Book 1 Chapter 348
348
“Ah, Clay!”
Countless orbs of light adorned the sky.
Kigigigiging-!
Verus’s magic instantly swept away the surging horde of orcs.
Seeing this, Verus looked down at his own hand with surprised eyes.
‘This much power?’
Verus’s family had been a line of summoners for generations.
Thanks to that, they showed definite excellence in summoning magic, but lacked in elemental magic.
He felt he had changed over several weeks through the elementary star magic book.
‘I never imagined it would be this powerful.’
Verus wasn’t the only one making a surprised expression.
The speed at which they were subjugating monsters was by no means inferior to the advanced class.
Watching them, Angre’s eyes widened.
“They really might win, huh?”
Seeing Angre’s surprise, Éclair, who was nearby, made a serious expression.
“It won’t be easy. Yoiyina is there.”
As a fellow advanced class student, Éclair knew Yoiyina’s skill well.
In terms of mana quantity, Yoiyina had more than Éclair, and even more than Elric, the second-ranked student in the first year.
At Éclair’s words, all the junior class students, including Angre, recoiled.
Seeing this, Leo spoke.
“They’ll win.”
Leo smiled warmly at the junior class students.
Since entering Seirun, they had constantly been treated as the bottom rung.
After entering Seirun, anticipation turned to disappointment, and disappointment to despair.
Because of this, the junior class students generally lacked confidence and tended to shrink back.
The junior class students looked at Leo.
“It’s true that this kid named Yoiyina is a formidable talent, but as long as she’s a half-baked mage like that, it won’t be easy for her to properly display her abilities.”
“Ha, half-baked?”
Éclair looked dumbfounded, seeing Leo treat a top-ranking student from Advanced Class 1 as half-baked.
“Yoiyina’s strength is her powerful mana, so the teachers taught her mainly high-level magic that other advanced class students can’t easily use. Among Advanced Class 1, her progress is fast, along with Lea. She’s already mastering magic that second-year seniors learn in the second semester of their first year… and you call her half-baked?”
“Selection and focus, good. But do you think any of your seniors only excel at high-level magic and can’t properly use low-level magic?”
“…”
“If the path you’re trying to take is that of a Star Mage… well, then such a teaching method would be correct. But taking exceptionally talented kids and training them intensively is a teaching method that can be done anywhere, not just Seirun.”
Leo looked at the Advanced Class 1 students.
“Admiration and respect for the progenitor of the nebula and the comet mage… those are certainly the best elements for growth.”
The junior class students looked at Leo.
“But that’s not the answer. You’re trying to become heroes, not a second progenitor of the nebula or a comet mage, are you?”
Leo smiled warmly at the junior class students.
“Believe in yourselves.”
Leo pointed with his finger to a statue located in one spot on the drill ground.
There were statues of the Comet Mage all over Seirun.
“Isn’t that what the founder of this very school said?”
The junior class students’ eyes widened.
And they made exhilarated expressions.
“Right! We’ve worked hard all this time!”
“Everyone, let’s do our best!”
Everyone clenched their fists tightly.
Seeing this, Angre approached and smiled bitterly.
“It seems you’re the right one to be class president, Rail.”
“You’re also suited to be class president, so you keep doing it. I’ve already done it.”
“What?”
Leo smiled warmly, seeing Angre’s surprise.
“H-hold on! Monsters are breaking through! Defend! Defend!”
At that moment, a panicked shout echoed.
Trolls, appearing from the summoning circle, furiously charged toward each camp.
The advanced class students, distracted by their attacks, momentarily allowed the monsters to approach.
In an instant, casualties occurred among the advanced class students, and their attack line was disrupted.
As it was a sudden large-scale appearance of trolls, the junior class also allowed their approach.
However, among the junior class students, those from the Knight class, who were in the vanguard, stepped forward.
The mage students in the rear cast enhancement magic.
Everyone was surprised to see the junior class’s vanguard line defending against the large-scale troll assault.
“Wait, enhancement magic is usually a secret magic of high-ranking families, isn’t it?”
