Chapter 90: Awkward Reunion

Sylas hovered high in the air above the fighting grounds. His presence was as oppressive and powerful as before. It was an effortless kind of power, one that made the world around him recognize it and bend to his will.

Now this elven demi-god was looking down on the exhausted Valerian with a wide grin plastered across his face.

Valerian met his gaze, and even though they were standing far apart, Valerian could clearly see the excitement in his eyes. But there was also something else, something Valerian couldn’t place... awe?

Sylas broke the eye contact and turned to the students around him. He stretched out his arms and addressed them.

"I hope you enjoyed this wonderful display of strength and control all of the contestants displayed today."

His voice carried itself effortlessly through the stadium so that every single student could hear him perfectly.

"Especially our finalists, Arthur von Pendragon and Valerian von Astrea. These two showed us a performance that no one expected and had us on the edge of our seats, wanting to witness the winner of this amazing fight."

"And now we have him. One last loud applause for Valerian von Astrea, the Apex of the first years!"

The students broke out in a loud cheer that shook the walls of the stadium. All the years that were watching, not just the other first-year contestants, were celebrating the winner of the tournament.

Seraphine sat among the other students; she had a smile on her beautiful face as she looked down on Valerian. The other students around her were shocked to see her smile, as she, as the elven princess, had the reputation of a cold and distant royal.

But her genuine smile sent all the students that saw it into a trance.

Yet her eyes were locked on Valerian.

’I knew it. His body... it’s mana.’

She had felt the strange way the mana moved around him before when they met at her birthday. But when she saw him again before her fight, she noticed that something was different about him.

And now, seeing him fight directly, she came to the conclusion that instead of augmenting his body with mana normally, normally a thin layer of mana formed when enhancing the body, for Valerian, instead of an outer layer, the density of mana inside his body increased.

Her obsession with everything mana-related bloomed, as her eyes shone with an interest she couldn’t keep down.

’Behave, Seraphine. I will have enough time to inspect his body later.’

Unknowingly, an obsessive light appeared in her eyes, and a grin framed her beautiful face.

Sylas began to descend to the ground at a relaxed speed, landing on the ground with a certain effortlessness that made even such a casual thing seem regal.

’His charm must be off the charts. Maybe Ascendant or even Demi-God.’

The charm stat didn’t just show how attractive someone was; it also made every movement seem more refined and like a ruler executed them. The charm of a person increases with their rank, but it can also grow separately or only rise minimally when advancing in rank.

Mana always strives to bring the host to its perfect form. So when someone gets stronger, the mana will bring out the full potential of the person. Some people are capped at C-rank charm, others at SSS. But once you reach your cap, the mana can’t improve the limits placed on you by your genetics.

A similar principle is at play with aging. The lifespan of a person increases with their rank; some races have a naturally long life, like elves, dragons, and many more.

But it’s not a normal long life; it’s more that the mana will slow down the aging as a person nears their peak physical condition at around 20–25 years old.

So even elves will age normally when they are younger, but the aging will slow down as they get closer to that age range. Once they reach that age range, the speed at which their body ages will slow down drastically.

So people spend most of their lives in their 20s or 30s, as their aging is the slowest there. But once they pass that range, the aging speed will once again increase, leaving them fewer years in their old bodies.

Back to the important stuff.

As Sylas stood in front of Valerian, he stretched out his hand in front of the still exhausted Valerian.

A bright light covered his hand, and the glow began to spread to Valerian’s body. Instantly, he could feel the time mana moving around him. Normally, it would heal all the injuries and restore the empty mana core, but since Valerian didn’t have one and was just missing mana, the light only refilled his reserves.

But the deep exhaustion that was setting somewhere deeper in him wasn’t healed; it was only lessened to a degree that allowed him to stand without fearing he might fall.

Valerian could also feel [Law Breaker] interacting with the time mana around him.

’A time affinity, huh? That could be useful.’

Feeling the time mana enter his body, he already expected the integration of the time affinity into his body.

But contrary to his belief, he didn’t feel the familiar feeling he got when gaining a new affinity. Yet it wasn’t completely fruitless, as he felt that his connection to time magic was increasing.

