Sunday morning.
The butler entered Yuril's room.
"My lady, I have prepared your meal."
However, Yuril replied absentmindedly without taking her eyes off her book.
"Mm."
When Yuril showed no particular reaction, the butler quietly set the meal on the table.
Then, just as he was about to leave the room again,
"Why aren't you giving me the newspaper today?"
"There were no particularly interesting stories in today's newspaper."
Only then did Yuril turn her head and glare at the butler.
"What is it? What are you hiding?"
"I am not hiding anything in particular-"
"Give it to me. Now."
In the end, the butler reluctantly held out the newspaper.
"Here it is."
Whether she had stayed up all night again or not, Yuril snatched the newspaper with somewhat hollow eyes.
Then, after reading the article for a moment, her face soon turned bright red.
"W-What in the world has he been going around saying?!"
Her reaction was only natural.
After all, the article had fabricated what Trine had said right after the duel.
'To care for someone means wishing for that person to be happy, doesn't it?'
'I only became stronger for the sake of that girl's happiness.'
In the end, Yuril fidgeted restlessly as if goosebumps had risen all over her body, until-
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, Yuril's eyes turned red.
At that, the butler hurriedly grabbed Yuril's shoulders and said,
"My lady, take your medicine quickly."
At those words, Yuril immediately pulled a small medicine bottle from her pocket and shoved a handful of pills into her mouth.
When Yuril calmed down a little, the butler spoke in relief.
"Please be careful. Your curse reacts to the emotion called love."
"...I know."
Yuril glared resentfully at the medicine bottle in her palm.
The medicine was an emotion suppressant.
If Yuril's curse activated...
She would surely be consumed by the curse and try to kill Trine with her own hands.
"That is why I tried not to show you the newspaper, my lady."
"No, it's fine if I think of this as practice for controlling my emotions."
Yuril put the medicine bottle back into her pocket and murmured,
"In any case, don't worry. The day I truly come to like Trine will never come."
***
At that moment, there was one more girl whose face had turned red.
"Oh my... This person is quite amazing too."
At that, Prince Sirean snorted beside her.
"Right? I told you, he's a true big shot."
For reference, what the two of them were watching side by side was not a newspaper article, but a video recorded on a camcorder.
Without taking her eyes off the video, the girl asked Sirean,
"Then does this mean you intend to entrust my curse to this person?"
"His skill is more than enough, and he's single-heartedly devoted to you."
At those words, the girl tilted her head slightly and asked back,
"Is the person he likes really me?"
"What other cursed girl could there be besides you?"
The girl moved her lips for a moment as if to refute him.
Then she smiled brightly, as if resigning herself.
"I suppose that is true."
"That reaction does not seem very enthusiastic. Do you dislike him because he is a commoner?"
"No. At this point, that hardly matters anymore."
"If you dislike it, say so now."
At those words, the girl thought for a moment before speaking.
"I will try believing in him. If he truly can break my curse, then of course I will permit the marriage as well."
"Then I will introduce you to him soon, so look forward to it, Sia."
"Yes, Brother Sirean."
Prince Sirean left the room.
Then the girl played the video again and murmured,
"I truly am looking forward to it."
***
Early the next morning.
When Lizbette came to school earlier than anyone else and arrived in the classroom,
There was something like a pill bug wrapped in a blanket already there.
Lizbette approached him and asked,
"Trine? What are you doing?"
"Leave me alone. From now on, I'm absolutely going to hide and live quietly."
She had some idea why Trine was acting like this.
After all, because last week's duel with Meguryu had even become an article, Trine's popularity had doubled.
Lizbette smiled a little bitterly and said,
"Still, being popular isn't a bad thing, is it?"
"Not a bad thing?"
Trine took out a thick bundle of letters and showed her.
Most of them were tea party invitations or love letters.
Some were duel challenges or threatening letters.
Lizbette accepted the letters, examined them one by one, and narrowed her eyes.
"It seems everyone thinks they don't need to show manners because you're a commoner."
"I don't think anything would change even if I were a noble."
Lizbette suddenly summoned a small flame over her palm and burned every letter she was holding.
At that, Trine's eyes widened in surprise.
"W-What was that all of a sudden?!"
"If this happens again, tell them it will be difficult because you have a prior engagement with Lady Lizbette of the ducal house."
"You'll get dragged into something troublesome too."
"We're friends."
"I am grateful for that, but..."
"In exchange, this is mine."
