After a few minutes…

Alaine set the tray in front of me with a quiet clink.

“Here you go, Master,” she said softly, taking her seat across from me.

I looked down at the food—steamed rice, some grilled meat, vegetables, and a bowl of soup. Simple, but it smelled good.

I picked up my spoon, stirring the soup absentmindedly.

“Thanks.”

I muttered, my mind still halfway stuck on the little encounter with Zeva.

Alaine tilted her head slightly, watching me.

“Something wrong?”

I sighed and shook my head.

“Not really.”

She didn’t seem convinced, but she didn’t push. Instead, she just picked up her spoon and started eating quietly.

She’s really thoughtful.

Just my type.

Ahem.

For a few minutes, we both just focused on our food, enjoying the break.

The cafeteria was lively, filled with the sound of chatter, the clinking of utensils, and the occasional bursts of laughter from groups of students.

It was nice, in a way.

Peaceful.

Or at least, it was peaceful until I heard an all-too-familiar voice approaching from behind.

“Yo, Aestrea! Mind if we join you?”

I already knew who it was before I even looked up.

Lucas.

I sighed through my nose and took another bite of my food before answering.

“Didn’t I just spend more than an hour teaching you? Why are you still following me?”

Lucas laughed as if I had told a joke and pulled out a chair.

“Come on, don’t be like that! We figured we’d eat together, you know? As thanks for your wisdom, oh great teacher.”

Behind him, the rest of the study group trailed in. Rose gave me an apologetic smile, Ella just nodded in greeting, and Maya waved cheerfully.

Telmo and Leon… well, at least they weren’t glaring this time.

Alaine blinked, clearly not expecting company.

I glanced at the empty seats around the table and sighed.

“Whatever.”

Lucas grinned, dropping his tray onto the table. “

Nice! Man, I’m starving.”

The group settled in, and just like that, the quiet meal I was enjoying was over.

Lucas and Maya were chatting loudly about some duel they had watched earlier, while Rose was trying (and failing) to keep them focused on their upcoming exam.

I focused on my food, ignoring most of the conversation, until Lucas turned to me.

“By the way, Aestrea,” he said, leaning forward slightly, “what were you doing during this Saturday? I didn’t see you in the academy.”

I paused, my spoon halfway to my mouth.

I already didn’t like where this was going.

“I was training?” I answered cautiously.

Lucas smirked.

“So what kind of training was it? Solo practice? Or, I dunno… sparring?”

My eyebrow twitched.

Why did it sound like he was fishing for something?

I glanced at Rose, who was suddenly paying a little too much attention to her food.

Oh.

I see what’s happening.

Zeva must have talked to her, and now they were trying to cross-check my story.

I put my spoon down and gave Lucas a flat look.

“Training is training,” I said.

“I don’t exactly take notes on how many swings I do per hour.”

Lucas chuckled, leaning back.

“Man, you’re so secretive.”

“Or maybe you just ask too many questions,” I countered.

Maya giggled.

“I think he’s just curious!”

“Curious about things that don’t concern him,” I muttered under my breath.

Rose finally sighed.

“Alright, enough, Lucas. If he doesn’t want to talk about it, let it go.”

Lucas held up his hands in surrender.

“Fine, fine.”

I focused back on my food, taking another bite of the grilled meat.

At least it was good.

Alaine, as usual, was quietly eating, her expression calm, but I could tell she was listening carefully to everything being said.

Her eyes flickered to Rose a few times, like she was reading something unspoken between the lines.

Lucas and Maya, on the other hand, had already moved on to another topic—this time about some high-ranked duels coming up next month.

“Did you hear? Some of the fifth-years are planning to spar against the professors!” Lucas said, eyes gleaming with excitement.

Maya gasped.

“What?! That’s insane! Who’d even try that?”

“Some crazy strong upperclassmen. I heard they’re aiming to graduate early, so they need to prove they can handle top-tier fights.”

Ella hummed, finally speaking up.

