Infirmary of Nightfall Academy…
“Are you okay, Brother?” Lilian asked the handsome teenager who was currently bedridden in the infirmary.
“Yes,” Cedric replied. “I already took a healing potion. Most of my injuries have recovered. I only need to rest.”
Lilian nodded. “Good.”
Nero, who was standing beside the bed with arms crossed over his chest, looked at Cedric with a solemn expression on his face.
“Ethan’s words… are they real?” Nero asked. “Did you really set up this duel in order to steal his fiance?”
“Yes,” Cedric replied in a heartbeat. “I’m sorry, Headmaster. I brought you a lot of trouble today.”
Nero sighed as he shook his head helplessly.
“The damage has already been done,” Nero stated. “For now, you will keep a low profile and not contact any of the members of Brynhildr Academy. We don’t need another scandal before the Legacy Gate opens. Do I make myself clear?”
Cedric nodded. “I will use this time to recuperate and bring myself to peak strength before entering the Legacy Gate.”
“You do that,” Nero commented. “For the time being, I will do some damage control.”
The Headmaster of Nightfall Academy then walked toward the door of the infirmary. However, just as he was about to take a step out, he turned around and gave the Second Year Prodigy one last piece of advice.
“There are many women in the world, Cedric, who will gladly be your partner,” Nero stated. “But there are some ladies who you can’t snatch away just because you think you can. I advise you to not antagonize that Ethan boy anymore. This is for your own good.”
After saying what he wanted to say, Nero finally left for good.
Cedric closed his eyes and clenched his fist.
Seeing his reaction, Lilian understood that her brother still hadn’t given up on Luna.
She wanted to tell him that he should just forget about her, but she knew what her brother was like.
Her brother could be stubborn at times, and Lilian knew that he would try other ways to get what he wanted.
‘Talking to him right now is useless,’ Lilian thought. ‘I just hope that he won’t try anything reckless after this incident. It seems like he has truly fallen for Luna.’
The beautiful young lady sighed in her heart. After the duel, she was certain that the image that her brother had held in Nightfall Academy would have some cracks in it.
He was once the undefeated Champion of Light.
If he had been defeated by a senior, then his defeat wouldn’t have been devastating.
However, he was defeated by a First Year whom he had personally challenged to a duel.
The situation might have been salvaged if the battle was a close fight, but it had been nowhere close.
It was simply a one-sided beating, with Ethan showing that he was superior to Cedric in all areas.
Physical Prowess.
Magic Reserves.
Magic Power.
Technique.
Ethan had beaten Cedric in all of these categories, shattering his perfect image among the students of Nightfall Academy.
The young beauty knew that things would never be the same again. But, the thing she was most worried about was their parents’ reaction.
Once the news of Cedric’s defeat reached them, things would probably become more problematic.
Lilian thought of the handsome young man, who was currently being talked about by everyone in the academy.
She had confirmed that her Origin Magic had a very strong reaction to him, and because of this, she was at a loss about how she should approach him.
‘I wonder what Sir Ethan is doing now?’ Lilian thought. ‘I hope he is not angry with me.’
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Brynhildr Academy’s Temporary Residence…
The handsome young man whom Lilian was thinking of was currently peacefully asleep, with Luna’s lap as a pillow.
He acted tough after the battle and left the Grand Arena with a grace that befitted that of the winner of the duel.
However, as soon as he entered the Common Room of their Residence, Ethan stopped acting and leaned on Luna for support.
He was feeling extremely lethargic because using Oberon’s Descent had emptied his Magic Reserves.
Fighting against a Light Elemental was not an easy task. Only an aggressive strong attack would be able to defeat it in a short period of time.
“To think that he can now defeat a Large Elemental without using his Partial Resonance,” Nicole said as she poked the sleeping Ethan’s left cheek. “I guess he was really holding back during our duel.”
Luna frowned and blocked Nicole’s finger from poking the cheek of her sleeping lover.
Nicole noticed this, which made the young lady giggle, but she still raised her hand in surrender after Luna glared at her.
“He’s grown a lot stronger since the Clash of Manors,” the Scarlet Witch, Garnet, commented. “I think only the Third and Fourth Years in the academy will be able to beat him in a duel.”
Henry nodded. “I think only the Elites of the Third and Fourth Years can defeat him. Ordinary Wizards and Witches will not be able to match his level of strength. To think that our newest member has come this far. I’m so happy to be his Head Prefect.”
“Isn’t it weird?” one of the Third Years that had been chosen by the ballot box, who went by the name, Brenna Rosewood asked. “How can a wizard as powerful as him be in Dud Manor? I think the Appraisal Stone made a mistake.”
Henry chuckled after hearing Brenna’s words.
“What are you talking about?” Henry asked. “Ethan is a Dud. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you use your Magic Sense to check if he has magic inside his body?”
The other Third Year, Odelia Burke, smiled. “She already did. That’s why she finds it weird. I’m very tempted to dissect him and see how his body works.”
Odelia was a Third Year in Terra Manor, who was very proficient in healing magic.
Perhaps the Ballot Box had chosen her to be the personal healer of their group on the expedition.
“Oh, that reminds me,” Odelia lightly clapped her hands. “I have to check him to make sure that he doesn’t have any hidden injuries. We can’t just make him chug a healing potion and think that everything is fine, right?”
Professor Barret nodded his head in agreement.
“Odelia, give Ethan a proper check-up,” Professor Barret ordered. “We need him to be as fit as a fiddle before the Legacy Gate opens.”
“Yes, Professor,” Odelia smiled as she looked at the handsome young man, who was fast asleep. “I’ll make sure to check everything.”
“Luna, please help me carry him back to his room,” Odelia stated. “I need some space and privacy to give him a proper diagnosis.”
Luna nodded her head in understanding.
Because she cared about Ethan, she decided to not take any chances and allow a proper healer to check up on him.
Odelia cast a floating spell on Ethan and brought him upstairs to his room.
To her surprise, aside from Luna, Emma and Nicole also followed them.
Both women had different reasons for coming.
Emma was worried that Odelia would do something inappropriate to her Master.
Nicole, on the other hand, wanted to see if there would be some kind of drama, so she decided to tag along.
When all the ladies had left the common room, Professor Barret addressed his remaining students.
“For the time being, all of you should stay here inside the residence until the Legacy Gate opens,” Professor Barret stated. “Right now, we are the center of everyone’s attention. Our enemies from the different academies might try to infiltrate our residence in order to harm us.
“So, it is best that we all stay together in order to prevent unnecessary problems. Henry, Rowan, get some rest. The two of you will be on watch duty tonight.”
“Yes, Professor,” Henry replied.
On the other hand, Rowan simply nodded and headed upstairs to his room.
Ethan winning the duel was not necessarily a good thing because everyone paid more attention to them now.
Professor Barret didn’t want to take any chances, so he decided to create countermeasures just in case.
‘I also need to tell Rinehart what happened here today,’ Professor Barret thought. ‘I’m sure that he’ll be pleasantly surprised once he hears the news.’
The Headmaster of Brynhildr Academy sent Ethan to Nightfall Academy because he was confident that he would play a major role inside the Legacy Gate.
Someone who had managed to return from a Nexus was believed to have strong Luck and Fate and, because of this, they were the perfect candidates for exploring Legacy Gates.
Although exploring a Legacy Domain could cost multiple lives, the rewards that could be gained inside it were as precious as it is dangerous.