Vol 2. Chapter 99: Crouching Dragon, Hidden Phoenix

“You detestable stinking blue-haired freak, and you’ve still got the face to bring up last time!” Milian bared her sharp little tiger fangs, puffing her cheeks in anger. “If it weren’t for the rule that we had to fight barehanded last time, without weapons or magic, I would have plucked out every last strand of that blue hair of yours! Bleh—bleh—bleh!”

As she spoke, Milian stuck out her tongue and pulled a face at Vinny.

“Oh ho? You still want to pluck this Young Master’s hair? Bold little thing—you’d better watch out, or this Young Master will shave you bald in minutes.” Vinny lifted his gaze at her words.

“Hmph! All you humans can do is brag!” Milian huffed in outrage at the provocation. “You’d better start praying to your goddess right now—pray that you don’t get matched against this princess!”

“Alright, alright, Milian, don’t be angry. If you’re always angry, you’ll get wrinkles, you know?~” Beside them, Aesphyra said with a smiling gaze.

“Y-you, you just laughed at this princess just now, didn’t you??” Milian shot a glare at Aesphyra.

“Eh? Milian, you’re mistaken. I wasn’t laughing at all. That was a completely open and very friendly smile, wasn’t it?” Aesphyra lifted her elegant brows.

“Isn’t that the same as mocking this princess?? As I thought, you and this blue-haired human are in cahoots, aren’t you?? Hmph, you humans really are so united??” Milian insisted.

“My, my, Milian, that’s quite the misunderstanding. I’m very firmly standing on Milian’s side, you know?” Aesphyra only blinked her violet gemlike eyes with a cheerful smile.

“Tsk, you human, pretending to side with me—does this princess look blind to you? If I remember right, you’re that Aesphyra who ranked first on the entrance exam, aren’t you? Hmph, prepare yourself! If I draw you, I’ll definitely snatch away your first place title!” With a snort, Milian turned away, as if she had only come here to deliver Vinny a final ultimatum.

“Oh-ho-ho? Aesphyra, looks like your attempt to take her side didn’t win her over.” Watching Milian’s back as she left, Vinny mocked.

That green-eyed iron maiden trying to charm a girl and getting shut down—Vinny found the sight most enjoyable.

“Not win her over? Compared to that, I rather hope I draw Vinny later~” Aesphyra’s lips curved faintly.

“Eek! You! Don’t take out your frustration on me just because you couldn’t pick up a girl!” Vinny took a step back.

“See you soon then, Vinny.” Aesphyra turned and headed off to draw her lot.

Vinny glanced around and realized it wasn’t only Milian and Aesphyra here—even Isatia was present. The black-haired, violet-eyed noble girl stood tall among the crowd, dazzling.

Had he stumbled into the heroine’s nest?? How could one year-level battle gather so many fated heroines??

Better hope he didn’t draw any of them.

Soon, the matches for this bracket were about to begin. The instructor stood on stage, calling numbers. Students whose numbers were called went up to draw their opponent’s lot, then stepped down to search for their matchup, while the next student was called.

Very soon, Vinny saw Aesphyra’s number called. She stepped up and drew her opponent.

No way??~

Standing below, Vinny swallowed nervously.

It was one thing to be forced together in a practical mission—but surely not even in the year-level battle would he get drawn into her group, right??

Scores weighed heavily on performance, sure, but who wanted to lose if they could help it?

He certainly didn’t believe he could beat Aesphyra—she was someone who, as just a Sorcerer, could trade blows with Jiu Lixue.

At her peak, even Wen Nisha would have no guarantee of winning against her. And what’s more—would he really bring Wen Nisha out for some mere practice battle, in front of the whole academy? The cost-to-reward ratio would be idiocy. That was absolutely impossible.

Ah well, forget it. He’d already scored near full marks in the practical mission. Even if he bombed the practice battle, it shouldn’t matter much, right?

Vinny thought this to himself as he watched Aesphyra walk down from the stage after drawing her lot.

Not only Vinny grew nervous—many students grew tense, dreading she might come toward them. No one wanted to be the stepping stone for the year’s number one.

Of course, some students were indifferent. In their eyes, being defeated by the year’s top wasn’t shameful—and who said they would lose? Maybe they had improved enough this semester to close the gap.

And then there were those who thought the opposite: they wanted to be picked.

Why? Because Aesphyra’s popularity at Carillian Academy was sky-high, spawning fan clubs even she didn’t know about. To them, being beaten up by Aesphyra wasn’t a bad thing at all—it was a chance to connect, maybe even get acquainted, build some rapport.

And then, under everyone’s gaze, Aesphyra walked in a certain direction.

That direction—was exactly where Vinny stood.

Oh shit! Not him again??

Vinny despaired.

And as she drew near, he could clearly feel her pace slow down.

It was over—she was coming for him!

Vinny was frantic.

Just as he resigned himself, already considering how to maximize his score under the assumption he’d lose—Aesphyra suddenly quickened her steps again, brushing right past him.

And as she passed, he heard her whisper:

“What a pity~”

Whether she was talking to herself or deliberately to him, he didn’t know.

Pity what? That she didn’t get to beat him up in public, ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) right??

Oh for fuck’s sake, this white-haired little nut really was rotten!

And that slowed step just now—obviously deliberate!

Ah, this woman!

Even so, Vinny breathed a sigh of relief.

Good, good. He knew it—one person couldn’t always be cursed with misfortune. Finally, someone else would be victimized by Aesphyra. He had to see just who the unlucky one was.

And then he saw Aesphyra stop just behind him, before a blonde elf girl. She gave a graceful bow.

“Milian, I’ll be in your care.”

“Hmph, so it’s you.” Milian frowned, then cracked her knuckles. “You too, then—let’s see what you’ve got.”

