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Chapter 333

Normally, people would bring their own attendants or maids for such occasions, but since this was not an exchange between nations but between academies, the rules seemed to differ a little.

Well, Valtosma held this event only once every four years—or to be precise, once every eight—so by the time it came around, they had already assembled a professional support team.

There was never any real trouble.

Though it was called a “banquet,” history showed that most male students preferred to wear their uniforms, and even the female students tended to wear either their uniforms or modest dresses that didn’t stand out too much.

Students were practically dragged off by attendants and maids, and Melissa left after saying she’d see us inside the hall.

A few remaining maids looked at me and Luna with sparkling eyes.

To be exact, they were looking at Luna.

“What is it?”

“We’ll help you put on your dress.”

“I’ll stay here. Too troublesome.”

“They said there’s a lot of delicious food.”

At my suggestion, she briefly hesitated between laziness and food.

“…I’ll go.”

“Then we’ll help you change and apply makeup!”

I couldn’t really blame the maids for their enthusiasm—Luna’s beauty was the kind that made it hard for anyone to look away.

Even at the academy, those who had seen her many times had grown used to it, but for newcomers, just meeting her eyes was a challenge.

Perhaps inspired by some sense of craftsmanship, the maids eagerly took Luna away, while a few male attendants approached me.

“Professor, we’ll assist you with your attire.”

I only nodded quietly in response.

* * *

It was rare to see Luna in a dress.

She had her own sense of style, and in Cascadia, no one cared much about what she wore as long as it wasn’t embarrassingly revealing.

Maybe that’s why—

“How do I look?”

Wearing a beautiful blue dress, she twirled lightly.

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

It wasn’t a flashy gown or heavy makeup that drew the eye—it was her natural, pure elegance.

But the mountain of accessories surrounding her quickly brought me back to reality.

“What’s all this?”

“I don’t know what to pick.”

The maids looked ready to faint, terrified the heap of jewelry spilling out of her subspace might get scratched.

“Do you really need this many?”

“I’m choosing carefully so you’ll like it.”

I glanced around.

To her, they might look like pretty trinkets, but many of them likely had strong emotional imprints—valuable relics, even.

She gave me a pleading look, and after a moment of thought, I picked up a small, delicate brooch from the floor.

“This one looks nice.”

“Then I’ll wear that.”

Without hesitation, she handed it to a maid, who fastened it carefully to her dress like it was some sacred treasure.

Then something else caught my eye—

A gemstone emitting a faint inner glow.

A stone that radiated light on its own… ah, a mana crystal.

They were extremely rare, often formed from meteor fragments.

Even finding one was near impossible.

The problem was that contact with human skin made them toxic.

Of course, that wasn’t really a problem for me anymore.

After the hydra incident, I’d spent time mastering control over poisons and developed formulas that allowed me to isolate and neutralize toxins.

Psshhh—

A faint purple mist drifted from my hand, enveloped the gem, and disappeared.

The toxic energy was gone.

Activating the Heart of the Machine God, I reshaped the crystal—it elongated into a glowing hairpin that shimmered faintly like living light.

“What’s that?”

“A hairpin. Want to try it?”

She nodded.

Hairpins weren’t unknown even on the Eastern Continent, so the expert maids quickly styled Luna’s hair and fixed the new pin in place.

I thought about giving her the necklace Adam had left behind, but… it didn’t suit the occasion.

“I’ll escort you.”

“Pff—”

She laughed softly at my outstretched hand, then took it anyway.

* * *

By the time we arrived, the joint banquet between Kona Academy and the Imperial Academy had already begun.

Melissa, already dressed up, had gone ahead, so the only person I had to worry about was Luna.

Though not an official supervising professor, she was attending in her capacity as academy staff.

Still, I had to admit—the “Imperial Academy” was a disappointing name given its prestige.

“Shall we go, my lady?”

I said teasingly, extending a hand.

She took it as we stepped out of the carriage.

The moment we entered the banquet hall, every gaze turned toward us.

“Gasp!”

Someone audibly drew in breath.

As expected, all eyes were on Luna at my side.

Of course, the students from the Imperial Academy—those who had previously suffered at her hands—reacted differently.

Some looked shocked, others resigned, as if saying, Well, with looks like that, it’s inevitable.

Among the Western Continent’s Kona Academy delegates, one young man looked utterly spellbound, staring blankly at her.

Their exchange team consisted of four men and one woman.

According to the list—

Rodri Algras, a famed prodigy of Kona known for his swordsmanship.

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Then there was Talion Fedmore, crown prince of the Fedmore royal family.

