Soon I stepped out of the infirmary room—
and at almost the exact same moment—
another person exited from the opposite side of the hallway.
My eyes fell onto the black-haired boy with cold blue eyes.
Silver Ryker.
His right arm was wrapped in bandages beneath a dark cast from yesterday's battle.
Hm?
"You're awake?"
"…Yeah."
His voice remained calm as always.
Yet compared to before—
it felt lighter somehow.
The two of us quietly began walking toward the stadium together.
Neither of us spoke.
An awkward silence lingered between us while the cold night wind passed through the academy hallways.
Then—
suddenly—
Silver let out a small chuckle.
Honestly—
this might have been the first time I had ever truly heard him laugh.
"…That was fun."
I smiled slightly beneath my hoodie.
"…Yeah."
"It was."
Soon we arrived at the stadium.
The same place that had been overflowing with cheers and noise earlier now sat completely empty beneath the moonlight.
Silent.
Calm.
The ruined battlefield from our fight still remained visible below.
Silver quietly sat down on one of the higher seats overlooking the arena.
Meanwhile—
I kept my hands inside my hoodie while staring down at the cracked battlefield.
Then—
after a long silence—
Silver suddenly spoke.
"…My mother's name was Seris Ryker."
My eyes shifted toward him.
"Well…"
"…her name was originally just Seris."
"She was a commoner."
A faint smile appeared on his face afterward.
"She somehow managed to enter one of the strongest academies of the past."
"Maybe it was luck."
"Maybe not."
The moonlight reflected softly through his cold blue eyes.
"According to my father…"
"…she was extremely clumsy."
"Messy."
"And completely talentless."
I quietly listened.
"Apparently they first met during their first year."
"Inside the cafeteria."
Silver softly exhaled through his nose.
"My father was sitting with several nobles at the time."
"Maintaining his perfect image as the heir of the Ryker family."
"And then…"
A faint laugh escaped him.
"…from absolutely nowhere…"
"…a girl dropped an entire tray of food directly onto him."
For a second—
I could actually imagine it.
Silver slowly looked toward the empty battlefield below.
"Everyone expected my father to humiliate her."
"To destroy her publicly."
"But instead…"
"…he froze."
Silence filled the stadium.
"He told me it was the first time in his life he completely lost composure."
"He wasn't angry."
"He just…"
"…froze."
Silver's voice softened slightly afterward.
"And apparently…"
"…it was because of her smile."
"Not her face."
"Not her talent."
"Not her status."
"Just…"
"…her smile."
A quiet wind passed through the empty stadium seats.
"That alone was enough for him to fall in love."
The atmosphere slowly grew heavier afterward.
Then—
Silver's gaze lowered slightly.
"She died the moment I was born."
The words were calm.
Too calm.
"I never met her."
"Never heard her voice."
"Never saw her smile."
"Only whispers."
My eyes quietly remained on him.
"After my mother died…"
"…my father drowned in guilt."
"And regret."
"So he spent nearly all his time on battlefields."
"Trying to escape it I suppose."
A faint bitterness entered his voice now.
"The servants inside the mansion always smiled around me."
"But none of them were real."
"They were afraid."
"The nobles whispered constantly."
"That my mother was foolish."
"That perhaps she gave birth to a curse."
Silver's fingers slowly tightened.
"Even during noble parties…"
"…I always heard those whispers."
The cold blue in his eyes darkened slightly.
"And eventually…"
"…a part of me became angry."
"So I decided something."
His voice became quieter.
"I would never show weakness."
"Never show emotions."
"I would never lose."
"I would stand at the very top."
"So high…"
"…that nobody would ever dare whisper about me again."
Silence.
Then—
Silver suddenly glanced toward me.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I'm telling you all this."
I stayed quiet.
"Ever since we fought during the entrance exam…"
"…my life has changed quite a lot."
A small genuine smile slowly appeared on his face.
"I find myself accidentally smiling sometimes now."
"And noctis…"
"…before the ballroom…"
"…I never knew any of this about my mother."
My eyes widened slightly.
"It was during the ball that my father finally told me everything."
Silver quietly looked toward the moonlit arena.
"…Maybe it's because of you."
"…that my life started changing."
For once—
Silver Ryker didn't look like the cold heir of the strongest sword family.
He simply looked like a boy trying to understand himself.
Then—
he slowly stood up.
Before leaving—
he lightly patted my back.
A genuine smile rested on his face.
"…Thanks."
"Friend."
And for some reason—
that single word felt heavier than any victory we had achieved together.
...
Soon morning had arrived—
and with it—
the remaining two quarterfinal battles.
The arena that had been completely destroyed yesterday now stood perfectly restored once more.
Honestly—
Nexus Academy's restoration teams were terrifyingly efficient.
