Chapter 10 — The Princess and the Sun Guardian

The throne room of Eryndor was nothing short of majestic. White marble pillars stretched toward the ceiling, a crimson carpet led straight to the throne, and massive glass windows bathed the polished floor in sunlight so bright I could practically see my reflection on it.

Right now, my team and I stood in the center of the hall, surrounded by curious stares from nobles dressed in finery. Honestly, I was already annoyed at my teammates, but did they really have to point at me so blatantly like that?!

"Why would you all do that?!" I groaned.

Selena looked at me flatly.

"Haruto, lying isn’t good for you."

Great, thanks for the moral lecture at a time like this.

The man on the throne—whom I now knew as King Darius Everhart Eryndor—gave a small nod and gestured toward the team standing beside him.

"Introduce yourselves," he commanded.

One by one, the members of Eryndor’s Skystride team stepped forward.

"I am Gerald Noctvale, tanker."

"Kael Brave, attacker."

"Florentina Fenshire, support."

"Nicholas Veltieri, midfielder and vice-captain."

Then came her.

"Foolish mortals, kneel before me!" The girl in ornate robes strode forward dramatically. "I am Artemisia Voidbloom von Eryndor, the reincarnation of Lilith Nocturna Evernight, Queen of Darkness who once sealed away a thousand suns! Now reborn as a mage and captain of Eryndor’s Skystride team!"

…Oh no. Chuuni alert.

Fine. Two can play this game.

I dug through my bag, found a spare cloth, and tied it over my left eye.

"Artemisia Voidbloom," I declared, lowering my voice theatrically. "It is I—Haruto Kisaragi, the reincarnation of Solaris Luxflare, Guardian of the Sun! You plunged me into darkness once before, but—no, wait, not now! Stay sealed for now!" I clutched my left eye dramatically as gasps filled the room.

Alex, Selena, Lucas, Roland, and even Coach Leo froze in disbelief.

Then Artemisia smiled. "Solaris Luxflare… I, Lilith Evernight Nocturna, like you."

…Eh?

The hall erupted into chaos.

"Your Highness, what are you saying?!" Florentina yelped.

I stepped forward without missing a beat.

"Forgive me, Lilith Evernight Nocturna. But I already have someone I love!"

I took Selena’s hand and kissed it softly.

"The woman I love is Selena Alvaréz, this very woman!"

Selena’s face turned crimson. My team exploded.

"WHAT?!" Lucas yelled.

Leo blinked. "Since when?!"

"Since the moment I first saw her," I replied smoothly.

(Meanwhile, Selena’s thoughts: Why is my heart racing? This doesn’t make sense…)

Alex, ever the professional, cut in.

"Alex Varein, all-rounder, team captain. Oh, and Haruto’s a midfielder."

Selena stammered, hiding her face. "S-Selena Alvaréz… magic support and vice-captain…"

"Lucas Cyrus, vanguard," Lucas said, grinning like an idiot.

"Roland Stonewall, tanker," Roland added calmly.

Nicholas and Florentina scrambled forward, bowing.

"Your Majesty, please forgive this mess!"

But King Darius only laughed heartily.

"You all must be tired from your journey. Rest for today. We will begin tomorrow."

He gestured at the servants. "Show them to the guest rooms."

We followed obediently. The moment I saw the bed, I collapsed face-first and blacked out instantly.

---

The next morning, we arrived at Eryndor’s training grounds. After dividing our roles and exchanging nods, we took our positions.

A flare shot into the sky. Blue light blossomed overhead.

The friendly match had begun.