Tintel Ramos from a branch family of the mage clan Hontail.

And Gordon Hontail himself—the legitimate heir, known as a fourth-circle genius, a future archmage, a so-called “demonic prodigy.”

Though against Ashuria he’d only ever be second-best, fate was unpredictable.

Finally, there was one elf girl—a spirit summoner.

When she saw me, her eyes widened before she smiled warmly.

She might not have been from the Grand Forest, but anyone connected to the World Tree would surely have heard of me.

Gathering only the elites of the elites—it made even the old Melissa seem ordinary by comparison.

Though, given how much she’d evolved since then, “ordinary” hardly applied anymore.

I turned and caught two of Kona’s supervising professors flinching and looking away.

Well, considering I’d flattened them in a contest of willpower earlier, that made sense.

There were barely a dozen people total, but no one seemed to find that odd—after all, this “exchange” was really just a pretext for measuring rivals.

So the two academies’ students naturally kept to their own sides, with little mingling.

“Professor, you’re here?”

It was Ashuria who approached me first, speaking in her usual calm tone.

“Having fun?”

“Yes. The food’s good.”

She answered flatly, chewing bread.

“Good. How’s the atmosphere?”

“They started posturing right away. Melissa’s over there.”

As she pointed, I saw Melissa sitting in a corner, angrily gnawing on bread.

“Good grief… who’s ever going to marry that one?”

She looked like the type to beat her husband half to death on their wedding night.

Still, she was pretty enough that someone would take the risk eventually.

As her older brother, I couldn’t help but worry about that temper.

“So why’s she so upset?”

Ignoring the stares, Luna and I walked over to Melissa.

“What’s got you puffed up like a pufferfish?”

“That annoying bastard. I’ve met him before.”

She was talking about none other than Talion Fedmore, the crown prince and swordsman.

“You’ve met him? Isn’t he royalty?”

“Don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Fedmore Kingdom’s obsessed with strength. And thanks to their state religion, they treat women like dirt.”

Ah, yes.

I’d heard of that place.

The kind where, if a woman got attacked at night, the question would be, “Why were you out at night?”

They claimed such attitudes were fading, but clearly not everywhere.

“Being royal probably made him worse, huh?”

Rumor had it the Fedmore kings still kept harems—an old tradition from when ambitious women sought favor by joining the royal household.

It was their culture, so it wasn’t my place to judge… but still.

“When did you meet him?”

“Back when I visited the palace with father. He said this—”

She sneered, mimicking his voice.

“You’re a fine-looking one. Come, I’ll add you to my harem.”

A smug offer, as if granting a favor.

“I thought maybe he’d grown a brain since then. Nope. Same idiot as ever.”

Of all the people to run into again, it had to be that clown.

Naturally, Melissa wasn’t pleased.

He wouldn’t dare actually touch her now, but his very attitude was enough to make her blood boil.

“And that guy’s getting on my nerves too.”

She pointed—Rodri Algras, the swordsman, who hadn’t stopped staring at Luna since she walked in.

Like he wanted to approach but didn’t know how.

Then—

While everyone else watched from a distance, Rodri suddenly walked straight toward us.

“What?”

Luna asked.

“Oh, my lady. Would you honor me with your name?”

With smooth, courtly grace, he knelt and reached for her hand to kiss it.

Startled, Luna recoiled.

A bold move indeed.

At that moment, Melissa grabbed my left arm, and Ashuria my right.

“Hey. Don’t.”

“Professor. You’ll kill him if you move.”

Apparently realizing instinctively that I was about to snap, they held on tight.

I turned my head slightly—Kona’s professors had gone pale, only to exhale in visible relief when I stayed still.

“Remember—civilized man, right?”

“…Tch.”

I muttered, then quietly released a faint, invisible cloud of toxin into the air.

Let’s see if your hair roots can withstand that.

“Ah—well! Since everyone’s here, why don’t we begin with the first event of the exchange?”

Panicked, one of Kona’s professors quickly dragged Rodri away, while another brought in a large contraption resembling a roulette wheel.

The wheel was marked with various contest types.

“Yes, let’s do that.”

I replied evenly.

The professor, clearly nervous, activated the device.

Mana surged, and the wheel began to spin.

Exploration Battle, Subjugation Match, Capture the Flag—various challenges, each testing different skills.

Then I noticed it.

A faint disturbance in the mana flow.

They’d tampered with it.

The wheel stopped abruptly.

The professors’ expressions twisted into triumphant smiles.

As if they were certain of victory.

But I couldn’t help but laugh.

[Captain’s Duel]

In short—a one-on-one fight.

These idiots… do they not want to win?

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