Chapter – 16
Meanwhile, at the same time.
Ethan walked along the corridor leading to the training room.
The bustling students passing by were only a brief sight, and before he knew it, the passage was desertedācompletely empty.
Ethan, who’d been moving forward, suddenly stopped and lowered his eyes. His hardened face reflected on the smooth marble surface.
“…”
Ethan let out a low breath. He felt unsettled. He knew where the source of his agitation was.
It had been from the moment he’d heard Mikhail’s name in the student council room.
‘Is this another different action from before?’
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. Mikhail’s voice from when they’d met in the corridor lingered in his ears.
[I’m really sorry. I won’t get under your skin anymore.]
[I won’t try to expose your weaknesses either.]
That had been quite unusual, and now was the same. Until now, Mikhail hadn’t been involved in any academic activities.
‘What wind blew through him?’
Ethan, who’d been clicking his tongue disapprovingly, shook his head. Complaining wouldn’t solve anything.
Yeah, this might actually be a good thing.
Having more points of contact meant more opportunities to gauge Mikhail’s intentions.
‘So, let’s observe more carefully when the chance comes.’
Ethan paused before moving forward again.
Past the corridor leading to the outskirts, he soon arrived at the most rundown and isolated training ground on campus.
The new training ground assignments hadn’t been completed yet. This was the only training area that was open.
‘I was just planning to warm up my body a bit anyway. The facilities don’t really matter.’
Ethan lightly adjusted his grip on the wooden sword as he passed through the training ground entrance.
Clang!
…A striking sound clearly echoed.
Ethan flinched at the unexpected presence. He turned his head toward the source of the sound.
Clang!
The moment he spotted the person standing in the corner of the training ground, Ethan felt his blood run cold and hid behind a pillar.
His vision trembled finely. The moment he recognized the other person, his startled heart pounded as if it would burst.
‘…Mikhail Senit?’
Why is he at the training ground? And holding a sword?
It was an incomprehensible situation. The moment chaotic questions overwhelmed Ethan’s mind.
Clang!
A sharp striking sound shook his consciousness awake. Ethan withdrew his gaze and quickly turned toward the opposite side of the entrance.
Wasn’t this the last person he wanted to get tangled up with? There was no need to deliberately run into Mikhail.
Clang!
‘But.’
In an instant, Ethan stopped his steps.
He clenched his lowered fist tightly, bit his lip hard, then turned his head again. He looked at Mikhail in the corner.
Clang, clang!
Mikhail was swinging his sword at the training dummy with an unprecedentedly serious face.
Though his form was quite clumsy.
And the sword he was swinging… looked like it would break soon.
“…”
Ethan carefully observed Mikhail’s expression.
Mikhail was only focused on swinging the sword. There was no sign at all that he’d noticed this side’s presence.
‘If that’s the case… should I watch a bit longer?’
Ethan lowered his body and held his breath to hide his presence.
People tend to be more honest when alone, so if he watched, he might catch a clue to gauge his intentions.
‘The appearance is a bit lacking, but…’
Wasn’t this just tailing someone? It was an undeniably pathetic sightāfar from dignified.
If by any chance Mikhail discovered this state, he’d mock, torment, and harass him for at least a week.
[Ha, what’s the use of being called an honor student and getting praised everywhere? When you can’t abandon your despicable ways even if you die. …Well, I suppose vulgar nature doesn’t go anywhere.]
‘…Damn it, what does it matter as long as I don’t get caught?’
Ethan swallowed dryly and shook off the worries following him. He was confident he wouldn’t be discovered.
Ethan’s own physical abilities were outstanding even among his year, but Mikhail wasn’t. Rather, he was at the lowest level.
Stamina, strength, sensitivity, and flexibilityāeverything.
If Ethan hid his presence like now, the possibility of Mikhail noticing this side’s presence was slim… no.
‘It’s safe to say there’s none.’
Clang, clang!
Meanwhile, Mikhail kept swinging the sword.
Sweat dripped down his flushed cheeks like rain, and his arms and legs swayed repeatedly with each sword strike.
