Book 1 Chapter 718
718.
The former student council presidents Leo summoned instantly became school celebrities.
It was understandable, as they would appear like ghosts whenever someone seemed to break school rules and hand out demerit points.
They reacted most intensely when boys and girls were in secluded spots, exuding a certain atmosphere.
“Unbelievable.”
Celia, with her arms crossed, wore a look of disbelief.
“How did you manage to summon such spirits? Even though she’s my cousin, she’s sometimes a total eccentric.”
“Don’t you think calling Master Leo merely an eccentric is a bit… insufficient?”
“Is that so? Then what should I call him?”
“Well, in common parlance, I don’t think there’s a fitting descriptor.”
Celia nodded in agreement with Chen Xia’s words.
It was true.
Leo always surpassed imagination.
Whether for better or worse.
Literally unpredictable.
“Still, they only look scary. They seemed like good people.”
“Hm? Why do you think so?”
“Senior Jon helped me with my training earlier.”
Chen Xia spoke frankly about her experience.
“It was very helpful. Perhaps because they were former student council presidents?”
Chen Xia’s practical experience, honed since childhood by burying traitors and their followers in the darkness, was undeniably top-tier among Lumern students.
However, Chen Xia’s experience was built entirely on combat against humans.
Tartarus were anomalous monsters beyond the realm of humans.
The fight between humans and the demons, magical beasts, and monsters of Tartarus was fundamentally different.
Chen Xia’s overwhelming practical experience was still applicable in battles against Tartarus, but training was necessary for that experience to be utilized to its full potential.
Jon, who lived through the Class Wars, had extensive combat experience on both sides.
The advice he gave based on that experience was of great help to Chen Xia.
“Not only me, but other students also received help from him. Even Duran’s group.”
“Duran?”
“Yes, Duran said Senior Jon’s advice wasn’t bad either.”
Considering Duran’s personality, that was high praise.
Hearing that her rivals, Chen Xia and Duran, had received great help from Jon, Celia’s expression showed interest.
Her competitive spirit flared, unwilling to fall behind Chen Xia and Duran, her rivals.
This wasn't an isolated phenomenon in the Knight Department.
Similar scenes unfolded in the Magic Department and the Summoning Department.
They weren't just policing rule violations.
As seniors who had long graduated, they generously offered advice and guidance, and their efforts in that regard were universally praised across all grades.
Leo nodded upon hearing the stories.
[Why are you maintaining their summons? It must consume a considerable amount of spiritual energy to keep them summoned.]
Elsie, sitting at the table in Leo’s room and eating a piece of cake as big as her body with a fork, looked puzzled.
“Since I summoned them anyway. And…”
[And?]
“I felt a little sorry for them after hearing their stories.”
The era they were born into was a time of war.
As such, they couldn’t properly enjoy their school days.
Of course, it wasn’t an era like the Age of Calamity where everything was lost.
Even so, it remained unchanged that they lived very tough lives.
“Well, they might complain about not being able to date. But perhaps they have lingering regrets about not being able to enjoy their school days.”
Even though the eras were different, Leo believed that living alongside the juniors would naturally allow them to shed those regrets. That was why he made contracts with them.
[So that’s the reason. I just thought Leo had made contracts with them simply to torment students.]
Elsie exclaimed in admiration, and Leo let out a snort.
“Do I seem like I have that twisted a personality?”
[A little?]
Elsie giggled.
Leo chuckled softly, watching Elsie.
“By the way, the Great Spirits are quite obedient?”
Besides Elsie and Laruel, the Great Spirits currently contracted with Leo included the Great Spirit of Fire, Istar, and the Great Spirit of Water, Undine.
As proud and strong-willed Great Spirits, they apparently lacked influence over their subordinate spirits. After their dominance over the lower spirits was taken by Elsie, they had become very compliant.
Furthermore, they had also learned about Leo’s true identity.
Their dissatisfaction with their contractor had vanished.
The problem was that the two spirits, who could be considered enemies, constantly frictioned with each other.
In addition, the current Great Spirit of Darkness, who was not yet contracted but whose contract with Leo was confirmed,
Ignit, the Spirit of the Abyss, continuously showed a twisted reaction next to Laruel, his archenemy.
To be honest, when the Great Spirits gathered, it was incomparably noisier than when Fiora, Kieran, and Atti were together.
Among the Great Spirits contracted with Leo, Elsie was undoubtedly the leader.
Although her lifespan was the shortest, she was born in the Age of Calamity 5,000 years ago, making her the oldest in practical terms.
Moreover, Elsie possessed special powers among the Great Spirits.
However, due to her gentle nature, she rarely took the lead, so Laruel, the second oldest, was effectively in charge of directing the Great Spirits.
That was why the management of them was entrusted to Laruel.
[Laruel’s violent tendencies have indeed increased lately.]
She was only compliant in front of Elsie.
Laruel was also a spirit whose disposition was greatly twisted.
She was clearly struggling to suppress her personality.
“She must be going through a lot. Please take good care of her.”
[Yes.]
Elsie nodded.
Just then.
*Knock knock-*
A knock was heard.
Late at night.
There was only one person who would come to Leo’s room at this hour.
Leo got up and opened the door.
It was Artian, who had come to help Leo with his spirit summoning training today.
“Good evening, student Leo.”
Artian, with a slight smile, entered the room.
