Book 1 Chapter 722

722.

“Gentlemen! The bloody morning has dawned!”

This was the first morning class for the magic students.

Professor Len, upon entering the classroom, spoke with a firm voice.

“Soon! Our Department of Magic must face off against the hordes of the Knight Department, led by that treacherous Professor Ain!”

Professor Len, with his fists clenched, spoke passionately like a general leading an army before a battle.

“If there is any student trembling right now, raise your hand!”

Several students raised their hands.

Even though they were third-year students, there were bound to be some who found mock battles daunting.

Especially since their opponents were none other than the third-year students from the Knight Department.

It was not at all strange for those who were weak in real combat to tremble with nervousness.

Len glared at the students who had raised their hands.

“Excellent!”

At the sudden praise, the students momentarily looked puzzled.

Was it praise for understanding their situation well and reporting it without shame?

“To tremble with excitement before a battle! Doesn't that mean you are ready to go out and strike down the enemy at any time! Excellent! Very excellent!”

“…Um… Professor Len, this isn't a war. And we're trembling because we're nervous…”

“Not a war! Hmm! Excellent! That's right! Against mere Knight Department students, it won't be a war! Indeed! This fight will be a casual slaughter!”

“So, we're nervous because…”

“Appropriate tension is a good thing!”

“…”

Seeing Professor Len, with whom communication was impossible, the students who had raised their hands fell silent and slowly lowered them.

“Brother. Don't you think Professor Len is becoming more and more like Professor Cedgen?”

“Indeed.”

@Chelsea and Abbad whispered to each other.

Kal, sitting in the front as usual, rested his chin on his hand, shook his head, then glanced sideways.

Chloe was sitting in her usual upright posture, looking at Len.

The only difference was that her hair was down and neatly combed, and she wasn't carrying a difficult book as she usually did.

‘What was that just now?’

It felt like the usual Chloe, yet with a mature aura.

Of course, Chloe was the most adult-like student among her peers, but fundamentally, this was completely different.

‘How should I put it, like an older sister, perhaps?’

Kal folded his arms and pondered seriously.

“Alright! Then, gentlemen! Let’s go! To the battlefield!”

At Len’s words, the magic students began to rise from their seats, one by one.

Chloe also rose from her seat.

Then, her eyes met Kal’s.

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing.”

Kal shrugged his shoulders, placed his interlocked hands behind his head as usual, and stood next to Chloe.

Chelsea and Abbad also joined the two.

Naturally, the four, standing at the forefront of the third-year magic students, followed Professor Len.

A little later.

The third-year students arrived at the training ground they used for combat classes.

Outside the training ground, summoner students were seated.

This was not the end of the inter-departmental mock battles.

After today's mock battle between the Knight Department and the Magic Department, another mock battle with the Summoner Department was scheduled.

And the opportunity to observe the mock battles was equally given to all third-year students.

‘Those children are the hero candidates from the Summoner Department.’

Lysinass’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the summoner students.

Lysinass was also a powerful mage.

However, her specialty was spirit and phantom beast magic, which combined the power of spirits and phantom beasts based on powerful dragon-word magic.

For Lysinass, magic was a supplementary means to maximize the power of summoning.

Thus, she couldn't help but be a little more interested in the summoner students than the magic students.

‘That child is Warredun Tyden… Wow! He’s already contracted with a great spirit at that age?’

Lysinass admired Warredun, who had a huge build.

She immediately noticed that he had contracted with a great spirit.

And that wasn't all.

The spiritual energy felt around Warredun immediately revealed what a great spirit user he was.

And how deep his potential was.

For a moment, her eyes met Warredun’s.

Seeing that, Lysinass smiled faintly.

She felt a rock-solid will from Warredun.

Lysinass sensed a yearning for strength in Warredun.

‘Children like that always grow stronger beyond their limits.’

A long time ago.

The Hero of Beginnings and the Progenitor of the Nebula.

Lysinass, who had united the Brave One and the Divine Blacksmith.

At that time, there were certainly heroes with greater fame than the four.

Now, Lysinass's choice was the very correct answer for the salvation of the world, but at the time, it was not so.

It was purely Lysinass's insight that guided the four to the path of saviors.

Her conviction that they could do it came from Lysinass's discernment.

In Lysinass's eyes, Warredun clearly showed the potential to grow into a tremendous hero.

‘And… that child is Eliza…’

Lysinass tilted her head.

“Kal.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Eliza has been staring at you fiercely for a while now.”

“Huh?”

Kal looked at Eliza with a puzzled expression.

“Ooh, how ferocious.”

Kal, as usual, cunningly hid behind Lysinass, who was inside Chloe's body.

“Did you do something wrong?”

“No, I haven't done anything particularly wrong?”

As Kal shook his head, Lysinass narrowed her eyes.

“Hmm.”

“Why?”

“Didn't you flirt with some pretty female student? Maybe she's jealous?”

“Where would I find a pretty female student to flirt with? And why would she be jealous about that?”

Lysinass chuckled, watching Kal shrug his shoulders.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Well, your behavior is infinitely frivolous, but when I see how considerate you are, I think, 'He’s a gentleman.'”

