Chapter 125: Calm [3]
Ronan sat through Selene’s lesson two days after his absence ended. The topic was mana theory. Circulation mistakes. Internal injuries. Why reckless training could permanently damage the body.
The irony is almost funny, considering what I just did.
His bones were fine now. Mostly. Lingering pain was still through his wrists and shins when he moved too quickly, but nothing serious. If anything, his body felt stronger than before.
Ronan checked his status while Selene continued talking.
[Steel Bone Armament LVL 7]
[Mana Control LVL 14]
The growth wasn’t worldbreaking, but it was very good. Even Aura had said the improvement was noticeable.
The broken bones were worth it.
If he repeated the method carefully – if Aura helped – he could improve much faster than normal students.
As Ronan sat there, he noticed people looking at him.
Irene watched from the side. That made sense. Aura had openly delivered his absence message, and though Aura reported concern on her face, Irene was probably still suspicious.
Grace also looked at him. She tried to hide it, glancing between him and Aura a few times before turning back to Selene.
That was expected.
If Grace was really a transmigrator as well, she had probably been wondering what changes she’d caused to have Aura come to the Academy. Grace was probably drawing connections now that Aura had made their relationship public
What Ronan did not expect was Seraphina looking at him too.
She kept glancing at him during class.
Not in the same suspicious way as Irene or Grace. Her expression seemed... upset?
Ronan didn’t understand why. His injury shouldn’t matter that much to her. They weren’t close enough for her to be genuinely worried, at least not in a way that made sense to him.
He decided to ignore it for now. They’d be sparring later anyway.
Class continued.
Selene eventually called for the combat section. Ronan stood, testing his legs. Pain flared, but it was manageable.
And even though there was pain and recent injury, his legs were clearly more powerful than before.
When he moved, he could feel the difference.
His bones felt denser. His body wasn’t stronger in a flashy way, but the foundation was better.
Steel Bone Armament was working.
—
Ronan was paired with Seraphina again.
She looked at him for a moment before asking, "Are you actually okay?"
"I’m fine."
She still looked upset.
They began sparring, but Seraphina didn’t hold back the way she usually did. She went harder, faster, not caring about his recent injuries.
Despite that, Ronan held up far better than before.
He was still worse than her in technique, but he was noticeably more stable. When their wooden swords clashed, his arms didn’t shake as badly. When he stepped back, his legs held firm.
The openings he used to make because he was shaky before were now gone.
Seraphina noticed. She didn’t say anything.
The spar ended.
Ronan sighed and decided to ask. "Why are you upset?"
Seraphina looked surprised he noticed. "I’m sure I kept my expression perfectly neutral."
In reality, her expression had been very controlled.
She’d probably shown displeasure when it was first announced too, and Aura had simply not picked it up.
Seraphina was very good at hiding her emotions, being the princess of the Kingdom. She’d probably been taught how to do so since she was a kid.
Then she pouted. "I was expecting you to be at the club on Friday."
Ronan didn’t understand at first, thinking there was some hidden meaning.
But Seraphina’s expression held no deception.
"That’s it?"
"Of course that’s it. I couldn’t get anything your sister was saying. You’re a way better teacher than her."
I’m not a teacher, Seraphina. I literally just started like you.
"That’s rather straightforward of you to say," Ronan said, amused. "I didn’t expect you to have such a childish reason."
Seraphina grumbled.
"It’s not childish." She paused. "But I forgive you anyway. Whatever training you did clearly made you stronger. I can see that."
Ronan thought mirthfully to himself that he’d never asked for her forgiveness, but he let it slide as he rested.
Nearby, Brutas was watching.
Ronan noticed him. Brutas looked smug at first, like Ronan’s absence proved something.
After combat class, Aura approached Ronan casually in front of everyone.
This was a deliberate change. She didn’t hide it anymore.
"You fine now?" she asked blatantly in front of the entire class.
Of course she already knew the status of his recovery, so she was just making a public announcement that they were, in fact, related.
A few nearby students heard that and reacted strangely.
"I’m fine," Ronan said.
"Good," Aura said. "Because if you wasted all that effort, I’d be annoyed."
Their interaction drew attention.
Elara looked confused. Kazuma watched with that unreadable expression of his, but Ronan could tell he looked confused as well.
Grace looked tense, as if she were confirming something.
Irene’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Seraphina watched too, but this time her expression was actually unreadable.
Then Brutas finally spoke up.
"Hiding behind injuries instead of accepting your duel, Ashbourne?"
The line wasn’t clever, but it was loud enough for people to hear and draw attention towards them.
Ronan saw a flash of irritation cross Aura’s face – something she wouldn’t have shown a few months ago – but Ronan shook his head at her, telling her to leave it to him.
He looked at Brutas and thought through the situation.
Brutas had challenged him before, then backed off after Selene intervened.
If he truly wanted to fight, he would have pushed harder by now, or maybe even made a formal request.
It was obvious that someone was telling him not to go on the offensive. Someone ordered him.
Even now, he was less pushing about the duel and more insulting Ronan personally.
Maybe Ravencrest had noticed him after all.
Or maybe Brutas was simply more leashed than he looked.
"You still want the duel?" Ronan asked, ignoring the shocked expressions from the crowd.
