Chapter 223
Chapter Title: The Sword Saint's Will
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223
“What’s she thinking?”
Ain frowned, his arms crossed.
Aina Veydean.
She was a rookie among this year’s prospective students, drawing attention for both her fame and her skill.
It wasn’t just because of her lineage as the Sword Saint’s great-granddaughter.
She had long since proven that her skill and talent were, without a doubt, top-tier.
‘But against Leo… that’s just too reckless.’
Ain narrowed his eyes.
It couldn’t be anything but reckless.
Her opponent was none other than Leo Flove.
He was a student regarded as one of the greatest prodigies in Lumerne’s history.
Aina, on the other hand, wasn’t even a Lumerne student yet.
Some might say it was only a one-year difference.
But the gap between someone who had spent a year at Lumerne and someone who hadn’t was astonishingly vast.
That was why Lumerne was called a hero academy.
Halind watched the scene on the screen and let out a chuckle.
Seeing this, Ain asked him.
“Professor Halind. What will you do if Aina Veydean is defeated by Leo?”
“Why ask the obvious? She fails.”
If Professor Sedzen had been in charge of the exam, he might have passed her based on her potential and future prospects.
Sedzen was a professor who highly valued a challenging spirit.
But Halind was not.
The situation Halind had created was an exceedingly unreasonable test to begin with.
Even Karl, who was at the bottom of the ranks, was skilled enough to hunt down the examinees.
No matter how skilled an examinee was, challenging Leo, the top second-year student, was a foolhardy act.
The reason Professor Halind had designed this test was to see how the examinees would respond when faced with an overwhelming situation.
Life at Lumerne was harsh.
More than half of the talented individuals who passed the entrance exam were advised to drop out during their first year and left the academy.
Especially now, with the fall of the Demon Queen, it was impossible to know what provocations Tartaros might attempt.
Moreover, the current first-years, known as the golden generation, had been exposed to an unusually harsh environment.
There was no guarantee this year’s freshmen would be any different.
That was why he had placed a high score on ‘survival’.
If they lacked the ability to survive, Halind had no intention of accepting any new students this year in the first place.
In such a situation, challenging Leo Flove wasn't courage or a challenging spirit; it was mere ‘foolhardiness’.
‘Of course, if Aina Veydean has a way to escape from Leo, that’s another story…’
From Ain’s perspective, one of Leo’s greatest strengths was his experience, which was far beyond his years.
Over the past year in the Knight Department’s practice spars, numerous students had tried to catch Leo off guard, but he had never once shown a hint of panic.
Strangely, Leo’s level of experience was on a completely different plane from his peers.
Ain crossed his arms.
‘What will you do, Aina Veydean?’
***
Leo looked down at the girl staring up at him and spoke.
“Reckless actions won’t earn you a good evaluation, you know.”
“I don’t care. It’s more important for me to be acknowledged by you.”
“By me?”
Leo couldn’t help but be puzzled by a girl he’d never met suddenly claiming she needed his acknowledgment.
*Shing-!*
Aina didn’t answer his question and instead drew her sword.
“Draw your sword, Leo Flove.”
‘I don’t know the reason, but she’s treating me like some kind of test.’
Leo chuckled and said.
“Shouldn’t you be the one to make me draw it?”
“That’s true.”
Normally, someone confident in their skills would have been provoked by Leo’s words.
But Aina calmly accepted his remark and lowered her stance.
*Whoosh-!*
In an instant, a flash-like thrust aimed for the space between Leo’s eyes.
Leo leaned back, dodging the attack.
He then tried to counter by kicking Aina’s wrist with his heel.
As if she had anticipated his attack, Aina withdrew her sword and prepared her next move.
*Woong-*
A golden aura erupted from Aina’s body.
*Gwooo-! Kwagagagagang-*
A look of surprise crossed Leo’s face.
‘This much power?’
Mana capacity and mana output were two different things.
To put it simply, if mana capacity was stamina, mana output was power.
Regardless of the class, one needed greater mana capacity and output to use stronger techniques, more powerful magic, or summon stronger creatures.
Even to Leo, Aina’s mana output was astounding.
It was on par with Celia and Duran, second-years in the Knight Department whose pure offensive power was comparable to that of mages.
Of course, high output didn't necessarily mean she was strong, but it was impressive nonetheless.
An overwhelming sword strike descended upon Leo.
*Fwaah-!*
In a flash, her blade transformed.
It wasn't just a powerful strike.
It possessed a dizzying, unpredictable quality.
The sword surrounded Leo from all sides.
Leo looked at Aina’s face.
Despite having the upper hand, her eyes were intensely cold.
‘I see. Her goal isn’t to get into the academy.’
*Woong-!*
A gray aura formed in Leo’s hand.
‘I’m her goal.’
Leo didn’t hesitate and stepped into the whirlwind of sword strikes.
He then reached out without a second thought.
*Grab-!*
The tip of the blade, which had been blurring his vision, was caught between Leo’s fingers.
Leo’s and Aina’s eyes met in mid-air.
“Are you the headmaster’s granddaughter?”
“Great-granddaughter.”
The energy from her aura resembled Kalian’s.
Answering Leo’s question calmly, Aina forcefully released aura from her entire body.
The raging storm of aura forced Leo to let go of the sword.
She then began to rapidly pressure him.
*Fwoong! Swish! Shak! Shushushushuk!*
Countless sword strikes cut through the air.