“Why are those junior class kids using something like that?”
The first-year students looked aghast.
The upperclassmen also looked surprised, but then stroked their chins with interest.
“Interesting. Did they improve the new Star Magic?”
“We didn’t have much expectation for the junior class… but they actually seem more like the advanced class?”
“As mages, the individual skill of the advanced class students definitely seems superior… but can you call those guys hero candidates?”
“If they can use aura or summoning magic in this test… will those advanced class kids really be able to beat the junior class?”
The upperclassmen cast cold glances at the advanced class.
Seeing this, the Pureblood Society teachers made grim expressions.
Currently, many people in the elven society, including Seirun, support the Pureblood Society.
Upon hearing the news that Luna, the progenitor of the nebula, had descended again, Seirun became a kind of holy land.
The pride of the elves and the great hero who saved the world.
Elves had respected and admired Luna, the progenitor of the nebula, for a long time.
Since such a Luna had miraculously reappeared, it was inevitable that the influence of the Pureblood Society, which championed elven pride, grew.
But even so, the Pureblood Society could not control everything.
For a long time, many had doubted the Pureblood Society itself.
No matter how conservative elven society was, there were always those who opposed extreme tendencies.
The same was true for Seirun.
Many upperclassmen viewed the Pureblood Society itself with unfavorable eyes.
Therefore, this first-year midterm exam was also an occasion to inform the upperclassmen of the Pureblood Society’s methods.
But…
‘To show such a shameful display, being pushed back by those junior class nobodies!’
Rhagen’s face contorted.
‘That guy! He must have used some trick!’
Rhagen’s bloodshot gaze turned towards Leo, who was wearing Seirun’s uniform.
For a moment, Leo and Rhagen’s eyes met.
Leo curled up the corner of his mouth as he looked at Rhagen.
‘Don’t think this will end like this, Leo Flov!’
Rhagen gnashed his teeth.
Piiiii-!
In the meantime, the sound signaling the end of the test echoed.
“We won!”
“Hooray!”
The junior class students cheered.
Verus’s group, who had achieved victory, wore disbelieving expressions.
“Everyone! You really did well! Excellent!”
Laura teared up, hugging each of her students.
As a homeroom teacher, Laura knew well.
How unfairly her students had been treated simply because they lacked achievement in Star Magic.
How much emotional hardship the children had endured.
That’s why she couldn’t help but be moved seeing the junior class defeat Advanced Class 1.
“We really won! Rail! It’s all thanks to you!”
Verus’s group swarmed around Leo.
Seeing this, Leo chuckled.
“Don’t push your good work onto me.”
“But still…”
“You were never without talent to begin with.”
“What?”
“If you had no talent, you wouldn’t have been admitted to Seirun.”
Leo patted Verus on the shoulder.
“It just didn’t quite match with Star Magic. All I did was create an opportunity. If you want to thank someone, thank Teacher Laura who taught you, and Associate Professor Anna from Lumerun’s Magic Department, who will arrive in a few days.”
Leo said, looking at the junior class whose eyes were wide.
“The reason you won today is because you didn’t give up and kept trying until now.”
The entire junior class looked choked up.
“Rail.”
“What.”
“Can we call you Big Bro?”
“I want to call you Older Brother.”
“Big Bro!”
“Older Brother!”
The junior class students praised Leo.
“Stop talking nonsense and do well on the remaining tests.”
Leo burst out laughing.
“You have to prove it. That Seirun, which turned its back on you, was wrong.”
***
The subsequent exams were a series of shocking results.
Making the junior class groups compete against the advanced class, specifically to highlight the advanced class, instead led to fatal consequences.
The junior class rebellion.
Seeing the junior class win all their matches against the advanced class, the advanced class homeroom teachers’ faces turned pale.
Conversely, not a single intermediate class student, who had received the same education as the advanced class, managed to surpass the advanced class.
This meant only one thing.
It meant that the educational policies of the intermediate and advanced classes were flawed.
‘Impossible! It can’t be! How could those dropouts defeat the advanced class!’
