Chapter 29: Another A rank
I quietly stared out the carriage window as the NightBane manor slowly disappeared behind me.
More specifically—
I stared at Leo.
Even as the carriage continued moving farther away, I kept watching him standing near the entrance of the manor.
Smaller.
And smaller.
And smaller.
Until eventually I couldn’t see him anymore.
A small sigh escaped my lips.
Leaving him behind was painful.
I rested my cheek against one hand while imagining tonight instead.
Maybe if I asked enough times, Leo would finally sleep in the bed properly with me.
Or maybe—
A faint smile spread across my face.
My birthday was only a couple days away.
Surely Leo wouldn’t refuse me on my birthday.
It would make the perfect gift.
I quietly giggled to myself while imagining the scene.
Leo awkwardly handing himself over as a present.
Maybe he would even willingly hug me.
Or kiss me.
Or—
The carriage suddenly stopped.
"...We’ve arrived, Lady Lilith."
I immediately composed myself before stepping out of the carriage.
The Royal Academy stood proudly before me beneath the morning sky.
Massive white buildings.
Towering magical spires.
Elegant gardens dusted lightly with snow.
Normally people found the academy beautiful.
Personally—
I preferred Leo’s workshop.
At least his ideas were entertaining to watch.
I entered the academy grounds quietly while the usual whispers immediately spread around me.
"That’s Lilith NightBane..."
"The A-rank..."
"She’s terrifying..."
I ignored all of it as it became a daily occurance and I was used to it.
Eventually I entered the classroom and sat down in my usual seat near the back beside the windows.
Then I immediately returned to staring outside while thinking about Leo again.
Maybe tonight I could convince him to cuddle voluntarily.
Or maybe if I acted sad enough—
I smiled faintly.
Yes.
That might work.
"Good morning, Lilith."
I blinked before glancing beside me.
Clara sat down in the seat next to mine with her usual bright smile.
"...Morning."
Clara rested her chin against one hand curiously.
"You’re thinking about Leon again, aren’t you?"
"...Maybe."
"You smile differently when you do."
I ignored that statement completely.
Clara giggled softly before speaking again.
"You really like him a lot."
"I love him."
The answer came out instantly.
Without hesitation.
Clara smiled warmly at that.
Honestly—
She really was easy to talk to.
Though I still didn’t fully trust her around Leo.
Just in case.
"He’s yours, right?" Clara teased lightly.
I immediately nodded.
"Yes."
Clara laughed nervously.
"I promise I’m not trying to steal him."
Good.
That answer pleased me.
My shoulders relaxed slightly afterward.
"...Okay."
Clara was nice.
And Leo would probably be happy if I made more friends.
Suddenly the classroom door opened again.
The teacher entered before clearing his throat loudly.
"Before today’s lesson begins," he announced, "we have another transfer student joining the first years."
The classroom immediately erupted into whispers.
Another transfer student?
The doors opened once more.
And a boy with light blue hair calmly walked into the room.
He looked around confidently before speaking proudly.
"My name is Adrian Eirvale."
The whispers instantly grew louder.
"Another commoner?"
"Seriously?"
"How many are they letting in now?"
I barely paid attention.
Honestly—
None of them were Leo.
But then the teacher raised his hand again.
"There is something else you should all know."
The room slowly quieted.
"Adrian Valehart possesses an A-rank mana capacity."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Even I paused.
Another A-rank?
That was... unexpected.
There were barely enough A-rank mages in the kingdom to count on two hands.
And now another one was joining this academy?
I glanced toward Clara.
She looked genuinely excited.
Probably because there was finally another commoner student besides herself.
Meanwhile Adrian calmly walked through the classroom before taking an empty seat near the middle rows.
The whispers continued long afterward.
But eventually the lesson resumed.
And honestly—
I quickly lost interest again.
Because my thoughts naturally drifted back toward Leo.
I wondered what he was doing right now.
Hopefully not talking to other girls.
Lunch period had become one of the only parts of the academy I actually tolerated.
Mostly because Clara and I had found a quiet isolated area hidden behind one of the academy gardens where almost nobody bothered us.
Well—
Nobody except Clara.
But Clara was acceptable.
The two of us sat beneath a tree while lightly snow-covered bushes surrounded the small area.
Clara happily ate her lunch while speaking about something involving one of her lessons.
Meanwhile I mostly listened while occasionally responding.
Honestly—
It was surprisingly peaceful.
"And then the instructor accidentally exploded the practice crystal," Clara said while laughing softly.
"...How."
"He sneezed while casting."
I stared at her blankly.
"...Mages are incompetent."
Clara giggled.
Then after a brief pause, she smiled teasingly.
"So what are you and Leo doing tonight?"
I immediately looked away slightly.
"...Nothing."
"That usually means something."
"We’re sleeping together."
Clara choked violently on her drink.
"W-WHAT?"
I blinked.
"...On the sofa."
Clara placed a hand against her chest while coughing.
"Lilith you can’t phrase things like that."
I didn’t understand the issue.
Before Clara could continue speaking though—
A shadow suddenly fell over our table.
"Just as I thought."
I slowly looked up.
The new student.
Adrian Eirvale.
Several students nearby had also started glancing toward us curiously.
Adrian crossed his arms while looking directly at me.
"So the rumors were true."
I stared at him blankly.
"...What rumors."
"That you force commoners into servitude."
Silence.
What?
Clara immediately looked confused.
"Huh?"
Adrian gestured toward Clara dramatically.
"You should be ashamed of yourself."
He looked toward the growing crowd nearby.
"A noble abusing her status to force a commoner girl into acting as her servant."
The surrounding students immediately began whispering.
