Book 1 Chapter 13

[13]12

Lumeria City.

This metropolis in the center of the continent is called the center of the world not only for geographical reasons but also for its symbolic significance.

One of the warp gates in Lumeria City began to glow.

"Dear passengers, you have arrived at Lumeria City. Please check if you have forgotten any belongings before exiting the gate."

With the announcement, Leo stepped out of the gate.

The warp gate was located on a high ground on the outskirts of Lumeria City.

As soon as he stepped out of the gate, the panoramic view of Lumeria City unfolded before his eyes.

Whooooosh-!

Leo's white hair fluttered in the wind.

The scenery of a developed, vast metropolis.

And in the distance, a lake as vast as the sea was visible.

The lake, which would normally be shrouded in a dense mist, was incredibly clear.

Thanks to that, the grand castle of Lumeren Academy, barely visible at the edge of the lake, could be seen.

'Two days from now, I'll be heading there.'

It had been a month since he took the entrance exam.

As with every year, the entrance exam had generated much discussion.

Among them, the Western Region exam Leo took was definitely the most talked about.

With only 40 successful candidates, it had been a hot topic for a while.

'It's none of my business.'

Leo was busy preparing for his enrollment.

And today, after a month of preparation, he had come to Lumeria.

No one from the Flov family had accompanied him.

External observers were not allowed to attend Lumeren's entrance ceremony.

'Go and learn a lot.'

'Son, you won't be disappointed that I'm not going, will you?'

Leo smiled, recalling Dede and Reina, who had come to see him off.

His parents were nobles, but they were not extravagant.

'They'd rather use that money for the welfare of their domain than waste it on a warp gate for no reason.'

Of course, Leo agreed with his parents' opinion.

After leaving the warp gate, Leo entered Courageous Street, which could be called the bustling street of Lumeria City.

'She said she'd wait for me here?'

"Leo! Over here, over here!"

Celia, with her black hair tied in a ponytail that reached her waist, wearing elegant yet active going-out clothes, waved her hand and approached him.

Drawing the attention of people around her, she came in front of Leo and smiled brightly.

"How have you been?"

"I've been fine. By the way, congratulations on being the top student."

"I don't like that I'm co-top with that butterball, but still, top is top."

Saying so, she elegantly swept her side hair.

"Now look at me with a little more respect."

"I can't respect you after seeing you throw up."

"Hey!"

Celia shouted, her face turning bright red.

"Ugh! Really! You never back down from a fight!"

Celia, glaring at Leo, sighed deeply.

"Where's Uncle Jis?"

"He said he'd come in the evening. Until then, I was planning to go shopping on Courageous Street."

Courageous Street sold everything needed for Lumeren.

It was a place where uniforms, textbooks, and teaching materials for each department, as well as weapons, wands, and summoning catalysts, were traded.

"You haven't bought your uniform or textbooks yet, have you?"

"No."

"We can buy them today. Come with me, I'll specially accompany you."

***

Celia led Leo to a large clothing store on the main street first.

The Lumeren uniforms were displayed in a glass showcase visible from the outside.

The brand name "[Bless Riger]" was visible.

"That looks expensive."

"Of course, it's a shop that has been making Lumeren uniforms for 1,000 years."

There are three main types of clothes needed for Lumeren.

Ceremonial robes worn during events.

Uniforms worn during classes.

Practical uniforms worn during practical training.

And all clothes have a minimum specification.

To meet those specifications, "Mana Cloth," imbued with mana, was necessary, and Celia explained that the quality of the uniform varied depending on the Mana Cloth.

"And Bless Riger is famous for its luxury. I also had mine made here."

After her explanation, Celia entered the store.

Ding- Ding-

"Welcome to Bless Riger."

An employee waiting at the door smiled kindly and opened the door for them.

As they entered, they saw a few customers.

Among them were children who appeared to be Lumeren freshmen.

While they were looking at the display shelves, a middle-aged woman appeared from inside.

"Hello, young lady Celia. It is an honor to have you visit our shop again."

