Book 1 Chapter 741
741.
The week after the midterms ended.
Normally, the school atmosphere should have been very light with students freed from the yoke of exams.
“Heeeelp meee…”
The common lounge of the Clock Tower Dormitory.
Shasha of the 2nd-year Summoning Department was lying prostrate, pleading with a dying face.
She wasn't the only one.
Students from the Knight Department also barely made it back to the dormitory before collapsing.
Watching the scene, Juen, with her arms crossed, curled up the corners of her mouth.
“Heheheh, you pathetic Summoning and Knight Department guys, what's so hard about that?”
"…But it feels like we're dying too?"
“Juen, your legs are trembling too…”
Just as they said, Juen's legs, as the only one among the second-years standing, were trembling violently.
Anyone could see that she was forcing herself to stand.
At those words, Juen's eyes widened.
“What's important is that I'm standing up!”
“Juen! Why are you trembling like a quaking aspen?”
Thwack-!
“Kya-hung!”
As Karl approached and patted her shoulder, Juen collapsed straight to the floor.
“Uh… sorry.”
As Karl scratched his cheek and apologized, Juen looked up at Karl with resentful eyes.
Watching her, Karl took out a spray bottle from his pocket and sprayed Juen, 'chwak-chwak-'.
“What is it?”
“Karl's General Store's special muscle pain and mana exhaustion relief medicine.”
Karl gave a thumbs-up.
“Just finished it today.”
“Oh…! The pain really eased!”
Juen's eyes widened.
“As expected, Karl-sunbae's medicine works well.”
Karl, who held Juen's hand as she got up admiringly, smiled widely.
“Because being a supporter is my specialty.”
Seeing that, orders poured in from all over.
“Ka-Karl-sunbaenim! Please spray me too!”
“Me too…!”
At those words, Karl took out a pouch from his pocket.
“What is it?”
Karl smiled faintly.
“We serve our customers at a reasonable price, customers.”
“J-Juen, you treated her for free!”
“Hmph! If you're jealous, you should have chosen your mentor well too!”
Juen stuck out her tongue at her classmates.
Like that, Karl treated not only the students from the Magic Department but also the 2nd-year students from other departments, receiving payment.
Elena, who had been watching from the side, said.
“Karl.”
“Yes, Elena-sunbae.”
“Spray me too.”
“Yes! Yes! I'm coming now!”
Karl smiled brightly and ran towards Elena, pushing a handcart full of pain relief medicine bottles.
It wasn't just the 2nd-year students who were wailing.
Other grades were also suffering from aftereffects.
Karl looked at his bulging money pouch and grinned widely.
“Are you that happy?”
When Juen asked, as if dumbfounded, Karl nodded as if it were obvious.
“Because money is always right.”
Saying that, he shook his pouch, 'jjalang-jjalang-'.
The 1st-year students watching that scene made tense expressions.
“Unnie. We too will fight against Lysinass-nim in tomorrow's combat studies class, won't we?”
At the question of the 1st-year representative, Perena, Eliza, who was taking care of her nails, nodded.
“Probably, right?”
It was when Eliza lightly blew 'hoo-!' on her nails.
“I heard that the 1st-year students don't do mock battles?”
“Kya?!”
At the voice heard from behind, Perena was startled and jumped.
“Y-You startled me!”
“Ah, sorry.”
As Perena protested, Karl smiled faintly.
“Karl.”
“Why?”
“Do you have anything to drink?”
“Of course I do.”
It was then that Karl smiled faintly and reached for the cart.
“Here you go.”
Juen quickly intervened and found a drink from Karl's cart.
“Milk tea, right?”
Juen smiled sweetly and handed Eliza a drink.
Eliza stared intently at Juen, then curled up the corners of her mouth and took the drink bottle.
“You know well. You could be Karl's server, couldn't you?”
“Because I've helped Karl-sunbae a lot.”
Juen smiled faintly.
Watching that, Karl, who was scratching his cheek, said to Perena.
