".....Huu."

Laying down on a bench in the changing room, Leon let out a long breath. He felt mentally drained.

It wasn't so much from the loss but from the reason behind the loss.

"It doesn't even make sense."

A couple of days had passed.

How could it still be affecting him?

Clank--

Just then, the room's door came to an abrupt open and Evelyn came in. Leon flinched at the sight of her.

"What are you doing? This is the male changing room."

"....."

She didn't answer.

Instead, she looked at him straight. Almost as if she was trying to see right through him.

Eventually, she spoke.

"Why?"

It was a simple question.

All Evelyn wanted at the moment was an explanation.

"You're better than this. Did you lose to me on purpose? I thought you were going to take the match seriously. Did you feel pity for me or something? Or is it--"

"It's not that."

Leon cut her off while groaning.

The aftereffects of the 'Fear' spell were still lingering within him.

For some reason, whenever he looked at her, all he'd see was Julien's image. He kept overlapping with hers, and it was making it hard for him to keep his breathing stable.

"Haa..."

He had to take a deep breath to calm himself down somewhat.

'This is all an illusion.'

Though he said that, he still struggled to keep himself from believing his own words.

That was just how powerful Julien's spell had been.

"It's not that? Then what is it? Why did you lose like that?"

"...."

Lowering his head slightly, Leon closed his eyes to compose himself.

Then, opening them back up again, he answered,

".....I had a fight with Julien."

"Uh?"

Evelyn's expression froze.

"You had a fight with Julien?"

Her expression looked like that of someone who had a hard time figuring out what he had said.

"Wait, what?"

And then it hit her.

Her eyes widened and she took a step back.

"You had a fight with Julien!?"

She repeated. This time, her tone was louder, and the shock in her expression was visible for Leon to see.

Immediately, she moved closer to him.

"Who won? What happened? Why did you suddenly fight? Are you saying that the reason that you lost to me is because of the fight with Julien? Was it yesterday that you fought with him?"

Questions flowed out of her mouth one after another.

The speed at which the words left her mouth was so fast that Leon had a hard time keeping up with them.

"Which area did you get injured in? I knew that something was up. Did you get yourself checked by the Do--"

"It happened a few days ago."

Leon cut her off, trying his best to stop her before it was too late.

He was already feeling a headache.

This was a side of Evelyn that she rarely showed to the outside.

Though she projected herself as someone 'aloof' just like Aoife. Unlike her, it was merely a facade.

Her real personality was that of someone who talked too much.

'Ugh.'

Secretly groaning, Leon started to explain.

"It was on the day that he refused to fight me. I was the one who initiated the fight and the two of us fought outside where nobody could see."

"And...?"

"And..."

Leon pursed his lips before shaking his head.

".....I lost."

What else could he say?

He still felt bitter about it.

"You lost?"

Evelyn chewed over his words before sitting down next to him.

"How did he beat you? Did he use the same skill that he displayed in the mid-terms or--"

"No, not that."

Leon cut her off again.

He thought back at the fight from a couple of days ago and his body shuddered.

Then, raising his trembling arm, he met Evelyn's gaze.

"He won using Emotive Magic."

He slowly squeezed his arm.

".....As we speak, I'm still being consumed by it."

***

With the fight coming to an end, the cadets started to go out of the arena grounds. The same was true for me.

"Munch... Munch..."

Delilah stood by my side eating her bar.

It was a sight that I started to grow used to by now.

No, rather,

"Isn't that your fifth one? Do you like the bars that much?"

".....Hm?"

Delilah stopped to look at me.

Blinking her eyes, she alternated her gaze between me and the bar before narrowing her eyes and pulling the bar behind her back.

"It's finished."

"...."

Finished?

Clearly, there was still more than half of the bar left.

What sort of nonsense...

"Ah."

It took a moment for me to understand. When I did, I lost whatever words were about to come out. In the end, I clarified myself to her.

"I'm not after your bar."

"....Oh, you should've said so."

Her wariness disappeared and she started eating again.

Munch. Munch.

"...."

I pursed my lips.

"Why do you like them so much?"

I had always been curious about this.

Delilah seemed to have an abnormal addiction to the candy bars. It was almost as though she couldn't go without them.

'She also likes sugar, but there's something about the bars...'

I had tried 'bribing' her with other means, but the bars were the ones that she truly couldn't stop eating.

".....I just like them."

Delilah replied with a flat tone.

She wasn't the type to say a lot of words. That much I understood from the amount of time that I had spent with her.

"So you just like the bars?"

"Yeah."

"Then why can't you buy them yourself? I'm sure you have a lot of money."

"....."

Delilah didn't reply immediately.

Sporting a small frown, she looked at the bar in her hand. It was halfway eaten.

"I have restrictions because I eat too many."

".....Ah."

I did recall Kiera undergoing a similar restriction with her cigarettes.

Could it be that they had also done the same thing with her?

But that didn't really make sense.

She was the one beneath the Zenith. Who in the world could possibly control her to this point?

As if she could read my mind, Delilah spoke.

"Orson Rosemberg."

"Orson Rosember...?"

