"Only three more days until the Sanos festival. Are you going to take someone special?"
"Who needs someone special when I have my friends?"
"You don't have any, do you?"
The friend who received that comment began crying on the other's shoulder while being comforted by him. Kai looked at that situation with some confusion. After all, this would be the first truly large festival in a city that he would attend, and he wondered what it would be like. He also did not understand why the boy was crying. Going out with friends wasn't a good thing? He really couldn't understand it.
"Kai, are you going to train today? Can I go too?"
Giulio arrived beside him holding a brush, the object he would use to try to create his own Ego Weapon. This was because the director had explained about Ego Weapons and, in exchange for the knights who managed to develop this method teaching it to the students, he would offer the most important knights a free pass to the Great Magic Tower of Sanos. That way, they could use it to improve themselves and help the other knights.
It was incredible that mages and knights had agreed to something like that, especially considering that many mages still saw knights as inferior. However, since the continent was going through so many difficulties, with mages and knights dying, both sides put their pride aside to become stronger. That made Kai happy.
"Of course, Giulio."
Both began walking together, while Kai thought that it was good that Enrico had allowed the director to share the idea of creating Ego Weapons using magic. After all, before Enrico talked about it, there seemed to be only one method of obtaining an Ego Weapon. Since most knights were not very good at handling mana, he had been quite excited upon discovering that there was a second way.
'Maybe someone had already thought of this in the past, but never managed to put it into practice.'
Knights had existed for many years, so it was possible that someone had managed to discover that method and died shortly afterward, or simply had not been able to develop it because their mana was poor.
'Besides, the mages would never allow this to happen out of pride. Maybe some mage even eliminated someone who had this idea.'
At least the mages of the past were like that, and there were still some who continued with that mentality to this day. They were probably somewhat angry with Enrico, but would not say anything because of the deaths of so many mages at present.
Kai then saw Valença walking toward the academy gate. Since today was Saturday, she had probably asked to leave for some time.
'Is she going to train?...'
Kai decided to leave that aside. He knew that Valença considered Enrico her rival and was training a lot to try to catch up with him.
'I'd better double my training.'
Giulio and Kai continued walking toward the training room, talking along the way. Meanwhile, Valença reached the gate. After taking a few more steps, she found Enrico leaning against the shadows, sleeping while standing as he rested. She approached and calmly touched his shoulder.
Enrico opened his eyes, yawned, and rubbed his eyes before looking at her.
"You didn't sleep well?"
"Let's say I stayed awake all night."
"You shouldn't do that. Your body needs to rest."
"I know. I was simply studying something new to improve my arrows."
Valença wanted to ask more, but Enrico raised his hand, preventing her from continuing. What he intended to use came from something in the real world, so he wanted to test it first before explaining.
'Why is she staring at me so much with that expression?'
Enrico noticed that, for some reason, Valença seemed to be looking at him with a slightly displeased expression. In fact, she had thought that this business of going out with him would be some kind of confession. Even while keeping a serious face, she seemed a little discouraged.
'I'd better not think too much about this. If I ask, it could end up making this problem worse.'
She looks at Enrico once more.
'How embarrassing... why did I think of that so quickly?'
Valença takes a deep breath and looks at him again, trying to regain her usual composure.
"Anyway... are you really sure about this?"
At Valença's question, Enrico smiles confidently.
"Yes. We'll be the first to reach the second circle this Saturday and Sunday."
He had said that so confidently that Valença did not believe it at first. However, after thinking for a while, she decided to trust him. After all, it was Enrico.
"Have you reached seventy percent?"
Valença nods, smiling. Of course she had. She was certain that Enrico had also reached that mark and, knowing him, perhaps he was even above it.
'The main characters really are monsters. I got ahead of them thanks to the artifact, and even so they caught up with me...'
Enrico had also managed to reach seventy percent, but with great difficulty. To reach that mark that day, he had not even slept the day before.
"Let's go then."
The two get into a carriage and begin leaving the city. Along the way, they talk about how Serenya was becoming stronger quickly and that she might have already reached eighty percent of the first circle. Valença believed that Enrico was above that and was beginning to feel a little upset that she could not advance as quickly as him.
'I left Yumeha training with Rina and Aoi. It's better if just the two of us go to that place.'
Enrico had said that they would be the first to reach the second circle, but he had discovered that Rina and Aoi had already reached that level three days earlier. If he wanted to maintain Rina's interest in continuing to improve and make her continue seeing him as someone perfect to be her Ketsumei, he needed to reach the second circle during those two days.
[You're disgusting, using a girl's feelings to turn her into a useful person.]
With the system's comment, Enrico becomes a little annoyed. The system was getting better and better at teasing him, but he was also getting better at enduring it.
'Don't worry. If I manage to raise my potential to her level, I'll agree to be her Ketsumei.'
After that, the system falls silent. She was improving, but she was still below Enrico.
The carriage finally stops, and the two get out, heading toward a waterfall.
"Is this where we'll be able to evolve? If this is where we'll improve, then are you finally going to tell me what we're going to do to reach this desired level?"
Enrico goes around the waterfall, with Valença following him. Then, he crouches down and begins drawing a magic circle. To open that passage, he would need to place his mana in a specific way, activating the mechanism and allowing them to be recognized as people qualified to enter.
"Valença, put mana into it together with me."
"All right..."
Both put mana into the created circle. At the same instant, they are surrounded by lines of flames, while the magic circle begins to react.
"Wait... this is..."
"Yes. A dungeon that only fire users can enter."
Valença becomes incredulous upon realizing what was in front of her. Before she could fully react, a force pulls her into the passage.
Enrico, on the other hand, smiles excitedly.
The two disappear together.
Farther behind, Angela, who had followed the two without them noticing, stands in front of the dungeon entrance. She sweats upon realizing that she could also miss that opportunity.
"I'm not going to miss this..."
She quickly approaches, wanting to enter as well. After all, she did not intend to miss the entertainment of watching Enrico venture into that dungeon.
Unfortunately for her, the dungeon immediately closes, preventing Angela from entering.
She remains standing in front of the entrance for a few seconds, looking at the place where Enrico and Valença had disappeared.
"..."
Her face completely loses its excitement.
"No..."
Angela places her hands against the wall, as if she could somehow open the passage again.
"I wanted to go in too..."
She sighs, realizing that she had missed the opportunity to accompany Enrico on his adventure.