Using pure leg strength, the Hero had leapt a full twenty meters into the air, straight into Lilith’s domain. One swift arc of the gleaming sacred blade followed, slashing the hem of Lilith’s robe and grazing her exposed skin. While no blood spurted—just a crimson smear—it was clear this was no casual attack.
Cordelia, following the natural descent back to earth, landed gracefully and bent her knees once more. Then she raised her voice.
“One more time!”
That strike shattered the deadlock. Cordelia now had the upper hand—only she was capable of landing a meaningful blow. But just as Cordelia prepared to strike again, her expression twisted in disbelief.
Then, I felt a sudden, pounding headache, not from physical stress, but from sheer disbelief.
“We said not to use anything above mid-tier magic because we’d stand out, you idiot,” I muttered.
Cordelia’s eyes darted upward, voice catching in a half-scream. “What is this mana?! It’s unreal! Impossible… This shouldn’t be possible!”
In the sky above, Lilith remained composed, a knowing smile on her lips.
“This is a dragonborn secret reserved only for the Draconic Elite. A forbidden incantation called Divine Slayer: Lance of Longinus.”
She withdrew a metal spike—a three-centimeter-wide, thirty-centimeter-long iron lance—from her robes, imbued it with power, and hurled it upward.
With a scream of metal through the air, it shot straight into the heavens.
“I just launched it one kilometer straight up.”
Cordelia, sword at the ready, stared incredulously. “You launched it? What?”
Lilith’s voice was calm, but every word carried weight. “The Lance of God, a thirty-centimeter iron spear. And once you do, it must fall.”
“What?” Cordelia blinked.
Lilith’s answer came with quiet finality. “A steel spike, boosted by gravitational acceleration and raw magic. It’s falling at speeds far beyond sound. This is no ordinary attack. It’s the Lance of God, and it never misses. You can’t stop it.”
Cordelia’s expression twisted with unease. And who could blame her? Even from my vantage point, the magical pressure radiating from Lilith was unnaturally intense.
But then, with a sharp smack, Cordelia slapped her left cheek with her open palm.
“Bring it on, then! Let’s see what you’ve got!”
All fear vanished from her eyes. What remained was pure defiance, a fire that wouldn’t be extinguished. She raised the divine blade skyward, a grin cutting across her face like lightning.
Above her, Lilith hovered in place, her smug smile unshaken.
“In a few seconds, the lance will pierce you. Killing you isn’t my intention, but if you surrender now, I’ll call it off.”
“Surrender? Before we’ve even started?” Cordelia scoffed. “Don’t make me laugh.”
The two locked eyes. Hero and Mage, fate-bound in a deadly standoff.
High above, the divine spear, accelerated by gravity and magic alike, plummeted toward Cordelia with terrifying precision. There was no dodging it. No deflecting it. Only death.
Cordelia braced herself, blade aimed at the heavens, preparing to strike the impossible.
And I, the humble Villager, just sighed and rubbed my temples.
Seriously… these two.
I stooped, grabbed a pebble from the ground, and hurled it full force at Lilith.
Thunk. A dull impact. She yelped, both hands flying to her head mid-air, tears springing to her eyes.
Perfect shot.
She immediately turned toward me, instantly recognizing the source of the ambush. Her expression faltered when she saw my face twisted in a full-on demon mask scowl.
Panicked, Lilith canceled her flight spell and floated down to the ground, shuffling guiltily over to my side.
“You drew way too much attention,” I muttered, flicking my knuckles down hard on Lilith’s head. “What were you thinking, pulling out a dragon clan secret art in a school entrance exam, you absolute moron.”
She flinched and clutched her scalp, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes again. “I only did it because I realized I couldn’t beat that girl otherwise. She’s gotten stronger since last time.”
Lilith puffed her cheeks in protest, looking every bit the petulant child, but I just sighed, exasperated.
“You didn’t need to beat her in the first place.”
That’s when Cordelia stepped between us.
“I’m not entirely sure what just happened,” she said, eyeing both of us with a wry smile, “but are we calling the spar over?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “We are. Anymore of this and it’s gonna turn into an actual fight to the death.”
Cordelia seemed to consider that, then gave a light nod and turned to Lilith with a radiant, unguarded smile.
“You’re strong, Lilith. I like strong girls.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means strong girls are always the ones who’ve worked for it. They’ve earned it. Just like this so-called Villager right here, who’s honestly put in so much effort it’s exhausting just watching him. Makes you respect the guy.”
