It's You (3)

Irene's voice rose sharply as she stood up from her seat.

"?"

In that instant, the eyes of everyone in the student cafeteria turned toward her.

The few model students, annoyed that their peaceful lunch had been disturbed, furrowed their brows.

Irene drew surprised gazes from the people around her, her expression contradicting the nickname "Cold-blooded Knight" she was known for.

Even a male student gaped at Theo with envious eyes.

Amidst the myriad of gazes, Irene realized she had impulsively raised her voice.

'I've made a scene in front of all these people.'

Meanwhile, Siena smirked and regarded Irene with an air of amusement.

Mina grabbed Irene's sleeve. Irene looked down at her.

"...Irene."

Mina spoke quietly, shaking her head.

'Please restrain yourself! Showing such anxiety in a crowded place like the student cafeteria only makes the elf more delighted!' Mina thought to herself, but Irene's unease remained.

Still standing, Irene fixed her gaze upon Theo.

To those unfamiliar with him, his expression appeared no different than usual.

'...But I can tell.'

He seemed saddened about something.

She didn't know what it was yet, but it was clear that the golden-haired elf had a hold on him.

'I promise I'll save you, Theo.'

Irene bit her lip firmly and made a vow. Theo opened his mouth.

"...Irene. Sit down."

"Alright."

Only then did Irene return to her seat.

Before long, she had reverted to her usual "Cold-blooded Knight" demeanor.

"..."

A long silence hung over the table.

When the other students in the cafeteria lost interest and looked away, Irene turned her gaze toward Siena.

"Siena, it's highly unbecoming to behave as you did earlier in front of so many people. Theo is the heir of the prestigious Waldeurk family. We must maintain his dignity. Even if you've spent a long time in the deep forest and are unaware of how the outside world works, haven't you crossed a line?"

"Hehe, I'm well aware of how the outside world works. I'm royalty, after all. Besides, why should I be concerned about those around me? I'm not doing this to just anyone. Can't I do this much for someone I love?"

Siena continued to wear a leisurely smile.

Irene suppressed her annoyance.

"...Do you know that Theo and I are engaged? It's indecent to say such things in front of one's fiancé."

"Hehe, of course I know. But it's a political marriage, isn't it? You're not even married yet. Moreover, I know full well~ how much the Waldeurk family desires an alliance with our Great Forest."

With her composure unbroken, Siena had countered with an underhanded fact.

Irene was at a loss for words.

'...So that's how you want to play this.'

A formidable opponent, indeed. She was so brazen.

After clenching her fists and thinking for a moment, Irene spoke calmly.

"Fine, Siena. But this is the Knight Department's student cafeteria. It's a public place, so please show some restraint."

"Hehe, alright."

Siena smiled slyly. Mina looked at Irene with a sympathetic gaze.

After lunchtime, the Knight Department began their afternoon practical sparring session.

Similar to the Hero Department, students could pair up with whomever they wished to spar.

Of course, since Siena and I were observing the classes, we were also allowed to spar with the Knight Department students.

I looked around with the practice longsword at my waist, scanning the area.

'I should observe as many techniques as possible.'

Having seen nearly all of Irene's techniques, it seemed best to observe those of an entirely new character.

Surely, in this vast Knight Department, there would be someone utilizing a useful weapon technique.

In the original work 'Kyren Zena Chronicles,' a character's importance was not determined solely by their prowess in battle.

Occasionally, there were strong characters like Noctar who had little presence in the original work.

'Of course, most of the main characters are quite powerful.'

I hadn't yet noticed any eye-catching students. While I continued to search, a male student approached me.

"Hero Department. Let's have a match."

He challenged me to a duel.

He was tall, with a decent build and looked like he could put up a fight.

He had been staring at me intently since morning.

"Alright."

I gripped my practice longsword, and my opponent picked up his practice spear.

"My name is Theo Lyn Waldeurk. What's yours?"

"…Maxim."

Introducing himself as Maxim, the male student glared at me.

Maxim.

The name rang a bell.

In this story, Maxim paled in comparison to Theo, having the presence of nothing more than a minor extra.

Considering the total playtime of the original work was nearly 20,000 hours, it was impressive that I could remember him at all.

'Anyway, I don't have much information about him.'

