"……!?"
Adams stood to the side, once again completely flabbergasted by Lanqi.
He truly was a disciple molded by that scoundrel Loren. With such smooth, composed rhetoric, Lanqi could probably placate more than a dozen fiancées at once without breaking a sweat!
Adams had previously found it hard to imagine how Loren could navigate that level of jealous drama, but after meeting Lanqi, he was a believer.
"Well then, Adams, our wager has been witnessed by Knight Commander Juliana. Next, please choose the contest. I will accept any type of challenge you propose," Lanqi said with a smile as he cradled his cat, looking as relaxed as if he had merely made a casual phone call to catch up on family matters.
"……Fine!"
Lanqi's summary of their wager was undeniably accurate, leaving Adams nothing to refute.
After a brief silence, Adams simply resolved to go all the way and accepted.
"Lanqi, even if I have reasons why I must win, I won't deliberately choose a contest that favors me. I will defeat you fair and square so you can lose with full conviction,"
Adams declared.
"I'm looking forward to it."
Lanqi remained as poised as ever, appearing unconcerned about victory or defeat.
Or perhaps that demeanor meant that no matter what challenge Adams threw at him, victory was already assured.
Adams nodded. Lanqi was finally taking this seriously, exactly as he had hoped.
"We will compete in an event that both of us are skilled at: challenging a Shadow World. We will use an artificial Shadow World's endless mode, lock our tiers to Tier 2, and forbid the use of magic cards—a pure contest of mind and willpower,"
Adams said, pointing at Lanqi.
Amid a wave of low murmurs in the conference room, the other upperclassmen and faculty members quickly realized which Shadow World Adams was referring to.
He had to mean the Tier 2 artificial Shadow World, "Bone-Chilling Cage of Despair"—an extreme test of human survival instincts.
Because of its fame, it was frequently used for training, so everyone was reasonably familiar with it. Furthermore, it possessed a high degree of randomized variables, meaning there would be no concerns about fairness.
Yet when it came to this particular Shadow World, no one could say for certain whether Lanqi or Adams would prevail.
"No problem. How about we meet in an hour at the seventh-floor atrium of the Learning and Education Building?"
Lanqi asked.
Even with permission from the school authorities and the backing of the School of Magic Engineering, powering up the artificial Shadow World launch terminal in the seventh-floor atrium would still take some time.
"Fine. See you in an hour."
Acting as if victory were already in his grasp, Adams turned and strode out of the School of Sages' conference room.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity lay right before his eyes—a situation far more perfect than anything he had dared imagine when he first arrived in Ikerite.
His eyes burned with fighting spirit, completely devoid of any modesty, fully determined to teach the School of Sages a lesson today.
……
Autumn in Ikerite brought sweeping gales across the campus. The wind howled through the corridors between the buildings, sweeping up swirling flurries of leaves that danced into the air like omens of an approaching downpour.
Pushed by the gusts, golden and crimson autumn foliage parted from the branches and drifted down in gentle showers, or rode the breeze past the ancient clock tower, deepening the patina of passing time and heralding late autumn.
The clock tower stood all the more solemn against the gale, silently enduring the buffet of the wind as its hands turned faithfully.
Along the paths, the students' coats flapped violently against the gusts, yet their eyes remained resolute. Defying the wind, they moved forward briskly in small groups.
"Why bother going to class? Hurry, let's go watch the spectacle!"
"If we're any later, there won't even be standing room at Jera Memorial Square!"
Amidst the rushing winds, many students scurried about spreading the word: a special show was about to begin.
Adams, the chief melee student among the third-years of Aloran Royal Academy, was going to hold a derby match against Lanqi, the representative of the School of Sages!
Beyond the prime public viewing spot at Jera Memorial Square—home to an outdoor jumbo screen that broadcast round-the-clock without pause—many standalone club activity rooms on campus were equipped with magic screens that allowed for indoor viewing.
Inside a private magic engineering laboratory within the School of Magic Engineering, ceiling lights cast an even, starlike radiance into every corner, while magic screens embedded along the circular walls displayed campus updates.
At workbenches scattered across the room, numerous magic engineering students were absorbed in their research, though some newly arrived students had begun gossiping about the day's major event.
