Chapter 132
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Offer
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132.
“Hmph, has the time finally come to make my name known to the entire world?”
“In your dreams.”
“Why would anyone care to know your name?”
That evening, the entire dormitory cafeteria was in an uproar with talk about the mission practicum.
“Everyone’s so excited about the mission practicum.”
Chelsea opened her mouth wide—*ahh*—and ate the pudding that came out for dessert.
“Mmm~”
Watching Chelsea cup her cheeks in bliss, Karl asked.
“What’s with you? Is the pudding that good?”
“It’s the limited edition today, so I’m definitely not sharing.”
Seeing Chelsea’s intense wariness, Karl said indifferently.
“Fine, I wouldn’t want any from someone so stingy.”
“Good. Don’t eat it. Leo, do you want a bite?”
“What’s with the sudden change in attitude!”
Karl protested with a pained expression.
Ignoring Karl, Chelsea scooped up a spoonful of pudding and looked at Leo.
“I’m fine.”
“This is super delicious! Leo, you’ve never had the limited edition pudding, have you?”
“Yeah, Leo. That stuff is amazing. There’s a reason everyone goes crazy for it.”
Karl, who had tried the limited edition pudding before, nodded in agreement with Chelsea.
“Then I guess I’ll have a bite.”
“Okay.”
Just as Chelsea was about to feed the pudding to Leo…
*Snatch-!*
“Mmm-! The limited edition pudding is as good as they say.”
Someone had swooped in and eaten the pudding.
Her eyes wide, Chelsea tried to furiously stir the spoon that was now in Celia’s mouth.
But Celia bit down hard on the spoon and, on the contrary, snatched it from Chelsea’s grasp.
“Are you an alligator?!”
“Hmph.”
Sweeping her hair back, Celia scoffed.
Chelsea, who had tried to take the spoon back, glared at Celia and Karl and issued a warning.
“Touch my pudding and you die!”
“I’ll make sure they don’t.”
Leo burst out laughing, and only then did a relieved Chelsea scurry off to get another spoon.
“Leo. You haven’t decided where to go for the mission practicum yet, have you?”
“I have. Why?”
“With who? Don’t tell me you’re going with the Class 5 kids?”
Celia wore a displeased expression.
It was because if he went with his classmates, Chelsea would obviously be included.
For Celia, who had planned to arrange her mission practicum with Leo, this was not a welcome development.
“No. I’m going alone.”
“What? Then that’s perfect. Go with me…”
“Guess who?”
Just then, someone covered Leo’s eyes.
Leo calmly removed the hands and said.
“What is it, Chen Xia.”
“Aww, no fun.”
At his nonchalant reaction, Chen Xia pulled her hands away with a disappointed look.
Celia looked puzzled.
“You guys play like that?”
“I try to tease Young Master Leo, but his reactions are always so bland that it’s no fun.”
Grumbling, Chen Xia poked Leo’s cheek.
Watching this, Karl turned his head.
There, Chelsea, who was returning with a spoon, stood frozen.
“Hello, Miss Chelsea.”
Chen Xia smiled and waved.
“Oh, uh. Hi.”
Chelsea answered, flustered, and sat down in front of Leo.
Then she looked back and forth between Leo and Chen Xia.
“Are you here about the mission practicum too?”
“Yes. I thought it would be nice to form a party with Young Master Leo. If you’re also planning to party with him, Miss Celia, would you let me join?”
“Hmm. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place students of the Knight Department on a mission practicum… Not bad. That’s a totally star-studded lineup, isn’t it?”
It was Karl who answered Celia.
“Not that I’m a fan of our country’s prince, but still, isn’t Duran second in the Knight Department? And why is Leo in the Knight Department?”
“That’s right! That’s right!”
Chelsea waved her spoon, protesting in agreement with Karl.
Seeing this, Celia said indifferently.
“What are you talking about? Once it’s announced that Leo is my cousin, he’s basically confirmed for the Knight Department.”
“Huh? That’s getting an official announcement?”
“Yep. It’ll be out soon.”
As Karl looked surprised, Celia nodded nonchalantly.
“So Young Master Leo and Miss Celia were related by blood after all.”
“You noticed?”
“The flames you two use are similar. Any student with a sharp eye would have vaguely noticed.”
Chen Xia shrugged.
“Anyway! Leo! Do the mission practicum with us!”
“That’s right. It’s better if we stick with people from the same department, right?”
Chen Xia chimed in, agreeing with Celia.
“I haven’t even chosen a department yet. Besides, I told you I’ve already decided on my mission practicum.”
“Then we’ll go with you. If it’s a place you chose, it must be high-level, right?”
“Leo said he’s going to subjugate some bandits.”
“Bandit subjugation? Are there any big-shot bandit groups active right now?”
“I haven’t heard any news like that.”
Looking at the two girls’ puzzled reactions, Leo wore an indifferent expression.
“I’m going to subjugate a group of bandits in some rural backwater.”
“What? Why!”
“A mission practicum like that won’t help your grades at all.”
At their words, Chelsea spoke with the spoon of pudding in her mouth.
“I told him so many times, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“Leo must have his reasons.”
As Karl spoke, leaning back in his chair, Chelsea pouted.
“Still, though. With Leo’s abilities, he could easily handle a much better quest.”
Afterward, Celia tried to persuade Leo several more times, but he wouldn’t listen.
Just as Leo finished his meal and left the dormitory cafeteria…
*Murmur- Murmur-*
There was a commotion in front of the dormitory.
“What’s going on?”
A student from the Summoning Department answered Karl’s question in an excited tone.
“Seniors from the Dungeon Conqueror parties are here!”
“What?”
