“It’s fine. You just pay for it.”

Regarding the fact that the academy infirmary had been destroyed, Hathaway actually seemed extremely open-minded—she even faintly wore an expression like I already knew this would happen. She wasn’t the least bit surprised by the outcome.

“...Headmaster Hathaway is really taking this well.”

“If I don’t take it well, what can I do? Go pick a fight with those three? I still want to sit in the headmaster’s chair for a few more years.”

Hathaway rolled her eyes.

If it were anyone else—if they dared tear her beloved academy apart like this—then she would absolutely tear them into piece after piece and throw them into her experimental boiler as fuel.

But what could she do about those three? One was the Empire’s emperor, one was the Silent Bureau’s Swordbearer, and one was the Church of Life’s Saintess... If she went looking for trouble, she’d probably get torn apart first. Can’t afford to offend them, can’t afford to offend them...

“But luckily, kid, I’ve always approved of your character...”

Hathaway suddenly leaned in, folding her arms over her chest, which set off a magnificence that didn’t lose to upperclassmen at all. Then she rubbed her fingers at Muen in a suggestive way.

“So this compensation money—plus my emotional damages—you’ll pay a little extra, right.”

“......”

The hell do you mean emotional damages.

Muen didn’t even know how to complain. If anyone had emotional damages, it was him. Last night, facing that chaotic melee, his young little heart had been massively shaken. His kidneys were still faintly aching right now.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take full responsibility for the actual losses.” Muen’s expression went stiff as he made it clear that anything beyond the real damages, he absolutely would not pay.

“Hmph.”

Seeing Muen with that “nothing gets through, thrifty and household-managing” look, Hathaway immediately let out a dissatisfied snort.

“A stingy man isn’t well-liked.”

“But a man who keeps a household is pretty likable.” So he wouldn’t be forced to sell his old man another manor, Muen tactfully prepared to slip away. “Then, Headmaster, I’ll get going first. My old waist hurts—I need to go lie down again...”

But before he could get far, Hathaway called out and stopped him.

“Wait.”

Hathaway pushed up her glasses.

“What are you running for? You still have serious business to do.”

“Serious business? What serious business do I still have?”

Muen frowned and thought seriously for a moment... There really wasn’t anything that needed him involved right now.

He wasn’t going to actually go comfort those nurse ladies who’d suffered psychological trauma because the infirmary got blown up, right?

“Competition.”

Hathaway spat out two words Muen never expected.

“For the next exchange match finals, you’re going.”

“Finals?”

Muen froze. “Headmaster, you’ve got the wrong person. I’ve already been eliminated. The finals should be that Seventeenth Prince and Ariel...”

“I know the one who should be competing is Student Ariel.”

Hathaway sighed and rubbed her forehead helplessly.

“But I don’t know why—Ariel came to me this morning and said she’s giving up her qualification.”

“Huh? Giving up her qualification?”

Muen was completely dumbfounded.

With the way Ariel had completely cut herself off from the Bugaard family to the point that she had to eat black bread every day, would she really be willing to give up the winner’s huge prize money in this exchange match?

No way in hell.

Unless one day Ariel went from flat to huge breasts, and from broke as hell to a rich lady—otherwise there was absolutely no possibility.

“Did she say why?”

“She said she’s going to cultivate. She thinks she’s still not strong enough, so she’s leaving the academy for now... to go to the Abyss and temper herself,” Hathaway said.

She was also a little speechless. After all, the academy suddenly losing an extremely outstanding student—one of the biggest favorites to win this exchange match—wasn’t good news for her no matter how you looked at it.

But when she thought of the way Ariel had looked when she came to her this morning—pale-faced, grief-stricken... like she’d personally watched the girl she’d been flirting with and courting for ages get stolen by some passing yellow-haired bastard—Hathaway couldn’t really bring herself to stop her.

“The Abyss? Why is she going to the Abyss too?”

Muen was even more confused.

“Too?” Hathaway’s brows lifted.

“Ah, it’s nothing. I just have an acquaintance who should also be in the Abyss right now...”

In Muen’s mind, a dignified pretty face surfaced.

Anna also seemed to have been in the Abyss for a while now. He didn’t know how she was doing.

But speaking of it, the Abyss... Was this place really such a cliché that anyone who wanted to grind monsters and level up had to go there at least once?

But if she wanted to grind and level, why was Ariel leaving so urgently? Even if she really felt she needed to level up, she should have waited...

Huh? Wait.

This morning?

Muen stiffly turned his head and looked toward that heap of ruins that had been the academy infirmary...

Ariel had been injured in yesterday’s match. She should also have been hospitalized here.

Which meant—

If his guess was right, then the reason Ariel suddenly ran off... just like last time, this time...

She saw it too?

...

...

The wind, snagging his cloak, howled past—annoying as hell.

The sunlight was blinding, spilling morning radiance, and even though it was already early summer, there wasn’t the slightest warmth to be felt. It was still so cold.

Maybe it wasn’t the sun that was cold.

Maybe it was his heart...

Ariel tightened the ties of her cloak and gave a bleak little smile. She walked alone along the rugged mountain path. She didn’t know whether this road could lead to her destination. After leaving the city early this morning, she’d only picked a general direction and started moving.

But it didn’t matter. She could treat it as a journey—and journeys could always soothe a wounded heart, even if only a little.

“...Are you really going to the Abyss this directly?”

A hazy figure floated up from Ariel’s ring, looking at her with a mix of exasperation and {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} pity. “Isn’t it too sudden?”

“Heh. What’s sudden about it?”

Ariel wore an expression like a sage who didn’t care about anything.

“Didn’t you say it yourself, Teacher? The Abyss is a good place to train. Over there, I should be able to improve further.”

“But... you don’t have to be in such a hurry. You can still—”

Ariel’s teacher wanted to comfort her a little more, but when the words reached her mouth, she didn’t really know how to say them.

She knew what kind of blow her disciple had suffered a few hours ago. And she knew that this kind of blow... wasn’t even the first time.

But reality was just that cruel. When it came to feelings, a loss was a loss. It was even harder than battle to turn the tables.

“Don’t worry, Teacher. I don’t mean to become decadent. My heart just hurts a little, that’s all.”

Beneath her cloak, Ariel’s fists clenched tight.

“On the contrary, I still have fighting spirit. I haven’t lost. Even if Liya and Celicia have both temporarily moved far away from me, I won’t give up. My dream—I absolutely won’t give it up!”

Even if the heartache was unbearable, even if the grand crystal palace she’d envisioned was already covered in cracks, Ariel still had no intention of giving up. If anything, her fighting spirit had been stirred up.

Because she was just that steadfast, decisive, never-give-up, charging-straight-forward, full of a powerful spirit of struggle!

So she was going to the Abyss to temper herself—make herself stronger, more charming!

Sooner or later, she would return like lightning. Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—don’t bully a young girl just because she’s flat!

“Of course, I’m not completely empty-handed.”

Ariel gently stroked the voice-transmitting stone in her hand and murmured softly.

“I still have you... don’t I?”