Book 1 Chapter 191
191
The next morning.
Leo left the dormitory, feeling the cold autumn air.
Lil was waiting in the first-year dormitory garden.
“I apologize for the early hour, Leo. Shall we depart?”
“Yes.”
Leo and Lil immediately headed to the dock to catch the first boat to Lumeria City.
Normally, it wasn’t time for a boat, but to accommodate students who would make the most of their limited weekend, boats were prepared early in the morning.
In fact, besides Leo and Lil, several others were waiting for the boat at the dock.
Lil, who had arrived in Lumeria early in the morning by boat, led Leo to a restaurant near the dock.
She ordered sandwiches for a snack and sat across from Leo, clearing her throat.
“Ahem. I will now tell you why I asked you to come to Lumeria with me.”
“What is it?”
“It’s for a mission.”
“A mission, you say.”
A mission.
Lumerun students, as hero candidates, are given missions that heroes must solve, such as mediating conflicts around the world or resolving mysterious incidents.
First-year students also underwent extensive mission training previously.
However, in the case of mission training, even if it is practical, most missions are of a difficulty level that can be performed by students.
But a ‘mission’ as opposed to ‘mission training’ is different.
Because they are given only to truly skilled students, they usually receive missions starting from their third year.
However, Lil, despite being a class representative, was assigned a mission in her second year.
‘She certainly is amazing.’
“A mission in your second year. Lil senior is amazing, as expected.”
“Th-that! Don’t flatter me! If you put it that way, Leo is even more amazing! Didn’t you become the student council president in your first year? That’s the first time in Lumerun history!”
Lil was flustered by Leo’s compliment and shook her head.
Leo chuckled, looking at Lil.
‘Normally, a skilled person like this would have a great deal of pride.’
She was currently the undisputed number one second-year student at Lumerun.
Even seniors acknowledged her with the nickname ‘monster,’ yet she was also an honor student who strangely considered herself ordinary.
‘If she just gains more experience, she’ll become an amazing spirit user.’
Thinking about Lil’s future, Leo asked.
“So. Are you asking me to join the mission?”
“Yes.”
“There must be other seniors, so why me of all people?”
“This mission is actually a solo mission given to me. The reason I asked Leo to join is that I wanted to party with Leo at least once.”
A waiter brought sandwiches and placed them in front of the two.
Lil picked up a sandwich, took a big bite, and said.
“I can’t help it if Leo refuses, though.”
“I’ll go with you. I had nothing to do this weekend, and I’m curious about what kind of mission Lil senior was given.”
Lil brightened at Leo’s words.
Lil, who quickly drank the accompanying milk, pulled out a mission brief from her pocket.
“Thank you! Leo!”
“So, what kind of mission is it?”
“I haven’t actually confirmed the mission details yet. It was a designated mission, and since I said I wanted to perform it with Leo, I was instructed to confirm the mission with Leo.”
Nodding at her words, Leo leaned towards Lil while eating his sandwich.
Lil tore open the sealed wax of the mission brief and checked its contents.
[Guidance for a VIP at the Zerodia Castle Ruins, east of Lumeria City.]
That was all the content.
Lil looked behind with a slightly flustered face, but nothing else was written.
“Zerodia Castle Ruins would take half a day to get to. That’s why the mission period was one night and two days. But a VIP at those ruins?”
Leo said, looking at Lil’s bewildered expression.
“The school wouldn’t give a strange request… Let’s prepare and depart first.”
“We should! Hup!”
Lil enthusiastically took a big bite of her sandwich.
With her cheeks puffed out, Lil quickly swallowed the sandwich, then gulped down her milk.
“Alright! Leo! Let’s go!”
“I haven’t finished eating yet.”
“Oops!”
Lil looked flustered.
“I-I’m sorry. My eagerness got the better of me.”
“It happens.”
Leo chuckled and finished his sandwich.
Then he stood up, packed his bag, and said as he walked out of the store.
“Lil senior has a rather masculine side to her.”
“Hmm, I think it’s the influence of being from a military family. I played war games with my brother since I was little.”
