Editor : Amethyst00



Kaang—!

Leo's sword clashed with Lysinas's sword of ice.

Hoo—!

The moment their swords crossed, Lysinas's knee buckled.

In close combat with weapons, Lysinas could never win against Leo.

It had been a fight she couldn't win even with the powerful body of a dragon in her previous life—winning now with Chloe's body was simply out of the question.

Kakang—!

Lysinas gritted her teeth as she looked at Leo, expressionless and pressing down with strength.

"That body's holding up just fine! It might even be better than your old one!"

"I forged this vessel from childhood."

At Leo's reply, Lysinas held her sword with one hand.

At the same time, she focused mana into the hand she had lifted from the hilt.

Barely managing to endure, Lysinas lost her balance completely.

But as Leo's force pressed down on her, she redirected it and punched at Leo's solar plexus.

Grab—!

But Leo easily caught her attack.

Of course, Lysinas didn't mind.

Her goal was to get close to Leo.

Crackle—

Leo's body began to freeze where it made contact with Lysinas.

'This is… stronger than I expected?'

The chill pouring out of Chloe's body far exceeded even Leo's predictions.

Even after maximizing his anti-magic power and layering himself with freezing-resistance spells, Chloe's frost ignored them all and invaded Leo's body.

'I need to separate Lysinas from Chloe's body first.'

With that thought, Leo threw Lysinas off.

Creating distance with his freezing body, Leo steadied his breath.

Then, focusing his spiritual power, he faced the approaching Lysinas.

Leo's eyes briefly turned gray, and the gray energy surged violently, gathering at his fingertips.

Leo charged at Lysinas.

Seeing this, Lysinas hastily tried to retreat.

But before she could, Leo had already swung his arm with an open palm.

"Sorry, Chloe."

Thud—!

Leo struck Chloe's chest as if pushing her with his palm.

Her body floated into the air.

At the same time, Lysinas's spirit form was flung out.

"Ugh? Spiritual art?"

Lysinas looked momentarily startled, and Leo said, "Even you wouldn't know spiritual techniques developed in this era."

The technique just now was one that directly impacted a spirit.

Leo had assumed that by striking the spirit form clinging to Chloe's body, he could separate it—and it seemed he had been right.

Just before Chloe's limp body hit the ground, Leo caught her.

Then he called out to Chen Xia, who had been watching from a distance.

"Chen Xia, come help me support Chloe."

"Ah, yes."

Chen Xia hurried over and took Chloe from Leo's arms.

Facing Lysinas again, Leo said, "Let's end this here."

Lysinas, staring at Leo, snorted—"Hmph!"—then vanished through the floor.

"……Seems Lysinas-nim is quite upset."

"……"

As Chen Xia spoke cautiously, Leo began walking.

"Where are you going, Leo?"

As Chen Xia quickly followed, Leo said, "Just going to take Chloe back to her room."

"Are you going to fight again?"

Watching her carefully, Leo smiled faintly.

"Do I look like a kid? I'm going to talk."

Chen Xia thought of how terrifying Lysinas had looked just moments ago.

'Will that really be a conversation…?'

Leaving a worried Chen Xia behind, Leo headed downstairs.

bl

"Haa…"

Lysinas sat in the common lounge, sighing as she covered her face.

'This isn't how it was supposed to go.'

Though she had lashed out in a moment of anger, this wasn't what she truly wanted.

But things never went the way she planned.

'It's hard.'

Even she, called the Wise Queen, found this problem endlessly difficult.

As she wore a bitter smile over her tangled, directionless emotions—

"Ugh! That tiny Chelsea! She's so fast!"

"You're faster."

"She bounces around like a damn rubber ball—it's hard to keep up!"

Celia and Eliana appeared in the common lounge.

They spotted Lysinas sitting on a sofa.

"We missed the mark, but we can still hunt other students and rack up points!"

As Eliana exclaimed and charged forward, Celia held out her hand.

"Don't just rush in without knowing who they are. What if she's a senior?"

"Doesn't look like a senior."

Celia and Eliana approached Lysinas.

Just then, the clouds veiled the moonlight and starlight.

And the area where Lysinas sat was shaded, making it even darker.

Her face was barely visible.

"What grade are you in?" Celia asked curiously.

With a soft smile, Lysinas answered, "First year, summoning department."

She lied, assuming they hadn't memorized all the first-years' faces from other departments.

