“Are you sure about this Ethan?” Professor Violet asked. “Staking your position as Pillar for this duel is not compulsory. You can refuse if you want to.”
“It’s fine, Professor,” Ethan replied. “There are times when people need to stand their ground, even if the stakes are not in their favor.”
Langston, who heard Ethan’s reply, simply sneered. For him, fighting against a Dud was such a trivial manner. The only reason why he asked to put their titles as Pillars on the line was because he found the handsome young man to be an annoyance. 𝒐𝒱𝔩xt.𝗇𝓔t
“I will ask you one last time,” Professor Violet stated. “Are you sure about this?”
Ethan nodded. “I’m sure of it, Professor.”
Professor Violet sighed before crossing her arms over her chest to ponder a bit. She knew that Ethan was just going along with his emotions, and there was no stopping him at this point.
Even so, she was still worried, so she decided to make an announcement.
“Since this isn’t an ordinary duel, I will consult the Headmaster and get his approval,” Professor Violet. “All of you will return here after an hour. By then, the Headmaster will have made his decision. Also Ethan, use that time to change into the academy’s uniform.
“Although I admit you’re quite good looking, I don’t advise fighting in a magical duel wearing only pajamas.”
Professor Violet’s side remark was met with laughter, and cheers from the spectators. All of them were wondering why Ethan had come to the training grounds in his pajamas.
“Okay, Professor,” Ethan replied. “Let’s go, Chloe.”
Without even waiting for Chloe’s reply, he held her hand and walked down from the arena. He planned to return to the Dud Manor with her, so that both of them could calm down a bit.
Henry and Luna, who were also in the crowd, followed behind the two teenagers, leaving everyone behind.
“Wow, a knight in shining pajamas,” Lily said with a smile. “I wish someone would also stand up for me like Ethan did.”
“You need to fix your attitude first,” Nicole commented. “How long are you planning to keep up this helpless damsel in distress act?”
“Don’t be like that, Nicole,” Lily smirked. “Just let me do what I want. After all, I’m not getting in the way of your true agenda here in the Academy. I’m sure that the Asta Family had other plans when they sent you here.”
The pretty blonde with pigtails winked at Nicole before walking away from the training ground. Since the duel would resume in an hour, she decided to just wander around for a while, until the Headmaster gave his approval for the duel.
Several minutes later, Ethan and Chloe arrived at the Dud Manor.
“Wait for a bit,” Ethan said as he left Chloe in the common area. “I’ll change clothes first.”
“Okay,” Chloe replied and watched her cousin go up the stairs in a hurry.
She then stared at her hand, which Ethan had held all the way from the training grounds. His grip was firm, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable. In fact, Chloe could feel the warmth, and security emanating from his hand, as if telling her that everything would be okay.
‘He’s much cooler now compared to how he was in the past,’ Chloe thought.
She didn’t expect that Ethan would really challenge Langston for her sake, and although she was worried, she admitted that it made her feel happy inside when he stood up for her.
Chloe had spent years growing up with Ethan, and understood his character. He might be a happy-go-lucky person, but when people need him the most, he would come regardless of the situation.
Meanwhile, after Ethan arrived in his room, he changed his clothes and put on his academy uniform.
When he was fully dressed, he once again found himself in that blue world, where the Mermaid Princess was waiting for him.
“The only reason why I am able to talk to you right now, is because you have temporarily awakened a portion of your Magic Power,” the Mermaid Princess said. “However, since we have very limited time, I’ll cut to the chase and tell you how to raise your chances of winning.
“To be perfectly honest, even if you can use magic now, you only have a small chance of winning. What you need to do is squeeze out all the magic you can muster in one blow. However, after you do this, you will lose all the magic that you have temporarily stored inside your body.”
“Storing magic inside my body?” Ethan asked. “How did I do it?”
The Mermaid Princess smiled. “It’s very simple. All you need to do is kiss a Witch’s lips and you can absorb a bit of their power.”
“Huh?” Ethan blinked in confusion. “Kiss a Witch’s lips? What do you mean?”
The Mermaid Princess floated toward Ethan and pressed her hand over her chest.
“Everyone has their own Unique Magic,” the Mermaid Princess replied. “Even those who are not Wizards and Witches, have a magic of their own. They may not be able to cast spells, or do magical things, but they can make impossible things… possible.”
The Mermaid then cupped Ethan’s face, and looked him straight in the eye.
“Your Magic can copy a portion of another’s power. No, it’s not copying, but absorption. But this is only a temporary thing,” the Mermaid Princess didn’t mention that Ethan’s Magic Circuits had been destroyed when he was a baby, so his ability to wield magic had almost become impossible.
Fortunately, Luna’s Moon Magic Ceremony allowed Ethan to heal a little bit of his damaged Magical Circuits, giving him enough power to copy the power of others for a short period of time.
“When you kiss Witches, you will absorb some of their magic power,” the Mermaid Princess explained. “However, this power will only last for an entire day. Kissing them again will not have any effect because you can only absorb an individual’s magic power once every week.
“The good news is that you can copy multiple powers at any given time, as long as you kiss other girls. But, I don’t advise that you use this method. No one likes a womanizer, you know? Also, it only works on Witches. Even if you were to kiss all the boys in the Academy, nothing would change.”
Half a minute later, Ethan’s body shuddered as if remembering something important.
Seeing that he had come to a realization, a mischievous smile appeared on the Princess Mermaid’s face.
“That’s right,” the Mermaid Princess said as she pressed a finger over Ethan’s lips. “The reason why you are able to use magic now is because you have already kissed a Witch. But, she’s not just any ordinary Witch, but a powerful one.”
“Y-You mean, it wasn’t a dream?” Ethan stuttered. “Did I really kiss, Luna?”
“You did,” the Mermaid Princess answered. “However, you were overwhelmed by the power of your bloodline, so it was not entirely your fault. Even so, you still kissed an innocent lady, so make sure to properly apologize to her later.”
The Mermaid Princess giggled before lightly pinching Ethan, who had a dumbfounded expression on his face after confirming that he had indeed kissed the angelic beauty, who had helped him awaken his Magic Power.
“Now, let’s go back to business.” the Mermaid’s face became serious. “If you want to win, you need to finish the battle in one move. If you miss this opportunity, it will be over before you can even blink. I will teach you a spell that will allow you to win. However, don’t forget, we only have one chance to do this.”
The Mermaid then pulled back, and the scenery slowly faded until Ethan once again found himself inside his room.
“Believe in yourself, and the magic within you. I will support you with everything I’ve got,” the Mermaid Princess’ voice echoed inside the room. “Do your best, Mr. Knight. After this day is over, your life will never be the same again. I’m sure of it.”