The room had emptied. Only Noel and Charlotte remained.

She was still without her Sancta Veil active, her long pink hair flowing freely, her amber eyes soft under the ambient light.

Noel glanced at her. "How are you feeling?"

Charlotte gave a small smile. "I'm fine. It wasn't that bad, really. I just had to use more power than I expected. It's been a while since I last used one."

She moved closer, speaking more quietly now. "Since Orthran let me go this year, I haven't had to do many. He's the one handling most of the blessings now… especially the monthly one for the entire Holy Capital."

She looked worried. "I'm afraid he's overworking himself. That kind of pressure… can't be good."

Before Noel could answer, Charlotte stepped forward and sat down on his lap, curling herself slightly to fit against him.

Noel let her.

"We need to go let them know you're withdrawing from the tournament," he said.

"I know," she replied softly. "But let me stay like this for a little longer."

A brief pause. Then she added, her tone sincere: "Noel… if I have to give blessings to others again, I will. You won't be able to stop me."

She looked into his eyes.

"I understand it worries you. But helping people, it's something I want to do. It's part of who I am."

Noel didn't argue. "I understand completely. But if there's another way… I'd rather take it."

He looked down slightly.

"Something like Tyria's case might not affect you much, just a few minutes of weakness like today. But if all the marked students and every factory worker need a Blessing… that could be dangerous."

Charlotte leaned forward and kissed him gently on the forehead.

"That's why you shouldn't worry too much about me," she whispered. "I know how to take care of myself. And so do the others."

Noel didn't say anything.

They sat like that in silence for a while.

Until Charlotte suddenly tilted her head, a mischievous smile curling at her lips, because something was poking from beneath.

"Hey, Noel?" she said, voice playful. "What am I feeling down there?"

Noel sighed. "It's a completely natural reaction. You're sitting on my lap. You're my girlfriend. What did you expect?"

Charlotte giggled. "Don't worry. But for now—"

She stood up, brushing her dress. "We've got things to do, right?"

Noel rose with her. "Right. Let's go let them know you're withdrawing."

Night had fallen.

They couldn't see the stars from inside the mountain, but the hour was clear — the matches had ended, the crowds had dispersed, and the tournament had reached its final stretch.

Most of the combatants had already been eliminated.

Of the dozens who began, only about forty students across all academies remained.

Today, both Elyra and Elena had competed.

Elyra had chosen to forfeit her match.

Her opponent, a student from Tharvaldur, had shown signs of being enhanced, the same pattern they'd seen before. She made the decision before the fight escalated, stepping back and walking off the stage. She didn't even look back.

Elena, on the other hand, had faced a girl from Luceria.

The battle had been close, but Elena's control over healing and entangling magic had outlasted her opponent's bursts of aggression. She won with calm precision — a clean victory.

And now, in the upper dining hall of the Valor Academy's lodging, Noel sat with the rest of the boys from Class S.

The table was long, but only five chairs were filled: Noel, Roberto, Marcus, Garron, and Laziel. Most others were resting — or eliminated.

And here, away from the battlefield and politics, there was finally space to breathe.

Garron let out a long sigh as he leaned back in his chair, arms behind his head.

"I miss my girlfriend…" he muttered dramatically.

Laziel rolled his eyes. "Can you not flex in front of us, please? Some of us, namely, Roberto and I, are still single, thank you very much."

He jabbed a thumb toward Noel. "Be more like him. At least he doesn't brag about his luck."

Garron snorted. "It's not that hard, you know? Just get a girlfriend."

Laziel looked at him like he'd just grown a second head. "Yeah, sure. I'll get right on that, Mr. 'Punches-Rocks-For-Fun'. Must be nice having muscles instead of a brain."

Roberto chuckled, then leaned forward.

"Anyway, seems like only Noel and I are left in the tournament, huh?"

Noel blinked. "Oh yeah?"

Marcus nodded. "It's true. I lost today to Anastasia, the red headed girl from Luceria. If I hadn't… we probably would've faced each other tomorrow."

Laziel grinned. "Now that would've been fun. After all those sparring sessions, seeing you two go all out with full protective devices? That would've been something."

Marcus gave a small laugh. "Yeah… would've been nice. Maybe next time."

Noel looked at him, calm as ever. "You did well. At least you lasted longer than Garron."

Garron slammed a hand on the table. "Hey! Not my fault the tournament decided I wasn't meant to lift the trophy! What was I supposed to do against destiny itself?"

Noel tilted his head slightly, eyes thoughtful. 'Destiny, huh.'

Marcus leaned forward, elbows on the table.

"Well, looks like you two are our last hopes. Roberto's up against someone from Tharvaldur… and Noel, you've got Anastasia."

He gave a pointed look at Noel. "We expect revenge in our name."

Noel smirked faintly. "Oh, don't worry. I don't plan on losing. I'm going to win this tournament."

That made the table go quiet for a second.

Then Laziel and Garron both stared at him in disbelief.

"...What?" Noel asked.

Laziel leaned back. "You know, I kind of liked you better when you were the mysterious, brooding guy who kept to himself."

Garron crossed his arms. "Yeah. This whole 'confident main character' thing is throwing us off."

Noel shrugged. "I can go back to being that version whenever you want."

Laziel laughed. "Nah, don't worry. We're just messing with you."

Noel smiled faintly, but then turned toward Roberto.

He'd noticed Noir had started acting strange around him — enough that he left her in his room tonight. She'd been on edge whenever Roberto was around.

"Hey. Have you visited your family yet?"

Roberto blinked, caught off guard. "Huh? Oh — not yet. I was going to once I had time. But I'm still in the tournament, so I haven't had the chance."

Noel nodded. "If you want, we can come with you."

Roberto smiled. "Sure… I'll let you guys know when I go."

Marcus stretched in his seat. "By the way, Noel — you know the Hunt Festival is coming up right after the tournament, right?"

Noel nodded. "Yeah. My father sent me a letter. It'll be held in Nivaria this year."

Marcus smirked. "Good. I plan on winning this time."

Noel snorted. "I'm just hoping I don't get disqualified again."

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