"So, to recap, Triton was defeated by Gygas, and for unclear reasons, Gygas decided to torture Triton in front of everyone. And you two intervened to stop him, right?" Professor Dwiel asked.

Erwin nodded in agreement without saying a word. Brenin, however, seemed lost in his thoughts. Everyone in the office knew that something was off with Brenin. Despite appearing unscathed, he had been unusually quiet and distant since leaving the gymnasium. Professor Dwiel had tried several times to talk to him, but it was as if today's events had profoundly disturbed him. He was physically present but mentally elsewhere, responding late or not at all.

"Damn it," Dwiel muttered, clearly irritated by the day's events. "You couldn't have known, but fights in room n.23 are forbidden unless supervised by competent staff. You did your best to stop what happened, unlike your senior... So, thank you."

"Don’t sweat it" Erwin said, relieved that they seemed to have avoided punishment.

"Can we leave now?" After a long period of silence, Brenin spoke up, only to ask if they could leave. Dwiel disliked such behavior, but given what had happened, it was understandable for any boy to be shaken. Despite his irritation at Brenin's tone, he decided to let them go.

"Alright, you can go to your rooms to rest and be ready for the afternoon classes."

The two boys nodded and stood up. As they reached the door, Brenin stopped and looked back at Dwiel, curious about why the professor was staring at him. "Will Gygas be expelled?"

"I don't know," Dwiel replied after a moment of hesitation. "What happened is serious, but it's not up to me to decide."

"I see..." Brenin said curtly, his face relaxing slightly. With that, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Hmm... Brenin is certainly an interesting and ambiguous boy," Dwiel muttered to himself, noting how Brenin seemed to regain some calm after hearing his response. His facial expressions were always the same, but Dwiel found it easy to read the boy's emotions through his body language. "Brenin and Gygas... This year, we have two phenomenal freshmen."

----------------------------------------

Erwin and Brenin walked back to their rooms in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Both realized that the academy housed formidable opponents they had to surpass. While Erwin seemed excited by the challenging prospect, Brenin appeared nervous, almost tormented by the looming competition.

He hated everything about Gygas: his fighting style, or lack thereof, his disdain for the sword, and his sheer arrogance. Yet, a conflict brewed within him. He had always believed that magical knights were "cool," "noble," "strong," and dedicated to their craft. The title of "Sword King" embodied all these ideals, and Triton was the figure he aspired to emulate. Gygas, however, represented everything he despised: arrogance, brutality, and disrespect for the noble art of the sword. For Brenin, someone like Gygas couldn't possibly be strong. Yet, he was. And this realization disturbed him deeply, shaking his long-held beliefs.

Brenin wanted to dismiss Gygas's victory as mere luck, but he knew it wasn't true. Triton was proof of that. The events gnawed at his mind, making him believe that the only solution was to destroy Gygas to reaffirm his beliefs. However, what he couldn't accept was his own ego driving him to confront Gygas. When the professor mentioned that Gygas's expulsion wasn't certain, Brenin felt a strange sense of relief at the possibility of facing him again. This internal conflict was tearing him apart, and despite his typically stoic expression, his doubts were slowly eating away at him...

As they entered their room, Erwin cast a curious glance at Brenin, trying to decipher his thoughts. Despite his friend's impassive face, Erwin sensed an internal turmoil he couldn't quite understand.

"I can't believe it," Erwin said, breaking the silence. "That Gygas is incredibly strong. But what he did to Triton was horrible. I can't understand how someone can be so cruel."

Brenin stopped in the middle of the room, staring at a spot on the wall. "Do you really think that bastard is strong?" he replied flatly, his face slightly contorted. "He's just a muscle-bound idiot with no brains."

Erwin looked skeptically at his roommate, not entirely agreeing with him. "Gygas might be a jerk, but he's incredibly strong... definitely the strongest apprentice magical knight."

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

Brenin glared at Erwin, who stiffened in surprise. "That idiot isn't a magical knight; there's nothing noble about him. He's a disgrace to the art of the sword. And I repeat, he isn't strong. I'll prove it."

Erwin was beginning to understand why Brenin was so upset. He realized that Brenin's anger stemmed from his obsession with the ideals of a magical knight and his disdain for Gygas's methods. Despite this understanding, Erwin couldn't reconcile Brenin's words with reality. Gygas was undeniably powerful.

