Esper Rupindolf POV
The moment Ivan reappeared in front of Soren, everyone felt it.
They all knew instinctively that Ivan was trying to kill Soren.
The first to react to this was Esper.
She was someone who hadn't known Soren for all that long, but with her intuition, she had figured out that Ivan was harbouring bloodlust for Soren from the middle of the duel, and she had assumed that the TA would put a stop to it if things went too far.
'But it's already too late.' She thought as she looked at the scene before her eyes.
She jumped up from her seat and summoned the spirit she had contracted with, hoping that even though it seemed impossible, she would reach him before anything happened.
"Airael!"
Whoosh!
A translucent green woman appeared before Esper's eyes.
"Carry me!" She ordered.
Instead of responding, Airael used wind magic to pick Esper off the ground and, without asking, flew her towards Soren.
As spirits and contractors were able to read each other's thoughts, Airael instinctively knew that Soren was in danger, and as he was a friend of her contractor, she also wanted to help the boy.
'Please let me get there in time,' She internally pleaded.
Although he was a new friend, she enjoyed being around him; she didn't want to see his end come like this.
It wasn't just Esper, either.
The moment the others noticed what was going on, Felix began casting [Shield]. Amelia leapt from her seat, Olivia started praying, Alex's sword began to shine, Louise screamed, and Lilliana's eyes shone red.
Everyone with a connection to Soren began acting.
But it was too late.
Esper was only inches away at the moment it happened, so she saw everything clearly.
Ivan's sword cut cleanly through Soren's neck and appeared on the other side of it.
"NOOO!" Esper cried.
Thud!
She used the momentum from flying to charge Ivan to the floor.
Clatter
His sword fell from his grip, and then it was heard.
"Heh…"
A chuckle slipped from his lips.
Ivan was pleased with himself; he had done it.
He had killed the filthy human who dared to look down on him.
"Hehehehe…"
"You're insane!" Esper screamed.
It was then that the others who had acted a beat later than Esper arrived.
Amelia created a crater beneath her feet where she landed, Louise collapsed onto the floor near the arena, and Alex's sword halted.
Step… step…
Amelia walked towards Ivan, her expression chillingly cold.
"What have you done?" she asked, her teeth bared.
"Hehehe… Princess, I did it for you."
Twitch
Amelia's eyebrow twitched, and she raised her fist at Ivan when…
Thud
The sound of someone collapsing was heard behind them, followed immediately by…
"Hah… hah… hah…"
Rough, heavy breathing followed.
Amelia and Esper's necks creaked toward the strangely familiar sound.
There, caught directly in their eyes, was a boy with snow-white hair and crimson eyes, clutching his neck in pain on the floor.
"Soren?"
"Cutie?"
They both asked, not believing what they were seeing.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Soren Arden POV
Slash
Ivan's blade cut directly through Soren's neck, and he felt his life flash before his eyes.
'Is this really how I die?'
'Fuck, this is so stupid.'
His thoughts were moving at a mile per minute, unable to believe that this was the end.
Just as the blade passed through his neck, he felt a sense of dissonance.
'Huh, where's the pain?'
But moments later, he accepted it.
'Ah, this must be what people mean when they ask if you want to die painlessly.'
Then time passed.
1 second…
2 seconds…
5 seconds…
10 seconds…
'Why am I not dead?'
He hesitantly opened his eyes, and that was when he saw it.
Esper was straddling Ivan, and Amelia was walking over.
'What's going on?'
"Hah… hah… hah…"
Rough breaths escaped his lips as he took in his surroundings with a confused expression.
He opened his mouth to speak, thinking that maybe they stopped Ivan, when…
.
[Unique Skill [?mera] has deactivated.]
.
"...!!!!!"
Suddenly, a pain so bad that he couldn't even make a noise was felt from his neck.
He collapsed onto the floor, clutching his neck as his mind went blank.
Even though he had [Pain Tolerance], he couldn't do anything but writhe on the floor in agony.
"—"
"—"
People were talking all around him, but he couldn't understand a word that they were saying.
Every nerve in his body felt like it was on fire, making it impossible for anything but the pain to register.
Tears poured down his cheeks as he clawed at his neck, desperately hoping for the pain to stop.
Grab
Then his hand, which was scratching, was suddenly grabbed.
He couldn't tell who it was, but it was a warm touch, filled with worry.
Only after writhing around in pain for a few more seconds did Soren's mind finally reach its limit, and Soren's consciousness faded.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Louise Cruentus POV
A crowd surrounded Soren Arden's body in the infirmary.
Ivan had been taken away by multiple students, including Alex, and the TA, who sincerely apologised for not being able to do better and promised to ensure Ivan received the punishment he deserved.
Those who remained were all those with a connection to Soren.
Felix, Amelia, Esper, Louise, Olivia and finally Lilliana.
They had all witnessed him breathing and clutching at his neck before collapsing to the floor, after which all they could do was watch on as he writhed around on the floor.
"What's going on?" Felix finally spoke up.
