Ho ho ho—just as expected, that golden-haired elf brat took a heavy loss. Even among heroines blessed by fate, there were still differences.
Leaving the arena, Vinny stretched lazily, his whole body loosening with relief.
This tense and thrilling sester was finally over.
Tomorrow, the happy holiday life would begin.
He raised a hand to shade the blazing sun overhead. Though his academic scores were weak, with the extra credit from the practical mission and the battle, his overall grades this sester wouldn’t be bad—at least enough to keep his rank stable.
It was ti to start planning the holiday.
Finally, finally—he could spend so ti without being tornted by that white-haired shortie.
Carillian Academy gave very little holiday howork, practically none at all, to ease the relentless pressure and competition of term ti. For the usual rich young masters, vacation was all about which resort to visit, or returning to their villa back ho to enjoy pure pleasure.
Vinny did need to return ho—but his “ho” wasn’t a villa. It was a shabby little house with an abandoned courtyard. No one was waiting for him there—not even a little dog.
There was nothing there to miss. His so-called hotown was just a place filled with jeers and rejection. To him, it had no other aning.
Strictly speaking, he was holess. So whether he returned or not made no difference.
In that sense, the only benefit of vacation was being able to sleep in every day. Nothing else.
And he wouldn’t even get to play cards with his card buddies—they all had families to return to. After a whole sester, and after such huge incidents at Carillian Academy, of course they’d go ho to see their loved ones.
Not like him. He didn’t even have a relative to look for.
With finals completely over, classes had ended. Students who were done with exams—aside from the few who had total confidence in their grades and stayed to wait for results—had already boarded unicorn carriages and gone ho. As for the rest, why look at the grades? Better not to ruin the whole vacation by seeing bad news.
The reason Vinny remained at the academy wasn’t ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) because he cared to wait for results. It was simply that he had nowhere to go. He didn’t know whether to return to that broken-down house with no kin, or just stay here.
Carillian Academy, after all, cared for students of every background—it never closed, not even for long breaks. Dorms stayed open, as did the library, dining halls, and shops.
And Vinny wasn’t the only one staying. There was also a certain silver-haired, feminine-looking elf boy.
“Vinny, almost everyone’s left already. Aren’t you going to pack? Do you need to help?” Shicodale tilted his head, seeing Vinny still lying on the sofa doing nothing.
“? No rush.” Vinny lay there, eyes unfocused on the ceiling. He didn’t know if sothing there drew his attention, or if he was simply spacing out, lost in thought.
“Dale, are you staying at the academy this holiday?”
“Mhm. I’ve got no ho to return to, haven’t I?” At that, Shicodale’s brows lowered slightly. He fell silent.
“This world... that makes innocent people wander, makes the helpless holess—such a world deserves to die.” Vinny glanced at Shicodale and let the words slip without thinking.
“...Thank you, Vinny.” After a pause, Shicodale forced a strained smile.
[Virtue 60]
[Current Virtue: 4414]
“......” Thank him?
Vinny said nothing.
He wasn’t so fate-blessed protagonist. He’d just gotten lucky with the system’s strike of fortune, and still had to tread carefully everywhere.
If he could, he’d like to help Shicodale, and all those pitiful Moon Elves. But he couldn’t.
Right now, he was just soone who could spout pretty words without the power to make them real.
“So... Vinny, are you in a bad mood today?” Shicodale asked. “But today is the day exams officially end. Don’t you get to go ho and reunite with your family?”
“As of now, I no longer have any living family.” Vinny paused, then spoke.
Shicodale knew of his family’s background, but clearly didn’t know the present state of it.
“Ah—sorry, sorry!” Shicodale froze at Vinny’s calm tone, then quickly bowed his head, apologizing repeatedly.
[Virtue 100]
[Current Virtue: 4514]
“It’s fine. You didn’t an anything by it.” Vinny shook his head.
So much ti had passed. Even the deepest scars had dulled. He didn’t care anymore if others brought it up.
“I’m sorry, Vinny.” Shicodale lifted his gaze again.
So Vinny, too, was like her—alone, the only one left of his family. No kin to be found, inside or out.
[Virtue 200]
[Current Virtue: 4714]
“So, Vinny... will you go back for the holiday?” Shicodale asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t decided. Maybe I should go back to tidy the courtyard? After all, it’s where my parents once lived. It’s where my family ca from.” Vinny spoke uncertainly.
Truthfully, he wasn’t sure. But staying here didn’t sound so bad either—wasn’t Shicodale staying, too?
“Is that so?” Hearing this, Shicodale couldn’t help but think—if Vinny didn’t go ho either, then the two of them would spend the holiday together.
And suddenly, he looked forward to it.
“I’ll think about it slowly.” Vinny stood, bade Shicodale farewell, and said he wanted to take a walk.
Yesterday, when exams weren’t yet over, the academy streets were still lively. But today, they had emptied.
Of course—everyone with a ho was eager to return, and after a whole sester cooped up here, no one wanted to linger in the atmosphere of study and pressure.
