Book 1 Chapter 366

"What do you mean? A country of pleasure?"

"Another word to describe the country called Eleham."

Cal shrugged his shoulders at Juen's question.

Chloe, who had been pondering after hearing that, tilted her head.

"Is it because of the casinos?"

"Ah, come to think of it, Eleham is indeed famous for its casinos."

Juen, who was from the south, nodded.

Eleham was famous for having royal casinos in every city.

"It's partly because of the casinos, but it's not just that."

Cal crossed his arms.

"Eleham is the poorest country among human nations, and at the same time, it's a country where things that are illegal in other countries are legal."

"So, what does that have to do with the illegal things and being called a country of pleasure?"

Chelsea still had a look of not understanding.

Except for Leo, the other students still didn't understand Cal's words.

"As expected, ladies from prestigious families are naive," Celia said in response to Cal's remark.

"What are those illegal things?"

"It's a bit embarrassing to say."

"You should explain what it is before saying that!" Celia said. Leo, who had been listening, spoke up.

"It's probably things like the illegal sale of drugs or transactions involving intimate relationships between men and women. If those are legal, then you might see such things openly on the streets."

"What?"

The female students, momentarily flustered by Leo's words, soon blushed and turned their heads away.

Cal said, looking at Celia, who was reacting with embarrassment.

"Miss Celia, I will answer your question. That illegality, you see, is none other than…"

"I get it, so shut up!"

*Thwack-*

"Gah?!"

With a face flushed red, Celia struck Cal's Adam's apple.

Watching Cal writhing on the floor, clutching his throat, Luke laughed and said to Juen.

"Senior Cal is really funny."

"Cal? Who's that?"

Juen openly ignored her mentor.

After the small commotion subsided, Leo said.

"As Cal said, if there's such a danger in Aleham, it would be good to be prepared."

At Leo's words, Celia tilted her head.

"Is there really a need for such caution? I know it's a seedy place, but aren't we students of Lumern? I don't think anyone would dare to mistreat us."

Most of the students nodded at Celia's words.

"Think about it. Whether it's gambling, drugs, or… that kind of thing."

Cal agreed with Leo's words, resting his clasped hands behind his head.

"It's true that it's a tough place to live overall. Celia, as you said, we are, of course, students of Lumern and no one can mistreat us, but…"

Cal narrowed his brow.

"There are plenty of people in the world who don't care about such things. Especially those who are reckless."

Luke nodded as if he understood Cal's words.

However, the other students looked like they didn't quite understand.

Celia, Chelsea, and Martina are nobles of the Rodren Empire, which occupies most of the western continent.

In particular, they belong to the Jardingger and Rwalin families, which are at the pinnacle of power.

Chloe also belongs to a family associated with the Northern Mage Tower.

Of course, the Müller family itself doesn't hold a high position in the Northern Mage Tower, but being a family associated with a mage tower means it's a good family.

Juen is the daughter of the Southern Mage Tower Master.

Aina is the great-granddaughter of the Sword Saint.

Betty also comes from a prominent and influential mage family.

Having grown up only seeing good things, they were bound to know little about the darkness of the world.

Seeing their expressions, Leo said.

"What Cal means is that people who have nothing to lose are scary. Well, it's hard to understand with words."

Leo smiled at Celia.

"It wouldn't be bad to experience it this time. Professor Halind wouldn't send us with our mentors for no reason."

"You talk as if you've experienced such things," Chloe tilted her head.

Hearing that, Cal chuckled and stroked his chin.

"Chloe. What kind of experience are you talking about?"

"What strange thing are you about to say with that unpleasant expression?"

Chloe glared at Cal with a frown, and Cal smiled sinisterly.

"No. Aren't you asking if Leo's experience was with women? Given Leo's popularity, he might even have secret meetings with female students late at night…"

*Crackling!*

"Using magic in the library is forbidden!"

Cal, who was teasing Chloe, shouted in terror at Chloe's magic, which seemed as if it would freeze him at any moment.

"Stop saying strange things. Big brother Leo has never been involved in such scandals, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Lumern allows freedom in relationships, so it's not strange to date.

However, the school rules prohibit crossing the line.

A typical example is the rule prohibiting entering the dormitory room of the opposite sex late at night.

This applies to first-years, and it also applies to second-years who now use co-ed dormitories.

Of course, despite that, as energetic teenagers, there are brave souls who boldly try to break that rule in both their first and second years.

Of course, they are invariably caught by the dormitory supervisors and severely punished.

Since the dormitory supervisors strictly monitor violations of the unauthorized entry rule, there have been no successful cases.

Chelsea's words made Cal raise his index finger and wag it back and forth.

"Hehehe, you don't know."

Cal, puffing himself up, grinned.

"Of course, there are no scandals with students from our school! But during the Smith contract last time, Leo went out every night to meet a girl from Seirun and came back at dawn!"

"What?!"

Chelsea looked extremely flustered.

Chloe's mouth also gaped.

Cal grinned sinisterly as he watched his two flustered friends.

"Leo told me everything then. What he did with the girls."

At Cal's suggestive voice, Chloe and Chelsea's faces turned red.

"Shall I tell you what he did?"

"N-no, I'm not curious about that…"

"What Leo did with them was…"

As Cal lowered his voice, Chelsea, who had been bristling, fell silent.

Chloe swallowed dryly and focused on Cal's lips with trembling eyes.

