Chapter 182
Chapter Title: Clash of the Top Freshmen
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Everyone murmured, their gazes shifting between Leo and Lis.
Seated in the fifth-year stands, Lis narrowed his eyes at Leo.
*‘Indeed.’*
Lis instantly understood why Leo had called him out.
*‘So he plans to prove himself with his skills.’*
Not a bad idea.
Since Leo was announced as the candidate for student council president, the backlash had been surprisingly minimal.
But that didn't mean the situation could be taken lightly.
It was, quite literally, the calm before the storm.
A complex web of circumstances kept people from speaking out about it, but there was no telling when the discontent might erupt.
Besides, many held the thought, *‘Could a first-year really become the student council president?’*
Choosing the next candidate for student council president was the current president's prerogative.
However, the final approval came from the principal.
While the president's opinion was respected, an absurdly unqualified candidate would not be approved.
Lis rested his chin on his hand.
*‘Though the principal did approve of Leo.’*
When Lis recommended Leo as the next student council president, the principal had readily agreed.
*‘Many people are recognizing Leo's worth.’*
At this rate, Leo becoming the student council president was a foregone conclusion.
But…
*‘The students won't accept it.’*
That was why Leo had to prove himself, one way or another.
Prove that he was worthy of being the student council president.
Lis had thought Leo would do so *after* becoming president.
But surprisingly, Leo was trying to prove himself *before* becoming president.
In front of the entire student body.
In a way, it was bold, but it could also be seen as reckless.
Now that it had come to this, Lis had no intention of holding back.
*‘The moment I go easy on him, he won't be acknowledged by anyone.’*
Watching his cousin choose a head-on confrontation rather than a detour, Lis's lips curled into a smirk.
[Hey… Lis. What are you going to do?]
Cheira, the announcer, asked with bated breath.
Lis smiled at Cheira's question.
“He’s issued a challenge. It wouldn’t be polite to refuse.”
And so, an unprecedented evaluation duel—a match between the first-year representative and the fifth-year representative—was set.
***
Afterward, the nominations among the first-years began.
For the other students, most matchups had been arranged beforehand, so the process went smoothly.
After everyone's opponents had been decided.
Seeing that he would be fighting the student council president, Iliana clicked her tongue in amazement.
“Wow. You’re insane. Truly insane.”
Leo was the only one to challenge an upperclassman in this evaluation.
Looking at Iliana’s dumbfounded expression, Nella spoke.
“Are you going to be okay?”
Leo smiled at Nella's worried question.
“I have to face him and find out.”
Despite having caused such a huge stir, Leo remained nonchalant, leaving his classmates shaking their heads.
Chelsea came to Leo’s side, clenching her fists, her eyes sparkling.
“Go, Leo!”
Chelsea was an ardent supporter of Leo becoming the student council president.
Watching her, Dade commented.
“Still, a first-year student council president is a bit much.”
“Huh? Are you saying Leo can’t be president? What’s your problem?”
“N-No, I’m just being realistic… H-Hey, stop! Are you some kind of thug?!”
With a fierce look, Chelsea started kicking wildly at Dade, who hastily fled.
Amidst the commotion, two students appeared on the dueling platform set up in the middle of the training grounds.
The first-years watched with tense expressions.
“Leo’s match is so sensational that it overshadows this, but…”
“This one looks like it’ll be just as intense.”
The ones who had stepped onto the training ground were two female students with black hair.
One was a girl with black hair and striking red eyes—Celia.
And the other was Chen Xia, who had black hair and black eyes.
It was a duel between the two students vying for the top spot in the Knight Department.
In terms of elemental advantage, Chen Xia had the upper hand.
But this was not a fight that would be decided by elemental superiority alone.
As everyone focused on the duel, Cheira, the announcer, spoke.
[Alright! We're starting with a highly anticipated first-year duel! Celia Jerdinger versus Chen Xia! Wow! As a fifth-year from the Knight Department, I was curious to see my juniors in action!]
Standing between the two with a cheerful voice, Cheira’s eyes sparkled.
But she didn't say anything more.
She looked like she wanted to chatter on, but having been reprimanded by Halind earlier, she restrained herself.
[Alright, then! The first match of the first-years' midterm evaluation duel! Begin!]
With those words, Cheira stepped down from the dueling platform.
Facing each other, Celia drew her sword and spoke.
“This is the first time we’ve had a proper match, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
Chen Xia smiled faintly and took her stance.
The two had sparred many times, but they had never truly tested their skills against each other.
Not like this, officially, in front of everyone.
This was the first time they had to fight to win, using everything they had.
“I’m looking forward to this.”
“Me too.”
Chen Xia smiled faintly.
“You train privately with Young Master Leo, don’t you, Celia? I’d like to see the results.”
At those words, Celia lowered her stance and activated her aura.
“You shouldn’t be so relaxed.”
*Fwoosh-!*
An aura ignited around Celia’s body.
“One wrong move, and you’ll go down in an instant!”
Wreathing her sword in an aura of flames, Celia charged toward Chen Xia at incredible speed.
