How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

Chapter 723: Festival Champion

”Is that really all that happened?”

Rose’s voice was calm, but there was a slight edge to it as she looked at him across the table.

Riley nodded.

”Yes.”

She held his gaze for a moment longer, her golden eyes narrowing just slightly.

”...But a dungeon like that... could something like that even exist?”

Riley raised a brow.

”Do you think I’m lying?”

”Not exactly,” she replied after a short pause, her fingers lightly tapping against the table. ”It’s just... unreal. Even coming from you.”

There was no accusation in her tone—just genuine doubt.

Riley let out a small breath, leaning back slightly in his chair.

”...Yeah. I figured it would sound that way.”

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

”Honestly, it didn’t make much sense to me either when we first got there.”

The tension eased a little after that.

They were seated around a circular table set just outside the central castle, surrounded by a wide, vibrant garden that stretched out in every direction. Bright flowers swayed gently with the breeze, their colors almost too perfect, too vivid—something only possible within Alice’s domain.

Compared to the dungeon from earlier, the contrast was almost jarring.

Peaceful.

Too peaceful.

After dealing with the situation involving Duke Raymond, the four of them had gathered here—Riley, Rose, Alice, and Emilia.

And naturally, the topic shifted.

Both Alice and Rose had been curious about what exactly happened during the time Riley and Snow were gone.

So Riley explained.

From the very beginning.

Count Roverick’s formal request.

The situation in the north.

The dungeon that had been causing problems for the region.

And then... the deeper parts.

Why he and Snow chose to handle it personally.

What they found inside.

How it all ended.

Though he did also skip telling them of Snow’s new power.

He didn’t lie.

Not really.

He just didn’t go out of his way to make it sound believable either.

Alice, who already had a rough idea thanks to Cheshire, didn’t question him. Even when parts of the story leaned into something absurd, she simply listened with a relaxed expression, occasionally smiling like she already knew more than she let on.

But Rose was different.

She actually thought about it.

Because from her perspective...

A dungeon capable of holding something close to a god?

That wasn’t just rare.

It was something that shouldn’t exist.

At least, not in any practical sense.

Those kinds of things belonged in legends. Old records. Stories passed down over time—not something you just walk into.

And yet—

She looked at Riley again.

He wasn’t the type to joke about something like this.

”...I see.”

She finally exhaled softly, leaning back just a little.

Even if it didn’t make sense—

If it was Riley saying it...

Then there wasn’t much room to doubt.

Not completely.

Meanwhile, Alice rested her chin lightly on her hand, smiling faintly as she looked between them.

”Sounds like you had quite the trip~”

Emilia, on the other hand, sat quietly, clearly trying to process everything she had just heard, her expression somewhere between amazement and confusion.

”...A dungeon like that...” she murmured softly.

Right... the saintess is here.

Riley blinked once, like he had only just remembered.

Somewhere along the way, while explaining everything, Emilia’s presence had faded into the background. Not intentionally—just... naturally. Compared to the kind of things he was talking about, it was easy to forget that someone else was listening in for the first time.

She wasn’t exactly part of their circle either.

At least, not in the same way.

And yet—

She was still someone he trusted.

Completely.

Even if, for some reason, Emilia tried to act on anything she heard here...

Riley glanced at her.

...He doubted she even understood half of it.

A quiet chuckle almost slipped out.

Emilia sat there stiffly, her posture tense, her expression completely lost. The more Riley had gone into detail earlier, the worse it seemed to get. At some point, she had just stopped trying to follow properly.

It made sense.

She didn’t have the full context.

She didn’t know just how ridiculous things tended to get whenever Riley and the others were involved.

”U-Um... seniors...”

Her voice finally broke through, small but enough to pull their attention toward her.

Riley looked over.

”Yes?”

Emilia hesitated, fidgeting slightly before speaking again.

”Is it... really okay for me to hear all this?” she asked, clearly unsure. ”I mean... I don’t fully understand what’s going on, but... what you’re talking about right now sounds like something between you and Senior Snow, right...?”

There was a brief pause.

Riley answered without much thought.

”It’s fine.”

His tone was simple.

”I trust you, junior.”

Emilia froze.

”T-That’s...”

Her face turned red almost instantly, but then she quickly shook her head, trying to recover.

”Y-You’re unbelievably naive, Senior!” she said, flustered. ”I-I may look like this, but I could still do something bad, you know!”

”I highly doubt that,”

Riley replied without missing a beat.

That only made her more flustered.

Before she could argue again—

”Yes, Riley’s right,” Alice chimed in, resting her chin on her hand as she smiled lightly. ”Even if I don’t know you that well yet, Junior, you give off a very... innocent vibe.”

She gave a small, playful wink.

”And honestly? Even if you did go around telling people about all this~ I doubt anyone would believe you.”

Emilia blinked.

”...What does that mean?”

She tilted her head slightly, clearly unsure whether she was being complimented or not.

Rose answered without looking up.

”It means you look too harmless to be taken seriously... Almost to the point of looking stupid.”

Emilia’s expression froze.

”...T-That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

”It wasn’t,” Rose replied calmly.

Meanwhile, Riley just leaned back slightly, watching the exchange with a faint smile.

At least the mood had lightened a bit.

...

Meanwhile, back at the academy—

Deep within Killian Hall’s central training grounds, the air felt heavier than usual.

Not because of magic.

But because of tension.

Lucas stood at one end of the field, his eyes locked onto the figure in front of him.

Focused.

Sharp.

”...Hoooh...”

He exhaled slowly, steadying his breathing as mana began to gather around him. It wasn’t wild or overwhelming—instead, it spread thinly, evenly, like a second layer over his body. Controlled. Refined.