As silence fell in the room, Cal whispered.

"He studied magic diligently."

"…Is that all?"

"That's all."

Seeing Chloe and Chelsea with flushed faces, concentrating on his words, Cal burst into laughter.

"What were you guys thinking! Hahahaha! Cough!"

Chelsea delivered a dropkick to Cal's abdomen.

Cal, who was pitifully rolling on the floor, struggled to get up and was knocked down again by a body blow from Chloe.

"You're hitting me again where you already hit… Wait! S-stop! I broke a bone! I broke a bone!"

Cal screamed, but Chelsea and Chloe, holding a grudge for being teased, didn't stop stomping on him.

Watching them, Celia crossed her arms and looked at them with a pathetic expression.

"I don't know why he's so childish."

Seeing their seniors like that, the first-years thought.

'The second-years are no different from us.'

***

After discussing the mission practice, they moved to have individual time with their mentors and mentees.

Chelsea, not having a mentee, followed Leo.

The three of them arrived at a training ground for the second-year Knight Department, found their own spots, and sat down.

"By the way, what happened with your magic?" Chelsea asked, puzzled.

Previously, Chloe had heard through Leo that Luke had also begun studying magic.

Ren's personal teaching of magic to Luke is famous even among the second-year magic students.

Chelsea had also gone to ask questions and had seen Luke repeatedly receiving basic magic lessons from Ren.

In response to Chelsea's question, Luke scratched his head and said.

"I can use simple spells now."

"Show me sometime."

Chelsea asked playfully, and Luke conjured a simple magic missile.

Seeing that, Chelsea said.

"You don't have talent as a mage, do you?"

"Hahaha."

Luke laughed awkwardly.

It wasn't just because Luke's magic power was insufficient that she gave this evaluation.

Chelsea knew that Luke's power was semi-forcibly sealed by Leo's magic.

However, the reason Chelsea evaluated him as lacking talent was due to the magic array Luke had created.

'Ordinary.'

He had just followed what was in the book.

In an era where magic was so advanced, low-level spells like magic missiles could be easily cast by anyone who could wield magic power.

"Do you have any spells that show your unique characteristics?"

In response to Chelsea's question, Luke stammered.

"Well, I tried creating a unique magic."

"Unique magic? You?" Leo chuckled, intrigued.

"Show me."

"I can't use it well yet."

"It doesn't matter, so try using it."

At Leo's words, Luke used magic.

Seeing that, Chelsea exclaimed in admiration, and Leo stroked his chin.

"This seems useful!"

"I agree with Big Brother Leo."

***

"What are you looking at, Aina?"

Martina, who was sparring with Aina, stopped moving and looked at Aina with a slightly bewildered expression.

Martina, who had been a trainee of the Jardingger family and was chosen by Leo to become a student of Lumern, was a girl with exceptional talent in swordsmanship.

However, compared to Aina before her, she couldn't help but feel like a firefly in front of a full moon.

The Sword Saint's granddaughter.

She was a girl with talent incomparable to her own.

It was as if she was loved by swords.

In terms of skill alone, Harvey, the runner-up in the Knight Department, was also impressive, but…

Having met numerous knights from a young age, Martina felt that in terms of pure swordsmanship technique alone, Aina had already far surpassed the level of a first-year student.

That's why there was one thing Martina couldn't understand.

"Are you worried about Luke?" Martina asked. Aina glanced at Martina.

It was probably only Martina who knew that Aina was paying attention to Luke, a failing student in the same department.

Since they often met for personal matters as fellow mentees of Celia, she naturally became aware of Aina occasionally looking at Luke.

"Martina."

"Yes."

"If you compare my skill with Luke's, what do you think?"

"Isn't it impossible to compare?"

Aina, the class representative, and Luke, the last place in the grade, having left the Knight Department.

It didn't make sense to compare them on the same level.

At Martina's words, Aina's eyes grew dim.

"Then why did Senior Leo choose Luke as his mentee instead of me?"

"That's a rather disrespectful question to Miss Celia," Martina said, scratching her cheek awkwardly. Aina replied.

"I have no complaints about Senior Celia's guidance. No, it's actually very helpful to me. I'm always grateful to Senior Celia."

Celia was also a girl called a genius with the sword.

Genius understands genius.

Celia generously shared her experiences with Aina, and Aina was able to grow faster than she had imagined with that experience.

"What I'm curious about is why Senior Leo acknowledged Luke but not me."

The Sword Saint left his legacy to his beloved great-granddaughter.

However, he set a condition for fully inheriting the legacy: receiving the acknowledgment of 'Leo Flov'.

At Aina's words, Martina crossed her arms.

"Hmm, I don't think the Young Master particularly acknowledged Luke."

Martina tilted her head and said.

"Perhaps he saw Luke's potential?"

"Potential?"

"Yes, it was the same when he took us into the Young Master's knight order. He accepted trainees whom he judged to have potential according to his standards."

"…Does that mean I have no potential?"

As Aina's eyes dimmed, Martina waved her hand.

"No, rather… it's because you can move forward without the Young Master's guidance."

Martina smiled.

"I think he thought you would progress well even without Senior Leo leading you."

"…"

"Let's finish sparring. We'll get scolded if Miss Celia catches us chatting like this."

At Martina's words, Aina nodded.

Then she gripped her sword tightly.

'In this mission practice… I will somehow earn Senior Leo's acknowledgment.'