Book 1 Chapter 830

Chelsea and Chloe stared at Carl with blank faces.

To the two of them, Carl could be called their closest classmate.

For Chelsea, they had been inseparable with Leo since their first year, as they were in the same class.

In Chloe's case, she always sat with Leo and Carl in their magic classes, which she took the most.

Considering Leo's presence, he was the closest and dearest friend to both of them, and in a sense, even closer than Leo.

Leo, who always led the way, was someone they could only admire.

A dazzling presence to be chased with all their might.

Someone they wanted to become equal to.

In contrast, Carl was someone who had always supported them from behind.

That's why they could spend their school life together so casually.

As such, Chelsea and Chloe believed they knew Carl well.

That's why both of them looked at Carl with bewildered expressions.

Carl's face was as usual.

A kind smile, as always, spread across his face.

'Carl just now…'

'Did he say something harsh?'

If you asked the third-years who among their classmates was the kindest, everyone would answer Carl.

Fundamentally kind to everyone.

Sociable and able to maintain his smile even in front of people who disliked him.

He would brush off insults or curses with a cheerful attitude.

He tried not to make enemies of anyone, no matter their disposition.

That was the Carl they knew.

In fact, when Emio attended Lumern, he picked fights with Carl all the time, but Carl never took the bait, not even once.

Emio would become even more infuriated by his easy-going nature, which was a daily occurrence.

Yet, Carl swore.

And not just any swear word, but a very harsh one.

It was no wonder that Chelsea and Chloe doubted their hearing.

"Did you just say that to me?"

"Who else would be here, a horny bastard like you?"

Carl spat out his venomous words with a smile.

"You punk! Do you want to die?! How dare you speak such insolence to me!"

At that moment, an enraged Emio approached Carl and roughly grabbed his collar.

At that instant, Carl's expression turned cold as he looked at Emio.

Emio flinched momentarily at his demeanor.

"Let go."

"What?"

"I'll count to three. One. Two."

"This punk, just because you've gained some notoriety, you think you're untouchable…"

"Three."

*Thwack!*

As soon as he finished speaking, Carl tripped Emio, disrupting his balance, then reached out, grabbed Emio by the neck, and brought his hand down.

*Crack! Bang!*

"Gack?!"

Emio gasped for breath from the impact felt from behind.

Carl, on his knees, pinned the fallen Emio.

Emio glared with anger and attempted to summon his magic.

But faster than that, a dagger, which had been retrieved from under his wrist, touched Emio's neck.

"If you use magic, I'll stab you."

Emio gritted his teeth at Carl's ominous killing intent.

"A mage, being so cowardly…!"

"A soldier like you is talking about cowardice in a fight? Why? Are you going to ask the enemy commander for a fair duel on the battlefield?"

Emio couldn't answer Carl's scathing words.

"Kkruhk!"

"I understand that you looked down on me, and I understand your resentment at being expelled from Lumern. Because I can never catch up to you in magic. But."

Carl said with a furious expression.

"If you came to assist your master, shouldn't you be doing a good job? Or did you become a dog because your master is a dog? How dare you spout such nonsense."

Carl's gaze shifted to Jefad.

Jefad turned pale at Carl's menacing stare and instinctively hid behind his escort knights.

"H-how dare you! You, a mere commoner, are threatening me, the Crown Prince of the Great Gedwan Kingdom!"

At Jefad's words, Carl let out a scoff.

"It's always the ones with no ability who bring up their status. If you're a Crown Prince, then I'm a hero whose name is in the Hero Records. So what if you were born well, as if that's your greatest life achievement?"

"Eeeek! Again with the rude insults fit for a street thug!"

Jefad's face turned crimson.

Chelsea and Chloe stared at Carl with blank eyes.

Carl's angry demeanor was unfamiliar, but even more so was his cursing.

The very language itself was different from what they used.

Born into an alchemist family, Carl had mingled with commoners and played in the market since childhood, so these words were natural to him.

As he grew older.

And as his talent was recognized, he naturally refined his speech to fit aristocratic settings, but his original, raw speech spilled out when he saw his friend being insulted.

Jefad, trembling, shouted at his escorts.

"What are you doing! Why aren't you making this impudent commoner kneel before me!"

This would have been unimaginable with any other hero.

No matter how much of a scoundrel they were, they knew very well how transcendent 'heroes' were.

But with Carl, they weren't overly concerned.

As Carl ascended to the position of hero, countless papers related to him flooded the hero academia.

Carl's grades at Lumern were clear.

His grades in his major, Magic Studies, were also the same.

In terms of pure combat power, he was below the average for his peers.

It was not a significant anomaly for the hero academia itself to be thrown into disarray when such a Carl reached the position of hero.

Leo's case was also unprecedented, but it was understandable.

Because he possessed a combat power that enabled him to achieve countless feats unfitting for his young age.

But Carl's level was simply not acceptable.