Seeing this, Chen Xia opened her palm and summoned an aura of water.
*Swish-!*
Chen Xia, now veiled in a thin curtain of water like silk, spun gracefully.
*‘Celia won’t stop.’*
Celia’s swordsmanship was extremely aggressive.
One might expect her to use a fluid style since she wielded a rapier, but contrary to that image, her swordsmanship was ferocious.
*‘Until the beginning of the first semester, her style was quite reserved.’*
Someone had changed the nature of her swordsmanship.
*‘Not that Celia’s swordsmanship lacks finesse or is crude, but…’*
She used overwhelming firepower to create openings, then relentlessly exploited them.
Trying to find a gap while defending against her attacks was nearly impossible.
It was proof that she didn't rely on brute force alone.
That was why Chen Xia knew all too well that blocking Celia’s attacks head-on was a foolish move.
Water was certainly an element specialized in defense, but it was even better for evasion.
*Craaack-!*
With fluid, water-like movements, Chen Xia deflected Celia’s thrust.
Thrown off balance, Celia momentarily stumbled.
But Chen Xia did not exploit the opening.
*Fwoosh-!*
Regaining her posture, Celia immediately unleashed an aura of flames in all directions.
An aura emission.
*Sizzzle-!*
The spreading flames evaporated Chen Xia’s water aura.
Flames that looked as if they could turn everything to ash.
But Chen Xia did not retreat. She clenched her fist.
And plunged into the heart of Celia's inferno.
*‘She’s not backing down?’*
Celia was taken aback by her opponent’s unexpected move.
She had expected a long fight against Chen Xia.
But, catching her off guard, Chen Xia rushed in to end the match in an instant.
*Thud-!*
Chen Xia’s fist slammed into Celia’s chest.
She had deployed her aura armor for a moment, but it was too late.
“Kuh!”
Celia hastily created distance.
In a fight against Chen Xia, whose specialty was martial arts, close-quarters combat was disadvantageous.
Celia retreated to create room to swing her sword.
But Chen Xia did not pursue her.
*‘What? I thought she’d press her advantage.’*
Celia looked at Chen Xia with a slightly bewildered expression.
Looking back at Celia, Chen Xia smiled faintly.
Her uniform was singed in several places, and her hands were badly burned.
For someone with a weapon, it might be different.
But for Chen Xia, a martial artist, those burns were undoubtedly a significant blow.
*Step- step-*
But Chen Xia paid it no mind.
She simply let her hands hang at her sides and closed the distance with Celia.
Seeing this, Celia wiped her mouth.
*‘This is different from the Chen Xia I’ve known.’*
The atmosphere had changed.
Chen Xia, who was always gentle and mild-mannered, now felt like a sharply honed blade.
Her usual soft smile felt like a cold, sharp edge.
*‘This is the real Chen Xia in a fight.’*
Breaking out in a cold sweat, Celia tightened her grip on her sword.
*‘She’s different from me. No, she’s different from any other student in the Knight Department.’*
Chen Xia was the one who had gained the upper hand in the last exchange.
If they continued to trade blows like this, carefully calculating gains and losses, Celia would be the one to break.
But if that happened, Chen Xia would have no fallback plan either.
*‘It doesn’t matter in an evaluation duel. But what if this were a battlefield?’*
This style of attack would lead not only the opponent but also oneself to ruin.
The place where heroes were active was the battlefield.
A place where countless variables could arise at any moment.
Therefore, Chen Xia’s fighting style was far from that of a ‘hero.’
Even in Lumerne’s Knight Department, such a combat method was never taught.
*‘What in the world is she?’*
Seeing a side of Chen Xia she never knew, Celia couldn't hide her bewilderment.
***
Sitting in the first-year stands, Leo narrowed his eyes.
*‘I see.’*
Resting his chin on his hand, Leo murmured to himself.
*‘An assassin.’*
He had felt it before, when Chen Xia had challenged him during the interdepartmental competition, but she was different from a typical knight.
He had thought she was specialized in one-on-one situations.
But even her specialization in one-on-one combat was different from that of a typical knight.
Now, watching her fight with Celia, he was certain.
Chen Xia’s movements resembled those of an assassin.
*‘Of course, she seems far from a typical assassin, too.’*
With Chen Xia’s skills, there was no need to aim for openings.
It was just that her fighting style was similar to an assassin's.
*‘Ideal for an assassin or a bodyguard. But it’s not the path a hero pursues.’*
Besides Leo, the fourth and fifth-years also saw through Chen Xia’s tendencies and wore surprised expressions.
Watching from a distance, Professor Ain narrowed his eyes.
Yura, who was next to him, asked.
“You look displeased, Senior Ain.”
“Of course I am. To think they intend to use such a talent as a mere pawn for an ‘individual’ is an incredible loss.”
“But what can you do? That’s Chen Xia’s station in life.”
“Even if she’s only half, the emperor’s daughter is still the emperor’s daughter. Yet she’s treated like this.”
“Shan is a country that’s strict about bloodlines. Besides, her other half is from the ‘Shadow Clan,’ so it can’t be helped.”