Especially in Eliana's case, she took magic classes—so claiming to be in the summoning department was safer.

"Perfect! Time to hunt!"

"You want to go after a first-year?"

"First-years, fifth-years—same score, right? So it's more efficient to take down the easy ones. Even lions give it their all when catching a rabbit!"

Clicking her tongue at Eliana's eagerness, Celia said to Lysinas, "Seeing you out past curfew alone, something must've happened. We may be from different departments, but want to talk about it?"

"Hey. She's still an opponent, you know. And it's probably some boring academic stress—why would we bother counseling over that?"

As Eliana grumbled, Lysinas gave a gentle smile.

"……It's about someone I like. Do you still give advice for that?"

"Heh. That's my specialty. Lay it on me."

Eliana quickly plopped down on the couch across from her.

Celia, though looking incredulous, sat down too.

"Romantic problems before midterms? How carefree."

"Hey! Celia! How can you say that! This is super important!"

Rebuking Celia, Eliana asked, "So, what's the issue?"

Lysinas looked into Eliana's sparkling eyes and spoke, suppressing a laugh.

"There's someone I like, but we fought a lot."

"Mmhmm! Why'd you fight? Did they treat you badly?"

"……Sometimes well, sometimes not. But that's not what upset me. It's just……"

"Just?"

"They seem really popular with the opposite sex."

"Tch! A playboy's no good."

Eliana clicked her tongue.

"He's not a playboy. But my closest friend likes him too."

"Ohoho! A love triangle! I love those!"

Eliana shook Celia excitedly.

Celia smacked Eliana's head.

"Stop reacting like that in front of the person! If you're going to counsel, do it seriously!"

"Ugh!"

Rubbing her head, Eliana winced as Celia asked, "Did that cause a fight with your friend?"

"No. She doesn't know I like him."

"Hmm. That's tough."

"And then, in front of everyone, she declared she liked him."

"Whoa! That's bold! Just like Lady Luna!"

Eliana bounced in place.

Lysinas gave a bitter smile.

'It was Luna…'

"But isn't that a problem? What if you lose him?"

"……Actually, on paper, he and I are already married."

"What?"

"Even after the confession?"

As the two stared in shock, Lysinas explained, "My friend doesn't know. He doesn't either. It was a secret marriage."

"If they didn't even know you liked him, I guess the marriage would be a secret too. But wait… did you use your family's influence to make it happen without them knowing?"

"……Well, something like that."

"……"

Celia's jaw dropped.

Eliana was practically vibrating with excitement.

"You must really love him!"

"Yes. He's more precious than my life. But I sometimes regret deceiving him to marry him."

"Why?"

"I feel bad for my friend. And I wonder if it might become a shackle for him. Besides, he doesn't know anything."

At the time, she had simply wanted to leave behind proof.

Proof that she loved Kyle.

And dreamed of a peaceful future.

'A future where I live with Kyle… was my dream in a way.'

To save the world she loved.

That was Lysinas's fundamental wish.

But she had no wish for herself.

So she deceived Kyle and entered a marriage contract.

It was her pure desire.

To possess Kyle… a selfish, perhaps ugly desire.

Maybe that desire was what kept her alive until the very end.

"Does that guy… not know either you or your friend like him?"

Lysinas looked surprised at Eliana's question.

"How did you know?"

"Heh! Because I'm Detective Eliana! It just clicked! Boom!"

Eliana grinned confidently and said,

"That friend of yours who likes the same guy—she's important to you too, right?"

"Yes. She's more precious than life."

Not just Kyle and Luna.

Aaron and Dweno too were more precious than life.

'Probably the same for all of us.'

"Then! Annul that marriage right away! And you declare your feelings openly too! Tell him you love him!"

Eliana clenched her fist.

"If you're going to regret it no matter what, then fight for love fair and square!"

"……"

"Show your true self!"

The reason Luna never told Kyle she liked him until the end was because of pride and stubbornness.

But Luna had never hidden her feelings.

She always made her affection clear.

Waiting for Kyle to confess first.

'He just… never realized because he's dense.'

And what about herself, compared to Luna?

She hid her feelings, aiming to show a perfect image as the Wise Queen.

Yet she subtly revealed them.

Hoping Kyle would notice.

And then got angry when he didn't.

'……Maybe the idiot was me.'

