Chapter 128: A Hollow Victory

“Luminas, are you alright? Are you feeling better?”

The voices around her gradually sharpened. Luminas lifted her head, her gaze unfocused for a moment.

As her vision cleared, she saw a woman in a lab coat, dressed like a doctor, looking at her with a worried expression.

A warm, gentle green glow emanated from the woman’s palm, covering Luminas’s wounds.

She was using high-level white magic to heal her body.

“How do you feel? Is there anywhere else that hurts?”

Luminas moved her limbs, discovering that all the pain in her body had vanished.

Even the fractured bone in her leg had completely recovered, as if it had never been broken.

However, her vision remained exceptionally blurry, as if veiled by a layer of white gauze.

The side effects of her future sight, it seemed, were not so easily dispelled.

She shook her head, her voice hoarse. “I’m fine, thank you.”

“Ah, that’s good then.”

The doctor let out a long sigh of relief. After confirming that Luminas was not seriously injured, she couldn’t help but smile with excitement.

“That match just now was truly spectacular! I never imagined you could defeat that legendary magician, said to appear only once in a millennium. It’s absolutely incredible! A true miracle!”

“A miracle…”

Luminas lowered her head, gazing at her open palms. The imprints from gripping her sword still lingered there.

Indeed, she had won.

That lofty genius, who had even driven her own grandfather to madness, had, in that moment, truly bowed before her rapier.

Yet, she knew this was no miracle at all.

It was merely a victory she had snatched through despicable means, by sheer luck.

Luminas lowered her eyes.

She had known Yalin long before he transferred to the Alchemist Branch.

While their initial encounter was an accident, her desire to approach Yalin had been a long-planned, deliberate act.

She had secretly investigated Celeste’s entire background, knowing that she and Yalin were childhood sweethearts.

Though his name held little interest for her, she couldn’t ignore him.

At that time, her mind was solely focused on extracting information or weaknesses about Celeste from Yalin.

What truly solidified her resolve was later stumbling upon Celeste, who had specifically come to visit him.

Luminas, hidden in the bushes, had witnessed the entire scene unfold.

A fleeing Yalin, a heartbroken and self-blaming Celeste, and a cat-boy who inexplicably appeared, delivering an incoherent speech, his name unknown.

From that conversation, Luminas caught a crucial piece of information: Celeste seemed to harbor a strong sense of guilt towards Yalin.

From that moment on, a sordid idea began to sprout in her heart.

Consumed by obsession, she exploited Yalin’s identity and Celeste’s unique feelings for him.

In the end, even on the arena stage, she unscrupulously took advantage of her opponent’s sympathy and kindness, delivering that contemptible sword strike in a moment of hesitation.

This was the true reason for her victory.

How truly ugly it was.

Would doing this truly prove that she was special?

“Luminas, hurry and claim your prize. The awards ceremony is about to begin,” the doctor eagerly reminded her.

Luminas snapped back to reality and, somewhat sluggishly, rose to her feet.

Only then did she realize she was still standing in the center of the arena.

Cheers surged like a tide, countless voices shouting her name, all eyes fixed upon her.

The Dean of Morris Academy, standing on the podium, also cast a glance of relief and admiration her way.

This was a scene Luminas had once yearned for, yet she found herself utterly unable to rejoice.

She looked once more towards the special seating area.

It was empty, still vacant.

Of course, Yalin was a clever person.

As soon as she had uttered those words at the start of the match, he must have realized he was being used.

Given that, it was only natural for him to depart in anger, having seen her true colors. Their relationship was likely over.

Despite this being a perfectly clear outcome, Luminas felt a sudden pang in her nose, and an intense wave of regret washed over her.

If only Yalin could be there.

Then, even losing the match wouldn’t have mattered…

For some reason, she suddenly recalled the words she had spoken to Celeste at the start of the match.

“Even if everyone else doubted me, only he was willing to stand by my side, supporting me without reservation.”

Why had she uttered those words so smoothly at the time?

Initially, in her plan, it was merely a lie meant to deceive Celeste and disrupt her composure.

But why, when she spoke them, did her chest fill with a warmth she had never experienced before?

It was as if her long-frozen heart had begun to beat anew.

‘So, that’s how it is…’

Only now did she finally understand.

All this time, she had believed she hated Celeste, hated the genius who effortlessly possessed everything without doing a thing.

She thought that by defeating Celeste, she could prove her grandfather wrong, prove the value of her parents’ choices, and fill the gaping hole in her heart.

However, after meticulously planning and winning a sordid victory, she discovered there was no thrill of revenge.

All that remained was an endless void.

In truth, all she truly desired was for someone to truly see her.

She yearned for someone to stand by her side, someone who, even if they did nothing else, would earnestly tell her: “Everything you do is valuable, and I believe in you.”

That was all.

Luminas’s gaze dimmed as she prepared to head to the podium. Just then, she overheard a conversation coming from near Yalin’s seat.

“Hey, that guy named Yalin really hit the jackpot. He was the only one who bet on Luminas winning, and he actually got it right.”

“’Yalin? I remember Luminas even called out his name on stage. What’s their relationship, anyway?’”

“’No idea, but Luminas finally won, and that guy left before the match was even over. I really don’t get what he was here for.’”

“Speaking of which, if he was the only one who bet correctly, didn’t you lose a fortune?”

“Not too bad, mainly…”

Luminas suddenly froze, her steps faltering.

She turned around, stumbling as she ran down from the arena, grabbing hold of the perimeter railing.

“You… what did you just say? What did Yalin bet on?”

“Ah, he…”

The man looked terrified, utterly bewildered as to why Luminas had suddenly rushed over to question him. He stammered, “He, he said he believed you would win, so he bet that you would be the victor of this match…”

After speaking, he suddenly remembered something and hastily explained, “We, we were just joking! Congratulations on winning the match, you’re the pride of our Magic Sword Academy!”

Luminas said nothing, simply standing there blankly, her mind reeling from a single fact.

Yalin, he truly believed I could win the match?

Everyone, even she herself, had not believed she could defeat Celeste.

But Yalin had been willing to believe in her, he, who loved money more than anything, had placed his bet on her.

Yet, she had dared to deceive him, even exploited him…

“Even if everyone else doubted me, only he was willing to stand by my side…”

What was originally a lie had now become the sharpest boomerang, piercing Luminas’s heart.

“Student Luminas, what’s wrong?” Morris approached Luminas, asking with concern.

“Please, quickly get to the podium. Everyone is waiting for you.”

“I’m sorry… I have to go,” Luminas whispered.

“Hmm?”

Morris looked at Luminas in confusion. Just as he was about to say something, Luminas leaped up, jumped down from the arena, and vanished from the spot in an instant, leaving behind a bewildered crowd.

Such a thing had never happened in the academy before.