Book 1 Chapter 873

873.

"Eliza, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"You probably wanted to be on the same team as your future husband, but you ended up on my team."

"This damn kid…!"

Eliza was choked up as she watched Chelsea tease her.

So she retorted with words Chelsea usually hated.

But Chelsea was triumphant.

"Hehe! In the future, I'll be this tall!"

Chelsea didn't get angry; instead, she straightened her back proudly.

Eliza frowned, looking at Chelsea, who was as tall as she was.

Then she lowered her gaze slightly and looked at Chelsea's chest for a moment.

Pfft-!

As soon as the sound of air escaping came from Eliza's mouth.

Chelsea raised her staff and swung it at Eliza.

Eliza wrapped her whip around Chelsea's staff and pulled.

The two growled at each other, their faces close together.

But soon they retreated from each other and began to scout their surroundings.

"Chelsea Rwalin, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"How did Leo Flobe recognize the Spear of Punishment and the Necklace of Purification?"

For Eliza, it was a mystery.

She had deep doubts about Leo's knowledge, as he knew details about items that had vanished from history even 5000 years ago.

"Why are you asking me that?"

"Because you're one of the people closest to Leo Flobe."

Eliza said calmly.

Of course, there were others close to Leo.

'There's also Chen Xia.'

But digging secrets out of Chen Xia was difficult.

Of course, Chelsea wasn't someone who would readily spill Leo's information.

But compared to Chen Xia, she had relatively more weaknesses.

"Isn't his knowledge too detailed for information gained from the Hero's World? It's as if he's seen it himself."

Eliza looked down at her hands.

Eliza had quickly made a contract with Pegasus by drawing out her potential through Leo's training.

She was told that the source of the power that awakened her also came from the Hero's World.

Up to that point, it made sense.

But still, she couldn't help but question his surprisingly detailed knowledge about the Age of Calamity.

"It's natural for big brother Leo to know a lot about the Age of Calamity."

"Why?"

Chelsea crossed her arms with a *thump* and tilted her head back.

"Because he's big brother Leo. What doesn't big brother Leo know?"

Eliza, who had been staring at Chelsea as she praised Leo with a scoff, shook her head.

"I was a fool to ask you."

"What?!"

Chelsea bristled.

Eliza, leaving Chelsea behind, clicked her tongue.

'Of course, she wouldn't tell me willingly.'

Chelsea pouted her lips, watching Eliza walk ahead.

'She must have noticed I was acting, right?'

Each clearly understood the other's intentions and thoughts.

Eliza didn't delve further into Leo, and Chelsea also said nothing.

As the strange silence lengthened.

"Stop for a moment."

Chelsea called out to Eliza.

Eliza stopped and looked back at Chelsea.

Chelsea had her hands cupped over both ears.

An action to hear sounds better.

Chelsea's eyes, which had been closed in concentration, opened sharply.

Seeing that, Eliza invoked her spiritual power.

Flash-!

A summoning circle appeared, and a Wind Wyvern, compatible with Chelsea, was summoned.

Chelsea and Eliza scanned their surroundings with sharp eyes.

Chelsea had only heard the enemy's sound.

She hadn't pinpointed the exact location.

The gazes of the two, who had been guarding their surroundings, simultaneously focused on one spot.

Eliza's Wind Wyvern unleashed a breath attack, and Chelsea also used Wind Break.

Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-gang-!

A powerful wind swept through the surrounding area.

Chelsea twitched her staff, and the wind completely disappeared.

"Quite a rough greeting."

What appeared with it was a demon, who looked to be in their mid-teens in human age.

If it weren't for the ominous black demonic energy felt from their body, one might have mistaken them for a human.

"For a demon, they look quite normal, don't they?"

As Chelsea said with a puzzled face, the demon snorted.

"What's normal about this appearance?"

"You don't look hideous."

"From my perspective, you look hideous. You ugly woman!"

Chelsea's eyes widened at the opponent's childish reaction.

"Wow! You're totally like a little kid!"

"Don't call me a little kid! Ugly woman!"

The demon reacted sharply to Chelsea's words.

Eliza let out a small laugh, watching that scene.

"It's funny that you call that little demon a 'little kid.' You're also a little kid, aren't you?"

"Yeah. But in the future, I'll grow up like this, right?"

Chelsea reacted as if she hadn't been affected at all.

But the demon was different.

"Who are you calling a little kid?! You old hag!"

The expression vanished from Eliza's face.

"Oh? She's triggered."

Chelsea stared at Eliza with wide eyes.

Then her eyes met Eliza's.

Startled by that incredibly murderous gaze, Chelsea subtly averted her eyes.

"Chelsea Rwalin. Don't interfere."

Eliza cracked her knuckles, *ddu-du-duk- ddu-du-duk*, and stepped forward.

A sinister smile formed on her face.

"I'll deal with that damned brat."

