Book 1 Chapter 767

767.

*Crunch, crunch.*

"This weather is something else."

Celia shook her head, looking at the softly piled snow.

Due to some strange climate anomaly, it was unintentionally deep winter in Deviant.

'That Leo kid seemed to sense something was up.'

Thinking of her cousin, Celia pouted her lips slightly.

Her annoying cousin wouldn't tell her even if she asked.

Amidst this, Celia was heading towards the capital, Deviant.

‘Why did you call me? Garin?’

‘Celia. Do you have any plans this afternoon?’

‘Not really?’

‘Then would you like to come to Deviant with me?’

‘Huh? Alright.’

‘R-really? I’ll meet you at the entrance to Deviant later!’

Around lunchtime.

Celia shook her head with a wry smile, recalling Garin who had called her out and made plans.

"Elves are so strange. They used to have no interest in human culture, but now they're eager to learn."

Celia thought Garin had called her because he needed a tour guide.

After all, she had become acquainted with Garin since the Ruse Battle.

In the early days of their second year, Seirun itself was in turmoil due to the Pure Bloods faction, so they were distant, but they became quite close during the Hero's Festival.

Friends from other schools engaged in fair competition.

Therefore, she simply thought he had asked her to show him around Deviant.

As Celia thought about Garin, the image of an elf naturally came to mind.

It was Garin's twin sister, Aris.

Garin was more specialized in swordsmanship than magic, while Aris was specialized in magic.

While she wasn't weak in swordsmanship, she interacted more with the magic students at Rumern than the knight students.

As such, for Celia, Aris was someone she didn't have much in common with besides being Garin's sister.

However, lately, Celia had been strangely bothered by Aris.

'Does she like Abad?'

It was because she had recently seen them together frequently.

‘Don’t deny it, Celia. You have feelings for Abad.’

Celia instinctively bristled, recalling what Chen Xia had said a few days ago.

'Who has feelings for that butterball?! Who…!'

But then she stopped abruptly.

'What is my relationship with Abad anyway?'

Childhood friends who knew each other since they were young.

Celia and Abad's relationship could be defined as such.

As far as she could remember, she and Abad had known each other.

It was because though Jerdenger and Rwalyn were rivals, they were fundamentally houses that followed the Rodren Imperial family.

They competed for the pinnacle as the top knights and mages in the empire; they were not sworn enemies.

In fact, Celia and Abad had also been rivals, constantly competing.

'Well, to be precise, it always felt like I was competing with that little brat.'

Celia had never fought with Abad like she did with Chelsea.

It was Celia who had always burned with intense rivalry.

'Well, Abad also tried hard not to lose to me.'

Seen this way, they were good rivals.

Abad would eventually become the head of the Rwalyn family, and she would help her brother Rhys make Jerdenger an even greater house.

Friends who would spur each other on, both in the past… and in the future.

'It should have been like that.'

At some point, their time together increased.

If one were to pick those with the best synergy among the third-year students, it would be Celia and Abad.

Celia's fire aura became stronger and sharper when combined with Abad's wind magic.

This was the result of them studying each other extensively to win against each other since childhood.

This was in stark contrast to Chelsea, with whom they had no synergy at all.

Unlike Abad, Celia's personality didn't match Chelsea's.

'It's unimaginable for me or Chelsea to accommodate each other in the first place.'

She had realized how well she and Abad could work together during the entrance exams.

It was Leo who had told her this, no one else.

That period of sharp rivalry, aiming for first place, became an opportunity for Celia and Abad to grow closer.

While contemplating her relationship with Abad, Celia headed towards Deviant.

"Celia!"

"You were already here? Did you wait long?"

"Not at all! I just arrived too. But…"

Garin examined Celia.

She wasn't in her usual school uniform.

She was wearing the white uniform of the Jerdenger family, which Celia usually wore.

Celia placed her hand on her chest and stood straight.

"I don't know Deviant that well either, but it's a human city, so I'll escort you well."

"What? N-no, I was going to escort you…"

"No, no. Ask me anything you don't know."

Celia smiled brightly and walked ahead.

Her appearance almost made her look like a bodyguard.

Garin followed behind Celia, flustered.

***

*Swish-*

Celia and Garin walking along the main street of Deviant.

Chen Xia and Chloe peeked out from an alley where the two were visible.

"The two of them have met."

"Why is she dressed like that for a date?"

"She might not think of it as a date."

Eiran looked flustered at their conversation.

"Um… isn't it rude to follow them secretly? And why are you watching like this?"

"It's fun."

"F-fun? This is peeping."

Eiran didn't know what to do at Lunia's response.

Aris peeked out from the alley, looked at Garin's face, and covered her mouth.

"Pfft! Seeing him trying so hard to look cool with that stupid face is really funny! Pffu-khu-khu-khu!"

Elves are generally handsome, so Garin looked like a very handsome man at first glance.

But in Aris's eyes, he was just a ball of resentment, so it was funny.

"Why did you follow?"

"That idiot is going on a date! And the other person is none other than Celia Jerdenger! He's going to be rejected 100%, so would I miss this good show?"

Aris's expression showed anticipation just thinking about it.

Eiran tilted her head, looking at Aris.

"How do you think Garin will be rejected 100%?"

"Isn't it obvious? It's clear Abad has feelings for Celia Jerdenger, so there's no way our idiot brother can win?"

"Abad has feelings for Celia?"

Chloe, who was listening to the conversation,'s eyes widened.

"How do you know that? Did Abad tell you directly?"