“It’s not uncommon. If they can win, it proves they’re already beyond student level.”

Lucas grinned.

“Man, I’d love to watch that.”

I tuned them out again, finishing the last of my rice.

Then, just as I was about to pick up my drink, I felt something.

A gaze.

I looked up.

Zeva was still sitting at her table across the cafeteria, casually eating. But her eyes were locked onto me, sharp and unreadable.

I held her stare for a moment.

Then, slowly, she raised an eyebrow.

I exhaled quietly and looked away, taking a sip of my drink.

It seems that she is still mad.

And would be for quite a while.

Alaine must have noticed, because she suddenly spoke in a gentle tone.

“Master, do you want to leave?”

I glanced at her.

She didn’t say it outright, but I knew what she meant.

Did I want to avoid whatever was coming later?

I thought about it.

Then, I shook my head.

“No. I’ll finish eating first.”

Alaine nodded, her eyes softening slightly.

“Understood.”

I continued eating, trying to ignore Zeva’s piercing gaze.

One bite, then another.

Yet, Alaine occasionally glancing at me like she was silently checking if I was okay.

Lucas and Maya were still going on about the duels. Rose had gone quiet, just sipping her juice and occasionally throwing glances my way.

The moment I finished my meal, I sighed and stretched slightly.

“Alright, I’m done.” I stood up, grabbing my tray.

Alaine immediately followed, standing up as well.

“Leaving already?” Lucas asked, tilting his head.

“Yeah. Got stuff to do.” I didn’t exactly elaborate.

Maya pouted.

“Aww, come on! We finally got to hang out outside of class!”

“You’ll survive.” I gave her a small wave and walked off toward the tray return area.

Alaine followed closely behind me as we placed our trays away and stepped out of the cafeteria.

The cool afternoon breeze greeted us as we walked through the academy grounds.

I stretched my arms above my head, letting out a small sigh.

“…So, what should we do for the rest of Sunday?” I asked, glancing at her.

Alaine placed a finger on her chin, deep in thought. Then, her brown eyes lit up with excitement.

“How about we test the spells we studied?”

Ah!

Right!

I had almost forgotten about that.

It wasn’t a bad idea, though.

Practicing now would help solidify everything we had learned. And besides, a little action would keep things from getting too dull.

“Good idea,” I said, nodding.

Without wasting time, we made our way toward the academy’s sparring arena.

The large training facility stood tall, filled with various rooms designed for practice duels and magic tests.

Since we wanted privacy, we entered one of the isolated training chambers. The walls were reinforced with magic, ensuring they could withstand powerful spells.

As soon as we stepped inside the spacious arena, Alaine rolled her shoulders, getting ready while I got one of the available swords.

Then, I smirked at her.

“Let’s see if all that reading actually paid off.”

She returned my smirk with a determined look.

“Likewise, Master.”

And with that, both us got into a fighting stance, staring at each other cautiously.

Pull…

Swirl~

Summoning her bow, Alaine nocked an arrow, her brown eyes locked onto me.

A faint breeze swirled around her, rustling her long brown hair as the wind magic gathered at her fingertips.

I tightened my grip on the training sword, ice coating the blade as I channeled my mana. The air around me chilled instantly.

Then—

SWOOSH!

She fired the first shot.

The arrow cut through the air, spinning rapidly, but I twisted my body just in time—WHOOSH!—the arrow grazed past my shoulder, missing by a hair.

Before I could recover, she was already on the move.

THUD!

A sudden burst of wind launched her sideways, repositioning her instantly. In one smooth motion, she reloaded another arrow, the tip glowing faintly with spirit energy.

She was faster than before.

I needed to slow her down.

CRACK!

I slammed my foot against the ground, ice spreading outward in jagged lines beneath me.

…Perfect

The glow of my red eyes increased slightly.

『 Ice Series: Frost Crash! (✦ 6th-level Spell ✦) 』

BOOM!

