Chapter 18

What on earth was this person thinking?  

Whenever Iberia thought they had gotten a little closer, he would pull away, only to approach her again without hesitation, as if he feared nothing.  

Iberia looked at Young Master Nesferos with eyes that could not discern his intentions.  

“Young Master, what happened to your engagement?”  

“Oh, that. How should I put it?”  

Young Master Nesferos gave a refreshingly simple answer to her subtly veiled question, so simple that it rendered her indirect curiosity meaningless.  

“It’s on hold for now. Don’t worry about it.”  

He didn’t give a proper answer and instead smiled brightly, as if his face alone could make up for it.  

Iberia’s expression faltered, unable to maintain composure.  

Young Master Nesferos watched her reaction before smiling and waving his hand.  

“See you tomorrow. Don’t worry about the rumors.”  

Iberia clenched her fists tightly. Judging by his words and attitude, he had clearly figured out the true intention behind her question. On the other hand, she was certain that even if she spent her entire life trying, she would never be able to understand what went on in his mind.  

***

After that, Iberia’s life flowed simply but busily.  

With the festival now only ten days away, she was running around preparing for it in various ways.  

She had dinner with Young Master Nesferos and greeted him whenever they met in overlapping classes. Outwardly, their relationship seemed the same as before.  

Except for the psychological distance Iberia felt toward him.  

He always treated Iberia in a similar manner.  

With a smiling face, giving her something, or saying things that were hard to decipher.  

“There are a lot of delicious dishes for dinner today. Why do you look so down again?”  

“Recently, greens taste good.”  

“Hmm, I see. Here, eat this too. I remember you liked it before.”  

Young Master Nesferos gave her some of the meat from his plate. A lot of untouched meat.  

Did he not realize she chose simple meals because she felt uncomfortable around him? There was no way he didn’t know. Sometimes, it seemed like Young Master Nesferos knew her better than she knew herself.  

He looked at her troubled face and smiled faintly, resting his chin on both hands as if making a flower shape.  

“Even if it’s a bother, eat. Got it?”  

Iberia forced herself to maintain a neutral expression, barely managing to suppress her emotions. Regardless, she couldn’t leave the food uneaten, so she reluctantly began eating it.  

After hurriedly finishing her plate, Iberia bowed her head.  

“See you tomorrow.”  

Young Master Nesferos waved elegantly in farewell. For some reason, that gesture irritated her.  

Leaving behind the smiling Young Master, Iberia hurriedly ran to the dormitory. Today, she had plans to prepare for the booth with Cynthia.  

Most likely, they would need to go outside the academy to buy some necessary materials. Iberia quickened her pace as she climbed to her dormitory room.  

Cynthia stood in front of the room, holding a large bag. Her eyes curved into a smile when she spotted Iberia.  

“We’re going to buy materials today, right?”  

“Yes. Let’s go quickly. You need to practice, don’t you?”  

Iberia pressed her lips together, giving a slightly embarrassed smile.  

After agreeing to participate in the festival, she had promised Cynthia she would help prepare the booth, but she felt like she hadn’t done much.  

It didn’t take long to get the paperwork for an outing and leave the academy. During the festival preparation period, permits for outings were issued relatively easily due to the many things that needed to be arranged.  

Cynthia took the bag Iberia had been carrying and transferred it to her own hand.  

“Thanks for everything so far.”  

“Why are you talking like you’re about to leave or something?”  

Besides, I haven’t done much.  

Iberia added softly to her scolding tone, and Cynthia chuckled quietly. After smiling for a moment, Cynthia’s face turned serious again as she said,  

“But you’ve really helped a lot. Coming up with the name, making the promotional materials….”  

“How is that any help? I just added a dot to your ideas.”  

Weren’t those things the bare minimum she should do after agreeing to work together? Iberia brushed her hair back with an awkward expression.  

Cynthia pouted and lightly kicked the bag for no reason.  

“Last year, the people I worked with didn’t do anything properly. And yet, they still got credit for the results.”  

“That’s awful.”  

Cynthia’s brows furrowed tightly, as if just thinking about it made her angry. Seeing this, Iberia clenched her fist in an exaggerated gesture to show support.  

Cynthia laughed at her dramatic reaction.  

Iberia’s way of comforting people worked too well on Cynthia.  

As they chatted, Cynthia occasionally jotted down prices when she saw something they needed and bought it if it seemed reasonable. After wandering around for quite some time, their bag was nearly full.  

