Its body was massive, nearly reaching Null’s chest in height, but it wasn’t fully solid. The creature looked ghostly and translucent, its body formed from shifting gray mist and pale blue light. Long strands of spectral smoke drifted from its fur while its glowing eyes burned with an eerie silver color. Every breath it released turned into visible frost.

The thing growled softly, revealing rows of unnaturally sharp teeth. Even from where I stood, the pressure coming off it felt wrong.

"That’s a spirit summon..."

"No wonder he’s student council president..."

The wolf lowered itself beside Null, staring directly at Eselin.

Then it vanished.

The crowd gasped.

Not even a second later, the creature reappeared directly above Eselin with its jaws wide open.

"Guh!"

She barely managed to duck in time.

The spectral wolf passed over her head close enough for its claws to slice through strands of her silver hair. But before she could fully recover her footing, Null was already moving again.

He raised one hand.

A fireball exploded from his palm.

Eselin tried to dodge, but her balance was still off from avoiding the wolf. The fireball slammed directly into her chest and detonated with enough force to send her flying backward.

She crashed across the arena floor, sliding several meters while smoke rose from the burn marks on her uniform.

A few students around me winced.

Null slowly approached her with his sword resting against his shoulder.

"Had enough yet?" he asked calmly.

Eselin remained on one knee for a second, breathing harder now.

Then she looked up at him.

"I guess I’ll have to take you seriously after all, Student Council President."

"And I guess I don’t need to do the same," Null replied. "I’m getting bored already."

That finally seemed to hit a nerve.

Eselin slowly stood back up, brushing dust from her clothes. Her expression barely changed, but there was a faint sharpness in her eyes now. A flicker of anger.

"We’ll see about that," she said coldly.

The air around her suddenly crackled again.

This time, the pressure felt much heavier.

Suddenly, Mr. Marble raised one hand into the air.

The atmosphere in the arena changed instantly.

Null stopped moving first. The spectral wolf dissolved into smoke while he calmly closed his eyes and slid his sword back into its sheath. A second later, Eselin did the same, the crackling energy around her fading as she lowered her hand.

The tension in the courtyard disappeared almost immediately, though the excitement from the students definitely didn’t.

"I’m ending the match here," the headmaster announced firmly. "This level of danger is unnecessary for a practice session. If the two of you wish to demonstrate your full capabilities, then you may do so tomorrow."

The murmuring around the arena started immediately.

"Tomorrow?"

"Why tomorrow?"

Then Mr. Marble spoke again.

"Our Queen will be visiting the academy tomorrow to observe the practice fights."

The entire courtyard exploded into noise.

"The Queen is coming here?"

"No way..."

"Seriously?"

"Quiet." Mr. Marble’s voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the crowd instantly.

The students shut up almost immediately.

"The Queen will arrive after the final class tomorrow," he continued. "No student is permitted to leave the academy grounds once classes end. Is that understood?"

A wave of reluctant agreement spread through the crowd.

Damn. So the Queen herself was coming here just to watch these fights?

Whatever this tournament was, it clearly mattered a lot more than I originally thought. And if nobody was allowed to leave afterward, that probably meant security around the academy would be insane tomorrow. Honestly, though?

I couldn’t even complain. Watching these fights was actually exciting as hell. The magic, the pressure, the speed... it made normal sports look boring.

Eselin rested a hand against the hilt of her sword and looked toward Null with the same calm expression as before, though there was still irritation hidden underneath it.

"It seems we’ll have to continue this dance tomorrow, Student Council President," she said.

Null turned away from her without any emotion on his face. "It seems so."

ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎

As the final class ended, I got up from my seat and left the classroom alongside the other students. The hallways were crowded as usual, people talking loudly about tomorrow’s practice fights and the Queen’s visit. Some students looked excited. Others looked nervous.

Meanwhile, I just felt tired.

Now I had to meet with the headmaster because he had specifically called for me earlier. I really didn’t want to deal with him right now, but I also didn’t want unnecessary trouble. My plan was simple. Listen to whatever he wanted, politely refuse if he tried asking something ridiculous from me, and leave.

I climbed the stairs toward the upper floor and stopped in front of his office. After knocking once, I heard his voice from inside.

"Come in."

I opened the door and stepped inside before quietly closing it behind me.

Mr. Marble sat behind his desk with a pen in hand, writing something across a sheet of paper. His office was as clean and organized as ever. Bookshelves lined the walls, and stacks of documents rested neatly beside him. The moment he noticed me enter, he placed the pen down and folded his hands together on top of the desk.

His sharp eyes settled on me immediately.

"Mr. Walker," he said calmly. "Please, sit."

"Thank you, sir."

I walked over and sat in one of the chairs across from him.

Mr. Marble carefully lifted the paper he had been writing on and placed it over a folder before taking a slow breath.

"I called you here because I wished to ask how your meeting with the Queen went."

"Oh." I rubbed the back of my neck slightly. "It was... interesting, I guess."

"As you may already know, Mr. Walker, she is my sister."

I blinked at him.

"She... wait." I frowned. "You mean the Queen? Or Lady Yua?"

"I do not know anyone named Yua," he replied evenly. "I am speaking of Queen Mia. She is my sister."

Well, that explained a lot. The authority. The way everyone reacted around him.

"She told me that she found you interesting," he continued.

"That’s... good, I guess?"

"She also mentioned that she is looking forward to watching you participate in tomorrow’s practice fights."

I immediately shook my head.

"I’m not joining the tournament, though."

Mr. Marble adjusted his glasses slightly.

"She expected you might say that."

"Then she should also expect me to refuse."

"You misunderstand." His tone remained calm, but there was something firm underneath it now. "She will watch you participate tomorrow. This is not a matter of preference."

I stared at him.

"But—"

"You will find yourself a team by tomorrow," he interrupted. "You are joining the tournament."

"Mr. Marble..."

"You may leave now, Mr. Walker."

He stood up from his chair, clearly signaling the conversation was over.

"Goodbye."

I slowly got up from my seat, frustration already building in my chest.