Book 1 Chapter 517

517.

The lounge of Noble Dormitory.

Eliza, sitting in her usual luxurious private chair, was crossing her legs and tidying the tips of her nails.

Around her, the students of her Noble's Summoning Department were furtively looking at her.

"E-Eliza. You haven't gone out anywhere recently?"

A female student from the Summoning Department carefully spoke to her.

Eliza blew on her nails with a "whoosh-" and checked her trimmed nails.

Seeing Eliza's reaction, the students of the Summoning Department made frustrated expressions.

Eliza was the de facto leader of the second-year Summoning Department.

Of course, that didn't mean Eliza was the top honors student in the Summoning Department.

If judged solely by grades, she was indeed an honors student who competed for 1st and 2nd place with Wareden, but she often skipped classes.

Her class participation rate was low, and she even slept a lot.

She even frequently sent students who followed her on personal errands.

Excluding her grades, she was undoubtedly a delinquent student.

Still, the reason she was the leader of the second-year Summoning Department was because Wareden had a very strong individualistic tendency.

Even if Eliza was insincere, she reliably led the students of the Summoning Department as a leader.

The professors of the Summoning Department also acknowledged Eliza because of her excellent grades and such tendencies.

And for the past week.

Eliza had been staying in the dormitory and doing nothing.

She wasn't participating in classes, nor in the reconstruction work of Lumeria City.

Her expression was always bored, but for the past few days, all expression had vanished from her face.

Because of this, the students of the Summoning Department who followed her felt like they were suffocating to death.

'Why is she acting like this?'

'W-Well, I don't know? Did something happen?'

It was when the students of the Summoning Department were exchanging glances.

"It's annoying."

Eliza, who had been uninterested in her surroundings for days, suddenly opened her mouth.

"What?"

"Everyone, disappear."

"What do you…"

"It's annoying, so disappear from my sight."

Seeing Eliza speak nervously and irritably, the students of the Summoning Department flinched and then scattered.

Though she had a tyrannical streak, Eliza's nervous demeanor, despite usually being generous to those who followed her, was something even her faction students were seeing for the first time since their enrollment.

Eliza, left alone in the lounge, remained silent, then ground her teeth and stood up from her seat.

'Pathetic.'

The reason she was holed up in her dormitory room was because of something that happened a week ago.

At a gathering of second-year tops, Eliza felt it.

'Only I haven't grown.'

Feeling frustrated, Eliza entered her dormitory room.

Creak- Click-

Then she closed the door and flopped onto the bed, as if falling forward.

'Until the summer vacation started, I never thought I was falling behind anyone in the second year.'

Eliza paused at that thought, then let out a self-deprecating smile.

'No, there's one person.'

There was one person she had considered an exception at some point.

'Leo Flobe.'

Leo was the first wall Eliza had ever felt in her life.

Therefore, she was always conscious of him.

'Others might not know, but at least I'm not.'

Eliza wore a listless expression.

For Eliza, Leo was a 'benchmark'.

'As a summoner, and as a hero. The human named Leo Flobe is perfect.'

Beyond that, there were no special feelings.

She could never tolerate someone being above her, but she had no choice but to acknowledge Leo.

'But then…'

Eliza's face horribly contorted.

When the Lich King attacked Lumerun.

She had seen the backs of her classmates, whom she had considered her equals.

Before entering Lumerun.

Eliza firmly believed she was the best.

In fact, her talent was not inferior to be called the best of an era.

Now, she knew well that she couldn't be the best due to the unfathomable monster named Leo Flobe.

Even so, she was confident that at least among her classmates, she wasn't falling behind.

That confidence of hers was shattered.

'Limit?'

Eliza bit her lip tightly and looked down at her palms.

Even if she tried not to be conscious of it, she couldn't help but be conscious.

She had seen countless students who, after being arrogant their whole lives believing they were the best, then fell behind at Lumerun.

At that time, she used to mock them, but not now.

What if she was the only one sitting still while everyone else was running?

What if she ended up falling behind, just like those she had mocked?

In the competitive system of Lumerun, Eliza felt fear for the first time.

'It's my problem, but I'm just getting irritable with those around me. I'm no good either.'

As Eliza smiled bitterly and buried her face in her pillow.

Shhhk-!

She heard something slide under the dormitory door.

She lifted her upper body slightly and turned her head to see a letter.

'Annoying at a time like this.'

Eliza crumpled her face.

Eliza was one of the worst-tempered in the second year, contending with Duran for the top spot, but she was still an incredibly beautiful girl.

She had many haughty admirers.

On top of that, she held the position of heir to the Helgin family, the most prestigious summoning family in the northern continent.

She had received hundreds of love letters.

Of course, Eliza had never once read those love letters.

She burned every letter she received.

'Hmph. If you like me so much, confess proudly.'

She had no interest in confessions made by those who didn't even have the courage to meet her face-to-face and confess.

Of course, even if someone proudly confessed to her face, she had no intention of accepting.

There was no way a person she had no interest in would ever catch her eye.

Eliza approached the door and was about to tear the letter envelope.

Then she suddenly paused, checking the name written on the envelope.

'Carl Thomas?'

Eliza's eyes twitched.

'Why did this guy write me a letter?'

She snorted, but curiosity also sparked.

Normally, she would have torn it without mercy, but Eliza unknowingly opened the envelope and checked its contents.

'I have something to tell you. I'll be waiting in the dormitory training ground tonight at midnight. Carl Thomas.'

"How presumptuous?"

Eliza made an exasperated expression at the utterly simple content.

"Funny? Who does he think he is, telling me to come and go? He needs to know his place."

Eliza gave her characteristic sneer and neatly folded the letter back into the envelope.

Click-clack- Click-clack-

Whoosh- Eliza tossed the letter onto her desk and was about to lie down on her bed when she stopped in front of the full-length mirror at one side of the room.

Glancing- Eliza checked her reflection in the mirror and adjusted her hairstyle.

For some reason, she felt her gloomy mood lighten a little.

Unconsciously, she hummed a small tune and sat down at her vanity.

And smiled sweetly.

'It might be fun to crush him ruthlessly.'

***

"…"

Eliza's face crumpled when she saw the person standing at the appointed place.

"I've been waiting, Eliza."

At Leo's words, Eliza crossed her arms.

"For the student council president himself to have been waiting for me. I don't know how to act. But wasn't it Carl Thomas who called me?"

"I'm here too!"

Carl, who appeared from behind Leo, gave a playful laugh, giving a thumbs-up.

"The person who has something to tell me wasn't Carl Thomas, but Leo Flobe. It was you, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"Haa. I should have just slept."

Eliza grumbled irritably.

Seeing Eliza, Leo said,

"It's an important matter."

Eliza paused at those words, then snorted.

"It must be an important enough matter to call me out at this late hour."

Of course, Eliza knew well that Leo wasn't someone who would speak nonsense, so she understood that it was truly an important matter.

It was just that, given Eliza's personality, she had to say something to feel satisfied.

Seeing Eliza, Leo nodded.

Carl looked at Eliza and said,

"By the way, Eliza. You look especially pretty today?"

"I'm the same as usual."

Eliza answered indifferently.

But unlike usual, her tone was slightly softer.

"Perfect full makeup at this hour… I get it! After this, you plan to meet a guy or something…?"

Whirr-! Clack-!

"Cough? Kekekekekekek!"

"Do I look like a promiscuous woman who meets men in the early morning?"

"Y-You're popular, so you might go on a date since you're out…"

"I don't do such things."

Choke-!

"Cough cough cough!"

Eliza, who always carried a whip, wrapped it around Carl's neck, pulled him closer, and choked him violently, having a fit.

Seeing that, Leo said indifferently,

"You two still get along well."

"Who said we get along well?"

Eliza snapped back, pushing Carl aside, and said,

"So? What's this important matter?"

"I heard from Carl. He said you're quite anxious."

"So what? Are you going to mock me for treading water alone?"

Eliza reacted sharply.

From the start, Eliza viewed Leo as a rival to catch up to.

As such, she was in a position where she couldn't simply accept Leo's concern or help as it was.

Leo chuckled, looking at the 'competitiveness' in Eliza's eyes.

"Yes, feel free to mock me. Leo Flobe."

"That's not what I mean."

Leo shook his head.

"Sometimes I forget that you guys are still kids."

"…You're saying something very strange. I know you have an old-soul side, but I'm older than you, for starters."

Eliza let out an incredulous chuckle at the sudden remark.

Seeing Eliza, Leo said,

"You're not particularly lacking compared to other kids. It's just that your environment is a little different."

"…"

"Chloe and Abard stimulate each other, consciously or unconsciously. They have similar aspects and often debate. They are definitely good rivals."

"There's Chelsea too, you know. Well, in Chelsea's case, the 'I can't lose to Celia' grinding of teeth is strong."

Carl, having escaped Eliza's whip, said with his hands clasped behind his head,

"Celia and Duran. And in Chen Xia's case, they also see each other as rivals."

Leo, giving examples from the Department of Magic and the Department of Knights, said,

"But you don't have a rival."

Wareden existed, but Wareden wasn't particularly competitive.

He was just the type to pursue 'strength' and steadfastly push forward.

Even when Eliza provoked him several times early in their first year, he consistently ignored her.

"For me to consider someone a rival… You know what I mean, right?"

"Hmph!"

Eliza ground her teeth.

Seeing Eliza, Leo said,

"Crucially, summoners also grow slowly."

"Are you advising me not to be impatient because time will solve it? That's truly grateful advice."

Eliza scoffed.

Seeing Eliza, Leo plopped down on a nearby bench and said,

"Well, you'll overcome the wall quickly enough. But while overcoming the wall is good, wouldn't it be a good time to learn how to forcibly break through it?"

"What do you mean by that?"

Leo curled the corners of his mouth.

"How long are you going to make me wait?"

At those words, Eliza's face immediately hardened.

She clenched her fists and ground her teeth.

The gaze looking down at her from a dizzyingly high place.

It was Leo's look that he had shown before.

'I really dislike that attitude, as if he's waiting!'

Sparks flew in Eliza's eyes.

Seeing Eliza, Leo said,

"Carl is also very worried about you."

"Carl Thomas?"

Eliza glanced at Carl.

Carl shrugged his shoulders.

Eliza watched Carl for a moment, then took a deep breath.

"So? How can you help me?"

"Are you prepared to do whatever I tell you?"

"If you don't ask for anything strange."

"Then."

"Are you prepared to die?"