Step by step, he adjusted his stance.

Right foot forward.

Shoulders relaxed.

Blade angled just enough to move at any moment.

This wasn’t something he picked up overnight.

He had been working on this for weeks.

Every single day.

All for what was coming next.

The finals of the Grand Continental Festival.

Across from him, Kagami tightened his stance instinctively, his jaw clenching slightly as he watched Lucas.

”...He’s different.”

He could feel it.

Not just stronger—

Sharper.

More dangerous.

Then—

They moved.

—or rather—

Lucas disappeared.

FOOSH—!

In a single instant, his figure blurred out of existence, reappearing right beside Kagami. His blade had already traced a clean arc through the air, aiming straight for his chest.

But—

Swoosh!

Kagami’s body reacted just in time, stepping back at the last possible second. The blade cut through empty air, missing by barely a hair.

His eyes sharpened.

”Got you.”

He stepped in immediately, his fist already pulling back—

Mana surged into it, compressing tightly until it gave off a low hum.

[Meteor Fist (S)]

VOOOM—!

He drove the punch forward.

It landed.

But—

Not clean.

Lucas had already brought his arm up, blocking at the last second.

Still—

BOOOOM!!!

The impact exploded outward, the ground cracking beneath them as both were sent flying in opposite directions.

Dust kicked up into the air.

The shockwave rippled across the field.

Then—

Silence.

For a second.

”...That makes it forty to thirty-seven now?” Lucas called out, rolling his shoulder slightly as he stood back up.

Kagami pushed himself off the ground, letting out a breath as he wiped the sweat from his face.

”...No,” he said, shaking his head. ”That last one was a tie.”

A small smirk formed.

”You’re still in the lead though.”

Lucas let out a quiet chuckle.

”Fair enough.”

The tension eased just like that.

Both of them walked back toward the center before dropping down onto the ground without much care.

Training was over.

For now.

Lucas glanced to the side, a faint smile forming as he looked at Kagami, who was already drenched in sweat, pulling off his tank top to cool down.

”You’ve gotten faster,” Lucas said. ”Your reaction speed improved a lot.”

Kagami snorted lightly.

”I could say the same about you,” he replied, leaning back on his hands. ”Your mana control... it’s way more precise now.”

He glanced at him.

”Hard to believe it’s only been a few days since you showed me that technique you were working on.”

Lucas scratched the back of his head, letting out a small laugh.

”Yeah... I had to make sure I got it right.”

His gaze drifted upward for a moment.

”With the finals coming up... I didn’t really have the option to slack off.”

Kagami let out a breath.

”...Figures.”

For a moment, neither of them said anything.

Just sat there, catching their breath.

They had been going at it nonstop ever since the extended break started.

Day after day.

No complaints. No excuses.

Just training.

At some point, it stopped being something they scheduled and turned into something they just... did. Like it was expected. Like neither of them needed to say it out loud anymore.

Because they both knew what they were preparing for.

Or rather—

Who.

Riley.

Seo.

Two people

Two swords.

And both carried techniques that could end a fight in an instant.

Lucas leaned back slightly, resting his arms behind him as he stared up at the sky.

Last year... he lost.

Cleanly.

Not because he was weak—but because Riley had too much he didn’t know about. Hidden skills, layered magic, things that didn’t show themselves until it was already too late.

And even then—

Riley had still been holding something back.

That blade technique.

The one Lucas had only recently started to grasp.

His fingers tightened slightly.

That gap...

It hadn’t disappeared.

Not yet.

But it wasn’t as wide as before.

And more importantly—

His resolve hadn’t faded.

If he wanted Riley to acknowledge him—not as someone behind him, but as an equal—

Then winning wasn’t optional.

Kagami, on the other hand, had a different kind of focus.

He let out a breath, staring ahead as he rolled his shoulder.

Last year, he lost to Seo.

Completely.

But unlike Lucas—

He didn’t carry frustration.

Or resentment.

Or even a strong desire for revenge nor a win.

’...I just want to last longer this time,’

That alone would be enough.

A minute.

Just one minute against her.

And if possible—

Land a single hit.

He let out a small breath, his fist tightening slightly.

Because just like Lucas...

He had something he hadn’t shown yet.

A technique he’d been working on in silence.

Something that might give him even the smallest chance.

Of course—

There was no guarantee they’d even face the people they wanted.

The brackets weren’t that kind.

But as long as they made it far enough—

Semi-finals, at least—

They were sure.

Riley and Seo would be there.

Waiting.

All they had to do—

Was win everything before that.

”...Hey, you two.”

A familiar voice cut in.

Followed by a long sigh.

”Seriously... you’re at it again?”

Both of them turned slightly.

Janica walked toward them, clearly annoyed, a canteen in hand. She didn’t slow down as she reached them—just held it out.

”Here.”

Lucas took it without much resistance.

”...Thanks.”

Kagami, on the other hand, perked up immediately.

”Thank you, Janica!”

She crossed her arms, unimpressed.

”I get that you two are trying to prepare and all, but resting is part of training too, you know.”

Her eyes shifted toward Kagami.

”And you—didn’t you just get out of academy prison recently?”

Kagami froze slightly.

”...That’s—”

”At least try to take it easy for a bit,” she continued, cutting him off. ”You’re going to collapse at this rate.”

Then she narrowed her eyes slightly.

”...Or should I call Clara?”

Kagami went pale.

”...Okay, okay—message received.”

Lucas snorted quietly beside him.

Janica shook her head, letting out another sigh.

Honestly—

Watching them push themselves like this was exhausting in its own way.

But at the same time...

She couldn’t really stop them.

Because she knew—

Just like they did—

The next matches weren’t going to be something they could afford to take lightly.