Klaus had never been very interested in participating in the Astrong Academy qualifiers. To him, the entire process was far too troublesome, and his real intention was to participate only in the battle between the academies. Therefore, he was willing to give up his ranking to someone who demonstrated enough strength to deserve it. However, he would never do that for someone like Danyana.
'He only wants to participate in the battle itself. Since the top five can choose up to four companions one week before the battles begin, Klaus can simply wait until then.'
[Smart boy.]
Enrico agreed with the System. Klaus was indeed intelligent, and in the original story, he had given Kai quite a bit of trouble during the battle between the academies. Back then, Kai only faced Klaus on the day of the competition because he hadn't yet reached the level necessary to challenge someone in the Top 5.
'But things are different now. With the level Kai has reached, perhaps he'll be able to defeat him this time.'
While Enrico was reflecting on this, his friends began approaching him.
"I knew you could do it, subordinate! How about we go out and celebrate today?"
Serenya was particularly excited about his achievement.
"I'm fine with that."
"If you're going out with her, then I'm going too."
Valença arrived right afterward, interrupting the celebration before Serenya could even respond. Within moments, several boys and girls surrounded Enrico, all wanting to join the outing.
Noticing Serenya's sulky expression, Enrico patted her shoulder and leaned closer to whisper in her ear.
"We'll go out together later."
Serenya immediately blushed. Satisfied with his answer, she began leading the group with the expression of a winner.
However, Enrico barely had time to breathe before he felt another hand squeezing his shoulder. When he turned around, he found Valença smiling calmly.
"I'm going out with you later too."
"...Of course I accept."
[She seems to have extraordinary hearing when it comes to you.]
Enrico ignored the System's comment as Valença walked away, still smiling. She walked beside Serenya and gave the girl a challenging look. The two seemed ready to start another dispute, with imaginary lightning bolts shooting from their eyes, even though neither of them possessed lightning magic.
"Well, let's follow them..."
Enrico couldn't finish his sentence. More hands landed on his shoulders, and when he looked to either side, he found Riana, Aoi, and Yumeha.
The three of them also wanted to go out with him. After he confirmed that he would go out with them as well, all three left happily.
Enrico stood still for a few seconds, trying to process the situation. Now, besides his commitments to Serenya and Valença, he would have to find time for three other girls.
When he felt another hand touch his shoulder, he broke out in a cold sweat.
'Who is it this time?!'
Fortunately, the voice he heard belonged to Elaris.
"Enrico, I can help you a little with your illness."
"What?"
Enrico was surprised by the offer. Fire cancer was one of the biggest problems he faced, and to hide his true condition when Virelle asked about the fire cancer in the future, he had invented a story about meeting the god Apollo in the future, who supposedly decided to help him out of pity.
He didn't know exactly what Elaris intended to do, but considering the possibility of easing his condition, he had no reason to refuse.
"If you can really help me, I'll be grateful."
Elaris smiled, pleased that she had piqued his interest.
After spending some time alone with his friends, Enrico decided to deal with another important matter. He needed to convince Serenya to allow him to become Elaris's subordinate, strengthening the alliance between the two.
When he found an opportunity to speak with her, he explained his intention.
"Never! You're my subordinate!"
"Wrong. I'm your right-hand man."
"That doesn't change anything!"
Enrico sighed at the girl's resistance but didn't give up.
"Besides, in the future, I'll be yours in body and soul. Elaris will never be a leader capable of surpassing you, because you'll always be my one and only true leader."
Serenya froze.
Those words seemed to have made her head explode. Her face turned completely red, and it took her a few seconds to respond.
"I-If you insist so much, I'll accept. But only because you insisted!"
Enrico smiled.
"That's why you're the best leader in the world."
"You're making me blush, subordinate... You can keep going."
Enrico fell silent for a moment, unsure whether she was being serious. In the end, he decided not to question it and took advantage of her permission to finalize the agreement he had made with the elf princess.
With that, he obtained Serenya's permission to become Elaris's subordinate.
Later, Enrico met with the elf princess in her room. The two were sitting on the bed, facing each other, while Rina and Yumeha stood guard outside. From time to time, the two glanced inside, as they still didn't completely trust Elaris.
