The mont I stepped through the academy gates, I felt it.
Of course, it was not physically, and not like a spell or killing intent either.
Just... eyes.
Dozens of them. Maybe hundreds.
After revealing my power in front of that many people during the tournant, there was no going back to blending in. The comfortable anonymity I’d wrapped around myself for the past four years? Gone. Torn clean off. And now, as I walked across the stone path toward the main building, every student I passed seed to pause mid-conversation just to look at .
It wasn’t normal staring either.
Not the "oh, that’s him" kind.
Not even the "wow, that was impressive" kind.
This was heavier.
It was the kind of stare people give when they realize the quiet guy they’ve known for years might actually be sothing dangerous. Sothing unpredictable. Curiosity was there, sure—but underneath it was wariness. Caution. Like I’d suddenly grown fangs and they were just noticing.
They weren’t subtle about it, either.
So whispered while very obviously glancing at . Others didn’t bother whispering at all. A few just straight-up stared like they were trying to figure out if I’d sprout another arm on the spot.
I kept walking.
Duncan and Raymond were already waiting near the gate, leaning against the stone pillars like they’d been there for a while. The mont our eyes t, I could tell this wasn’t just a casual etup.
They wanted answers.
"Hey, Leon," Duncan called, lifting a hand.
"Hey," I replied, raising mine in return. I was casual and easy. Like nothing had changed.
But everything had changed.
Duncan looked mostly the sa. Maybe a little tense around the edges. Raymond, though... that was different. His jaw was tight. His brows drawn together. He had that look people get when they’ve been replaying sothing in their head over and over, building up a speech.
He didn’t waste ti.
"Leon," he said, stepping slightly in front of Duncan, blocking part of my path. "How long have you been hiding those abilities?"
He was straight to the point.
"I wasn’t hiding them," I said evenly. "I just don’t use them often. I didn’t think it was necessary."
He let out a short, humorless breath. "Not showing them is the sa as hiding them."
"I don’t think so," I replied. "Choosing not to use sothing isn’t the sa as concealing it."
There was a difference.
A real one.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
The truth though that I had been hiding them. Completely. Intentionally. For almost four years inside this academy, I kept my head down, kept my strength sealed away, and kept myself average.
And now that illusion had shattered in a single tournant.
Raymond’s frustration wasn’t irrational.
He’d been pushing himself relentlessly. He was staying up late, training harder than most, chasing recognition, and chasing progress. And all that ti, soone right beside him——had the ability to skip the climb entirely.
And I chose not to.
Of course he’d be angry.
"You know," he continued, his voice lower now, steadier but edged with sothing sharp, "I never thought I’d see you dominate the entire tournant like that. I figured you’d do decent. Maybe beat a few people. Maybe even win the preliminaries."
He looked away for a second, then back at .
"But watching you overwhelm Shredica..." His lips pressed into a thin line. "And then, the Vice Commander of the Magic Knights. And you made it look easy."
He shook his head once, almost in disbelief.
"Do you understand how insane that is? It’s only natural I’d be shocked. I think I have the right to ask what the hell you’ve been hiding from us."
The way he stared at wasn’t just anger anymore.
It was betrayal.
I didn’t respond.
Not because I didn’t have anything to say. I had plenty. But none of it would make this better. None of it would make him feel less like I’d lied to him.
After a few seconds of silence, he sighed.
"Yeah," he muttered. "I figured you wouldn’t answer."
His shoulders dropped slightly.
"For four years, we’ve been at this academy together. But you never tell us where you go. You skip lectures, disappear for days. We ask, and you just brush it off." His voice softened, but not in a good way. "I thought maybe I was overthinking it. Guess I wasn’t."
He gave a small, humorless smile.
"You just never trusted us."
That hung in the air.
I t his eyes.
But I still didn’t say anything.
What was I supposed to say? That he was right? That I trusted them just enough to pass the ti, but not enough to let them close? That they were convenient allies in staying invisible?
There’s no polite way to phrase that.
So I stayed quiet.
After a mont, Raymond looked away.
"Whatever," he said. "I get it."
He turned and walked off.
Just like that.
Duncan lingered for a second longer. He looked at like he wanted to say sothing, maybe smooth things over, maybe joke about how dramatic Raymond was being. But he didn’t.
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I’ll... go talk to him," he muttered.
And then he left too.
I watched their backs as they disappeared into the crowd.
I expected sothing. Regret. Guilt. A hollow feeling in my chest.
There was nothing.
I had no sharp pain. And there was no dramatic realization. Just a quiet acknowledgnt.
If I was being honest, I’d never truly seen them as friends.
Companions, maybe. Useful normalcy. Being around them made look ordinary. It made it easier to disappear into the background.
And I needed that.
Or I thought I did.
I let out a slow breath.
Well. That Chapter was probably closed.
I was still standing there, processing that, when I heard a familiar, bright voice.
"Leon~!"
Before I could even turn properly, Titania was already in front of .
She didn’t hesitate for a second. She rushed up, grabbed my arm, and pressed herself against like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Her chest pressed firmly into my side, soft and warm through the fabric. Full enough that there was no ignoring it. Not that she intended to.
"You were incredible!" she said, practically glowing. "I watched everything! The whole tournant!"
Her eyes were sparkling. Her cheeks slightly flushed. She looked genuinely thrilled, like she’d just witnessed the greatest performance of her life.
"I was in awe," she added dramatically, placing a hand over her heart. "I almost forgot to breathe at one point."
"That sounds dically concerning," I replied dryly.
She pouted at , then laughed.
"You know what I an."
She hugged my arm tighter.
And once again, I felt it.
The stares.
Only this ti, they were different from before.
Earlier, the looks were wary. Suspicious. Evaluating.
Now?
Now they were... understanding.
There had always been whispers about Titania and . About why the princess would spend so much ti with soone as unremarkable as Leon, the less than average academy student.
Before, people were confused.
So thought it was pity. Others thought it was a rumor exaggerated by bored students. A few probably assud I’d made so kind of deal with a devil.
Now there was no confusion.
They’d seen what I could do.
They’d seen the gap.
And suddenly, Titania clinging to like this didn’t look strange anymore.
It made sense.
I could practically hear the collective shift in perception. The silent recalculation.
Ah. So that’s why.
I glanced around at the crowd. No one was pretending not to look anymore.
Now they understood.
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