Chapter 25
“Hey.”
Lucas came running over as soon as he spotted Liet.
“It’s Liet the Bear Slayer.”
“I’m not!”
Despite Liet’s glare, Lucas grinned and sat beside her.
“Things are always more exciting when I’m around you, Liet.”
Liet stared at the smiling Lucas. With that soft expression and warm smile, his face looked unbelievably gentle.
“What?”
After staring at him for a while, Lucas tilted his head and asked if something was wrong. But Liet said nothing—she just kept staring silently.
While they were leaving the forest after defeating the bear, Samuel had called out to Liet.
“Liet.”
“What?”
“You’re close with Lucas, right?”
Liet stopped and turned around at the sudden mention of Lucas.
She had never really given much thought to how close they were, but among the students at school, she definitely talked with Lucas the most.
Still, she wasn’t sure if she could call that close. After a moment’s hesitation, Liet mumbled,
“…Are we?”
“What?!”
It wasn’t like Samuel didn’t already know the answer. His widened eyes showed how unexpected he found her response.
“You’re not close?”
“Lucas is friendly with everyone.”
“Still… You’re different. I’m not the only one who thinks so.”
Really? Liet narrowed her eyes and glared at him.
“So why bring that up?”
“Ah… I was just worried about you.”
Samuel averted his gaze and trailed off.
“Since when do you worry about me?”
“Starting today! You saved my life, remember?!”
I… did?
Now that she thought about it, she had distracted the bear with an empty arrow so Samuel wouldn’t get torn apart after being used as bait.
Even so, she had no interest in being his savior. Considering all the trouble he caused, punching him once still didn’t feel like enough.
Liet shot him a sharp look.
‘So, what exactly are you trying to say?’
‘Uh, well… I just wanted to say—be careful around Lucas.’
Samuel hesitated before finally blurting it out. Liet let out a dry laugh.
‘Be careful? Of Lucas?’
‘Yeah… I know it sounds weird out of nowhere, but Hamsworth said he saw Lucas in the back alleys the other day.’
Liet’s brows furrowed at the mention of that notorious place.
The alleys near House Hamsworth were known for all kinds of illegal activities—black-market weapon trading, unauthorized magical concoctions, frequent brawls, even serious crimes.
Honestly, it would’ve made sense if Samuel had been there.
His family had amassed wealth selling illegal weapons, and their involvement in the back alleys was well known, even among the students.
But Lucas? He didn’t fit that kind of environment at all.
“Why would he go somewhere like that?”
“That’s what I’m saying! At first, I didn’t even recognize him. The vibe was completely different from school.”
Samuel’s voice, usually calm, suddenly grew louder with excitement. His earnest expression was hard to ignore. Still, it was a wild claim—Liet had to double-check.
“Maybe you saw someone else?”
“No! That bright platinum hair is hard to miss. And that face—he stands out anywhere…”
True. Liet had never seen another handsome boy with such dazzling silver hair.
She was starting to get a little curious. Not just about his looks—Lucas’s personality was like sunshine. Why would someone like that be in such a shady place?
Ending her brief memory trip, Liet looked back at Lucas. She didn’t necessarily consider them close, but if weird rumors were spreading, she should clear them up before they got worse.
“Did you go to the back alleys near House Hamsworth?”
Lucas stopped picking leaves the moment she asked.
“…Who told you that?”
His voice had an oddly sharp edge. Liet hesitated before answering.
“I just… heard it somewhere.”
“Do you believe it, Liet?”
The question felt like a test. Liet shrugged.
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Seriously? You’re my closest friend, and you’d believe that?”
Lucas’s playful complaint left Liet a bit rattled. Not because she doubted his innocence—but because of something else he said.
“Wait… we’re close?”
Lucas blinked slowly, then sighed.
“Wow. That hurts.”
Then he suddenly leaned in, so close that Liet’s red eyes were reflected in his transparent golden ones.
“Liet,” he whispered.
“If we weren’t close…”
He smiled as usual, but his eyes weren’t smiling. The mood felt completely different.
“…how could I be this close to you right now?”
“……”
“Who else could do this but me? Right?”
At that moment, a cold voice interrupted from behind.
“I could.”
Huh…?
Startled by the familiar voice, Liet turned around—and found Evan staring at Lucas with an icy glare.
“I’m someone who can get even closer than you.”
Evan pushed Lucas’s shoulder aside.
“I’m that person.”