“Careful now, or I’ll snatch your top rank before you know it.”

“Oh my, how terrifying. Please go easy on me, Milian~” Aesphyra smiled sweetly. “It’s an honor to face you.”

Of course, that smiling tiger’s modesty was just symbolic.

In truth—

While the other students debated which of the year’s top five would win, Vinny already knew the outcome.

And he was quite happy with it.

He wouldn’t have to lift a finger—golden-haired elf brat was about to get wrecked.

Not that she’d suffer much; green-eyed Aesphyra had always been tender toward beauties.

“Aesphyra, take your time—play with her a bit.” As the two headed to the arena, Vinny fanned the flames, waving cheekily at Aesphyra.

“Milian, you—ah, forget it, just do your best, don’t lose heart.” When Milian’s turn came, Vinny sighed theatrically, wearing an expression of “you’re hopeless, whatever,” which made Milian grind her teeth in fury.

[Virtue +80]

[Current Virtue: 4354]

“Ugh, stinking blue-haired freak, count yourself lucky!” Milian shot him a deadly glare and marched off with Aesphyra to the arena.

Soon, it was Vinny’s turn to draw lots.

As he walked up, he could feel many eyes fixed on him.

And these eyes weren’t friendly—they were predatory.

Damn it, didn’t they learn from last time? Did they really think this Young Master was some easy-to-squeeze persimmon that would crumble at a touch??

Vinny drew his lot. The name written was Andre Elson.

The hell?

He froze, thinking he’d misread—maybe the surname, maybe the given name. But no—he’d read right.

What stunned him wasn’t that this name belonged to some known figure from the original work. Quite the opposite—this character didn’t even have a name in the source. A complete nobody.

But Vinny happened to know him. Not because of anything else, but because...

Vinny stepped down, also drawing many eyes. But unlike Aesphyra, who drew dread, Vinny drew anticipation—as if the slip in his hand was a winning lottery ticket.

Scanning the crowd, he finally noticed a boy standing off alone in a corner. With a helpless sigh, Vinny walked over.

“You brat, saw me earlier and didn’t even come say hello? So you’re here too?” Vinny asked, exasperated.

“Heh-heh, Big Bro Vinny, I saw you were busy, surrounded by all those top-five beauties. I didn’t want to intrude.” Andre chuckled.

“Alright, let’s go. I’ve got no other reason—I drew you. We’re paired up.” Vinny showed him the slip.

“Oh-ho?? What a coincidence. Could it be, the cards have woven our fates together??” Andre said with a dead-serious face.

“Cards my ass. Come on, let’s go to the arena—we’ll talk on the way.” Vinny snapped.

Yes—this guy was one of his card buddies.

“Eh, Big Bro Vinny, I was just thinking who my opponent would be, and I was nervous. After all, you know better than anyone how weak I am!” Andre hurried after him, grinning sycophantically.

The reason he called Vinny “Big Bro” was because, in their card circle, Vinny was the most successful. Hence, he’d been nicknamed “big bro” by the rest.

And yes, the card circle was full of academic slackers—each one weaker than the next, their minds focused entirely on cards.

Still, “slackers” was only relative to Carillian Academy. Compared to peers outside, they were still monsters.

“If it’s you, Big Bro, then I’m at ease. By the way, my practical mission score wasn’t great. Remember last time when I let you have the first move in the card game? Maybe you could...”

“Fine, fine, since you’ve put it that way, what can I say? I’ll give you plenty of time to show off later.”

“Ha! That’s exactly what I wanted to hear!” Andre lit up with joy.

“But you know, throwing a fight is forbidden. If they notice, it’ll be ruled a fake match.”

“Then... what do you say, Big Bro?”

“How about this...”

When they reached the arena, the referee announced the rules, and the two took their positions.

At the signal, the battle began.

Other matches roared to life instantly, students striking first to show off before the judges. But here...

Vinny took a deep breath, summoning his sturdy Armor Fortress, while Andre drew his longsword.

“Hyaah!” Andre shouted. “Take this—Elson Family Secret Art, Flame Slash!”

“Good one! Witness my Facilis Ice Skin Technique!”

On the arena stage, the two traded blows back and forth. What left spectators with black lines was that both shouted their technique names before using them—giving each other plenty of time to dodge. The fight went back and forth, neither gaining the upper hand.

After fifty rounds with no result, the referee and judges were speechless. Sure, it looked fishy—but the rules never said you couldn’t shout your techniques.

And it wasn’t throwing the fight either—they weren’t holding back their magic, and every strike aimed straight at the opponent.

Still, it was the kind of fight that made you want to shout, “Stop fighting already—go practice dance instead.”

In the end, the referees let it be. It was only a first-year battle. Weak performances were normal, and the academy judged practice battles leniently anyway. They’d just have to swallow this mess.

Finally, after nearly a hundred rounds, Andre collapsed from exhaustion and narrowly lost. Vinny was declared the victor. The two shook hands, as if they were heroes parting with mutual respect.

The referee announced the result with visible relief. His legs were numb, and the fact that neither contestant had shouted themselves hoarse was a miracle.

And so, with arms over each other’s shoulders, Vinny and Andre walked off the arena.

Vinny’s practice battle ended with him as the winner.

From another arena, he saw students returning. Aesphyra and Milian’s duel was already over—and as he expected, Milian had lost. Judging by her utterly dejected expression, she’d been completely crushed.

Given Milian’s bratty personality, if she’d lost narrowly, she’d be fuming with indignation. Only by realizing the true gulf between them could she look so despondent, like a brat begging for a beating and finally getting it.

Vinny guessed that, true to Aesphyra’s nature, she hadn’t gone all-out against a girl. More likely, some careless hint had given away just how much she was holding back, and Milian had noticed. That was what left her doubting her very elven existence.