“…”
I silently met Ogun’s fierce gaze.
The eyes of everyone around us shifted from me to Ogun, stabbing him with various emotions—anger, disbelief, curiosity.
But Ogun didn’t seem to care at all. Ignoring the stares, he continued to spew insults at me in a loud voice.
“That’s why you always fight using those minor and low-ranked spirits, right? Because you’re a loser who doesn’t have a contracted spirit!”
“Ogun, that’s enough! That’s really rude!”
“Shut up! Stay out of this!”
Celia stood up to reprimand him for his harsh words, but her voice didn’t reach Ogun in his agitated state, and he brushed her off.
“What’s the matter, Rourke!? If you’ve got a problem with what I’m saying, then summon your contracted spirit right here, right now!”
“…”
I kept silent as Ogun’s words echoed in my ears. It wasn’t like I had any other choice. Everything he’s saying is true…
“Hah! So you’re just going to keep quiet, huh? Guess I hit the nail on the head, didn’t I!?”
Yeah, you did.
You’ve got everything right. You should get applause for being spot on. Maybe you should be a detective instead of a spirit master?
“Stop it, Ogun! Did you forget about Rourke’s match just now!? With that level of skill, there’s no way he doesn’t have a contracted spirit!”
Celia’s words, meant as a well-intentioned defense, only served to hit me like a dagger. I felt like coughing up blood.
Sorry, Celia, but I really don’t have one.
“Then show it! Show us your contract mark!”
“…”
A contract mark is a symbol that appears on the body when a spirit contract is formed, representing the connection with the spirit. The shape of the mark varies from person to person, and it can appear in different locations on the body. Most commonly, it’s found in visible places like the arm.
Well, in short, what I’m trying to say is, there’s no such mark on me.
I’ve said it many times, but I don’t have a contracted spirit.
“Ogun, enough.”
On the outside, I kept a straight face, but inside, I was begging him to stop. From the next table over, I heard the sound of a chair being pushed back, accompanied by a voice tinged with irritation.
Standing up was the “Nobleman” himself, Gareth Orrot.
Gareth had set aside his usual gentle expression, fixing a cold gaze on Ogun.
“What? This has nothing to do with you!”
“On the contrary, it does. He’s my best friend. Insulting him is the same as insulting the Orrot family.”
As he spoke, Gareth placed his hand on the hilt of his enchanted sword.
At the same time, the sheer force of Gareth’s spiritual energy, honed to the point where he could literally cut down high-level spirits single-handedly, made Ogun take a step back.
“Shut your mouth. I’m reaching the limits of my patience…”
The girls in Gareth’s group gazed at him with admiration. It seemed he was still effortlessly charming them. Damn handsome guy…
To anyone else, it probably looked like Gareth was the perfect noble, righteously angry on behalf of his friend. But I knew better the moment I saw his face.
—That bastard’s enjoying this…
Gareth’s face might have seemed cold, but his eyes were twitching, and his lips were on the verge of curling up into a grin.
It was clear that while Gareth had stepped in to help, knowing the situation was getting dangerous, he was also having fun watching me get cornered by Ogun.
What was that about “insulting him is the same as insulting the family”? I bet you’re laughing your head off inside.
I swore to myself that I’d give him a piece of my mind later when, from the back of the room, Misha appeared, accompanied by what looked like a servant girl.
“I heard there was some commotion… Ah, it’s you again, Rourke Areas.”
“Please believe me, this wasn’t intentional. I’d really like you to believe that.”
I couldn’t argue much since I was definitely the cause of the situation, but still, I wasn’t the one who caused this mess. It was the idiot noble sitting at the same table as me.
“I understand that, but… Mr. Orrot, Mr. Godwin, could you both please step back? This is supposed to be a welcoming event for the new students, not a place for fighting.”
“Understood, if it’s the princess’s command…”
“Tch, my apologies.”
At Misha’s words, Gareth released his grip on his sword and bowed respectfully, while Ogun clicked his tongue but quietly backed down.
Alright, now’s my chance.
Seeing that the situation had finally calmed down, I quickly stood up from my chair.
“Princess, it seems I’m disturbing the atmosphere here, so I’ll take my leave for today.”
“Huh? Wait a sec—”
“Wait, I’m not done talking yet!”
Just as Misha was about to call out to my retreating back, Leia’s voice cut through the dining hall as she hurriedly stood up, interrupting her.
Damn, looks like I can’t get away that easily.
I reluctantly turned around, only to see Leia glaring at me with a look that shouldn’t be directed at a senior.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
She had unintentionally raised voice, drawing the attention of everyone around me. Embarrassed, She still couldn’t back down without getting her question answered.
Leia Valhart fixed her gaze on the senior standing before her, Rourke Areas.
His hair, streaked with white, and his lean but clearly well-trained physique, spoke of his combat style.
