Ard, who had woken up, finally left the infirmary with Alicia. They walked down the hallway toward their class. Ard was deep in thought, recalling the Princess's words and comparing them to the dream he'd just had. To him, it was completely illogical.
"I really don't understand what's happening to me... First, my hair won't go back to its original red... I never had problems in previous lives. Then why did the Princess suddenly talk like that... and her face... it was truly a face I'd never seen... Plus, she said the name Edith, and in my dream... I met Edith... What does all this mean?" Ard thought to himself.
"Um... my Prince... hello... my Prince,"
Ard turned to see Alicia looking at his face with concern. He immediately rubbed his face and smiled at Alicia.
"Sorry, I was just thinking," Ard said.
"What exactly happened to you, my Prince? Why did you suddenly faint?" Alicia asked.
"Someone cast a sleep spell on me," he replied. "Alicia, when I left with the Princess, did anyone follow us?" Ard asked, remembering something.
"Hmm... not long after you left, Irwin also left. He said he was going to the restroom," Alicia answered.
"Irwin, huh... before I passed out... I did hear his voice approaching Eva... could he be the one..."
"Hey,"
Ard's thoughts stopped when he heard a man's voice calling behind him. Ard and Alicia turned and saw a handsome young man with blond hair and green eyes walking towards them with an angry look. Alicia immediately bowed, as did Ard, because they knew who the young man was.
"Are you the one named Ard?" the young man asked.
"Yes, Your Highness Prince Edmund. How may I help you?" Ard asked politely.
Suddenly, Edmund grabbed Ard's collar and pulled his face close to Ard's. Alicia, seeing this, became terribly frightened.
"Your Highness Edmund," Alicia cautioned.
"Silence, you," he said, staring at Ard in front of him. "Don't go near Eva again. She belongs to me, not to a commoner like you. Understood?" Edmund said in a low voice.
Ard didn't answer. He just stared at Edmund in front of him. Then, he slowly removed Edmund's hand from his collar.
"Relax, Your Highness Edmund. I have no intention of getting close to her, but if I may ask, why do you claim she belongs to you? Is there incest within the Imperial family of the Orthus Empire?" Ard asked with a sneer.
"Hah... Eva is just a child my father adopted when she was little, don't question me, commoner! Don't think that just because you're in the S-Class you can speak to me as you please," Edmund shouted.
"Oh, I see. Forgive my insolence, Your Imperial Crown Prince from Class A," Ard mocked, bowing slightly in front of Edmund and smiling.
"Pfft," Alicia immediately turned her face away, trying to hold back her smile. Seeing Ard's attitude and Alicia's reaction, Edmund became utterly furious. He immediately took off his glove and threw it in Ard's face.
"We'll settle this in the arena right now... come on," Edmund said, enraged.
"Fine, I accept your challenge," Ard replied, throwing Edmund's glove back.
Ard turned to look at Alicia, then laughed and winked. Alicia, understanding Ard's meaning, immediately lent him her sword, then turned and ran toward her class.
"Please lead the way, Your Highness," Ard mocked, adopting a pose to let Edmund go first.
Both immediately walked toward the arena. The academy students who saw them instantly followed, sensing a duel and drama were about to unfold in the arena. When they reached the arena, both immediately headed to the center. Ard looked around and was shocked to see a large number of spectators from various classes and levels.
"Whoa... why are so many people watching... it's become this crowded... all because of this stupid prince who will be killed by his younger sibling in the future. It's the same in all nine lives... but wait, maybe this is the issue the princess faced and it eventually led to the tragedy that turned the princess into the cruel Ice Queen," Ard thought to himself.
Seeing the large crowd, Edmund became excited. He even opened his dimensional box and retrieved the national sword given to him by the Emperor. He raised his sword, asking for support and cheers from the audience, who clearly cheered for him. Edmund turned to look at Ard, who was relaxed and seemed unconcerned about him or the audience. Edmund began to mock and insult Ard with a smug, cynical smile, but Ard appeared completely indifferent.
"Hey... don't ignore me," Edmund shouted angrily, pointing his sword.
"Hmm? What did you say just now? Sorry, I didn't hear you because it wasn't important," Ard said casually.
"Y-you insolent bastard, take this!" Edmund yelled.
Edmund immediately charged forward and thrust his sword at Ard, but Ard casually shifted his head, and Edmund's sword passed by. Edmund pulled his sword back and slashed toward Ard's neck, who simply leaned his body back, and Edmund's sword swept past his face.
"Oi, oi, Your Highness, don't just attack. Give the signal and a bow first," Ard teased.
"Shut up!" Edmund shouted.
Finally, Edmund attacked Ard from every direction, but Ard merely avoided all of it with minimal movement. Exhausted from attacking, and with all his strikes successfully dodged by Ard, Edmund finally jumped back, panting heavily, his body drenched in sweat.
"Y-you insolent bastard... you're underestimating me," Edmund said, staring at Ard, who hadn't drawn his sword at all and didn't look sweaty in the slightest.
"I never underestimate an opponent, Your Highness, but... unless that opponent is far beneath me," Ard replied casually with a mocking smile.
"Y-you insolent bastard... take this!" he yelled, thrusting his sword into the ground, then raising his hand toward Ard and beginning to chant a spell. "O, hellfire that burns the wicked, answer my call... Mega Flame!"
A large ball of fire appeared in Edmund's palm and shot toward Ard. "Brother... what are you doing!" a girl shouted from the side. Ard turned to look in the direction of the scream. It was Eva who had shouted. The entire S-Class, including Alicia, who looked worried and appeared to be praying with her hands clasped to her chest, was watching on the edge of the arena. Ard raised his hand, stopping Eva from entering the field.
Suddenly, "blaaam," the giant, intensely hot fireball struck Ard, creating a pillar of fire that soared high into the air.
"Ard!" Eva screamed in panic.
"Ard!" shouted all of his friends, including Alicia, and excluding Irwin, who appeared to be smiling cynically.
"Hahahaha... take that! No one survives after messing with me... hahaha," Edmund shouted proudly and arrogantly.
Meanwhile, inside the pillar of fire, the trapped Ard looked completely relaxed because he was protected by a shield shaped like a sphere of black light.
"Hmm... maybe I should pretend to lose, so Eva doesn't misunderstand me again... but what if the source of the tragedy is her older brother, Edmund? I'm so confused," he muttered, thinking.