Book 1 Chapter 182

182

Everyone murmured and looked at Leo and Rhys alternately.

Rhys, sitting in the fifth-year stands, narrowed his eyes as he watched Leo.

‘As expected.’

Rhys instantly understood why Leo had singled him out.

‘He means to prove himself with his skill.’

Not a bad idea.

After Leo was announced as a candidate for student council president, surprisingly, there were few repercussions.

However, even so, it's not a situation that can be easily dismissed.

The situation was literally the calm before the storm.

Various complex situations were intertwined, preventing discussion about this matter, but it was impossible to know when complaints would erupt.

Furthermore, there was also the thought, ‘Surely a first-year won't really become student council president?’

Electing the next student council president is within the current student council president's authority.

However, final approval is given by the principal.

The student council president's opinion is respected, but overly unreasonable candidates were not approved.

Rhys rested his chin on his hand.

‘Although the principal also allowed it regarding Leo.’

When Rhys recommended Leo as the next student council president, the principal readily agreed.

‘Many people recognize Leo's worth.’

If things continue this way, Leo becoming student council president is a foregone conclusion.

However…

‘The students won't be convinced, though.’

Therefore, Leo had to prove himself in some way.

That he was worthy of becoming student council president.

Rhys thought Leo would do that after he became student council president.

But surprisingly, Leo was doing it before becoming student council president.

He was trying to prove himself in front of all the students.

In some ways, it's bold, but conversely, it could be too reckless.

Now that it has come to this, Rhys would absolutely not go easy on Leo.

‘The moment I go easy on him, I won't be recognized by anyone.’

Seeing his cousin choose a head-on confrontation rather than backing down, Rhys curled the corners of his mouth.

[Uhm… Rhys. What are you going to do?]

Cheira, who was moderating, asked breathlessly.

At Cheira's question, Rhys smiled.

“He's challenged me like this, so avoiding it wouldn't be polite.”

An unprecedented sparring evaluation, a duel between the first-year representative and the fifth-year representative, was thus arranged.

***

Afterwards, nominations among the first-years began.

For other students, many matches had been pre-arranged, so things proceeded smoothly.

After all opponents were decided.

Illiana was dumbfounded, seeing that she would be facing the student council president.

“Wow. Crazy guy. Truly crazy.”

Leo was the only one who nominated an upperclassman in this sparring evaluation.

Seeing Illiana speak with a fed-up expression, Nella said.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Seeing Nella ask worriedly, Leo smiled.

“I'll have to face it head-on.”

The students in the class were astonished at Leo, who remained calm despite causing such a huge stir.

Chelsea came next to Leo, clenching her fists tightly, her eyes sparkling.

“Go, Leo oppa!”

Chelsea was actively supporting Leo becoming student council president.

Seeing that, Tayde said.

“Even so, a first-year student council president is too much.”

“Huh? Are you saying Leo oppa can't become student council president? What's that supposed to mean?”

“Ah, no. I'm just talking realistically… S-stop it! What, are you a thug?!”

Chelsea, with a fierce expression, kicked Tayde repeatedly, and Tayde hastily ran away.

Amidst that, two students appeared on the dueling arena created in the middle of the training ground.

The first-years who saw it wore tense expressions.

“It's because Leo is fighting against such an unconventional opponent…”

“This match doesn't look easy either.”

The two students who went up to the training ground were two female students with black hair.

One was a girl with black hair and striking red eyes, Celia.

And the other was Chen Shia, with black hair and black eyes.

It was a duel between two students vying for first place in the knight studies department.

If only considering elemental compatibility, Chen Shia had an advantage.

But this match wasn't one where victory would be decided merely by the hierarchy of elements.

As everyone focused on the duel, Cheira, who had stepped out as the moderator, spoke.

[Alright! It's a first-year duel that's attracting attention from the start! The match between Celia Zerdinger and Chen Shia! Wow! As a fifth-year in the Knight Studies department, I've been curious about the juniors' matches!]

Cheira, standing between the two with a cheerful voice, her eyes sparkling.

But she didn't say anything more.

In fact, she seemed to want to chatter more, but she couldn't because she had just been reprimanded by Halind.

[Alright! So! The first duel of the first-years' mid-term sparring evaluation! It begins now!]

With those words, Cheira descended from the arena.

Standing opposite each other, Celia drew her sword and said.

“This is our first real match, isn't it?”

“Indeed.”

Chen Shia smiled faintly and took her stance.

The two had sparred in practice many times, but they had never actually competed with their full skills.

Officially, in front of everyone like this.

And this was the first time for a duel where they had to use all their skills to defeat each other.

“I'm looking forward to it.”

“I'm looking forward to it too.”

Chen Shia smiled faintly.

“Celia-yang, you also do personal training with Young Master Leo, right? I'd like to see the results.”

At those words, Celia lowered her stance and activated her aura.

“You shouldn't be so relaxed, you know?”

*Fwoosh-!*

Aura flared up around Celia's body.

“Because if you make a mistake, you'll be taken down in an instant!”