When Rourke turned around, his relatively handsome face remained cold and distant, just as it had been the entire time.
During the conversation, even when he was insulted by a classmate at the same table, he continued sipping his tea without a care, maintaining silence since his initial introduction.
It felt like he was saying he had no interest in us, which made Leia’s blood boil, prompting her to bring up the earlier match again. Normally, as the loser, she had no right to ask such questions.
But once she’d said it, she couldn’t just walk away without an answer.
So, Leia was about to ask again when—
“Miss Valhart.”
Before she could speak, Rourke gently called her name.
Leia, who had just opened her mouth, closed it again and looked at Rourke’s face. His previously cold expression had softened into a calm one.
Rourke continued, catching Leia off guard with the change in his demeanor.
“First, I want to apologize to you. I was terribly rude.”
“…Huh…?”
Leia was surprised by the unexpected apology, but Rourke, not noticing her reaction, continued with his head bowed.
“Indeed, my way of fighting often offends my opponents, making them feel disrespected. But please don’t misunderstand—I’m always serious when I fight, even if it doesn’t look that way.”
He lifted his head, a wry smile on his face. There was no hint of deception in his expression, and because of that, Leia was even more curious.
“Then why…?”
“That’s just how it is.”
With that, Rourke abruptly ended the conversation and began to leave the hall.
Leia was about to call out to him, but she was stopped by a sudden surge of spiritual power from behind.
“You think that’s a good enough reason, Rourke?!”
Ogun’s furious shout echoed, and behind him, his contracted spirit, a giant octopus-like water spirit called Kraken, manifested.
Though it was smaller than usual as a courtesy, it was still too large for the crowded space, knocking over tables and chairs and causing nearby students to scramble in fear.
“Don’t get cocky!”
Ogun roared as he gathered a massive amount of spiritual energy and unleashed a spiritual technique.
In an instant, a large amount of water, imbued with spiritual energy, formed a spiraling vortex that roared past Leia, turning into a spear that shot straight for Rourke’s unprotected back.
Even in his emotional state, Ogun’s skill as the heir to a noble family was clear. The spiritual technique was powerful enough that if it hit, even if it didn’t kill Rourke, it would surely send him to the hospital. In his unguarded state, there was no way he could survive.
“Rourke senpai, behind you!”
A freshman shouted in panic.
But it was already too late. Most of the freshmen, realizing this, closed their eyes, bracing for the imminent tragedy—only to open them again in shock when they saw the spear of water cleanly sliced in half by a dull, silvery flash.
“…What?”
The water, now shapeless, rained down harmlessly around the room, disappearing without a trace. Ogun could only let out a bewildered sound as he stared at the remnants of his technique.
But his contracted spirit wasn’t done. As its master stood stunned, Kraken’s eight legs shot toward Rourke in an attempt to finish what its master had started.
“…”
Rourke, however, remained unfazed, calmly swinging his sword. The Kraken’s legs were cut into pieces, falling to the ground with a thud.
The students, especially the freshmen, were left in stunned silence, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Meanwhile, some of the upperclassmen, including Gareth and Misha, who had expected this outcome, watched Rourke, who now held a sword in one hand, with calm expressions, showing no surprise at all.
—When did he…?
Leia was amazed at Rourke’s incredible swordsmanship.
It had all happened in an instant. Not just the slash that cut through the spiritual technique, but every movement from drawing the sword to the swing had been too fast to see.
No, where did that sword even come from? Rourke wasn’t carrying a sword earlier.
But as Leia looked at Rourke’s sword and the scroll in his other hand, she understood.
It was likely the same sword he had used in their match. Upon closer inspection, the sword was actually a low-ranked sword spirit, and the scroll seemed to be a vessel for sealing spirits.
In other words, Rourke had summoned the sword spirit from the scroll, formed a quick contract with it, and then wielded it. All of that happened in a split second.
“…”
Realizing this, Leia couldn’t help but catch her breath.
Before entering the academy, she had heard stories from her father. Last year’s students were exceptional. Among them, the top-ranking students were all prodigies who would leave their mark on history.
Rourke Areas, the second-ranked student, was undoubtedly one of them.
While Leia was coming to this realization, Rourke glanced down at the chopped-up remains of Kraken’s legs, now twitching on the floor, before turning his gaze to one of Misha’s attendants nearby.
“Excuse me, but I think the water from Ogun’s technique got into the tea. Could you please bring everyone a fresh pot?”
Noticing that some of Ogun’s spiritual water had splashed into the nearby tea, Rourke politely apologized and asked for it to be replaced.
He had tried to minimize the damage as much as possible, but given the suddenness of the situation, he couldn’t prevent it entirely.
After the attendant nodded in agreement, Rourke finally left the hall.
As he walked away, he was bombarded by various gazes—some filled with hatred, some with curiosity, others with fear or even respect.
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