Chapter 235: Jealousy Makes Good Fuel

Chapter 235: Jealousy Makes Good Fuel

Layla noticed me walking toward her after a few seconds.

She first looked at my face, then at the lower lip I had just wet with my tongue. The concern on her face disappeared at once, replaced by anger mixed with disgust. She crossed her arms as though she hadn’t been the one watching Felix anxiously only moments ago.

"Why are you licking your lips while walking toward me, you pervert?"

"They were dry."

"Don’t lie! You’re definitely thinking about something disgusting again."

What I was thinking about wasn’t actually disgusting. I was merely considering different ways to use her jealousy to increase my influence over Felix.

I saw nothing wrong with that.

I stopped a few steps away from Layla. Now that I was closer, a small piece of fabric sticking out of the side pocket of her school jacket caught my attention.

A pink dragon’s tail...

She still had my handkerchief.

When Layla noticed where I was looking, she quickly shoved the fabric deeper into her pocket. A faint blush spread across her face as she did so.

"You still have my handkerchief."

"I didn’t steal it!" she shot back. "I was left holding it that day. I was going to wash it and give it back, but I haven’t had the chance."

"I didn’t call you a thief."

Layla’s blush deepened. Instead of answering, she raised her chin and looked away, though her right hand remained over the pocket containing the handkerchief.

Perhaps the real reason she had watched me throughout the lesson was that she wanted to return it.

Needing hours of mental preparation for something so simple was rather pathetic.

"You’re my partner today," I said.

The embarrassment vanished from Layla’s face.

"Huh?"

"We’re going to fight each other."

"In your dreams, freak. Go find someone else."

"Look around."

Layla reluctantly surveyed the area. Almost all the students had already paired up. Some had drawn their weapons and put distance between themselves as they waited for the fighting to begin. Only the two of us were still standing without partners.

Veris had also reached Felix by then.

Felix stared in surprise at the black-haired knight standing before him. Rose, who had been speaking to him only moments ago, had taken a step back and was trying to understand the reason for the sudden tension between them.

The moment Layla saw them, all the anger disappeared from her face. Her hands involuntarily clenched into fists as she leaned forward with concern.

"Who’s that person approaching Felix?"

"Knight boy."

"Doesn’t he have a name?"

"He does, but knight boy is easier."

Layla gave me a suspicious look.

"Did you send him after Felix?"

"Send isn’t the right word. We merely made a small deal."

"What kind of deal?"

"I told him I’d fight him later if he gave Felix a good beating."

Layla’s eyes widened in shock.

"What did you do?!"

The moment she tried to run toward Felix, I stepped in front of her. When Layla moved to the right, I blocked that side, and when she tried going left, I moved into her path again.

"Get out of my way!"

"No."

"You sicced that psychotic knight on Felix, and now you won’t let me go over there?"

"He isn’t a psychopath."

"If he agreed to beat someone for no reason, then he definitely is!"

By that logic, I would also have to admit that I was a psychopath.

Therefore, I ignored Layla’s assessment.

Veris’s serious voice rose from Felix’s side of the training grounds.

"Pair up with me."

Felix pointed at himself and blinked in surprise.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Yes."

Felix glanced around. I wasn’t sure why that was necessary, but when he saw no one nearby other than Rose, he smiled comfortably.

"All right. I’d be happy to train with you."

Rose immediately stepped in.

"Wait, Felix! We were going to pair up."

Felix scratched his head with an apologetic expression. Veris, meanwhile, barely acknowledged Rose’s presence beyond giving her a brief glance.

"You can find someone else. I’m fighting this boy."

"This boy? He has a name!"

"Rose, it’s fine." Felix raised a hand and smiled to calm her down. "Training with new people might be more useful. You can find another partner, and we can train together afterward if you want."

Rose still looked reluctant, but she eventually stepped away. After making eye contact with the brown-haired support mage who was standing alone nearby, she headed toward her.

Layla didn’t look relieved.

On the contrary, she seemed even more worried because Felix had agreed to fight Veris so easily.

