Chapter 125: The Price of Victory

In that instant, the fierce winds abruptly ceased. The swirling dust slowly settled, leaving only two figures on the vast arena stage, motionless as statues.

Luminas knelt on one knee, her precarious stance making it seem as though she might collapse at any moment. Her right hand, still tightly gripping her rapier, remained raised in mid-air.

The sharp tip of her rapier, imbued with a faint yet deadly white lightning, hovered mere millimeters from Celeste’s throat. Meanwhile, the high-pressure vortex in Celeste’s palm continued to churn, capable of rendering Luminas unconscious with a mere flick of her wrist.

Yet, she did not unleash it.

This magical prodigy, hailed as a genius born once in a millennium, now stood rigidly in place, staring blankly at the glinting rapier before her, and at the eyes burning with unyielding obsession behind it.

A deathly silence enveloped the entire arena.

“What, what exactly happened?”

“Why aren’t they moving? Who won?”

Several seconds passed before murmurs finally rippled through the audience. Everyone craned their necks, eager to discern every detail and understand the current situation.

The host outside the ring was drenched in sweat, clutching the magical amplifier in his hand, but no words escaped him. Despite his extensive experience, he was at a loss, unsure if the match had truly concluded.

Another few tens of seconds dragged on. Time seemed to stretch infinitely, each second feeling as though it could last forever.

Finally, Celeste moved first.

With a soft sigh, the whirlwind in her palm gradually dissipated. She slowly lowered her hand, stepping back a few paces to increase the distance from the rapier’s tip.

“I forfeit.”

Celeste uttered the words in a daze, and Luminas, as if in a trance, departed the arena.

A sharp pain gnawed at her chest, a suffocating ache akin to drowning.

Such profound grievance, such bitter unwillingness…

Was it because she had lost the match, forfeiting the glory of the chief disciple, that she felt so terrible?

It seemed that was not the case.

For at this moment, Celeste no longer cared about the outcome of the match. Winning or losing, even the inability to represent the academy in the Viktor Cup, had all become meaningless.

So, what then was the reason?

Celeste suddenly understood.

Only now did she realize that she had seemingly lost something far more important than the competition itself…

This…

Watching Celeste’s solitary figure vanish completely into the darkness of the contestant’s passage, the host still found it hard to believe his ears.

He instinctively turned his head, glancing towards the Dean of Morris Academy, who was responsible for maintaining order and officiating, seeking his guidance.

Morris, clad in an ancient white robe, was seated in the viewing stand. He stroked the beard on his chin.

This grizzled old man, who had weathered countless storms, usually maintained a composed and unruffled demeanor.

But at this moment, a hint of surprise flickered across his weathered face.

The surprise quickly faded, and Morris gave a slight nod.

Receiving the dean’s signal, the host hurriedly announced, “Since contestant Celeste has conceded and withdrawn from the match…”

“Therefore, the victor of this final is, from the Magic Sword Academy—”

“—contestant Luminas!”

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted in a cacophony of disbelief and shock.

“Celeste lost? How is that possible?!”

“No, wait! Didn’t she just flatten her opponent? Why did she suddenly concede?!”

“Impossible… How could that Luminas be so powerful?”

Yalin took a calming sip of juice. Things had truly exceeded his imagination, he mused inwardly, watching Luminas, covered in dust and grime, still standing in the arena.

Although some underhanded tactics were employed, he had never expected Luminas to actually overturn the original ending and win the match.

However, Celeste’s state was also quite peculiar.

If it was at the start of the match, perhaps her composure was disturbed, preventing her from reacting to the sudden sneak attack.

But in the final moments, she certainly didn’t lose due to the same circumstances.

At such close proximity, Yalin had observed clearly. Celeste had actually been prepared, her vortex already charged even before Luminas swung her sword.

However, at the critical moment that would decide victory or defeat, she hesitated.

It was precisely that moment of hesitation that caused her to miss her chance at victory.

But why? Was it out of fear that the strike would injure Luminas?

While Celeste possessed a relatively kind nature, she wasn’t the type to waver due to sympathy at such a crucial juncture.

Yalin shook his head. Though he couldn’t comprehend it, at least one thing was certain: the deviation of the match’s outcome from the original story was, nine times out of ten, due to his involvement.

Upon closer reflection, there had already been numerous instances where his intervention altered the plot. From saving Luwo from the church that day, or even earlier, from the day he left the Magic Academy, the gears of the story had already begun to shift.

This meant that his tragic fate on the night of the Academy Festival could also be reversed.

Thinking this, his mood brightened considerably, and he casually patted the shoulder of the person next to him.