She greeted them elegantly and said cautiously,

"But what brings you here…? Is there something wrong with the uniform you had made?"

"No, today I've come to have a male student's uniform made."

Celia smiled and pointed at Leo.

"He's entering with me this year."

"Ah, I see. I thought only you were entering from Zerdinger this year. There's another young master as well."

The tailor, covering her mouth with her hand, exclaimed and bowed politely to Leo.

"My name is Nera. I am a tailor at our Bless Riger."

Leo perceived that she was a mage.

'Well, you'd have to be a mage to handle cloth imbued with mana. Still, a mage as a mere tailor… the world has gotten better.'

"Young master, I will take your measurements."

Nera took out a tape measure from her pocket and measured Leo.

"You are aiming for the Knight Department, correct?"

"Yes."

"What is the attribute of the aura you use?"

Auras are divided by attributes based on the characteristics of the aura cultivation technique.

And the composition of the Mana Cloth used varies depending on the aura attribute.

It might enhance defense against opposing attributes,

or it might amplify the power of the same attribute.

Of course, Mana Cloth cannot produce dramatic effects, but even small effects are helpful in the fiercely competitive Lumeren.

"Please make it with neutral attribute Mana Cloth."

"Yes?"

Nera showed a slightly bewildered expression, and Celia, who had been watching with a bright smile, narrowed her brow.

Leo smiled faintly and said again,

"Please make it with neutral attribute."

Neutral attribute Mana Cloth.

It refers to cloth in a plain state that does not possess any attribute, as the name suggests.

Naturally, no customers want this.

"Understood."

However, if the customer wants it, it must be done.

After taking his measurements and receiving the information, Nera went into the tailoring room.

"Why neutral attribute all of a sudden? Aren't you going to learn our family's aura? Wouldn't it be better to weave the uniform with fire-attribute Mana Cloth?"

"I just have something in mind."

'The term neutral attribute means it can be anything.'

Of course, he would learn Zerdinger's aura cultivation technique.

However, he had no intention of focusing solely on that.

"By the way, I don't have any money."

"Do you think I'd ask you, who's so stingy, to pay? My father heard you and decided to cover all the expenses for your school life from the Zerdinger family."

At that, Leo recalled Reina's words.

'It's okay, it's okay. Even though brother is stingy, he has a lot of money. And if he acts stingy, I won't let it slide.'

This was what his father, Dede, had said when he was worried about Leo's enrollment fees and the cost of uniforms and textbooks.

According to his mother, she had left behind all her personal assets when she was in the Zerdinger family.

Even though she left the family, it was wealth accumulated separately from the family, so she could claim ownership.

'Knowing mother's personality, she'd go to Zerdinger and turn the place upside down.'

The head of the family, knowing that fact, probably provided the support.

A moment later, as expected of a top tailor, Nera quickly made the custom uniform and brought it out.

After trying it on, a simple fitting adjustment was completed.

About an hour later, Nera, who had perfectly made the uniform, bowed her head.

"We will deliver the uniform to your dormitory."

After paying and receiving the employee's guidance, they left Bless Riger.

"Well, next, let's go buy textbooks!"

Celia led Leo to a large bookstore.

They had to buy mandatory textbooks for all students and major textbooks.

Leo scooped up not only Knight Department textbooks but also Magic Department and Summoning Department textbooks.

"Are you already preparing for duels? You're so thorough!"

Seeing Celia nodding in admiration, Leo muttered inwardly.

'I'm going to learn it.'

Of course, he didn't say it out loud.

He knew they would look at him like he was crazy if he did.

Finally, they bought all the necessary textbooks.

After that, they toured Lumeria.

Lumeria was a large city, and there were many sights to see.

Sightseeing was enjoyable, and buying street food was also fun.

Leo chuckled inwardly, watching Celia smile happily while eating ice cream.

'Looking at things like that, she's still a child.'

As a daughter of the Zerdinger family, Celia had always been conscious of others' gazes, but while hanging out with Leo, who was the same age, she showed many childlike aspects.

By the time it was dinner, Leo and Celia returned to their accommodation.

"You're back?"

"Uncle!"