Lil stood up straight and asked, walking briskly like a disciplined soldier.
Indeed, Lil’s speech and actions were disciplined.
“Thanks to that, other people often say my way of speaking and acting is strange.”
“I think it’s charming.”
“Oh, thank you, Leo.”
Lil smiled sweetly and walked away from the store with Leo.
“Hoo.”
Rustle—!
At that moment, a man in a corner of the store folded his newspaper.
Then he narrowed his eyes.
“Second-year representative Lil Luce and first-year representative Leo Flober.”
Squeak— Clatter.
“This should be interesting?”
The man stood up, placed a few coins on the table, pulled down his hat, and followed the two.
***
“Hey, Leo really went out with Senior Luce at dawn, didn’t he?”
“Isn’t he the first first-year to openly declare he’s spending the night out with a female student?”
From early morning, the first-year dormitory was abuzz with one topic.
It was none other than the rumors about Leo and Lil.
Female students flocked around Celia upon hearing the story.
“Celia! Celia! Is it true that second-year Senior Lil and Leo are dating?”
“It’s not, is it? It’s a lie, right? It is!”
Celia made a wry face, looking at her classmates who were asking with teary eyes.
“How should I know? But why are you all so excited?”
“Why? We’re Leo’s fan club!”
“…Leo had something like that? As expected, the student council president is different. Even getting a fan club.”
Celia looked surprised.
‘You have one too, you know?’
‘She’s surprisingly dense about things like this.’
The Class 1 students nearby looked at Celia with incredulous expressions.
For reference, if Leo’s fan club was recent, Celia’s fan club had existed since the beginning of the semester.
At that moment, Duran, who was eating in front of Celia, scoffed.
Currently, the Class 1 students were gathered, discussing the selection for the Luce Battle.
Since Class 1 had maintained the highest average in the class since the beginning of the semester, they were one of the most proactive classes in selecting representatives for this Luce Battle.
Duran wore his characteristic arrogant expression.
“Hmph, who Leo Flober dates, is it really something to cause such a fuss? Don’t you agree, Chloe?”
Duran curled the corners of his mouth and asked Chloe, the class president of Class 1, as if seeking agreement.
“What?”
Chloe’s blue eyes flickered coldly.
Seeing this, the surrounding Class 1 students flinched.
But Duran, not even looking at Chloe, curled the corners of his mouth and said.
“It doesn’t matter who he dates, as long as he doesn’t neglect his training.”
Hiiiiiiisss—!
“EEK?!”
“Chloe? Chloe?”
As the temperature around Chloe dropped sharply, the Class 1 students shrieked and moved away from her.
“If it’s Senior Lil, she’s a renowned honor student, so dating her would be a great help to Leo Flober. They might even suit each other quite well. If he reaches a higher position, he’ll be even more worth defeating…”
Crack, crack—
“Hey! Stop it! Read the room!”
Eventually, as Chloe’s surroundings began to freeze, Celia, unable to watch any longer, lunged and covered Duran’s mouth.
Duran frowned, looking at Celia, and shook her hand off.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Duran, look over there.”
Howl sighed and pointed towards Chloe.
Duran flinched, seeing Chloe with an icy expression.
Even Duran, famous for his terrible temper, had to concede, as Chloe’s current atmosphere was unusual.
“Why is she like that?”
“It’s because of you! Because of you!”
“What did I do wrong?”
“Argh! You’re clueless! Clueless!”
Celia looked exasperated.
At that moment, Chen Shia entered the dining hall.
“Chen Shia!”
“Today, I will finally recruit you to our club!”
“Yaaah!”
Students from the Knightry Department, who spotted Chen Shia, rushed towards her.
Watching this, the surrounding students looked amused.
Chen Shia, with the best physical combat abilities among all first-year students, was literally a desired talent for sports clubs.
Although she wasn’t affiliated with a specific club due to her student council activities, sports clubs constantly targeted Chen Shia.