Meanwhile I simply stared at him.
Bored.
This might’ve been the dumbest thing I’d heard all week.
Clara quickly stood up in panic.
"N-No! It’s not like that at all!"
Adrian immediately turned toward her with what he probably thought was a heroic expression.
"You don’t need to be afraid."
"I’m not afraid!"
"You don’t need to hide the blackmail."
"There isn’t any blackmail!"
Clara desperately tried explaining herself, but Adrian continued speaking over her every single time.
Honestly—
Was this boy deaf?
"We’re literally friends!" Clara cried desperately.
Adrian gently grabbed both of her shoulders.
"Miss Clara."
His voice lowered dramatically.
"You no longer need to suffer alone."
I slowly blinked.
This was painful to watch.
Clara meanwhile looked moments away from collapsing from frustration.
"PLEASE LET ME EXPLAIN—"
"You needn’t fear Lady NightBane anymore."
"...I DON’T FEAR HER!"
The surrounding crowd grew larger by the second.
Several students looked nervous.
Others looked excited.
Meanwhile I simply rested my cheek against one hand while watching Adrian continue his self-righteous speech.
I missed Leo.
At least his rambling about furnaces made sense.
Eventually Adrian finally turned toward me fully.
"If you truly believe you’ve done nothing wrong..."
His blue eyes sharpened.
"Then face me in a duel at the end of today."
The entire area went silent.
Even Clara froze.
Meanwhile—
A small smile slowly spread across my face.
Finally.
Something entertaining.
"...Perfect."
I stood up calmly.
"I accept."
The academy’s private duel arena was enormous.
White stone platforms stretched across the center while magical barriers surrounded the battlefield to prevent stray attacks from harming spectators.
Students crowded around the arena excitedly.
Whispers spread endlessly through the stands.
"A-rank versus A-rank..."
"Who do you think will win?"
"Obviously Lady NightBane..."
Meanwhile—
I stood completely uninterested on one side of the arena while Adrian Eirvale stood opposite me gripping a sword tightly.
I just wanted to go back to Leo.
The instructor overseeing the duel raised a hand.
"Begin!"
The moment the signal was given—
Mana erupted from Adrian’s body.
A pale blue aura surged around his sword as he immediately rushed forward.
Fast.
Very fast for a first-year.
The crowd gasped as he swung his blade downward with immense force.
I casually stepped to the side.
The sword slammed into the arena floor hard enough to crack stone.
More gasps echoed through the audience.
Meanwhile—
I almost laughed.
Because despite all the flashy mana—
His technique was terrible.
He wasn’t actually controlling the sword properly.
He was simply pouring mana into it and letting the enhancement carry the attack for him.
Every swing was oversized.
Wasteful.
Predictable.
Leo with one of his hammers probably had better technique.
Adrian continued attacking relentlessly.
Massive swings.
Heavy strikes.
Explosions of mana.
Meanwhile I casually dodged each attack while occasionally blocking with minimal effort.
The difference between us was overwhelming.
Eventually—
I got bored.
A dark purple aura slowly began radiating from my body.
The temperature around the arena instantly dropped.
Several students visibly stiffened.
Then—
Multiple magic circles suddenly appeared around Adrian.
Beautiful.
Complex.
And terrifying.
Adrian’s confident expression immediately faltered.
"What—"
Ice erupted violently from the circles.
Towering frozen spikes instantly surrounded him from every direction.
Adrian roared before swinging his enhanced sword directly into the ice.
CLANG.
The blade struck.
And barely left a mark.
His eyes widened.
The ice wasn’t normal.
It was unnaturally dense.
Compressed beyond what first-year magic should’ve been capable of.
The crowd went silent.
Adrian swung again desperately.
And again.
Nothing.
Meanwhile I calmly walked toward the frozen prison.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The sound of my boots echoed through the silent arena.
Adrian looked genuinely afraid now.
I reached the ice prison before casually thrusting one hand forward.
CRACK.
The entire frozen wall shattered beneath my bare hand.
Before Adrian could react—
I grabbed his sword directly.
Then crushed it.
Metal crumpled instantly beneath my grip before fragments scattered across the arena floor.
Complete silence filled the stadium.
Adrian stumbled backward before collapsing onto the ground.
Fear filled his eyes.
Weak.
I turned around preparing to leave.
Then—
"You’ll regret this!"
I paused.
Adrian shakily pushed himself upward while glaring at me.
"Y-You and everyone you love will regret this someday!"
Silence.
Loved ones.
Instantly—
One person appeared in my mind.
Leo.
My footsteps slowly stopped.
Did this man just threaten Leo?
The air around the arena suddenly became suffocatingly cold.
Several students instinctively stepped backward.
Slowly—
I turned around.
Then calmly walked back toward Adrian.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The fear in his eyes visibly grew with each movement.
Eventually I crouched down beside him before leaning close enough for only him to hear.
The audience couldn’t hear my words.
They only saw my expression.
Cold.
Serious.
Predatory.
"If you ever even think about going near someone precious to me..."
My voice dropped dangerously quiet.
"You will regret it more than you can possibly imagine."
Adrian froze completely.
Then I slowly stood back up.
Without another word—
I walked out of the arena.
The crowd instinctively moved aside for me.
Meanwhile Clara hurried after me nervously once I reached the academy halls.
"Lilith wait!"
She quickly caught up beside me.
"I’m really sorry! This whole thing started because of me..."
I barely listened.
I didn’t care about Adrian anymore.
Because right now—
I was far more interested in returning to the manor.
Back to Leo.
A faint smile slowly appeared on my face as I imagined seeing him again.
Hopefully he missed me too.