Jis was waiting at their accommodation.

"What happened?"

Jis, ruffling Celia's hair, who asked with a worried face, approached Leo.

"Leo, have you been well for the past month?"

"Yes."

"The family council has reached a decision."

After the entrance exam, Jis had suggested to the family that Leo be allowed to learn "[Phoenix Breath]."

Whether Leo, who was an outsider although related by blood, could learn this secret cultivation technique, which only recognized family members could learn, was a highly sensitive issue.

The related council meeting had lasted for a month, and the results came out today.

"You have been granted permission to inherit [Phoenix Breath]."

At those words, Celia smiled brightly and said to Leo,

"Congratulations, Leo!"

Celia, who had trained and taken the exam with Leo, thought Leo was someone suited for Zerdinger.

However, the high-ranking members of the family might have thought differently.

So, she was worried, but finally, permission was granted.

"Although you have left the family, the fact that you are my sister's son, and…"

Jis smirked.

"The elders highly valued the fact that you passed the Western exam."

The notoriety of the Western exam, in which only 40 people passed, was already famous worldwide.

Jis took out a red key and presented it to Leo.

It was an interdimensional key.

"Open it."

At his words, Leo inserted the key into the air and turned it. An interdimensional space opened, and a book flew out.

When he opened the book, nothing was written on it.

'It's sealed.'

He easily understood the sealing mechanism.

"Spill your blood on it."

Leo bit his finger to draw blood and dripped it onto the page.

Then, letters appeared.

"From now on, this book can only be seen by you."

"Yes."

"Your enrollment is the day after tomorrow, but… why don't you try to learn it once before then?"

"Is that alright?"

"Of course. If you can awaken your aura before enrollment, there's nothing better."

Jis smiled meaningfully.

"Of course, it won't be easy."

***

After receiving "[Phoenix Breath]," Leo entered his room.

"Why are you here?"

"You're going to train your aura from now on, right? If you get stuck, I'll help you."

"Willingly?"

"Of course, I should be saying 'Please help me, Miss'," but that's how it is."

"The one who lost to me and said 'Young Master, Young Master'."

"Hey!"

Celia threw a cushion at her cousin, who mentioned her embarrassing past.

Of course, Leo dodged it with a sly grin.

Leo sat on the bed and opened the book, and Celia looked at him with a sulky expression.

"Hmph! I won't help you until you politely ask!"

Seeing Celia turn her head away, Leo smiled slyly and checked the contents of the book.

'As expected.'

It was indeed an aura cultivation technique from a heroic family.

It was a very complex yet powerful aura cultivation technique.

As Leo concentrated on reading the mana manipulation method of "[Phoenix Breath]," Celia snorted.

'It's not that easy.'

With Leo's current skill, he would probably master ordinary aura cultivation techniques very easily.

'My aunt said Leo has reached the mana resonance stage.'

If you can perform mana resonance, which is considered the biggest hurdle in aura cultivation techniques, you've already mastered more than half of it.

However, Phoenix Breath was different.

It required not only mana resonance but also mana manipulation.

Only after creating "flame" through that manipulation can it be considered to have overcome the first hurdle.

Even Celia, who was called a genius, took a week to create flame.

Soon, he would get stuck on the mana manipulation method and be perplexed.

Celia smirked.

'I'll get back at him for making me his maid. I'll make him call me 'Miss' for about two days~'

It was then, when she thought she would get revenge for her past humiliation.

Fwoosh-

Flames ignited on Leo's body and soon enveloped his entire being.

The flames took the shape of wings behind Leo's back before dispersing.

"As expected, it's not easy."

Entering "[Phoenix Breath]" means creating wings of flame using aura.

It took Celia two weeks to reach that stage.

'But this guy… this guy…'

"Miss. I'm stuck on this part. Do you have any tips on how to do it easily?"

Leo, pointing to a passage in the book and asking in a completely unceremonious tone, made Celia…

"Hey, you crazy bastard! There's a limit to what you can do! Who in the world can do that after just glancing at it once, you insane freak!"

… no choice but to yell.

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