Book 1 Chapter 409

409.

Clang-!

A sharp sound rang out as sword and sword crossed.

Whoosh-!

Celia rotated her body, deflecting Martina's sword that was pressuring her.

The moment Martina lost her balance.

Whoosh-!

Aina leapt behind Martina.

Aina's thrust aimed at Celia.

A thrust like a flash of lightning.

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

Then she snatched Aina's wrist and threw her away.

Aina, suspended in the air, looked down at Celia with an expressionless face.

Meanwhile, Celia pointed her sword tip at Martina.

"Mock battle ended."

Celia retrieved her sword and said indifferently.

Swish-!

Celia gracefully swung her sword a few times in the air, then slid it into its scabbard with a 'thwack' and said,

"You asked for a mock battle, so I did it."

Celia narrowed her eyes and looked at Aina.

"But why did you ask for a mock battle in the first place? For someone who asked, your teamwork wasn't very good, was it?"

Aina looked at Celia and opened her mouth.

"I haven't been subdued yet."

"The moment Martina was subdued, the mock battle ended. There's no reason to continue."

Celia ran a hand through her hair and said.

"Aina, you know you can't beat me by yourself, don't you?"

What the three of them were doing now was a pure swordsmanship spar without using aura.

Aina, the great-granddaughter of a Sword Saint, was called a sword genius from a young age, but Celia, a direct descendant of the Zerdinger family, was also called a sword genius.

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

Therefore, Aina could not defeat Celia in a pure swordsmanship spar.

But Aina showed no sign of backing down.

Celia looked at Aina and said.

"In the first place, you should have saved Martina just now, instead of attacking me."

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

"What's the reason?"

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

'Leo again.'

Celia sighed.

She already knew about Aina's strangely strong obsession with Leo.

That obsession became blatant whenever Aina overexerted herself.

"I won't ask why you're obsessed with gaining Leo's recognition. That's your personal matter."

"…"

"But if you keep doing things that way, you'll never get Leo's recognition."

"What… do you mean?"

"Just like a moment ago."

Celia looked at Martina, who was looking a little worried from behind.

"When Martina was subdued, you should have saved Martina, not attacked me. You learned that in class, didn't you?"

"…"

Aina clenched her fists tightly.

"In the first place, if Leo's standard was 'strength', you would have already been recognized."

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

'From Harvey, in the Knight Department, to Juen, in the Magic Department, and even Lady Shasha, in the Summoning Department. She firmly holds the 1st place, leaving all formidable competitors behind.'

Yet, Leo had not acknowledged Aina.

'Besides, Leo has consistently acknowledged Kyle since his first year.'

It wasn't just because they were friends.

Leo genuinely thought Kyle was amazing and considered him a colleague who would walk the same path, even more than just his closest friend.

At first, Celia didn't understand that fact, but she had recently begun to feel it too.

From the midterm exams to the recent Elehem incident.

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

"I once asked Leo why he didn't make you his mentee."

"…It's because I failed to land an attack on Senior Leo back then. Luke Elda succeeded."

"Luke is no match for you, then or now. So why did that result happen?"

"That's…"

Aina's voice trailed off.

She still didn't understand what happened back then.

"Did you even properly see Leo back then?"

Aina's eyes widened.

"What kind of person is my cousin, Leo Plov?"

Aina's eyes wavered.

"That's…"

"Are you even looking properly at who I am?"

Aina fell silent at Celia's words.

"How do you expect to get Leo's recognition when you can't even see your surroundings properly?"

Aina bowed her head at Celia's cold words.

Celia took a deep breath, looking at Aina.

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

"…"

Aina gave no answer.

She just stared at the ground silently.

Celia scratched her head exasperatedly, looking at Aina.

Celia had done her best for Aina.

Aina, too, had done her best to follow Celia's guidance.

But Aina had never once properly seen Celia.

She was only obsessed with Leo's recognition.

Even for Celia, who had a good personality and broad-mindedness, there was a limit.

"I don't know anymore. You don't need me, do you? I understand. You'll get stronger even without me. You'll likely continue at Lumerne in the second semester and advance to the next year."

"Ce-Celia-sama?"

