As the days went by, preparations for the 5-Star Competition progressed at a fast pace within the academy. And whether it'd be by studying, training or minacious plans, during the two weeks remaining before the competition, all the students were busy with their own preparations for the event.
Within those days, Ace and Emilia also strategized on how to best prepare for the competition while also regularly training together. But unfortunately for poor Emilia, in preparation for the competition, Ace's training methods were excruciatingly hard.
The exercises went from basic body workout and magic control sessions to one-on-one spars until she was completely exhausted. In other words, a hellish spartan training.
"Ahhhhh!" Emilia let out a long moan of relief and satisfaction as she soaked in the bathtub. "Nothing beats hot baths after excruciating training."
'That kind of training… no normal human can train like that. Is that why he's so strong?' Emilia stared at the ceiling as she recalled the training she was being put through. 'The harsh training, the advice and that…'
A foggy memory of a warm hand that touched her forehead in her sleep whenever the nightmares related to her dark past resurfaced appeared in her mind. And the odd feeling that came after as if a wave was flowing in her body, becoming much more fluid every time that hand touched her, was now deeply etched into Emilia.
Emilia's cheeks then flushed lightly, hiding her expression before going back to her own thoughts.
'It's kind of embarrassing and since it's just a vague feeling I have, there's no proof. But…' she stared at the ceiling once again with a contemplating gaze, Ace's back appearing in her mind. 'Whatever it was and whether Ace is the one behind it or not, one thing is certain, I've greatly improved since then. And now, the only way to know if my efforts bore fruit, is to wait until the day of the competition.'
Coming out of the bath in pajamas while drying her hair, she found Ace who was preparing their dinner while the T.V had a musical program playing on it since earlier.
"What is that?" asked Emilia as she sniffed out the swift and delicious scent in the air. "It smells nice."
"It's Kimchi stew," replied Ace, hiding his drooling mouth behind his usual aloof and stoic face while his eyes were completely glued on the pot in front of him. "I just felt like eating it today no matter what. It was kind of hard to get the necessary ingredients, so I had to look all over for them."
"Pfft!" Emilia's gaze focused on Ace as she held back her laughter. "I guess even you have your own weird moments, huh?"
Ace observed Emilia's beaming smile with a slightly surprised yet contemplating gaze before taking her by surprise with a flick to the forehead.
"Ouch!" she exclaimed while holding her forehead in pain. "What was that for for!?"
"I just felt like doing it that's all," stated Ace before going back to his cooking.
'He's usually cold and aloof, so I never expected to see this side of him,' thought Emilia, staring at Ace while still rubbing her forehead. 'Guess there's more to him than what I've seen of him.'
"I wonder, exactly who are you?" unknowingly muttered Emilia, completely flustering her as Ace also flinched, looking back at her with unsettling, cold eyes which reminded her of his previous words.
"Be warned. Don't dig your nose too deep in my own business." Ace's words replayed in her mind.
"Ah! Wait! I didn't mean to…" Emilia panicked before Ace interrupted her words, glitched memories of a rocky cave, blood, wounds and monster corpses flashing through his mind as his expression became grave.
"I have no qualms about acting and sharing with you an almost normal student life, but…" Ace started before making a drastic move.
In a single step, he took the kitchen knife that was beside him and shoved Emilia on the ground, holding the knife against her throat while she, in the process of all of that, immediately locked her legs around his neck in a grappling lock.
"Impressive," said Ace, locking eyes with Emilia who had a fiery, defiant look in her eyes though her face showed signs of nervousness and fear.
"Thanks for the compliment," stated Emilia, never averting her gaze from his.
"As I've said before, I have no qualms about acting and sharing with you an almost normal student life or even helping you with your revenge as a matter of fact. But… don't dig your nose in my business," Ace said with a chilling, cold gaze that was filled with killing intent.
Hearing this, Emilia reminded herself of the fact she had forgotten as Ace stared into her eyes.
'I let my guard down. He's cold and aloof at times but never unreasonable. The only exception is when you try to pry in his past.' The focus of her gaze wavered slightly, though her eyes never averted themselves from the terrifying expression Ace had. 'Guess I got too used to the Ace I usually see at the academy. This maybe just a warning, but he had every intention of killing me at that moment.'
With a sigh, "I'll let it go this time around," Ace said as he removed the knife from her throat.
At the same time, Emilia released him, releasing a sigh of relief.
"But remember this. There won't be a next time," he said as he put down the knife, looking at the stew that seemed to be ready.
"Seems like food is ready," he said, his tone and expression lighter than before. "How about we eat?"
"Huh? Uh, sure," replied Emilia, her nerves still on edge and distraught from what happened only a moment ago.
The dishes laid out, they started eating in solemn silence as the T.V still played on the same channel while Emilia floated in her own thoughts, stealing glances at Ace.
'As always, it really is hard to know what he's thinking. Not only that, the suffocating air and pressure around him completely disappeared. It's almost as if nothing even happened. But thanks to him, I've grown stronger. I swear it. I will have my revenge,' she thought, enjoying her meal to the fullest as the bite of the delicious kimchi on her plate made her dark thoughts vanish. 'So delicious!'
'She's so easy to please, it's almost funny,' Ace eyed her with a deadpan expression. "I'll put her on the wringer during training."
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The next morning, after class, while Ace and the crew were headed towards the cafeteria, they were greeted by a commotion within the hallways. Two people with elegance and grace accompanying them, were being eyed upon by the other students who opened up a path for them.
"Woooow! It's the royal siblings," Frank gaped in awe as he also sat his eyes upon them. "Prince Arnold von Riese Enfilia and Princess Stephany von Riese Enfilia. To think I would be blessed by their presence! It such an honor!"
"Aren't you overreacting?" asked Mira teasingly.
"Of course someone like you wouldn't be able to understand commoners like me. We're talking about the Beautiful Princess who captured the hearts of all the boys in the academy and the Academy's Strongest. You were basically raised in high society with a silver spoon in your mouth, of course you wouldn't get it," retorted Frank, looking at her with a mix of annoyance and disdain in his eyes.
"Want me to beat you up, HUUUH?" Mira flared up as she started cracking her fist with a menacing expression on her face. "I'm more than happy to oblige."
"Now, now, let's not make a scene, okay?" Emilia came in between them.
"Hmph. You're lucky Emi saved your ass this time around," said Mira frustrated as Frank pulled out his tongue at her, making her even more pissed off while Emilia, gesturing them to calm down, laughed in exasperation.
"Come on. Please stop fighting already… huh?" Emilia continued to intervene before noticing Ace who looked over at Arnold.
'So that's the Academy's Strongest, eh?' thought Ace, feeling the calm yet powerful aura that Arnold emanated.
Arnold, noticing the gaze, also looked over at Ace, feeling the mysterious yet strong aura he emanated.
'A white armband? So, he's the Special Admission student, huh? Interesting," Arnold smiled lightly, slowly getting closer to Ace and the others.
Walking past them without a word, Ace and Arnold only exchanged a single glance that seemed to carry a silent acknowledgement from both of them that could be summarized in one phrase:
It's on!