Geras, the homeroom teacher of Advanced Class 1, wore a pale expression.
He constantly kept an eye on Acting Headmaster Rhagen from the corner of his eye.
Swallowing dryly, Geras, seeing Rhagen’s cold expression, stood before Lea.
“Lea student! The honor of Advanced Class 1 rests on you!”
Seeing Geras urgently shouting and grabbing her shoulder, Lea said with an expressionless face.
“Teacher, could you let go?”
At her words, Geras flinched and stepped back.
“Since it’s a test, I’ll do my best, but it’s not particularly for the honor of Advanced Class 1.”
Lea smiled brightly.
“And I don’t particularly like your teaching methods, either.”
“Le-Lea student…”
Lea headed to the drill ground.
Elric showed an overwhelming performance against the intermediate class students.
With his exceptional magic skills, he was being evaluated by seniors as, ‘The class representative truly is different.’
Everyone watched the junior class rebellion with keen interest.
But no matter what anyone said, all Seirun students’ attention was focused on… none other than Lea.
Click-clack- click-clack-
Lea, standing on the drill ground, waved her hand at the junior class group, Angre’s group, visible in the distance.
Éclair, who belonged to Angre’s group, smiled brightly and waved back at Lea.
Then Éclair took a deep breath and said.
“As I said earlier… Lea is on a different level than us. So it would be best to do as I say.”
“Even so… isn’t it too dangerous?”
When one of the group members asked with a worried voice, Éclair gave a wry smile.
“Once the test begins, you’ll understand why I said that.”
Piiiii-!
At the start of the test, the summoning circle activated, and goblins poured out.
Along with that, a massive amount of magic power raged.
Flash! Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-gak-!
Swords of light poured down from the sky.
Magic more powerful than anything seen before.
The goblins were instantly swept away by the swords of light.
Everyone marveled at what happened in the blink of an eye.
“Hmm.”
Runia propped her chin and made an amused expression.
“Tingel certainly is different.”
Runia’s words were accurate.
She was on a different level from other first-year students.
“Ah, this is why I dislike geniuses. To do something like that right in the first year.”
Fifth-year valedictorian, Marven, let out a hearty laugh.
Marven’s gaze was directed towards Runia and Evertun.
“Still, that side also put together a good strategy. Since they know it won’t work anyway, they’ll save mana consumption early on.”
Marven stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming.
At that moment, dozens of magic circles appeared around Éclair.
“Multi-chanting? That’s amazing, isn’t it?”
Marven whistled.
“She’s the class representative.”
Evertun crossed his arms.
“Mana quantity isn’t the sole criterion for judging a mage’s skill. If we look purely at magic skill among current first-years, that kid Éclair has sufficient qualities to be the class representative.”
Evertun gave a cold smile.
“I don’t know why such a kid is in the same group as the junior class. Is it because the junior class isn’t acting like the junior class?”
At Evertun’s words, veins popped out on Rhagen’s hand.
‘That guy…!’
“It seems Senior Evertun sees anything that doesn’t meet his standards as trivial.”
“That’s her charm. Consistently rude.”
Evertun’s chilling gaze turned towards Runia and Marven.
It was when Runia looked away and Marven chuckled.
However, Lea’s group was overwhelmingly ahead in score.
Everyone made an expression of 'of course' when they saw that.
Clack-!
A fallen goblin corpse stood up.
Kigigik- Kigigigik-
With strange noises, the goblin, which was twitching and trembling, had its neck snap around.
Inside the test arena, illusion magic had been cast so that monsters couldn’t perceive the outside.
But the goblin’s face turned precisely towards Leo, who was outside the arena.
Flash-
In an instant, dark red eyes flashed.
At the same time, dark red smoke began to flow from the goblin’s body.
Leo’s eyes twitched at the sight.
‘…Undead?’
“Kikekekekek!”
Along with the goblin’s cry, the fallen corpses began to rise.
A massive dark magic power raged.
Leo’s face hardened.
It was a familiar dark magic.
‘Hell Kaiser.’