Chapter 142: After the Final Battle

What sort of person was Anthony? In terms of looks, one would be hard-pressed to find a second man like him at Porter Academy. As for talent, when it came to alchemy, no one among the younger generation of the Radiant Alliance dared claim superiority over him. And in terms of lineage, his master was Thomas, a man who wielded immense power in both the Radiant Church and the Alchemists’ Guild. By every measure, Anthony was a peerless prodigy, one in a million.

There was no shortage of young and beautiful women around him. Even Her Highness Princess Nancy of the Europa Empire was deeply enamored of him. Yet he had never shown the slightest interest in any of them. Victoria alone had captured his heart. The first time Anthony saw her after she entered her sixth year, he was utterly captivated by her cold, breathtaking beauty. From that moment onward, he pursued Victoria with reckless fervor. But all these years later, she still kept him at the same distance as she had in the beginning.

The more she resisted him, the more Anthony wanted her. He believed that with his charm and persistence, he would move her one day. But after seeing the way Victoria had looked at Rowling the previous night, his unwavering confidence began to falter. Just now, he had even seen her take out a handkerchief and tenderly wipe the sweat from Rowling’s brow. Her expression, her actions—no matter how dull-witted a man might be, he would understand what they meant.

A fierce jealousy surged through Anthony’s heart.

“Why does Rowling deserve Victoria’s favor? I’m better than him in every way! Why have I never received so much as a kind look from her after all these years? Why? Why is this happening?”

His eyes were bloodshot. With the pride he had accumulated over so many years, how could he bear such a blow? His heart screamed in madness.

“Victoria, if you insist on treating me this way, then don’t blame me for what I do next. You belong to me—only me, Anthony!”

Nearby, Princess Nancy called his name several times. When he failed to respond, she gave him a gentle shove. But when Anthony turned around and looked at her with those bloodshot eyes, she was startled.

“Anthony, you—you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”

Her words pulled him back from the brink of losing control. When he realized that it was Princess Nancy speaking to him, his eyes suddenly lit up. In the next instant, he seized her delicate hand.

Princess Nancy had been hopelessly devoted to Anthony for years and had always tried to draw closer to him. Yet throughout that time, he had remained neither warm nor cold, treating her no differently from an ordinary friend. She had never expected him to take her hand of his own accord that day. Her heart began to race, and a blush spread across her face. Had Malle seen Nancy, usually so spirited and commanding, reduced to the bashful demeanor of a lovestruck girl, he would certainly have been so astonished that his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Meanwhile, Cervantes, Monroe, and the others came forward to speak with Rowling, easing the awkwardness between him and Victoria. During their conversation, the academy patrol approached several times to ask what had happened, but after Monroe, Harvey, and several other teachers explained the situation, the patrol soon departed. The group chatted for a while longer before Master Cervantes led them toward the academy field.

With Rowling, the center of attention, gone, the crowd around them dispersed in an instant. Before long, only the alchemists of the Dark Alliance and Tressy remained.

Although Rowling had severely injured Tressy with the shaft of his halberd, the alchemists possessed no shortage of excellent healing potions. Since treatment had been administered promptly, Tressy was now able to stand with someone’s support. Still, it would take several days of proper rest before he could fully recover.

“Karina, you—you come here!” Tressy called anxiously.

Through the others, he saw Karina standing motionless in the distance, gazing in the direction Rowling had just left. To his surprise, she did not respond at all.

A wave of jealousy immediately rose within him. Ignoring the pain wracking his body, Tressy shouted, “Karina, you—you get over here!”

The force of his voice startled the Dark Alliance alchemists around him. Karina finally came to her senses and hurried over, only to find Tressy staring at her with a sickly flush across his face. She stopped in alarm.

Tressy shoved away the man supporting him and staggered forward several steps. Then he seized Karina by the clothes.

“Karina, are you still thinking about that brat Rowling? Is that it? You saw me lose to him and decided I’m useless, so now you want to leave me, don’t you? Don’t you?”

He gripped her collar and shook it back and forth as he shouted hysterically.

Karina was frightened by his behavior. Her face turned pale, and for a moment she could not utter a single word.

Seeing her reaction, Tressy suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart. His wide eyes filled with tears, and he pleaded in a choked voice, “Karina, please, I beg you—don’t leave me. I really do love you. Please don’t go back to Rowling. All right?”

Ignoring her struggles, he wrapped his arms around her in a frenzy.

The others saw that Tressy’s mind was beginning to unravel. They hurried forward, supporting him and trying to calm him down.

Gavin, the foremost alchemist among the younger generation of the Dark Alliance, shook his head inwardly.

“From the look on Karina’s face just now, she clearly still harbors fantasies about Rowling. Just as I thought, she’s the sort who sways with whichever way the wind blows. I’ll have to advise Brother Tressy properly in the future, so this woman doesn’t lead him around by the nose.”

With that thought, he stepped in front of Tressy and began to persuade him.

“Brother Tressy, don’t take that battle too much to heart. Even if he merely won by luck and managed to enter the Alchemy Tournament, the rest of us aren’t pushovers. He won’t be able to cause any real trouble. Besides, the techniques he used just now belonged to a martial warrior. His mage rank is still only third level—far below yours. As long as you continue working hard, you’ll certainly defeat him one day. When that happens, you can settle the score!”

Gavin’s words immediately revived Tressy’s spirits. His eyes lit up.

“That’s right! He’s nothing but a lowly third-level mage, far inferior to me. Come on, Brother Gavin, let’s get inside. I want to see how that brat gets beaten at the Alchemy Tournament!”

Only then did Tressy release Karina. But he immediately clutched her arm tightly.

“Karina, we’re going in together. Later, we can watch that brat Rowling make a fool of himself. Ha ha ha…”

With one person supporting him and his other hand locked around Karina’s arm, he headed toward the academy field.

Karina’s hand remained tightly clasped in Tressy’s grasp, but this time, unlike before, a deep sense of weariness and disgust began to rise within her.