As seniors became increasingly brazen in their attempts to recruit her, Chen Shia declared to her department seniors:
‘If any of my classmates can land a blow on me in physical combat, I’ll join that club. Come at me every Saturday morning.’
Since she said that with her characteristic gentle smile, the attacks became a routine every Saturday morning in the dining hall.
Of course, no student had ever succeeded so far.
Thanks to that, the first-year students, who were undergoing horrific hell training from their club seniors, were desperately trying to land a blow on Chen Shia.
Swish—
Chen Shia lightly shook her hand.
Crunch!
“Squeak?!”
Bang—!
“Gah!”
Thud!
“Kyaaah!”
Chen Shia avoided attacks with almost miraculous movements and launched ruthless counterattacks.
They were punched and sent flying, kicked and rolled around, and had their joints dislocated.
Watching Chen Shia launch brutal counterattacks with a smiling face, a first-year spectator muttered.
“Doesn’t she seem to be hitting harder than usual today?”
“She do….”
Whoosh—! Thump—!
“…es.”
The spectator broke into a cold sweat, looking at a classmate who had been sent flying and crashed nearby.
“Chen Shia is incredibly scary today.”
Classmates trembled, saying her usual smiling face was scary.
“Why are they so hysterical this morning?”
Chelsea, who was having breakfast with her Class 5 classmates, said in an unenthusiastic voice.
“Aren’t you bothered?”
Taide asked with a puzzled face.
“About what?”
“Leo going on a date with Senior Lil.”
At that question, Chelsea smiled sweetly.
“I’m always close to Leo oppa, and I’ve never seen Senior Lil have any romantic connection with Leo oppa, have I?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. And if Leo oppa dates someone else, he dates someone else.”
“…”
Chelsea shrugged casually and put a spoon in her mouth.
Watching her, Taide averted his gaze.
Karl and Iliana, who had teased Chelsea this morning, were lying in a miserable state in a corner of the dining hall.
Nella was healing the two with her aura of healing.
They had paid dearly for teasing Chelsea, who was in a bad mood this morning.
‘Leo, hurry up and explain this.’
Taide sighed deeply, calling out to his classmate inwardly.
***
Leo and Lil left Lumeria City and arrived at the Zerodia Castle Ruins after half a day of travel.
Leo tilted his head, looking at the ruined castle.
‘It certainly doesn’t feel like there would be a VIP here, as Lumerun said.’
This place was a fortress in the center of the continent 300 years ago.
It was the castle where Zerodia, the headmaster of Lumerun at the time, single-handedly stopped the advance of the legion commander.
She was famous for summoning endless spirits to block the legion commander’s advance.
Because of this, it was a sacred place for spirit users.
Before entering the ruins, Lil tidied her uniform.
As a Lumerun student, and as a spirit user.
There was a reason to pay respect to the great hero of old when visiting this place.
Leo also tidied his clothes, following Lil, and entered the ruins.
“Look at that, Leo. That’s the trace of Lady Zerodia summoning the Great Spirit of Wind to block the legion commander’s dark magic!”
Lil exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the scar on the massive castle wall.
“I hope I can summon the Great Spirit of Wind like Lady Zerodia someday.”
Just as Leo chuckled, watching the girl whose eyes sparkled with dreams.
Whoosh—!
Wind blew.
Leo’s eyes twitched.
Lil also stopped short.
Clang, clang, clang—!
A fierce, biting wind struck Leo and Lil.
Leo quickly avoided the attack, righted his stance, and narrowed his eyes, looking at the wind taking shape.
The summoned wind spirit was emanating killing intent towards Leo and Lil.
“Whoever it is, they’re playing a rather severe trick.”
Lil made an unpleasant face and manifested her spiritual power.
“Come out! Spirit user!”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!
A powerful wind swirled around Lil.
Leo looked at the wind spirit, seeing that.
‘It’s not a spirit summoned by a spirit user.’
Leo also manifested his spiritual power.
‘It’s a spirit receiving commands from a higher spirit.’
And the spirit before them was a considerably high-ranking spirit.
If it’s a spirit that can command such a spirit…
‘A Great Spirit.’