As if hearing it for the first time, Nigel’s eyes widened, causing Jayden to tilt his head in confusion.

“Huh? Didn’t you know about the rumors of our family? Just because of eye color, the incompetent second child snatched the position of the capable first child and succeeded the family.”

The eyes of the first child of Duke Galloway, who killed his sister and obtained the title, were the same blue-gray as his dead sister’s.

On the other hand, the eyes of the second child, born through a difficult birth, were the same light sky-blue as Duke Galloway’s.

It was a foregone conclusion which of the two children he would favor more.

Nigel thought that the misguided favoritism wouldn’t have much impact on Jayden.

People tend to adapt to their environment, so there are few who give up an environment that benefits them even if they know it’s not right.

So, Jayden Galloway would have turned a blind eye to Zeronin’s abuse. He would have let Zeronin spend countless hours alone in that large house, dwelling on his sense of alienation.

In return, he would have received his parents’ love, and unsatisfied with that, he would have driven out Zeronin, the thorn in his side.

But now, the smiling face of Jayden, who had monopolized his parents’ love growing up, was etched with pain.

Not the image of Jayden Galloway in Nigel’s imagination, who enjoyed ignoring and tormenting Zeronin.

‘Why… Why are you in pain? Why… What right do you have to be?’

From Jayden’s pained appearance, the young Zeronin who swallowed his pain alone emerged.

Nigel bit his lip hard, then opened his mouth.

“I’ll use my wish. Why did you… switch to the Swordsmanship Department?”

“Junior, isn’t your wish too trivial?”

Jayden continued, ignoring Nigel’s informal speech.

“Well… It’s a bit embarrassing for me to say, but it was because of a sudden rebelliousness.”

Nigel blinked at the unexpected answer.

“I had been living as someone told me to all this time, and belatedly realized that it was wrong. But I didn’t have the courage like some people, so transferring to the Swordsmanship Department that my parents disliked was the extent of my rebellion.”

Jayden raised the corners of his mouth as Nigel stared at him intently. Unlike before, it was a natural curve without stiffness.

“Actually, apart from our connection at the train station, after hearing rumors about you at the academy, I wanted to become closer to you even more.”

At his words, Nigel’s body shrank slightly.

Step by step.

Jayden moved his feet and approached Nigel’s ear.

“…This is a secret, but my elder brother actually lived in Tillin. So I was wondering if you might know him. Zeronin Gal… Silvas.”

As soon as Jayden finished speaking, Nigel took a step back and shook his head a few times.

“I know, just because we lived together for a while doesn’t mean we know each other. Such coincidences don’t happen easily. I just… I’ve only now realized that I was quite desperate to bet on even the slightest possibility. The small possibility that you might know my elder brother.”

“Then… if I did know your elder brother, what were you going to say?”

“That’s…”

Eyes similar to Zeronin’s but with rounded ends, the light-colored pupils within them wavered.

“If you had used this as your wish, I would have told you, but unfortunately, I can’t tell you.”

Jayden answered nonchalantly, raising his hands.

“Anyway, congratulations on your victory. Junior.”

A white hand was extended in front of Nigel’s hand again.

Jayden’s fair hand was distinctly different from the impression when Nigel first saw it.

At that time, his fair hand had made Nigel angry, but now it gave him chills. His hand, unblemished despite his excellent swordsmanship skills.

Nigel hesitated, then frowned and firmly grasped Jayden’s hand.

Shaking Jayden’s hand now didn’t mean his feelings towards him had been resolved. If they had been completely resolved, he would have talked about Zeronin.

But… when hitting Duke Galloway in his teens, Jayden was barely eight years old.

Jayden laughed like a young child, not knowing what was so good, and vigorously shook hands up and down. Then, with a satisfied face, he entered the tent.

Nigel watched Jayden’s back with a strange feeling.

Even after losing the match, and even after being slapped in the face by a much younger junior, his appearance was relieved rather than resentful, resembling someone foolish who never uttered a word of curse against his family until the end.

‘And… this is this, that is that.’

Tap.

Nigel grabbed Allen’s hand as if catching it, hidden behind the tent.

“Ah…haha! You knew everything, didn’t you?”

Allen, who had come to tease Nigel during the break, laughed awkwardly.

“Allen. So why did Beselion participate in the Sword Magic Tournament? Your friend even made it to the finals, you can at least tell me this much, can’t you?”

Allen couldn’t let go of Nigel’s hand and only rolled his eyes, avoiding Nigel’s gaze.