In the meantime, the cracks carved into the blade grew deeper and deeper. It was a situation where the sword could break at any moment.
Ethan swallowed. At this rate, blade fragments could fly back and cause serious injury…
Clatter!
That’s when it happened.
Mikhail dropped the sword to the ground and stopped moving. He tilted his head back and caught his breath in place.
His sweat-soaked upper body heaved several times.
Mikhail’s eyes, which had been staring blankly at the sky, rolled to fix on the pillar where Ethan was positioned.
“…!”
The moment a sensation like being pierced by something gripped Ethan, Mikhail frowned and swept back his hair.
“Don’t hide and come out. Ethan Welton.”
Mikhail looked at Ethan emerging from behind the pillar. For someone caught hiding, he was quite composed.
Standing calmly and facing this way. But in reality, he seemed quite flustered as his clenched fingertips trembled faintly.
‘Well, he would be surprised.’
He couldn’t have imagined this side would find him first.
Mikhail glanced down at his own upper body. In truth, he hadn’t felt Ethan’s presence or any sense of wrongness.
However, the clues that led to tracking were separate.
“…”
Mikhail’s eyes looked once at the training dummy before him.
‘No wonder it was so quiet.’
The training dummy Mikhail had been striking until now was an object with a special function.
It provided special support abilities to individuals whose stats were far below average.
But there was a restriction on the function’s manifestation.
Specifically, it wouldn’t activate if someone not meeting the conditions existed near the training ground.
It was a measure to prevent honor students from using functions activated by failing students.
He’d learned someone was nearby through this point.
‘Those guys were on high alert too.’
Soon after, Mikhail glanced at the tree branch to the side. The sky foxes had raised their fur and were growling.
It was quite different from how they’d been playing by plucking leaves until Ethan revealed himself.
In other words, the person nearby was someone with physical abilities at a level the sky foxes couldn’t detect.
‘And lastly.’
It was a setting the original Mikhail had.
Mikhail was someone who’d run wild both on and off campus.
If someone was secretly tailing him, it was more likely bad blood than goodwill.
To play a trick, to mock him. Or if not that, to monitor something.
Considering the above conditions, there was one person who easily came to mind.
Ethan Welton.
“Mikhail.”
Cutting through Mikhail’s thoughts, Ethan narrowed his brow and opened his mouth.
“How did you know I was here?”
A cold atmosphere sharply emanated.
However, Mikhail only gazed at Ethan silently while choosing an appropriate answer.
Cutting off the conversation by saying it wasn’t something to know about could be a solution in its own way.
But there was a goal to improve their relationship, wasn’t there? It would be better to give an answer that felt more gentle.
‘But I can’t tell the truth as it is.’
Function manifestation conditions and whatnotāit’s incomprehensible talk.
So it would be best to mix one spoonful of lies into the game’s settings to tell a plausible story.
Even though that lie was somewhat reluctant. Mikhail slowly opened his mouth.
“I just got lucky and found out.”
“Lucky…”
Ethan let out a hollow breath as if it made no sense, but Mikhail calmly gestured toward the front of the training ground.
Both their gazes reached a dust-covered magic tool.
The magic tool engraved with unknown patterns was so old and worn that even guessing its purpose was difficult.
“That’s a magic tool for measuring physical condition. It’s a model that’s hard to see… no, impossible to see anywhere else.”
“What?”
Ethan frowned as if asking what nonsense this was.
But Mikhail only stretched out his hand to point at the magic tool. At his fingertip was a nearly erased pattern.
“Because the person who made that magic tool was Salvator’s first principal. From his time as a regular professor.”
“…”
“He’s well known for his fiery temperament, but in truth, the first principal couldn’t easily pass by students struggling with achievement. He pondered ways to help. One result of that contemplation was that magic tool. I think it had a function to measure even minute physical changes…”
Mikhail glanced at Ethan’s profile. Everything he’d said until now was true.
So from now on.
“Then let’s get back to the main point. You asked how I detected your hiding?”
…It would all be lies.