“I heard that 1st-year students have a special class instead of a mock battle.”
Karl, who informed Perena of the schedule, held out his hand.
“What is it?”
“Information fee.”
“How much is it?”
“Eight shillings.”
“That's expensive.”
“Your unnie's milk tea price is also included.”
Perena pouted her lips, took out a coin from her wallet, and handed it to Karl.
“Thank you, please use our services again next time~”
Karl, who spoke cheerfully, pulled Juen along.
“Let's go, Juen. See you later~ Eliza.”
Karl greeted them amiably and left.
***
The Kingdom of Devian.
“As a huge kingdom located in the eastern continent, it's a nation that actually wields the most powerful influence in the eastern continent, right?”
“Yes.”
At Leo's question, Melina nodded.
“Wasn't the most powerful nation in the eastern continent a place called Shan, founded by Bihar?”
When Lysinass asked with a puzzled expression, Leo replied.
“The situation is a bit complicated. Shan is far from a typical empire.”
“Hmm?”
As Lysinass tilted her head, Leo looked at Melina.
Melina, receiving his gaze, began to explain the political situation of the eastern continent.
“Actually, the hegemonic power of the eastern continent is the Shan Empire. However, even though Shan possesses the greatest national power in the East, it is a nation that has never once exerted influence over its neighboring countries.”
“Why? To become this huge, it must mean they engaged in conquest, right?”
“Shan, generation after generation, as shadows, have executed traitors. Among them were also the core power elite of nations, and when such a situation occurred, Shan would erase that nation from the map.”
Kingdoms far from Shan were absorbed by neighboring countries, but among the nations bordering Shan, many regions were naturally absorbed into Shan.
As such events repeated, Shan naturally came to possess a vast territory.
A growth of a different nature than wars of conquest.
Due to this, Shan was famous as a nation that did not exert its powerful national strength externally.
The emperors of Shan also had a stronger identity as the leaders of shadows rather than as emperors of a vast empire.
“That's how the most serene and benevolent empire in history, Shan, was born.”
“So, instead of the silent Shan, what actually wields hegemony in the East currently is Devian, which possesses the next largest territory after Shan.”
Lysinass nodded.
“Bihar's descendants have lived, upholding their beliefs generation after generation. It must have been difficult.”
As Lysinass gave a bitter smile, Leo said.
“But on the other hand, they must have been proud. You can tell by looking at Chen Xia, right?”
"…Yes."
Lysinass swept her gaze over the Shan Empire on the map and smiled.
And she confirmed Devian's location.
Devian, located in the northernmost part of the eastern continent, did not share a border with Shan.
To its east, west, and south, only small kingdoms and duchies were located, and to its north, it bordered the elves' territory.
Due to this, Devian had long been a nation that maintained close ties with the elves.
It was one of the few powers in the world that could trade with elves, and thanks to that, it was also a nation that had accumulated enormous wealth.
Due to this, there were no threatening elements in its vicinity, and it was a geographically perfect nation.
Like that, Devian consistently built its own power without being wary of Shan.
As such, Devian, which outwardly held the leadership of a de facto hegemonic power, recently entered a state of civil war.
After the King of Devian died, the First Prince, who was the crown prince, naturally succeeded to the throne.
“However, that First Prince recently led the army and died in battle against Tartaros.”
At Melina's words, Lysinass sighed.
“The next part is obvious then.”
“Yes.”
As the situation unfolded like that, the First Princess and Second Prince, who held strong power next to the crown prince, became embroiled in a civil war for the throne.
With the war starting in the capital, the capital was already in chaos.
Afterward, the capital was declared a neutral zone, and the nation was divided into East and West.
And accordingly, the eastern continent was also swept into that chaos.
Because all human nations in the eastern continent, except for Shan, were under Devian's influence.
From the beginning, the eastern continent was a difficult place for human nations to expand their power.
The Far East of the continent is the dwarves' territory, and other than Devian, most of the rest is the territory of the great Shan Empire.
