, yet it was as if I hadn’t.

Elise, moving as gracefully as if she were dancing, smoothly deflected my sword and swiftly counterattacked.

I hadn’t paid much attention to her duels before, assuming they weren’t much different from the others.

But witnessing her movements now, it was evident.

“She was hiding her true skills?”

This implied that her victory over Ares wasn’t merely due to luck.

She had indeed defeated him with her skill.

Why she chose to reveal her abilities now remains a mystery, but it likely wasn’t just to secure the top position in the practical exams.

“You seem lost in thought?”

With a slight smile, Elise continued to wield her sword.

Her technique was neither fast nor slow, resembling a dance with a partner at a royal ball, yet it wasn’t any less threatening.

“Such a complex technique, mastered to this level?”

It could be attributed to her innate talent for swordsmanship, but traces of excellent tutelage from an early age were also apparent.

Her identity remained a mystery, yet it became increasingly intriguing.

“You’ve learned a challenging style quite well.”

“Oh, do you think so?”

“But in the end, that’s as far as it goes.”

With a crisp sound, Elise’s sword flew through the air and dropped to the ground.

Regardless of her impressive swordsmanship.

She was still just an 18-year-old student.

“The winner is Daniel McLean.”

Though I secured the position of junior class president, a nagging feeling lingered.

Despite her defeat, Elise looked at me with a smile.

“Indeed, you’re remarkable,”

“If you wanted to face me, you could have just said so. There was no need to wait until the finals.”

“Oh, what do you mean?”

Elise covered her mouth with her hand, laughing. It seemed my probe had hit the mark.

“Now that it’s vacation, do you have any plans?”

“Yes, I do.”

I planned to visit Yggdrasil.

At that, Elise nodded with a seductive smile, as if tempting me.

“What’s this?”

Although my instincts screamed a warning, confronting her about my unease didn’t seem right, so I let it pass.

***

As the duel concluded, so began the holiday.

While most students returned home or set off on travels, others had different plans.

Take Tana, for example.

A member of the distinguished Mayas family, she had no desire to return to the suffocating atmosphere of her lineage.

Once graduated, she would continue to live under their control.

She wished Daniel or Eve could stay; spending the holiday together would have been ideal.

Recent times with friends were the happiest in her 18 years of life.

“I wasn’t exactly ostracized.”

Back then, she was bullied for liking Ares by May, leading to her intentional isolation, but Tana was naturally bright and sociable.

After becoming friends with Daniel and Eve, she felt no need to reconnect with others or revisit past friendships.

“Hmm? Aren’t you preparing, Tana?”

Eve, dragging her luggage from her room, seemed to be heading home.

“Yeah, I’ll stay at the dorm.”

“Really? Is there a reason?”

“No, just… I don’t feel like going.”

To say she had nowhere else felt too much like a melodramatic runaway teen.

After a moment of awkward explanation, Eve cautiously suggested,

“How about you come with me? Staying in the dorm all holiday sounds boring.”

“Really? Would that be okay?”

“Of course! My siblings would love to meet you!”

“Wait, then! I’ll pack and be ready in no time!”

Suddenly excited about the trip, Tana began packing with a big smile.

Humming, she waited, and soon, a blonde man appeared on the fourth floor.

Ares Helias.

He greeted numerous female students with a smile but seemed to be looking for someone, and Eve immediately knew who.

“Rin’s gone.”

“What? Gone?”

“Yes, she left with Daniel for Yggdrasil.”

“What?”

Ares made a bewildered face. Thinking they were going down to their hometown together, he was visibly disappointed and frowned as he went back down the stairs.

Then, Tana, who was packing her things in the room, heard the conversation in the corridor and peeked out, asking,

“Did Rin go with Daniel?”

“Yes, they met me earlier and told me.”

Tana looked at Eve with a peculiar expression. Finally, she asked the bewildered Eve,

“You just let them go? You like Daniel, don’t you?”

“What?”

Eve, caught off guard by the topic, was flustered but didn’t deny it.

“Is it okay for Rin to travel with him? What if they start dating during this vacation?”

“Oh, that’s fine.”

Eve answered with a smile.

“I just got rejected.”

“…What?”

Tana stopped packing mid-action and slowly came out into the corridor, unable to comprehend what Eve was saying. However, Eve explained the situation calmly.

“I didn’t confess, but it must have been obvious. Daniel politely rejected me, saying he already likes someone else.”

“…”

“This vacation apart will be good for sorting out our feelings. He said he wants to remain friends but understands if it’s too hard for me and asked me to speak up if I ever feel uncomfortable.”

“No…”

Tana was speechless, not knowing how to respond.

Eve seemed resigned, but Tana couldn’t grasp her acceptance of defeat without a fight.

Tana, who was always passionate about love, couldn’t understand Eve’s current stance.

Despite aggressively pursuing Ares and not showing jealousy when Ares spent time with Daniel, a fellow man!

Now, Tana, who is proactive in love, couldn’t fathom Eve’s acceptance.

Accepting defeat without a fight? And so calmly?

‘Did Eve not like Daniel that much?’

It seemed to be more than a mere crush to let go so easily, yet Tana, who had seen Eve and Daniel up close, thought otherwise.

‘Something seems off.’

With that thought, Tana began to piece things together.

Knowing Daniel’s recent popularity, and if Tana knew, so did Eve.

Rin was openly obsessive about Daniel.

May was boldly making advances.

They had seen Adriana attempting to kiss him, and Eris was oddly cozy by the campfire.

In all these situations, Eve acted as if she was an outsider, unaffected.

‘No reaction when the guy she likes is entangled with so many girls?’

There must be something wrong with Eve.

With that realization, Tana quickly finished packing and said to Eve,

“This vacation seems to be very busy.”

“Really? Why?”

“Yeah, let’s do our best.”

Eve, who loved reading, had been unconsciously defending herself in matters related to the opposite sex due to past trauma.

Like reading a book, she viewed her situation as if it were just a scene from a story.

When reading romance novels, if the male lead wavers towards another woman, the female lead may feel jealous, but the reader doesn’t.

Eve had become a mere observer in her own love life.

Her best friend, Tana, decided to heal Eve’s heart this vacation.

***

The journey was bumpy, whether due to the rough road or the coachman’s driving, disrupting my attempt to sleep in the carriage en route to the village closest to Yggdrasil, with Rin and Hayun accompanying me.

Bringing Rin was obvious. Leaving this potential disaster unattended was too risky.

She had also received a recommendation from Professor Veritio to visit Yggdrasil with me.

Hayun’s inclusion might seem unexpected, but she, facing estrangement from her family and struggling to afford dormitory fees during vacation, gladly accepted my invitation to learn swordsmanship and join us to Yggdrasil.

‘Actually, I was scared to go with Rin alone.’

She had initially mistaken our trip for a duo adventure, and Rin’s reaction at that time might haunt my dreams tonight.

“Yggdrasil, huh? You’ve chosen your friends well.”

I smiled back at Hayun’s comment, though internally I felt uneasy.

‘Will Eve be alright?’

When I mentioned it, she responded indifferently as if it wasn’t her concern, but it left me feeling uneasy.

I had planned to confront May again, but she had already been sent back home by the dean.

‘And Rin…’

I intended to clarify things during this trip.

Because the purpose of this trip was to finally speak my heart to Eris.

‘This time, I…’

What should I say?

As I pondered, May’s straightforward words naturally came to mind.

‘I’ll woo you!’

Even as I silently proclaimed this, I covered my face with my hands, embarrassed.

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