The chaos continued.
No—
It was actually getting worse.
The combat grounds of Aetherial Institute had completely descended into madness.
Students were still running around with numbered tokens raised above their heads.
Some shouted desperately.
Others negotiated trades.
Several appeared to be attempting diplomacy.
A few looked ready to declare war.
The instructor watched everything from a distance.
His expression suggested he was thoroughly enjoying the disaster.
Meanwhile—
Kel stood surrounded by empty space.
A phenomenon rarely seen in crowded areas.
The reason was simple.
Lady Valeryn.
The crimson-haired descendant of one of the Seven Pillar Houses.
The walking natural disaster.
The future nightmare of countless training dummies.
The owner of Number Ninety.
And unfortunately—
His assigned partner.
Kel slowly inhaled.
Then exhaled.
A deep breath.
A very deep breath.
Around him, students observed with expressions usually reserved for people walking toward execution grounds.
One boy even made a silent prayer gesture.
Another looked genuinely emotional.
A third was already placing bets.
Far away, Luna had found a comfortable place to watch.
The black-haired girl looked suspiciously interested in what would happen next.
Traitor.
Absolute traitor.
Inside his mind, Seiren's laughter echoed again.
"This is your fault."
Kel immediately disagreed.
"How?"
"You spent an entire morning searching for talented people."
"So?"
"Congratulations."
The goddess sounded delighted.
"You found one."
Kel ignored her.
Then—
Finally—
He started walking.
One step.
Then another.
Then another.
The crowd became quieter.
Students noticed.
Whispers spread instantly.
"He's going."
"He actually has courage."
"I thought he'd run."
"He did run."
"Good point."
"Maybe he has accepted his fate."
"May the gods guide his soul."
Kel pretended not to hear them.
Though admittedly—
The commentary was becoming increasingly creative.
Across the training grounds—
Valeryn remained standing exactly where she was.
Long crimson hair flowed behind her like living fire.
Her academy uniform appeared immaculate despite the surrounding chaos.
Golden embroidery decorated the dark noble-style coat she wore over her combat attire.
Unlike most students, she carried herself with absolute confidence.
No.
Confidence wasn't the correct word.
Certainty.
The certainty of someone who had spent her entire life winning.
Her crimson eyes remained fixed on Kel.
Watching.
Observing.
Waiting.
Like a predator studying a particularly suspicious prey animal.
Kel eventually stopped several steps away.
The distance felt safe.
Reasonable.
Healthy.
Valeryn glanced toward him.
Then toward the token in his hand.
Then back toward him.
Neither spoke.
The silence became awkward.
Then more awkward.
Then somehow even more awkward.
Finally Kel raised his token.
"Miss."
His tone was calm.
Polite.
Perfectly reasonable.
"Do you happen to possess Number Ninety?"
He pointed toward her token.
Then displayed his own.
"I believe I have the matching number."
Several nearby students immediately covered their mouths.
The effort required to suppress their laughter was visible.
One student nearly collapsed.
Another physically turned away.
Because everyone knew.
Everyone had already witnessed what happened earlier.
Including Valeryn.
The crimson-haired noblewoman stared at him.
Then slowly lowered her gaze toward his token.
The number matched.
Perfectly.
Then she looked up.
And smiled.
A dangerous smile.
Not angry.
Not hostile.
Which somehow felt worse.
"You know."
Her voice was smooth.
Elegant.
Dangerously calm.
"I was wondering when you would finally come over."
Kel immediately sensed danger.
Great danger.
The sort of danger hidden beneath polite words.
Valeryn folded her arms.
Her crimson eyes never left him.
"When you first saw me holding Number Ninety..."
She tilted her head slightly.
"...why did you run away?"
The surrounding students immediately became silent.
Every ear focused on the conversation.
Several students stopped searching for partners entirely.
This was more important.
Much more important.
Valeryn continued.
"And afterward, you attempted to exchange your token."
Her expression remained calm.
"With multiple people."
Another pause followed.
Then she smiled again.
"I know because I was watching."
Kel froze internally.
Unfortunately—
She had observed everything.
Every failed negotiation.
Every desperate attempt.
Every rejection.
