A powerful gust of wind burst out from Colt's single punch, snuffing out the flames that had engulfed the arena.
Everyone leaned forward, eyes wide.
They'd seen the entire fight from the outside, but in the end, all they saw was Colt's light-covered hand striking Cecilia's back, wrapped in darkness.
The light around his hand faded, and Colt dropped to one knee, acting as though he'd spent the last of his mana.
The darkness behind Cecilia dispersed moments later—revealing a faint burn mark on her back.
He'd hit her.
The crowd stared, stunned. Even his Spear of Light had been swallowed by a simple sphere of darkness earlier in the fight.
But this time, Colt's strike had pierced a far stronger defense and left a mark on Cecilia.
That didn't make sense.
If it was light magic, how had it burned her?
Light didn't cause burns like that. It wasn't destructive in that way.
They didn't understand it—and even Cecilia found herself questioning what had just happened.
She was uncertain about three things.
First, why had her senses mistaken that Colt-shaped fire illusion for the real him?
Second, how had he gotten behind her so cleanly?
And third—what exactly had he hit her with?
Because it wasn't just light. Her Darkness Shield had absorbed the light spell completely, as expected.
But there had been fire mixed in.
How?
He hadn't used both hands. If he had, she would have noticed.
She'd already reviewed Colt's registration. According to what he told the staff, he could use "all" attributes.
Of course, no one took that literally. They assumed it meant he had four—an impressive number, but still within reason.
However, there was no known attribute that combined both fire and light.
And yet, he had just used them together.
That was his help to Cecilia.
It wasn't a flashy gift or a direct pointer, but it was something greater: a demonstration of dual-attribute casting.
A trick so rare and complex that if she could master it, she might reach level 200 far sooner than expected.
***
"Colt wins!" Cecilia announced, sending a wave of chaos through the class. "Well done. This is the first time a first-year has ever won against me."
"Ah, I don't think it really counts," Colt replied. "You let me cast a spell with a three-second chant. No one would give me that kind of opening in a real fight."
"It doesn't matter," she said. "You still landed a blow. You should consider challenging some third-year students next. They'll be tough, but you'll learn a lot."
"Thank you for the advice, Miss Cecilia!" Colt said, then stepped down from the arena.
And with that, the day's classes came to an end.
***
While everyone was leaving the class, most of the students had gathered around the group of three nobles—and Colt.
"Your name was Colt, right? That was a great match! Are you really a commoner?"
"We're heading to the academy district. Want to join us for a meal?"
Colt already had a fan base among the first years—and maybe even some second years, too.
The students who weren't elitists didn't hesitate to approach him. Apparently, there were even a few girls bold enough to ask him, a commoner, out.
But most talked to each other, without letting him hear.
"He's strong and polite... do you think he's secretly a noble?"
"I want to partner with him in the next duel drills. Maybe some of that skill will rub off on me."
"I'd marry him right now. No shame."
"Are you serious? What if he gets weaker?"
"Well, he is much better than that second-year assassin guy..."
Colt, for his part, turned the offers down with a polite smile, claiming he had things to do. No one seemed to take offense.
This whole situation gave Hei the perfect chance to tease him.
"Aren't you popular now? Gonna forget about us soon, or are we still cool?"
Colt didn't reply right away, but he did catch the faint grin on Hei's face—and the elbow Myrin drove into his ribs a second later.
He was happy that Hei felt close enough to tease him.
"Don't worry," Colt finally said, glancing briefly toward Seila, "I don't intend to leave."
The others kept talking, laughing, still riding the high from the match, but Seila only nodded once, quietly.
She didn't say anything else. She didn't need to.
The light from the sunset filtered in through the high windows, casting the tower's ground floor in orange and gold.
The embers from Colt's earlier spells had long since faded, but the feeling they left behind still lingered—like something had changed.
And maybe it had.
Colt wasn't just another first-year anymore.
And there were only three days for the day he had been waiting.
---
"Headmaster, do you know what that was?" Cecilia asked. They were in his office.
"Hmm... It's my first time seeing anything like it. You said he used light magic? Are you certain?"
"Absolutely. He's just a level-66 student. There's no way I misread it."
"I see... I tried looking into his background, but everything is classified. So I assume that's intentional.
He could be a prince or someone important from another country, trying to keep a low profile. If that's the case, we should respect his privacy."
"A prince? Is that even possible? What if something happens to him? Wouldn't that start a war?"
"Relax. It's just a possibility. And if he is someone important, he probably came here knowing the risks. Otherwise, his records wouldn't be sealed."
"As for the spell he used... I'm not sure it was even a spell. But maybe you'll understand it better than I can, since you were the one hit by it. It might help you improve your situation."
"I understand. Thank you for the insight, Headmaster. I'll do my best."
Cecilia gave a polite nod and left the room.
The headmaster leaned back in his chair with a quiet sigh.
"...Is he dangerous, or is he the one we've been waiting for?"
---
The academy district was massive.
So much so that some even called it Academy City. Of course, it wasn't an actual city.
To provide a better education, its borders included a wide range of terrain—lakes, forests, and more.
In one of those forests, two men were speaking in secret.
"So that's what happened... Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
"Are you sure? This is dangerous, you know. Even if you're in fourth grade now—"
"Shut it! You think I can't cover my tracks? Our household name is on everyone's lips because of you."
"I-I'm sorry. I'm sure you can handle it."
The first man turned and left the clearing.
"Sure, you can..." the second muttered. "But what about after you handle it?"
Then he, too, disappeared into the woods.