Ronan returned to his room late that night.

The Academy had mostly gone quiet, but the announcement still lingered in his mind. The Radiant Crown Tournament. Three academies. Ninety participants. The Sanctum of Light.

Most students were thinking about the rewards, the prestige, the skills, and the chance to stand on sacred ground.

Ronan was thinking about the crown. Or more specifically, what obtaining the crown meant.

He sat at his desk and reviewed what he remembered from the novel. The Radiant Crown had been presented as the tournament's highest symbol, but it was never just a trophy. That crown had divine energy imbued into it, Ronan was sure of it.

At the time, Ronan had read it as a standard protagonist reward.

Now, after everything with the Demon Leech, the Soul Path, and the Blood Deity, Ronan understood that what made the crown special wasn't just the fact that it was a prize.

Ronan pieced together the clues. The tournament being held at the Sanctum of Light was not coincidence. The Sanctum was where the First Hero was chosen. The Radiant Crown had been preserved there because it carried traces of that original selection. Not full divinity, not the goddess herself, but residue. A divine imprint. A fragment of authority left behind from the First Hero's ascension.

That was why Luca was meant to gain it.

No, Headmaster Rubin's goal was to have the winner pick up the crown, and see if the goddess would choose them.

Ronan opened his status window and checked the assimilation countdown.

344 days until full host override.

The number felt smaller every time he saw it. The Demon Leech was not an abstract threat. It had spoken to him. It had saved him. It had used flesh to repair him. It was inside his body, and every day brought the final assimilation closer.

Ronan did not panic.

But he did not ignore it either.

This was the first real lead he had found.

If the Radiant Crown contained traces of the First Hero's divinity, then maybe it could suppress the Demon Leech. Maybe it could burn part of it away. Maybe it could weaken the control over his body. Maybe it could buy him more time.

Or maybe it would kill him.

Ronan understood that.

He did not have enough information. He did not know how divine remnants interacted with ancient demonic parasites. He did not know if the crown would purify the Leech, reject him entirely, or cause both powers to tear through his soul.

But he did not have the luxury of certainty.

If the leech assimilated, he would die anyway.

The window opened.

Aura entered in cat form.

Ronan did not react much. He had expected her to come, so much so that he hadn't even bothered calling her. She had been more watchful since the duel, and the tournament announcement would have made her suspicious.

Aura shifted back into her usual form and immediately noticed the seriousness in his expression.

This was not one of their usual conversations.

"I need to explain something."

Aura listened.

Ronan laid out the real plan.

He explained what he remembered and what he had pieced together. The Radiant Crown was not merely a tournament prize. It was tied to the First Hero. It likely contained traces of the First Hero's divinity, sealed into it after the Sanctum first chose its champion.

Aura became visibly more serious when he mentioned divinity.

Ronan continued. Luca was supposed to receive or awaken something through the tournament. That meant the crown was compatible with the Hero of Light route. If it carried divine power, then it might be able to affect things ordinary magic could not.

Including the Demon Leech.

Aura did not immediately respond.

Then she said bluntly, "Divinity and demonic parasites don't mix well."

"That's the point."

"It could burn the Leech."

Ronan agreed.

Aura added, "It could also burn you. The Leech isn't sitting inside you like an object. It's integrated. The second heart has preserved you, repaired you, tied itself to your survival. If divine power attacks the parasite directly, your body may be caught in the middle."

Ronan acknowledged the possibility.

Aura pushed harder. "You're planning to use a holy relic on yourself without knowing whether it will save you or kill you."

"I'm planning to acquire the option."

That was an important distinction. He was not saying he would immediately use the crown blindly. He was saying he needed to possess it first. Without it, he had no choice at all.

Aura understood the logic, but she did not like it.

"How certain are you that the crown contains enough divinity to matter?"

Ronan admitted he was not certain.

The novel never explained the mechanics cleanly. It focused on Luca's growth, the symbolism of the Sanctum, and the start of his Hero of Light path. But from what Ronan remembered, the crown was more than ceremonial. Too many events aligned around it. Too many people treated it as sacred. Too much changed after Luca received it.

Aura studied him.

She realized this was not about stealing Luca's reward for power alone.

This was about survival.

"There are roughly three hundred ninety-four days left before assimilation. Every other lead I've found is either too vague, too dangerous, or controlled by enemies stronger than me. The Radiant Crown is the first target that has a clear location, a clear time, and a clear method of access."

Win the tournament route.

Reach the heart of the Sanctum.

Take the crown.

But she warned him. "Holy divinity isn't like normal mana. It won't politely distinguish between the parasite and the host if the two are already entangled. If you mishandle it, you may do the Demon Leech's work for it."

Ronan accepted the warning with a nod.

"What role am I supposed to play?" Aura then asked. It was good that her loyalty stat had gone up so much, even her trust. He didn't have to overexplain anything to her.

"I need your help with two things."

Ronan explained.

First, she needed to tell him everything she knew about demonic parasites, divine purification, and cases where demonic energy survived holy power.

Second, during the tournament, she needed to stay hidden unless absolutely necessary. The Sanctum of Light might react badly to demonic energy. If she exposed herself at the wrong time, it could ruin the plan before it began.

Aura disliked that.

Not because she wanted to be seen, but because being told to stay away from the most dangerous part.

Ronan noticed but did not soften the point.

Aura eventually agreed, but only reluctantly.

"If you start burning yourself alive with divine power, I won't stand aside because of your plan."

"I doubt that will happen. And it's touching you're willing to get exposed for me."

"Hmph, it's because of the contract, nothing else."

That eased the tension slightly, but not completely.

The conversation quieted.

Ronan opened his status window again.

He focused on the assimilation countdown.

343 days until full host override.

The number went down one as midnight hit/ Hundreds of days sounded like a lot of time. But every major event since Xyta had proven how quickly the body could be damaged, how easily the Leech could intervene, and how little Ronan truly understood about what was inside him.

Aura saw him looking at the countdown.

She did not say anything.

For once, neither of them joked.

Ronan stared at the number for a long moment.

Then he closed the status window.

The Radiant Crown was no longer just Luca's destined reward.

It was his first real chance to survive this situation.