CHAPTER 262: RANKING MATCHES RESUMES [1]

Forest near Velcrest Academy.

Lan slid back into its usual dagger form with a soft, almost smug shhk, and I tucked the mask away. The masked man in the jet-black tailcoat? Gone. In his place—just me.

Rin Evans. Ordinary academy cadet. Night stroll enthusiast.

"...Ah."

And then—

"Shit."

It hit me like a hammer to the spine.

"Oh no... oh no, oh no, oh no..."

The embarrassment wasn’t just knocking—it was kicking down the door, breaking the windows, and setting fire to the furniture.

"Uwaaaah! Holy shiiit!!!"

I clutched my head, staggering like a man who had just remembered something so stupid it could end civilizations. My whole body felt like it was trying to physically eject the memory of what I’d just done.

No—wait. Calm down.

Rin Evans and that Demon-masked villain were two completely different people. Totally separate. No connection.

Therefore... nothing to be embarrassed about.

...Probably.

If anyone found out, I’d have to bash my head into a block of tofu and achieve instant reincarnation, but for now? Fine. I was fine.

I didn’t enjoy it halfway through. I didn’t get carried away. I didn’t feel cool.

I. Am. Not. Edgy.

The child lies to himself.

"Shut up, Lan."

He denies his true nature.

"I said shut up."

He wore the mask... and the mask fit.

"I will throw you in a lake."

...This too is a heart demon.

"LAN!"

The trees swayed in the wind, and I could swear they were laughing.

----

Ban’s POV

And then—poof.

One moment, there’s a guy in a creepy mask telling me to join his mystery club. The next, I’m standing there alone, holding a cabbage, and wondering if that conversation actually happened or if I inhaled too much compost fumes again.

"Two months..." I muttered.

Two months until he comes back for an answer. Two months until I find out the name of his oh-so-mysterious organization. Two months to... what? Think about it?

I glanced down at my cabbage. It stared back, silent but understanding.

"...You saw him, right?"

No reply. Of course. It was a cabbage.

Still, I couldn’t shake the fact that the guy felt dangerous. Not in the "stab you and run" kind of way. More like the "smile politely while rearranging the laws of reality" kind of dangerous. But also...

He wasn’t wrong about one thing. Tyrants who win aren’t called tyrants anymore. They’re called rulers. And I’d be lying if I said that didn’t stick with me.

I sighed and tucked the cabbage under my arm like a football.

First things first—get back to the farming. Second—figure out what the hell I’d even want from some shadowy, edgy, teleporting maniac if I said yes. Third—decide if I’m really the kind of guy who signs up for things without knowing the name.

...Which, unfortunately, I am.

"Two months, huh?"

I patted the cabbage.

"We’d better plant more tomatoes. Just in case."

---

Rin Evans POV:

Next Day....

Whether I tossed and turned all night, haunted by the glimpse of past memories sealed deep in the abyss, or simply cursed with a restless mind, time marched forward anyway. The second day of the ranking matches had arrived.

Normally, this part of the event was more relaxed—plenty of breaks, room for the audience to chat and gossip—but thanks to yesterday’s little incident interrupting the matches, today’s schedule had been tightened like a noose.

"Haha, our Rin Evans looks tired. Stayed up late because you were nervous?"

Professor Alice Draken—the so-called little witch—was the one overseeing my match today. She gave me a sugary smile, the kind that might fool strangers into thinking she was harmless.

It didn’t fool me.

The traitor’s personality from the original story was still there, untouched and unpolished.

"Yes, well... I didn’t stay up because of nerves, but I am a little tired," I replied.

"Oh my, as a professor who deeply cares for her students, I can’t just ignore that. If you promise to become my assistant, I might just give you a nice, high score for the ranking match..."

I gave her a flat look. "Don’t cross the line, Professor."

Why does this woman keep trying to lure me in?

"Seeing you dislike it only makes me want you more," she said with a smirk. "If you’re not going to agree willingly, then maybe you should experience a little pain first. You might change your mind afterward."

Golden sparks danced around her fingertips.

"Professor," I said, my voice dry. "You do know this is a ranking match, right?"

"Of course, Cadet Rin," she said, tone light as if we were discussing the weather.

