“Haha. I’m glad.”
Mantis stared at Anakin as if possessed, his cheeks flushed red as he watched Anakin’s clear smile.
“Anakin. Thank you for being so kind to me. To be honest, I felt very intimidated because I’m so insignificant compared to you guys, and I only showed my bad side during the exam.”
At Mantis’s sincere confession, Anakin slowly blinked his long eyelashes.
“I enjoy talking to you. You always smile and treat me kindly. Honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who could hate someone like you.”
“…Anakin.”
“…I just wanted to say thank you.”
Anakin stared blankly at Mantis, who looked embarrassed after saying everything he wanted to say, and then he let out a faint smile.
“Anakin is indeed kind.”
A battered Lucien said as he approached Anakin.
His robes were completely torn, and his entire body was covered in wounds from how much he had been hit by Chris.
Looking at that mess, Hilde spoke in a low voice.
“I think you should go to the infirmary first.”
“Why? I’m perfectly fine.”
‘So the real physical endurance wasn’t with Mantis, but right here,’ Anakin thought.
Lucien’s stubborn obsession was enough to make even the watching children shake their heads.
“Thanks to Anakin leading the battle, we managed to land a blow.”
Kayla walked past Lucien and approached Anakin with a smile.
Her warm voice echoed softly in the training ground like a goddess of peace on a battlefield.
“That’s right. Kayla’s binding… that was Anakin’s design, wasn’t it? Thanks to Anakin, we were able to face Teacher Chris.”
Lana and Henry also spoke up in agreement.
As soon as Kayla bound Chris, all the children poured out their magic at once as if they had planned it.
And this happened without any prior coordination.
It was truly a mysterious thing that these 47th-class students, who were so individualistic and self-centered, could unite even for a moment.
“Ah…”
Anakin stared at them blankly.
He couldn’t quite believe the situation where everyone was expressing their gratitude to him.
With a dazed face, Anakin blinked and looked at his classmates.
A moment from the past flashed through his mind—the days when he used to stay locked in his room, staring gloomily out the window.
‘…I am not weak anymore.’
In that instant, the surroundings seemed to sparkle and brighten, as if warm sunlight were pouring down.
Within that light, his 47th-class comrades were clearly visible.
Faces filled with trust and recognition.
He hadn’t expected that something done instinctively in a chaotic situation would be recognized in this way.
“I…”
“Anakin. You were cool.”
As Anakin lowered his head and muttered, a familiar low voice came from beside him.
Hilde was nodding as he looked at Anakin.
“…”
Anakin’s clenched fists trembled slightly.
It was because his emotions were heightening from the joy of being recognized.
“I should be the one thanking you for believing in me.”
The doll-like Anakin smiled brightly.
This time, it was the other children’s turn to stare at Anakin blankly.
They simply couldn’t get used to such unrealistic beauty.
Hilde, unable to watch any longer, pulled Anakin’s hood back over his head.
“Don’t smile if you can help it.”
“Oh, right.”
Anakin scratched his cheek sheepishly and let his lips curl into a smile.
Days in Pasadian passed quickly.
One day they would attend theory classes, another day they would do practical training, and on other days, they would stay in their rooms for private cultivation.
Living in Pasadian, there was one thing Anakin definitely felt: the apprentice disciples here were hiding something.
Even during classes, no one picked fights anymore, but they weren’t friendly either.
Just as he was starting to feel that something was strange, Hilde spoke to him.
“It seems there’s a leader among the apprentice disciples.”
“What?”
“Evan from the 38th class. Everyone seems to be afraid of him.”
‘Evan?’
Anakin blinked quietly at the name that didn’t sound unfamiliar.
It was a name that always occupied the top spot on the apprentice disciple grade reports posted in the hallway.
“Shouldn’t we be more cautious of someone with high grades?”
“I don’t know. But I do know he’s called the gatekeeper of the apprentice section. Despite being at the top, he’s apparently stayed there for quite a long time.”
The number of people chosen to be official disciples is limited.
Therefore, fierce competition happens among apprentice disciples every day.
Shouldn’t it be normal for them to keep each other in check?
He couldn’t understand why the others feared him.
“According to information I pried out of a classmate, that man named Evan has a firm grip on the apprentice annex. They say no disciple who offended him has stayed alive.”
“…What? Is that true?”
Anakin asked back in a trembling voice.
While it sounded unbelievable, it was a fully possible occurrence considering the setting was Pasadian.
The disciples here were somewhat closed-off, on edge… and always wore anxious faces.
He didn’t know how long this atmosphere had been going on, but it reached a point where he felt he shouldn’t stay here for long.
‘This is not a place for humans to live.’
