After that day, despite the absolute catastrophe that had taken place in the arena, classes resumed as normal, as though nothing had happened.

Thankfully, no one had been seriously injured. A few students and staff suffered minor cuts from flying debris, but nothing life-threatening. That was what I heard from the staff and instructors, at least.

Still… What I saw back there, it shook me.

Mirabelle had nearly lost her life… And it was all because I was trying to help Ricent. Even though she could’ve hurt him too, I had noticed how she held back on her spell back then… Enough for his clothes to be damaged, that was all…

However, Ricent didn’t hold back.

Or rather, he didn’t know how to hold back.

How did he cast such a powerful spell in the first place, anyway?

The night before, he barely made water appear before him. But on the day of the duel, he destroyed an entire section of a reinforced wall, along with creating a crater on the ground beyond it.

After the spell was cast, Ricent, who was blasted back from the impact, rose up and stood there stunned. It took an instructor or two to finally make him move away.

I hadn’t seen him since then, and that worried me to no end.

He had too many things against him.

First, the endangering of Mirabelle’s life. Had he not missed… I didn’t even want to finish that thought.

Second, the students and staff who were injured, even lightly. Some of them might demand compensation. Even if they don’t, the image of his power was enough to instill fear into most, just like I was feeling. He might become a social outcast…

And lastly… The arena walls, and the crater that followed…

If the academy decided to charge him for the repairs, I doubted Aunt Diane would be able to afford it.

The heavy weight on my chest sat there, burrowing deeper as time ticks on.

“Lady Carine?” Lionne asked beside me. “Is something the matter? You look more pale than usual.”

I snapped back to reality and shook my head, quickly writing down the notes from the blackboard.

“It’s… nothing.”

“You’re worried about Mirabelle, aren’t you?” Eveliana asked.

I nodded silently, my pen slowing down.

“I say we visit the infirmary after this. I believe she is being treated there.”

I nodded again. That was my plan anyway.

I had many questions.

About Mirabelle’s condition.

About Ricent’s spell.

And about magic in general.

Each answer to those questions lay in different hands, and I decided to start with Mirabelle.

—

Royal Knights Academy – The First Infirmary

After classes, Eveliana and I headed to the infirmary, where Mirabelle was supposedly recovering. Lionne had already reserved a table in the cafeteria, but since we wouldn’t be joining her, she’d be eating with her friends instead.

The infirmary was barely staffed, likely because there weren’t many students in need of healing.

However, after chatting with the staff member at the front desk, I learned that Mirabelle was indeed being treated here.

Both Eveliana and I made our way to the specified room, passing by other rooms labeled with numbers and even a few office rooms for instructors. After a short walk, we stood before the door to Mirabelle’s room.

I took a moment to catch my breath, something Eveliana noticed and stepped back.

How was Mirabelle holding up? Was she injured? Shaken? Traumatized by what happened? Any of those thoughts could be true; she had a near-death experience, after all.

Then, after taking a deep breath, I took hold of the door handle and pushed the door open.

I expected dim lights. Heavy air. A suffocating atmosphere.

However, what greeted me was—

“—This cake is so soft! Why didn’t they serve this in the cafeteria?”

An amber-haired girl sat upright in bed, legs kicking beneath the blanket as she happily devoured a slice of cake.

I froze in the doorway, my mouth slightly agape.

“F-Fafy Khafine—?!” Mirabelle shouted through a mouthful of cake—only to immediately start choking on it.

Someone’s recovering well.

…

“Lady Carine, I’m so sorry!” Mirabelle hurriedly wiped her lips with a napkin, face flushed bright red. “I didn’t expect you to visit so soon!”

In hindsight, I probably should’ve knocked.

“What brings you here, Lady Carine?” she asked, smoothing her loosened hair in a rush, as if trying to repair her dignity. “Aren’t you supposed to be in the cafeteria?”

“As your friend, I couldn’t just ignore you after yesterday,” I said. “You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

Mirabelle sat still, her eyes lowered.

“Lady Carine… you don’t have to say that just to be polite,” she murmured. “I know I caused trouble yesterday. But really, you don’t need to worry about me…”

Girl, you nearly died.

“How can’t I worry?” I said, shaking my head. “I thought I lost you back then, you can’t even imagine how relieved I am to see you safe…”

Her eyes widened, her fingers tightened on her blanket. “Lady Carine…” Then, she smiled warmly. “Thank you for worrying about me… Truly.” She gave a small bow from her bed.

