Hidden Motives

It took me a few days to recover from the fight. I spent my days without much distraction, waking up early and attending classes, followed by meetings with Professor Arven to discuss his studies and tests. When that wasn't possible, I'd pore over books of a wide variety of subjects in the library.

After that day, some students started to recognize me in the hallways, and others simply nodded in respect. My duel with Lyra had given me a certain recognition I hadn't expected. Apparently, I had been the challenger who had lasted the longest in a fight against her. And even though many had tried, no one had passed her test to be trained.

And despite agreeing with Nina to help me with my basic magic studies, we didn't meet up very often. I preferred to be in the library, flipping through page after page of ancient books forgotten by time. The yellowed pages and the strong smell of aged paper had a certain charm.

But while I thought I'd be at peace while I was there, another person thought the opposite. After discovering I had used that place as my spiritual retreat, he began visiting me frequently, sharing stories that I particularly didn't want to hear.

"Not that I was scared of her, but you saw how I fought. Even the senior students praised me."

Darin would bother me whenever he had free time. Maybe he had chosen me to be the center of his empty talk.

Ever since his duel with Lyra, he couldn't stop talking about it. Whenever he had a chance, he would try to bring her into the conversation. He had become obsessed with the arcane warrior.

"So, Haru? What do you think her type is? Do you think I'd have a chance?"

"She probably likes people who are less noisy."

He rested his hand on his chin, analyzing that possibility. I was surprised by the fact that he seemed to be thinking.

"That's true. She's all neat and tidy. And her eyes, do you remember them? When she looked at me lying on the ground, it felt like she wanted to say something more. Maybe she was too embarrassed to say it in front of everyone?"

I present to you Darin in his natural habitat, a specialist in saying things and thinking in a way that only made sense in his own head.

"Weren't you here to study the history of the Ten Primordial Masters?"

He looked at the book in front of him on the table. "But this is so boring. I only liked reading the stories when I was a kid."

"Are you sure you didn't just like looking at the pictures?"

"Why are you so mean?"

Perhaps realizing my need for space and my attempts to make him understand I wasn't there to talk, he leaned over the table. His head was turned toward me while I read a book about magical stones and runes.

The silence that followed was something I didn't expect. It was too good to be true. I turned the pages while he just followed my movements with his eyes. That repeated sequence lasted for a long, long time.

Until it got to the point where even I couldn't bear it anymore.

"You have a question, don't you?"

"How did you know? Well, whatever. Are you sure I can ask?"

"One more minute of you staring at me like that and I'll go crazy. Just ask."

"Are you going to give up on the tournament?"

I didn't expect his question. And to be honest, I hadn't even stopped to think about it much. After my defeat against Lyra, I realized two things.

One was that I wasn't so bad that I'd be defeated in the first round. The other was that I couldn't win the tournament.

It didn't matter how good I thought I was. I had lost to a tournament winner. And as much as I hated to admit it, against her, I looked like a complete amateur.

The warriors of this world seemed even stronger than what I read about in the old stories in the library. And I had only fought against a student. Experienced warriors and adventurers were on an unimaginable level.

Even so, I hadn't given up completely. I decided to continue with Nina's help. And what I learned from her could be useful for other things, like summoning magic. And in the tournament, I'd just try my luck with what I already knew.

The grimoire was becoming more and more just a dream, and my focus would be better spent helping Professor Arven and studying the mysterious arts of summoning so that one day I could understand how they worked and finally discover what happened to my sister.

"I think you can win," Darin said.

"And what makes you think that?"

I knew that Darin exaggerated everything that happened around him, dramatically increasing his perception of things. His considerations were basically unrealistic and inaccurate, but I was still curious about what he had to say.

"When I saw you fighting Lyra, I realized you would become a great warrior in the future."

"You can't know that from that pathetic demonstration of mine."

"You don't get it," he said. "There was something about the way you two fought that wasn't common. Like two great warriors fighting a battle that would result in the end of the world, and they both walked away defeated."

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is that if you challenged her again, I think the result could be different."

I ran my fingers over the books, as if the action could help me think about what he had said. It was true that I had understood my mistake, something I didn't intend to repeat in the future. But still, I wasn't sure if the result could be different.

Lyra was experienced. I saw that when I fought her. Meanwhile, I was just a former kendo practitioner and was proud of being the best at a video game. Real combat proved to be something beyond my capabilities.

"Do you really think it would be possible?"

Darin nodded. If I were to challenge her again and win, I could prove to her that I was worthy of training.

"But I'd still need to be more prepared. What I know about magic right now isn't enough."

"Why don't you ask Nina to help you more with that?"

Darin even seemed like a different person, no longer that student with messy hair who slept in class. He seemed responsible and down-to-earth, analyzing the possibilities in search of the best decision to make.

But something about all his eagerness still left me confused.

"Why do you want to help me so much with this?"

There had to be a reason behind it. Darin seemed very determined to help me, offering advice and guidance, and motivating me to continue. I still didn't understand what he had to gain from it.

"If you succeed, I can watch her during all your training sessions."

Darin was still an idiot. I don't know why I even thought otherwise.