How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game Chapter 738: Fateful Encounter 2

"...This is annoying."

Janica muttered under her breath as she stood by the edge of the arena, rolling her shoulders once before gathering her red hair and tying it into a ponytail.

Her movements were calm.

Practiced.

But the slight twitch in her brow gave her away.

Normally, things like this wouldn’t bother her.

Whispers. Rumors. Opinions.

She’d dealt with them for a long time now—most of it tied to Lucas... and sometimes even Riley. At some point, she just learned to ignore it.

It wasn’t worth her time.

"Hey, how long do you think this fight will last?"

"Want to bet?"

"I wish they’d make certain fights longer."

"Short fights are better. You get to see how skilled they really are."

The voices blended together from the stands, but with her enhanced senses, every word reached her clearly.

Too clearly.

"...."

Janica let out a quiet breath as she tightened her ponytail.

She understood.

Most people didn’t see the effort behind a fight.

They didn’t see the hours spent training, the mistakes, the repetition, the frustration.

They only saw what was right in front of them.

The result.

And right now...

To them, this match was already decided.

"...."

Her fingers paused for a second before she let her hand fall to her side.

It annoyed her.

More than she wanted to admit.

Because it wasn’t like she hadn’t worked for this.

Lucas was strong—she knew that better than anyone.

She wasn’t delusional about that.

But that didn’t mean she was weak.

Didn’t mean she hadn’t pushed herself just as hard to get here.

As the announcer continued with his drawn-out greetings and formalities, Janica stood in place—

And felt... nothing.

No noise.

No pressure.

The roaring crowd, the chatter, the presence of the judges—

All of it felt distant.

Muted.

"...I’m calmer than I expected..."

Her eyes lifted slightly toward the judge’s area.

The emperor sat there, relaxed, looking down over the arena like everything was beneath him. Normally, just being under that gaze would’ve made her tense up, even if only a little.

But now?

Nothing.

No pressure.

No fear.

"...Is it because I’m more nervous about his evaluation?"

The thought came naturally.

Her gaze shifted to the side, toward the VIP seats.

Riley was there,

Sitting calmly, watching.

That same neutral expression on his face like always—impossible to read.

"...."

Janica shook her head lightly.

"No... who am I kidding..."

A quiet breath left her lips.

"Maybe I’m just too nervous to even feel nervous..."

She glanced down at her right hand.

A faint tremble.

So, it wasn’t like she felt nothing at all.

"...."

Honestly, Riley’s presence did bother her a little.

Not in a bad way.

Just...

Complicated.

The kind of feeling she didn’t have time to sort out right now.

Because none of that mattered.

If she wanted to last against Lucas—even for a moment—

She’d have to push through with nothing but effort and will.

That was the only way.

A light breeze passed through the arena.

And before she realized it—

Lucas was already there.

Standing across from her, having just climbed up onto the opposite side.

His gaze met hers.

Clear.

Focused.

Determined.

She understood immediately.

He wasn’t going to hold back.

Not for her.

"...Good."

A faint smile almost formed, but she stopped it.

"I hope we have a good match, Janny."

"...Seriously."

Janica let out a small sigh, her tone flat.

"You’re way too honest with yourself, Lucas."

"Huh?"

"And way too slow at the same time..."

She added, glancing at him briefly.

"...But I guess that’s your charm."

Lucas blinked, clearly confused.

But she didn’t bother explaining.

There was no point.

The moment had already passed.

"Let the fight begin!"

The announcer’s voice rang out across the arena.

And without hesitation—

Without changing her expression—

Janica moved.

She dashed forward, closing the distance between them in an instant.

CLANG!!!

Their swords collided, steel ringing sharply as their mana crashed against each other.

A burst of pressure spread from the point of contact, kicking up dust and forcing the air around them to ripple.

Lucas’s eyes widened slightly.

He hadn’t expected Janica to make the first move.

But then—

A small smile formed on his lips.

"...Good."

He welcomed it.

Mana flared around him in response, golden light beginning to gather as he prepared to push her back—

"I understand you’re not planning to hold back on me, Lucas."

Janica’s voice cut through calmly.

"If that’s the case... then I’ll give you a reason not to."

Green mana surged around her body, sharp and fast, like blades forming out of thin air. Without giving him space to react, she pushed forward, locking him in place.

"You’re not the only one trying to get stronger."

For a brief moment—

The air stilled.

Then—

[High-Level Wind Magic]

[Tempest Reflection]

VOOOOM!!!

A violent burst of wind exploded outward.

Not just a gust—

But countless compressed blades of air tearing through everything in front of her.

Lucas was blown back instantly.

He twisted mid-air, flipping his body to regain balance before landing cleanly on the arena floor.

"...!"

For a second, everything seemed fine.

Then—

Drip.

A drop of blood hit the ground.

Followed by another.

Thin cuts began to open across his arms, his shoulders, even his cheek—like invisible blades had just passed through him.