An awkward silence fell.
And Lucas, surprisingly, didn’t react much to Evan’s fierce gaze.
Instead, he gave a soft smile, as if trying to lighten the mood.
“Geez, look at that face.”
“…”
“Don’t worry. I’m not stealing your childhood friend.”
Liet looked back and forth between them. Evan’s face was still tense, and Lucas’s smile didn’t feel as warm as usual. One thing was clear now—they definitely didn’t get along.
But Liet hated this tense atmosphere. If they were going to fight, they could do it in private. Why make things uncomfortable for her?
She got up.
If she didn’t like the temple, she’d just leave the monk behind. No way she was going to stick around and watch their subtle power play.
“Where are you going?”
Lucas grabbed her wrist.
Liet shot them both an annoyed look.
“I’m leaving because I don’t want to watch you two growling at each other.”
“Wait! I have a question.”
Liet stopped in her tracks.
“What?”
“You know there’s a dance party coming up, right?”
Dance party…?
That was news to her. Everyone had been so obsessed with bear talk that she hadn’t heard a word about it.
Suddenly remembering the school event made her anxious.
‘Dancing, huh…’
Truthfully, she was a disaster at social dancing. She had tripped so many times as a kid that she’d practically greeted the floor more than her partners. Her dance teacher had even quit, saying she’d lose use of her feet if she kept getting stepped on.
Since then, Liet avoided not just dance parties, but most parties altogether.
That’s why the very thought of a dance party terrified her.
But thankfully, there was an easy solution.
“I’m not going.”
Problem solved. Liet shook her head.
Then Lucas raised his palm and said,
“50 bonus points.”
Liet’s eyes widened.
“What…?”
“If you get chosen as ‘Person of the Year’ at the dance party, you earn 50 bonus points.”
The word bonus points made her brain kick into overdrive.
Evan had a perfect 400, and she had 380. If she got those 50 points…
She’d beat him.
Liet’s red eyes blazed with sudden determination. Person of the Year? Whatever that is—I want it. How do I get it?!
“Tell me everything, right now!”
Lucas stifled a laugh as he began explaining.
“It’s exactly what it sounds like. The most attention-grabbing person at the dance party gets picked. It’s probably easiest for you—being a girl and all.”
Oh? That doesn’t sound too hard. Liet turned confidently to Evan.
“You hear that, Evan? If I get ‘Person of the Year’, I’m beating you.”
“You only ever see part of the picture, Liet.”
But Evan’s teasing tone made her lose her smile.
She hadn’t expected him to look flustered—but smiling so calmly was unexpected. He was acting completely different from how he dealt with Lucas earlier.
“Did you know that you need a partner to attend?”
“A partner…?”
“Didn’t even think of that, huh?”
Evan’s taunting words made Liet go quiet.
‘Well, yeah. You can’t dance solo at a social event.’
She’d been completely blindsided.
“So think about it carefully, Liet. Who’s the perfect partner to make up for your terrible dancing?”
Liet had nothing to say.
As annoying as it was, there was only one person who fit that description.
Evan.
He already knew how awful she danced, so there was no risk of embarrassing herself further.
But there was a fatal drawback to partnering with Evan.
First, he might get more attention and end up winning ‘Person of the Year’ himself. That meant he would get the bonus points.
Second, she really didn’t want to dance with him. Dancing meant close contact—sharing rhythm, body heat… and doing that with Evan? Just thinking about it gave her chills.
“Absolutely not.”
He grew up like a brother to her—no way he wanted to dance with her either. So why was he practically suggesting it?
She scowled.
“What do you get out of dancing with me?”
“Hmm…”
Evan folded his arms, then smirked.
“The privilege of seeing Liet’s horrible dancing up close?”
Liet gave him a look. He was probably just trying to stop her from getting the bonus points. If she didn’t get them, her score would never surpass his.
Her mind raced. Looking for a new strategy, she turned to Lucas, who was in third place.
“Lucas.”
“Hm?”
He lifted his head from where he’d been resting it on the desk.
“Who do you plan to partner with?”
“Of course, you.”
His answer was so confident that for a moment, Liet wondered if they had made plans.
But she quickly snapped back to reality.
“…Says who?!”
Lucas was just as out of the question. He was in third place—only 40 points behind her. If he got the bonus, he’d steal her second place.
So neither of them would work.
Liet glanced back and forth between them and declared firmly,
“I’m not partnering with either of you.”
