Chapter 71
Lost It?
“It’s over.”
The next day.
Morgan raised his hands as he looked at the tip of the sword pointed at his neck.
“I’ve lost.”
“My preliminary task has failed. Are you going to try again?”
Deon asked as he sheathed his sword.
Morgan had thought he would be tied to Deon for the entire four-month preliminary round, but to end it this cleanly? He wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass and shook his head.
“No.”
Deon nodded slightly as if he understood.
Whatever had happened overnight, Deon had returned to his usual self.
“Riche, Instructor Rodwick asked me to tell you he’s sorry.”
“…Morgan, you don’t need to worry about my brother. Thanks for passing on the message.”
Yesterday, when Morgan delivered Deon’s message by the lake, Riche still seemed upset.
Come to think of it, Deon hadn’t even asked if Morgan had passed on the message to Riche.
“Instructor, did you make up with Riche?”
“She let it go.”
“…?”
Morgan felt puzzled by Deon’s response to his casual question.
The Deon he knew wasn’t someone who would easily share his circumstances with someone he wasn’t close to.
Wasn’t this behavior more like how Deon treated Iandwen, a club member, six years ago?
“Has Morgan Dayel become as familiar to him as Iandwen?”
But Morgan quickly dismissed the thought.
It must have been because Deon was in a good mood after reconciling with Riche.
Deon’s actions were always unpredictable when it involved Riche.
“That’s good to hear.”
“…”
Deon nodded silently again.
Morgan thought his guess was right. Deon must have been in a good mood for a moment.
With the task over, there was no reason to see each other anymore. Since the tournament rules prohibited private meetings, it was better to part ways quickly.
After saying goodbye to Deon, Morgan left the training ground.
It had been about two hours since breakfast, so there was still plenty of the day left.
“If I leave for the Rom Desert right away, I could return by nightfall.”
If he moved quickly, he could finish the task by today.
First, he needed to borrow a cart to carry thirty monster hearts.
Morgan started walking towards the operations office inside the tournament grounds.
After walking for a while—
“Morgan Dayel! Catch that squirrel!”
A familiar voice urgently called out to Morgan from behind.
When he stopped and turned around, he saw Professor Declan running toward him, pointing.
“Squirrel?”
Morgan was confused about why a squirrel was suddenly mentioned, but a small figure darted past his field of vision.
“I said catch it!”
Professor Declan shouted desperately. He seemed to be running earnestly, but at that speed, it would be impossible.
“What should I do?”
Morgan didn’t have to listen to Professor Declan, but it didn’t seem bad to help with something so trivial.
Morgan quickly chased after the squirrel that had passed him and caught it.
“Eek! Let go, you fool!”
But the appearance and temperament of the brown-furred, black-striped creature were familiar.
The squirrel that usually hung out with Riche. More precisely,
“It’s Python.”
Morgan looked at Python.
**He Was Hiding Something in His Mouth.**
When Morgan pulled it out, it was a ring with a black gemstone attached. Was it the ring Riche picked up last time?
“Did you happen to see a ring?”
Come to think of it, the person who lost the ring was Professor Declan.
“Well done, Morgan! Don’t let go until I get there!”
“Squeak! (Let go, you fool!) Squeak! (That’s my star fragment!) Squeak! (He’s targeting it!)”
The squirrel’s cries were… quite loud.
The noise, louder than a whistle, made Morgan wince.
“If it’s Python, I should just let him go.”
Just as Morgan was about to return the ring to Python and release his grip, there was a loud thud!
A loud impact came from two blocks away from where Morgan was standing.
Sensing something was wrong, Morgan looked up.
A chimney sweeper had fallen from the roof. The impact knocked him unconscious, and he began rolling down the roof.
“If I leave him, he’ll fall to the ground.”
Morgan ran toward the edge of the roof. Meanwhile, Python wriggled free from Morgan’s hand. As he hastily fled, the ring got tangled in the leather strap attached to Morgan’s scabbard.
“Nothing’s going right today!”
There was no time to untangle it. Python, squeaking in frustration, used a bit of his power on the knot, cutting the leather strap and fleeing with the ring.
Meanwhile, Morgan, unaware of Python’s actions, kept his eyes fixed on the roof as he ran.
“Someone help him!”
“He’s falling!”
The person, who had rolled to the edge of the roof, was now falling through the air.
“I’m too late…!”
There wasn’t enough time to complete the protection spell he was chanting. He needed another 20 seconds. Running was faster.
Gritting his teeth, Morgan increased his speed. He climbed up the wall, hooked his foot on a second-floor windowsill, and reached out to the falling worker, but missed him by a hair.
Not wanting to witness the man’s death, Morgan turned his eyes away.
He could hear the screams of the people nearby.
Then, suddenly, cheers erupted.
“…?”
Morgan looked down at the ground.
The chimney sweeper was lying on the ground, unharmed. A magical barrier had protected him.
Someone had cast a protection spell in that brief moment.
“Who could it be?”
As Morgan jumped down from the windowsill, a familiar voice called out behind him.
“Morgan, you’re fast.”
It was Riche.
—
“Is that my squirrel?”
Riche walked alongside Morgan as they talked.
They were both headed to the tournament grounds to submit the weekly progress report required during the preliminary rounds.
Morgan’s destination was the same, as he was going to borrow a cart.
“Yes. The squirrel’s name is Picon, right? He was being chased by Professor Declan.”
