Chapter 16: Even Professors Gazed in Awe
Even the professors gazed at Ludenberg Lavante with surprised expressions.
All the training they were conducting now served a dual purpose at the start of the semester: tightening the discipline of students who had unknowingly grown lax, while cultivating their grit and ferocity. It also seemed designed to make them realize just how frail their bodies were without divine power. Yet Ludenberg mocked them all the same, committing not a single mistake with a body incapable of wielding divine power.
Regardless of whether others collapsed around him, Ludenberg poured every ounce of focus into the sword before his eyes. He swung it in perfect sync with the professor's calls—without the slightest hesitation or falter.
Light.
Even amid the training, Ludenberg thought of his future self from his dreams as he swung. Perhaps because of that, his strikes carried a menacing pressure, as if crushing down on an opponent, fierce and unrelenting.
At the final motion Ludenberg executed, the other students flinched involuntarily, while the professors watched him with expressions laced with admiration.
"That kid has no divine power at all. How can he perform like that?"
"The Lavante name lives up to its reputation, doesn't it."
"If only he had divine power... he could have written new history. What a shame."
Of course, their admiration was tinged with pity.
After a full day in heavy armor, exhaustion set in alongside the professors' relentless drive. By the end of training, the students were utterly spent, sprawled out like the dead.
"That's enough! We're done for today!"
Ludenberg felt it had been a bit grueling, but he neither staggered nor struggled to walk. Treating it as just another routine, he hung his armor on the rack, gathered his things, and headed back to the dorms.
The students stared at him like he was a monster, their gazes mixed with the look of beholding someone utterly alien.
Amid them, Eden Asta glared at Ludenberg with a subtle expression. The awe and envy in Eden's face soon twisted into something sinister once no one paid him any mind.
Eden believed himself a genius. He had to be at the forefront, towering above everyone else. From childhood, his exceptional talent had filled him with confidence, which sometimes veered into arrogance.
But that arrogance shattered upon meeting Ludenberg Lavante.
Overwhelming talent. Ludenberg's genius was violent in its supremacy, as if declaring that true genius looked like this. No matter how hard Eden tried, he felt a crushing sense of defeat—he could never surpass him.
Despair, sorrow, and gloom crashed over Eden, leading him to pray daily to the gods.
Omniscient six gods, grant me the power to eliminate the enemy blocking my path.
The gods answered, bestowing upon him not one, but three divine powers. From then on, Eden believed his prayers had reached them, that he was chosen by the divine.
Yet... he still couldn't forget his twelfth birthday.
Despite the crowd of nobles, he had been beaten by Ludenberg, who hadn't even awakened his divine power. His father had been forced to bow his head to Duke Lavante because of it.
To Eden, it was utter humiliation, something unforgivable. To avoid losing the heir position to his half-sibling, such a thing could never happen again.
The defeat Ludenberg had planted in Eden's heart evolved into deep-seated inferiority.
From that moment, Eden acted. He began subtly spreading stories about Ludenberg to his followers, which twisted through the grapevine into far more vicious tales.
Once the rumors were out, Eden donned a mask. He couldn't let anyone trace them back to him—especially with Princess Ashytara Solenute's protection over Ludenberg.
Clashing with House Lavante was inevitable, but falling out of favor with the imperial family was not. Even if the Lavantes rarely engaged externally while guarding the Eastern Erosion Zone, spreading slander about their heir could invite severe retaliation. Eden had to tread carefully.
At gatherings, whenever his twelfth birthday came up, Eden would defend Ludenberg, claiming there must have been a reason. Since the victim himself said so, other nobles began whispering about how vicious Ludenberg must be to assault a kind noble at a birthday feast.
Soon, as Eden intended, Ludenberg's reputation in noble society plummeted, while Eden's soared.
By then, Ludenberg had grown disillusioned with those around him and vanished, unable to quash the rumors. They spread like wildfire.
Fortunate for Eden, perhaps. Ashytara, training with the Solem Church, had missed most of it. Even after finishing, she was too focused on reuniting with Ludenberg to notice the rift between him and Eden.
By the time years had passed and Ludenberg entered the academy, the rumors had ballooned uncontrollably.
Spreading rumors is enough. No one shows Ludenberg unearned favor anymore except Princess Ashytara. All that's left... is to crush him.
In a shelter with only two people present, Eden and Mion Altis sat facing each other, talking.
"How far along is that thing you mentioned before?"
"I've told Gawin's crew. They'll probably get a good thrashing from Ludenberg soon. But... I've prepared compensation, so they won't complain much."
"Good work. What about the holy relic?"
Mion smiled smugly.
"Finding the info didn't take long, and excavation's nearly done after just a few days. Only restoration left. Luckily, my family led the dig, so we have claim to the relic."
"Can we get it before midterms?"
Absorbing a holy relic's power increases one's total divine power capacity. For Eden, already advanced in handling it, raw quantity mattered more. He gazed at Mion with desperate eyes. He was still far from beating Ludenberg.
Mion smiled softly at her fiancé's earnest face, reassuring him.
"Can't promise for sure, but based on progress, it should be possible."
"That's a relief."
"Mentioning midterms specifically... you planning to settle it then?"
"If possible. I don't know the format, but past evals suggest round one is duels, round two is erosion beast dispatch and extermination."
"The ranking system's a wildcard too. Don't fixate solely on that."
Eden clicked his tongue at Mion's sharp point.
"Tch, this is getting headache-inducing."
"Anyway, prepare thoroughly. I'll help as much as I can. What about non-divine stuff? Swordsmanship or whatever."
"That's where I'm lacking, so I'm compensating with divine power. I can't catch up to his sword skills short-term. I'll have to overwhelm with max divine power use. I'm confident there."
"Fine. You'll handle it. Now it's my turn to worry..."
"Why?"
"I need to ace evals too. Not that I doubt myself against the others, but might as well do it perfectly. Father's expectations are huge. Remember—you help me as much as I help you."
"It's only natural for my fiancée who secured a holy relic for me. Anything else you want?"
"Nothing specific. Just win. Don't end up rolling in the dirt like at twelve."
"I'll do my best."
Eden gave his fiancée an awkward smile.
While Eden and Mion schemed to defeat Ludenberg, he sought out Professor Nah Tes the moment the holiday arrived.
Having visited her cluttered office once before, he found it easily.
"Excuse me."
Ludenberg knocked as politely as possible. The ruins trip hinged on her cooperation, so even he, who hated entanglements, had no choice.
"Come in."
Click.
The door opened with the sound, revealing the familiar mess of Professor Nah Tes's office.
But someone else was there besides her.
"Hm? Sis, who's this guy?"
"Oh, a first-year like you. Knight Faculty, unlike you, though."
Ludenberg glanced curiously, then couldn't hide his surprise. The man was bald, with a rugged face that could scare off most people, grinning at him. And he was a head taller than the tall Ludenberg.
Knight Faculty, unlike you?
Ludenberg caught the implication instantly.
Theology Faculty?
"Ooh, spot on. Nice to meet you. Nadan Tes here—Professor Nah's little bro, first-year Theology at Solemnute Adem. Oh, Setra Church."
The giant, whose physique mocked even Knight Faculty students, greeted Ludenberg warmly.
"First-year Knight Faculty, Ludenberg Lavante."
"Lavante? Whoa, fancy pants."
Nadan—the 'boy' Ludenberg's age—eyed him with interest.
"You look like a pile of ash. Nice. From today, you're Ashpile."
"What?"
Ludenberg stared in disbelief at Nadan's bizarre declaration.