"Lanqi really might not win this time. Don't be too optimistic—even if Frey were here, he wouldn't necessarily beat Adams in a survival-type Shadow World."
"It's only fun to watch if there's suspense! Tsk-tsk, did you hear about the bet between Lanqi and Adams? If Lanqi loses, I can't even imagine how explosive the fallout will be."
"The one who explodes will probably be Dean Loren."
"……"
In the distance, Karen—a second-year Gold rank card maker from Aloran Royal Academy who was on a campus tour—sighed helplessly upon overhearing the news.
"Senior Adams is being reckless again."
Then, a faint smile curved the corner of her lips. Twirling a lock of her light-colored hair, she looked up with bright green eyes at Prince Ainuoer, who was guiding her through the facility.
"Still, Prince Ainuoer, you are far more calm and composed. Truly worthy of the juniors' trust and admiration."
"Haha, not at all."
Prince Ainuoer had already held great admiration for a genius Gold rank card maker younger than himself, and hearing her continuous praise brought a heartfelt smile to his face.
"……"
Off to the side, Sophia averted her gaze, adopting an out-of-sight, out-of-mind posture.
Everyone in the School of Magic Engineering had assumed that this genius card-making girl from the Aloran Kingdom would be arrogant and boastful of her talents.
To their surprise, not only was she exceptionally gifted, but she was also humble and friendly, quickly earning unanimous praise and fondness across the School of Magic Engineering.
Sophia knew Karen seemed like an innocent and adorable girl.
Yet over the past two days, she couldn't shake the feeling that Karen was subtly, intentionally or unintentionally, getting far too close to Prince Ainuoer.
Sophia had kept her silence and suppressed her feelings. Last time at the Card Makers Association, it was precisely her excessive possessiveness over Ainuoer that had caused a ridiculous scene.
"……"
As Sophia was lost in thought, the subtle shift in her expression seemed to catch Karen's attention by chance.
"Sophia, I'm so sorry, did I step too close to your Ainuoer again? You won't misunderstand, right?"
Karen lightly covered her mouth, looking at Sophia with an air of delicate concern.
"He isn't mine!"
Snapping back to reality, Sophia spoke with clear irritation, completely failing to conceal the frustration she had bottled up over the past two days.
"……"
After being snapped at, Karen slowly lowered her gaze, letting out a soft, aggrieved, "Oh..."
"Sophia, Karen didn't mean anything by it,"
Ainuoer hurried to say.
If their School of Magic Engineering bullied Karen without cause, it would make the entire Ikerite Academy look petty.
"I'm sorry……"
Once Sophia regained her composure, her head slumped.
A rising sense of bitter grievance washed over her heart, clogging her throat so severely that she couldn't string together a single word.
She felt that if this went on any longer, she might actually need to see a therapist.
Or perhaps... was there a love guru out there who could save her?
……
Waning autumn sunlight poured through grand windows onto wooden furnishings inside a trendy downtown Ikerite café. Built upon the site of an old printing factory, the building housed the editorial department of the Hutton Times directly upstairs.
The café was bustling with morning energy. People from all walks of life intersected here briefly, as soft clinks of coffee cups, quiet chatter, and gentle background music intertwined into an easygoing portrait of urban life.
Seated along a long table, several students from Aloran Royal Academy were leisurely enjoying their brunch.
One student carefully sipped a latte topped with intricate foam art, while the companion beside him savored a bagel filled with avocado, a fried egg, and fresh tomatoes.
They chatted between moments of reading their newspapers. Here, they could seamlessly toggle between study and relaxation; it felt less like a breakfast joint and more like a second campus to them.
"There's more news today."
"Quick, go get Senior Luvishir! We need the whole school to know about this within an hour!"
At the long table, one of the figures from Aloran Royal Academy leisurely enjoying his food overheard the newly arrived Ikerite students discussing the upcoming Shadow World duel between Lanqi and Adams.
After a moment's thought, he set down his fork.
The time when Lanqi entered the artificial Shadow World...
That would undoubtedly be the optimal window to strike and eliminate the duke's daughter.
Chapter 185