Lunia asked with a puzzled expression, crossing her arms. Aris shrugged.

"No. You can just tell, can't you?"

"Yes. You can just tell."

Chen Xia also looked in agreement.

Chloe, who was closest to Celia, looked surprised.

"Why didn't I know?"

"Um… because Chloe is hopeless at romance?"

At that, Chloe poked Chen Xia's side with a displeased expression.

"Broaden your reading tastes."

"What should I read?"

"Like those lewd books Eiran reads?"

Upon hearing that, Eiran jabbed Chen Xia's side repeatedly.

Lunia, watching this, said,

"By the way, Aris, didn't you have feelings for Abad too? You've been approaching him quite blatantly lately."

"Huh? I don't have romantic feelings, exactly. I'm not shameless enough to pursue someone who has feelings for someone else."

"Then why were you close to him?"

"Because he's handsome!"

Aris said confidently.

"He's handsome in a way you can't see among elves! Like Duran of Rumern! Of course, I'd want to be friends with him!"

Lunia covered her face, looking at Aris, who spoke with such blatant selfish words.

"To think this is one of Seirun's top students."

"I think I'm more normal than you, a gangster, or Eiran, who has strange reading tastes?"

"What? What did you say?"

"Ughhhhhh!"

"Kek-kek-kek!"

Lunia grabbed Aris by the collar, her eyes rolling back, and Eiran choked Aris from behind, looking like she was about to cry.

Watching this, Chloe muttered,

"Looking at them, the Seirun students are quite peculiar."

"They're as strange as we are. Anyway, we'll lose them if we keep this up. Let's move, everyone!"

Chen Xia said curtly, without even glancing at them, and spoke in a hurry.

Meanwhile.

Leo, who had come to Deviant with Abad, sat in a cafe near the entrance and watched the scene, resting his chin on his hand.

He saw Lunia and her group by pure chance.

"Is everyone free? Should I increase training hours?"

Leo muttered with a serious expression, and Abad, who was drinking coffee opposite him, burst into laughter.

"If you increase the training intensity any more here, a real riot might break out."

A riot of the top students from Rumern and Seirun, no less.

It was enough of a force to overthrow a small kingdom.

"Let them try."

Of course, the one they would be facing was Leo.

A man who would brutally suppress any riot.

"It's all for their own good, so they should be punished if they don't understand that."

"…Sometimes I doubt if you're really my age."

Abad shook his head, looking at Leo, who smiled condescendingly.

He wasn't talking about his strength.

He was an adult who meddled in things in a strange way.

Leo chuckled at Abad's words and asked,

"So? Why did you want to see me separately?"

At Leo's words, Abad put down his coffee cup.

Then, he met Leo's gaze and said seriously,

"Leo, from your perspective, am I a suitable man for Celia?"

"Hmm."

Leo exhaled lightly.

"Why are you asking me that?"

"Celia said something once. She said you were her ideal type."

"Why did she say that?"

-Why indeed. What's so cool about an idiot like you?

'And you, who fell for that idiot?'

Lisina, watching the situation in a spirit state, chimed in, and Leo immediately retorted.

"What's there to be suitable or not?"

Leo said flatly.

"If you like each other, you date."

"I don't intend to date casually. I'm serious about this. I hope this will be an opportunity for Rwalyn and Jerdenger, who have competed for so long, to harmonize further."

As the heir of Rwalyn, Abad was thinking of various things.

If the two families were bound by blood, there would be more opportunities to work together than now.

"These are chaotic times. You know that… If Jerdenger, who wields fire aura, and Rwalyn, who wields wind magic, join forces, they can obtain even greater power."

Not all Jerdengers and Rwalyns can fuse Jerdenger's fire and Rwalyn's wind like Celia and Abad.

It's difficult without regular training.

"If that happens, the Rodren Empire will become even stronger."

"If that's your goal, then just confess to Celia."

"I will. But I need your help."

"Why do you need my help?"

"As you know, it's hard to even imagine the direct descendants of Rwalyn and Jerdenger marrying."

Indeed, it was.

Perhaps among the younger generation, but…

Those in key positions in the families, even if they don't consider each other enemies, see each other as targets to be overcome.

Unless Rodren is in crisis, joining forces is unlikely.

'It was like that during the winter break too.'

When confronting the council over inheritance issues, Reina had overturned the council with a veiled threat of marrying Leo to Chelsea.

And it would be no different for Rwalyn.

If the heir, Abad, were to marry Celia, it was obvious that things would be turned upside down.

"There probably won't be much I can do to help."

Leo had already turned the Jerdenger council upside down.

However, dealing with the Rwalyn side was beyond Leo's capabilities.

"If Celia accepts me, there's a way to appease the family's opposition."

"What is it?"

To Leo's question, Abad remained silent.

Leo looked puzzled and took a sip of his coffee.

"It would be good if something similar happened once. So, Leo, marry Chelsea."

"Puuu!"

Leo sputtered out his coffee at the sudden remark.

***

"It's hideous."

The third saintess, Furi, glanced at the city's scenery and clicked her tongue.

"This city is hideous. Plegathon, it would be good to purify all these insignificant things."

"Remember, Furi, that Nix has taken an interest in the hero candidates."

"Do those who beg for the recognition of vulgar gods truly deserve the goddess's grace?"

"Remember that no one is beautiful from the start. And our goal this time is not to burn everything."

Plegathon curled the corners of his mouth.

"To let the humans know that their master has returned… It is a joyous day to announce the goddess's return."