However, nobody responded; after all, nobody could explain the situation to them.
After Soren had begun scratching at his neck, Lilliana grabbed his hand in an attempt to stop him, and then they all saw it: his neck, besides the scratch marks, was in perfect condition.
"The blade definitely went through," Esper muttered. "I saw it."
As the person who was the closest, she had a front row seat to the sword slicing directly through Soren's neck.
"Then how the hell is he fine?" Felix asked, his voice full of irritation.
Nobody could make sense of what was unfolding before them, all except one person.
Amelia Einhardt.
"This is similar to earlier," Amelia said, catching everyone's attention.
"What do you mean?"
"After Carlen taught him, he screamed in pain and collapsed for a while." Amelia directed her gaze towards Aireal. "Back then, his eye was like hers."
Everyone turned to look at Esper's spirit Airael, but the party involved shook her head and directed her thoughts to Esper.
"Airael says that's not possible, that Soren is a human."
It was only after those words were spoken that Lilliana accidentally let slip a thought that lingered in her mind.
"Is he though..?"
"Are you saying he isn't?" Felix asked with a slightly aggressive attitude. "No offence, Professor Roseblood, but don't we have to take tests when we enrol to prove we aren't demons?"
Caught off guard, Lilliana was flustered for a moment before pulling herself together and saying her thoughts.
"Y-Yes, well, that is true, but there are ways around it. There are races that are not demons but face severe prejudice and, as such, sometimes hide their bloodline."
"But Soren is from a noble family," Louise interjected. "I've known him since we were children."
Her gaze was hostile, as if Louise didn't like what Lilliana was suggesting.
"B-But you all saw it! He can use blood magic! He can cast while moving!" Lilliana threw out her words in a panic in an attempt to prove that she wasn't just throwing out assumptions.
"Uhm…"
Everyone's attention turned towards the speaker.
"Does it really matter if he isn't human…?" Olivia asked hesitantly.
As the one with the smallest connection to Soren, she struggled to understand everyone's worries.
Soren had helped her and was friendly with her when almost no one else had done so.
"I-It's just that… Well, isn't it fine as long as he isn't a demon?"
In Stellaris Academy, there were all sorts of races, from the typical humans and elves, to dwarves, to almost extinct races, like dryads, and even in the room they were standing in was a vampire.
In response to Olivia's words, most of the room went quiet and nodded.
In truth, nothing would change even if Soren weren't human, and beyond that, there was a more pressing matter.
"But why did that bastard do all of that? Soren's never done anything against him." Felix spat out.
"Did everyone hear the reasoning behind the duel?" Louise asked.
"Yeah! It was so stupid!"
"Ren and I are friends…"
"..."
Those involved in the reasoning Ivan gave all responded to the question in some form, still not understanding why he had done such a thing.
It was then that Amelia opened her mouth.
"I'll ask Papa to deal with him."
It was a terrifying statement to everyone in the room.
Although Amelia had said it in a cute way, calling her father 'Papa', nobody could feel anything but fear at her words; after all, her father was a king.
One word from him could change the landscape of the continent of Ivansia for years.
And yet, Amelia was saying she would ask him to deal with such a minor incident, which showed how much she cared for the person lying on the hospital bed before her eyes.
Nobody argued with her terrifying words, even though not everyone here was very close to Soren they all cared about him in some way, and nobody likes watching those around them in pain.
What Ivan had done was inherently evil, making it impossible for him to defend himself.
"I'm sorry to you all, but it would be best to give Student Soren some time to rest. If you would like, I will inform everyone when he wakes up."
With the nuns' words, everyone was politely asked to leave, and they all departed the infirmary with varying expressions.
All except one person.
"Excuse me, but since I'm family, would it be possible for me to stay longer?" Louise asked, not wanting to separate from Soren's side for even a moment.
In response, the nun nodded, but told her that she should leave before it gets too late.
"Thank you."
After gaining permission, Louise sat down next to Soren and stared at him for a few moments, tears forming in her eyes.
It had been less than a year since Freya, the person closest to Louise, had passed away, and today she had almost lost yet another family member.
"I'm so sorry, Soren…"
She reached out and brushed his hair to the side, revealing his peaceful face.
"Please don't leave me."
They were selfish words, but if Soren had truly passed away today, Louise was unsure whether she would still be here or not.
She liked to act strong and mature in front of the boy, but in reality, Louise just wanted to spoil the boy, who was like a brother to her.
The words that Freya had left for her echoed in her mind.
– Please, if anything happens to me, look after Ren. He's weak and can't be alone… He's almost like a rabbit ahaha… but he's the sweetest, he deserves to be happy, so please, Lulu, take care of my brother.
It was the last conversation that the two of them shared before Louise received a letter telling her of Freya's death during her final mission.
It was also the day that she had decided that she would do her best to look after Soren, even if it meant she had to sacrifice herself in the process.
"I promise, I'll look after you better, Soren." Louise resolved.
————「❤︎」————