"Felix shouldn’t fight him," she muttered. "You can tell he’s strong just from his stance."

"Felix isn’t weak either."

"I know that!"

"Then why are you worried?"

Layla couldn’t answer. She pressed her lips together and looked back at Felix just as Professor Aemon’s reluctant voice spread across the training grounds.

"Oiii, stop standing around and start training! Don’t think I can’t see you just because my hat is covering my eyes."

His black hat was still pulled down over his eyes. After speaking, he rested his head against the weapon chest and crossed his arms as if he truly intended to fall asleep.

The students hesitated for a few seconds before they began fighting.

The training grounds were suddenly filled with clashing metal, exploding spells, and shouting. The protective rune pillars trembled as they activated, forming a thin, transparent dome over the entire area.

Layla remained where she was.

"We haven’t paired up," she said stubbornly.

"I told Veris that we had."

"You didn’t ask me."

"I’m asking now. Do you want to fight me?"

"No."

"Then you can stand here until the lesson ends and watch Felix talk to Rose."

Layla’s right eye twitched slightly.

"What does that have to do with Rose?"

"Nothing. I only mentioned her because you get angry whenever you see her."

"I’m not angry!"

"Your face is red."

"It’s because of the cold!"

The protective barrier surrounding the training grounds blocked most of the wind. It was also obvious that the redness spreading all the way to Layla’s ears had nothing to do with the cold.

I didn’t point that out.

There was an easier way to convince her to fight me.

"If you fight me, I might stop the training match I arranged for Felix."

Layla’s eyes immediately narrowed.

"Really?"

"Maybe."

"What do you mean, maybe, you freak?!"

"If you give me a good enough reason, I’ll stop it."

"Would beating you be a good enough reason?"

"If you manage it, I might consider it."

Layla stared into my eyes for several seconds. Then she pulled the staff from her back and held it out in front of her. As she spread her feet shoulder-width apart, small sparks of mana appeared around the stone at the top of her staff.

Her expression was completely serious.

"If you go back on your word afterward, I’ll kill you."

"A lot of people have said that."

"Draw your sword!"

"There’s no need."

The mana around Layla suddenly surged.

"Don’t look down on me!"

The moment she pointed the end of her staff at me, an emerald magic circle opened before it. A compressed sphere of mana formed at its center before shooting toward my face with a hum that made the air tremble.

All I had to do was tilt my head slightly to the side.

The sphere passed beside my ear and struck the ground behind me, sending snow, mud, and pieces of stone into the air with a small explosion.

Layla didn’t wait to see the result of her first attack. Three more magic circles formed around her staff, firing mana bolts one after another. Two headed directly for my chest, while the third rose above me and passed over my head.

I moved forward between the first two attacks.

The third bolt suddenly changed direction behind me and flew toward my back, but I stepped aside. When it passed in front of me and struck the ground, the confident expression on Layla’s face wavered.

I began closing the distance between us.

A mage’s greatest advantage was the distance between them and their opponent. Once that distance disappeared, however, their survival depended on how quickly they could prepare a defensive spell.

Layla took several steps back while holding her staff in front of her chest. A translucent, hexagonal mana barrier began forming before her, but I reached her before the spell was complete.

I placed two fingers against her throat.

Layla’s body immediately froze.

"Your first death," I said.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I could have cut your throat before you finished the barrier. The moment you allow your opponent to get close, you should stop preparing attack spells and switch to defense."

"I didn’t ask for your advice."

"You died within a few seconds even though I wasn’t using a weapon."

Layla clenched her teeth in anger. She leaped backward to reopen the distance between us and pointed her staff at me again.

This time, her spells came much faster.

Small magic circles appeared one after another around her staff, firing mana bolts, thin mana arrows, and spheres of light that exploded on contact. Instead of pouring all her strength into a single spell like before, Layla tried to link different attacks together. She constantly moved backward and sideways to maintain the distance between us.

Compared to most people her age, she wasn’t bad.

However, her mind wasn’t on the fight.

The moment the sound of two swords colliding rose from the other side of the training grounds, Layla’s eyes immediately shifted toward Felix.