"I guess you’re a bit excited for tomorrow, hm?"
SWIIISHHH—!
Riley’s sword carved downward in a clean arc.
A soft wave of pressure rippled outward before a razor-thin crescent shockwave tore through the training field, slicing everything in a straight line.
Pebbles split, shrubs parted, and even the ground itself was left with a narrow, surgical trail burned across its surface.
He exhaled slowly, letting his arm fall to his side.
Only then did he turn, gaze shifting to Alice, who watched him with that gentle smile of hers.
"I’m not excited..." he muttered.
"Fufu, you’re a terrible liar." Alice stepped closer, hands folded behind her back. "Or maybe you simply haven’t realized it yourself yet? Either way, I’m glad you’re actually having fun now..."
Excited? ?Riley frowned slightly as the thought passed through him.
Was he excited?
He wouldn’t call it that. Interested, maybe.
Curious, certainly.
He did want to asure Lucas properly before the year ended—but excitent?
That felt like too strong a word for sothing as simple as assessing a fellow student.
Still... he couldn’t deny that a small part of him was looking forward to the match.
Although Riley already had a fair assessnt of Lucas’ overall ability, things had changed.
The blessing the goddess asked him to deliver—that alone was enough to shift the entire balance.
Lucas’ strength was bound to surge the mont he finished absorbing it.
Riley didn’t know the exact nature of the blessing, but he had a guess.
It was likely related to the one Emilia was supposed to bestow upon Lucas if their relationship ever deepened.
And if that guess was correct... then tomorrow’s fight would be far more interesting than he initially expected.
...It’s probably that, huh.
[Blessing of Victory]
Just thinking about it made Riley exhale through his nose.
It was absurdly broken—back in the ga, even among the countless blessings and unique powers, this one stood out as pure nonsense.
A single blessing that could multiply the user’s stats up to ten tis their current level... yes, ten tis.
No conditions, no cooldowns, no complicated rituals.
As long as the user held onto their will to win, the blessing would manifest, strengthen, and relentlessly push its bearer toward victory.
And now, he had a chance to see that ability reflected in the real world...
It was practically perfect for soone like Lucas.
Lucas, whose desire to win sotis bordered on obsession. .
And that wasn’t all.
If he layered that blessing with his [Ultimate Skill: Justice]—an authority that could hinder opponents, suppress advantages, and strip away their chances of winning until he personally delivered "justice"—then Lucas’ entire skillset beca the embodint of inevitability.
A fighter built to win every confrontation he stepped into.
As long as he declared the opponent deserving of judgnt, victory would naturally tilt toward him.
But that’s the key part, Riley thought. Only if Lucas deems the enemy in need of justice.
Their relationship... well, it was strange.
Complicated, even.
Tangled in a way most people wouldn’t understand.
But despite everything, Riley wasn’t worried—Lucas would never see him as soone who needed to be judged, much less use such an overwhelming skill against him.
...Probably.
Of course, the chances weren’t zero.
There was always that unpredictable streak in Lucas, that earnestness that sotis turned into reckless righteousness.
Even so—
Riley’s lips curved slightly.
He was confident.
Even if Lucas went all out, even if that broken blessing activated, even if justice itself ca swinging down upon him—
He wasn’t going to lose.
He glanced toward Alice.
She was seated comfortably on a small chair she’d conjured herself—elegant yet simple, a perfect fit for her.
She lounged there with an almost cat-like ease, one leg crossed over the other, watching him with that warm, amused look of hers.
"I think you should stand back a bit more, Alice," Riley said, lowering his sword slightly.
"Hehe~ I appreciate your concern," she replied, wiggling her fingers playfully, "but please stop being such a worrywart, darling. A little training from you won’t hurt ."
"You never know how it might affect—"
"S-shh. Shh." Alice lifted a finger to her lips with a teasing smile. "I told you it’s fine. Besides, you’re just doing so light training, right? As long as you don’t use your Authority, I doubt anything will happen. And..."—her eyes softened—"I like watching you train. So allow to indulge in your manliness for a while, okay?"
Riley fell quiet.
A small knot of worry twisted in his chest as he looked at her—really looked at her.
His gaze drifted down, almost unconsciously, to her belly.
There, he felt it again: the faint, unmistakable pulse of life.
Delicate, gentle... but present.
A child.
Our child.
He breathed out slowly.
It wasn’t impossible, of course.
Neither of them had ever bothered with protection whenever they beca intimate.
It was only natural for sothing like this to happen eventually.
And yet...
How did I not notice earlier?
He had a few guesses.