“They’re recruiting first-years to join them for the mission practicum!”
Dungeon Conqueror parties.
Parties composed of students who achieved outstanding results in their departments.
They were officially permitted by the school to conquer Hero Dungeons and were deployed on missions.
They could literally be called the best students at Lumerne.
Heading toward the dormitory entrance, they could indeed see people who looked like third and fourth-years.
The graduating fifth-years were retiring this year, so they didn’t participate in party recruitment.
“Ah! Celia!”
Just then, someone approached Celia.
A boy with black hair and red eyes.
It was Barden Jerdinger, Celia’s relative and a second-year at Lumerne.
“Perfect! I was waiting for you!”
“Why me?”
Celia asked, crossing her arms, and Barden grinned.
“Why else! To invite you to join our party!”
For ordinary students, joining a Conqueror party was a tremendous honor.
Dungeon Conquerors were literally the top students, and joining a party allowed one to build connections with them.
That’s why everyone tried their best to get into a Conqueror party.
But there were exceptions everywhere.
The promising prospects.
In particular, the Conqueror parties were desperate to recruit students like Celia.
This was because they already possessed the skills to naturally become Dungeon Conquerors once they became upperclassmen.
Therefore, students with good grades were naturally invited to join by the parties themselves.
“You haven’t chosen a Conqueror party yet, right? Lis’s party is all fifth-years, so it’s disbanding this year.”
The Dungeon Conqueror party that Lis Jerdinger belonged to, Red Wing, was a party Lis had created himself.
It was a party that had been active since their third year, with formidable classmates like Torua and Jamua as its core members.
Many of the current third and fourth-years wanted to join Red Wing, but it adhered to the principle of only accepting members from the same year, so it was a party destined to disband at the end of this year.
“I’m in Blue Moon, the Conqueror party created by Elena! I guarantee you, the only Conqueror party in Lumerne as influential as ours is Red Wing!”
Watching the confidently speaking Barden, Chelsea, who was standing behind, sneered.
“Yeah. You should go with them, Celia.”
“Chelsea Llewellyn? Want me to get you in too?”
“I don’t need it. And who are you to be using my name so casually?”
“What? You don’t know me? You don’t know Barden Jerdinger?”
“What’s so great about the Jerdingers that I have to memorize the names of every single person who isn’t from the main family?”
“What did you say?”
Barden flared up at Chelsea’s sharp words.
But just as Chelsea said, no matter how great the Jerdinger family was, there was no reason for Chelsea, a direct descendant of the Llewellyns, to remember a member of a collateral Jerdinger branch.
“A-Anyway! We’re planning to explore a Hero Dungeon this time! It’s the mission practicum period, right? It’ll be a huge help if you come with us! It’ll be easy to manage your grades too!”
At those words, Celia said.
“I have no intention of joining a Conqueror party yet.”
“What?”
“Let’s go, Leo.”
As Celia walked away, Leo followed her.
‘That bastard!’
Barden glared at Leo’s back.
He, too, was a Jerdinger, so he knew that Leo might become the next heir.
‘And he doesn’t even have the Jerdinger name!’
By bloodline alone, Leo was much closer to the direct line, but Barden couldn’t acknowledge him.
As Leo, Celia, Chelsea, Chen Xia, and Karl walked away, a crowd of people from the Conqueror parties rushed over.
This was because among the first-years, Leo, Celia, Chelsea, and Chen Xia were targets that absolutely had to be recruited.
Besides those four, all the students who had played an active role in taking down the Gigantes during the Departmental Competition were being held back by the upperclassmen.
“I’m jealous of the popular kids.”
Karl muttered, having taken a step back.
“Indeed. Leo is quite popular.”
“Huh? Hah-!”
Karl, turning his head at the clear voice coming from his side, sucked in a sharp breath.
Not just Karl, but everyone around them was startled to see her.
The person standing there was a huge figure.
‘Elena Jer-on!’
At the appearance of a senior who was like the sky itself, someone the current first-years wouldn’t even dare to look at, everyone held their breath.
Even the other upperclassmen who had come for recruitment activities were shocked.
This was because Elena, known as the queen of the school, was a student rarely seen not only by first-years but by other upperclassmen as well.
Elena gave Karl a bright smile.
At her breathtaking beauty, Karl’s face instinctively flushed red.
The Blue Moon party, realizing Elena had arrived, hurriedly gathered around.
However, no one stood next to Elena or spoke to her.
The Conquerors who came for recruitment were merely affiliated with the party; they were so-called grunts who didn’t participate directly in the conquests.
No one could carelessly speak to Elena, whom even official members found difficult to approach.
As Elena took a step, the crowd parted cleanly.
Elena walked through the crowd as if it were a familiar experience.
The place she stopped was right in front of Leo.
“Hello, Leo.”
“Hello, Elena.”
Seeing Elena greet him with a radiant smile, Leo greeted her back calmly.
Even in the face of her enchanting smile, Leo was unfazed.
Elena, watching him with an amused expression, spoke.
“My Conqueror party has decided to explore a Hero Dungeon this time.”
“Yes.”
“Join my party. I’ll make you an official member of the Conqueror party.”
Everyone was aghast at the unprecedented offer.
It was shocking enough that the leader of a Conqueror party was personally extending an invitation, but to a mere first-year…
“I’ll make you the best, Leo Flove.”
Elena smiled confidently and held out her hand.
An offer from a girl who was beautiful, strong, and held immense power.
Who in the world would refuse such an offer…
“I refuse.”
‘What did he just say?’
‘He refused?’
For a moment, everyone present couldn’t comprehend Leo’s words.
Elena, too, narrowed her fine brows.
“Why?”
“As I’ve said before, I’m expensive.”