Leo either dodged or blocked all of Aina’s follow-up attacks.
*Gwoooooo-!*
In an instant, a massive amount of aura swirled at the tip of her sword.
A strike with power on a completely different level from before.
*Kwagak-!*
Seeing the sharp, golden sword ki, Leo lifted his foot.
*Kwaak-! Kwang-!*
“……!”
Leo stomped on Aina’s sword.
Aina’s blade was driven into the ground.
She tried to wrench it free by tightening her grip, but the sword wouldn’t budge.
*Kwagak-!*
Leo suddenly put more force into his foot.
*Pzzzik! Kwadeuk-!*
Aina’s sword snapped.
For the first time, a flicker of emotion crossed Aina’s face.
“I don’t know your reasons, but…”
Leo looked at Aina, who was now bleeding from the corners of her mouth and eyes, and spoke coldly.
“This is the Lumerne entrance exam. If you’re not interested in enrolling, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t waste any more of my time.”
Having seen through the fact that Aina had no interest in the exam, Leo spoke with a cold demeanor.
At his words, Aina gritted her teeth.
‘Is the skill gap really this wide?’
Aina herself knew better than anyone that she couldn’t beat Leo.
Still, she had thought she could at least earn his acknowledgment.
But the man before her wasn’t acknowledging her in the slightest.
The gap between Leo and Aina was despairingly large.
‘Grandfather…’
By the time Aina was old enough to remember, her grandparents and parents were already gone.
They had lost their lives fighting against the demons.
Because of this, her great-grandfather, Kalian, was her only living relative.
To Aina, Kalian was both an idol and a goal.
But a few months ago, Kalian had also lost his life in a battle against the demons.
Though his death may have been honorable and noble, it offered no comfort to those left behind.
Everything the Sword Saint had built was rightfully inherited by Aina, his successor.
The wealth he had left behind as a hero who had commanded an era was immense.
Incredible riches and countless weapons.
As the Sword Saint’s descendant, she could have lived a comfortable life.
And no one would have judged her for it.
But Aina chose to fight.
She vowed revenge on Tartaros, which had taken the lives of all her relatives.
But a problem arose.
Kalian’s will was discovered belatedly.
The contents of the will were simple.
[I bequeath all my assets to my great-granddaughter, Aina Veydean, on one ‘condition’.
However, I cannot permit the use of what I have left behind in the fight against Tartaros.
If you desire a life of struggle, you must earn the acknowledgment of Leo Flove and become the master of Klesis.]
Before leaving for Seirun for the Ruse War.
The will Kalian left behind came into effect.
The symbol of the Sword Saint.
A restriction was placed on Klesis.
Due to a powerful magical restriction, Klesis became a sword that Aina Veydean could never wield.
The only way to break the seal was to earn Leo’s acknowledgment.
It was a measure taken by Kalian, who worried his beloved great-granddaughter would live the life of an avenger.
Aina gritted her teeth.
Watching her, Leo raised his hand.
*Fwoosh-!*
An aura of flames swirled around him.
Just as Aina closed her eyes at the sight.
*Kwagak-!*
Someone charged toward Leo’s back at an incredible speed.
As if he had expected it, Leo swung his arm behind him.
*Poong-!*
*Jureureureuk-!*
Colliding with the boy who had aimed for his back, Leo’s body was pushed back.
A glint of interest appeared in Leo’s eyes.
“S-Sooorrrryyyyyyy!”
The boy let out a panicked scream, grabbed Aina’s wrist, and started running.
“Hoh?”
Feeling the considerable impact on his arm, Leo wore an amused expression.
‘The impact was stronger than I expected. Is it his aura’s trait?’
Clenching and unclenching his fist, Leo looked in the direction the two had fled.
With a smirk, Leo launched himself forward, chasing after them.
***
“Who is that kid?”
Halind asked with a deadpan voice, and Yura quickly checked the list.
Anyone could see that the situation a moment ago was one where no one should have intervened.
Yet, the boy had jumped into the middle of the fight without hesitation and saved Aina.
It was an incredibly brave act, but from an examinee’s perspective, it was a demerit.
“Let’s see, Luke Elda. He’s just from a normal countryside village. A commoner family.”
At Yura’s words, Halind stroked his chin.
“Is something wrong?”
Ren asked with a puzzled voice.
It was the first time Halind, who was usually indifferent to the examinees, had shown any interest.
Countless scenes from within the World of Heroes were being broadcast in the air.
Halind was monitoring all of them.
He had seen Luke Elda on several screens multiple times.
“That kid has helped others several times during the test.”
“Oh. He’s a good kid.”
Yura said, letting out a sound of admiration.
“And a fool,”
Halind said dryly.
“But if he just gets stronger, he’ll become the most ideal figure of a hero.”
One who could muster courage for the sake of others.
It was the most fundamental mindset for a hero, and also the hardest to possess.
“Oh, so is he passing?”
Knowing how rare it was for Halind to speak so favorably of a student, Yura asked in admiration.
At her question, Halind looked at her as if the answer was obvious.
“No, if he doesn’t survive, he fails.”
Yura shook her head as if she had expected as much.
“For a conviction to have value, one must have the power to act on it.”
His words were cold, but as an educator, he couldn't let his students pursue only ideals.
“Let’s see if that kid has the strength to surpass his limits.”