novelraw Chapter 214: A Bloodied Cinderella
Chapter 214: A Bloodied Cinderella
***
The festival quickly arrived and was impossible to ignore.
In a matter of days, the Academy’s austere courtyards had been transformed. Colorful banners draped from the marble pillars and stalls sold everything from grilled skewers to Divine Relics lined the walkways.
The air buzzed with the excited chatter of thousands of students.
Today wasn’t just about food and games; it was the first day of the tournament.
Everyone was excited for what was coming, and the air was thick with tension.
For Gaia, it was a sensory overload, but in a good way.
She stood waiting near the entrance of the main plaza.
"Hm~ finally free..."
Gaia turned to see Ignotus walking toward them.
He was out of his hospital gown, wearing his usual casual combat armor, but he still looked a little pale. The doctors had finally cleared him to leave the medical hub, the library, and the courtyard loop he’d been stuck in.
He joined the group with his wife in tow—Lykos, Ulv, Mer, Aur, and Nora already there.
Gaia immediately noticed the vibe.
It was far from friendly.
Mer was glaring at Aur.
Aur was glaring at Ulv.
Ulv was glaring at both of them while polishing his new shield aggressively.
’Instead of a love triangle, it’s a rivalry triangle.’
Gaia thought, suppressing a giggle.
’It’s like something out of those romance novels hubby hates.’
It was funny. They were teammates, they had fought many Demons and even a Greater Demon together, but put a tournament bracket in front of them, and suddenly they were mortal enemies.
Gaia glanced at Ignotus.
He didn’t seem to notice the tension, or maybe he just didn’t care.
Her husband was looking around at the stalls with a distant expression.
She reached out and took his hand. His fingers were warm but rough from sword training.
He looked down at her, blinked, and then gave her a soft, genuine smile.
"Hey."
She squeezed his hand.
"Hey."
Gaia glanced at the silver ring on her finger, then at the matching one on his.
The symbol of their engagement. A grounding promise in a chaotic world.
Ignotus squeezed back, but then his eyes drifted again.
His gaze went unfocused, making her frown.
She knew that look...
The man wasn’t really here.
He was walking with them, sure, but his mind was somewhere else—probably talking to that Goddess in his Soul, Eris.
’Always with Her.’
A spike of annoyance pricked Gaia’s chest.
’He’s holding my hand but talking to Her.’
She didn’t like being ignored, especially not today, and so...
"C’mon on."
She pulled on his hand and dragged him forward.
"Stop spacing out. We’re going to have fun."
Ignotus stumbled while chuckling.
"Alright, alright. I’m coming. There’s no need to dislocate my shoulder."
Gaia led him deeper into the carnival.
It wasn’t just ring toss and dart throwing; this was a Runebearer festival.
The games were a tad more... intense.
They stopped at a stall called {The Kinetic Hammer.}
"Test your strength!"
A burly upperclassman shouted.
"Hit the pad, ring the bell, win a prize!"
It looked simple, but Gaia saw the faint glow of Runes on the hammer.
This was less a test of strength and more about channeling Divinity perfectly on impact.
"I’ll try."
Ulv grunted, stepping up.
The rivalry triangle was in full effect.
Grabbing the hammer, he flared his [Frostforged Body] for a second and slammed it down.
The weight shot up almost instantly.
Ding!
"Top score!"
Hearing that announcement, Ulv sneered at Aur.
"Beat that."
Aur rolled her eyes and grabbed the hammer.
She detonated a tiny air pocket right at the moment of impact.
Ding!
"Top score!"
She matched him.
"Pathetic."
Mer scoffed and grabbed the hammer.
[Fire Blast] propulsion.
Ding!
"Top score!"
Triple tie.
They glared at each other until someone suddenly stepped up.
"Step aside, amateurs."
It was Ignotus, of course.
Gaia watched how he looked, his competitive streak waking up.
He grabbed the hammer and used [Wise Fool].
This game was made for him!
Crack!
Instead of the sound he loved, another echoed.
The pad shattered entirely, and the bell flew off the top of the tower and landed in a basket three stalls over.
"Oops~."
Ignotus grinned.
"Sorry about that."
The stall owner looked horrified.
"You... you broke it."
"It seems so. But do I win?"
Ignotus asked innocently, making Gaia laugh aloud.
It was the first time she’d seen him really smile in days.
"All of you, please leave!"
With that, they moved on and played [Divine Fish,] where you had to catch spectral fish using a hook made of your own controlled Divinity. Nora dominated that one, her lightning reflexes snatching fish before they could blink.
Lykos joined in on the fun when they passed a target shooting game.
He used his [Ice Arrows] to snipe moving targets with much improved accuracy.
It was normal fun, and for a few hours, they were just students.
Gaia, who hadn’t joined any game, watched them from the back, her heart feeling light.
Though she would’ve liked to join them, she preferred watching her husband have fun.
"You really should play."
Yet thanks to Ignotus nudging, she eventually gave in.
Gaia looked at the next stall, which was a one-on-one duel game. Two people stood on platforms above a mudpit; the goal was to knock the other off using only "soft" spells.
"Winner gets a plushie, loser gets the splash!"
The owner pointed to a bucket suspended above the loser’s podium.
It was a red, viscous liquid.
"Animal blood! It’s washable, but definitely gross."
Ignotus bowed out of that one, as did others, leaving Gaia, who looked at Lykos.
The wolf was eyeing the plushie—a cute, round snow seal.
"I’ll fight you for it."
She stepped up, and the group cheered.
This was a repeat of their first duel, though not exactly.
After all, the stakes were a lot higher this time.
The two climbed onto the podiums.
"You might be my Lord’s wife, but I won’t hold back."
Lykos warned, raising his hand. Cold mist gathered around his fingers.
"Neither will I."
Gaia waved her foot, and a pillar of stone rose slightly to brace her.
"BEGIN!"
Lykos fired a volley of blunt ice arrows.
Gaia raised an [Earth Wall], deflecting them, and then quickly retaliated with [Earth Melt], trying to liquefy the podium under Lykos’s feet.
"That’s cheating!"
Throwing whatever the rules were in the trash, Lykos jumped, floating with his [Twin Frostblades] acting as steps.
He fired a blast of ice.
It hit Gaia square in the chest.
Stumbling, she tried to anchor herself with [Bedrock Embrace], but the platform was slippery.
"Sorry!"
Gaia teetered as Lykos yelled, firing one last blast.
Splash.
Falling off the podium, she landed in the mud pit.
Clank.
Above her, the bucket tipped.
A waterfall of blood cascaded down, soaking her from head to toe.
The crowd gasped while Gaia sat there, dripping, colored red.
She looked like a horror victim.
Wiping the blood from her eyes, she looked at Lykos, who was holding his snow seal plushie, looking slightly terrified that he’d just humiliated her.
Gaia stared at him for a while, perhaps mimicking Ignotus, only to burst out giggling.
"You got me!"
She splashed the bloody mud at him, making Lykos scream as if he’d lost the most important thing in his life:
"NOOOOOOOOO!"
Ignotus loudly joined her laughter while leaning on Ulv for support.
Mer and Nora were cackling, and even Aur cracked a smile.
"That’s what you get!"
Gaia stood up, a bloodied cinderella in the middle of the carnival.
It was messy and gross, but it was fun.