Martina looked flustered, watching Celia leave.

Thump- Thump-

Celia, who was calmly walking away, stopped.

And turned back.

"But you might not be able to maintain your position as class representative anymore."

"…"

Aina raised her head and looked at Celia.

"Leo just announced, in front of other students, that Luke Elda's goal is an undefeated record."

"Undefeated record?"

Aina's face hardened.

"Yeah. My cousin, as I know him, isn't someone who makes empty boasts, so… that must mean Luke Elda has surpassed you, right?"

Celia smiled sweetly.

"I wish you good luck, Aina."

With those words, Celia really left.

"Aina! Next time you see the young lady, apologize, okay? I'll try to persuade her!"

Martina told Aina, then hastily chased after Celia.

Aina, left alone, stared at the ground.

Luke Elda, a first-year failing student and the weakest.

Luke Elda's goal is an undefeated record?

Aina's mind flashed back to Luke's final appearance during the Elehem incident.

'I will never lose.'

Aina gritted her teeth.

"Ce-Celia-sama. Are you really going to quit being Aina's mentor?"

"What's there to quit or not quit? The mentor-mentee relationship ends anyway when the first semester is over."

Celia said indifferently to Martina, who asked urgently.

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

Celia sighed at the question.

"As long as she's a Lumerne student, she's my junior. It also doesn't change that I mentored her. 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 those things? Do you want Aina to lose?"

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

"Because she was chosen by Young Master Leo?"

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

Martina looked bewildered at that.

It was Harvey, Juen, and Shasha who were constantly eyeing Aina's class representative position.

Other first-years, even if they didn't show it, were thought to be very conscious of them.

But Celia strangely said that Aina considered Luke her rival.

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

Celia shook her head.

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

"I was similar to Aina until last year."

"Similar to Aina?"

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

"…A maid? Celia-sama?"

Martina looked dumbfounded.

"Don't spread rumors about it."

She squinted her eyes and looked at Martina.

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

"After that, Leo quickly learned aura. And he proved himself to be an all-class talent. Honestly, until the beginning of the semester, I still considered Leo, who had just entered aura, a step below me and didn't consider him a rival. I deliberately ignored him."

The other students were also the same.

"And then I was overtaken in an instant."

Celia's eyes darkened.

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

"I see."

Martina, who had only ever seen Celia's confident demeanor, could never have imagined she had such worries.

"I don't know if Luke will really beat Aina. But if she loses to Luke, Aina's heart might break. Especially because 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 becomes conscious of Luke Elda and properly sees what path he walked. Even if she falls, she'll be able to get up and run again. This seems like the last help I can give as her mentor."

"Young lady."

Martina looked touched.

But then she immediately looked puzzled.

"But can Luke really beat Aina?"

"Well, I don't know. But it won't be impossible."

"Why?"

"…It's hard for me to say it myself, but… my cousin is a bit… what should I call him?"

Celia, who had been contemplating various things, said.

"He's a madman."

"…"

"Without being crazy, you can't torment people so creatively under the guise of training."

Celia shuddered.

She was one of the people who had suffered the most from Leo.

"…Indeed, Young Master Leo's motto is terrifying."

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

Martina trembled, recalling Leo's expression as he said those words as if it were obvious.

"He planned a special training schedule for this summer vacation."

"No, it's horrible."

The two girls suffered mental anguish, recalling the utterly wicked Leo.

***

Waaaaaaah-!

Tournament Round 1.

The sound of students fighting fiercely could be heard from the sparring arena installed in the central parade ground of Lumerne.

Amidst this, Leo stood in the waiting room for the next match.

"Can I really do it?"

"That, you can'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 you? Believe in what you've done until now."

Luke nodded at Leo's words.

"Oh, and those sealing devices, you can release them now."

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

Then he smiled.

"Yes, but I'll still do my best in this state."

Leo let out a small laugh at that.

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

The match ended, and the next turn came.

"Well then, I'll go."

"Luke."

"Yes?"

He called Luke, who was leaving the waiting room.

Leo looked at Luke, who turned back with a puzzled face, and said.

"Go and announce it. Who you are."

"Yes!"