Book 1 Chapter 181
181
“There’s only one week left until the sparring evaluation, huh?”
It was evening, after combat studies class.
Kal, whose sword was tattered, shuffled towards the large dormitory bathhouse and asked.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Ah~ seriously. Who am I going to fight?”
“Maybe we’ll end up fighting each other.”
“Keck? I refuse that!”
Kal flinched at Leo’s words and shook his head.
A fight with a class representative.
Kal clicked his tongue, thinking whoever it was, they were unlucky.
“By the way, I never thought you’d actually complete the Bible.”
“I haven’t completed it. I still have a long way to go to reach the level I’m aiming for.”
“Still. You used Senior Torua’s magic.”
The entire school was already in an uproar with rumors related to Leo’s magic.
“Hey, if this goes well, won’t the Magic Tower come to research it?”
“Lumerne would never allow that, would they?”
From the Magic Tower’s perspective, Leo’s Bible was clearly something they would want to research at all costs.
But Lumerne would never allow it.
Because from Lumerne’s perspective, researching Leo would be like a brain drain.
Leo and Kal entered the bathhouse, washed themselves, and then soaked in the bath.
“Kua-! A bath after such a tough day feels like heaven!”
“That’s so much like an old man.”
“You’re the biggest old man among the first-years!”
Kal grumbled at Leo’s words.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Splash-
Just then, Abard came and sat next to the two of them.
“What is it?”
“I’m curious about Leo’s magic. It’s natural for a magician to be curious, after all.”
Abard smiled faintly.
After that, Abard asked Leo questions about the Bible.
“Hmm. If it’s that concept, then it’s literally your own unique magic. But the spell structure itself is interesting. It could be applied to wind magic, too, couldn’t it?”
“Probably.”
Leo nodded, watching Abard mumble with his chin resting on his hand.
The faces of the other male students nearby, who had been showing interest, changed strangely.
“What on earth are they talking about?”
“I can’t understand it at all.”
At Kal’s words, a male student from the Knight Department nearby made an exasperated expression.
“Hey, what are you doing saying that, you from the Magic Department?”
“Not all Magic Departments are the same Magic Department, you know?”
“Wow, why are you so confident? Don’t you feel any self-pity?”
“It’s not a level to feel self-pity. Do you feel self-pity when you see Celia, Chen Xia, or Duran?”
“No.”
Kal, who had been chatting with the surrounding students, said.
“By the way, Abard. Who are you going to choose as your sparring evaluation opponent? You can pick someone, and if they accept, you can fight, right? Is it Leo, after all?”
At Kal’s question, Abard rested his chin on his hand.
“No.”
Kal made a strange expression, watching Abard smile faintly.
“Why?”
“No. It’s just interesting that you and Chelsea are siblings.”
Abard, who always had a spring breeze-like smile, and Chelsea, who had a storm-like personality that could erupt at any moment.
The Lewallin siblings might have looked similar, but their personalities were polar opposites.
Abard chuckled at Kal’s words.
“If not Leo, then Celia?”
“I want to fight Celia too, but right now, there’s someone I definitely want to defeat.”
“Who?”
“Woredon.”
Kal looked puzzled at the unexpected opponent.
“Don’t you really have no contact with Woredon?”
“Woredon doesn’t have contact with anyone.”
Woredon was the top student in the Summoning Department, but he had little interaction with other students.
He liked being alone and spoke little.
Moreover, the unique intimidating aura from his large physique made it difficult for other students to approach him.
“But he’s definitely strong. Overwhelmingly so.”
Abard smiled.
“Shall I say I definitely want to defeat him before I defeat Leo or Celia?”
“Hmm. I can’t easily imagine who would win.”
Kal also knew how strong Woredon was.
But even so, Abard was also the top student in the Magic Department if you only considered combat ability.
Again, it was unpredictable.
“Leo, have you chosen an opponent? There are quite a few guys who passionately want to fight you, aren’t there?”
“Don’t even talk about it. Do you know how many times they come to our class in a day?”
Kal grumbled.
The students Abard mentioned who wanted to spar with Leo.
They were Duran and Eliza.
Woredon also nominated Leo, but didn’t show as much enthusiasm as Duran and Eliza.
“But when those two come together, they always fight each other! I wish they’d just fight each other instead!”
As Kal grumbled, Abard burst into laughter.
“Anyway, shall we talk a bit about the Magic Department exam too?”
When Kal spoke seriously, Abard nodded.
“Good.”
“Let’s talk while we eat dinner. And maybe study a bit together, while we’re at it.”
Kal eagerly stepped forward.
For Kal, studying with Abard, the top student in the Magic Department, was a huge help.
Abard seemed not to mind Kal’s eagerness and readily agreed.
Actually, Kal was very close with Chelsea, but surprisingly had no contact with Abard.
Not only were they in different classes, but during magic lessons, Kal mostly hung out with Chloe.
