Resolution-2

Then, all of a sudden, the blanket in which she was wrapped was violently pulled away. She was now bathed in blinding light.

Her longtime friend, Liza, had finally come to visit her—but this was quite an aggressive way to wake her up. Rina felt like she was being assaulted by the light and couldn't help but let out a small cry.

Liza: "Are you going to sleep forever?"

Rina remained silent, avoiding Liza's gaze.

Liza: "You've been asleep for two days. Normally, you should be feeling better by now, but you still haven't left this room. You haven't even come to class."

Rina's expression darkened even more. Bringing up school after everything that had happened—how cruel of her.

Rina: "What's the point? I lost. In a few days, I won't even be here anymore."

Liza smiled slightly. She could see that Rina was completely misunderstanding the situation. It was true that she had lost against Jerfrost, but...

Liza: "What are you talking about? Why are you speaking about expulsion?"

Rina slowly lifted her head, not quite looking Liza in the eyes, but as if desperately trying to hold on to some kind of hope.

Liza sat down on Rina's bed without the slightest regard for personal space, pressing up against her. The two of them leaned against the wall as Liza rested her head on Rina's.

Liza: "Tell me, do you remember what happened during your fight?"

Rina: "My trump card didn't work, so I lost all my composure. I was overwhelmed by Jerfrost's strength and eventually passed out."

Rina grabbed the blanket that had been ripped off her earlier, balled it up like a pillow, and hugged it tightly.

Liza: "It's true that you lost against Jerfrost. But you're mistaken about one thing—he didn't win either."

Rina blinked, confused.

Liza: "I don't know what decision the Academy will make regarding you, but I do know this: you successfully completed your cycle with that last-minute summoning."

Rina: "Me? A summoning?"

Rina was stunned. She had no recollection of such a thing.

Focusing all her mental effort, she tried to recall what happened before she lost consciousness. And then—she saw it. A man. Completely naked.

Shocked, she opened her eyes wide. She tried again, and there was no mistake—right before passing out, she had seen a male figure. As her thoughts became clearer, her face turned red. That boy was really, truly naked.

Then, her memories blurred. But she remembered something else—he had carried her before she blacked out again. It was such a strange experience.

Liza: "Hey! Are you even listening to me?"

Rina snapped out of it, suddenly more focused on one specific question.

Rina: "What happened to him? The boy who entered the arena? Is he okay?"

Liza gave her a bewildered look.

Liza: "What are you talking about, you poor thing? That 'boy' you saw was the creature you summoned!"

Rina: "A... creature? Summoned?"

Rina's mind was in complete chaos. She couldn't make sense of it.

Liza, noticing Rina's confusion, stood up from the bed, twirled around playfully, and casually said:

Liza: "Let me explain. When your last move against Jerfrost failed, I don't know if it was triggered by something specific, but it was an unprecedented situation. You summoned a rather peculiar creature… one that had a human appearance. That's the 'boy' you think you saw entering the arena."

Rina's lips parted slightly, but she didn't know what to say.

Liza: "And here's the weird part—he didn't do anything to protect you. But after you lost consciousness, he stopped Jerfrost and then… he left with you. Later, we found you in your room, which allowed us to give you proper care, but he was nowhere to be seen. He completely disappeared."

Liza: "Also… how did he even find your room?"

Rina: "So that's what happened…"

Rina slowly pieced everything together. But as she looked down at her hand, she noticed the mark of a contract. When had it been formed?

She tried to think it through, but the seal seemed inactive.

Liza walked toward the door, then turned back.

Liza: "Don't worry. Everything will be fine. You'll be staying with me for a long time. I'll let the professors know you're feeling better. Be sure to be there tomorrow. I have some things to take care of, so I have to go now."

Before leaving, she flashed Rina a small smile.

Rina smiled back, watching Liza as she left.

For a moment, she sat in silence, then lightly slapped her cheeks and got up. She headed to the bathroom and washed her face thoroughly.

After taking another bath, she stood in front of her mirror.

Rina: "Summon."

But nothing happened.

She tried various summoning techniques she had learned. Since the contract was already sealed, summoning the creature should have been possible. And yet, nothing happened.

Frustrated, she resorted to ridiculous postures, hoping they might trigger something. Eventually, she burst into laughter.

She laughed and laughed, releasing all the emotions she had been suppressing. Then, she sank back into the bathtub.

Rina: "Wait a second… If the summoning had worked just now… he would have seen me naked?!"

Blop, blop, blop.

Embarrassed beyond belief, she submerged herself in the water, trying to erase the thought from her mind.

Then, as if regaining her resolve, she stood up, dressed, and returned to her room. She grabbed the grimoires she had borrowed from the library and started studying.

Rina: "Now that they know I'm feeling better, I might have another meeting with Mr. Stromeddeger. Liza thinks I'll be staying at this academy, but I'm still not reassured. Tomorrow, I'll find out for sure. In the meantime, I need to understand what happened."

Her expression hardened with determination.

Rina: "This time, I'll do whatever it takes to break free from my current state… and aim for the top."

Meanwhile, in her office, the headmistress paused her writing and sighed.

Headmistress: "Did you feel that?"

There was no one else in the room, but a voice echoed in response.

???: "What are you talking about?"

Headmistress: "It's nothing. It seems an incarnation just collapsed. Quite unfortunate, though I don't know the reason why."

???: "I don't understand!"

Headmistress: "There's no need for you to understand. I don't know if it will have any consequences on the story, but there are far too many events happening at once. I don't like it. Especially that thing the girl brought in. It's been taking far too many liberties."

???: "Do you intend to do something about it?"

Headmistress: "Not for now. I want to see how things unfold. Besides… knowing my name makes it all the more interesting."

???: "After all this time with you, I still can't predict your reactions or your intentions."

The headmistress smirked.

Headmistress: "That's what defines us, my dear Blueknight. Unpredictability. Even when our actions seem simple… you're simply missing pieces of the puzzle. If you had them, you'd understand my choices."

She let out a small chuckle.

Headmistress: "I'm talking too much today. What's wrong with me?"

She resumed writing.

???: "You always complain about being overworked. Why not just use magic to take care of everything?"

Headmistress: "Why?"

She smirked again.

Headmistress: "That's for you to figure out."