Book 1 Chapter 761

761.

Crraaaash-!

Hundreds of ice tentacles assailed Elena.

Annoyance appeared on Elena's face, who had been idly twisting a strand of her blonde hair around her fingertip.

Fwoosh-!

Lyl blocked Elena's front.

The ice tentacles melted away in an instant.

"Senior Elena! Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine."

"……? Are you in a bad mood?"

Lyl wore a flustered expression.

Looking at Lyl, Elena replied with an expressionless face.

"No."

'But you look like you're in a bad mood……'

Lyl didn't voice that thought.

Because it was clear that Elena was truly in a foul mood.

The reason she said no was purely out of pride.

'How annoying.'

Elena glared at the ice tentacles in front of her with a testy expression.

Beyond them was the Archdemon-level female demon she had seen earlier.

The problem was that they couldn't break through these ice tentacles.

Elena's magic was repeatedly blocked.

That fact made Elena restless.

'At this rate, I'm worse than Lyl.'

Elena bit her lip slightly, watching Lyl's back as she charged towards the ice tentacles.

Lyl couldn't break through the ice tentacles either.

However, Elena and Lyl had different roles.

Lyl's role was to stand on the front lines and block enemy attacks.

Of course, as a very versatile junior, she could also act as a supporter moving between the front and back, or perform the role of the party's main artillery, delivering powerful blows from the rear.

But no matter what, crushing enemies on the front lines was probably the role best suited for Lyl.

In that regard, Lyl was currently performing her role admirably.

She was holding back the ice tentacles, buying Elena time to cast her magic.

Using that time, Elena prepared a spell to obliterate the ice tentacles all at once, but she failed every time.

This was because whenever a powerful magical wave beyond a certain threshold was detected, the ice tentacles would crazily target only Elena.

In the end, all Elena managed to do was melt a portion of the ice tentacles.

But the ice tentacles recovered instantly.

Melting a portion of the tentacles was something Lyl could also do.

Tsk-!

Elena clicked her tongue irritably.

She knew what the problem was.

'Lack of ability.'

Their opponent was an Archdemon-level demon.

It was too much for the current Elena and Lyl to handle.

However, the Archdemon-level demon wasn't launching a proper attack right now.

In this situation, Lyl was clearly doing her part, but Elena found her own inability to do so unacceptable.

Elena's eyes wavered.

'……I'm graduating this year.'

She would soon no longer be a student.

She would leave school and seriously fight against Tartaros to ascend to the position of a hero.

Elena understood what that meant.

'It means stepping out of Leo's shadow.'

Although she pretended otherwise on the surface, Elena was mentally relying on Leo.

'Because he's the Hero of Genesis.'

Elena knew that Leo had repeatedly shown her the way and pushed her forward.

That's why she thought graduation meant escaping Leo's shadow.

From now on, she would have to find her own path.

It meant she could no longer remain within the fence of "Leo Plov."

'I can't be in a protected position forever.'

She had a small regret, but no lingering attachment.

However, if she had a desire…

'I want to get a little closer before I graduate.'

It was the desire to be of even a little help to the ideal hero she envisioned, and at the same time, her pride as the Queen of Lumern.

It was a great ambition to become the most reliable companion to the Hero of Genesis.

So, she wanted to show something before graduating.

But just encountering this wall left her helpless.

'Just overcoming my limits isn't enough.'

Elena bit her lip tightly.

'A little more… A little more…!'

The anxious Elena flinched.

She snapped her head around, feeling a gaze from behind.

'Leo……!'

"Senior Elena!"

Lyl's urgent voice was heard.

At that moment.

Crraaaash-!

An ice tentacle burst through the floor, attempting to pierce Elena's stomach.

Clang-!

Elena poured all her magic into a deployed shield, blocking the ice tentacle.

She prevented being pierced.

But she couldn't completely stop its force and was thrown back.

"Cough?!"

Blood gushed from her mouth.

Coincidentally, the spot where Elena was flung back was exactly where Leo, who had suddenly appeared, was sitting.

Elena thought Leo would catch her.

But…….

Whoosh-!

"What?!"

Leo merely watched with an unconcerned expression as Elena flew past him.

Elena gritted her teeth and deployed wind magic.

Whoosh-!

Elena, barely stopping herself in mid-air, glared upwards.

"You damn old man! What would it hurt to catch me?!"

Elena yelled angrily at Leo's cruelly calm attitude.

Her disappointment quickly turned into rage.

She rushed at Leo, grabbed him by the collar, and shook him violently.

"Brother!"

Lyl smiled brightly and swung her hammer.

"Hup!"

Bang-!

And with that, she swung her hammer, sending the giant ice tentacle flying.

"You're fighting well."

"Are you ignoring me now?!"

Seeing Elena, who looked as if she was about to breathe fire, Leo said.

"No. Just."

"Just what?!"

"Because it seems like you want to graduate from the role of a princess who needs saving."

"……"

At Leo's words, Elena's hand gripping his collar slowly lost its strength.

Then she glared at Leo resentfully and gritted her teeth.