Celia, with an aura of flames wrapped around her sword, charged at Chen Shia with incredible speed.

Seeing that, Chen Shia spread her palm and generated an aura of water.

*Shimmer-!*

Chen Shia, enveloped in a thin veil of water like silk, spun her body around.

‘Celia-yang doesn't stop.’

Celia's swordplay is very aggressive.

Using a rapier, one might expect graceful swordplay, but contrary to that image, she wielded a very ferocious style.

‘Until the beginning of the first semester, her swordplay was quite tame.’

Someone must have changed Celia's swordplay style.

‘That's not to say Celia-yang's swordplay isn't delicate or is rough, though.’

She creates openings using overwhelming firepower and relentlessly exploits them.

Even when trying to find openings to block her attacks, they are not easily found.

It was proof that she wasn't just pushing with brute force.

Therefore, Chen Shia knew all too well that blocking Celia's attacks head-on would be foolish.

Water is certainly an element specialized in defense, but more so, it excels in evasion.

*Crackle-!*

Chen Shia flowed like water, deflecting Celia's thrusting attacks with fluid movements.

Celia lost her balance and staggered for an instant.

But Chen Shia didn't exploit that opening.

*Whoosh-!*

Celia, having regained her stance, immediately spread a fiery aura in all directions.

Aura emission.

*Hiss-!*

The flames spreading in all directions evaporated Chen Shia's water aura.

Flames that seemed capable of turning everything to ash.

But Chen Shia didn't back down and clenched her fist.

And she dove into Celia's embrace, who was emitting flames.

‘She's not backing down?’

Celia was flustered by her opponent's unexpected move.

She had expected a long battle against Chen Shia.

But, as if to pierce her expectations, Chen Shia charged forward to end the match in an instant.

*Thud-!*

Chen Shia's fist landed on Celia's chest.

She deployed her aura armor for a moment, but it was too late.

“Ugh!”

Celia hastily widened the distance.

In a fight against Chen Shia, whose specialty was martial arts, such close combat was disadvantageous.

Celia retreated to create an angle to swing her sword.

But Chen Shia didn't pursue Celia.

‘What? I thought she'd attack more since she had the advantage?’

Celia looked at Chen Shia with a slightly flustered expression.

Seeing Celia, Chen Shia smiled faintly.

Her uniform was burnt in several places, and she had quite severe burns on her hands.

For someone wielding a weapon, perhaps not.

But for Chen Shia, whose specialty was martial arts, those burns would undoubtedly be a major blow.

*Step-step-*

But Chen Shia didn't care.

She simply let her arms hang loosely and closed the distance with Celia.

Seeing that, Celia wiped her mouth.

‘She's different from the Chen Shia I've known until now.’

The atmosphere changed.

The always gentle and soft Chen Shia now felt like a sharply honed sword.

Her usual soft smile felt like a chilling blade.

‘This is Chen Shia in a real fight.’

Celia, sweating coldly, gripped her sword tighter.

‘She's different from me. No, she's different from other Knight Studies students too.’

Chen Shia gained an advantage in the recent exchange.

If they continue to exchange attacks, calculating gains and losses step by step, Celia will be the one to crumble.

But if that happens, Chen Shia will also have no 'backup'.

‘If it's a sparring evaluation, it doesn't matter. But what if this were a battlefield?’

This kind of attacking style would lead not only the opponent but also herself to ruin.

The place where heroes are active is the battlefield.

It's a place where countless variables can arise at any time.

Therefore, Chen Shia's attacking style was far from that of a 'hero'.

Even the Knight Studies department at Lumen had never taught such a battle method.

‘What is she, really?’

Seeing a side of Chen Shia she hadn't known, Celia couldn't hide her bewilderment.

***

Leo, sitting in the first-year stands, narrowed his eyes.

‘As expected.’

Leo, resting his chin on his hand, murmured to himself.

‘An assassin.’

He had felt it before, when Chen Shia challenged him during the inter-departmental competition, but she was different from typical knights.

He felt she was specialized in one-on-one situations.

But even her specialization in one-on-one combat was different from that of typical knights.

However, seeing this match with Celia, he became convinced.

Chen Shia's movements resembled those of an assassin.

‘Of course, it seems quite different from a typical assassin too.’

With Chen Shia's skill, there was no real reason to deliberately look for openings.

Her combat style merely resembled that of an assassin.

‘As an assassin or a bodyguard, it's ideal. But it's not the stance a hero pursues.’

In addition to Leo, fourth and fifth-year students also saw through Chen Shia's disposition and showed surprised expressions.

Professor Ain, who was watching from a distance, narrowed his eyes.

Yura, who was next to him, asked.

“You seem uncomfortable, Senior Ain.”

“Of course I'm uncomfortable. The very idea of using such a talent as a mere pawn for a 'single individual' is an immense loss.”

“But what can be done? Chen Shia's status is what it is, isn't it?”

“Even if she's half, the emperor's daughter is still the emperor's daughter. And yet, to be treated like that.”

