NOVPUBOn either side of the main road of the Ichrite Academy, ancient oak trees spread their dense crowns. Light filtered through the leaf gaps shone on the stone path, forming dazzling streaks of radiance.
Not far away, the Learning and Education Building stood tall and imposing, always a lively hub, and one of the defining symbols of the academy.
Lanci, Hyperion, and the new classmate were walking down this road when they suddenly saw Dean Loren.
The minor friction between Dean Loren’s leather shoes and the ground as he approached them was drowned out by the laughter and chatter of other students, and the rustle of leaves in the breeze.
"Lanci, Hyperion,"
Dean Loren began, his eyes fixed intently on them,
"What was that duel between you and Adams all about?"
He was too preoccupied to ask why Lanci and Hyperion were mingling with a student from the Arolan Kingdom.
It wasn’t a big deal as long as they weren’t getting anyone unnecessarily thrown into jail. Loren didn’t see it as a significant problem.
Lanci and Hyperion looked at each other, clearly not expecting to run into the dean here.
"Dean Loren!"
Lanci seemed excited, as if he had planned to meet him all along, "I have completed my friendly match with Adams in the [Desperate Bony Cage] Artificial Shadow World, just as he requested."
Lanci answered Dean Loren’s question first.
"It’s over?"
Dean Loren asked, confused. If it was all over, why was Adams still in the seventh courtyard?
"...and why hasn’t he contacted Juliana all day?" 𝘯𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
"Adams is still in the Shadow World..."
"Hm? You didn’t win?"
"I lost."
A cold shiver went down Loren’s spine.
He never imagined Lanci could lose.
There was only possible explanation for Lanci losing so easily - he never intended to win.
For a moment, Loren was at a loss as to what Lanci might have done.
Dean Loren quickly turned to Hyperion.
Hyperion was a rare species of normalcy. She at least spoke more sense than Lanci.
"Hyperion, you tell me what happened."
"..."
Hyperion glanced at Lanci and then hesitantly stuttered out, "Lanci and Adams made a bet, if Lanci won, Knight Commander Juliana would go on a date with you."
"...A date?"
Dean Loren was quite shocked to hear about this bet, but he sighed a sigh of relief after hearing it. Thank goodness Lanci hadn’t won!
But then he had a startling thought.
What if the unthinkable condition Juliana had agreed to was adhered to even if Lanci lost, what would be the cost then?
Dean Loren looked back at Hyperion, waiting for her to finish her sentence.
Hyperion hesitated and twiddled the hem of her shirt without saying a word.
Dean Loren began to worry. He felt as if he was about to be struck by five thunderbolts.
At this time, Lanci sensed Hyperion’s predicament, took a slight step forward, and said: "It’s like this, if Adams won, you don’t have to pay any additional price, just going with the flow is enough. And then you can prepare for a date with Knight Juliana."
"?"
Dean Loren couldn’t understand what Lanci meant.
What kind of unequal treaty was this?
And why in the world did Juliana want to date him no matter what? This didn’t make any sense!
"Knight Juliana has agreed that as long as you apologize to her and she forgives you, she will go on a date with you..."
Lanci explained to dean Loren.
While they were talking on a road at school, a commotion sprang up outside a nearby building, diverting their gaze. Suddenly, hurried footsteps could be heard.
A medical team with the emblem of the Alchemy College, quick-stepped out of the Learning and Education Building. They seemed very professional.
They had been dispatched several times in recent days, and this time was something out of a hat trick.
But what was truly shocking was the person on the stretcher they were carrying — Adams.
His normally cheerful and confident face was now as pale as a sheet, as if he had just narrowly escaped death. His face was covered in frost, as if he had just been taken out of a freezer.
Dean Loren couldn’t take his eyes off Adams.
"This...."
A mix of disbelief and shock registered on Dean Loren’s face. His eyes were wide and his mouth open, but no words came out.
His head tilted back slightly, as if trying to make sense of the unbelievable scene unfolding in the distance.
As the stretcher moved past Loren and the others,
Adams, who had been trembling, noticed the horrified expression on Dean Loren’s face.
He quickly broke into a victorious grin.
He had won!
He had wanted to see this expression on Dean Loren’s face. His academic trip to the Hutton Kingdom had been worth it!
However,
when the angle of the stretcher changed and Adams saw Lanci standing next to Dean Loren, his eyes gradually froze.
Lanci’s expression was full.
Very different from Adams.
While Adams was suffering in jail, Lanci must have had a lovely day yesterday, eating and drinking well, and getting a good night’s sleep.
Adams’s brain began to whirl.
"Lan... Lanci... did you..."
His lips trembled, and he managed a weak voice as the stretcher moved past Lanci.
"..."
Lanci pursed his lips, his mournful expression filled with regret and reproach.
As if asking Adams why he didn’t trust him, this was clearly a friendly match.
"Lanci, you did well..."
Finally, with a tilt of his head, Adams collapsed back onto the stretcher.
"..."
Silence blanketed the road.
Watching Adams being carried away,
Words got stuck in Dean Loren’s throat.
Some things are beyond words. He had now come to understand what Lanci meant by "going with the flow".
He had no choice but to apologize to Juliana.
"Dean Loren, you can happily go on a date with Knight Commander Juliana. If you need help in the future with such matchmaking, just let me know. I promise to handle all your lifelong affairs!"
Lanci shoved his hands in his pockets, let out a sigh, and looked back at Dean Loren with a smiling face, like a cherub wielding an arrow of love.
"..."
Looking at Lanci, many expressions crossed Dean Loren’s face.
Having a date with Juliana.
Should have been a dream come true.
Dean Loren had never imagined he would ever have such an opportunity.
But why did it feel so sorrowful now?
His already rocky love life, after being manipulated by Lanci, was likely to become an uphill task.
Finally,
Dean Loren laughed.
It was a sort of tearful laughter.
"I am really stupid, honestly... "
Dean Loren looked up, his eyes devoid of any sparkle, shook his head, and struggled to speak coherently.
