Increase Talent: Become More Stronger!

Happy Reading~

===========

"This pressure... Did he succeed?"

"It seems so. I no longer sense the presence of the Innate Stage. He did it."

"That's great! I want to see him."

This woman...

From Professor Amelia's perspective, she never thought I could make a breakthrough.

If she recalled clearly, she'd know I'd been stuck at a bottleneck for a very long time.

But now? She thought it wasn't impossible for me to catch up with the Hero's companions.

And she was right—what she imagined actually happened.

If she were to say it aloud, she would be confident that there was no way I could be defeated by Eris.

On the contrary, I managed to defeat Eris without even exerting my full strength.

Although, not everything she believed actually came true.

From the beginning, Professor Amelia also knew Eris's progress shouldn't be underestimated.

Maybe that's why she wondered if I could actually defeat Eris.

But one thing is certain—Professor Amelia believed I could not be beaten by Eris.

If I lost, could she really say I was just a weak man?

Just as I finished cleaning my clothes, I suddenly felt a smack on my back.

Fortunately, I didn't feel any damage to my shoulders at all.

Instead, I knew Eris's blow couldn't hurt me in the slightest.

"Noah! You did it! Are you in the Initial Mage Stage now?"

"You're right. But I'm still far behind you. I hope to catch up soon."

For a moment, I noticed a small click of Eris's tongue.

I wasn't sure why, but Eris seemed to know I was deliberately being humble.

"Ck. Such a humble guy. At least try to act a bit arrogant. That way, other girls might like you."

"What? What are you saying? Do you think I'm some jerk? I don't want any other woman by my side."

"Are you sure? What about the Saintess? Even though she's the Hero's fiancée, I can tell she really likes you."

Unconsciously, I let out a small cough.

I had to admit, I wasn't prepared to be ambushed by such a ridiculous question.

"Shut it. Princess Celine is my woman. Stop trying to tease me. I'm not interested in the Saintess."

"Not interested..." For a moment, I felt Eris rest her head on my shoulder.

At first, I wondered if I should pull away from her.

But I changed my mind, realizing the expression on her face.

"What's wrong? Are you having a hard time lately? You don't look happy."

"Well... I feel like I've been abandoned by the man I love the most. And this is the second time I've felt so powerless."

Stop...

I don't want to hear this. Don't bring back my past.

"Tell me, Noah. Am I really destined to always stand behind others? Why me?"

Enough...

Why are you still saying this? Don't you understand how I feel?

"I envy Alicia so much. Out of all of us, she was the closest to Ash. Why her? Am I not good enough?"

You're the ones who left me.

Please stop.

My heart hurts. And I don't want to hear about your pain.

"Stop. I mean, I don't know what your problem is. But please, don't hurt yourself. If you really love him, why don't you just tell him?"

For a while, I didn't know why, but I found myself sitting down with Eris.

Before I knew it, we were leaning against the woods behind the academy.

"I can't. My friend and I promised not to steal Ash from each other. And I'm the one who made that promise. Since we were kids, I knew she was very protective of Ash. Maybe that's why I could never approach them when they were alone."

Is that so? I see.

She hasn't changed. That's what I thought.

If I looked back at the young Eris, I knew she was always loyal to her friends.

And now, I believe Eris had no intention of taking Ash from Alicia.

Still, I don't understand why she regrets her actions.

If she wanted to, why didn't she just tell Ash she liked him?

"You're an amazing woman. But you're also hurting yourself. Do you think I could help you?"

Unfortunately, just as I was about to pull my shoulder away from Eris—

—I heard her mumble something I never expected.

"I think... I really regret choosing Eric over him. He tried to assault Alicia. Fortunately, she fought him off."

Assault...? Did he really do that?

Eric... That bastard.

"That's... shocking. Has Eric ever harassed you? If so, I hope you're okay."

"Huh? What are you talking about? Do you think he'd dare? If he did, I wouldn't hesitate to kill him."

Heh. You're a woman with conviction.

Alright... I guess I should leave now?

For some reason, I suddenly lost my balance and fell from my spot.

Thud!

"What now? I want to go back. Are you trying to stop me?"

"Don't go, Noah. Let me heal the pain in my heart first. Let me borrow your shoulder a little longer."

"You... I understand. Don't make that face. Do whatever you want."

Honestly, I didn't know what else to say.

Looking at Eris's expression, I couldn't hold back my own sorrow.

For a moment, my gaze fell on Professor Amelia. Did she just... give me her blessings?

"Hang in there, kid. I'm wishing for your happiness."

Damn teacher...! Why didn't you help me?!

Deep down, I was annoyed by Professor Amelia's actions.

If she wanted to, why didn't she help me get away from Eris?

Badump!

Even so, I didn't hate being close to Eris.

I know, deep inside, I still love Eris.

Maybe that's why—I don't think I can reject her anymore.

Time passed, and eventually, the sun began to set.

For now, I knew the students of Lunar Academy were returning to their dorms.

"I should go back. I don't want to attract any unwanted attention." Without delay, I made my way back to the dorm.

As I stepped into the academy courtyard, I couldn't help but glance at the students around me.

'Is this what popularity feels like? I don't think I want this kind of attention every day,' I thought. Being famous wasn't enjoyable at all.

If I hadn't been named the Emperor's successor, I probably wouldn't be getting all this attention from other classes.

"Whatever. Sooner or later, they'll stop paying attention to me again." Not wanting to dwell on it, I quickened my pace.

Of course, I also noticed some gazes from the Hero's companions.

No matter what, the fact that Ash and the others were wary of me was undeniable.

"He's so annoying. How can he act so arrogant?" muttered Eric, who couldn't help but badmouth me.

From Eric's perspective, he absolutely hated my arrogance.

If he had the chance, he'd never miss the opportunity to kill me.

Suddenly, Eric's eyes shifted back to Ash.

"Are you done? What about your love letter? I hope you've thrown it away."

"Don't worry. I have no intention of disappointing the girls. I enjoy seeing them happy."

Happy? What a shameless man.

"Alright. Can we go back now?"

"Ah... You go ahead. I've got something urgent to take care of."

"Something urgent? I see. I'll wait for you at the dorm."

Unexpectedly, Ash's expression turned serious.

He didn't know why, but he felt he couldn't just stay put.

For now, Ash knew something strange was happening with the Great Wizard.

'Great Wizard... What's really going on with you? I need to check on this. I'm worried something big is about to happen.'

In less than a few seconds, Ash made his way back toward Lunar Academy.

Luckily, he had already given instructions to Eris and the others.

If not for that, who knows if they would have followed him?

=============

Thanks for reading~