“Professor Declan?”
“The professor from Udik Academy you saw earlier. He’s a bit eccentric.”
Morgan deliberately explained the situation.
Since it involved Python being chased, he figured Riche should know.
A moment later, Professor Declan, panting heavily from running, approached Morgan and Riche.
“The squirrel, the squirrel….”
“Oh, Professor. I lost him.”
“Morgan Dayel…!”
“But isn’t a human life more important than catching a squirrel?”
With Morgan smiling brightly, the professor’s face flushed with frustration. Then he hurried off, saying he would go find the squirrel.
“The squirrel the professor was looking for was Picon?”
“Yes.”
“Why is he chasing Picon?”
“Who knows?”
Morgan feigned ignorance about why Python was being chased. Telling Riche about the ring would only worry her.
Instead, he changed the subject.
“Did you make up with Instructor Rodwick?”
“Well, sort of.”
Riche responded with a rather unsatisfied expression.
“We still haven’t talked, so I’m not sure.”
She had left a note promising to sneak into Deon’s quarters and check on him.
Only when the tournament ended would she be able to tell if they had truly reconciled.
By then, she planned to tell him not to serve as the exam instructor anymore.
**”Or else, I won’t come to Cselphone again.”**
It was something Riche couldn’t imagine doing twice, out of frustration.
She shook her head.
“So, you’re done with the task with my brother? That’s good.”
“Yeah, right? I wasn’t confident I could beat Instructor Rodwick anyway. I’m lucky he dropped me before the other instructors’ passes were used up.”
“I’m sorry, Morgan. I didn’t mean to drag you into this. I’d like to apologize properly… Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No, it’s not your fault, Riche. This would have happened eventually, even without you. I don’t think Instructor Rodwick likes me very much.”
Riche chuckled softly at Morgan’s words.
It reminded her of Deon’s disgruntled red eyes.
“Still, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help later. And don’t worry too much about my brother; he doesn’t like many people anyway. He’s not a bad person. If it weren’t for that handcuff incident… Oh, right, Morgan.”
Speaking of the handcuff incident, she remembered Morgan’s sword ornament from a few days ago.
It looked nice. Should she ask if he bought it?
Since most of her close friends used swords, it would be nice to keep as a memento if it was for sale.
Riche was about to point to Morgan’s sword ornament but then hesitated.
“…Huh? You’re not wearing it today?”
“Wearing what?”
“The ornament you used to hang on your scabbard. The one made of glass.”
At Riche’s words, Morgan glanced down at his scabbard and fell silent for a moment.
Then his expression became serious.
“Sorry, Riche. I have to go.”
“Did you lose it? Should I help you find it?”
“Thanks, but I’ll handle it.”
He quickly ran back the way he came.
Morgan looked so flustered.
Did it mean that much to him?
Riche watched Morgan’s retreating figure with a thoughtful expression.
—
“At the tournament entrance.”
“Miss!”
Philip, who had been waiting for Riche, ran up to her.
Riche smiled brightly at the long-awaited conversation.
“How have you been?”
“I’ve been well, just worried about you, Miss.”
Deon had permitted Philip to visit Riche.
Since Riche had to go to the tournament anyway, they decided to meet at the entrance.
“What brings you here?”
“I’m here to report on the preliminary round progress.”
The guard who had blocked Riche’s entry last time now opened the door without hesitation.
Riche and Philip entered, chatting as they went.
“Young Master must be so jealous of me. Sometimes I find myself in a better position than him.”
“Jealous?”
“I’m serious. I bet right now, the person Young Master wants to talk to the most is you, Miss.”
Now’s the time. Time to plead the Young Master’s innocence.
Philip whispered.
“It seems the chairman of Cselphone has set conditions for the Young Master. If he’s caught having a private meeting with you, he’ll have to step down as the exam instructor.”
“…To that extent?”
Riche furrowed her brows.
So, he really is being blackmailed. She couldn’t help but feel a growing hostility toward the chairman she had never met.
“But is Deon doing this because he wants to be the exam instructor? Why?”
Now she understood why he wasn’t talking to her.
But why was Deon so intent on being the exam instructor, even at the cost of following someone else’s conditions?
“There’s a reason—”
Because of you, Miss.
Philip was about to say but then hesitated, sensing an ominous presence behind him from the end of the outdoor corridor.
It was his young master, who was supposed to be in his quarters.
“Are you sure it’s okay to visit Miss Riche? Young Master, I’m chatting away, aren’t I?”
“Do as you please.”
You said that, but you couldn’t resist coming out yourself.
While Philip grumbled internally, Riche also noticed Deon walking toward them.
‘Ah, it’s Deon… Will he ignore me again?’
Now that she knew the reason, she didn’t feel as hurt.
So the chairman is threatening my brother. That explains the slight pout on her lips due to the growing resentment.
Riche watched Deon as he walked closer. To her surprise, he stopped next to her instead of walking past indifferently.
“Participant TraRiche.”
“Huh?”
Riche widened her eyes, not expecting Deon to speak to her.
Deon asked a simple question.
“Have you eaten?”
“…Oh, yes!”
Riche nodded, and Deon smiled slightly before continuing to walk away.
Then he coldly spoke to Philip, who was standing idly by.
“Philip, stop following me.”
“…Yes, sir.”
See? He really is jealous.
Philip mouthed silently to Riche before quickly following after Deon.