“Eh?”
“You’re not a Hero. Not a sage. Just a magician, right?”
“Correct.”
“And yet you’re strong enough to go head-to-head with me. I’m not saying I haven’t trained too, but talent only goes so far.”
“So what are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying that if you’ve come this far without a divine title backing you, then your work ethic alone deserves respect, even if your personality is, let’s say, less than charming.” Cordelia beamed again, a sunflower blooming under the sun, and extended her right hand toward Lilith. “Call it a temporary truce, yeah? Friends for now?”
Lilith remained silent, her face twisted into a complicated expression—part sheepish, part uncertain. She clearly wasn’t used to this kind of gesture. But Cordelia’s warm, radiant smile must’ve worn her down. A small, tentative smile touched her lips as she slowly reached out her right hand to accept the offered handshake.
Just then, a strong gust of wind swept across the training grounds.
Lilith’s cloak billowed dramatically, flaring open, revealing the soft linen of her undergarments beneath. The robe had already been torn earlier by Cordelia’s blade, so now her bare skin, from collarbone to the upper swell of her chest, was completely exposed.
And with it, the unmistakable mark.
The slave crest.
I groaned inwardly, burying my face in my hands. Of course. We ran out of time. I changed the registration so she’s legally mine now, but I never actually erased the damn brand.
Cordelia stared at the mark, her face slowly draining of color.
“That’s a slave crest,” she said, voice tight. “A sex slave’s, isn’t it?”
Lilith gave a small nod.
Cordelia went ghost pale. Her lips parted, but no sound came out at first. When she finally managed to speak, her words trembled on the edge of disbelief.
“And her owner… as a sex slave… is… you, Ryuto?”
Lilith nodded again, wordless and composed.
Cordelia’s whole body began to shake. Her shoulders quivered as though she were freezing, though the day was warm. Her eyes brimmed with tears, her temple veins bulging, jaw clenched. It was hard to tell if she was furious, heartbroken, or some wild mix of both.
She lowered her lashes, a single tear slipping down her cheek before she wiped it away with her pinky.
Then she forced a painfully fake smile, messy and cracked.
“Well, of course. It’s been years, hasn’t it?”
“Huh?”
“You’re a guy, and Lilith’s cute, even from my perspective as another girl. So yeah. I guess that kind of thing was bound to happen eventually.”
“Cordelia? What are you talking about?”
“Huh? Nah, it’s nothing.”
The moment Cordelia spoke, I knew it wasn’t. Her voice strained with a brittle cheerfulness that felt more like a mask than anything real. I frowned, not buying it.
“Are you sure?”
She didn’t answer right away. Her lashes dipped, shadowing her expression, and when she finally spoke, it was soft. Too soft.
“There’s nothing. Really. I understand. It all makes sense. And it’s not like I have the right to say anything. I’m just your childhood friend. Not your girlfriend. Not anything…”
The silence between us thickened, every heartbeat a weight.
Then, barely audible, she murmured, “But… still. Even though it’s just a little. I feel kind of… lonely.”
Before I could react, she turned on her heel and started walking away, her back stiff, her steps a touch too quick.
“Hey, wait,” I called after her.
“I’m not waiting. Bye!”
“Come on! We just saw each other again after all this time. You’re really gonna walk away like that?”
That made her stop. She spun around, her face twisted into a painful smile, one so forced it hurt to look at.
“Did you really just say that?” she asked, her voice trembling.
Tears welled in her eyes, and one slipped free, tracing a path down her cheek.
“Yeah,” I replied cautiously.
Her lips trembled. “Do you have any idea how pathetic I feel right now?”
I had no answer. I just stood there, frozen, the words catching in my throat.
She clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her face flushed deep red, trembling with a mix of anger and heartbreak, and her glare pierced through me.
“You…”
I blinked, caught off guard. “You…?”
Cordelia trembled uncontrollably, her entire body shaking with rage. And then, she screamed. “You absolute idiot, Ryuto!”
Without another word, she turned on her heel and sprinted off, full speed, vanishing into the school building like a gust of wind.
“What the hell’s her problem?” I muttered, blinking in disbelief as I turned to Lilith.
She looked just as exasperated as I felt, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded with tired resignation.
“Ryuto?”
“Hm?”
“If there’s one thing I can say with certainty…” She sighed. “Any normal girl would be furious. Honestly, even I feel kinda bad for her.”
And so, after all that chaos, Lilith and I finally enrolled at Altena Magical Academy.