Chapter 120: The Unspoken Confession

“No matter what happens, you must only look at me.”

The sudden, blunt declaration left Yalin momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond.

‘Ah, only you could utter such an embarrassing statement with a completely straight face.’

‘Honestly, this practically counts as a confession, doesn’t it?’ Yalin mused, even though he knew perfectly well that the other person harbored no such romantic intentions.

Luminas remained rooted to her spot, her gaze fixed intently on Yalin as she quietly awaited his response.

Sunlight cascaded over her, adorning her with a radiant golden halo that made her appear almost dazzling.

Passersby were invariably captivated by the beautiful sight, their faces breaking into knowing smiles. A few even subtly gave Yalin a thumbs-up, silently urging him not to disappoint the young woman’s feelings.

Yalin pretended not to notice. “Uh, Miss Luminas, could you perhaps refrain from saying such easily misunderstood things all at once?”

“Misunderstood?”

Luminas shook her head. “There’s no misunderstanding. I just want you to look at me. Don’t look at anyone else but me.”

“Cough, cough.”

Yalin cleared his throat a few times before continuing. “Alright, I understand what you mean. But didn’t we agree that I was just going to watch your match? If I keep staring at you, it’ll feel a bit… strange.”

Luminas blinked, her still-sleepy eyes widening slightly.

“Why? Don’t you want to support me?”

“It’s not that…”

“Have you still not forgotten your childhood friend? Do you still prefer to support her over me? Could it be… that everything you said that day was a lie?”

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and her voice grew softer, filled with palpable disappointment.

“How much… how much money do you want? How much would it take for you to look at me? Just this once, please…”

“No, wait a minute! Why are you making it sound like I’m some kind of heartless scoundrel who abandoned you? I haven’t done anything!”

The gentle glances from the surrounding crowd swiftly morphed into icy glares of killing intent. Pedestrians shot Yalin looks of utter disdain, and some even rolled up their sleeves, ready to rush over and teach this ungrateful fellow a lesson.

“Alright, alright, I give up! I’ll look at you, okay? As long as I just look at you, right? I’ll weld my eyeballs to you, just please stop talking!”

Yalin, utterly unwilling to prolong the entanglement, could only agree to her baffling request.

Upon hearing this, the gloom on Luminas’s face gradually receded, replaced by a faint smile.

“Thank you. It’s settled then.”

Yalin sighed helplessly and continued walking forward, lost in his own thoughts.

‘Go on, laugh all you want now.’

‘You’ll be crying later anyway.’

By the time they arrived at the Magic Division, there was still over an hour until the match began.

However, the place was already a sea of people, with the arena’s spectator stands completely packed.

After all, this particular match was, from every conceivable angle, brimming with hype.

Both sides featured the representative figures of their respective academies—rare geniuses. And, most importantly, both were uncommon beauties!

What student could possibly resist such a thrilling match?

“Hey, isn’t that Luminas? She’s finally here!”

“You’re telling me that’s the Magic Sword Academy’s representative? Whose kid is that?”

“Don’t underestimate her too much. I heard all her matches ended in one-hit kills, and she still hasn’t even shown her true strength…”

“Tch, you’re exaggerating. Celeste also swept through her opponents. No matter how strong she is, she can’t beat our academy, can she?”

“That’s true… but maybe she can last a few minutes at least?”

“Indeed, I barely managed to snatch this seat. If she gets instantly defeated again, it’ll be a complete waste.”

“By the way, who’s that guy next to her? He looks vaguely familiar.”

“No idea. Probably an escort. Who cares?”

Noisy chatter continuously drifted down from above. Although the match hadn’t started, most people were discussing how long Luminas could hold out against Celeste.

As for the outcome of the match, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion.

Luminas paid no mind to the commotion. She simply took a ticket from her pocket and handed it to Yalin.

‘What is this?’

“A special seating ticket. It’s a participant’s privilege.”

‘Actually, I could just find a random spot…’

Yalin glanced at the spectator stands, which were so crowded that even the aisles were full. There were no empty seats anywhere.

‘Well, it seems the impact of this match is much greater than I had imagined.’

Yalin had no choice but to accept the ticket from Luminas.

“Alright, thank you then.”

“Mm. I’m going to the preparation room now. See you later.”

Luminas nodded. After speaking, she disappeared into the passageway.

Yalin followed the seating instructions on the ticket and made his way to his designated spot.

It had to be said, this place certainly lived up to the title of a special seating area.

The seat was incredibly spacious and faced the arena directly, only dozens of meters away, allowing for a clear view of every detail of the battle.

The only drawback was… it attracted too much attention.

‘If Celeste sees me… sigh, never mind. If she sees me, she sees me.’

‘Anyway, the winner will have to give a long victory speech on stage and participate in a whole bunch of other messy events like the awards ceremony.’

‘I just need to slip away as soon as the match ends.’

‘No use crying over spilled milk. Since I’m already here, why not enjoy myself for a while?’

With that thought, Yalin settled comfortably into his seat and began sipping a complimentary drink.

As the match time drew nearer, the audience’s discussions grew more fervent, with most of the chatter, of course, revolving around Celeste.

Just then, the person next to him suddenly leaned over. “New face, huh? You’re not from the Magic Sword Division?”

“No, I’m from the Alchemy Division.”

“Alchemy Division? Then how are you with Luminas?”

He blurted out the question, but then paused and shook his head.

“Never mind that. By the way, are you interested in a little gamble?”

“A little gamble” was academy slang, essentially meaning gambling. For larger events like this, more people participated, and the stakes naturally rose.

Yalin asked, “What’s the wager?”

“It’s about how many minutes Luminas can last. Currently, odds are highest for under five minutes.”

Yalin almost couldn’t keep a straight face. “Aren’t you from the Magic Sword Division? Why are you so certain Luminas will lose before the match even begins?”

“Well… I naturally hope my academy wins, but this opponent is just too…”

The man chuckled several times, wearing a knowing expression.

Yalin also smiled. He thought for a moment, then said, “Then I’ll bet on Luminas winning.”

“Really?” The man was startled, but then quickly looked at Yalin with admiration. “I understand. It seems you truly care about Luminas. No wonder she, who usually never speaks to anyone, allowed you to be by her side.”

“So, how much will you bet?”

Yalin pulled a shiny coin from his pocket. “One Lira.”