‘If I get a bit closer to Abard, maybe Chelsea will bother me less?’
Kal mumbled to himself and headed to the cafeteria.
Upon entering the dormitory cafeteria, the entire dormitory was in utter chaos.
Students were whispering among themselves, talking in bewilderment.
“Is this really okay?”
“I don’t think the seniors will stand still for this.”
“Did something happen?”
Kal tilted his head and approached a first-year student nearby.
“What’s going on?”
“Kal, and… Leo?”
“It’s Leo.”
“Leo?”
“Where, where.”
Shh-
Suddenly, the noisy cafeteria fell silent.
Everyone was focused on Leo.
Kal was a little flustered by their gazes.
“What is it? What on earth happened?”
It was when Kal was flustered.
Step- Step-
Celia, pushing through the crowd, appeared and handed Leo a school newspaper with a confused expression.
Seeing it, Kal gasped in surprise.
Abard’s eyes also widened.
[First-year Leo Flobe! Becomes Student Council President Candidate!]
Leo mumbled, looking at the huge headline printed on the front page.
“He actually did it?”
“You knew?”
“Senior Rhys told me a while ago. That someone recommended me for student council president.”
The students were startled by his words.
“Whoever it is, does it make sense to announce it like this just by recommending him?”
“That’s right. There’s Senior Hark and Senior Elena, too.”
“If they recommend someone other than those two seniors, they’ll get on their bad side for nothing.”
Students who didn’t know the full story began to whisper.
“Who recommended you for student council president?”
At Celia’s question, Leo folded the article and said.
“Senior Elena.”
“What?”
“Senior Elena?”
All the students looked aghast.
If Leo’s words were true, it meant Leo was being supported by the person called the Queen of Lumerne.
“Leo, what are you going to do?”
Kal swallowed hard and asked.
A first-year student council president?
It was an unprecedented event, something that had never happened in Lumerne’s history.
‘No, honestly, isn’t this a poisoned chalice?’
Even if he refused, Leo would clearly have already gotten on the bad side of the upperclassmen.
Even if he accepted, it would clearly be difficult for Leo to become student council president.
At Kal’s question, Leo let out a slight laugh.
“What do you mean, what am I going to do? I’m going to become student council president.”
***
“Wait? Does this make sense?”
“No matter what, this isn’t right! A first-year as a student council president candidate!”
The second-year dormitory was in an uproar after hearing the news.
“Hey! Lil! Haven’t you heard anything? You’re the class representative!”
A student from the Summoning Department urgently asked Lil.
Lil, clutching the newspaper, stared at the article with a serious face, then suddenly smiled brightly.
“Thank goodness. This means I won’t have to become student council president, right?”
“Hey! Is this really the time to be thinking about that?!”
“B-but! If an ordinary person like me becomes student council president, it would bring great shame to Lumerne’s name…!”
“When are you going to fix that timid personality of yours! You’ll be perfectly qualified to be student council president when you’re a fifth-year?!”
“W-when I’m a fifth-year…?”
Lil pondered, then suddenly looked like she was about to cry.
“Can’t we just hand it over to Leo?”
“Argh! Seriously! You know how embarrassing it is for a year not to have a student council president, yet you say that!”
“I-I’m sorry.”
The entire second-year class clutched their heads, looking at their timid class representative.
“Elena!”
“Look at the newspaper!”
“Senior Rhys…!”
Elena, who was eating in the third-year dormitory cafeteria, frowned as she saw her classmates flocking around her.
Then she wiped her mouth with a napkin and glared.
“What’s all the commotion about?”
Everyone held their breath, watching Elena.
It was a moment when everyone was tiptoeing around, realizing they had offended Elena, the real power in the school.
“Elena. Look here. Senior Rhys nominated Leo Flobe as a student council president candidate.”
At the words of Tarkon, the vice-captain of the Blue Moon Party and a third-year Knight Department student, who handed her the newspaper, Elena’s eyes widened, and she reached out to read the paper.
“Hmm? The President has made a decision.”
Thump- The third-years spoke as Elena rose from her seat.
“This is ridiculous! He only pushed him because he’s his cousin!”
“Senior Rhys wouldn’t do that, would he?”
“B-but still.”
“Isn’t it because Senior Hark has no ambition, so they’re trying to set up a scarecrow?”
“No matter what, would they really make a first-year student council president? Even the fourth-years would be in an uproar right away!”
Elena spoke, watching her classmates urgently exchange words.
“Everyone, calm down.”
“This is not something to be calm about, Elena. No matter if he’s the student council president, this is clearly an act of ignoring you.”
Elena smiled faintly at Tarkon’s words.
“The President didn’t ignore me, specifically.”
“Then what is it?”
“It was I who recommended Leo for student council president.”
“……”
“……”
For a moment, the third-years had blank expressions.
“When I brought up the idea, the President’s face was so dumbfounded. I’ve seen him for a long time, but I’ve never seen such an expression before, I tell you? You all should have seen it.”