I quietly walked toward the stadium with my hands inside my hoodie.
The moment I entered—
I could already feel it.
Every single gaze falling onto me.
After yesterday's battle—
that was unavoidable.
The cadet who wielded space.
The first year who forced Silver Ryker into unconsciousness.
The commoner who used two Sword Fields in a single battle.
Whispers instantly spread throughout the stadium.
Yet—
I simply ignored them and quietly sat beside Silver.
That alone seemed to confuse quite a few students.
Most people probably expected tension between us after yesterday.
Maybe rivalry.
Maybe hostility.
But instead—
the two of us simply sat there calmly.
Though honestly—
the most intense gazes weren't from the first years.
My crimson eyes slowly glanced upward.
The second years.
The third years.
The fourth years.
All of the monsters from the higher rankings were watching now.
From the Apex of the second year—
to the student council president Seraphina Ravenshade herself.
Yet—
at the very top—
stood two existences that felt completely different from everyone else.
Two monsters.
Sylas casually leaned against the railing before giving me a lazy wave with a grin.
Meanwhile—
the Crown Princess silently stared directly at me.
Those golden eyes held overwhelming intensity.
Sharp.
Heavy.
Almost predatory.
Seeing all their reactions—
a smirk slowly formed on my face.
That instantly got a reaction.
Seraphina's eyes narrowed slightly.
The Crown Princess' gaze sharpened further.
Even Sylas laughed quietly seeing it.
Then—
my attention shifted toward the two people sitting in front of me.
And another smirk appeared on my face immediately.
Reinheart Verilian and Yelena Zephyr were somehow sitting together again.
Both of them still looked unbelievably embarrassed after their battle yesterday.
Especially Yelena.
Her entire face was red.
I slowly leaned slightly forward before whispering behind them.
"…You two seem pretty close lately."
Instantly—
both of them froze.
Then became even more flustered.
"W-WHAT?!"
Yelena nearly exploded.
Even Reinheart immediately coughed while looking away awkwardly.
Honestly—
seeing the prince embarrassed was surprisingly entertaining.
Then—
a voice filled with annoyance suddenly spoke beside me.
"You really shouldn't do that."
"Hm?"
I turned slightly.
Clara Taylor sat beside me quietly with her arms crossed.
My eyes widened faintly.
…Wait.
When did she even get here?
"Hmph."
Clara simply looked away afterward.
Meanwhile—
the entire crowd suddenly erupted into deafening cheers.
Our eyes shifted toward the arena below.
Two figures had entered the battlefield.
One held a crimson spear while sunlight reflected beautifully across his crimson-red hair.
The crowd loudly roared his name.
"SAMUEL!"
"CRIMSON!"
Samuel Crimson
Naturally—
more than ninety percent of the students supported Samuel Crimson.
That wasn't surprising.
He had practically been a celebrity even before entering the academy.
The prodigy connected to the Abyss Guild.
The genius wielding multiple affinities.
The future monster of the kingdom.
Then—
my eyes shifted toward the figure standing opposite him.
White hair.
Sharp blue eyes.
A rapier calmly rested by his side.
Darius Whitemere.
Rank 2 vs Rank 9.
To everyone watching—
the outcome already seemed decided.
Meanwhile—
far away inside a quiet mansion—
a little silver-haired girl quietly sat in her wheelchair while staring at the magical screen.
Her fragile fingers tightly clenched the blanket covering her legs.
On the screen—
stood her elder brother.
Darius Whitemere.
Beside her—
a maid gently patted her silver hair comfortingly.
"Young master will be alright."
Yet despite those words—
Lysara's worried eyes never once left the arena.
Because more than anyone—
she knew how much Darius carried alone.
How much he sacrificed silently.
The endless missions.
The sleepless nights.
The wounds he always tried hiding.
All for one reason.
Her.
Then—
seeing her brother standing alone against the overwhelming favorite of the tournament—
Lysara slowly tightened her hands.
Her lips trembled faintly.
"…B-Brother…"
Even speaking seemed difficult for her weak body.
Yet still—
she forced out a tiny smile.
"You can do it…"
A faint whisper escaped her lips.
And instantly—
"Cough—!"
Blood spilled from her mouth onto the blanket.
The maid's eyes widened in panic.
"Lady Lysara!"
But even while coughing painfully—
Lysara's eyes remained fixed on the screen.
Tears slightly formed in her silver eyes.
Yet despite the pain—
she still smiled weakly afterward.
Because she knew.
More than anyone else—
she knew exactly how hard her brother fought for her sake.
How many things he was willing to sacrifice.
Just so she could continue living another day.
So even if her voice barely reached him—
even if it was only a whisper—
Lysara still cheered for her elder brother with all the strength she had left.