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He glanced down at me while we soared over the rooftops, "Don\'t worry. If you\'re being targeted by the Eclipse, that means I\'m your ally," he said, his voice steady and reassuring.

He knew about the Eclipse, and he declared himself my ally. Did that mean he was actively battling them?

As I thought about it, his face struck me with familiarity. Suddenly, it clicked—he was the student who had come to Charlotte Sierra\'s rescue and fought off the Eclipse members.

It was Leon, the skillless academy student from Milham Academy.

"Let\'s get somewhere safe where she can\'t find us," he suggested. "You\'re unlucky to have someone like her as your enemy. She\'s the worst adversary you could face."

That\'s right. It hadn\'t occurred to me until now, but that woman had clearly been toying with me. She hadn\'t been fighting at her full potential at all. That\'s why when she launched her final attack, I was so stunned. It was then I realized she hadn\'t taken me seriously at all. Somehow, that left me feeling disappointed.

After what seemed like an eternity, we reached what appeared to be an abandoned church. He gently lowered me to the ground. As I stood there, no longer cradled in his arms that had unexpectedly brought me comfort, a pang of sadness washed over me. I couldn\'t fathom why I felt this way.

"She won\'t find us here," he said, glancing around the old church. He then looked at me. "Let me heal you."

"O-Oh. Thanks," I stammered.

He began to heal me with his magic, and the pain rapidly dissipated. His skill with healing magic was impressive, and the way he concentrated his power showed just how proficient he was.

"I didn\'t think you had the guts to face off against someone of that caliber, Professor Rose," he remarked. "Considering your martial arts skills, it\'s no wonder you\'ve caught the eye of such a powerful Eclipse member. But you should dig deeper into their background. Many of them are lethal."

"You seem well-informed about that cult," I countered, studying him with suspicion. "And judging by your rooftop acrobatics earlier and your escape from that formidable woman, you\'re no stranger to physical prowess either. You\'re not just a skillless student, are you?"

"Believe me, Professor," he said with conviction. "I am about as skillless as they come."

"Then why are you tangling with the Eclipse? I\'ve received credible reports that you faced off against Eclipse members who were kidnappers and rescued Charlotte Sierra. I\'ve got solid evidence of that incident. My source is rock solid. If you don\'t clarify your connection with the Eclipse, I\'ll take this straight to the Administrators.

They could strip you of your Milham Academy student status, and worst-case scenario, you might end up in cuffs. If you want to avoid that fate, spill everything to me."

I had no intention of following through with my threat. It was merely a tactic to uncover his true motives. I couldn\'t bring myself to betray someone who had just saved me from certain death. I wasn\'t that heartless. Besides, if I did report him, it wouldn\'t just be expulsion and handcuffs awaiting him.

The Administrators didn\'t afford any special privileges to the skillless—they viewed them as less than human, mere insects. Even those with seemingly useless skills were treated as inferior. I shudder to think what might happen if I turned him in. He could face execution for all I know.

"I don\'t really have any deal with them," Student Leon said quietly. "One of the girls they kidnapped used to be a close friend of mine, that\'s it. I just want to find her, or if she\'s gone, I want to make them pay."

His words hit me hard. I never expected such a revelation from him. Part of me doubted his sincerity, but his eyes showed raw emotion. I felt a pang of remorse for questioning him in the first place.

The chances of the girl he was searching for being alive after all this time were slim to none. The Eclipse used females as sacrifices to feed the evil god they worshipped, making survival nearly impossible for them.

"I\'m sorry to hear that," I said.

"Don\'t be," he replied. "It\'s only natural for you to ask."

His reassuring smile somehow tugged at my heart.

"Anyway, it seems like the Eclipse have their eye on you now," he remarked, his voice tinged with concern. "I doubt that woman will come after you again so soon, and she\'s probably not the type to sneak in and assassinate someone in their sleep, so you should be safe for the time being."

"You\'re worrying about the wrong person," I retorted. "You should focus on yourself. What can a skillless guy like you do against those powerful Eclipse members?"

"I think I can handle myself just fine," he responded.

I closed the distance between us, gripping his collar with urgency. "Are you absolutely certain about that? Your words sound like they belong to someone who\'s willing to risk it all for vengeance," I pressed, my voice edged with concern. "You need to value your life more."

"I\'m not planning on throwing my life away," he retorted firmly.

"Even so, you must tread carefully. You\'re young. You can\'t afford to fixate solely on revenge," I insisted, my grip tightening slightly. I couldn\'t shake the fear that gripped me, a sense that if I didn\'t impress upon him the importance of caution, something terrible might befall him.

"Well, if you really feel passionate about it, then I will be careful."

"Good," I replied. It was then I realized just how close my face was to his. I immediately let go of his collar, stepping back. "A-Anyway, I didn\'t expect you to have such physical prowess. And judging by your physique, you\'re no slouch either. I can tell you\'re practicing and training your body well."

"Well, I\'ve been at it since I was a kid, but martial arts never quite clicked for me. Swords and magic were more my thing," he explained.

I studied him intently, taking in his demeanor. "Is that so?" I replied, my gaze assessing his form. "Alright then, I\'ll take you under my wing and train you in martial arts. Consider yourself lucky; I don\'t usually take on disciples."

"Uh, thanks, I guess," he stammered, clearly taken aback. "But isn\'t this a bit sudden?"

"What? Better to start now than later. You\'re still young, full of potential. Give it five years, and you\'ll be just as good as me, guaranteed."

I saw real potential in this young man. He had the physique for it, and I could envision him reaching the caliber of a Sword Saint. Skillless though he was, skills only contributed so much to a person\'s strength—more like quirks than true strength. Real strength came from physical, mental, and magical prowess. Skills were just perks of that.

***

We lingered inside the decrepit church for what felt like an eternity, but no signs of pursuit emerged. It appeared that the woman had truly abandoned her chase. Perhaps she had deemed us unworthy of further effort.

With a sense of relief, Student Leon and I exited the derelict sanctuary. Despite the absence of immediate danger, weariness weighed heavily upon me. My body yearned for the numbing embrace of alcohol.

"Well, Professor," Leon remarked, "I guess I\'ll see you next semester."

"Yeah," I said. As we started walking in opposite directions, something compelled me to turn back. "Hey, Student Leon."

He stopped and turned around.

"Mind joining me for a drink?"

I hadn\'t a clue why I blurted that out or why I\'d ask a student to share a drink with me. It seemed absurd.

"You know what, never mind," I said, turning away.

"I want to go with you," he said, his voice firm.

"Huh?"

"I want to have a drink with you, Professor," he repeated, his eyes locking onto mine.

For some reason, my heart started pounding in my chest, a rhythm so intense it felt like it might burst. The world around me seemed to blur, everything narrowing down to just the two of us. It felt surreal, like I was caught in a dream, and the intensity of it was almost overwhelming. My emotions surged, nearly compelling me to cry.

This was unlike anything I had ever experienced before, and I couldn\'t explain it.

We went to a nearby pub from that old church and settled in with a few drinks. The conversation started with martial arts, which we both were passionate about, but soon shifted to romance novels. I couldn\'t help myself; I blurted out everything I knew about them, excitedly recommending all my favorite titles. To my surprise, Leon listened intently the entire time.

Normally, my coworkers would tune me out whenever I started talking about romance novels, but not Leon. He was genuinely interested, even sharing some of his favorite novels with me.

He was a breath of fresh air.