Tarkon pressed his temples, watching Elena giggle happily.
“Wait. Elena. So, what you’re saying is… you recommended Leo Flobe for student council president? Why?”
“Well.”
Elena crossed her arms.
“Because I wanted to.”
All the third-years looked blank.
It felt like all their efforts to help Elena become student council president until now had been in vain.
‘No, we just helped her do what she wanted to do herself, but still.’
‘No matter what…’
“So.”
Elena smiled brightly.
That smile unmistakably carried the unique tyrannical streak of hers, the one also known as the Witch of Lumerne.
“Are you complaining that I want to do it?”
Unlike the chaotic second and third-years, the fourth-years’ reaction was surprisingly calm.
“I don’t know what the President is thinking.”
“I know. He’s been a truly respectable senior for four years, but he’s caused a huge incident in his final year.”
The fourth-years, who had been mumbling with serious faces while looking at the newspaper, glanced at Hark, who was burying his face in the table and sleeping, and sighed deeply.
“Still, looking at him, I think it might be better for a first-year to be student council president instead.”
“I agree.”
These were the fourth-years who had already half-given up on the student council president competition.
***
Rhys’s announcement brought a tremendous aftershock to the school.
Not just Lumerne.
Even outside, everyone who heard the unbelievable news was on edge, focusing on the situation at Lumerne.
Normally, it wouldn't have been strange for the entire school to be turned upside down.
But the atmosphere at Lumerne was surprisingly quiet.
The majority of the fourth-years, who should have protested the most, chose to observe the situation carefully.
And in the case of the third-years, Elena had them perfectly under control.
The second-years were in an awkward situation to step forward first when the third and fourth-years said nothing.
Only the first-years, watching their seniors, began their sparring evaluation…
Originally, the first-year sparring evaluation, like the mid-term summoning exam’s phantom beast relay in the first semester, was quite festive.
The first-years, who had honed their skills during that time, had accumulated skills incomparable to when they first entered.
As a result, there were often cases where previously known abilities were overturned in sparring.
Students who were not prominent in the first semester suddenly emerged as dark horses.
Or top-ranked students were defeated by lower-ranked ones.
In other words, it often produced very interesting results, as unpredictable outcomes occurred.
Therefore, not only first-years but also upperclassmen would attend the exams to watch their juniors’ skills.
However, this first-year sparring evaluation was held at the school’s central parade ground, Erek, because too many people wished to observe.
The first-years were visibly more nervous than ever with the record-breaking crowd.
[From now on, we will begin the sparring evaluation nomination ceremony!]
A fifth-year student holding an amplification magic device began to officiate.
Usually, a professor would handle such things, but this time, one of the fifth-year students was in charge.
The reason was simple.
Cheira, a graduating student with less to do, had volunteered, saying she was bored.
[As you all know, this sparring evaluation will proceed a bit unusually! Because the first sparring will be conducted by 'nomination'! Isn't this exciting? We can see which students have a rivalry! Kya~ This is going to be fun! How great would it have been if we had this since our first year?]
Cheira, an excited fifth-year from the Knight Department, chattered away enthusiastically.
Known for being talkative, she found the current situation extremely amusing.
‘There, there! I knew it would be like that!’
‘Hey! Someone pull her off!’
It was when the other professors were urgently trying to stop her rampage.
[Cheira Sikun. You seem to want to have a talk with me?]
[EEK?!]
Cheira flinched when Halind, the Wailing Wall of Lumerne, spoke a warning mid-sentence.
Halind.
He was a terrifying professor who, if he put his mind to it, could make anyone 'withdraw from school,' regardless of whether they were a graduating student or not.
Suddenly regaining her composure, Cheira urgently rushed to Leo with a trembling voice.
[T-then! I will begin by nominating Leo Flobe, the class representative!]
Avoiding Halind’s gaze as much as possible, Cheira approached Leo with stiff movements.
[Leo. Is there an opponent you want to fight?]
“Yes.”
[Oh! I wonder who the class representative wants to fight? Go ahead and point with your finger.]
At his words, Leo raised his hand.
The upperclassmen looked displeased, watching Leo, who had been mentioned as a student council president candidate this time.
‘Whoever his opponent is, let’s see how well he fights.’
‘He’s only a first-year, after all.’
Most of them were very displeased with the fact that a first-year had become a student council president candidate.
Leo pointed his finger not at the parade ground where his first-year classmates were gathered, but beyond, to the spectator stands.
As everyone was surprised by where Leo’s finger was pointing.
Leo was precisely pointing at one of the fifth-year students with his finger.
[Uh… so… uh…]
Cheira looked back and forth between Leo and the opponent he pointed at with a flustered voice, then carefully asked.
[You want to fight Rhys?]
“Yes.”
Leo smiled.
“You didn’t say I had to choose an opponent from the first-years, did you?”