Lysinas let out a self-deprecating laugh.

'Yeah. I don't need to be the Wise Queen anymore.'

Now she was just a lingering spirit full of regrets.

'I'm learning a lot from the kids.'

Lysinas looked at Celia and Eliana.

How long had she dreamed of a peaceful world where such conversations could happen with bright smiles?

Lysinas smiled.

"Thanks for the advice. I feel lighter now."

"One problem solved!"

Eliana beamed.

"See? I told you! One problem down!"

"Hmph!"

Just then, the door opened and Carl and Eliza walked in.

Celia and Eliana immediately stood up.

Carl and Eliza tensed as well.

"A mage and summoner alliance? Guess the knight department was too tough to face alone?"

Celia taunted with a smile.

Eliza scoffed coldly.

"Don't flatter yourself, Celia Zerdinger."

And it wasn't just Carl and Eliza who arrived at the perfect time.

"Barely shook them off."

"They were upperclassmen—it wasn't easy."

On the railing above the lounge stairs, Chelsea and Abad appeared.

They saw the four below squaring off.

"Hey! Carl! Why are you sticking so close to Eliza?!"

Chelsea pointed accusingly, and Abad grinned.

"Traitor?"

"Haha."

Carl gave an awkward laugh.

Eliza smirked.

"We're only allied temporarily out of necessity."

As the six radiated fierce tension at each other—

"Fufu… fufufu!"

Lysinas burst into laughter.

"Everyone's so lively. Guess he won't be bored."

Eliza tilted her head.

"Who?"

Everyone else tilted their heads too.

'Wait… that voice…?'

Chelsea, who had spoken with Lysinas before, froze.

"Lysinas-nim?"

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Eh? What nonsense?"

Everyone turned to Chelsea.

"N-No. That's definitely Lysinas-nim's voice…"

Just then, the moonlight broke through the clouds and illuminated the interior.

Lysinas's face was revealed faintly.

Everyone's expression hardened.

"It's a fake, right?"

Celia muttered unconsciously, and Lysinas stood with a smile.

Floating gently, she approached Celia and Eliana and patted their heads.

"Thanks for the advice."

With a wink, she flew up through the ceiling and vanished.

Immediately, Chelsea rushed at Eliana.

"What did you talk about? What did you talk about?!"

As Chelsea asked desperately, Eliana opened and closed her mouth.

"R-Romance advice…?"

"What?"

"Lysinas-nim said… she likes the same person as Luna-nim…"

Everyone froze.

The person Luna likes—

That means…

"Lysinas-nim likes Kyle-nim too?!"

Everyone shouted in shock.

bl

As Leo walked down the hallway, he saw Lysinas appear before him and widened his eyes.

Lysinas looked at him a little sulkily and scoffed.

Leo smiled gently and extended his hand.

Lysinas looked at it with a crooked gaze.

It was the opposite of 5000 years ago.

Back then, Lysinas had extended her hand first—and Kyle had received it with a crooked face.

"Got anything you want to say to me?"

Lysinas asked, a bit haughtily.

Leo replied, "I missed you."

"……"

Leo's honest words.

Upon hearing them, a bright smile spread on Lysinas's face.

She reached out and took Leo's hand.

Whoosh—!

A brilliant light burst forth.

Lysinas's spirit began taking form.

Returning to her living appearance, she slowly descended to the floor with closed eyes.

Tap—

Landing gently, Lysinas opened her eyes.

As she touched her restored face, Leo spoke with mild annoyance.

"By the way… you pulled one over on me, didn't you?"

"What?"

"Don't play dumb. You tricked me into signing a marriage contract."

"Oh, that? You figured it out?"

Lysinas gave a faint smile.

Leo scowled.

"You knew I knew?! That's what you say now—"

"Let's get divorced."

"…What?"

Leo stared blankly, and Lysinas said again.

"Let's get divorced."

"……"

At her utterly shameless words, Leo was at a complete loss.

bl

"All done!"

"……Will this be good enough?"

"Yup! I'm sure they'll love it."

Mel and En proudly looked over the celebration they had prepared—a welcome and marriage party for Lysinas.

It was small, but nothing could be more festive than this.

"Now let's go get Lysinas-nim and Leo-nim!"

"Yes!"

The two dragons set off with cheerful faces—to find the Hero of Beginning and the Wise Queen.

Unaware of what was happening between the two.