Chapter 103: Chapter: 103 I hope one day, those eyes will hold even a little love for me.

Outside the dungeon, a whole day had passed, yet the two missing students still hadn’t returned.

The air was filled with worry and whispers as more and more people gathered near the dungeon gate.

Professors stood together, their faces pale with concern, while the dean paced back and forth restlessly.

He looked as if he had aged ten years overnight, his eyes tired, his hair messy, and his expression full of fear and guilt.

Search teams had already gone inside the dungeon several times.

Everything inside looked perfectly normal, as if nothing strange had ever happened.

There were no signs of a fight.

There were no traces of magic. There were no clues at all.

Some thought the dungeon gate had malfunctioned.

Some believed the students had been accidentally sent to another dungeon.

The dean’s heart grew heavier when he received another report.

That report made his worst fears take root.

The professor who was in charge of monitoring the exam had also disappeared without a trace.

And Kafrik Tramplin, had also vanished.

The dean stood silently for a long time, the cold wind brushing past him.

A bad feeling settled deep in his chest.

"Haa..." The dean sighed deeply, his voice trembling with exhaustion.

"Please be alright," he muttered under his breath.

"If anything has happened to them... how am I supposed to face His Majesty, and Vikel?"

His fists tightened as anger and guilt rose inside him.

Vikel had personally asked him to look after his grandson, Vivian, because the boy had been acting strangely lately.

The dean never imagined that both Vivian and Princess Charlotte would vanish like this.

He felt a tightness in his chest as he began pacing again, his steps restless and uneven.

His thoughts were a storm of worry and regret.

"Sir... you should get some rest," said Professor Tanvir softly, stepping forward with a troubled look.

"You haven’t slept since yesterday."

"Haa..." The dean let out another long sigh.

"How am I supposed to rest, Tanvir?" His voice cracked slightly.

"My students have disappeared, and I don’t even know if they’re alive or not."

Professor Tanvir opened his mouth to speak but stopped halfway, the words refusing to come out.

His throat felt dry, and his mind searched desperately for something comforting to say.

After a few moments, he finally managed, "Don’t worry, sir. I know the princess, she’s an exceptional mage and can protect herself.

And Vivian... he’s strong too. They can defend themselves."

But even as he said those words, his voice trembled slightly.

The dean could hear the uncertainty hidden behind them.

Tanvir tried to keep his expression steady, yet inside, he was filled with doubt.

The dean understood that Professor Tanvir was only trying to comfort him, so he forced a small nod.

"I hope it goes as you said," he murmured quietly.

"Haa..." He sighed again, the sound heavy and tired.

Professor Tanvir gave a faint, bitter smile but didn’t say anything more.

The silence stretched between them, long and uneasy.

Around them, the other professors avoided speaking.

Meanwhile, far away at the edge of the forest where the exam had been held, a lone figure stood beneath the fading light.

Marinate stood there, her hands clenched tightly, her lips bitten raw from worry.

Her eyes were fixed on the spot where the dungeon gate was yesterday, filled with anxious hope.

She hadn’t moved from that spot since yesterday, refusing food, sleep, or comfort.

She just stood there, waiting.

Waiting for him to come out of the dungeon.

If anyone in that place was anxious to the point of losing their mind, it was her.

Marinate’s heart felt like it was being squeezed tighter with every passing minute.

If he didn’t come out soon, she wasn’t sure how she could go on.

"Please..." she whispered, her voice trembling as her eyes stayed locked on the dungeon gate.

Her thoughts spun painfully.

Things between them had once been simple, normal.

Back then, he would talk to her, smile a little, and things felt warm, even if only for a moment.

But everything changed after he rejected her.

Since then, she had avoided him, refusing to even look his way.

She hadn’t seen or spoken to him before the exam either.

And now... he was gone.

That regret cut deep.

A fire burned quietly in her chest, an ache made of guilt, fear, and something she couldn’t name.

Every breath hurt, every second of waiting felt heavier, as if the world itself was punishing her for all the words she never said.

’It would’ve been better,’ she thought, if he had never rejected her, if things had just continued naturally, like before.

Maybe then she wouldn’t be standing here, half mad with worry.