Lizbette stole the blanket and draped it over her own shoulders.
Trine glared at her for a moment, then soon collapsed facedown onto his desk.
Some time later, during homeroom.
Instructor Eloy entered with an unfamiliar man.
"Today, I have brought a special guest for all of you!"
Gleaming armor and a vivid red cloak.
He was surely a member of the National Knight Order.
The knight spoke to the students with a solemn expression.
"I am Alberts of the National Knight Order. I shall check in advance whether you are talented enough to suit the knight order."
Knight Alberts led the students to the indoor gymnasium.
"Those who wish to participate will take a mock test."
At that, most of the students raised their hands sharply.
A national knight was the ultimate goal of the knight department students.
For them, this was a golden opportunity to make a good impression on a national knight in advance.
Trine quietly stepped back and hid among the students.
'What is Instructor Eloy scheming this time?'
Then, when his eyes met Instructor Eloy's, she grinned and said to Knight Alberts,
"How about testing our proud class representative first?"
Damn it. Of course!
Naturally, he absolutely hated it, but since his opponent was a national knight, he could not bring himself to act rudely.
In the end, Trine reluctantly stood before Knight Alberts.
"What should I do? Should I spar with you, Sir Knight?"
If it was a direct spar, he could simply pretend to be weak.
Then the knight would give up on Trine on his own.
However, Alberts pulled something like a large orb from inside his clothes.
"No. Since you are the Academy's top student, there is no need to test your basic abilities."
"What? Still, shouldn't you check properly at least once..."
"What matters most for a knight is mental strength."
Alberts placed the orb on the ground and stepped back.
"This orb summons an illusion of the opponent you fear most."
At those words, Trine recoiled in horror and said,
"W-Wait-"
"Then we will begin immediately, so show us something admirable!"
The orb flashed.
Everyone expected to see what Trine feared most, but...
What appeared before him was a delicate-looking girl around his age.
"Wow. She's incredibly pretty."
"She looks like a noble, but I've never seen her before."
"He's afraid of a girl like that?"
By contrast, Trine's complexion turned terribly pale.
Long, black hair.
A small, delicate build.
A prim-looking expression.
...It was Yuril.
Trine backed away in great panic.
"No, surely you're not telling me to fight her like this-"
Suddenly, Yuril's figure vanished before his eyes.
By the time he realized what had happened, Trine's body was already flying through the air.
"Guh!"
After crashing down, Trine immediately tried to stand up.
But the illusion gave him no opening and kicked him.
In the end, Trine's body was sent flying backward again.
He gasped and shouted,
"That's not an illusion!"
Instructor Eloy shouted,
"Focus! There should be almost no physical damage!"
Indeed, considering the impact was enough to send him flying, there were no visible external injuries at all.
That orb was probably deceiving Trine's five senses and even his body.
But Instructor Eloy's shout did not reach Trine's ears.
A kick came flying before he was even given time to think.
A fist flew before he could try to dodge.
No matter what he did, he could not shake her off.
Even to the other students, that illusion looked absurdly powerful.
"Wow. She's so fast I can only see afterimages."
"That girl is strong enough to give Trine trouble?"
"Who in the world is she?"
Fortunately, no one realized that this girl was the very one Trine was trying to save.
After all, no one feared the person they loved most.
...No, to be honest, it was not fortunate.
Because of that, Prince Sirean's misunderstanding was still continuing.
'Well, she probably has nothing to do with Sia.'
While Sirean watched the fight with the other students without much emotion,
Knight Alberts looked at Trine, who was being beaten one-sidedly, and murmured,
"He was nothing special after all."
The illusion's strength was not the real person's strength.
It was merely a power based entirely on Trine's belief.
In other words, Trine was currently being controlled by his fear.
"Let us end this here."
When Knight Alberts said that, Instructor Eloy hurriedly tried to stop him.
"Wait! He might look like that, but he does what he has to when it counts, so let's watch a little longer."
"With such a weak heart, it would be best for him to give up on becoming a knight."
"I am telling you, that is not-"
THUD.
At the small shockwave that suddenly erupted, Alberts's heart sank.
Trine had finally blocked the illusion's fist with his own hand.
"You're the one person I'll never lose to."
Trine's expression changed completely.
It was an expression filled with resolve, one the other students had never seen before.
At the inexplicable pressure, everyone grew tense without realizing it.
Only then did Knight Alberts smile and murmur,
"Now this is worth watching."