Yura also clicked her tongue in disappointment.
The Shan Empire.
A powerful nation located on the eastern edge of the continent.
It didn't command the entire western continent like Rodren, but it was still a hegemonic power that controlled half of the eastern continent.
And Chen Xia, by ‘bloodline’ alone, was the emperor’s daughter.
Of course, only the professors knew this fact.
Chen Xia had never once mentioned her status.
*‘I don’t like it.’*
Ain narrowed his eyes.
***
*Thwack-!*
*‘I’ll lose if this keeps up!’*
Celia gritted her teeth.
Chen Xia’s attacks, which came after precisely calculating the damage she would inflict and receive, were chilling.
Having never experienced anything like it, Celia was all the more bewildered.
But Celia maintained her composure.
*‘Xia’s attacks are so precarious, it’s like she could lose her balance at any moment.’*
Chen Xia’s method of attack, gaining small advantages while walking a razor’s edge, was certainly one that could lead to disaster the moment she slipped up.
But even on that tightrope, Chen Xia was maintaining her balance perfectly.
*‘I have to make her make a mistake.’*
With that thought, Celia tightened her grip on her sword.
Seeing this, Chen Xia gave a bitter smile.
*‘She’s composed herself. Just as I’d expect from Celia.’*
Chen Xia’s attacks were like a swamp.
Once you were in, you couldn’t get out.
Celia had accepted that fact and decided to gamble everything on one move.
*‘Her judgment is quick.’*
To Chen Xia, the students of the Knight Department were all easy to handle.
For Chen Xia, who had learned how to ‘ruin’ people, her classmates in the Knight Department, who had grown up so virtuously, were easy opponents to deal with.
*‘Except for Young Master Leo, of course.’*
It wasn’t just a difference in skill.
It was as if the number of battles he had experienced was on a completely different level.
“Celia… you’re like a flame.”
“What?”
“You shine so brightly.”
Chen Xia smiled faintly and summoned her aura.
*‘If Celia is determined to stake it all, I can’t respond half-heartedly.’*
Unlike the other students, Celia’s offensive power was on another level.
*‘If I’m careless, I’ll be defeated in an instant.’*
If this weren’t a duel, she could have steered the fight more to her advantage.
She could have used all sorts of methods.
They might be called cowardly, but Chen Xia had been taught that the value of victory was higher than such pettiness.
*‘But this is a duel.’*
And at this moment, she didn’t want to win like that.
Because Celia’s flames reminded her of someone.
*Swish-!*
A torrent of water raged around Chen Xia.
The torrent soon began to take the shape of a dragon.
“Prominence.”
*Fwoosh-!*
Crimson flames surged.
“Water Dragon.”
The giant water dragon opened its mouth and roared.
*FWOOSH! KABOOM! SIZZZZZLE-!*
The crimson flames and the water dragon collided, releasing a massive cloud of steam.
When the steam cleared, Celia and Chen Xia were barely standing at the edge of the dueling platform.
“I had a significant advantage.”
Ripping off a piece of her burnt uniform, Chen Xia smiled bitterly.
“And in a single blow, we’re even.”
“Grr-!”
Celia’s face was filled with frustration.
Both of them had exhausted their stamina.
Seeing the two swaying on their feet, Cheira stepped onto the platform.
[Stop! The professors say that’s enough! Any more and you’ll get seriously hurt!]
Stepping between them, Cheira exclaimed in admiration.
[You’re both amazing! You don’t seem like first-years. Excellent! The result of the duel is a draw! You both put on a wonderful show!]
Cheira applauded with a wide grin.
[Both of you, head to the medical tent and get treated.]
“Yes.”
Chen Xia smiled faintly and headed to the medical tent without a second thought.
Celia, on the other hand, gritted her teeth.
*‘It doesn’t feel like a draw.’*
Her strongest attack hadn’t worked on Chen Xia.
Dragging her aching body, Celia also made her way to the medical tent.
“What would have happened if they kept fighting?”
“Chen Xia would have won.”
Leo answered Chelsea’s question nonchalantly.
Chelsea was startled by his words.
“Weren’t they evenly matched?”
“They were. But Chen Xia had a slight edge. And she would never have let go of that advantage.”
“I see.”
“However.”
“However?”
“I can’t guarantee Chen Xia would win if they fought again.”
*‘Their skills are nearly equal. The difference is experience. She won’t be able to beat Celia the same way again.’*
As the students cheered for Celia and Chen Xia, the next match began.
Afterward, several more big matches like Celia and Chen Xia’s took place.
The duels between the top-ranking students drew immense interest and excitement.
Amidst it all.
Every student had fought their duel, and only one match remained.
Stepping onto the dueling platform, Leo rolled his wrists, warming up.
*Step- step-*
Along with his own, another set of footsteps echoed.
Everyone held their breath.
Leo smiled as he looked at the man before him.
The current strongest student in Lumerne.
Lis Jerdinger.
“Let’s have a good match, Leo.”
“I’m counting on you, Brother Lis.”
The two exchanged greetings with similar smiles.