The most obvious was that Alice, mischievous as ever, had deliberately concealed it—whether through her own magic or with Cheshire’s help.
If she wanted to hide sothing, even Riley had trouble noticing.
But Alice being pregnant wasn’t a problem.
Not at all.
If anything, the realization filled him with a strange, warm happiness.
The life growing inside her was a blessing—born from their love, proof of the bond they shared.
It made a quiet, content part of him swell with pride.
Still... it changed things.
He would need to adjust his plans, his priorities, the pace at which he moved.
The world they lived in was not gentle; he couldn’t just continue forward without considering the future of the woman he loved—and the child they had created.
He had promised Alice never to lie to her.
And he wouldn’t. He couldn’t bear the burden of this knowledge alone forever.
She deserved honesty.
But even so...
Riley clenched his hand around his sword.
Ideals... always have their limitations.
No matter how much he tried to stay calm, that truth echoed in the back of Riley’s mind.
His girls—each of them reliable, strong, and capable in their own ways—were still people he refused to let any harm co to.
If sothing ever threatened them... that would be the one line he’d never allow to be crossed. If it ca down to it, he would rather die than watch them be hurt.
At the beginning, he hadn’t thought too deeply about this kind of responsibility. It felt far away—sothing for the distant future.
But now that it was happening, now that life was literally growing from the love he shared with them... it was different.
The weight he carried suddenly felt like it had grown a hundredfold.
And Alice wasn’t the only one he had to think about.
The mory of last night flickered through his mind.
He had been... very intimate with the others.
With how close they were, the chances of more pregnancies were realistically high.
That was why he had quietly used a bit of his Authority earlier—subtly, without letting any of them notice—just to confirm their conditions and adjust things where he needed to.
Nothing invasive, nothing harmful... just precaution.
But the one he was most concerned about was Liyana.
She had told him she was pregnant before he even left for the academy months ago.
Back then, a part of him assud she was teasing him, trying to fluster him like she always did.
She had that personality, after all. But now...
Now he wasn’t so sure.
If she truly was pregnant, then of course he would accept it with open arms.
The child would be just as precious.
But her situation was far more complicated, especially with the political environnt around her and the expectations tied to her position and her fate to his...
"By the way, Riley," Alice spoke up suddenly, breaking his train of thought. "Since you’re only planning on fighting Lucas, why did you sign up for an open opponent? There’s no need to go through all that trouble, right?"
Riley sighed lightly and ran a hand through his hair.
"Well... the two of us decided to et at the finals at the end of our talk. The brackets we each chose practically guarantee we’ll face off in the end—as long as neither of us loses before that. So I guess..." He shrugged. "You could call it a man’s pride."
Alice giggled, covering her mouth. "Hehe~ boys really have their own weird little pride in that stuff. But I do get it..." Then she tilted her head, smiling. "By the way—am I allowed to participate?"
"You are free to do as you please," Riley said.
Alice narrowed her eyes slightly, a teasing smile already forming. "My, aren’t you worried for your child?"
"Of course I am," he replied without hesitation. "But I doubt anyone around here is strong enough to really hurt you. And if anything serious does happen, I’ll be there before anyone even realizes it."
Alice let out a soft, warm laugh and nodded. "Then I’ll skip this ti around. I’ll cheer for you and the others from the sidelines... so make proud, okay? Papa~"
Riley’s whole body stiffened for a mont, a tiny tremble running down his spine at her playful tone.
She never missed a chance to tease him, and she clearly enjoyed the way it made him react.
Alice chuckled at the expression on his face. Then she snapped her fingers.
A surge of crimson energy burst out, rolling across the field like a wave.
Space twisted, the air vibrated—then a massive figure took shape behind her.
Not summoned, but created.
A gigantic tallic red knight—at least fifty ters tall—stood towering above them, its presence heavy enough to make the ground groan.
Its armor pulsed like a living furnace, and an overwhelming aura poured from its fra like heat from a blazing forge.
Riley couldn’t help but smile. "Perfect," he murmured, looking up at his new training partner.
The knight slowly raised its massive sword, the tal screeching as it cut through the air with a weight that could flatten mountains.
Inside Alice’s realm, even the sky reacted.
Clouds shook.
The atmosphere trembled. Riley stepped forward, raising his own sword high.
Mana surged inside him like a storm breaking loose.
Golden lightning danced across his limbs, crackling over his skin, wrapping him in sharp streaks of brilliance.
Then—with a clean, simple motion—he swung down.
And everything in front of him was split apart.
User Comments
0 comments from readers