Cassane still couldn't believe it. She rubbed her eyes hard, convinced that what she had just witnessed was nothing more than a feverish dream born from panic.
Only when the stench of the beast's blood filled her lungs did she accept reality.
"So… Valeria was right," she murmured, her voice trembling. "You really are a genius with the sword."
Cassian glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and shrugged, downplaying it.
"You can see it that way," he replied indifferently.
"But even so… killing a seventh-level beast on your own…" she insisted, trying to process the sheer gap in power.
"You shouldn't worry about that right now. Look at the person who fought by your side," Cassian interrupted, gesturing curtly toward where Julius lay.
Cassane shifted her gaze. Julius, whom she had always avoided for being an annoying, arrogant man, was now unconscious and covered in wounds. He hadn't fled; unlike Margareth and the others, he had stayed and bled alongside her.
Moved by guilt, she tried to stand and help him, but a stifled cry escaped her lips as she collapsed back onto the ground. Her ankle was broken; the bone sent sharp waves of pain that blurred her vision. Walking in that state was impossible.
Seeing her helplessness, Cassian let out a restrained sigh of annoyance, stepped closer, and offered his arm for her to lean on. Cassane looked at him, surprised and deeply grateful. She had always judged him as a cold and arrogant man, someone who merely flaunted his appearance—but after what had happened today, that coldness was starting to feel like something else: absolute confidence.
When I finally reached Julius with Cassian's help, the situation was grim. He didn't seem to be in immediate danger of dying, but his wounds were deep; he wouldn't wake anytime soon. This meant our trial had ended in the worst possible way. We would have to spend the remaining day hiding, praying not to encounter another beast while we waited for rescue.
I looked at the only one who was uninjured enough to do something: my "fiancé in name."
"Margareth and the others took the camping gear," I said, trying to ignore the pain in my ankle. "They shouldn't be far, but if we don't catch up to them, we'll have to find a safe place to spend the night."
Cassian nodded with his usual calm. With no apparent effort, he lifted Julius with one arm and then turned to me. My face burning with embarrassment, I had no choice but to let him carry me on his back.
He moved through the forest with slow but steady steps, with a calmness that was almost insulting given the situation. However, after witnessing his strength, that calm no longer felt like arrogance, but something far deeper.
"How can you be so skilled with a sword?" I finally asked, breaking the silence. "I didn't feel even a trace of mana or aura when you attacked the beast… nor when you fought Julius in the duel."
He tilted his head slightly as he answered in a flat tone:
"Practice, I guess. Not having talent forced me to look for other paths."
I couldn't believe it. I refused to accept it.
"You're telling me that with simple 'practice' you can reach a level of power capable of rivaling a seventh-level beast?" I insisted, incredulous.
"What's wrong with that?" he replied, and for a moment I could swear his violet eyes gleamed with a light that seemed to hold entire galaxies. "Would you believe me if I told you I'm not from this world and that I used to be the Supreme God of the Universe?"
I let out an involuntary laugh at such a statement.
"Yeah, sure," I replied with sarcasm. "And I'm the reincarnation of a mage who surpassed the ninth circle."
Cassian didn't laugh. He kept walking into the dimness of the forest, carrying the weight of two people as if they were no more than feathers, letting silence take over once again.
I rested my head on his shoulder and let myself drift, leaving everything that had happened behind; perhaps this person really is my solution.
…
After deciding that I would save Cassane and Julius, I acted immediately. It didn't make sense to let them die after what they had shown; although Cassane intended to use me, the truth was I could understand her, even if I didn't agree with her methods. And Julius, annoying as he was, was still Seraphine's brother.
I spoke with Cassane until she fell asleep. Then, carrying both of them—injured as they were—I brought them to a cave that would serve as shelter for the night.
Although I wasn't sure if I should, I took out a few blankets from my personal space so we could be more comfortable. I also considered healing them, but the thought quickly left my mind—if I did that, it would definitely be too obvious.
I lit a fire using the law of fire I had perfected and sat nearby, silently observing the two injured people resting beside me.
Cassane reminded me of someone. In a way, everyone did; with everything I've lived through, it's hard not to feel that way. But she, in particular, resembled someone from my past who depended too much on me—and that dependence ultimately became her downfall.
It was past midnight when Cassane woke again. At first, she looked around in alarm, but she calmed down when she saw me.
"How did you get all this?" she asked, pointing at the blankets she lay on.
"I have a spatial ring," I replied casually.
When I said that, she looked at me in complete surprise. Spatial magic was extremely rare, and possessing an item that contained it was not something easily obtained, not even for high nobility.
"You keep surprising me," she murmured. "At this rate, I might become so curious about you that I could actually fall in love, just like you said the day we met."
"If you do, just know there's a long line waiting."
"Ha… Are you that confident in your looks?" she teased, a hint of irony in her voice.
I smiled mockingly, as if it wasn't even worth asking. The fire illuminated our faces, and the atmosphere seemed to warm.
The light of dawn was already beginning to filter into the cave when Julius woke up. At first, he thought he had died, but when I explained that I found them unconscious after returning from a nighttime stroll, he thanked me without any trace of irony, though he still looked doubtful.
Cassane seemed to notice that I didn't want my abilities to become public knowledge, so she supported my excuse.
"So… the three of us in a cave, saving each other. If we told anyone at the Academy, they probably wouldn't believe it," Cassane said with a laugh.
Julius played along:
"Yeah, that's true. I suppose I should apologize for my previous behavior; my grandmother made me realize that wasn't the right way to act."
"Don't worry, I provoked you a bit too," I said, brushing it off. "Besides, I could tell you didn't really want to kill me; you wouldn't have asked for a duel of honor if that were the case. After all, it's better to get rid of someone quietly if that's what you're after."
My words seemed to surprise him.
"Well, I guess you're right," Julius replied, "although I never thought about getting rid of someone like that. Hearing it from you, for some reason, gives me a bad feeling."
That made me laugh—I had a few ideas why he felt that way, remembering what I had done not long ago.
"Come on, surely the arrogant heir of the Sterlings has taken someone's life at least once."
He fell silent, staring at me.
"No. In fact, even though rumors spread that I got rid of Cassane's suitors, I actually just gave them money to disappear. They all seemed quite happy to accept."
He paused, then added:
"I even thought about doing the same with you, but since there was an engagement involved, I assumed you wouldn't accept."
I burst out laughing for real. It was incredible—Julius, the "fearsome" Sterling heir, was nothing more than a rich kid who bought his problems away.
"Incredible. You looked like a predator, but you're actually soft," I said between laughs.
"You talk as if you have done it, Cassian," Cassane interrupted, locking her blue eyes onto mine.
I went silent for a second, surprised by her sharpness. The fire crackled between us, casting long shadows on the cave walls.
"Me?" I replied, recovering my lazy smile. "I'm 'useless,' Cassane. The only lives I've taken are the mosquitoes that bother me when I sleep."
"But well, it seems our little chat ends here," I added, glancing at the bracelet we all wore on our wrists.
The device began to glow with a rhythmic light, a clear signal that the exam had finally ended. The warmth of the fire in the cave was replaced by the cold anticipation of returning to the start of the hunting forest.
Julius stood up, still a bit unsteady, while Cassane gave me one last inquisitive look, as if she were still trying to decipher how much truth lay behind my lazy smile.