The situation was rapidly becoming unfortunate.
Very unfortunate.
Several students nearby appeared seconds away from exploding with laughter.
Meanwhile—
Valeryn waited patiently.
The silence stretched.
Then Kel answered.
Because running again would probably make things worse.
Probably.
"I see."
Valeryn raised an eyebrow.
"That's your response?"
"No."
Kel shook his head.
Then spoke with complete sincerity.
Or what he believed was sincerity.
"A beauty such as yourself should not have to endure being partnered with someone like me."
Silence.
Complete silence.
The entire combat grounds froze.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Then—
One student made a strange choking sound.
Another immediately covered his face.
A third turned bright red from suppressing laughter.
Because that excuse—
That magnificent excuse—
Was possibly the most suspicious thing Kel had ever said.
Valeryn blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then stared.
For several seconds she simply stared at him.
As though trying to determine whether he was serious.
Kel maintained a perfectly calm expression.
Unfortunately—
The situation only became worse.
Valeryn slowly spoke.
"You ran away because..."
Her voice contained obvious disbelief.
"...I am beautiful?"
Kel nodded.
"Correct."
The silence deepened.
Several students were now visibly shaking.
One fell to his knees.
Another buried his face in a friend's shoulder.
A third looked ready to ascend into the heavens from sheer effort.
Meanwhile—
Valeryn stared harder.
"That might be the worst excuse I have ever heard."
Kel looked mildly offended.
"It was a compliment."
"It was a terrible compliment."
"Those exist?"
"That one does."
The nearby students immediately lost the battle.
Laughter erupted.
Explosive laughter.
Uncontrollable laughter.
The combat grounds became a disaster zone.
"I can't breathe!"
"He actually said it!"
"That's the excuse he chose?!"
"WHY WOULD HE CHOOSE THAT?!"
A student collapsed onto the grass.
Another started crying.
A third looked toward the sky and questioned reality.
Even Luna had turned away.
Her shoulders trembled suspiciously.
Kel narrowed his eyes.
"You're laughing too."
Luna immediately answered.
"No."
"You're absolutely laughing."
"I'm merely appreciating the situation."
"That's a fancy way of saying laughing."
Valeryn watched the entire scene.
Then looked back toward Kel.
Something strange appeared in her eyes.
Not anger.
Not annoyance.
Amusement.
The noblewoman slowly sighed.
A very long sigh.
The kind produced when encountering something completely unexpected.
"You know..."
She brushed a strand of crimson hair behind her ear.
"In my entire life, people have reacted to me in one of three ways."
Kel listened.
"They either challenge me."
Her expression remained calm.
"Fear me."
A brief pause followed.
"Or attempt to impress me."
The surrounding students immediately nodded.
Accurate.
Very accurate.
Valeryn looked directly into Kel's eyes.
"You're the first person who saw me and immediately tried to escape."
The crowd exploded again.
Even louder this time.
Kel suddenly regretted every decision leading to this moment.
Far away beneath Scarder Lake—
Seiren's telepathic laughter returned.
"I think she likes you."
Kel immediately muted the connection.
Again.
The goddess sounded offended.
Valeryn continued observing him.
The more she looked—
The more curious she became.
Because his behavior made no sense.
His clothes were ordinary.
His mana appeared ordinary.
His attitude appeared ordinary.
Yet nothing about him felt ordinary.
Most students became nervous around her.
This one became nervous for entirely different reasons.
As though he wanted to avoid attention.
As though he preferred remaining unnoticed.
The contradiction interested her.
Finally she spoke.
Her voice softer this time.
"You know something, Mister?"
Kel blinked.
"What?"
Valeryn smiled.
A genuine smile.
The first one.
"I don't believe a single word of your excuse."
The surrounding students nodded immediately.
Neither did they.
Not even slightly.
Kel sighed.
Deeply.
Because unfortunately—
She was correct.
And judging by her expression—
This conversation was only beginning.
Meanwhile, somewhere nearby, students were already placing bets regarding how long it would take before the team battles started.
Because whether they admitted it or not—
Watching Aedon Flinth and Valeryn interact had become the greatest source of entertainment in the entire combat class.
And the actual combat hadn't even started yet.