“What do you want?”

The man beside him jumped in surprise, turning stiffly, his face still etched with shock.

“To collect my winnings, of course?”

Yalin spread his hands, stating matter-of-factly.

“Luminas won this match, and I bet on her, didn’t I?”

“Ah, this…”

Only then did the man remember that this fellow had apparently placed a bet of one Liel at the beginning of the match. But who could have imagined that Luminas would actually defeat someone as formidable as Celeste?

“Well… we didn’t set odds for Luminas winning initially…”

“That’s not my problem. I placed my bet, regardless.”

The man fell silent for a moment, then pulled a gold coin from his pocket and handed it over.

“Alright, consider yourself lucky. The odds will be calculated as one to one thousand so we don’t lose too much. Anyway, your principal was only one Liel, so this one gold coin is more than enough to make you a fortune.”

“That works too.”

Yalin wasn’t overly greedy. He accepted the coin with a smile, tucking it into his pocket contentedly. Then, humming a little tune, he stood up, ready to leave.

“Hey, where are you going?”

Seeing Yalin about to depart, the man was startled and instinctively called out.

“Where do you think I’m going? Home, of course.”

“This, this isn’t right, is it? Luminas is still on stage! There’ll be a victory speech later, and an awards ceremony. At such an important moment, aren’t you going to stay with her?”

The man looked at Yalin with a strange expression. ‘Even a blockhead should know what to do in such a simple situation! Does he have no brains?’ he thought.

“Even if you say so, that’s not part of the job description, is it?”

Yalin shrugged.

“J-job?”

“Exactly. Distinguishing between work hours and rest hours is crucial… Anyway, the victory speech will definitely take half the day, and I don’t want to work overtime in this dreadful place.”

Indeed, the Magic Academy was a dangerous place. If he were to encounter Celeste later, it would be troublesome. He didn’t want to stir up any more trouble. So, he had to slip away quickly now that the match was over.

Huff… huff…

Meanwhile, in the center of the arena.

Only after the host confirmed the final result did Luminas’s tightly strung nerves finally snap, completely relaxing.

“Wow!”

The last vestiges of strength supporting her body drained away. The rapier that had fought alongside her until now slipped from her grasp, clattering heavily to the ground.

She lowered her head, panting deeply, her vision blurred. She could only see sweat, mixed with blood, dripping onto the cracked stone slabs.

It felt so noisy.

The audience, which had been clamoring after the match, was now empty. Since a while ago, her ears had been ringing incessantly. Someone was cheering, someone was shouting, but the cacophony reached her ears as if through a thick film of water, not a single word discernible.

“Did I win?”

Luminas gazed at her trembling hands, whispering softly.

Yes, she had won.

She had won this match!

What do you think, Grandpa Orlando? Did you see that?

I’m amazing, aren’t I?

I did it! I won! I defeated that legendary Chosen One!

That’s right, she wasn’t the only one chosen… I am also a chosen one! I am worthy of inheriting the Gil!

Mom and Dad, did you see?

I’m no longer the crying child I once was!

I can stand on my own now, I can protect our family!

So, you don’t have to worry anymore…

“Ah… haha…”

Luminas’s parched lips parted slightly, emitting a few hollow laughs.

Yes, for a long time, Celeste had been an inescapable shadow looming over her. And now, she had finally achieved her wish, personally defeating Celeste, finally able to break free from that nightmare.

This scene, which she had only dreamed of, had finally come true today. Logically, shouldn’t she be overjoyed?

But why?

Her heart felt hollow, as if a large hole had been torn in it, and cold wind whistled through, leaving her unable to feel any warmth from the victory.

Was this truly enough?

Using Yalin, employing despicable tactics to defeat Celeste, achieving an ugly victory. Would doing this truly prove herself?

The people around her were cheering, shouting her name, but they were all unfamiliar faces. Ultimately, Grandpa wasn’t here, nor were Mom and Dad. The very people she had desperately wanted to prove herself to were long gone.

So, what was the point of her persistence?

A figure suddenly flashed through Luminas’s mind.

Wait, there was someone!

Yalin.

Yes, they had made a promise, hadn’t they? No matter what happened, Yalin would always be watching her!

He would prove that everything she had sacrificed was worthwhile!

Luminas gritted her teeth, struggling to prop up her collapsing body and looked behind her.

However, in the next second, her heart suddenly trembled violently, and she felt as if she had plunged into an icy abyss.

In the audience stands, the very front, the best vantage point, lay conspicuously empty. It was a glaring void.

Yalin had already left.