Edsel walked through the dormitory hallway with his luggage in one hand, glancing at each door as he passed.
He finally stopped in front of one marked F204.
The moment he stepped inside, he noticed someone already there.
Osias was sitting on his bed.
He paused when he saw Edsel enter, staring at him for a moment before letting out a quiet scoff.
Edsel ignored him.
He hadn't expected to share a room with someone like Edwin's best friend, but he showed no reaction. Walking past Osias, he set his luggage down beside the bed on the opposite side of the room.
Osias, however, kept glancing at him from time to time.
Normally, Edsel would have already made some stupid remark or picked a fight. But this time, he was strangely quiet. It didn't feel like the same person.
"Hey, you."
Edsel paused while taking clothes out of his luggage and turned slightly.
Osias stare at him carefully. He looked like the same Edsel as before… yet something about him seemed calmer and composed.
"Did you do anything to Fiora?" Osias asked bluntly.
Edsel raised an eyebrow.
"Mm? Did she say I did something to her?"
"N-no," Osias admitted, frowning. "But I'm sure you did something. She's not acting like herself anymore."
"And yet you blame me for something that I never did to her." Edsel shook his head slowly. "She must have already told you the truth, but I will repeat it for you. I am no longer engaged to her, and I have not done anything to harm her."
Osias started to respond but found himself at a loss for words. "Well, I still think that you did something. "
Edsel sighted staring at him. Osias was the kind of person who had lived in Edwin's shadow his entire life. He was the perfect friend who always supported and helped Edwin during most of their fights and challenges together. Unfortunately, in the original storyline, he died protecting Edwin from the demon king during the final battle.
Osias frowned while looking at the expression on Edsel's face. He was so calm and composed that it was difficult to read what he was thinking. Osias dismissed the thought, telling himself that it was probably just his imagination playing tricks on him.
"If you're planning on getting close to Fiora again—"
Edsel suddenly froze. Then he slowly raised both hands to his face and dragged them down, covering his nose and mouth. His eyes stared up at the ceiling in pure exhaustion.
"What is it?" Osias asked, confused.
Edsel's eyes suddenly snapped towards Osias, and his dark pupils reflected the image of the boy standing before him. He could not believe what he was about to say, but the words blurted out anyway.
"I can't believe that fools like you actually exist in this world."
Osias blinked.
"What did you just call me?"
"Oh my, did I say that out loud?" he muttered. "My bad. I guess I just can't tolerate stupid people."
"Edsel Domitius!" Osias snarled, clenching his fists. "Don't you dare insult me!"
Edsel smirked slightly, clearly enjoying the reaction.
"How long do you plan on living under Edwin's shadow, Osias?"
Osias stiffened.
"Shadow…?"
"How can the son and heir of a duke act like nothing more than a servant following Edwin around everywhere? He will continue to surpass you in the future, and then you will simply become second place in everything that matters. How sad and pathetic that sounds."
"Edsel!"
"Pfff." Edsel shrugged. "Poor thing. Your entire destiny is just to lick Edwin's boots."
"Edsel, stop!"
"Kekeke… Mr. Boot-licker."
"STOP!"
A huge wave of killing intent gathered around the room and filled every corner with pressure. Edsel could feel the power radiating from Osias, and he recognized it immediately as the energy of an aura user.
Osias lunged forward with incredible speed and threw a powerful jab directly at Edsel's face.
Edsel sidestepped smoothly and avoided the strike completely. Osias followed up with another punch, and then another, and then another after that. Each strike came faster than the last.
Edsel kept dodging and weaving through the attacks while analyzing every movement. 'His footwork is solid, and his stance gives him good balance. His punches have proper form, and he commits to each strike fully. Compared to those slow orcs that I fought before, this guy is much faster and more precise in his movements. At this rate, if I keep only dodging, I will eventually lose against someone with his speed and training.'
But Edsel smiled confidently despite the situation.
No matter how fast someone was, if you were durable enough to withstand their attacks, they could not hurt you easily. He had enhanced his bones with death mana, and his body was much tougher than before.
Edsel waited for the right moment and then threw a powerful punch directly at Osias's face. Osias dodged at the last second, but the punch still grazed his cheek.
The force behind that single grazing blow almost tore his skin open from the impact alone.
Osias staggered back while touching his injured cheek in shock. 'How is he this strong? I am an aura user, and he is just a mage. He should be weaker than me in close combat, but that punch felt incredibly heavy.'
Edsel analyzed the situation quickly. 'He dodged my attack, which means he has good reflexes. But the fact that he is backing away instead of pressing the attack shows that he is reassessing me as a threat.'
"Hey, over here!" Edsel called out while raising his fist again.
Osias turned to face him, and Edsel punched him directly in the face before he could react.
The impact snapped Osias's head to the side, but compared to those soldiers from the Torenzo house, Osias was actually weaker in terms of raw durability.
Edsel kept punching him repeatedly. Left hook to the jaw. Right straight to the nose. Left uppercut to the stomach. Right cross to the cheek. Each blow landed with precision and power.
Osias raised his arms to shield his face, but his hands started trembling from the constant impact. He could not block everything, and his defense was failing rapidly.
Edsel stopped punching for a moment and observed his work. Osias was bleeding from multiple cuts on his face, and his breathing was ragged. But then suddenly, Osias charged up his aura and roared loudly.
The force of the roar pushed Edsel backwards several steps.
Osias covered his entire body with aura shielding while glaring at Edsel with murderous eyes.
"You think that you will get away after doing this to me? You are definitely dead right now!" Osias shouted while his aura flared brightly.
Edsel clicked his tongue in annoyance. 'He certainly has the advantage when it comes to charging up his aura for defense. His shield will protect him from most of my punches now. But if I aim for unguarded areas or hit him before he can fully react, I can still break through.'
Edsel smiled while studying Osias's stance. "I wonder how pathetic you will look after I punch that smug face of yours one more time."
"You bastard, I will kill—"
Before Osias could finish his sentence, Edsel was already underneath him. He had moved faster than Osias could track, and his fist was already ascending towards the target.
Edsel's punch connected directly with Osias's jaw from below. The force of the blow lifted Osias off his feet and sent him flying backwards through the air.
He crashed into the wall behind him with a loud thud and then slid down to the floor completely unconscious.
Edsel looked at his own fist and then at the crumpled body on the floor.
"Ah, damn it. I did not control my strength properly this time."