And the few remaining lands are divided among several nations.
In that situation, thanks to Devian, which possessed immense power, maintaining its influence for a long time, most nations in the eastern continent entered into a subordinate relationship with Devian.
When such a Devian entered a state of civil war, the small nations quickly allied themselves with the First Princess faction and the Second Prince faction.
As the situation developed like that, the clouds of war quickly began to gather among the nations of the eastern continent.
Devian's civil war had become the fuse for the war in the eastern continent.
The Shan Empire had no choice but to stand by and watch this situation.
They do not intervene in external affairs.
This was Shan's, the hegemon of the eastern continent, long-standing tradition and order.
Shan's strict neutrality had maintained the order of the eastern continent.
In such a situation, if Shan were to move rashly, that order could collapse, and even greater chaos could be brought about.
“Why did Erebus's fragment nest in such a place, of all places?”
“That damn fireball always does things like that. Its very existence is a menace, isn't it?”
As Leo spoke irritably, Lysinass agreed.
Listening to the two's conversation, Melina made a strange expression.
To people of this era, Erebus is a being of absolute terror.
Therefore, their conversation, treating Erebus as something like a cockroach rather than a global threat, was fascinating.
'As expected, the conversations of the Great Heroes are incredible.'
Even as Melina thought that, Leo and Lysinass, without pause, cursed Erebus.
Watching them, Melina gave a proud smile.
“Why are you smiling?”
“No, it's just that the two of you seem to get along very well.”
Melina, having said that, continued.
“So, when are the two of you getting back together again?”
“What's that supposed to mean?”
As Leo frowned, Melina said.
“A few days ago, the two of you seemed to have a very good relationship. Since you've reconciled, the divorce is canceled, right?”
At those words, Leo reached out and pulled Melina's cheek.
“Wha-Why?”
“That won't happen. I was scammed into marriage in the first place. To tell the truth, it's not a divorce but an annulment. Who are you unfairly making into a divorced man?”
As Leo made a fierce expression, Melina looked like she was about to cry.
At that moment, a knock was heard.
“Who is it?”
“It's En.”
“Come in.”
Bang-!
En opened the door and entered.
“Leo-nim. The principal is looking for you.”
“The principal?”
Leo made a puzzled expression and left the room, following En.
Once only the two of them remained, Melina said.
“Lysinass-nim. You're going to get back together with Leo-nim, aren't you?”
At those words, Lysinass smiled faintly.
“Melina, my head must have been somewhere else back then. It was one of my worst mistakes. Who would want to marry a guy like that?”
“What? Then will Leo-nim end up with Luna-nim?”
Melina's eyes widened.
“Huh? What did you say?”
Lysinass smiled faintly.
“So, Leo-nim will be with Luna-nim…”
Lysinass reached out and pulled the opposite cheek of Melina's that Leo had grabbed.
“Would you like to say that again?”
“For Leo-nim, Lysinass-nim suits him best.”
At those words, Lysinass released her cheek.
Rubbing both cheeks, Melina sighed softly.
***
The Principal of Lumerne.
Riina looked at Leo, who had come to her room, and said.
“Student Leo. A request has come in for Lumerne.”
“It seems to be a request that designated me.”
“That's right.”
Riina clicked her tongue.
“A request for support came in from Devian's First Princess's side.”
“They wouldn't be unaware that Lumerne is neutral, would they?”
As Leo made a puzzled expression, Riina clicked her tongue.
“Because the situation has become complicated.”
“More complicated than now?”
As Leo made a puzzled expression, Riina sighed deeply and nodded.
“The Second Prince's faction drew in Seirun.”
“Seirun?”
At the sudden intervention of the Elf Hero Academy, Leo furrowed his brows.
“The one dispatched from Seirun is Lunia El Rundah, the student council president of Seirun. That's why Devian designated you. You know what this means, right?”
At Riina's words, Leo sighed.
“It means it's a mess.”
“Exactly.”
Matching Leo's sigh, Riina also sighed back.