Book 1 Chapter 318

"It's Warden!"

"Warden is here to save us!"

Cheers erupted from the Harmony dormitory side.

Nella, who was confronting Leo, looked at the dormitory students and murmured softly.

"I don't think Warden is here to save us…"

As soon as she finished speaking, Warden raised his hand.

*Woosh-!*

A giant sphere of flame formed above Warden's hand.

Warden's specialty.

It was elemental magic using spell formations.

"Oooooh!"

"Warden! Warden!"

The Harmony students shouted Warden's name loudly.

*Goooooo!*

"Warden! Warden… War… den…"

However, they soon realized something was wrong, and their shouts died down.

"…"

"…"

At some point, everyone fell silent and stared at Warden.

Amidst the silence, a student from Harmony's Knight Department said.

"Hey."

"…Why?"

"…Doesn't that thing look like it's getting too big?"

"You think so too? I do…"

As they watched Warden's flame sphere endlessly increase its power, all the students except Leo began to break out in a cold sweat.

"Nah. It can't be."

"Right. Even if it is, with so many allies, he wouldn't use a large-scale area attack. Hahaha."

It was when the Knight and Magic Department students were forcing awkward smiles.

The students from the Summoning Department rushed forward without hesitation.

"What are you doing! Run!"

"He's the type to unleash an area attack without caring about us!"

The Summoning Department students, who had studied together for a year, knew Warden's personality too well.

Seeing their reaction, the Knight and Magic Department students also fled in panic.

Nella, as if she expected this, sighed and tried to move away.

But she stopped, looking at Leo, who didn't budge.

"Aren't you moving?"

In response to the question, Leo smiled and pointed his finger.

"Should we move that way?"

That was where the Harmony students were evacuating.

The Harmony students, startled, shouted.

"Hey! Don't come! Don't come this way!"

"Go over there! Over there!"

"Hey! Are you telling us to go over there to save yourselves!"

When the Harmony students pointed at Noble and shouted, the Noble students now clamored.

Leo chuckled as he watched them and looked at Warden.

"Don't mind me."

At Leo's words, Nella threw herself towards the Harmony students.

Along with that, Warden's giant flame engulfed Leo.

Seeing the fierce flame of immense size, Leo tightened his grip on his sword.

*Vwoom-!*

Gray aura swirled.

Leo, condensing aura into his sword, swung it with a glint in his eyes.

*Swish-!*

An eerie sound cut through the air.

*Whoosh-!*

Along with it, Warden's flame split in half.

*Kwagagagagagag-!*

With a massive explosion, waves of flame poured down like a waterfall.

The surging waves of flame soon poured onto the ground.

For a moment, Leo's eyes twitched.

'A fusion of fire and earth spirits?'

Contrary to expectations, it wasn't an elemental magic implemented using spirits, but an explosion spell.

Warden was steadily preparing an attack to inflict additional damage on Leo, whose specialty was fire.

*Gurgle-! Puwaahak-!*

The flames that seeped into the ground soon shot up into the sky like a fountain.

The surrounding area instantly turned into a sea of lava.

As Warden gestured, the fire and earth spirits moved.

*Kwagagagag-!*

The surrounding students who were evacuating, faced with lava as high as a tsunami, let out cries of shock.

"Aaaargh! We're being swept away!"

"Run! Run!"

It was like a natural disaster.

Warden was literally controlling the nature around him perfectly.

Leo narrowed his eyes as he looked at the wave of lava crashing down on him.

"A monster."

*Splat-!*

As soon as he said it, Leo was swept away by the lava.

***

[Ah! Astonishing! Warden Tiden of Harmony dormitory! Is this truly the elemental magic of a second-year student!]

Roonva Tess, a fourth-year student from the Summoning Department who always provided commentary during external events, shouted excitedly, spitting.

[Professor Sedgen, the professor in charge of the second-year students! What do you think of Warden student's elemental magic!]

[It's elegant!]

[Oh! A rare compliment from Professor Sedgen, one of the most capable professors in Lumen!]

"…He always uses the word 'elegant,' but what is that guy saying?"

Reina, who was resting her chin on her hand, mumbled, and the beautiful girl next to her replied, gently twirling her hair.

"Roonva is good at embellishing things."

Elena, as the acting chairman, was assisting Reina, who was currently the principal.

Harbiden, the acting mayor of Lumaria City and vice-student council president, sat next to Reina, asleep with his head tilted back and an eye patch on.

The royalty, sitting in the same seat as VIP guests, looked bewildered at the sight.

[Please introduce the audience to Warden student's excellence!]

[Audience! Warden student is! I! Sedgen! One of my proud disciples who I've nurtured with my utmost effort!]

[…I remember that Warden student wasn't Professor Sedgen's assigned student in his first year…]

[What does that matter! He's under my tutelage now, so he's my disciple! Come on! Warden student! Hurry and punish that hateful Leo Flov…! Ugh! Ugh!]

[Pro-Professor Sedgen! You must remain neutral as a commentator…]

[Punish Leo Flov, Halind's henchman, and- Cut-]

The broadcast was suddenly cut off.

The audience looked bewildered.

[We apologize for the temporary broadcast interruption.]

Halind's cold voice echoed.

By then, Professor Sedgen was being dragged away by other professors.

Currently, among the audience were members of royalty, including influential nobles from various countries.

In such a situation, such a major incident occurred.

In any other circumstance, it would have caused chaos, and the first-year students were nervously watching, wondering what would happen.