“Shan is a strict country when it comes to bloodlines. Moreover, the other half is from the 'Shadow Clan,' so it can't be helped.”

Yura also clicked her tongue, as if disappointed.

The Shan Empire.

A powerful nation located at the eastern edge of the continent.

It doesn't rule the entire Western Continent like Rodren, but it's still a hegemonic power that occupies half of the Eastern Continent.

And Chen Shia, if only considering her 'bloodline,' was the emperor's daughter.

Of course, only the professors knew this fact.

Chen Shia had never specifically mentioned her status.

‘I don't like it.’

Ain narrowed his eyes.

***

*Thwack-!*

‘If I stay like this, I'll lose!’

Celia gritted her teeth.

Chen Shia's attacks, which precisely calculated the damage to be dealt and taken, were chilling.

It was even more bewildering for Celia, who had never experienced such a thing before.

But Celia maintained her composure.

‘Shia's attacks are so precarious, you never know when she might lose her balance.’

Chen Shia's attacks, which maintained a precarious balance while slowly gaining an advantage, were indeed a fighting style that could lead to serious trouble the moment she slipped up.

But even in that precariousness, Chen Shia maintained her balance well.

‘I need to make her make a mistake.’

Thinking that, Celia gripped her sword tighter.

Seeing her, Chen Shia smiled bitterly.

‘She's regained her resolve. As expected of Celia-yang.’

Chen Shia's attacks are like a swamp.

Once you fall in, you can't pull your feet out.

Celia acknowledged that fact and decided to make a decisive move.

‘Her judgment is quick.’

For Chen Shia, all the Knight Studies students were easy to deal with.

For Chen Shia, who had learned how to 'destroy' people, her Knight Studies peers, who had grown up straightforwardly, were easy opponents.

‘Of course, Young Master Leo was an exception.’

It wasn't merely a difference in technique.

It was as if the number of battles experienced was different.

“Celia-yang… you're like a flame.”

“What?”

“You shine too brightly.”

Chen Shia smiled faintly and generated her aura.

‘If Celia-yang has decided to make a decisive move, I can't respond half-heartedly.’

Unlike other students, Celia's attack power is on a different level.

‘If I deal with her half-heartedly, I'll be taken down in an instant.’

If it weren't a sparring match, she could have handled the fight more advantageously.

She could use all sorts of means.

It might be called cowardly, but Chen Shia had been taught that the value of victory was higher than such baseness.

‘But this is a sparring match.’

And at this very moment, she didn't want to win that way.

Because looking at Celia's flames reminded her of someone.

*Swirl-!*

A torrent of water swirled around Chen Shia.

The torrent soon began to take the form of a dragon.

“Prominence.”

*Fwoosh-!*

Crimson flames surged.

“Water Dragon.”

A massive water dragon opened its mouth and roared.

*Whoosh! Boom! Hiss-!*

The crimson flame and water dragon clashed, emitting a massive cloud of steam.

As the steam cleared, Celia and Chen Shia were barely standing at the edge of the arena.

“I had a considerable advantage.”

Tearing her burnt uniform, Chen Shia smiled bitterly.

“In just one strike, it became even.”

“Ugh-!”

Celia wore a frustrated expression.

Both were completely exhausted.

Seeing the two staggering, Cheira stepped onto the arena.

[Stop! The professors said to stop! If you continue, you'll get seriously hurt!]

Cheira, who had stepped between the two, exclaimed in admiration.

[Both of you are amazing, aren't you? You don't seem like first-years. Excellent! The duel result is a draw! Both of you showed a magnificent performance!]

Clapping, Cheira smiled faintly.

[Both of you, go to the medical tent for treatment.]

“Yes.”

Chen Shia smiled faintly and headed to the medical tent without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Celia gritted her teeth.

‘It doesn't feel like a draw.’

Her maximum attack had not worked against Chen Shia.

Dragging her aching body, Celia also headed to the medical tent.

“What would have happened if they kept fighting?”

“Chen Shia would have won.”

To Chelsea's question, Leo said calmly.

At his words, Chelsea was surprised.

“Weren't they similar?”

“They were similar, yes. But Chen Shia had a subtle advantage. And Chen Shia would never have lost that superiority.”

“I see.”

“However.”

“However?”

“I can't guarantee that Chen Shia will win next time they fight, though.”

‘In terms of skill, they're almost equal. The difference lies in experience. She can't defeat Celia with the same method.’

As students cheered for Celia and Chen Shia, the next match began.

Even after that, big matches like Celia and Chen Shia's took place several times.

Sparring matches among top-ranked students generated tremendous interest and excitement.

Amidst that.

All students had completed their duels, and only one match remained.

Leo, who had ascended to the arena, warmed up by rotating his wrists.

*Step-step-*

Along with that, footsteps were heard.

Everyone held their breath.

Leo smiled as he looked at the man before him.

The current strongest student in Lumen.

Rhys Zerdinger.

“I'm counting on you, Leo.”

“I'm counting on you too, Brother Rhys.”

The two greeted each other with similar smiles.