The name. I knew. Of course, I knew. He was the head of Central and one of the most powerful people within the Empire.

At the same time, he was also Delilah's father.

If it was him, then...

"Your father?"

"He's not my father."

Delilah flatly rather quickly.

Surprised, I looked down at her.

"He's not your father?"

But I was sure he was...

From all the information that I knew, he was Delilah's father.

It was hard not to know this piece of information considering that it was written in all books and the glaring last name she shared with him.

"I'm adopted."

"You're adopted?"

"Yes, when I was very young. I don't remember the age."

"I see."

Things started to become clear now.

"....I'm sorry to hear that."

"For what?"

"Your real parents. I thought they weren't here since you said that you were ado"

"They're fine."

"....Eh?"

"Working."

I thought about saying something else, but I stopped myself. It was pretty embarrassing of me to assume that her parents had died.

'....I did hear about it before, but it seems to be the case now that I see her.'

There was a piece of information that I learned through the books that I read.

Apparently, it was normal for noble families to take in talented children and adopt them from their parents in exchange for some compensation.

That was what probably happened to Delilah.

"Here."

Delilah extended her hand in my direction.

I looked at her in confusion.

"We're about to leave. I don't want to get lost in the chaos."

"Okay."

I held her hand.

In that moment when my hand came into contact with hers, I had a sudden thought. A very dangerous thought.

So dangerous that I felt my entire body shudder and my heart beat faster.

What if...

'What if I use my second leaf ability on her?'

Would it even be possible?

In terms of power and knowledge, Delilah was in a class of her own. What would happen if I were to use the second leaf on her?

Would I be able to integrate her memories into my mind and learn from them?

'Ah, shit.'

The moment the thought entered it just wouldn't leave my mind.

Greed had started to overtake my mind again.

'...This is fucking insane.'

While I wasn't sure about it, what if she was able to detect what I was doing?

How would she react?

Would she kill me?

'No, but there's no better time than now.'

When would I ever get a chance like this again?

Regarding the consequences...

I felt like I could deal with them. If I played my cards right, I could appease her.

Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!

I started to hear the beat of my heart in my head.

It drummed loudly, making it hard for me to remain focused.

....It just continued to beat faster, and faster, and faster. To the point where it was all I could think of.

'Do it.'

'If you learn her memories, you'll be able to get stronger.'

'Anything for power.'

Voices started to enter my mind.

They kept whispering in my mind, tempting me at every word.

I lowered my head to look at Delilah.

"....."

My body tensed.

'Do it.'

'Stop wasting time.'

I licked my lips.

This...

My left hand moved to scratch my right hand.

Before I knew it, I had already pressed the leaf-covered beneath the bandages I used to cover the tattoo.

And then,

"...."

Nothing happened.

I pressed it again.

.....Yet again, nothing happened.

'Nothing?'

I tried for one last time.

Yet again, nothing.

"Hooo."

That was when my heart started to calm down and my body stopped producing adrenaline. I unknowingly sighed in relief.

I guess I was more nervous than I thought.

'It didn't work, huh?'

It most likely had to do with our strength gap.

14:12

That was most likely the reasoning behind why the skill didn't work.

'I guess I found the first restriction of the skill.'

.....It didn't work on those that were extremely strong.

Well, at least Delilah's level.

What about those beneath the Monarch rank? Would it work on them?

It was a curious thought.

Another thing,

"...."

Looking at Delilah, and seeing her happily eat her bar as if nothing had happened, I had another question in my mind.

'Judging from her reaction, she didn't feel anything. Is it possible that they don't know?'

No, they probably know.

The only person I had used the skill on who was alive was Professor Bucklam.

He seemed to be pretty aware of the fact that I had gone through his memories. Since it failed, Delilah probably didn't know.

That was my conclusion.

'Okay, I see.'

I took mental notes of the information.

At the same time, I reminded myself to experiment more with this skill. Since I was set on learning Emotive Magic better, this skill was extremely crucial.

".....You can let go."

Delilah's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

Looking down, I finally let go of her hand.

"It wasn't a bad match."

Delilah spoke while patting her hands.

Then, glancing my way, she pinched her chin.

"You have strong Emotive intensity but you lack control."

"....Yes?"

"This semester you should have him as your Professor. I think you'll like his classes."

Yet again, I was confused.

However, before I could voice out my confusion she had already disappeared.

"What the hell..."

Staring at the area where she had previously been, I didn't know how to react.

'Lack of control? Emotive Magic has control? ..And who was she referring to by Professor? We going to have Emotive lessons next semester?'

There were many questions in my mind, and yet, no answer.

Still,

"...."

I stared at my hand and unwrapped the bandages slightly to see the four-leaf clover.

"As expected. It's not glowing."

The second leaf.

That meant that the skill had been used.

In that case, it really didn't work.

.....Or did it?

"Ugh."

I ruffled my hair and wrapped the bandages back.

There was no use thinking about it.

I was going to find out sooner than later. Rather, there was something else that was bothering me.

Placing my hand in my pocket, I felt something light and took it out.

"...."

I stood in silence for a moment before lowering my head.

Wrappers.

Not one, but five.

"This gremlin-looking midge"