However, the third, fourth, and fifth-year students were unfazed.

"Does my son seem to be disliked by the professors?"

"Nah! Disliked? They dote on me so much."

Yura smiled brightly and massaged Reina's shoulder.

"Reina-senpai. This is the finest black tea I've cultivated with magic."

Ren gracefully poured tea into Reina's cup with a flick of his wrist.

Then, with a light clap of his hands, Anna approached with a forlorn expression.

"These are cookies I baked myself."

"Oh my, thank you."

"…Professor Ren. Everyone is watching."

"Vice-Professor Anna, please remember. Entertaining is also necessary for the boundless development of magic."

'Even though he usually doesn't bother with entertaining guests, even important ones.'

Anna sighed deeply in her heart.

"Hey! Carlo! Why are you so late!"

"…How can I go to the Isle of Beasts and come back in just 10 minutes."

Yura's vice-professor, Carlo, came with fruits brought from the Isle of Beasts, with a tearful expression.

"Reina-senpai, don't eat those cookies and try these fruits. You know that fruits from the Isle of Beasts are a specialty of Lumen, right??"

"Oh my. Thank you."

Reina, laughing with her hand covering her mouth, tilted her head.

"But why are you doing all this for me?"

"It's a cute junior expressing her feelings to a respected senior she hasn't seen in a long time."

"Cute…?"

As Yura said, pouting, Vice-Professor Carlo made a strange expression.

Of course, he bowed his head under Yura's fierce gaze.

"That's right. I have never forgotten Reina-senpai since you graduated."

"…Professor Ren. That sounds a bit dangerous."

Anna said with a deep sigh, but Ren paid no mind.

"So, what do you want?"

"It's about the development of magic and Leo student's future."

"Reina-senpai. Leo should choose the Summoning Department. Of course, you were in the Knight Department, but I don't think you should be swayed by such things! Look at Leo! He has Zerdinjer's blood flowing through him, and he's the sworn ally of a Phoenix!"

"Hmm. Both of your opinions have merit."

Reina smiled.

"By the way, I suddenly want to eat the ice cream sold in Lumaria City."

As soon as Reina finished speaking, Yura and Ren ran off without looking back.

Seeing them, Ain muttered.

"Disgraces of Lumen professors."

Anna and Carlo couldn't deny his words.

Reina, who had been bossing around her juniors whom she hadn't seen in a long time, watched the magic video with sparkling eyes.

"By the way, that kid named Warden is amazing."

"He would have been the strongest second-year student if Leo hadn't been there. It's not for nothing that he's called a monster and has a high reputation."

"Hmm. Even I, who have retired from the front lines, have heard of him."

Reina nodded, looking at Warden standing in the midst of surging lava.

"Of course…"

Ain said, staring intently at the video screen.

"Your son is even more of a monster."

As the words finished, a gasp erupted from the entire audience.

In the middle of the sea of lava.

Leo was standing.

On Leo's forearm, a beautiful firebird was perched.

***

*Bubble- Bubble-*

The lava boiled.

In the midst of it, Leo stood nonchalantly.

'It's not working.'

Warden narrowed his eyes.

Leo stood calmly in the center of the lava, without a speck of soot.

Seeing this, Warden snorted and laughed.

'Leo Flov.'

Warden clenched and unclenched his large fist.

Warden Tiden.

The country where he was born was Dolian, a desert nation located in the southern part of the continent.

It was called the land of elementalists, where everything ran on the power of elementalists.

He was born into the lower class of Dolian.

However, in Dolian, where those with elementalist talent were favored, Warden quickly rose to the upper class.

But consequently, he naturally became a target of vigilance.

There were even those who tried to kill him to keep him in check.

But when he summoned a high-level spirit at the age of 14.

The ruling class of Dolian no longer saw Warden as just a threat to their position.

They saw him as the strongest elementalist and an indispensable talent for Dolian's future.

Therefore, Warden craved strength even more.

The reason was simple.

If you're just strong, you're a target of vigilance.

But the strongest is an object of awe.

For Warden, who had risen to the highest class of Dolian on his own from a young age, strength was a source of pride, but even before that, it was a means of survival.

When he first entered Lumen, he had no doubt that he would be the best in his group, as always.

But…

'Leo Flov appeared.'

The man who had long surpassed him when he came to his senses.

The first wall Warden, who believed in his strength without question, encountered.

He couldn't deny it.

That the monster before him was above him.

But even so, Warden did not stop craving to be the strongest.

*Woosh-!*

Fiora exhaled stronger flames in response to Leo's spiritual power.

Warden felt Leo stealing control of his flames.

'If someone other than me is the strongest.'

*Woosh-*

A giant sphere of flame targeted Warden.

'I will only challenge that strongest with everything I have.'

*Goooooo-!*

Spiritual power raged from Warden's body.

Leo's eyes twitched as he saw this.

*Kugugugugugung-!*

The ground shook.

*Kwagagagag-!*

The earth's crust flipped over as if the earth were angry.

*Geoooooooooo!*

The earth roared.

A giant earth golem swung its arm.

The golem grasped Fiora's flames.

*Kwagagagagag-!*

As the earth shook, Fiora's flames scattered in all directions.

It was like a natural disaster unfolding.

-Wooooooooooooo!

The ground where Warden stood rose up.

A giant earth golem roared towards the sky.

Leo's eyes widened as he saw this.

This was completely unexpected.

"A Great Spirit?"