Book 1 Chapter 853

853.

The next morning.

The Clock Tower Dormitory's communal training ground.

Connected to the dormitories of each department, it was a place where students could have casual sparring matches with students from other departments.

WHOOSH-! CRASH-!

Chelsea was moving at high speed in the training ground.

Chelsea aimed her staff at Chen Xia, who was pressing her.

Chen Xia, who had approached right up to Chelsea, swung her fist.

POW-!

The water aura around Chen Xia's hand exploded, scattering water in all directions.

The impact sent Chelsea flying.

Chelsea's body, suspended high in the air, began to fall to the ground like a light feather.

"Phew. Your movements are still fierce."

As Chelsea said jokingly, Chen Xia smiled faintly.

"Chelsea, your movements have improved a lot."

"Hmph. Of course. In close combat, I'm the best in the Magic Department!"

"You've surpassed being just the best in the Magic Department. Your stamina is better than most students in the Knight Department, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Stamina is national power."

"You handle weapons made with wind magic incredibly well now. Your swordsmanship is especially impressive."

"I swing a wooden sword a thousand times a day!"

"When I talk to you these days, Chelsea, sometimes I can't tell if I'm talking to someone from the Magic Department or the Knight Department."

"But Luna-nim told me to practice swordsmanship diligently. In fact, Luna-nim's swordsmanship was amazing."

"Indeed. Luna-nim's swordsmanship wasn't just at a self-defense level."

Luna hadn't systematically learned swordsmanship.

However, to Chen Xia's eyes, Luna's swordsmanship was thorough practical swordsmanship.

It was clearly swordsmanship learned from rolling around on the battlefield.

'Even Leo-doryeong said that if Luna had an aura talent, she could have engaged in melee combat at Arion-nim's level.'

Unfortunately, Luna had a talent for summoning instead of aura.

After finishing their morning training, the two headed to the shower room in the training ground, wiping away their sweat.

Summer had passed, but the weather was still not cool.

They were sweating profusely from their intense movements in the early morning.

"Ah~ refreshing! A shower right after sweating is the most invigorating!"

Chelsea laughed happily and dried herself with a towel.

Chen Xia, who had come out first, looked at Chelsea drying her hair with a towel and said with a smile,

"I'll help you."

"Okay."

Chen Xia carefully dried Chelsea's hair with a dry towel.

"By the way, if this incident wasn't Leo oppa's doing, where has Leo oppa been since the beginning of the semester?"

"I don't know. If there was a mission, there would have been an announcement. There's no such thing."

"Then unauthorized absence? That's not like Leo oppa."

Chelsea made a surprised expression.

"Even the student council president would get disciplined for that, wouldn't they?"

"They would. But there must be a reason."

"Right. Leo oppa isn't someone who would skip school without a reason."

As they were having a casual conversation, Chelsea suddenly made a strange expression at the softness she felt behind her.

Then, she subtly patted her chest and furrowed her brow.

"Hey, Xia."

"Yes."

"You're about the same height as me, so why is there such a difference?"

"It's because I'm older than Chelsea."

"Is that so?"

"……."

"Why aren't you answering?"

"Body shape isn't solely due to age difference."

At that answer, Chelsea made a sullen expression.

Chen Xia chuckled and finished drying Chelsea's hair.

The two then left the shower room.

And they tilted their heads as they saw a female student standing at the entrance of the shower room.

"It's unexpected. Eliza-yang coming to the communal training ground so early."

Chen Xia made a bewildered expression.

Although the communal training ground was a public facility, many students did not use it.

Eliza was a prime example.

She was one of the students who hadn't come to the communal training ground since the start of her third year.

In response to Chen Xia's question, Eliza snorted.

"I just came to deliver something."

With that, Eliza handed two envelopes with the Lumerean Academy's seal to Chen Xia and Chelsea respectively.

Chelsea and Chen Xia, who received them, widened their eyes.

"A mission?"

"It's an urgent mission. We have to finish all preparations within an hour and gather at the warp gate."

After delivering the message, Eliza returned to the Summoning Department dormitory.

Chelsea checked the mission order.

"Mission issuer… Kal Thomas?"

Chelsea, with widened eyes, checked the party composition.

"Party leader, Lil Luce, Chen Xia, Eliza Hergin, me. And Kal Thomas?"

"The mission location is Fairy Land? The content is… supporting Leo-doryeong?"

The faces of the two became serious.

"Let's go prepare first."

"Okay."

Chen Xia and Chelsea headed to their respective dormitory rooms.

***

"I don't understand."

"What?"

Kal, who was preparing quickly, furrowed his brow at Elena's words.

"Why am I not the party leader? No. Beyond that, why was I excluded from this mission?"

Elena made a displeased expression.

Seeing Elena like that, Kal scratched his cheek.

"Wow, I never imagined you would care about something like that?"

"What do you mean you never imagined?"

Elena's eyes narrowed.

"At any rate, if you don't have a reason that I can accept, I'll expose you and Eliza to the entire student body."

"Isn't that a bit too much of a threat?!"

Kal said in alarm.

"Hmph!"

Elena snorted.

'Wow, it's more difficult than usual when she acts like this.'

Kal, scratching his cheek as he watched Elena acting like a child, said,

"First, the reason Lil-senpai was made party leader is because the destination this time is Fairy Land. Lil-senpai is a spirit user, but she understands summoning itself the best."

Kal said as he swept potions into his bag.

"And her skills are unparalleled."

"Why was I excluded?"

"We have to prepare for the possibility of any unforeseen circumstances."

Kal made a serious expression.

