Half an hour later, the meal that Jenni Ortega had invited was over.
During the meal, the princess was always talking to Kane, not like the rumored extremely difficult David, which made Butler, who had seen the other side of her fierce nature, stunned.
Erend, who also observed this scene, was almost certain that Jenni had indeed organized this dinner for Kane.
And it must be said that the speed and way girls improve their relationships have always been puzzling. Even Jenni, who was rumored to be extremely difficult to get along with, managed to make Kane let go of his tension unconsciously after chatting with him for a while.
Therefore, by the time dinner was nearly over, Kane was already talking and laughing with Jenni.
The relationship between the two progressed so fast that they could even feed each other, which left Erend speechless.
However, after Jenni's guidance, Kane's expression did become much more cheerful.
"It's about time."
After the meal was over and the group walked out of the store, Jenni looked up at the sky, then turned to everyone and said,
"Next, I'm going to take this guy out for a walk. Do you want to come with me?"
Jenni pointed at Butler and asked Erend and Kane.
It seemed that the princess still remembered the agreement with Butler.
Erend naturally refused without thinking.
"I won't go. You two go ahead."
What for? To be a third wheel?
Erend had no interest in that, let alone being so clueless.
"I… I won't go either," Kane whispered. "I still have homework to do..."
This was obviously just an excuse.
The boy didn't think too much about it; he simply felt that he had been out for too long, and if he didn't go back soon, his uncle would scold him again.
"Not going?"
Jenni muttered to herself, looking somewhat dissatisfied.
She rarely got the chance to go out with friends. Although she didn't want to relax and indulge herself too much, the opportunity was rare, and she also wanted to spend more time outside with them.
Of course, she quickly suppressed this little thought.
She wasn't the type to be willful. If it weren't for Kane, she wouldn't have done so many things out of the ordinary.
"Then we'll head back. You two be careful," Jenni instructed. Then, she turned to Erend and said,
"As a senior, you have a responsibility to bring Kane back to the Livermorny Hall safely. Understood?"
Hearing this, Erend rolled his eyes.
"Kane is ranked first in our school."
The implication was clear—he hardly needed protecting.
"That is that, and this is this. One thing has nothing to do with the other."
Jenni was more serious than expected.
"Yes, yes," Erend said, spreading his hands. "I'll take Kane back. You two enjoy your… uh, outing."
"I told you, it's not a date!"
Jenni's face turned red with frustration.
"Ahaha..."
Butler didn't know what to say, so he could only give an awkward laugh, which made Jenni even more annoyed.
Before long, the two of them left, with Jenni complaining loudly while Butler endured it with a wry smile.
After watching them disappear, Erend turned to Kane.
"Shall we head back too?"
"Okay, okay!"
Kane responded nervously. The moment Jenni left, it was as if his true nature returned.
"Don't be so tense," Erend said helplessly. "I'm not going to eat you."
"Y-Yes..."
Kane tried to relax, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't.
"Forget it."
Erend didn't push him. As they walked, he casually said, "Let's just head back."
"Yes!"
Kane quickly followed, occasionally sneaking glances at Erend's face, looking somewhat troubled. After a moment, he hesitated before speaking.
"Senior… are you mad at me?"
"No."
Erend's patience wasn't that fragile. Seeing Kane's worried expression, he sighed and added,
"Don't overthink it. Everyone has a different personality. You're still… ahem, young. It's normal to be a little timid. Don't let it get you down."
This kind of shy, soft-spoken type was quite popular. Many people found it appealing.
But Kane didn't seem to see it that way.
"I know I'm useless… My uncle always tells me that," Kane said quietly. "Senior, you don't need to comfort me."
"You think I'm just comforting you?"
Erend stopped and looked at Kane directly.
"I think you don't see yourself clearly."
"Let's not even talk about how you're ranked first in our school. Let's just talk about you. At your age, how many people in the world could achieve what you have?"
Even though Erend often found it amusing how Kane looked far too mature for his age, the fact remained—he was only thirteen.
A first-year student.
In Erend's previous world, that would have made him just a kid in junior high school.
Even the competition age for the Festivals was 13-22 years old. Kane had only just met the minimum requirement. He still had ten whole years to showcase his skills.
And yet, at this young age, he had already reached the top of Livermorny Academy.
Ranked number one!
That was a remarkable achievement in this city of duels.
Many students spent their entire school years from admission to graduation and still couldn't reach the top. But Kane?
He had been at the top from the very beginning.
This was why his appearance in the formal ranking battles drew so much attention.
Perhaps he wasn't the strongest student across all six academies, but he was undeniably one of the most promising talents.
Give him ten years—who could imagine what he might accomplish?
Even Erend couldn't predict it.
The most incredible part was that Kane had reached such heights entirely on his own. He wielded an ordinary, steel-forged sword—not even a weapon with a Heavy Colour enhancement.
He wasn't a magician, nor did he use special Festival weapons. His physical abilities and energy reserves weren't the highest, certainly not on Butler's level after unlocking his powers.
Yet he stood at the pinnacle of Livermorny Academy.
In the original story, Kane had even defeated Butler in a duel, handing him his first loss at Livermorny.
That was the same Butler who had unlocked his full potential and obtained the Black Furnace Demonic Sword—the undisputed strongest fighter in the academy. Even Jenni, ranked fifth, admitted she wouldn't stand a chance against him. She estimated she wouldn't even win once in ten battles.
Even if Erend were to face Butler in that fully unleashed state, he wouldn't stand a chance without using the Black Furnace Demonic Sword himself.
And Kane?
He had defeated Butler in under five minutes!
What if he had access to a Heavy Colour weapon, like the Black Furnace Demonic Sword?
His potential was limitless, which was why he had drawn the attention of so many.
If someone like him couldn't feel confident, then who could?
"You should be more confident," Erend said firmly. "You're exceptional—there's no doubt about it."
Kane looked up at Erend, startled.
And this time, he didn't avert his gaze out of shyness or nervousness.
He simply stared at Erend in silence.
Then, after a long pause, Kane gathered his courage and asked,
"Senior… why did you challenge me that day?"
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