Book 1 Chapter 409

409.

Clang-!

The swords crossed, emitting a sharp sound.

Whiz-!

Celia spun, deflecting Martina's sword that was pressing her.

The moment Martina lost her balance.

Fwoosh-!

Aina leaped behind Martina.

Aina's thrust aimed at Celia.

A thrust like a flash.

But Celia, as if she had expected it, easily dodged the attack.

Then, she grabbed Aina's wrist and threw her.

Aina, floating in the air, looked down at Celia with a blank expression.

Meanwhile, Celia pointed the tip of her sword at Martina.

"Sparring match concluded."

Celia said indifferently as she sheathed her sword.

Whirr-!

After stylishly swinging her sword a few times in the air, Celia put her sword into its scabbard with a *tak* and said,

"I did it because you asked for a sparring match first."

Celia narrowed her eyes and looked at Aina.

"But why did you ask for a sparring match in the first place? You didn't work well together for someone who suggested it first?"

Aina looked at Celia and said,

"I haven't been subdued yet."

"The sparring match ended the moment Martina was subdued. There's no reason to continue."

Celia said, brushing her hair back.

"Aina, you know you can't beat me alone, right?"

What the three were doing was a pure sword fighting practice without using aura.

Although Aina, as the great-granddaughter of the Sword Saint, had been called a sword prodigy since childhood, Celia was also called a sword prodigy as a direct descendant of Schrödinger.

The difference between a first-year and a second-year student is like the difference between heaven and earth.

Therefore, even in a pure sword fight, Aina could not win against Celia.

But Aina showed no sign of backing down.

Seeing Aina like that, Celia said,

"You should have saved Martina instead of attacking me earlier."

"I wanted to spar with you, Senior Celia, one-on-one."

"Why?"

"To quickly improve my skills and gain Senior Leo's recognition."

'Leo again.'

Celia sighed.

She already knew about Aina's strange obsession with Leo.

That obsession became blatant whenever Aina pushed herself too hard.

"I won't ask why you're so obsessed with getting Leo's recognition. It's your personal matter."

"……"

"But if you keep going like this, you'll never get Leo's recognition."

"What… do you mean by that?"

"Like just a moment ago."

Celia looked at Martina, who was showing a worried expression from behind.

"When Martina was subdued, you should have saved her instead of attacking me. Didn't you learn that in class?"

"……"

Aina clenched her fists tightly.

"If Leo's standard is 'strength' in the first place, you would have already received his recognition."

Aina had never lost her position as the top student in the first year.

'She has outdone formidable rivals like Haviden from the Knights Department, Juene from the Magic Department, and Sasha from the Summoning Department, steadfastly holding the first-place position.'

Yet, Leo did not recognize Aina.

'Moreover, Leo has consistently recognized swordsmanship since his first year.'

It wasn't just because they were friends.

Leo genuinely thought highly of swordsmanship and considered him a comrade who would walk the same path, rather than just his closest friend.

At first, Celia didn't understand that fact, but recently, she had been feeling it too.

From the midterms to the recent Elehem incident.

Leo's abilities as a supporter and as a commander who read the flow of battle were astonishing.

"I asked Leo why he didn't take you as a mentee."

"……It's because I couldn't successfully attack Senior Leo then. Luke Elda succeeded."

"Then and now, Luke is no match for you. So why did that happen?"

"That's……"

Aina trailed off.

She still didn't understand what happened back then.

"Did you even properly look at Leo then?"

Aina's eyes widened.

"My cousin, Leo Flov, what kind of person is he?"

Aina's eyes wavered.

"That's……"

"Are you truly looking at who I am?"

Aina fell silent at Celia's words.

"If you can't even see your surroundings properly, how do you expect to get Leo's recognition?"

Aina bowed her head at Celia's cold words.

Seeing Aina like that, Celia took a deep breath.

"What future do you desire? What kind of hero do you want to become?"

"……"

Aina had no answer.

She just stared at the ground in silence.

Seeing Aina like that, Celia nervously scratched her head.

Celia had done her best for Aina.

Aina had also followed Celia's guidance to the best of her ability.

However, Aina had never truly looked at Celia.

She was only obsessed with Leo's recognition.

Even for the kind and generous Celia, there was a limit.

"I don't know anymore. You don't need me anymore, right? I understand. You'll become strong even without me. You'll probably continue attending Lumene for the second semester and advance to the next year."

"S-Senior Celia?"

Martina looked flustered as she watched Celia leave.

Thump- thump-

Celia, who was leaving coldly, stopped walking.

And she looked back.

"However, you might not be able to maintain your position as the class representative anymore."

"……?"

Aina raised her head and looked at Celia.

"Leo just declared in front of other students that Luke Elda's goal is to achieve victory."

"Victory?"

Aina's face stiffened.

"Yes. The cousin I know is not one to make empty boasts, so… it probably means Luke Elda has surpassed you?"

