They pressed onward — through trees, over roots, around boulders, and across shallow streams. No destination in mind. Only away.
Sometime during the walk, Rosalina glanced back.
"How's your arm, Caelus?"
"Nothing I can't handle," he replied. "Don't worry about it too much."
"Hmph. Who says I'm worrying? I'm just wondering whether or not you'll be useful in case of another ambush."
Caelus couldn't say anything when she suddenly quickened her pace. He stopped, watching her disappear behind a tree.
Kain snuck in from the side, raising a brow.
"She says she's not worried, but she's totally worrying about you, right?"
"...Who knows?"
The pair followed her past the thickets until they found her just standing there. She tilted her head slightly, an ear twitching like a hound catching a faint scent.
"What is it?" Kain asked, hand brushing his sword. "Demons?"
"No... not particularly," she muttered, unsheathing her sword. "Come out."
For a moment, there was nothing. Just the sound of birds and rustling leaves. Kain was about to call her out when he heard it too.
Footsteps.
From the shadow of a massive trunk, a young man appeared. Dark scarlet hair as wild as burning flames. Cocky hazel eyes glinting beneath the tousled mess. A crooked grin pulling at his lips.
Rosalina's expression soured instantly.
"Fancy meeting you here, Rose," he greeted, entirely too familiar.
"...Rudy," she muttered, lowering her blade just a fraction. "Of all the worthless piles of shit to make it this far."
"Aw, come on now. Is that any way to greet an old friend? I'm unarmed. No need to aim your sword at me like I'm a demon."
"You might as well be."
They locked eyes in an intense stare-down, neither willing to blink nor yield.
Kain sat back, watching with the gleeful anticipation of a man witnessing a coliseum duel.
Without looking, Caelus calmly drove an elbow into his side.
He lifted his hands, mouthing, "Whaaat?"
"How did you survive, Rudy?" Rosalina asked. "You were never skilled with a sword or magic. In fact, it was quite the opposite."
"Haha, such a jarring question, Rose. One might think you didn't want me to survive. Tell me that isn't so."
"Answer me."
"Stubborn to the bitter end, I see. You've always been like this. Dissecting every doubt, exposing every lie. House Sigurdia's sense of justice remains unrivaled."
His smile curled wider, sickeningly fond.
"But you know... that's what I always loved about you."
Kain's jaw practically hit the floor. He nudged Caelus and mouthed, "Dude, you're hearing this too, right?"
Caelus sighed. This man she calls Rudy... he didn't know him. Or perhaps he did at one point, but that time remains buried along with the life he no longer claims.
One thing was certain. The history between Rudy and Rosalina was old, ugly, and far from over.
"How many?" Rosalina demanded.
"How many what?"
Her knuckles whitened around the hilt of her sword. Any tighter than that, and she would start to bleed.
"Don't fuck with me, Rudy. You had instructors, tutors, every advantage a noble's son could ask for — and still, you couldn't escape the fate of being talentless. So you turned to the only thing left that pathetic little ass could manage: leeching off others. Using them. Bleeding them dry so you could crawl a few inches forward. Now answer me... how many students did you sacrifice to get this far?"
The air itself turned heavy, the forest holding its breath. Yet Rudy just stood there, maintaining his smile as if he were enjoying her fury.
"Honestly? I lost count."
Rosalina's jaw clenched, her teeth grinding behind tight lips. Her sword quivered in her grip, the tension in her arm visible.
Even Kain, who could find a joke even in the middle of an execution, stayed silent. He fixed his gaze on Rudy with the same wary disgust in Rosalina's eyes.
"Oh, don't look at me like that, Rose," Rudy chuckled. "The Headmistress herself said it was fair game to turn on each other for a little extra glory, didn't she? I'm just playing by the rules."
"By provoking a slaughter the moment this trial began?!"
"Of course. If that's what it takes."
"You... Give me one good reason why I shouldn't cut you down where you stand."
Rudy's grin sharpened as he took a step forward.
"Tell me, Rose... do you really want to play saint right now? Because, correct me if I'm wrong, weren't you one of the many who lifted a blade against your own classmates?"
For the first time, Rosalina faltered. In an instant, her face was drained of color.
"I... it was self-defense. They attacked first."