"How can you say that?" Erwin asked, puzzled. "His strength is real, and you see it. And I don't think there's a 'perfect' magical knight style. Everyone fights in their own way—"

"There isn't a perfect style, true. There are many styles, each a respected art form between a knight and his weapon, maximizing every part of his body. But what that bastard does has nothing to do with being a magical knight. It's just beastly behavior!"

Brenin's typically aloof and arrogant expression changed to one of nervousness and anger. Erwin was taken aback but not entirely surprised. Brenin had shown his emotions during the fight between Triton and Gygas. Though not the sharpest, Erwin understood that Brenin only got emotional when talking about magical knights and swordsmanship. This was one such case.

He's more obsessed and stubborn than I am, Erwin thought. Realizing that Brenin wouldn't budge, he decided to drop the subject. "Fine, I give up!" Erwin exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "You win. Happy?"

Brenin didn't respond, but he seemed to relax a bit, his expression returning to its usual bored look, which Erwin found particularly annoying. "Anyway, these first few days have been... interesting, to say the least," Erwin said, stretching and throwing himself onto his bed. "How have things been for you?"

Erwin turned toward Brenin's side of the room, noticing his friend lying on his bed, facing the wall. "Are you asleep, or just not in the mood to talk?" Erwin mumbled, feeling like he had so much to discuss. "Oh well, nevermind..."

There was still some time before the afternoon classes, so Erwin decided to rest. But he couldn't sleep. Neither could Brenin, tormented by thoughts of defeating Gygas at all costs.

Erwin thought about everything that had happened since leaving Ron. Things were going well overall, and he was discovering many exciting things. However, he hadn't expected people here to be so peculiar, so "difficult." This didn't worry him too much, thanks to Ron and Elaine's advice, which had prepared him for such behaviors. His first day with his new classmates was really strange and difficult, but it wasn't his intention to give up being friends with them.

What really concerned him, however, was the upcoming test. He was confident he could pass; he had observed his classmates and knew he was stronger. But he worried about Oscar, the weakest in the class in every category: mana, combat skills, reflexes—everything.

He had promised to help Oscar, but he hadn't realized how dire his situation was. Erwin wasn't good with words, preferring action. How can I help him?

Erwin racked his brain, trying to find a solution. Let's think about his strengths...

Erwin considered focusing on Oscar's strong points. "He's smart... intelligent... Damn, he doesn't have any skills!" Erwin lamented, kicking the bed like an angry child. Although they had only known each other for two days, Oscar was like a "first friend" to him. It was something special, something he hadn't had throughout his childhood. He didn't want to lose a friend over a test but couldn't figure out how to help.

"Ahhh! Damn it!" Erwin burst out. "If only he wasn't so stupidly tall, then... Tall?"

At that moment, Erwin had an enlightenment. "Of course! He's tall! How did I not think of this?" Erwin thought aloud, having found the answer. Without wasting another moment, he jumped out of bed, hastily put on his shoes, and stormed out of the room to find Oscar.

"Finally, some peace..." Brenin muttered, annoyed by all the noise Erwin was making.

----------------------------------------

Erwin, full of excitement, left the room, eager to share the news with his friend. But then he realized he didn't even know where Oscar's room was. "I'm such an idiot..." he muttered, scratching his head. "Should I wait until the classes start?"

He could wait until the classes began, but he was too excited to wait even a second longer. "Nah, screw it!" he decided. Without giving up, Erwin began searching the dormitory, checking the cafeteria, the park, the rooms, and even the bathrooms, earning annoyed and hostile looks from his peers.

"Where the hell could he be...?!"

Just as it seemed his search would yield no results, Erwin saw Oscar in the library. "Oscar! Finally, I found you!"

"Oh? Erwin, what are you doing here? You don't seem like the library type," Oscar observed, surprised to see his friend in the library.

"Ahaha, well, you're right, I probably never would have come here if it weren't for you," Erwin admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Anyway, I have some great news!"

"Okay... And what is it?" Oscar asked, intrigued.

"I figured out how you can pass the upcoming test!" Erwin declared confidently.

Oscar remained silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. "Really? Listen, I appreciate your help, but it's impossible for me to pass the test..." he replied doubtfully.

"Don't worry! You can do it!" Erwin reassured him, raising his fist in a gesture of encouragement. "Meet me in the training room after the lessons. We'll start training!"

Oscar was still skeptical but saw the determination in Erwin's eyes and decided to trust him. Judging by the conviction with which Erwin spoke, he was certain he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. "Alright, I'll be there," he agreed, wondering what kind of training awaited him.

END OF CHAPTER 37 - OBSESSION