Celia smiled faintly.

"I wish you luck, Aina."

With those words, Celia truly left.

"Aina! Make sure to apologize to her next time you see her, okay? I'll try to persuade her!"

Martina said to Aina and hurriedly chased after Celia.

Aina, left alone, looked at the ground.

Luke Elda, the failing student and the weakest of the first-years.

And Luke Elda's goal is victory?

The image of Luke's final moments during the Elehem incident flashed in Aina's mind.

'Never lose.'

Aina gritted her teeth.

"S-Senior Celia, are you really thinking of quitting as Aina's mentor?"

"It's not a matter of quitting. The mentor-mentee relationship ends at the end of the first semester anyway."

Celia said indifferently to Martina, who asked urgently.

"…Are you no longer going to think of Aina as your junior?"

At that question, Celia sighed.

"As long as she's a student of Lumene. She's my junior. And the fact that I guided her doesn't change. She worked hard, and I'm satisfied with that. I'm also grateful to Aina for doing her best even though it must have been difficult."

"Then why did you say that? Do you want Aina to lose?"

"…I don't know. But it's clear that Aina is conscious of Luke."

"Because Leo chose her as a mentee?"

"That's part of it. But more than that, she seemed to have a strange sense of rivalry."

At those words, Martina wore a look of bewilderment.

The ones who were constantly eyeing Aina's class representative position were Haviden, Juene, and Sasha.

It was thought that other first-year students, even if they didn't show it, were very concerned about Aina.

But Celia unexpectedly said that Aina considered Luke a rival.

"She doesn't seem to realize it herself, but even if she did, she wouldn't admit it."

Celia shook her head.

"How do you know Aina's feelings so well?"

"I was similar to Aina until last year."

"Similar to Aina?"

"When I first met him, Leo couldn't even use aura. I made a bet with him, lost, and even suffered the humiliation of being his maid for a week."

"…A maid? You, Senior Celia?"

Martina looked taken aback.

"Don't spread rumors about this."

She looked at Martina with half-closed eyes.

It was a fact known only to a very few in the Schrödinger family who were present at the time.

"After that, Leo quickly learned to use aura. And he proved himself to be an All-Class. Frankly, until the beginning of the semester, I thought of Leo, who had just started using aura, as a step below me and didn't consider him a rival. I tried to ignore it."

It was the same for other students.

"And I was quickly surpassed."

Celia's eyes darkened.

"It felt like my heart would break. Before I knew it, Leo was so far ahead that it was hard to catch up. It's still like that."

"I see."

Martina, who had only ever seen Celia's confident demeanor, couldn't imagine she had such worries.

"I don't know if Luke will truly beat Aina or not. But if she loses to Luke, Aina's heart might break. Especially since she can't see her surroundings properly. That's why I wanted her to be conscious of Luke."

Celia said, looking back at Aina, who was no longer visible.

"At least if she's conscious of Luke Elda and sees the path he has walked. Even if she falls, she'll be able to get up and run again. This seems to be the last help I can offer as a mentor."

"Senior Celia."

Martina looked touched.

But then she wore a puzzled expression.

"But can Luke really beat Aina?"

"Well, I don't know. But it's not impossible."

"Why?"

"…It's hard for me to say, but… my cousin is a bit… how should I put it?"

After pondering various things, Celia said,

"He's a lunatic."

"……"

"If he weren't crazy, he wouldn't torment people so creatively under the guise of training."

Celia shuddered.

She was one of the people who had been most tormented by Leo.

"…Indeed, young master Leo's motto is terrifying."

'Can't do it? Don't you know the saying 'If you can't do it, make it happen'?'

Martina shivered, recalling Leo's words with a perfectly natural expression.

"He's scheduled a special training session for this summer vacation."

"I don't want to, it's terrible."

The two girls suffered mental anguish recalling the wicked Leo.

***

Waaah-!

First round of the tournament.

The sounds of students fighting fiercely echoed from the training ground set up in the central grand parade ground of Lumene.

Meanwhile, Leo stood in the waiting room for the next match.

"Can I really do it?"

"Well, I don't know."

Leo said indifferently, looking at Luke, who asked with a slightly anxious voice.

"But if you don't believe in yourself, who will? Believe in what you've done up to now."

At Leo's words, Luke nodded.

"Ah, and you can release those sealing charms now."

At Leo's words, Luke looked at the sealing charms attached to his wrists and ankles.

Then he smiled.

"Yes, but I'll still give it my all in this state."

Leo chuckled at those words.

The situation in the arena was visible through magic installed in the waiting room.

After the match ended, the next turn arrived.

"Well, I'm off."

"Luke."

"Yes?"

Leo called out to Luke as he was leaving the waiting room.

Looking back with a puzzled expression, Leo said,

"Go and let them know. Who you are."

"Yes!"