Book 1 Chapter 91

【91】90.

Special training was held for each department in preparation for the inter-departmental competition.

The ones who suffered the most were none other than the students of the Summoning Department.

"Wow, look at them."

"They look like complete beggars, don't they?"

"I heard they couldn't even use summoning magic and were on the Isle of Spirit Beasts for 2 nights and 3 days?"

Other department students whispered as the Summoning Department students entered the dormitory entrance.

"They say they're going to do this every week until the inter-departmental competition… How are we going to do this again?"

Tade mumbled in a pitiful voice.

There was no way they could get used to the wilderness in just 2 nights and 3 days.

Compared to most students who looked like beggars, there were some who were relatively fine.

Representatively, there were Leo, Chen Xia, and Woredan.

A few groups of students snickered as they watched the Summoning Department.

"Ugh! What a smell!"

"They look terrible, don't they?"

It was then that the Summoning Department students glared fiercely at them, who were treating them like a spectacle.

"What's so funny that you're laughing like that?"

"Huh?"

"Ah, Eliza."

Eliza, who looked a mess, asked in a cold voice.

"Are you saying our current appearance is funny?"

"Oh, no! I mean, we… that…!"

"S-Sorry!"

At Eliza's sharp reaction, the students who had been teasing the Summoning Department quietly noticed and ran away.

Because getting on the bad side of Eliza, who was considered the top-tier practitioner among the first-year students and came from a prestigious hero family, would complicate their school life in many ways.

As Eliza glared, the other students also scattered in a hurry.

Leo immediately washed up and came down to the dormitory lounge.

There, Karl was selling things to students as usual.

"Oh! Leo, you're back?"

Karl greeted Leo with a smile.

"I heard you went through a lot of hardships?"

"I found it fun."

"It's only fun for you! Tade looked like he was about to collapse completely!"

Karl, who had been chuckling, suddenly said.

"Speaking of which, Leo. You asked about Senior Elena, didn't you?"

"I did."

"She returned to school this morning. All students will gather at Erek tomorrow morning, so you might be able to meet her then?"

"Really? That's good."

Leo's eyes sparkled.

The next day.

At 7 AM, all students gathered at Erek, the huge parade ground in the center of the school.

Lined up by year, the first-year students all had tense expressions.

It was their first official event at Erek since the entrance ceremony.

Especially since all students were gathered.

"Ugh, the seniors keep staring."

"I-I'm nervous."

The upperclassmen chuckled, seeing the first-year students looking very stiff.

"First-years are cute, as expected."

"Look how nervous they are. How should we dote on them?"

Most first-year students were like mice before cats, unable to move a muscle in front of the seniors.

However, there were also places where the relationship between seniors and juniors was not ordinary.

"Lady Celia. I should have greeted you sooner, but due to school rules, upperclassmen are not allowed in the first-year area for the first semester, so I am only now greeting you."

Niel Roda paid her respects to Celia as if to her liege lord.

Seeing Niel like that, Celia sighed.

"Sister Niel. Don't do this! What would other students think if they saw a third-year doing this to a first-year?"

"Oh my! Lady Celia is indeed so thoughtful!"

Niel Roda.

A third-year student of the Lumern Knight Department, four years older than Celia.

As the successor of Roda, a vassal family of the Zerdinger family, she had learned swordsmanship with Celia since childhood and was Celia's guard knight.

"Your uniform suits you so well, Lady! I should take a picture of this moment!"

"Magic items are forbidden at events."

"Yes. So I tried to sneak it in and got caught."

"…"

"Tsk. Those damn professors."

Celia felt a throbbing headache.

Normally calm and rational, Niel would turn into an overprotective fool when it came to her.

'If you break school rules, you get demerits!'

…But even if she said that, Niel would clearly respond, 'For my Lady, those demerits are nothing!'

"By the way, Lady, you're too much. You never once sought me out."

"I wanted to spend time with my classmates."

To be precise, she had intentionally avoided Niel, who would obviously disregard all school life to only care about her.

As the two were talking,

"Celia. Aren't you too friendly and informal with your vassal? The lord-vassal relationship should be strict."

A boy with black hair and red eyes, like Celia, approached.

Seeing him, Celia said with an expressionless face.

"Long time no see, Barden."

Barden Zerdinger.

A collateral relative of Zerdinger, three years older than Celia, her sixth cousin.

"Yes, it's the first time since the winter break last year, isn't it?"

Barden, who was approaching Celia with a smile, frowned.

"What? Aren't you going to greet me?"

"Why should Sister Niel greet you?"

Barden flinched at Celia's cold voice.

"Sister Niel is a vassal of the main Zerdinger family. She doesn't need to show courtesy to you, a collateral relative. Shouldn't you, a second-year, be showing courtesy to Sister Niel instead?"

Celia brushed back her hair, her red eyes gleaming.

At that sight, Barden broke out in a cold sweat and said.

"Right, I guess I crossed the line a bit! Sorry. Hahahaha!"

Even as he laughed, Barden did not show the courtesy of a junior to Niel.

Niel looked at Barden with a look of disdain.

Barden was famous in Lumern for swaggering around, using his Zerdinger lineage.

'He hasn't even mastered Phoenix Breath, and just because people around him flatter him, does he think he's a real Zerdinger?'

In the Zerdinger family, unless one had mastered Phoenix Breath, regardless of whether they were direct or collateral lineage, they could not hold an important position.

"Congratulations on being first in the Knight Department!"

Barden quickly changed the subject.

Niel's eyes also sparkled when she heard that.

"I also knew Lady Celia would naturally be first!"