That phrase was the perfect expression.
“Is he a family member of an Elder or something?”
“It doesn’t seem like it. If he were family, there would be no reason to keep him stuck here, right? With top grades, he would normally be chosen as an official disciple.”
“That’s true.”
Anakin nodded, agreeing with Hilde’s words.
“I wonder if this is what James meant when he warned us back then?”
The disciple who had said that death in Pasadian is equal for both nobles and commoners.
Back then, it had gone in one ear and out the other, but hearing Hilde’s words, Anakin thought the message James tried to convey might be related to this man named Evan.
“Hmm… perhaps.”
Hilde also narrowed his eyes and agreed.
‘If you take Pasadian so lightly, you’ll get hurt. If you stand out too much, you might get noticed.’
He had thought, ‘Doesn’t standing out make it easier to become an official disciple?’
But thinking about it now, the person James warned them not to be noticed by might have been Evan.
“Don’t worry too much. Just be careful. It seems more than a few people have fallen victim to him.”
“Alright.”
‘As expected of Pasadian. It’s really not easy to become an official disciple.’
Anakin let out a sigh.
Then, Hilde, who had been leaning against the wall, stared at Anakin and spoke.
“Why don’t you rest today? You’ve overexerted yourself lately.”
“…”
Hilde spoke in a stiff voice, remembering how Anakin had immersed himself in mana cultivation day and night even after coughing up blood during the practical training.
In response, Anakin only smiled with a troubled face.
The sunlight pouring through the window fell over Anakin’s head.
His white, clear face glowed transparently.
Only his red lips, not hidden by the hood, revealed that he was smiling.
Hilde stared at him with eyes that seemed completely displeased with Anakin’s attitude.
“Hilde, do you know you frown every time you see me lately?”
Anakin muttered in a very hurt tone.
It was a comment aimed at Hilde, whose expression had been crumbling every time they met recently.
As Anakin lowered his head and tapped his foot, the quiet Hilde finally spoke.
“I wonder. Aren’t you the one who ignores my words instead?”
“…”
Hilde’s expression was indifferent and cold.
Since it was his first time seeing such an expression from Hilde, Anakin looked up and shifted his eyes around in a flustered manner.
“Even though I tell you every time not to overdo it, you don’t listen to a single word.”
“…”
“You really make a person exhausted.”
Hilde let out a sigh and brushed his hair back.
Anakin carefully gauged his reaction.
Hilde had always worried and cared for him, and perhaps Anakin had started taking that too much for granted.
“I’m sorry…”
Even at Anakin’s shrinking voice, Hilde’s gaze remained fixed on the scenery outside the window.
“…”
Because Hilde was ignoring him completely, Anakin opened his lips as if shocked.
“Hilde-ya…”
Even though Anakin was looking at him piteously like a whimpering puppy, Hilde remained silent.
‘He’s really angry.’
This wasn’t a joke or teasing. Seeing that Hilde wouldn’t even reply, Anakin felt this was the real deal.
“Alright. I’ll rest well today.”
Hilde’s eyebrows seemed to twitch slightly at those words, but there was still no answer.
Hilde saw Anakin sit on the window sill through the corner of his eye.
He still didn’t look back, but Hilde reacted to the words Anakin blurted out aimlessly.
“…I guess I should go play with Lucien then.”
As soon as the name he hated most came out, Hilde’s face crumpled instantly.
“Anakin…”
The moment Hilde tried to turn toward him, Anakin gently took Hilde’s cheeks in both hands and made him face him.
Hilde’s golden pupils widened.
Anakin’s warm body heat was transferred to Hilde’s cheeks.
Furthermore, as Anakin’s sweet scent drifted into his nose, Hilde had no choice but to simply stare up at Anakin, who was looking down at him.
“Now you’re finally looking at me.”
The vivid red eyes under long eyelashes held a fatal temptation.
Hilde stopped moving altogether at the sight of Anakin.
“There’s no way I’d leave Hilde behind to go to Lucien.”
Because Anakin, smiling playfully with a light curl of his lips, was so maddeningly beautiful.
Hilde had been resentful, yet Anakin was so lovely he could embrace him entirely.
He didn’t hate how Anakin would always find a way to burrow into the gaps whenever he tried to keep his distance.
Only Anakin’s beautiful face was reflected in Hilde’s two eyes.
Anakin’s face, illuminated by the pouring sunlight, felt more vivid than the majestic scenery of the city.
In that moment, Hilde stopped breathing.
His stalled heart began to thud loudly.
Toward the innocent Anakin who was stroking his cheeks, Hilde, at this very moment…
Had no choice but to fall in love.