Besides, Enrico needed to explain to them what had happened to his Third Circle. Since both were already involved in his personal affairs, he preferred to clarify things before their concern grew.
Enrico turned his attention to Elaris.
"So, how can you help me with my fire cancer?"
Rina and Yumeha already knew about the problem because he had told them the truth. Enrico preferred to reveal some important information to the people growing closer to him, especially considering that Yumeha was beginning to spend more and more time in his room. It wouldn't be surprising if Rina eventually did the same, particularly because she wanted to make him her Ketsumei.
Elaris clasped her hands in her lap before explaining.
"It's thanks to my ice magic. As you know, we elves have a very close connection with nature. This allows us, to a certain extent, to absorb mana from nature itself and from spirits."
She paused briefly to organize her thoughts.
"Besides possessing a large mana reserve, we can usually recover it by absorbing the natural energy around us. However, the amount we can absorb depends on the limits of our circle."
Enrico nodded, showing that he understood.
"The thing is, I managed to establish a connection with a spirit recently. With its help, I can use my magic to cool down your fire cancer. Thanks to my natural affinity for ice mana, I can also ease your pain a little and help you endure the illness longer until we find a cure."
Enrico remained silent for a few seconds, impressed by the effort she must have made to arrive at that solution.
"...You must have worked very hard to reach that conclusion. Thank you very much."
Elaris looked away, nervous about his sincerity.
Y-You don't need to thank me. I-I'm only helping for my own reasons."
"I know. Even so, thank you."
She hadn't expected Enrico to show so much gratitude. After all, she had harmed Serenya in the past and had also opposed him in certain situations. She hadn't imagined she would receive such a sincere reaction after offering to help.
Enrico, however, had no intention of disregarding her efforts simply because their interests were different.
"Even so, I still haven't forgotten what you did to Serenya. So I want you to apologize to her once again."
Elaris lowered her head for a moment before answering.
"Yes. I'll do that."
Then she took a deep breath and turned her attention back to him.
"Please turn around so I can begin the first treatment."
Enrico obeyed, positioning himself with his back to her.
The elf princess fell silent. Although she had her own objectives, Enrico recognized that she was making a genuine effort to help him. And that was something he had no intention of undervaluing.
"I also have to thank you."
Enrico turned his head slightly, curious.
"For what?"
"For bringing those elves here."
Elaris maintained a serious expression. The matter was important to her because the fate of her people was one of the main reasons she wanted to reclaim her kingdom.
Enrico, however, didn't want to take credit for it because it was his disguise as Sylas that deserved the credit, a disguise he would still use in the future.
"Actually, from what I heard, I wasn't the one who rescued them. It was a vampire."
"Even so, you must have helped somehow, right? I don't believe Angela would have gone there on Miss Virelle's orders without a reason."
Elaris watched him attentively. It was obvious that she wanted to discover the truth, but Enrico had no intention of revealing his disguised identity. Only the people who already knew he had participated in that operation should know the details.
"Yes. You could say I'm an ally of the vampire who brought them here."
Elaris nodded, accepting the answer.
"Then, thank you very much for saving my kin."
Enrico smiled faintly.
"As you said yourself, you don't need to thank me. I did it for my own reasons."
The princess agreed and closed her eyes, concentrating on her connection with the spirit. A cold energy began gathering around her hands, signaling the beginning of the treatment.
Enrico remained quiet, waiting for the procedure to work.
Now that his alliance with Elaris was beginning to take shape, he hoped they would both be able to go far. He didn't want the elves to suffer the same fate as in the original story, where they were gradually exterminated, including those who eventually allied themselves with the evil gods.
If he could change that outcome, he would consider the alliance a success.
As the treatment continued, the two began talking more naturally.
"So, how did you convince Serenya to let you become my subordinate?"
Enrico thought for a few moments before answering.
"Well, it wasn't that difficult. After all, she's a good leader..."
Elaris remained focused on the treatment but couldn't hide her curiosity as she listened to his explanation.
The connection between the princess and the spirit seemed quite strong, allowing her to control her magic precisely. Enrico had never seen that spirit in the original story, which was a positive sign.
The characters were becoming much stronger than they should have been at that point, and if he wanted to prevent the future from repeating itself, Enrico would need to keep improving as well.