"What's the point of being first in the Knight Department? The year representative was taken by someone else."

Celia folded her arms and snorted, "Hmph!"

Seeing Celia's displeased reaction, Barden chuckled.

"Is it because of Leo Flobe? Don't worry about that guy."

Barden wore a look of contempt.

"I don't know what this 'All-Class' thing is, but a nobody from the countryside with no lineage will soon show his limits. Besides, my Summoning Department friends told me that he rudely picked a fight with a second-year, didn't he? Like he's the first-year representative and has no respect, acting all cocky."

Celia's face turned as cold as ice.

Whether Barden knew it or not, he was excitedly chattering away.

"Master Riss, welcome."

"Niel, how have you been?"

"Yes."

"Brother Riss!"

"Long time no see, Barden."

Riss smiled and pointed beside him.

"I came to introduce someone since you all were gathered. This is Leo Flobe, my and Celia's cousin."

At Riss's words, Niel and Barden showed surprised expressions.

"Although Leo doesn't have the Zerdinger name, he has mastered Phoenix Breath."

Barden's eyes widened.

'This guy has mastered Phoenix Breath! How come!'

For a long time, Barden had requested the main family to let him learn Phoenix Breath.

But he was refused every time.

And now, someone he had never seen at a family gathering suddenly appeared and was said to have inherited Phoenix Breath, which was outrageous.

'He'll be quiet now.'

Niel snorted, looking at the trembling Barden.

Since Barden's enrollment in Lumern, rumors about him hadn't been very good.

'He constantly uses his Zerdinger status to bully his classmates. If only his grades were good. He's barely avoiding the bottom ranks.'

Outside, being a Lumern student might seem impressive.

But that was only outside.

In Lumern, it was nothing to boast about.

'That's why he's relying on his family's prestige, I guess. Pathetic. Compared to that…'

Niel's eyes sparkled.

'He's a very unusual young master.'

Leo had been the center of attention this semester since the entrance ceremony.

But when one is too excellent, there are always those who keep them in check.

Many people, in particular, looked down on Leo because of his supposedly insignificant family.

However, she had never heard rumors that Leo was connected to Zerdinger.

"Lady, doesn't Master Leo show he's a Zerdinger?"

"No, he doesn't show it. Not just not showing it, but he's excessively not showing it, which is the problem."

"I see."

While Niel was marveling, the professor in charge of the event spoke into a microphone with a magnification spell at the central platform of Erek.

[The student council president is sought by the student council, so please come to the platform immediately. And student representatives, please gather at the tent next to the platform.]

"Well, we should go then. See you all later."

"Celia, I'm going."

"Okay."

Leo and Riss immediately headed towards the platform.

"Leo, you go over there."

Riss pointed to a tent next to the platform that looked like a preparation room.

"Yes."

"See you in a bit."

Leo parted ways with Riss and entered the tent.

There were two students inside.

The first thing that caught his eye was a small male student with bright, light brown curly hair.

He had a fourth-year badge on his left chest, and judging by the sword and shield emblem embroidered on his right shoulder, he was clearly from the Knight Department.

What was unusual was that he was wearing an eye patch and sleeping, snoring loudly.

In front of this fourth-year representative sat a female student, who appeared to be the second-year representative, kneeling in a devout posture.

With light green hair and blue eyes, she had the four elements emblem on her right shoulder, signifying the Summoning Department.

She saw Leo and stood up from her seat.

"Are you Leo Flobe, the first-year representative?"

"Yes."

"Nice to meet you. I am Lil Luce, the second-year representative."

Lil extended her hand with military precision.

Leo held her hand, making a strange expression at her soldier-like demeanor.

"I'm Leo Flobe."

"The person here is Senior Hark Riguard, a fourth-year. As you can see, he's asleep. He's almost always asleep, so you don't need to mind him. I've hardly ever seen him awake either."

"Yes. But you can speak informally, right?"

"This is what I'm comfortable with. By the way, Leo, I've wanted to meet you sometime!"

"Why me?"

"All-Class? Is that really true?"

Lil asked with a slightly excited face.

"If it's not too much trouble, could you try using all three powers simultaneously?"

At her request, Leo simultaneously conjured aura, magic power, and spirit power.

Seeing this, Lil admired it, then her shoulders slumped.

"I'm really envious."

"Why?"

"Even though I'm a year representative, I'm just a plain, ordinary spirit user with no special characteristics."

"If you've become a year representative, aren't you a great practitioner?"

"No! I lack impact! Senior Hark always sleeps, so his character is clear! Senior Riss, needless to say, has top-notch skills! Even you, a first-year, are All-Class! Oh! I'm so ordinary! Only I am too ordinary! Ordinary!"

'No matter how I look at it, she's not ordinary…'

It was usually the people who claimed to be ordinary who were the least ordinary.

Leo looked at Lil, who was holding her head and squatting, and asked.

"How about Senior Elena?"

"That senior… is a bit dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

"Oh? What part of me is dangerous, Lil?"

"Ugh."

Leo looked in the direction of the voice.

A third-year female student stood there.

Gorgeous golden hair. Sparkling pink eyes.

Skin like white jade and distinct features.

She was, literally, someone for whom there was no other way to express than "beautiful."

"Long time no time, Senior Elena. How was your assignment?"

"It was boring."

Elena, who spoke abruptly, walked with a click-clack-click-clack towards Leo.

"Are you that famous first-year representative?"

Elena's eyes sparkled as she approached Leo.

Then, she poked Leo's cheek with her finger.

"Oh my~ How cute."

Elena chuckled and stroked Leo's cheek, then asked.

"Leo-kun, do you want to be unnie's?"

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