Maxim was just a pitiful fellow who was rejected by Irene after confessing to her in every route.

His preferences and primary techniques remained unknown.

He must have impulsively challenged me because I was Irene's fiancé.

[Name: Maxim Markin]

Gender: Male

Age: 16

Race: Human

Affiliation: Elinia Academy, Knight Department

Strength: 9

Stamina: 9

Mana: 6

Tenacity: 7

Traits: Spear Expert (Passive Effect) [View Details] Throwing Expert (Passive Effect) [View Details] Fighting Spirit (Passive Effect) [View Details]

However, I had his status window.

'Judging by his stats and traits, he's not an ordinary extra.'

Irene, the top student, had Strength and Stamina of 10 each, while Maxim had 9.

The students of the Knight Department's A-class were certainly something else.

Nevertheless, he was a worthy opponent.

Having honed my Natural Power and various techniques, I had a good chance of winning.

Losing never crossed my mind.

I didn't want to experience the powerlessness I felt when Piel defeated me.

'If necessary, I'll use Overload.'

Before long, all the students stopped their sparring and stared at Maxim and me.

The supervising professor, seemingly intrigued, crossed his arms and focused on our impending duel.

"I'll go first. Hero Department."

Surveying the surroundings, Maxim lowered his upper body and thrust his spear towards my face—a blatantly insulting gesture.

"Fine, I'll give you the first strike."

Feeling quite irritated, I snapped my fingers at him—an equally insulting gesture.

'I'll teach him a lesson.'

This would be my first time actually facing a spearman.

Still, I had seen plenty of them during the practical evaluations.

The most popular weapon in this world is the spear, after all.

"Don't mess around!"

With that, the excited Maxim charged at me with his spear, true to the Fighting Spirit trait he possessed.

However, I could clearly see his movements.

Whoosh!

I easily dodged Maxim's thrust and immediately closed the gap between us.

A battle between a spear and a sword favored the spear user, as the reach difference usually meant that the spear users would win nine times out of ten.

The most effective strategy against a spear users was to close the distance.

Of course, spear users knew this and typically had countermeasures in place.

"Not much of a challenge."

But that only applied when their opponent's couldn't read their movements.

Thanks to my Observer's Eye, I could clearly see Maxim's blind spots.

Thud!

After closing in, I swiftly struck Maxim's abdomen.

"Ugh!"

Maxim doubled over with a single scream of pain.

***

Clutching his stomach, Maxim refused to accept reality.

'How could there be such a gap between us?'

Two weeks ago, Theo's performance at the domed stadium flashed through Maxim's mind.

At that time, Maxim had fervently wished for Theo to be struck down.

The reason was simple: jealousy consumed him.

Irene had rejected Maxim's confession outright, and today, he had clearly seen her looking at Theo with admiration in her eyes.

'Damn it.'

Anger boiled within him, and he couldn't concentrate on the morning lectures.

Two weeks had been more than enough time for a passionate teenage boy to forget the past.

That's why he had planned to provoke Theo with a duel.

Maxim hadn't planned to win from the start.

His goal was a draw.

It would be humiliating enough for a student from the Hero Department to tie with a student from the Knight Department.

There was a possibility of victory.

Theo's main weapon was a longsword, while Maxim's was a spear—a distinct advantage in compatibility.

"Uh, ugh," Maxim retched, clutching his stomach.

Fortunately, he had eaten a small lunch; otherwise, he would've disgracefully vomited all over the place.

"…Heh, heh."

Maxim gasped for breath, lifting his head to gaze at Theo.

However, Theo's expression was as indifferent as before the duel, displaying no sign of joy in his victory.

'Did he never even consider the possibility of losing to me?'

It was devastating.

To Theo, defeating Maxim was probably akin to breaking a mere toy.

As Maxim's body trembled with shame, his classmates swarmed around Theo.

"Will you duel me next, Theo?"

"I want to go first."

"Ah, please! It's always been my dream to face someone from the Hero Department."

Not a single person showed any interest in Maxim.

The students of the Knight Department were no fools; they all knew that Maxim's challenge had been anything but pure.

To them, Maxim had become a disgrace, a blight on their sacred duels.

"…"

Maxim sniffled as he stood up.

With his head bowed, he moved desolately to a corner of the room.