What’s with the sudden bow?

When she raised her head, a blush was forming on her cheeks.

“B-But to answer your question,” she quickly added, as if embarrassed by her own honesty, “I’m not really hurt. Just some minor scratches on my back. The Saint already treated them! She’s really kind.”

“I see, that’s good.”

“My dress was ruined, though…” she muttered, pouting faintly. “I just bought it for my public debut too…”

You call a duel a debut?

“Now, what about you?” Mirabelle’s eyes shifted, and the softness from moments ago cooled several degrees. “Why are you here?”

She looked at Eveliana almost begrudgingly.

“Hmm?” Eveliana smiled sweetly. “Am I not your friend too? Am I not allowed to worry?”

“Hmph, I doubt that’s your only reason…”

Once again, sparks hidden from even my eyes clashed in the air.

I exhaled slowly.

Perhaps bringing Eveliana had not been my wisest decision today.

—

As I was talking with Mirabelle as Carine, I was looking for Ricent as Feyt.

I stood before the specialty dorm, the dorm meant specifically for mage students. It was a lot smaller than the other dorms, even the luxury dorms and the common dorms. It made sense, though, considering a mage’s class never had more than a dozen students at once.

I stood outside admiring the building, wondering if I was allowed entry or not.

But, it wasn’t like there was a knight standing guard at the door or anything, and I had a limited time before classes started again. With quiet steps, I walked to the door and nudged it open, slipping past the doorway.

The inside of the dorm was eerily quiet, aside from the usual suspects, due to my ears.

Most mage students, regardless of year, were likely already in class. The hallways were empty, save for faint sounds that reached my ears. Distant breathing, quiet murmurings, soft footsteps somewhere within the building.

One of them was bound to be Ricent’s.

I just didn’t know where.

I couldn’t quite remember his room number from when he showed me his guidebook, so I didn’t really know where to go. And it wasn’t like I could just knock on every door.

As I hesitated in the hallway, a maid turned the corner carrying a bucket of freshly washed laundry. She glanced at me briefly, clearly recognizing me as a student, and continued walking.

I hurried toward her.

“Excuse me?”

She stopped and turned politely. “Yes? How can I help you?”

“Do you know which room Ricent is in?”

“Ricent?” the maid echoed. Then, her eyes lit up. “Oh, the arena wrecker.”

They already had a name for him.

Oh God.

She adjusted the laundry in her arms. “He must be really popular, huh? To have this many visitors in a day…” she muttered to herself.

Someone else already visited him?

I have a bad feeling about this.

“He’s in room 203, second floor,” she said, gesturing down the corridor. “Stairs are to your right. Careful, though, we just mopped them.”

“I understand. Thank you very much!”

I didn’t wait another second.

Turning on my heel, I headed for the stairs, my chest tightening with each step.

The maid said other visitors had come to see him.

Had the instructors summoned him already? Was this a courtesy visit before formal expulsion? Was he told to pack his belongings already?

Or could it be worse?

Compensation.

The wall. The crater. The structural damage alone would cost a fortune. Even if the academy was generous, even if they claimed responsibility for hosting the duel… surely they couldn’t ignore something of that scale.

Would they make him pay?

Aunt Diane’s face surfaced in my mind… I didn’t even want to imagine how she would react if she learned of the damage Ricent caused.

There was no way she could afford that.

With my thoughts still in limbo, I finally reached his room.

From inside, I heard the faint clink of metal against ceramic and a slow breathing and huffing.

He was definitely in there.

I stood before the door, hand hovering before the door.

Was he already packing his stuff? Was he crying his heart out? Staring blankly at the wall?

With those questions still in my mind, I knocked.

I pushed the door open slowly.

“…Ricent?”

I held my breath, expecting to be the one with a calm demeanor, the one to calm him down.

But what greeted me was—

“Mmmmh! So juicy!”

Sitting cross-legged on his bed with a plate balanced on his lap was a young brown-haired man, eating steak with his cheeks puffed out mid-chew.

I froze in the doorway, my mouth slightly agape.

He turned and looked at me, eyes bright.

“Mmmh! Feyt!” he greeted, through a mouthful of meat.

He lifted his fork, carrying a whole piece of steak. “Want some? They gave me extra!”

I just stood there.

Eyes dead.

At this point, I might be the only person in the academy who took things seriously.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep