Book 1 Chapter 717
717.
Curfew only applied outside the dormitory.
Therefore, inside the dormitory, it was up to individual freedom whether to stay up all night or not.
And using the dormitory's internal facilities was also free.
Thanks to that, using the library until late at night was also free.
And in the early hours of the morning.
Magic department students were studying in the library.
Rustle- rustle-
The sound of writing with quill pens echoed all around.
The midterms were starting soon.
Although the departmental war was important, personal grades were more important.
Students with strong academic drive would voluntarily go to the library to study even before the official midterm season.
Especially since it was their first midterm, the number of first-years was overwhelmingly high.
While thoroughly reviewing and preparing, the second-year valedictorian.
Betty glanced to her side.
There, the second-year top student, Juwen, was spaced out.
‘She's been like this since yesterday.’
The cause was likely the scandal between Cal and Eliza.
People everywhere loved rumors.
Among them, their favorite genre was romance.
And not just anyone, but Cal, who was the weakest among the third-years but ultimately rose to the position of hero, a commoner.
And Eliza, the heir of a prestigious family, renowned as the most skilled since her admission.
The rumor of their romance was, as such, receiving exceptional attention.
Everywhere they went, people were buzzing with talk about the two of them.
‘Juwen definitely had feelings for Senior Cal too, I guess.’
She had been Cal's mentee since her first year.
Betty knew that Cal and Juwen's relationship was quite deep.
It was when Betty sighed.
“Kyaaaaaaaak?!”
“Kyaaaak!”
Suddenly, screams echoed from a private room in the library.
All the studying students were startled and looked up.
CRASH-!
The private room door burst open, and a fourth-year male student and a fourth-year female student rushed out.
Click- click-
“This is absurd.”
Just then, a relaxed voice was heard.
“Making noise in the library.”
Elena, twirling the ends of her beautiful golden hair, stood before the two.
Annoyed by the interruption to her reading, Elena continued,
“Have I been too lenient lately?”
Her pink eyes curved gently.
Although she had become more subdued recently due to Leo, Elena was one of the most notorious figures in Lumen history.
At Elena's words, the two fourth-year students turned pale.
However, they weren't scared of Elena.
Elena, noticing this, tilted her head.
‘Am I really not that scary lately?’
As she pondered this.
“E, E-Elena Senior!”
“In the private room! There’s a ghost!”
The two, in a panic, pointed at the private room they had fled from and babbled incoherently.
“A ghost? It's probably just a fairy's prank, released by the student council president.”
Elena's lips curled as she looked at the private room.
“You youngsters! Huh? Back in the day, 2000 years ago, this would have been unimaginable! In the sacred library! You're all lovey-dovey! Like stray cats! This is a place for studying, not for fooling around with romance?!”
Just then, an angry female voice echoed from inside the private room.
Elena narrowed her brow.
Every time the shout was heard, the magic stone lights in the library flickered.
FLASH-!
At that moment.
Not only the magic stone lights, but also all the candles went out.
The only light was the soft moonlight streaming through the window.
WHOOSH-!
A cold wind blew, casting a chilling atmosphere over the entire library.
“W-what?”
“W-well?”
The students shivered slightly at the sudden situation.
THUMP-!
Juwen felt someone grab her shoulder.
She turned her head to see…
“You. Are you heartbroken? Yes. To get revenge on the man who hurt you, you need to do well. Forget about men and study…”
“Kyaaaaaaaak?!”
Betty, standing next to Juwen, screamed upon seeing a headless magician.
“Ughhhhh!”
“W-what is that!”
Other students also flinched.
A headless magician?!
As the students fell into a panic.
Elena waved her hand lightly.
FLASH-!
Then, a rope made of powerful magic was created and flew towards the headless magician, Ilessa.
SWISH-!
However, Ilessa dodged Elena's magic.
Seeing this, Elena's lips curled.
“This is interesting.”
GROOOOOOAR-!
Powerful magic erupted from Elena's body.
She had gauged the opponent's skill in just one exchange.
‘A practitioner close to a hero.’
A high-ranking magician, almost a grand mage.
As the magic emanating from Elena’s body turned the faces of the other students pale.
“It's you! The head of the Magic Department dormitory that the student council president mentioned!”
Ilessa flew towards Elena.
When Leo's name was mentioned by the other party, Elena paused.
“Who are you?”
Despite the raw, bitten-off neck clearly visible from the magical attack, Elena asked without batting an eye.
“I am Ilessa Rhiang!”
At those words, Elena tilted her head.
“I've heard that name. I think there was a former student council president with that name.”
“That’s right! That’s me! You’re smart!”
Ilessa was delighted to see Elena, who knew her name.
Seeing this, a junior from the Magic Department cautiously asked,
“When were you the student council president?”
“Around 2000 years ago?”
“……How do you remember that, Senior Elena?”
“As the student council president, how could I not remember?”
“……”
Seeing Elena answer as if it were nothing, all the students wore dumbfounded expressions.
They finally realized.
The woman before them was a genius and a troublemaker, one of the most notable in Lumen's history.
A history of 3000 years meant nearly 3000 student council presidents.
Yet, she remembered a former student council president just by hearing her name!
And someone from 2000 years ago!
As everyone looked at Elena with disgusted eyes.
“Why, as a senior from 2000 years ago, do you appear before us in such a state?”
“I am a summoned spirit by the current student council president. And I received a request from the current student council president.”
“A request?”
As Elena tilted her head, Ilessa pulled out a seal from her pocket.
“Huh?!”
“A deduction stamp?”
The students immediately recognized the stamp.
“I've been tasked with the role of disciplinary guidance for the Magic Department! I will deduct points from any naughty children who break school rules or engage in inappropriate relationships with the opposite sex!”
Everyone’s jaw dropped.
“In that sense!”
Ilessa stamped the foreheads of the two fourth-year students who had been holed up in the private room.
“J-just a moment!”
“Is dating also wrong?!”
As the students who received deductions protested, Ilessa said,
“Hmph. You should date like students! In the sacred library! Hmph! How scandalous! Hmph!”
“It was… just a kiss…”
“Hey!”
As the male student protested, the female student covered his mouth in a panic.
“Hmm? You’ve got it easy, haven't you?”
Seeing Elena smile chillingly, the two students froze.
Then, she gestured to the juniors with her chin.
“Drag them away and lock them in the basement room.”
At her words, the students grabbed the two and dragged them away.
While everyone was in a state of disarray due to the sudden turn of events.
Elena, having organized her thoughts, asked,
“Ilessa, you can't catch rule violations from students in other departments, can you?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“And any other roles?”
“I was told to help you with your studies!”
Ilessa was not only a former student council president but also a magician with extensive practical experience.
That practical experience included not only wars against people but also wars against Tartarus.
Although she didn't live long, the era she lived in was one of turmoil, so Leo judged that she had much to teach the students.
“Are there people like you in other departments as well?”
“Of course!”
Seeing Ilessa answer cheerfully, Elena nodded as if she understood.
“It seems the ghost commotion was caused by the senior spirits summoned by Leo.”
Elena, having grasped the situation, told her juniors,
“Be more mindful of school rules from now on. Don't get caught and receive a deduction stamp, especially.”
Elena’s eyes narrowed.
“Don't cross the line like those two from earlier. This is a school, not a hotel.”
Some students wore guilty expressions.
***
Tap- tap-
In the dark night.
Unaware of the commotion that had occurred in the dormitory.
Chloe visited the library again tonight.
And with a tense face, she opened the secret door and entered.
Yesterday, she had been chased away by an unknown entity.
‘Is the answer to this problem hidden in a secret I don't know?’
Perhaps winning wasn't the way to solve this problem.
Thinking so, Chloe cautiously entered the room.
The scene inside the room was the same.
A table and two chairs in the center of the empty space.
On the table, a chessboard.
And…
“Huh?”
A large pile of books was stacked in one corner of the room.
A dark silhouette was reading books there.
‘Chess books?’
A large stack of books.
‘Could she have been studying?’
As Chloe was taken aback.
The person noticed her presence, raised her head, closed the book, and with a decisive movement, sat down at the chessboard.
Chloe also sat down, her face tense.
Again, the player with white moved first.
Tap-
Chloe played chess silently.
‘…Her skill hasn't changed at all.’
Although she seemed to have studied chess books and devised various tactical changes, her practical application skills were close to zero.
Feeling as if she were playing chess with a child, Chloe made a strange expression.
Today too, Chloe crushed her opponent mercilessly.
Tap- tap-
‘Huh?’
She felt something familiar in the movement of the chess pieces.
‘…Leo?’
The way of playing chess felt similar to Leo's style.
Leo's chess skills were not insignificant.
Of course, her skills were incomparable to Leo's, but the movement of the pieces momentarily overlapped.
But that was all.
Soon, she made a series of elementary mistakes.
‘…If winning isn't the way to solve the problem.’
Chloe deliberately made mistakes and lost.
Tap-
“Ah, it’s checkmate. I lost.”
Chloe said with an awkward smile.
The opponent's shoulders trembled, and with a flick! She glared at Chloe.
Then, she grabbed Chloe and chased her out.
CRASH-!
“Ouch!”
Chloe, who had fallen on her rear again today, rubbed her backside and stared at the closed door with a bewildered expression.
“What in the world is this!”
The next day.
Leo was met with angry protests from seniors from each department.
“What is that summoned spirit?!”
“Why does she look so scary?!”
“I almost had a heart attack in my sleep!”
Leo, scratching his cheek as he looked at the seniors protesting, noticed someone passing by and grabbed their arm, pulling them towards him.
Elena, who was suddenly grabbed and pulled by Leo, opened her eyes wide.
“Please direct your complaints this way.”
At those words, the fourth and fifth-year students flinched.
Elena, wearing a dazed expression, smiled.
“If the president tells you to do it, you do it. What's there to complain about?”
“W-well.”
“It can happen!”
The seniors were easily subdued by Elena.
Leo stroked his chin.
“This is convenient.”
“I don't appreciate being treated like a tool for your convenience.”
Seeing Elena open her eyes languidly, Leo smiled.
“Isn't that the job of the vice president?”
“Be prepared if I become the MVP.”
“How terrifying.”
Leo said nonchalantly and took out a candy from his pocket.
“What is this?”
“Good job.”
“You’re really treating me like a child.”
Despite reacting with annoyance, Elena put the candy Leo gave her in her mouth and rolled it around.
“Leo.”
Just then, Chloe approached.
“Hello, Senior Elena.”
“Yes. Good morning.”
“I have something to discuss with Leo, are you finished talking?”
“Yes. It’s not much of a discussion. Leo was using me.”
At those words, Chloe, after greeting Elena, took Leo's hand and pulled him.
“Leo, look at me.”
Leo, with a puzzled expression, obediently followed Chloe.
After a while, they arrived at a deserted dead end, and Leo said,
“Can you let go of my hand?”
At those words, Chloe exclaimed, “Ah!” and let go.
“Ahem! Ahem!”
She then cleared her throat and said,
“I have something to ask you about the problems you’ve hidden around the dormitory.”
“Yes.”
“The chess problem in the library.”
“You found it already? I thought it would be difficult to find, you’re fast.”
Leo exclaimed in admiration and said with a smile,
“Even you would find it difficult to win against that.”
“Huh?”
“Professor Mel put a lot of effort into creating it.”
“Is winning all that’s required?”
“Yes.”
At Leo's answer, Chloe’s expression turned bewildered.
“Uh, I….”
“Suspicious!”
Just then, the summoned spirit from the Summoning Department, Redin, appeared by breaking through the wall.
And John appeared from the ceiling.
Ilessa burst through the floor and grabbed Chloe’s ankle.
“Gotcha!”
“A scene of inappropriate inter-dormitory relations!”
“Kyaaaaaaaak?!”
Chloe, terrified by the sudden appearance of the grotesque-looking spirits, kicked Ilessa, who was holding her ankle, punched John and Redin in the chest, and then hid behind Leo.
“W-who are these people?!”
“They are spirits I summoned.”
Leo replied, smiling.
“The performance is reliable.”