One day before the qualifying rounds began, Enrico was on the training field, facing Kaela and Seraphina at the same time.
The two advanced simultaneously, each aiming a punch at one side of his body. Enrico raised his arms and blocked their blows, but he didn't remain still. As soon as he noticed an opening, he lowered his body and extended his leg to throw Seraphina off balance.
The girl lost her footing and began to fall. Before she could regain her balance, Enrico grabbed her hand and used the momentum to throw her toward Kaela.
"Charged Impulse!"
Kaela activated her magic and dodged her companion, using the ability to appear behind Enrico. When she realized he hadn't been hit by Seraphina's attack, she pouted slightly, frustrated that she hadn't managed to strike him while he was occupied.
Even so, she didn't waste any time. Flames enveloped her fist, and she delivered a powerful blow to his back.
Enrico turned around at the last moment and grabbed her flaming fist. Then, he spun his body and threw Kaela over his shoulder, making her crash violently to the ground.
"Painful Resonance!"
From a distance, Seraphina seized the opportunity to counterattack.
Her magic allowed her to return damage received in previous battles. When she extended her palm, a wave of energy spread toward Enrico, manifesting as sound vibrations that swept across the training field.
Enrico crossed his arms in front of his body and took the impact directly. The force of the attack made him retreat, while a trickle of blood ran from his nose and another appeared near his ear.
Before he could fully recover, a serpent of fire appeared behind him, opening its jaws to bite his shoulder.
Enrico immediately recognized the danger of Kaela's magic. The memory of his fight against Tilios surfaced in his mind, allowing him to anticipate the attack's trajectory. He moved to the side at just the right moment, letting the serpent pass him and crash through a wall.
After narrowly escaping, he turned his gaze toward the two girls.
"You've improved your physical attributes considerably, but that's still not enough. If you let your guard down for even an instant, you could end up defeated."
Kaela and Seraphina exchanged glances, not immediately understanding what he meant.
The answer came when they felt something tightening around their ankles.
Threads of fire had wrapped themselves around their legs without them noticing. Before they could react, Enrico pulled his arms backward, dragging both of them across the ground until they were in front of him.
The impact was so powerful that a three-meter crater formed beneath their bodies.
"You were so focused on the improvements you'd achieved that you forgot to sense my mana. When I released it to form the threads, neither of you noticed what was happening. I didn't even need to conceal my magic for you to make that mistake."
The two remained silent for a moment, absorbing the lesson. Seraphina accepted Enrico's words without any problem.
"Sorry."
Beside her, Kaela nodded, determination shining in her eyes.
"Next time, I'll try to pay more attention, Professor."
Enrico nodded, satisfied with their responses.
He was already familiar with Seraphina's progress, as he spent part of his time training her several times a week. Therefore, although he was pleased with her improvement, that wasn't what surprised him the most.
What truly caught his attention was how quickly Kaela had progressed.
'Come to think of it, she wasn't the only one who improved.'
Beside the training field, Sisaka and Erina were descending the steps leading to the arena. They had been the first students with whom Enrico had conducted a sparring session, and now they had also managed to reach Class A.
He couldn't deny that he was surprised by the result.
[I'm also surprised that the two of them managed to get into Class A.]
'That's good for me. The more powerful allies I have, the greater our chances of survival.'
Enrico had arranged to meet Seraphina because he had promised her a date. However, when she asked him to spend their time training together, the other girls showed up and wanted to participate as well.
The result was this situation, with four students competing for his attention and trying to learn something new from him.
"Professor, can you teach me that thread magic?"
Kaela immediately approached him, showing interest in the technique Enrico had used to immobilize them.
"That's right, Professor! I want to learn it too. My magic can reproduce certain techniques even when I don't have the same magical affinity."
Sisaka also spoke up, making it clear that she had no intention of falling behind.
Kaela turned toward her, visibly displeased.
"Sisaka, why are you calling him Professor? He's my professor!"
"I don't care. If he's a professor, he can teach as many students as he wants."
The rivalry between the two was enormous. Whenever one learned something new, the other looked for a way to surpass her, whether by training harder or finding someone capable of teaching her an even better technique.
At that moment, Enrico had become the target of their competition.
"Professor, I'd like to ask you about the earth armor you described on that paper."
Erina also approached, taking the opportunity to clarify her doubts.
Kaela's eyes widened when she realized that yet another person was trying to monopolize Enrico's attention.
"Even you, Erina?! Why does everyone want to steal my professor?"
Enrico shook his head, amused by her reaction, and approached Erina to hear her question.
While he calmly explained the details of the technique, Seraphina remained a little farther away, watching their interaction.
She admired Enrico more and more. The calm way he taught others, his patience in answering questions, and the ease with which he managed to remain composed even amid arguments made her heart grow warm.
Even so, part of her wished he would show that same attention exclusively to her.
'You just need to take him by force. That way, he'll belong only to us.'
Seraphina closed her eyes upon hearing that voice emerge in her mind again.
'Can you shut up? Your voice is annoying.'
She tried to suppress that presence, wishing it would disappear once and for all. However, there was something that bothered her even more: the stronger her feelings for Enrico grew, the harder it became to ignore some of that voice's ideas.
At first, those thoughts had seemed absurd to her. Now, however, she was beginning to realize that a small part of herself agreed with them.