’So I can’t just take time... maybe because it’s a conceptual affinity.’

He was slightly down that he couldn’t just gain such a strong affinity like time so easily. But that wasn’t the most important thing on his mind right now.

Sylas stood in front of him and watched Valerian as he cycled through multiple emotions while the time magic reverted his body. He had a knowing smile on his face, but didn’t say anything, finishing his spell.

The light in his hand retreated back, and Valerian could feel his SS-rank reserves brimming with power inside his exhausted body.

Sylas turned back to the crowd.

"Let us celebrate the newcomers of this year at the banquet that will be held tonight. Of course, every student is invited to join us."

Every year on the evening of the ranking tournament, there was a banquet held to celebrate the new students and the apex of the first years.

Organizing a banquet that millions of people would attend would be a nightmare, not just for the food; having the space for so many people would be impossible for any other institution.

But Sylas Starlight made it possible.

When Valerian heard about the banquet, his mood dropped. He wasn’t really someone that liked going to these events; the one exception he made was for Seraphine’s birthday, and even that was more of a political situation, as he didn’t want to create problems for Helias and Freya if he were to refuse.

And he was sure that, as the apex of the first years, he would be forced to attend it, and if his worst feeling was correct, he would need to give a speech. The mere thought of giving a speech sent shivers down his spine.

His dreadful thoughts about the event in the evening were interrupted as he looked at the principal, who also looked at him. His voice reached again into his head.

’Let’s talk; I’m sure you have many questions.’

Valerian only offered a nod to him. Shortly after, he was allowed to leave the stadium, and everyone went to their dorms to prepare themselves for the banquet.

Valerian walked out of the stadium with a deep breath. He was exhausted, but he couldn’t rest just yet; he still had to talk with the principal. But...

’Where do I have to go???’

Right after saying that to Valerian mentally, Sylas just disappeared and didn’t even leave him with a direction to find him.

’How is that guy the strongest?? Just leaving me like this...’

Grumbling, Valerian just picked a direction and walked forward. But he stopped mid-step as he felt a familiar presence behind him. Someone he wasn’t sure how he should face.

Would things be weird after what happened two months ago? To be honest, he didn’t want to turn around, but he still did.

Now standing in front of him was Seraphine. She had changed out of the burned and cut combat outfit she wore in her fight, and now her outfit was a mix of noble elegance befitting her status and casual comfort.

Underneath, a fitted black high-neck top and dark, high-waisted shorts gave her a sleek, practical look. Draped over her shoulders was an ivory ceremonial robe that reached to her mid-thigh with wide, flowing sleeves, pulled in tightly at the waist by a structured belt. Intricate gold filigree ran along the dark trim, highlighted by faint purple accents, while delicate chains and deep-set gemstone jewelry completed the appearance.

Her long silver hair hung behind her, as a ribbon held it at the back, creating a half-up and half-down look. Her crimson-magenta eyes glowed as she looked at Valerian.

Valerian lost his breath when he saw her again; her SS-rank charm was fully shining as she embodied the aesthetic of an elven princess completely.

He wasn’t sure how to start or what to say. Luckily for him, Seraphine took the lead.

"Hey."

After that single word, she turned quiet again. Valerian wasn’t sure how to reply, so he just did the same.

"Hey."

It was a slightly awkward atmosphere, as both weren’t sure what to say to the other. Valerian couldn’t hold the silence any longer and just wanted to say something.

"Your fight was go-"

"Excuse me, Lord von Astrea."

He was interrupted as a female voice echoed from his side. With an annoyed face, he turned to look at the person that had just interrupted him.

Standing a few meters away from him was a human woman with black hair tied in a tight ponytail and black eyes. She wore a professional suit and had an emotionless face.

"Principal Starlight sent me to retrieve you."

"Haaa.... Okay."

Letting out a sigh, Valerian turned one last time to Seraphine; he could see the disappointment in her eyes.

"Let’s talk later, Sera."

With that, he turned around and followed behind the woman to the principal’s office, not turning around to see her reaction.