“I saw the former student council presidents’ spirits this morning. I was surprised by your potential, student Leo, to be able to summon three spirits with a soul-calling technique.”
Having learned the true identity of the evil spirit, Artian reacted with great excitement.
The potential to summon three spirits with a soul-calling technique.
Artian couldn’t help but be thrilled by the emergence of a generational spirit summoner.
Moreover, the fact that the spirit summoner was a student he was teaching doubled his joy as an educator.
“Come on, student Leo! Let’s diligently practice spirit summoning again today!”
Seeing Artian clench his fists enthusiastically, Leo nodded.
***
The next day.
“Everyone up!”
Ilesa rang a bell in the Magic Department dormitory.
“As students of the Magic Department, I cannot tolerate laziness compared to other departments! Down with the Knight Department! Down with the Summoning Department!”
Watching Ilesa energetically shouting in the lounge, the relatively late-sleeping students shuffled out into the lounge.
“Excuse me, Senior.”
A 5th-year Magic Department student said to Ilesa with a very tired face.
“Is there really a need to compete by waking up this early like fools?”
“They’ll try to beat us in this too, that summoning user without lower body and that tin can knight! And they’ll point fingers at us, calling us lazy pigs!”
“Isn’t that competition itself foolish?”
In response to the 5th-year student’s words, Ilesa said.
“I will absolutely not tolerate being treated like a fool by knights and summoners! Whether we win or lose, we’re fools anyway, so let’s be the winning fools!”
Hearing Ilesa’s resolute words, Elena, who was twirling her hair in the lounge, smiled slightly.
“That’s right.”
When Lumern’s second-in-command affirmed Ilesa’s words, no one dared to object.
“By the way.”
Elena tilted her head.
“Did your hair grow back overnight?”
At those words, Ilesa chuckled.
“What do you think? This senior’s beauty? Isn’t it pretty?”
She struck a pose, resting her chin on her hand.
Indeed, Ilesa’s regained appearance was naturally beautiful enough to catch the eye.
“It is.”
‘Compared to her, I seem to shine more.’
However, her beauty paled in comparison to Elena.
Elena herself exuded a bewitching charm.
“But why did you suddenly return to your normal appearance?”
Yesterday, she had an appearance that would make one scream, but today she was back to her appearance from when she was alive.
In response to Elena’s question, Ilesa shrugged.
“Unfortunately, it’s not a normal state.”
“What?”
“Look.”
Ilesa lowered her head.
Then, her neck snapped off and fell to the floor.
“Kyaaaak?!”
A female student below Ilesa, who happened to catch her head, screamed involuntarily.
“Oh my, if you react like that, this senior will get embarrassed.”
Ilesa’s headless body moved towards the junior and placed her head back on her neck.
“If I’m not careful, my head falls off like this.”
“It’s bad for the heart.”
The students around them muttered inwardly at Elena’s calm assessment.
‘Without batting an eye.’
Just as the Magic Department was in an uproar that morning.
*Rumble-rumble-rumble-!*
The main entrance of the Magic Department dormitory opened, and someone entered.
“Good morning.”
Cal, with a tired face, returned to the dormitory.
Upon seeing him, Ilesa’s eyes sharpened.
“Everyone, charge your magic! It’s a traitor who played with a wicked Summoning Department woman!”
“Ah, Senior Ilesa, Professor Halind told me about you. Unfortunately, I’ve never had a girlfriend in my life.”
“……”
At Cal’s words, Ilesa narrowed her eyes and said.
“Say ‘Summoning Department bastard’.”
“Summoning Department bastard.”
“Don’t shoot! It’s an ally!”
Ilesa said playfully.
Cal, who let out a weak laugh at her antics, staggered to the lounge sofa and collapsed onto it.
“You’re a mess.”
Cal, sinking into the sofa, said to Abad.
“I’m warning you.”
“Yeah?”
“Never go to the Punishment Room.”
***
‘How on earth am I supposed to solve this problem?’
After breakfast.
Chloe fell into thought as she returned to her room to prepare for class.
Not winning, not losing.
‘Leo just said I should win!’
That was the puzzle.
Leo had clearly stated that her opponent was a formidable opponent.
But the opponent’s skill was too pathetic.
And winning wasn’t the solution to the problem.
‘Is something twisted?’
She didn’t go last night.
She didn’t think she could solve the problem if she went now.
Chloe opened her room door with a serious expression.
*Click-*
“……?”
And her eyes widened as she opened the door.
On the table in the room.
A chessboard was laid out.
And opposite it, a black silhouette sat in a proper posture.
The silhouette raised a hand as Chloe entered the room.
*Tap-*!
The game began.
“Now?”
Chloe was flustered.
The problem itself had come to her and challenged her to a game of chess.
Seeing Chloe’s flustered expression, the black silhouette remained seated.
It didn’t urge her.
It simply waited quietly until Chloe sat down and made her move.
‘……It feels a little different?’
Chloe looked bewildered.
While she had felt like a capricious child until yesterday, she was now incredibly calm.
Despite her bewildered expression, Chloe sat down.
After all, considering her skill level, it would clearly be over quickly.
*Tap-*
Chloe made her move.
In response, the silhouette continued the chess game.
*Tap- Tap-*
Only the sound of the pieces moving echoed quietly in Chloe’s room.
After a while.
Chloe looked at her opponent with surprised eyes.
‘……Strong.’