"Haa..." Marinate let out a weak sigh, trying to ease the tension twisting inside her, but it didn’t help.

Her hands trembled as she clasped them together, whispering over and over,

"Please... just come back safely... please..."

The words repeated like a desperate prayer.

Then, suddenly, the air around the dungeon gate began to shift.

The space itself seemed to tremble, as if reality was being stretched and pulled apart.

"Huh?" Marinate froze, her thoughts breaking off midstream as she stared at the strange distortion forming before her.

The professors turned sharply, their expressions tense.

Even the dean stopped pacing, his eyes wide with shock and hope.

Everyone watched as the ground beneath the place where the dungeon gate had once stood began to rumble violently.

Rumble... rumble... rumble...

Dust rose, and a faint light flickered through the cracks of the trembling earth.

Every gaze was fixed on that single point, hearts pounding, wondering, could it be them?

After a few moments, the rumbling finally stopped.

The ground split open with a deep crack, and from it, a massive gate shot upward, slamming into place exactly where the old dungeon gate had once stood.

Everyone froze.

The entrance of the gate shimmered with a dark, blackish light that seemed to pulse like a heartbeat, pulling everyone’s gaze toward it.

The air felt heavy, charged with strange energy.

"Viv...?" Marinate whispered, her voice shaky as she stared at the glowing entrance.

A shadow appeared within the black light, tall and blurry at first, its outline shifting like smoke.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Slowly, the figure became clearer, step by step, until at last, someone emerged from the gate.

A tall young man stepped out, his black hair slightly tousled, his calm blue eyes glinting faintly under the light.

"Viv...?" Marinate whispered again, unable to believe what she was seeing.

He looked different, so different that for a moment, she doubted her own eyes.

The last time she’d seen him, he’d been thin and boyish.

But now, the Vivian standing before her had grown into someone far stronger, his presence calm yet powerful.

There was a quiet confidence in his posture, a maturity that made her heart skip a beat.

She stood frozen, her lips trembling, as her mind tried to accept that the person before her was truly him.

But before anyone could even breathe in relief, another figure stepped out from behind Vivian.

Marinate’s eyes widened as she instantly recognized her.

"Princess... Charlotte..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Both of them looked worn out, their clothes torn, their faces marked with dirt and wounds.

Yet, there was something in their eyes, something sharp and unyielding.

They looked like people who had walked through death itself and returned.

But what made Marinate’s heart nearly stop wasn’t their injuries.

It was the feeling that poured out from Vivian.

A heavy pressure filled the air, invisible yet overwhelming.

Even standing far away, Marinate could feel her knees weaken slightly under its weight.

It wasn’t just power, it was authority, like the sharp edge of a blade pressed against one’s throat.

Her eyes widened as her mind caught up with what her senses were screaming.

"That... aura..." she gasped softly, her lips trembling. "Swordmaster...? How?"

It didn’t make sense.

Because the last time she met Vivian, he was at Fourth Star, a talented student, yes, but far from the level of a Swordmaster.

Crossing that gap in such a short time wasn’t just impossible, it was unheard of.

She stared at him, her thoughts spinning.

"What had happened in that dungeon? What had he faced... or become?"

As Marinate kept staring, Vivian’s gaze slowly turned toward her.

For a heartbeat, the noise around them disappeared.

Their eyes met, hers wide and trembling, his calm yet heavy with emotion.

He didn’t say anything, but she could see it clearly in his expression:

regret, guilt... and something unspoken that pressed painfully between them.

Marinate’s chest tightened.

She wished, just for a moment, that those eyes carried love instead of sorrow.

But now wasn’t the time for such dreams.

He was alive, that alone was enough.

Relief washed over her like a tide, and she forced a small, gentle smile.

Without a word, she turned away.

Her steps were quiet, but her heart ached with every one of them.

When she reached the edge of the clearing, she paused and looked back one last time.

Her gaze softened, her voice barely a whisper.

"I hope one day... those eyes will hold even a little love for me."

She smiled faintly, her tone tender and sad.

"Even if it’s only at the moment I die."

Then she turned again, her figure slowly disappearing into the forest’s shade, leaving behind only the echo of her quiet wish.