"...Haha..."

A quiet laugh escaped him.

Genuine.

Surprised.

Janica stood where she was, her breathing steady, green mana still flowing around her like a storm waiting to strike again.

’Janny can use high level magic? Since when?’

She hadn’t shown anything like this before.

Not at this level.

"...Looks like I really can’t afford to hold back now."

Lucas straightened, his grip tightening on his sword.

The golden aura around him flared to life—

Brighter.

Heavier.

The air itself seemed to press down as his mana expanded outward.

Janica felt it instantly.

"...."

Her throat tightened slightly.

She swallowed.

But her eyes didn’t waver.

If anything—

Her grip on her sword tightened even more....

...

’...Did Evelyn interfere?’

The thought crossed my mind as I watched Janica closely.

That wind magic from earlier—

It didn’t sit right.

As far as I remember, I never did anything that would push her toward that kind of growth. Her build was supposed to lean fully into aura, something straightforward but efficient.

And yet...

That spell.

It felt familiar.

"...Don’t tell me..."

I exhaled quietly.

So that clone of mine didn’t just mess with her head about Lucas... she actually helped her develop too.

Not exactly something I planned for.

Still...

I can’t say I mind it.

My gaze stayed fixed on the arena.

Even with that kind of boost—

It still wasn’t enough.

...Of course it wouldn’t be.

Catching up to the protagonist of this world was never going to be that simple.

Even so—

Janica held her ground.

The fact that she could keep up with Lucas in a direct exchange of blades meant one thing.

She never stopped growing.

With or without my involvement.

"...Guess he helped her too, in his own way."

That much was obvious.

Their swords clashed again and again, the sound ringing across the arena. Sparks flew, mana collided—sometimes Lucas would push forward, sometimes Janica would force him back.

There were even moments where she gained the upper hand.

Brief.

But real.

"...."

Watching her like this...

It felt a little strange.

Bittersweet, maybe.

Like seeing something move forward without you.

Without needing you.

And yet—

At the same time—

It felt right.

But in the end...

There was a limit.

"Winner—Lucas!"

The announcer’s voice echoed through the arena, sealing the result.

...Yeah.

Of course.

Lucas really is the protagonist of this world.

He’s grown.

Not just in strength—

But in precision.

Even the quality of his divine power felt different now. More refined. More controlled.

More complete.

I leaned back slightly, letting out a quiet breath.

The fight lasted longer than most.

Long enough to show the gap.

Long enough to prove something.

But not long enough...

To change the outcome.

I came here out of curiosity—mostly to see how much they’ve grown.

Especially Lucas.

But before I realized it, my gaze lingered on Janica instead.

She stood there, forcing a smile.

A perfect one.

The kind people would believe without question.

But it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

For just a moment—

I caught it.

The way she tried to hide the tear building up.

"...."

Without saying anything, I raised my hand and quietly joined the applause of the crowd my gaze still on to her.

...

"That match was... weirdly intense..."

Seo muttered quietly as we made our way out of the colosseum, her tone as flat as ever—but there was a slight pause in her steps that gave her away.

"Really?" Rose glanced at her. "I thought it was pretty normal."

Seo shook her head lightly.

"Their blades... carried a lot of intent. Effort too. They’re both very good swordsmen."

"...Yeah," Rose nodded after a second. "But Janica relied on magic more than I expected."

She crossed her arms slightly, thinking.

"I didn’t even know she could use wind magic at that level."

"Maybe she was hiding it," Seo replied simply. "A trump card."

"...Makes sense."

Rose didn’t question it further.

Even she had things she kept hidden. It wasn’t strange for someone like Janica to do the same.

A short silence settled between us as we continued walking through the academy halls, the noise from the arena fading behind us.

"But where should we go now?" Rose turned to me. "You only wanted to watch the first match today, right, Riley?"

"For now," I nodded. "I’ll come back later for Reina’s and Kagami’s matches."

"...But?"

"I’m heading to the student council first," I added. "There’s something I need to talk to Snow about."

Rose’s eyes lit up slightly.

"Can I come with you?"

"I don’t mind," I said, glancing at her. "But are you sure? You have a match tomorrow. Shouldn’t you be preparing?"

"Not really," she shrugged lightly. "There’s nothing I need to do today anyway."

"...."

I almost said something.

About her family.

About Duke Raymond.

But I stopped myself.

She’s already made it clear.

She doesn’t want anything to do with that anymore.

"...What about you, Seo?" I asked, shifting the topic.

"Hm..." Seo paused for a moment. "I want to come, but Grandpa called for a family meeting."

"A meeting?"

"He wants to check my swordsmanship again," she added. "It might take the whole day."

"...I see."

I gave a small nod.

"Give Master my regards."

Seo nodded back.

With that, the three of us slowed our steps slightly, about to split off and go our separate ways—

"Darling~"

A familiar voice slipped in from behind me.

"...."