The most異質(unusual) hero in the 5,000-year history of the Heroic Era.

That was <The One Preparing for the Beginning>, Carl Thomas.

As such, with many hero scholars researching Carl, the truth about Carl's abilities also spread widely.

Consequently, there were many who implicitly underestimated Carl's magical abilities.

Especially those who perceived heroes as simply beings with immense power.

Jefad was one such person.

As Jefad's escorts began to move, Chelsea and Chloe prepared to intervene.

It was already too late to handle this quietly.

The attention of the crowd had long been focused on them, and the opponents were also ready to fight.

As the two prepared to step forward.

"You two, don't get involved. I'll handle this alone."

Carl said.

Chelsea marveled at his appearance.

"Wow, so charismatic."

"Heh. I can be impressive when I need to be."

As Carl replied smugly, Emio burst into laughter.

"So you've become a hero and now you think you're untouchable! Carl Thomas! Do you think we'll be intimidated by your insignificant reputation!"

At those words, Carl glanced at Emio with a slanted eye and then raised his dagger, stabbing Emio in the neck.

"Gack?!"

Emio clutched his throat, stopping his breath.

The approaching escorts' eyes widened.

Then, Carl pulled out the dagger, and with its tip, he stabbed his opposite hand, saying:

"Don't be scared. It's a toy."

The tip of the dagger did not penetrate his palm, but rather went into the handle.

Carl left Emio, who was frozen in shock, and stood up.

"Certainly, my magic skills are terrible. I can't even compare to Chelsea and Chloe here, let alone you."

Carl shrugged.

"But combat power isn't determined by magical ability. Well, that's not to say I'm stronger than Chelsea and Chloe."

Carl smirked as he watched Emio struggling to get up.

"You, who were expelled in the second year, are enough for me alone. Emio Ruchan."

"You punk!"

In a head-on confrontation, Carl would have no chance of winning.

But fighting at a disadvantage was something only fools did.

Whether by devising cunning strategies and exploiting the opponent's weaknesses.

Or by digging traps to weaken the enemy.

There were many factors that could decide victory or defeat, and Carl meticulously exploited them.

'It's a trick.'

But what if it's a trick?

This was also a way to survive.

Furthermore, Carl's acumen for reading the flow of battle and his ability to assess situations were recognized even by Lisinas.

And Carl had observed.

Countless legendary battles.

These experiences had made Carl, despite his weak combat power, a hero who could change the tide of a massive battlefield simply by his presence.

Although he denied it himself, when he was serious, Carl was strong.

Just as a highly volatile situation was about to erupt.

"Oh my? Our cute Carl is showing such a cool side for once?"

A bright voice was heard.

*Click- click- click-*

For a moment, it felt as if time around them had stopped.

Elena, her presence overwhelming the surroundings, walked naturally towards the center of the incident.

Everyone stared at Elena as if mesmerized.

"Today was a truly pleasant day."

Elena stood before Jefad with a smile as warm as spring sunshine.

"But you know."

Elena's expression turned sly.

The soft smile from a moment ago had transformed into one filled with discernible malice.

But even that appearance was so beautiful that it drew gasps of admiration.

Her overwhelming beauty made her seem lovable.

Jefad felt as if he would give his liver and gallbladder if he could only make her expression soften.

However, those who knew Elena knew better than anyone that her face, when marred by blatant malice, was the most terrifying.

The capricious queen of Lumern.

A wicked woman who would truly extract organs if it appeased her.

That was Elena Zerone.

"You guys are making me feel like crap?"

"Gack-!"

Elena's eyes shimmered with magic.

Jefad's body floated upwards.

"I… Who I am… Gack!"

"Who are you?"

"The Gedwan Kingdom… Gack! 's… Crown Prince… Gack-Gack!"

"Gedwan, so what? What about it?"

Jefad's face turned white at the queen's voice, devoid of any emotion.

"Elena-senpai! We've come to meet Leo Flove…! Gack-Gack?!"

"Who's your senpai? Are you a Lumern student? No, you're not."

Elena's eyes gleamed ominously.

"And what? You want to meet Leo-kun? Then you should behave yourselves. You're flirting with Lumern students and tried to have a meeting with the Lumern Student Council President? Are you dim-witted?"

The Gedwan Kingdom's escorts were also subdued by Elena.

As the three hesitated while watching this,

"You're getting detention."

Leo revealed himself.

Chelsea, Chloe, and Carl flinched.

"Chloe."

"Yeah?"

"What do you want me to do?"

Chloe replied to Leo's question.

"I'll resolve my own anger."

Leo nodded at her words.

Then he glanced at Jefad.

"But I don't think it'll be your turn to act."

"Huh?"

"The atmosphere doesn't seem like they'll let it go."

At that, Chloe scratched her cheek.

Leo chuckled as he looked at Elena.

"As expected, it's most effective for a degenerate to deal with a degenerate."