“Don’t think too hard and just tell me. Unless you want to fight with me again. No, if that’s what you wanted, I don’t mind.”

At Nigel’s cold gaze, Allen finally began to speak.

“So… Allen Evans, you thought I was dumped by Jayden Galloway and wanted revenge. And Beselion was completely fooled by you and was going to beat him up for me if I fell in the finals… is that it?”

Allen, his face bright red, nodded his head slightly.

“I… I like Ja…”

Nigel bit his lip hard. The two words ‘Jayden’ and ‘like’ coexisting together… it was absolutely unbearable.

“…You seriously believed that I liked Jayden Galloway and was dumped by him?”

In Nigel’s mind, the reason why Noah participated in the Sword Magic Tournament had long been pushed aside.

“Ha… Haha… No matter how lacking in looks, still…? Jayden Galloway?”

Nigel burst into a desperate laugh, then transformed into a fierce face like a sharp blade.

This feeling was twice as unpleasant as when the villagers in Tillin mistook the dirty orphanage boy and himself as lovers a few years ago.

‘I’d rather feel that it was better when Madam Ludin mistook Zeronin as my “elder brother”.’

“So… Noah Beselion participated in the Sword Magic Tournament not for honor, but to beat up Jayden in my place after I was dumped?”

It was so absurd that involuntary laughter kept coming out.

“So how was it when you overheard? Sweet like a conversation between former lovers, huh? Right?”

Under Nigel’s interrogation, Allen couldn’t stand the shame and covered his face with the tent.

‘Still… the thought of Beselion beating up Jayden for me with his thick arms isn’t too bad.’

After the intense emotions of absurdity, despair, and anger passed, his mind became surprisingly calm.

“…Wait a minute. You two thought about beating Jayden but never even considered meeting me in the finals? Assuming Beselion would definitely make it to the finals?”

“…”

This time, there was absolutely no room for excuses, and Allen couldn’t even open his mouth.

“Haha… I really made a great friend. Really. They say there are no secrets between friends…”

Since he had already achieved the goal of hitting Jayden anyway, and there was no reason to fight Noah, his lifeline, Nigel intended to forfeit the finals.

However, it was too disappointing to simply forfeit after learning the whole story.

…Ding!

Then, a good idea flashed through his mind and Nigel’s eyes widened.

“Allen Evans, cooperate with me.”

Nod.

Allen, who no longer had any affection left for Nigel, promptly nodded his head.

[This is the timeline separator]

The prestigious Sword Magic Tournament, boasting a 216-year history, set a new record this year.

This was none other than one of the participants in the finals of the Sword Magic Tournament causing a mana rampage and fainting from mana exhaustion.

The rampaging participant’s mana ‘coincidentally’ fell right at the feet of a brown, curly-haired boy in the Magic Department audience section, and fortunately, no one was hurt except for the curly-haired boy’s startled heart.

The unconscious participant was immediately taken to the infirmary by the student council president of the same department and fortunately recovered without any harm to his life.

“Is Ars feeling better now?”

“…Ahem, he’ll wake up soon, ahem.”

Allen answered Sid, who was looking down at Nigel with worried eyes, trying to hold back his laughter.

From the morning of the weekend until the sun went down, there was a constant procession of students visiting Nigel, who had collapsed during the Sword Magic Tournament.

No, to be precise, it was a procession of visits for Nigel’s ‘feigned illness’.

Just before the finals, Allen brought Oliver at Nigel’s command.

To the grinning Oliver, Nigel, who couldn’t get over the betrayal by his friends, asked him to deceive the Swordsmanship Department and the Political Affairs Department by using the fact that students from other departments couldn’t detect mana.

Of course, Oliver, who never refused an interesting task, accepted this and quickly designed a magic circle, his specialty, to make it appear as if Nigel had gone on a rampage and fainted.

In the process, the mana flying precisely to Allen’s seat was Oliver’s service.

Furthermore, Oliver’s true colors didn’t end there.

Oliver spread a large magic circle that only the Magic Department could detect.

[Nigel will pretend to faint from mana rampage during the finals to deceive Political Affairs and Swordsmanship, so please cooperate and act surprised.]

Just to send this kind of message.

…And so, the current situation came to be.

The Magic Department students held back their laughter as they watched the visiting students while looking at Nigel, whose mana was perfectly fine, and Nigel, lying still in bed, healed his wounds from Allen and Noah by deceiving others, including Noah.

Of course, after being discharged, Nigel didn’t forget to give Allen and Noah, who had strange misunderstandings, a good beating.