All of the students were being shuffled out of the building, but I really wanted to see Rudeus and Sylphiette fight. I slipped through the crowd to the north end of the building and snuck up the stairs to the second floor where they had a spectator's balcony. I laid prone on the ground so that I couldn't be seen from below.
Once things quieted down I crawled towards the edge of the balcony so I could see what was going on. Rudy and Sylphy had both walked onto the huge magic circle and stood opposite one another. The only other people left in the building were three old men who were watching from the side of the court.
One of them said something but I couldn't quite make it out, but afterwards Sylphiette got into a fighting stance. As soon as the old man threw his hand down to signal the start of the fight she dashed to the side and they both started throwing spells at each other.
The speed and precision of their spells was incredible. Every time Sylphiette launched an attack, Rudeus would come up with the perfect counter.
Rudeus was incredible, but this was the first time I've witnessed him trying this hard in a battle. Nothing we've ever come up against in the Demon Continent was enough to challenge him. Even when he would spar with me he never would use magic.
The thought of Rudeus losing in battle had never even crossed my mind until I saw him after fighting the North God. No matter how dire the situation, Rudeus always had a solution. All throughout our travels in the demon continent, he and Ruijerd were simply guiding me to becoming stronger. Though we fought as a three person party, it was readily apparent that they would have had an easier time if it was just the two of them.
I was holding them back and I knew it. That's why I was desperately trying to get stronger; so I wouldn't be a burden. No matter how strong I got or how much I improved though, it never seemed like I was getting any closer to Rudeus. He was so far ahead of me that the very thought of reaching his level felt impossible.
Rudeus was invincible. There was nothing in this world that could harm him. For a long time, I believed it to be true. That was until I saw the state he was in after fighting the North God.
True, Rudeus emerged victorious as always, but when I saw him on his knees breathing heavily and covered in blood, his body mangled almost beyond recognition, that was when it struck me. 'Rudeus could die'.
For a while after that I simply stayed by his side. The thought of losing him scared me to my core. Once we got to Dedoldia village, I renewed my vow to become stronger. I was going to stand by his side and make sure this never happens to him again, but to do that, I need to become strong.
Despite my convictions, however, I'm still no closer to him than before. Rudeus is in a league of his own, far out of reach. This battle with Sylphiette proves it.
As these thoughts were racing through my mind is when it happened. Sylphiette almost landed a clean hit on Rudeus. Their spells had caused a thick fog too dense to see through, but right as Rudeus blew away the mist, I saw the huge clump of ice that Sylphiette had fired land right behind him.
I could tell. Rudeus was genuinely startled. That attack had missed him by mere inches and he didn't even see it coming. Once again the unbeatable visage I had created of Rudeus was shattered. On her very first try, Sylphiette had nearly achieved what I couldn't even imagine myself being able to do.
After getting over his shock, Rudeus then began laughing before putting a determined look on his face. *Gulp* It seems I'll finally get to see him go all out.
Rudeus pointed one finger in the direction of Sylphiette and a stone appeared in front of him. It began to spin so fast that it gave off a high pitch whine.
'BOOM'
Before I knew what happened an incredibly loud explosion went off right above me. I yelled out in confusion, but the explosion was so loud I couldn't even hear my own voice. The only thing I could hear was the loud ringing in my ears.
Once the ringing finally began to fade, I slowly turned my head to see a hole in the wall right above me. I looked back towards Rudeus to see Sylphy sitting down on the ground and Rudeus being declared the winner.
That was Rudeus' stone cannon? It was so fast I didn't even see him fire it before hearing the explosion.
Rudeus and Sylphiette bowed to one another after their match before everyone began to leave the building. I was being left behind.
I loved Rudeus. I'm not exactly sure when I realized my feelings, but at some point I just knew it. We were meant to be together. He was the only one for me. The whole time we traveled through the Demon Continent it was on my mind. I thought we would always be together.
But then Rudeus almost died when he fought the North God. Death was always something that felt completely irrelevant. Rudeus couldn't die. He was strong. But then I saw him. I saw him bleeding out and missing an arm in the middle of a bloody battlefield.
Rudeus acquired the title of 'Magic God'. He was declared one of the seven most powerful people in this world. Once again the naive thought that Rudeus was invincible began to creep back into my mind. Surely now there's nobody who could touch him, right?
Once again I've been proven wrong. His friend Sylphiette nearly clobbered him with a huge ball of ice. That attack could have knocked him out cold if it had landed.
I love Rudeus, but I'm not fit to be with him. After seeing how Sylphiette talks about him and how she acts when she's around him, I can tell that she loves him too. Why would he choose me over her? She's smarter than me. She's prettier than me. She's even stronger than me.
I love Rudeus, but I refuse to be a burden to him. 'I'm going to get stronger', I told myself. I'll part ways with him until I become stronger. Once I have something to contribute, I'll return. By then, I'll have something to offer. Some reason that Rudeus will want me.
After confirming my resolve, I turned around and hopped out the hole Rudeus had blown in the building. I'm going to find my own way to get stronger and won't come back until I'm worthy of him.
Still though... I should probably leave a note. I don't want him to hate me...
***** Rudy's POV *****
I got back home later that day and found a note on the table.
"The two of us aren't well balanced. I'm setting off."
'Heh', I gave a small smirk. 'I guess it really wasn't the sex.'