April 6th.
Morning.
After sweating it out with Husky in the backyard, Ron went upstairs for a shower, then sat down at the dining table to have breakfast with everyone.
When Nora took a sip of milk, leaving a ring of white foam on her lips, Ron's gaze couldn't help drifting over. His thoughts wandered.
Ever since that night a few days ago, although they hadn't taken that final step, after Yuna's "guidance" in the bathroom, Nora had… put in quite a bit of effort.
The mix of awkwardness and gentleness had left Ron dazed—so much so that he almost felt like he'd been transported back to his old world.
That night, for once, Ron didn't enter deep meditation. Instead, he held Nora and slept peacefully.
Exceptionally peacefully.
Probably because it was her first time doing something like that, Nora had been too shy over the past few nights, going to bed early each time.
By the time Ron finished bathing, she was already fast asleep.
Naturally, Ron couldn't bring himself to wake her.
After all, once there's a first time, the second and third won't be far behind.
Of course, after that night, Ron had sought out Yuna and given her a "strong condemnation," which ended with Yuna rolling her eyes and nothing really changing.
But ever since then, Nora and Yuna's relationship had become strangely close.
Now that her identity was no longer hidden, Yuna could freely use her shadow techniques in front of Nora when no one else was around.
And since Yuna was, in name, Ron's "aunt," Nora naturally grew even closer to her.
Previously, even though Yuna had been the second employee after Nora, there had always been a subtle barrier between them.
Now, that barrier was gone.
They were practically like sisters—on the same level as Mia and Eileen—so close that they even bathed together every day.
They even helped each other apply resin.
All over.
Don't ask how Ron knew.
Let's just say… the bathroom door wasn't very soundproof.
After that, Nora never let Ron steal kisses in the carriage again.
Because she now knew that every time Ron got handsy in the carriage…
Yuna had been lurking underneath the carriage as a shadow the entire time.
How could she possibly handle that?
Way too embarrassing.
Ron, on the other hand, was helpless.
He figured Yuna had probably seen everything countless times already—so what was there to be shy about?
"Boss, hurry up and eat," Nora urged, licking the milk foam off her lips.
"The knockout stage draw starts at seven."
Ron watched her tongue trace her lips before snapping back to reality. He lowered his head and took a bite of bread, nodding as he chewed.
At the same time, he discreetly adjusted his waistband, maintaining a calm expression as he took a sip of milk to cover it up.
Across from him, Yuna curled her lips.
With shadow marks spread throughout the room, she was fully aware of everything.
After breakfast, Ron and Nora passed through the storage room's spatial passage, with Yuna's shadow trailing behind.
Stepping out onto Queen's Street, Ron glanced at the gloomy sky.
"It's been cloudy for days. Looks like a heavy storm is coming."
Morning should've been bright, but the sky was dim—like the day before a school trip doomed by bad weather.
"Wear an extra layer tomorrow," Ron said, glancing at Nora's outfit. "Don't catch a cold."
"Mm." Nora nodded obediently.
They boarded an Element Vehicle at the street corner. Nora leaned her head against Ron's shoulder—
—and immediately grabbed his wandering hand, pressing it down onto her thigh, blushing as she whispered:
"Not here, Boss…"
"Hehehe…" Yuna's muffled laughter drifted up from beneath the carriage.
Soon, they arrived at the tournament venue on Moonview Street.
It was only 6:30 a.m., yet the entrance was already packed with people streaming inside.
Even the gloomy weather couldn't dampen the crowd's enthusiasm.
After all, today was the first day of the knockout stage—and the live draw would take place at 7:00 a.m.
Ron and Nora entered through the staff entrance and went straight to the control room on the fourth floor.
Soren André sat there half-asleep. Seeing them, he lazily waved without even getting up.
Rowell and Leticia, however, stood and greeted them properly.
Today's draw would be hosted by Soren André and Leticia.
Ron glanced at Rowell and Leticia—a perfect match, both talented and attractive—and couldn't help feeling a bit sentimental.
Then he glanced sideways at Soren André, who shot him a lazy look back.
Ron subtly gestured toward the couple.
It had been months since they got together, and their relationship only seemed to grow stronger.
Meanwhile, during that same time, Soren André had… well… continued being himself.
At exactly 7:00 a.m., the draw ceremony began in the massive arena on the sixth floor.
All 128 players were seated in the front rows, while thousands of spectators filled the rest of the venue.
As the ceremony began, names were called one by one.
Each player stepped onto the stage to draw their number.
Above the arena, Mimic Grass projected enlarged images of each contestant, displaying their stats and records.
At the same time, a giant tournament bracket hovered in the air, updating in real time.
The atmosphere was electric.
Whenever a top player like Andy, Betty, Wardson, or Rowell stood up, cheers erupted.
But when Mia stood—
—The entire arena exploded.
Yes, she had made it into the knockout stage.
Soren André's voice rang out enthusiastically:
"Although Princess Mia is only Silver-ranked, she performed exceptionally in the preliminaries!"
"She defeated every Silver opponent she faced—and even won two matches against Gold-ranked players!"
"With a record of 14 wins and 6 losses, she secured 97th place and advanced to the knockout stage!"
"If she maintains this momentum and gets a favorable matchup, she might even push for a higher ranking!"
At that moment, Mia reached into the box and drew her number.
"Number 73!!!" Soren André announced dramatically.
"And her opponent is…!"
"Oh my! Number 74 is—"
"WARDSON!"
"PFFT—"
In the corner, Ron burst out laughing, clutching his face.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
He nearly choked from laughing so hard.
"This… this is Soren André's power?!"
"Mia's going to tear him apart later!"
Beside him, Nora covered her mouth, first shocked, then helpless, silently praying for Mia.
Meanwhile, Mia maintained her composed smile under everyone's gaze—
—but her eyes flicked toward Soren André with a chilling look.
Even Soren André felt a shiver run down his spine.
The draw continued smoothly.
Top players were neatly separated into different brackets—ensuring they wouldn't meet early.
Of course…
This wasn't a coincidence.
At the bottom of the draw box, a Heartvine quietly manipulated the slips.
Once the draw concluded, players were guided to the fourth and fifth floors for the matches.
The knockout stage format:
128 → 64
64 → 32
32 → 16
All matches were best-of-five.
Ron didn't stay to watch.
After the ceremony, he left to check in on Guy's operations, returning in the evening.
By then, Mia's match against Wardson had already concluded.
The result?
No suspense.
Wardson won 3–0.
Hearing this, Ron could already imagine how Soren André's life would become… difficult.
At the same time, thunder roared across the sky.
Rain poured down in sheets, blanketing the Royal Capital.
Meanwhile, news came from Sylvie:
That afternoon, the Crown Prince, Eil André, had met Emperor André III, then donned his black armor once more and departed for the northern front.
It seemed…
He had no intention of attending Ron's upcoming conferment ceremony.