Frey Starlight had won.
There was no applause—only scattered whispers echoing throughout the stands.
Whispers covering all sorts of things, but one topic dominated them all: how hostile Frey had been.
No matter how you looked at him—at that brutality—
Everyone had heard the rumors… the stories of how filthy a person he was.
But now… they had witnessed another side of him—the terrifying side. The side that nearly killed Seris Moonlight.
No matter how you looked at him, wasn't this exactly the image that would come to mind when someone mentioned a villain from a fantasy tale?
Frey looked the part perfectly.
Far from the noisy crowds—some stunned, others angry after losing their bets—
In the VIP area, Ada let out a sigh of relief at her brother's victory. On the other hand, Carmen remained completely calm.
"Why are you so nervous? If you ask me, his win was guaranteed from the start."
Carmen knew a little about Frey's abilities. That's why—from the very beginning—she knew he would win.
"It's not something I can control… My heart feels like it's going to leap out of my chest every time I watch him fight…"
"What are you, his mother or something?"
Carmen scoffed, fiddling with her watch as she smiled.
"Heheh."
Knowing the outcome beforehand… the old woman had placed a hefty bet on Frey's victory.
And now, she was thoroughly pleased with the results.
"What are you doing?"
Ada asked with a frown, noticing Carmen's unusual behavior—but the old woman smoothly covered it up.
"Nothing… just checking the match schedule."
"For some reason, you seem really suspicious right now… You're not betting the family's money on some stupid game, are you?"
Carmen gulped instinctively.
"O-of course not…"
Ada narrowed her eyes at her… but ultimately let it go. Meanwhile, the old woman sighed.
The age gap between her and the girl sitting before her was massive—but for some reason, Carmen felt like the child in that moment.
Ada was sharp—too sharp. Carmen could barely do anything when the new Lord of House Starlight was hovering nearby.
Elsewhere, another elder—Iris Sunlight—watched Frey as he left the arena.
"That boy…"
"Caught your attention?" Phoenix asked with a smile, seeing the blank look on Iris's face as he stared at Frey.
"He has skill—or rather… experience. The way he moves… it's like someone who's fought and survived many high-level death battles."
Most of Frey's movements came from hard-earned experience.
His decisions… his reactions during combat… he moved like a seasoned warrior.
But that was… unrealistic for someone his age.
To gain that kind of experience, he would've had to face countless powerful opponents who far surpassed him.
Iris's analysis was disturbingly accurate.
"Remind me—what's his talent grade again?"
"It's A," Phoenix answered.
The Lord of Sunlight frowned the moment he heard that.
"A, huh…"
For a second, he had mistaken it for overwhelming talent. A talent he had seen before—many years ago—in someone of the same bloodline.
"What a shame…"
In the end, Frey Starlight would be buried under the ceiling of his own limited talent.
"Truly… a shame."
The first-year matches had ended—and the upper-year rounds would begin soon.
Still, one could feel it in the air—a strange dip in excitement after the quarterfinals for the younger group concluded.
It was as if the main event had already ended.
Frost Moonlight didn't look pleased with what he saw—especially Frey.
His loss to that boy still gnawed at him.
And worse—he had made a pact with House Starlight. One that forbade him from approaching or mentioning Frey in exchange for their silence… regarding his father's betrayal.
Baylor Moonlight.
The shame of that defeat… it seemed it would haunt him for a very long time—with no chance for revenge.
The young Lord of House Moonlight… had finally started to open his eyes.
He was beginning to realize… just how weak he truly was.
Life had crushed him.
And now… he was trying to stand up again—from zero.
But to properly carry the weight of that family again…
As for his mother—she seemed more like an empty vessel after everything that had happened.
Not many paid attention to Frey Starlight.
Sure, he appeared strong for a moment… but his limited talent always kept him as a secondary target in their eyes.
At best, he was decent—nothing more than that.