Before she could continue reflecting, she felt a hand gently touch her head.
Seraphina opened her eyes and found Enrico standing in front of her, stroking her hair with a calm smile.
Her face immediately turned red, but she didn't pull away. On the contrary, she tilted her head slightly, enjoying the affection.
"You look beautiful with your eyes closed."
Seraphina's heart began to race.
'Maybe that voice is a little right... I want to keep him all to myself.'
Her feelings were becoming increasingly intense. With every encounter, she wanted to spend more time with Enrico, receive more affection, and occupy an increasingly important place in his life.
It was a feeling that grew silently, drawing closer to an obsession. The more she tried to convince herself that she should control those desires, the more selfish thoughts appeared in her mind.
"You're thinking too much, Seraphina. If you want, you can tell me what's going on."
She hesitated.
"I..."
Seraphina could have lied. She could have hidden those thoughts and pretended everything was fine. However, her feelings for Enrico were so intense that even the idea of lying to him caused a painful sensation in her chest.
In the end, she decided to reveal what she had been trying so hard to hide.
"Sometimes, I have dark thoughts. I want to have you all to myself... I want to be the only person who receives your attention. And sometimes, I think I should take you by force, without caring about what others want."
She lowered her gaze, ashamed of her own words.
"I know it's wrong, but I can't stop these thoughts from appearing."
Enrico remained silent for a few moments, watching her attentively.
"So that's it?"
Seraphina slowly raised her eyes, unsure how he would react.
"Don't worry. Being selfish is also a human feeling."
"But having these feelings is too dark. Taking someone by force..."
"Yes, that would be wrong. But do you really want to hurt me or hurt other people?"
Seraphina hesitated before shaking her head.
"No..."
"Then you don't need to condemn yourself just for having these thoughts. There's a difference between thinking about doing something and actually deciding to do it. If you know you don't want to turn these desires into reality, you can learn to deal with them without hating yourself for it."
Enrico paused briefly before continuing.
"Besides, you don't need to be afraid to admit that you have selfish desires too. I myself want to become stronger than everyone else, even if that means surpassing people who also dream of reaching the top. If that isn't being selfish, then what is?"
Seraphina's eyes began to shine as she listened to him.
Enrico spoke so naturally that she felt as though a weight were being lifted from her shoulders. For the first time, she could talk about those feelings without fearing that he would start seeing her as a terrible person.
She closed her eyes again, feeling her heart beat faster and faster.
"Besides, you already have me."
Seraphina felt something touch her lips.
When she opened her eyes, she realized that Enrico was kissing her tenderly.
For a moment, her mind went completely blank. All she could feel was the warmth of that kiss and his closeness.
When Enrico finally pulled away, there was a smile on his face.
"If you want, you can have several entire days with me. During that time, my eyes will be focused only on you. And be sure of one thing: I always keep my promises."
Seraphina stared at him, still trying to process those words.
"Then... for the rest of today, it'll be just the two of us?"
"If that's what you want, then of course."
She didn't need to hear anything else.
Standing up, Seraphina hugged him tightly, hiding her face against his chest. A radiant smile appeared on her lips, and she felt as though all the anxiety she had been carrying had disappeared.
She didn't want to share his attention with anyone that day. She wanted to enjoy every moment by his side and keep those memories all to herself.
From that moment on, whenever she wanted to go out alone with Enrico, she would ask him directly.
'See, you damned voice? I don't need to take him by force to have him with me. He's amazing!'
The response appeared in her mind almost immediately.
'It's precisely because he's like this that you should take him. If you can't do it, then I will.'
Seraphina's smile disappeared for a moment.
'You'll have to get past me first.'
Enrico continued returning her embrace, but his thoughts had taken a completely different direction.
That conversation had confirmed a suspicion he had been considering for some time. Now, he was absolutely certain of who was behind that presence in Seraphina's mind.
'Just as I thought... She's the vessel of the evil goddess Eris.'
From what it seemed, just as happened with other vessels, the chosen person's feelings could be transmitted to the deity connected to them. And if that deity accepted those feelings, they could even become more intense.
This meant that the bond between Seraphina and Eris could become increasingly dangerous.
Enrico didn't know how far that goddess was willing to go, but he now had enough reasons to consider the situation a real threat.
He could see two possible paths.
The first would be to find a way for Seraphina and Eris to coexist harmoniously, allowing both of them to accept that bond and perhaps develop their powers without destroying each other.
The second would be to completely eliminate Eris's presence from within Seraphina. However, he didn't know what the consequences of such a radical separation would be, and there was a possibility that the process would cause the girl terrible pain.
'It'll be a difficult decision, but I'll do whatever it takes to let her choose her own path.'
Enrico looked at Seraphina, who seemed quite happy, and fell into thought for a moment.
'She just wants me all to herself...'
His face took on a slightly comical expression as he reflected on that.
'Without a doubt, Seraphina is one of the most normal people in this world.'
[I completely agree. Finally, someone in this world who thinks like me.]
For the first time in a long while, Enrico and the System agreed on something.
'Well, the others get jealous and have their own selfish thoughts too. So they're normal as well.'
[Stop defending them!]
One second after agreeing for the first time in a long while, Enrico and the System were already arguing again.