“Eh? What nonsense is that?”

“Aren't you pretending to be oblivious so that no strange rumors hurt Eliza?”

“Oh?”

Kal showed a flustered expression.

“So fresh, this is a good time. A good time.”

“Why are you reacting like some old lady…?”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Aack—I'm sorry. Please forgive me! Please forgive me!”

Kal begged for forgiveness, flustered, seeing Lysinass smile faintly and twist his wrist.

Lysinass, who released Kal, poked Kal's side and said.

“Think carefully. If you’ve done anything to upset her.”

“You really have a strangely cunning vibe today? Anyway, there really wasn’t anything I did that would upset her.”

“Really nothing?”

Kal folded his arms and tilted his head.

Meanwhile.

Eliza, sitting in her chair and watching them,

Crunch—!

“Eeek!”

“Wh-what?! What’s suddenly wrong?!”

Eliza, who had gripped and broken the armrest of the wooden chair, gnashed her teeth.

‘What's so good that she's grinning like that!’

Eliza knew that Kal was close with several female students.

She knew even better that he had been best friends with Chloe since their first year.

But today, the atmosphere between the two was strange.

More precisely, she felt Kal was conscious of Chloe.

In Eliza’s eyes, it was clearly different from a normal friendship.

Because of this, Eliza felt an immense sense of crisis.

As Eliza's mood plummeted in real-time.

The knight students and magic students faced each other.

At their forefront stood Ain and Len.

“Hmph, Senior Ain. Did you prepare your handkerchief well? Your students will be wailing after being defeated by my favorite disciples.”

At Len's words, Ain curled the corners of his mouth.

“If you’re that confident, how about a wager?”

“That sounds great! How about a month's salary?”

“Not bad.”

The two, smiling menacingly at each other, led their students back to their respective camps.

“As I said before, think of this as a war, not a mock battle. Get in close and beat them up.”

Ain said in a low voice.

“Gentlemen. This is a real battle. Do not hesitate to use any means or methods for victory.”

Len, with an utterly serious face, spared no base advice to his students.

***

This semester's inter-departmental mock battles proceeded in a different direction than usual.

First, it was a team battle, not an individual battle.

However, it was slightly different from the team battles that had occasionally occurred before.

Previous team battles were purely by lottery, regardless of skill.

Or they mixed highly skilled students with those whose grades were in the middle to lower ranks to form mock battle teams.

But in today's mock battle, teams were literally formed by those with similar skill levels.

And their opponents also had similar skill levels.

If previous mock battles evaluated and strengthened variable creation and crisis breakthrough abilities, this one was purely a head-on clash of skills.

Therefore, the students who went out now were those with relatively lower grades.

“Heheheh.”

Len folded his arms and wore a meaningful expression.

Anna sighed, looking at Len.

“Why are you laughing so unpleasantly? It's already disadvantageous due to the compatibility, and there isn't a single battle mage aspirant among the lower-ranked third-year students, making it even more overwhelmingly unfavorable.”

For a mage, a 1:1 duel against a knight is very disadvantageous.

Especially when their skills are relatively weaker, they often fail to overturn this relationship.

In such a situation, there were no battle mage students who could counter the knights.

The first team was definitely at a disadvantage for the Magic Department.

“Think about it! Associate Professor Anna! We have none other than student Kal!”

“Ah…”

“As long as we have student Kal, the hero! Our victory is our…”

“Um… Professor Len. I can't participate in the mock battle.”

“What are you talking about!”

“Before coming to class today, a professor told me not to participate, saying my presence alone would disrupt fairness.”

“Which professor dares to challenge my authority as the department head professor?!”

“Professor Halind.”

“If it’s Professor Halind, then that’s understandable.”

Len quickly changed his stance.

Meanwhile, with Professor Yura acting as referee, the mock battle began.

Lysinass, sitting in her seat and watching, admired them.

‘Everyone is doing well.’

From what she heard, they didn't seem to be the most outstanding students.

But even so, this was Lumen, where exceptional talents gathered.

In Lysinass’s eyes, the hero candidates doing their best looked so dazzling.

‘These… are our descendants.’

Various figures were reflected in the students' appearances.

‘…Those who were with Kyle.’

It was not difficult to tell whose influence they had received.

Since he had shown them his back and made them follow.

Even if he hadn't directly taught them anything, each of them would have received their own message in their own way.

Thus, the mock battles continued, and wins and losses were determined.

A little later.

The top 10 students stood up.

The 9 magic students who stood up looked at the seated Lysinass with puzzled expressions.

“What are you doing, Chloe? Aren’t you going?”

“I am.”

At Chelsea’s question, Chloe rose to her feet.

The students who followed Kyle.

And…

‘The children Kyle chose.’

Lysinass’s eyes took in Abbad, Chelsea, and several knight students.

Just as she had chosen Dweno, Arion, Luna… and Kyle.

Leo had chosen these children.

Lysinass, standing in her place and watching them, curved the corners of her mouth.

As the King of Wisdom.

She wondered to what extent those chosen by the Hero of Beginnings would grow.

‘Shall I… test them a little?’