Maekar Valerion recalled a certain someone as he watched Frey fight before him.
"What do you think of him?"
The Emperor asked the masked man standing behind him.
"If his talent is truly just A, then it's safe to say Frey Starlight has already reached the peak of his potential—unlike the others. His persistence is commendable… but that's all."
A faint red gleam flickered from behind the mask's eyes.
He didn't seem particularly interested in the matches happening below.
"I agree completely."
"It's not like you to care about the younger generation. Did you see something I missed?"
Oliver Khan asked, watching Maekar ponder in silence.
"No… it's just… for a moment, he looked like him."
"…"
Oliver said nothing. He already knew who Maekar was referring to.
But he paid little attention to the king's thoughts.
There were few things that truly interested the masked warrior.
His eyes occasionally scanned the crowd… searching for her.
And each time, he saw her—sitting alone, watching quietly from afar.
With melancholic black eyes… and gleaming golden hair. Beautiful—yet broken.
The princess watched from her seat, and even if just for a few moments…
Seeing Frey fight—and knowing he was okay—brought her a faint comfort.
With that, the upper-year matches were set to begin, following the announcement of the first-year winners:
Snow Lionheart vs. Ghost Umbra
Daemon Valerion vs. Frey Starlight
The real battles were about to begin.
…
…
…
– Frey Starlight's Pov –
I walked slowly through the tunnel that led out of the arena.
I had finished my first match in the Victoriad.
After defeating Seris… only monsters remained.
Daemon Valerion.
I tightened my right hand around the hilt of my sword.
'It's going to be a tough fight…'
Step by step, I moved forward.
But then I stopped—sensing someone standing at the end of the tunnel.
"Show yourself."
And in response… she appeared before me.
She hadn't been trying to hide her presence in the first place—and her face was already familiar.
"Uriel Platini."
"Hello there~ Junior Frey."
I stepped closer to the girl, already uncomfortable with the way she spoke to me—as if I were younger.
Sure, she was twenty-two…
But I had lived longer than her overall.
In truth… you could say she was the junior here.
"What brings you here?"
As far as I knew, she had a match of her own today. But the fifth-year duels were scheduled later.
"I came for you, Frey."
"…What?"
"I was dying of boredom waiting for my turn. So I figured—why not help each other out? It's a request from your senior, after all."
With a blank expression, I wondered what on earth she was talking about.
"And what exactly am I supposed to do?"
Uriel smiled.
"That's easy~ I'll treat your injuries from your last fight and return you to peak condition. You haven't fully recovered yet, right? Not since the island trial."
This woman… I'd heard she was responsible for treating me while I was unconscious. But hearing her speak about my condition with such disturbing accuracy—
She was right. I still couldn't control my body a hundred percent. One day of rehabilitation wasn't enough.
But still…
"That's a big help, Senior. But I have to ask—what do you want in return?"
There's no way she would offer me that kind of treatment for free…
And sure enough, the answer came.
"It's simple—let me examine your body without any restrictions."
…What?
"Are we seriously having this conversation right now?"
Why did that sound so suspicious when she said it?
"Yes. I didn't get to fully inspect you last time because I was summoned by the Church. Can you imagine how disappointed I was?"
"Are those really the words of a Saint candidate? Shouldn't your curiosity be directed at your prophesied hero instead?"
"This has nothing to do with that."
Uriel stared directly at me.
And I didn't know what to say.
For some reason, she refrained from mentioning anything about fixing my aura pathways—and for that, I was genuinely grateful.
On the other hand, Uriel Platini was one of the main heroines. At the very least, I knew she didn't harbor any malicious intent.
So, albeit reluctantly—
"Fine. Do as you please."
She'd return me to peak condition. How could I turn that down?
"Perfect! Come to my room right away then!"
"Now?"
"Yup!"
I followed behind Uriel Platini, who practically skipped ahead cheerfully. I honestly wondered how I ended up letting this girl treat me like someone younger.