Team Father set up camp beneath towering trees that glowed faintly blue 🌲✨, their crystal-like leaves shimmering gently in the night like fragments of a fallen sky scattered across the forest canopy.
The air was calm.
Too calm.
Not peaceful—just… waiting.
Ben sat near the fire 🔥, slowly poking at the burning wood with a stick as sparks drifted upward into the quiet darkness.
"Boss…" he said after a long pause, his voice heavy with curiosity,
"…how did you know all of that?"
King stood nearby with his arms crossed, his expression still sharp despite the long and exhausting day, his eyes fixed on Aren like he was trying to understand something far beyond simple strategy.
"I read records of previous students who took part in this trial," King said slowly, choosing his words carefully.
"To clear the previous stage, you either had to bring back the princess's body… or defeat the knight in direct combat."
Aren sat quietly on a flat stone, feeding the tiny blue horse small pieces of carrot 🥕🐎, his movements calm and precise as if nothing unusual had happened.
"But that was only the visible answer," Aren said evenly.
"If that had truly been enough… he would have disappeared long ago."
Ben frowned deeply, leaning forward.
"…Then why didn't he?"
Aren didn't look at him.
"He didn't disappear," Aren said calmly,
"because his wish was never completed."
Silence spread between them.
"If he truly wanted the princess's body," Aren continued, his tone steady and analytical,
"then the moment someone brought it back to him… his existence should have ended."
Pause.
"But he stayed."
King's eyes narrowed slightly as the realization began forming.
"…So his real desire wasn't that?"
Aren fed another piece of carrot to the horse before answering.
"No."
A small pause.
"His real wish… was guilt."
The words settled heavily in the air.
Ben slowly leaned back, exhaling.
"…So instead of fighting him… you made him face what he avoided."
Aren shrugged lightly.
"It was obvious."
📺 The Academy Reacts
Across the Academy, the reaction was anything but calm.
"OBVIOUS!? WHAT PART OF THAT WAS OBVIOUS!?" 😭
"HE SOLVED A SIX-STAR TRIAL LIKE HE WAS ORDERING FOOD!?"
"THIS GUY IS BROKEN—!!"
Teachers spoke in quieter, more uneasy tones.
"He's not just reacting… he's predicting."
"He understands the structure of trials, not just how to survive them."
"He may become something the Academy cannot control…"
King glanced back at Aren, his expression more serious than before.
"Boss… what about the next stage?"
Aren tossed a berry toward the horse 🍓, watching it catch it happily.
"This isn't real life," he said calmly,
"it's a designed system."
"It follows patterns."
Ben tilted his head, confused.
"…Patterns?"
Aren nodded slowly.
"Two by two."
Far away, watching teachers suddenly stiffened.
"Two stages focused on combat."
"Two stages focused on resolving spirits or emotions."
"Then the next two…"
A slight pause.
"…repeat the pattern, but at a higher difficulty."
No one had ever explained it like that before.
King rubbed his forehead, almost overwhelmed.
"You're saying… you already understand how the entire trial works?"
Aren shrugged again, as if it didn't matter.
"If it were simple, it wouldn't be called the Academy Destroyer."
Ben swallowed.
"…So what comes next?"
Aren looked into the dark forest ahead.
Calm.
Certain.
Unshaken.
"The biggest surprise."
The scene faded.
🌅 The Honeymoon Bride Trial
Morning arrived quietly, sunlight slipping gently through the trees as mist rolled across the forest floor ☀️🌫️.
The tiny blue horse trotted ahead happily 🐎✨, unaware—or uncaring—of what lay ahead.
Then suddenly—
It stopped.
Its ears twitched sharply.
Its body trembled slightly.
And slowly… it stepped backward.
Ben frowned, noticing the change.
"…Why is it scared?"
King's expression darkened instantly.
"…I know this place."
Ben turned to him.
"Then explain."
King exhaled slowly.
"A knight once brought his bride here… for their honeymoon."
A pause.
"He murdered her."
Another pause.
"…and her spirit never left this place."
Ben's throat tightened.
"…So the trial is her?"
King nodded.
"She's fast."
A small pause.
"Very fast."
Ahead stood an old mansion 🏚️, broken and overgrown, with vines crawling across its walls and faint blue light leaking from shattered windows.
A soft whisper drifted from inside:
"Where… is my husband…?"
King instinctively reached for his weapon ⚔️.
"We fight—"
Aren raised his hand.
"No."
King blinked.
"…Run?"
"No."
"…Then what?"
Aren stepped forward slowly.
"Wait outside."
He opened his book again.
Calm.
Focused.
Ben and King shouted together:
"THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
Aren replied simply:
"Talking."
🕯️ Seven Days of Listening
Aren removed his outer clothing, leaving only simple shorts—not for comfort, but for purpose.
Ben panicked instantly.
"WHY ARE YOU STRIPPING!?"
"She detects hidden weapons," Aren said calmly.
"Clothes carry intent. Intent carries threat."
King nodded slightly.
"…He understood the condition."
Aren walked into the mansion.
The door closed behind him 🚪.
For seven days—
The Academy listened.
Not violence.
Not screams.
Voices.
Anger.
Pain.
Regret.
Slow healing.
"WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME!?"
"I'M HERE NOW. TALK."
"MY HEART HURTS!"
"THEN LET IT HEAL."
Students whispered:
"Is this… therapy?"
"He's fixing her trauma?"
"This feels like a story… not a battle…" 📺
Ben stared at the mansion.
"…He's repairing something broken."
King nodded slowly.
"…He's dangerous."
Pause.
"…but not the way we thought."
💙 The Final Blessing
On the eighth day—
The door opened.
A soft blue figure floated out.
The Bride.
She looked at Aren with calm, gentle eyes.
"I curse you," she said softly.
The entire Academy froze.
"…that the woman you love will live."
"…even curses cannot touch her."
Gasps echoed across the Academy.
Ben whispered:
"He didn't just win…"
King replied quietly:
"…he saved her."
Aren stepped outside.
Tired.
Not weak.
Just… drained.
"You look like you aged ten years," Ben said.
"She talked a lot," Aren replied calmly.
The Bride bowed slightly.
"Thank you… for completing my honeymoon properly."
"With honesty."
"With comfort."
"With truth."
She faded into soft light ✨
🧠 Love, Explained
The Academy leaned forward, waiting.
Aren spoke calmly:
"I was making love."
Silence.
He continued:
"Not physical."
"Conversation."
"Conflict."
"Understanding."
"Completing what she never got to finish."
Ben collapsed.
"EIGHT DAYS!?!" 😱
Aren nodded.
"Hm."
The Academy exploded 💥
"THIS IS TOO MUCH—!"
"ROMANCE MONSTER!" 💖
"I'M CONFUSED AND IMPRESSED—!"
Aren turned and walked forward.
"Love is not only the body."
A small pause.
"Love is connection."
And just like that—
He kept walking into the unknown 🌑🔥