"Have you ever even saved me?"

"I treated you like a naive princess, didn't I?"

"And that is?"

"The one receiving usually doesn't realize it."

Elena clicked her tongue at his rather brazen words.

Then she averted her gaze from Leo.

Watching Elena's back, Leo smiled and reached out his hand.

And then he reached out his hand towards Risinas, with whom he was connected by soul.

Even though they were far apart, a subspace within Risinas's pitch-black cloak opened.

Soon, Leo pulled out a staff.

It was a staff with an overall grayish hue.

Looking down at the small, dagger-length staff, Leo spoke.

"Elena."

"……?"

Elena turned around with a puzzled expression.

Leo threw the staff to Elena.

"It doesn't have a name. You can give it a suitable one."

"This is……?"

"If you ask Dryana, she should be able to restore it to its original form."

Elena looked back and forth between Leo and the staff with a bewildered expression.

"Elena Jereon."

"Yes?"

At the sudden use of her full name, Elena unconsciously spoke in honorifics.

She was overwhelmed by Leo's aura.

"None of the Grand Heroes you met ever gave you any advice, did they?"

The Hero of Genesis had never given Elena any advice.

He had merely shown her the way.

The progenitor of the Nebula, who gifted magic to talented mages, had left no magic for Elena.

The King of Wisdom, who led heroes, gave no advice.

"Why do you think that was?"

"Well……"

She pretended not to care, but Elena was very bothered by those facts.

She sometimes wondered if her twisted and arrogant personality made her seem unappealing to the other Grand Heroes.

She had never considered herself to have a lovable personality.

She tried to comfort herself and not care.

But now that the person himself was saying this, she felt flustered.

As she looked at Leo with confused eyes, Leo said.

"Because you were already standing on the same stage as us."

For those preparing to go on stage, it's natural for a senior to help them prepare.

But for those who are already on stage, such things are unnecessary.

It only causes confusion.

So, those who are already on stage only need to be held firm so they don't fall off.

Since Leo was already fulfilling that role, neither Luna nor Risinas had given Elena any advice.

"It seems like you want to play the role of a princess, but you are a born queen."

Leo clicked his tongue and said.

"So stop being so childishly whiny and grow up. You're a genius in talent, so why is your mental state such a mess?"

"……"

Elena put on a haughty expression and looked towards Lyl.

Just before returning to the battlefield.

Elena asked.

"Still, I'm still so young, so you'll put up with a little whining, won't you?"

"I'm not going to put up with it anymore, you know?"

"Hmph!"

Elena snorted and flew off.

But a smile was widespread on her face.

Watching her retreating figure, Leo clicked his tongue.

"I wonder when she'll finally grow up."

***

'A genius.'

It was a word she had never thought of.

Because it had been as natural as breathing since she was born.

But a Grand Hero had acknowledged it.

None other than the Hero of Genesis himself.

Elena toyed with the grayish staff in her hand.

She hadn't been told whose staff it was, but she knew.

'The staff used by the Hero of Genesis.'

Elena roused her magic power.

Lyl, who was blocking the ice tentacles, reacted to that magic power and moved quickly.

Groooowl-!

Magic power began to surge from Elena's body.

Accordingly, the ice tentacles flew at Elena, targeting her.

Elena's pink eyes glowed.

'Lady Luna could move quickly and use magic freely, didn't she say?'

She had said that the flow of incantation was unbroken even amidst intense movement.

Simple magic was possible for Elena, but high-tier magic was not.

But.

'The Hero of Genesis acknowledged me, didn't he? Said I was a genius.'

For some reason, that acknowledgment imbued her with confidence.

It was baseless confidence, but Elena somehow felt like she could do it.

Isn't this the evaluation of the man who saved this world, no one else?

'Well, if push comes to shove, he'll save me.'

Of course, it wasn't a matter of being saved or not.

It was dangerous to maintain magical power while moving intensely when using immense magic.

If she made a mistake, her magic circuits could get tangled, rendering her unable to use magic.

'If that happens, it'll be your fault, so I can just tell you to take responsibility.'

Elena didn't care.

The Hero of Genesis, of all people, had recognized her as a comrade.

She couldn't stay here.

Even if limits appeared, it was a moment to overcome them again and again.

Groooowl-

Her magic power trembled.

The incantation continued like flowing water.

Leo immediately realized whose imitation it was.

She evaded all of the ice tentacles' frenzied attacks by deploying flight magic, completing the spell with a double incantation.

Soon, Elena unleashed the name of the spell.

"The End."

Flash-! Crraaaash-!

Star Magic, The End, hailed as the strongest magic among all existing spells, blew away the ice tentacles.

"Senior Elena! You're amazing!"

Lyl's eyes widened in admiration.

All the ice tentacles vanished, and the Second Saintess revealed herself.

Elena barely steadied her trembling body and raised her chin.

And she looked towards Leo with a proud face.

Seeing her, Leo let out a chuckle.

"Honestly. If only she wouldn't act like such a spoiled brat, I wouldn't be able to treat her like a child."