That white-haired nut must have left too. By now she was probably sitting on a carriage bound for her family’s estate.
Her destination would be the Galathus household, not the Calla Capital.
Vinny thought back to this morning, when he’d seen Aesphyra after breakfast.
Back then, he’d been watching leaves drift under the trees, sighing that even the leaves were returning ho—when a familiar lodic voice rose behind him.
“Vinny, getting sentintal over the scenery~?”
“...? Why are you still here?” Vinny turned to see the silver-haired girl smiling behind him.
“I’m about to leave. But before that, I happened to see a poor little raccoon standing all alone in the wind, while everyone else carried their luggage.” Aesphyra tilted her head.
“Get lost. Since when am I all alone? And where do I look like a raccoon? What raccoon could compare to this Young Master’s handsoness??” As expected, the white-haired nut instantly provoked his temper—whether in a good way or just enough to heat his blood.
“Eh? Why so angry, Vinny? I was going to say—if you missed , I’d stay. I could spend the holiday here with you.” Aesphyra teased.
“Get lost, get lost, get lost! Who’d miss you? Who’d want to see you?? If I had to look at you every day, I’d lose years off my life!” Vinny shot back.
“Is that so? How sad, for Vinny to despise so much.” Aesphyra looked heartbroken—but Vinny knew it was all an act, deliberately exaggerated this ti.
“Tsk, white-haired nut, hurry up and leave! Before you beco an eyesore.” Vinny huffed.
“So this is the last ‘white-haired nut’ of the sester, then?” Aesphyra asked with a sly smile.
“What, you addicted to being called that? Fine, if you want, I’ll shout it for you any ti.” Vinny rolled his eyes at her.
Aesphyra gave a soft laugh, her violet eyes half-lidded, the wind lifting strands of her silver hair.
The mont was breathtaking.
Vinny froze—then quickly turned away.
When he looked back, she was already gone. That silver-silk radiance brushed past his shoulder, leaving only the cold fragrance of roses and briar lingering in the air, stirring his heart.
“Vinny, you should prepare too. Go back. No matter what, it’s still your ho. Soone is waiting for you there.” Aesphyra’s voice drifted as her footsteps receded.
...Soone waiting for him?
Vinny paused. She must an Wen Nisha would return with him.
So Aesphyra assud he wasn’t truly alone—that there was still a family mber walking with him.
But in reality, that family mber didn’t exist.
Ah, forget it. Move on.
“See you next sester, Vinny.”
“...??” Vinny blinked. He thought he heard her farewell in the wind. But when he turned, her figure had already vanished.
Was he hearing things?
Maybe. Maybe not.
“That white-haired nut... must be on her carriage by now.” Vinny shook his head, not sure what he was even sighing about.
He’d always claid that any day he saw Aesphyra was ruined, that holidays were good only because he wouldn’t see her. Yet now, when she truly left and he couldn’t see her anymore—there was actually a faint longing??
At the thought, he rembered their practical mission, all the monts they’d shared along the way.
“That woman... really is unbearable.” Vinny muttered.
Gone, and still haunting his mind.
By now, besides him and Shicodale, no one he knew remained on campus. His card buddies had all said their goodbyes and left.
Vinny wandered aimlessly through the academy streets, with no destination.
Passing the Student Council Hall, he saw how empty it was now. Where once it bustled daily, only a few remained.
Watching them leave, he leaned against the courtyard wall, staring into the sky.
“Vinny? What are you doing here?”
“Hm?” That clear, familiar voice snapped him awake. He turned—at the doorway of the Student Council, a blonde twin-tailed girl, carrying several large trunks, t his gaze.
“Mirexia?” Seeing her, Vinny was first surprised she hadn’t gone ho yet. Then he realized—of course, she must have stayed late to handle leftover paperwork. That was why he ran into her now.
“You just finished work?” he asked.
“Mhm. I just finished clearing the docunts piled up while we were away on the mission.” Mirexia answered, just as he expected—the workaholic president, working overti as always.
“And you? What are you doing here?” she asked next.
“I was bored, so I thought maybe I’d wait for you.” Vinny had ant to say he’d just been wandering, but at the last mont, changed it—framing it as a lighthearted joke between friends.
“You ca here on purpose to wait for ?” Mirexia blinked in surprise, her cheeks tinting faintly.
[Virtue 100]
[Current Virtue: 4814]
“You didn’t go ho first?” she asked.
“No. I don’t think there’s any point.” Vinny sighed softly.
Mirexia fell silent. She knew exactly what he ant.
She had a ho. She had family. But Vinny had nothing.
“Vinny... how about... you co back with ?” Mirexia suggested.
“Back with you?” Vinny looked at her.
“Mhm. My father might want to et you. He may have things to say.”
“The King??” Vinny was stunned. He couldn’t imagine what the King of Calla wanted with him.
But he knew Mirexia sotis received letters from the kingdom. It must have been ntioned there.
Vinny thought it over. If the King of Calla wished to see him, then no matter what—he had to go.
First, because the King was his sovereign. Second, because the royal family had truly done much to help his own.
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