Chelsea, looking at Eliza's back, felt pity for her friend.

'Karl is definitely going to be completely under Eliza's thumb.'

***

"Karl."

"Senior Lil. Would you like some warm water?"

At Lil's call, Karl blew on the hot water in his cup, "Hoo-hoo," and asked.

"How on earth did you charm Eliza?"

"Ugh?! Pfft! Ow-ow-ow-!"

Then, caught off guard by the sudden question, he accidentally gulped down a lot of water, choked, and spat it out.

Moreover, because it was hot water, he jumped up and down, hitting his chest from the heat that went down his esophagus.

"Are you alright?"

"I-I'm alright, but why are you suddenly asking that?"

"I asked because I was curious. Eliza and Karl. It's a combination I never expected. Oh, of course, I don't mean you two don't suit each other."

At Lil's question, Karl wore a troubled expression, unsure how to answer.

"Well. The first time we started getting close was when I helped Eliza with her training."

"Hmm? Why did you help Eliza with her training? Karl, you're not even in the summoning department."

"Well. She just caught my attention."

Karl shrugged his shoulders.

"Until freshman year, I just thought she was an annoying noble lady."

Among her classmates, Eliza was on par with Duran for having the worst temper.

Her haughty gaze, always looking down on others.

That was all Karl knew of Eliza in her freshman year.

"But once we became dorm mates, I realized she wasn't just a noble lady."

Karl has good observational skills and a broad perspective.

During his sophomore year, he was the least fitting student in the Noble Dorm, but with his unique adaptability, he naturally assimilated into it.

Because of that, there were things that caught his eye.

It wasn't just Eliza.

His perception of Duran also changed during his sophomore year in the Noble Dorm.

Karl said, thinking of the top students in their departments who put in unimaginable effort.

"Then one day, I felt Eliza hit a wall. I saw her comparing herself to Avad and Duran, and getting anxious."

"Hmm. Indeed. Summoners definitely grow slower compared to Knight and Mage classes. Even so, to notice that… your observational skills are truly exceptional."

"Haha. Isn't it because of these eyes that I rose to the position of a hero?"

Karl lightly tapped his orange eyes.

"Anyway, I wanted to help her. So we naturally became close."

"What then?"

"Huh?"

"There must have been something crucial that enchanted Eliza, wasn't there?"

"…There wasn't?"

"That can't be!"

Lil made a shocked expression.

Karl chuckled playfully, looking at Lil.

"Well, there was that incident where I ended up naked in front of Eliza."

It was when they entered Lumen's world.

Of course, Eliza was in a similar state, but they didn't see each other's bodies.

Coincidentally, that was also around the time he started perceiving Eliza as a woman.

'She started talking informally and getting close to me; how could I not perceive her as a woman?'

"Naked?"

"Ah. It's a joke. Just a joke. I'm sorry for the crude joke…"

"Karl."

"Yes."

"Do you know anything about my brother's type?"

"…"

Karl made a strange expression, looking at Lil's infinitely serious face.

'Leo just enchants people around him with his mere presence.'

Karl thought of Leo.

'Indeed, if I were a woman, I would have fallen for him too.'

"Well."

"Don't boys your age, Karl, talk about various things with their friends, including the opposite sex?"

"They do, but… Leo doesn't really join in when those topics come up."

'From Leo's perspective, our stories would probably seem trivial.'

"Hmm…"

"Senior?"

Karl asked in a fluster when Lil stared intently at him.

"Naked, you say."

"No, no. I told you it was a joke! If you did that to Leo, you'd really get scolded!"

Karl hastily tried to dissuade Lil.

"It's a joke."

Lil smiled faintly.

'No, he's so serious it doesn't feel like a joke!'

Karl screamed internally.

Just then, Lil stopped walking.

"Someone's here."

At those words, Karl looked ahead.

And his mouth gaped open.

"Eliza?"

What appeared in front of them was Eliza.

The difference was that she was in her teens.

Moreover, she had an enchanting smile on her face.

Crucially, her attire was unconventional.

"Hmm. Where do people wear outfits like that?"

Lil tilted his head.

"Ah. Isn't that what women wear in places like casinos? Like a bunny girl?"

"Th-that's right."

"But for a bunny girl, it's excessively provocative."

"It-it's not good to look at."

Karl, his face beet red, covered his nose and mouth with his hand and quickly turned his head away.

"Hmm-hmm. Indeed. Karl. Never tell Eliza your preferences. She might beat you up."

"What?! My preferences?"

When Karl asked, startled, Lil gave him a look as if to say, 'Why are you flustered?'

"That's your type, isn't it, Karl?"

"N-no, it's not!"

"It's no use denying it."

Lil shook his head.

"That's a dream demon."

"What?"

"From the looks of it, it's a succubus."

Lil said, pulling out his war hammer.

"It's trying to tempt Karl."