"Whatever it is, Lumerean students are a powerful force."

Professors also possess strength and knowledge close to that of heroes.

However, professors are ultimately beings who teach students.

"The students who practically control Lumerean are the student council. That's why the student council has immense authority."

"That's right."

"In that sense, the Lumerean student council president is the leader of the hero candidates, in other words, the master of Lumerean."

"Correct."

"But Lumerean is currently in a situation where its master is absent. The purpose of this mission is to support that master."

"Hmm?"

"In such a situation, if the vice student council president, the lady of Lumerean, is also absent, who will control the Lumerean students in case of an emergency?"

Elena stared at Kal.

"If Leo went to Fairy Land, a rather serious event could occur. To prepare for that, Elena-senpai must act as the lady of Lumerean in Leo's stead."

"Isn't the Lumerean vice student council president not the lady, but the second-in-command of Lumerean?"

"It's similar, so let's move past that."

"They are not similar at all. You deliberately chose that wording to make me feel good, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"You're shamelessly flattering me, aren't you?"

"Shall I rub my hands too?"

Kal slyly rubbed his hands.

Elena snorted at Kal, but she didn't feel bad.

"The party composition was also carefully considered. Members who can best support Leo."

The members Kal composed could react quickly in various situations.

Lil, in particular, is a summoner who can handle everything, front, back, and support.

Chelsea and Eliza can move quickly, adapt flexibly to various situations, and perfectly support other students.

'Not to mention Chen Xia, who is the most flexible forward among the Knight Department students. She also has extensive combat experience.'

In Kal's judgment, it was a party composed of members who, including himself, could perfectly support Leo.

After listening to Kal's explanation, Elena stroked her chin.

"Hmm?"

"Why?"

"I just realized anew why you earned the epithet 'One Who Prepares for the Beginning'."

"Hmph. I do prepare quite well."

"Do you want to be the vice student council president?"

"I strongly recommend Chloe!"

Kal said in a serious voice.

"Hmm."

"Stop looking at me with that predatory gaze!"

Kal, alarmed, fled the room as if escaping.

"Ah! Kal! Wait for me!"

At that moment, Chelsea's voice was heard, having also finished preparing.

Elena, who had closed Kal's door, looked out the window at the Lumerean landscape.

"Fairy Land…"

Elena, who knew Leo's identity, knew all too well what Silod was to Leo.

"Our president never has a peaceful day."

Elena sighed softly with a slightly worried expression.

***

WHOOSH-!

Crimson flames erupted from Leo's sword.

CRASH-!

The fiery sword strikes annihilated all the demons before him.

Screech-! Clang-!

Leo plunged his sword into the ground.

A moment later.

Melina emerged from the entrance of Fairy Land.

"I'm sorry, Leo-nim."

Melina showed a contrite expression.

To open the entrance to Fairy Land, one must find a key within an illusion.

However, that illusion did not work on Leo.

Therefore, Melina had no choice but to find it.

But she kept failing.

"Don't blame yourself. It just means Silod's magic is strong."

"But…"

Melina showed her impatience.

Watching the impatient Melina, Leo said indifferently,

"Don't worry about me."

"……."

Silod had little time left to live.

Hearing that from Leo, Melina felt a sense of urgency.

Before Silod closed his eyes.

She wanted to help the King of Beginning escort the Fairy King's last moments, somehow.

Melina shuddered at her helplessness.

Watching her, Leo reached out and ruffled Melina's hair.

"Huh?"

Leo, treating Melina like a child, which he rarely did.

"Don't blame yourself too much. Isn't the fact that his magic is strong proof that he's still alive?"

"I'm sorry."

"I told you not to worry. What's there to be sorry about?"

"It's that I still can't give you my trust."

"……."

Melina gently reached out and caressed Leo's cheek.

Leo smiled faintly at Melina.

"I trust you."

"……."

"By the way, you act so casually towards me."

"I've experienced the future many times. I even saw the future Leo-nim there. So, I guess I've become familiar with you."

Melina quickly withdrew her hand from Leo's cheek.

And cleared her throat.

"So? Is it the future again?"

"Yes."

Nodding, Melina made a puzzled expression.

"But why do I only see illusions of the future? Wasn't that illusionary world a distortion of space-time?"

If space-time was distorted, it wouldn't be strange to experience past events.

However, every time Melina entered the illusion magic, she experienced the future.

Seeing Melina's confusion, Leo pondered and said,

"It's probably because of you."

"Because of me?"

"Yes."

Leo said indifferently.

"It's probably because you have more anticipation for the future than attachment to the past. That feeling of yours makes you see the future. Illusion magic shows you what you want to see."

"Ah."

Nodding as if she understood, Melina made a puzzled expression.

"Then why are the illusions that manifest in reality past demons and monsters?"

The illusion magic that currently spread throughout Fairy Land was in chaos.

As long as the magic was maintained, it meant Silod's magic was intact, but it was beyond control.

And through that chaos, past demons were appearing in reality.

While Melina was searching for the key within the illusion, Leo was outside fending off those illusions.

After listening to Melina's words, Leo fell silent and then said,

"Perhaps it's because of Silod."

"Because of the Fairy King?"

"Yes."

Leo looked at Fairy Land.

'Perhaps Silod is unconscious right now.'

The illusion magic's chaos was due to his subconscious.

'Perhaps… he misses the past in his subconscious.'

Perhaps that longing was manifesting past illusions in the present world.

'It's ironic. To miss the darkest era from the most brilliant era.'

Thinking so, Leo smiled bitterly.

'Well, I'm not in a position to talk about others, am I?'