“Can you hold this for a moment?”  

“Sure.”  

At Cynthia’s request, Iberia grabbed one of the bag’s handles. As Cynthia busily packed materials and items into the bag, she asked Iberia,  

“How’s your magic practice going?”  

“Hmm, it’s going okay, I guess. Oh, right. You’re not entering the competition, are you?”  

Cynthia hadn’t participated in last year’s competition either.  

Iberia asked to confirm, remembering that Cynthia had said she wouldn’t enter this year as well.  

Fortunately, her memory wasn’t wrong, as Cynthia nodded.  

“Yeah. I’ll be inheriting the merchant guild anyway.”  

“Future guild master, I’ll be counting on you.”  

At Iberia’s playful remark, Cynthia turned her gaze to the bag and laughed.  

***

Back at the dormitory, Iberia offered to help Cynthia with the booth preparation but was promptly shooed away to focus on her competition practice instead.  

She couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t doing anything useful. With a strange sense of inadequacy, Iberia headed to the magic practice room.  

She scanned the interior of the practice room. If no one was there, she planned to skip practice, but luckily, a few students were still present.  

Four days later, she planned to conduct her final practice using her mana and then focus entirely on managing her physical condition.  

Iberia grabbed a towel and water and walked to a corner where the stationary target boards were located.  

From now on, she needed to prioritize her body while practicing. There were about ten days left until the preliminary round, and the main round would take place the day after the preliminaries.  

“Haa….”  

Iberia took a deep breath.  

After a brief moment, a pure white glow enveloped Iberia’s body.  

Just as she was about to use it for magic, the Crown Prince entered the practice room.  

Iberia dispersed the mana she had gathered with effort.  

If the Crown Prince hadn’t acknowledged her presence, she would’ve continued practicing, but he was walking directly toward her.  

There were no other students in her vicinity. She briefly regretted not choosing a spot closer to the other students.  

Still, since there were other students in the practice room, he surely wouldn’t threaten her life here.  

Iberia bit her lip and bowed slightly. The Crown Prince’s greeting fell upon her.  

“It’s been a while.”  

“I greet Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”  

Though she wasn’t looking at his face, she could feel his gaze. Cold sweat trickled down her back.  

After scanning her attire, he casually asked a question, his formal tone unchanged.  

“Is there a particular reason you’re practicing so diligently?”  

“My mana capacity is insufficient.”  

“Hmm….”  

The Crown Prince surveyed the magic practice room.  

Everyone else was practicing using their mana, but Iberia stood out, prompting his question.  

His gaze returned to her. His grayish-blue eyes, tinged with ash, were a stark contrast to Iberia’s vibrant blue ones.  

“Raise your head.”  

Iberia kept her gaze lowered.  

Her stiff posture made him chuckle softly. What had he done to provoke such a reaction? He had no intention of k*lling her or wasting his energy on trivial matters, yet her frightened demeanor was both pitiful and amusing.  

Still, if he let her stand there any longer, Ermite would undoubtedly scold him.  

He could already hear the complaint: “Does the academy graduate class have nothing better to do than bother a commoner?”  

What on earth made this person so appealing?  

Of course, her face was an exceptionally rare beauty. Her skills and determination seemed considerable. But among the academy’s students, there were others who met those criteria, if not many. Oh, and the decisiveness and courage she had shown last time weren’t bad either.  

The Crown Prince frowned. Listing it all made him think that lunatic might have good reason to be so infatuated.  

He began speaking slowly.  

“The academy’s magic competition isn’t an easy one.”  

“Yes.”  

This was a small act of goodwill, or perhaps meddling. A subtle gesture of favor toward someone Ermite had taken an interest in. It could also be seen as sympathy for her first participation.  

“Sometimes, people almost die here and awaken their talents. If it were a competition limited to the same grade level, it’d be one thing, but it’s an integrated event. You don’t want to die, do you?”  

“No.”  

Iberia’s answer was firm. The Crown Prince’s cold expression softened into a gentle smile.  

Although he was smiling, there was still a chill in his eyes, unlike the warmth of Young Master Nesferos. Iberia swallowed dryly.  

“So, I’m saying you should just work hard.”  

“I will keep that in mind.”  

Iberia bowed deeply once more. The Crown Prince looked at her with an unreadable expression before faintly lifting one corner of his mouth.  

Only after his intimidating presence disappeared could Iberia straighten her back.  

Her back was damp with sweat.  

The curious gazes of the surrounding students pricked at her.