"Maybe so, but is that really an excuse? Should a knight — a Sigurdia, no less — raise her sword against another noble, another student, just because she panicked? Or did you feel it, Rose? That rush when your blade struck flesh?"
"...What? What are you—"
"Did it excite you? Did it make your blood sing?"
"No!
"When it was over, and you stood there with your heart pounding and your enemies on the ground... did you revel in it, even for a second?"
With each word, his voice sank venom into old insecurities Rosalina never showed to anyone. Her body trembled, and her breath was uneven. It was clear that whatever had happened before she met them, the guilt had been gnawing at her endlessly.
And Caelus understood that feeling better than anyone. Even for the sake of survival, the weight of raising a weapon against another person was far too heavy. Even knowing that these test fights would leave no lasting wounds, it didn't make the sensation any less real.
For better or worse, some stains just didn't come out.
He hadn't known Rosalina long. Barely a day, if that. He didn't know what she likes to eat, what she does in her free time, or what burdens weigh on her heart. By all rights, he shouldn't care.
But watching this unfold... it was almost like watching a demon whisper poison into a saint's ear, dragging her down inch by inch.
Suddenly, a shimmer of light appeared beside Rudy. The leaderboard glyph hovered in the air, stating that Rudikar Silvesta had moved up from third place to second.
Kain's brow twitched.
"The hell...?"
"Ah, what impeccable timing," Rudy scoffed. "Seems an unfortunate soul has met their end, and whatever system tracks this game has credited it to me. How quaint."
That was it.
Caelus stepped forward, but before his foot could touch the ground, Kain was already there. His sword was unsheathed, its edge barely a hair from Rudy's throat, yet the crooked grin on Rudy's face never wavered.
"And the noble Diadalin finally makes his move," he sneered. "What's next? A lecture on virtue and honor? Going to parrot your father's useless ideologies?"
"No. Not this time," Kain answered menacingly. "Still, I'd advise you to watch your words."
"Oh? Are you threatening, Diadalin?"
"Take it as you wish, but I will say this much, Silvesta. House Diadalin stands as the empire's most renowned demon slayers. We hunt, and we kill. Without remorse, without mercy. And right now... you're looking an awful lot like one of them."
The moment hung sharp and dangerous, yet Rudy didn't flinch. If anything, his grin stretched wider.
"Then why not cut me down where I stand? You have the perfect opportunity right now. So go ahead. Do it."
Kain's grip tightened on his hilt, but after a moment of hesitation, he lowered the blade.
"I'm not like you. I'll tolerate your filth simply because this is a test. But if ever this happens out there... in the real world, or the battlefield... I'll have your head without a second thought."
"Hah. Noted."
And just like that, he turned and sauntered off into the trees as if nothing had happened.
Caelus moved to Rosalina, hesitating for a brief moment before resting a hand on her shoulder. She met his gaze, and for the first time, her expression cracked. The fire was still there, but beneath it was something small and brittle.
"I... I'm sorry you guys had to see that," she muttered.
"Nothing to be sorry about," Caelus said. "The bastard had it coming."
"Damn right, he did!" Kain snorted, sheathing his sword. "Maybe I should've just finished the job."
"What, beheading him?"
"Yeah! Just letting him go has left a bad taste in my mouth. Though, either way, I guess I just made myself an enemy of House Silvesta. Heh... I'm looking forward to this college life all of a sudden."
Just like that, Rosalina's doubts faded along with their words. It wasn't the kind of place where trust came easily. Not here, and certainly not in noble society. Yet somehow, these two idiots had managed to chip away at the walls she'd built.
She found herself glad that she ran into them.
"Can you guys do me a favor?" she asked. "Just forget any of that happened. Last thing I want is for rumors to spread about me and that disgusting pig."
"Oh, I don't know," Kain smirked with a hint of sarcasm. "The genius Rosalina with a scandalous past sounds pretty enticing. I'm sure the student body would love to know—"
Rosalina shot him a scowl, causing him to flinch.
"W-whoa!" he exclaimed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Goddammit... You know, you're kinda scary when you get serious like that. Like... Oh! A witch! Haha, that's so perfect!"
That was the last straw for her, as she punched him in the arm. Hard.
"Gah—! See?! That's what I mean!"
And for the first time in a while, she let herself smile.