"Don’t worry. I’m a mana studies professor, remember? I’m quite skilled at formulas that maximize output while minimizing mana cost. I’ll hit you with the absolute maximum firepower you can handle at your level...so you can rest assured," Alice finished, her eyes glinting with far too much excitement for a supposed educator.

Somehow, that didn’t feel reassuring at all.

The referee gave a quick signal. "Both sides, ready?"

I adjusted my grip on Lan’s dagger form, keeping my expression as flat as possible. "Ready."

Alice twirled her wand like a conductor’s baton. "Oh, I’m more than ready."

The moment the match officially began, she moved.

Not in the slow, predictable way most professors would when going easy on a student—but in a blink, golden magic circles flared to life all around me.

"Already?" I muttered.

"You said you were tired, didn’t you? I’m just helping you wake up."

The circles pulsed.

"[Mana Compression Formula: Triple Arc Storm.]"

A streak of golden lightning cracked through the air, splitting into three forks mid-flight. The heat from the mana alone prickled against my skin before the first bolt even hit.

I stepped aside, letting the first strike slam into the ground where I’d been standing a heartbeat ago. The second came straight for my ribs—I twisted, letting it whistle past, close enough to leave a sharp tang of ozone in my nose.

The third... yeah, that one was aiming for my face.

"[Deflect.]"

Lan’s blade shimmered with a thin veil of blue light, and the lightning scattered into harmless sparks on impact.

Alice’s grin only widened. "Good reflexes. I’d almost think you’ve been in real fights before."

"Just good instincts, Professor," I replied. "Though I’m starting to think you have a grudge against me."

"Oh, grudge is such a strong word. Let’s call it... motivation."

Another mana circle flared under her feet—larger, brighter, humming with unstable energy.

And just like that, I realized this was going to be one of those matches.

The circle beneath her feet expanded outward, lines weaving into more complex layers like some insane spider deciding geometry was an art form. I could feel the mana pressure rise, the air around us warping faintly.

"Motivation, huh?" I said, circling to my right. "Funny. From where I’m standing, it feels a lot like attempted murder."

Alice tilted her head, her curls bouncing with the motion. "Oh, don’t be so dramatic. If I wanted to kill you, Rin, you’d already be a charming pile of ash by now."

"That’s... not comforting."

"Wasn’t meant to be."

The glowing runes reached their peak, pulsing in time with her heartbeat—at least, I assumed it was her heartbeat and not the drumbeat of some eldritch thing living inside her.

"[High-Output Formula: Mana Burst Spiral.]"

The ground cracked as a column of golden light erupted from the circle, twisting upward in a spiraling tornado. Pebbles and dust lifted into the air, caught in the pull, and I didn’t need Lan to tell me that staying anywhere near it would be a bad idea.

"Lan," I murmured.

—Yes, yes, I see it. Don’t get sucked in. She’s trying to box you.

And from my head, I could hear Zaho Yuren sarcastic voice.

It’s seems he is having fun too watching me struggle right now.

Rude.

But anyways, back to the match.

"Noticed that."

I dashed sideways, but another magic circle blinked into existence right in my path. I skidded to a stop, the hairs on my neck prickling. Lightning was already gathering there, hissing with lethal intent.

"Predictable," Alice called, her voice light over the thunder.

"Annoying," I shot back, kicking off into a backstep just as the bolt came down. The shockwave rattled my teeth.

Alice laughed, a sound halfway between amusement and genuine thrill. "Oh, you’re much more fun than most cadets. Usually by now they’re on their knees begging for me to stop."

"Yeah, well... I’m not most cadets."

Her eyes glimmered with interest. "Oh? And what makes you so special?"

I kept moving, weaving through the sporadic flares of lightning she kept tossing like a child with too many toys. "You wouldn’t believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

I ducked under another bolt, my boots kicking up dust. "I’ve got a talking dagger."

A beat of silence—then she laughed so hard she nearly dropped her next spell.

"Oh, Rin... you really do make me want to keep you."

"You’re starting to sound like a collector of rare pets," I said.

"Maybe I am."

Mana flared again—bigger, brighter. She wasn’t slowing down. If anything, she was just getting started.

And something told me... she was still holding back.