A massive wave of ice exploded forward, surging like a frozen tidal wave. The sheer force of it sent out a chilling mist, covering everything in its path with thick layers of ice.

Alaine’s eyes widened.

But she reacted instantly.

TWANG!

She fired straight down—

『 Wind Series: Gale Shot! (✦ 5th-level Spell ✦) 』

BOOM!

A violent burst of wind rocketed her upwards, barely lifting her over the freezing wave just in time. She flipped mid-air, landing smoothly on a newly formed ice pillar.

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue.

She dodged.

But I wasn’t done.

I dashed forward, boots skidding against the icy floor, sword gripped tightly. If I could close the distance—

Alaine moved first.

She drew another arrow, but this time, instead of aiming at me—

TWANG!

She shot downward again.

『 Spirit Series: Phantom Snare! (✦ 6th-level Spell ✦) 』

CRACK!

From the ground, glowing spectral vines burst forth, rushing toward me like living creatures.

I didn’t hesitate.

SHHHHH!

I stabbed my sword into the ice beneath me, channeling my mana. A frost wave spread outward, rapidly freezing the vines mid-motion.

But I barely had time to react before she jumped again—

Her bow was drawn tight.

And this time—

I could feel the mana building in the arrow’s tip.

“Fuuu…”

I raised my sword, preparing to counter.

Swirl~

Her arrow glowed a fierce green, the air around it twisting violently as wind mana surged. I could feel the pressure from where I stood.

TWANG!

She let it loose.

『 Wind Series: Storm Piercer! (✦ 6th-level Spell ✦) 』

The arrow whistled through the air, leaving behind a sharp, cutting wind as it spun toward me like a drill.

No time to dodge.

I raised my sword—

『 Shield Series: Winter’s Barrier! (✦ 6th-level Spell ✦) 』

CRACK!

A thick shield of ice erupted before me just as the arrow struck—

BOOM!

The impact was like a cannon blast.

A deafening roar filled the arena as wind and ice clashed violently, sending frozen shards flying in every direction.

My barrier cracked, splintering under the force, but it held just long enough.

I lunged forward, bursting through the ice cloud.

Alaine had already moved.

She landed smoothly on another ice platform she created from my previous attack, her bow already drawn with another arrow—not wind this time, but glowing with eerie blue energy.

『 Spirit Series: Soul Hunter! (✦ 7th-level Spell ✦) 』

A seventh-level spell?

My eyes widened.

I didn’t expect her to learn it directly!

TWANG!

The arrow wasn’t fast like before, but I could feel something wrong about it. A chilling presence clung to the air as it flew toward me.

Damn.

A tracking-type spell.

I twisted my body, letting the arrow sail past me—

But it curved mid-air.

It was coming back.

I gritted my teeth, gripping my sword tighter.

Fine.

If dodging wouldn’t work—

A violet aura enveloped my body.

I turned into the arrow, my sword flashing upward.

CLANG!

I struck it in mid-air, shattering it into glowing fragments that dissolved into mist.

…Fuck!

This is shit was much stronger than I thought.

Alaine’s eyes widened slightly as she wasn’t expecting me to cut through it.

I used that moment—

SWOOSH!

I dashed forward, closing the gap in seconds while deactivating my aura; after all, I didn’t want to hurt Alaine.

My sword was already swinging in a wide arc aiming for her side.

She reacted fast—

THUD!

A burst of wind exploded beneath her feet, launching her backward just in time to evade my strike.

She landed smoothly, but I was already in pursuit.

CLANK!

Our attacks clashed.

She swung her bow like a staff, deflecting my sword with surprising force. I pressed forward, aiming a downward slash—

She twisted, ducking low—

SWISH!

Her bow whistled through the air, a counter-strike aimed at my ribs.

I barely managed to block with the flat of my blade—

CLANG!

Both of us skidded back.

Then, we locked eyes.

“Haaa…”

“Fuu…”

Our breaths came heavily.

And then…

Fwoop!

Both of us still weren’t done.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep