Chapter 316
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As the exam period drew near, the students grew busier.
Chen Xia muttered as she looked at the Glory dorm's base before her.
“...It feels like something’s missing. What do you think our base lacks?”
At Chen Xia's murmur, Chloe, with her arms crossed, began to ponder seriously.
It wasn't just Chloe.
The magic department students, who were building defensive towers at the base, also thought deeply.
Soon, the magic department students spoke in unison.
“Firepower?”
“What are we supposed to do if we increase the firepower even more? The purpose of a base is defense. We should be focusing more on our defensive capabilities.”
Chen Xia let out a small sigh.
Then she looked at Leo.
“Young Master Leo, do you see anything lacking?”
“This should be enough.”
At Leo's words, Chen Xia looked at the Glory base.
“I think I could infiltrate it easily enough.”
“No one in our year has infiltration skills on your level, so this is more than enough.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
Chen Xia nodded as if in agreement.
Hearing their conversation, Chloe gathered the Glory students.
“All preparations are now complete.”
Chloe said, looking at Leo.
“Leo, as soon as it starts, you and the others will attack the Noble base. Chen Xia and I will attack the Harmony base.”
Chloe looked at Iliana.
“Iliana, you and the others will defend the base.”
At that, Iliana pouted.
“I want to go on the attack with the class president, too.”
Hearing Iliana’s disgruntled voice, Chen Xia smiled brightly.
“Miss Iliana, you’d surely attack recklessly. I think it’s better for you to defend the base.”
“Ugh.”
Iliana let out a groan, seemingly at a loss for words.
Seeing this, the Glory students burst into laughter.
“Anyway, the decisive battle is in three days. Rest up until then. Make sure to stay in top condition.”
As Chloe spoke with a smile, resentful voices arose from all around.
“How are we supposed to rest with written exams coming up?”
“That’s right! Do you have any idea how hard it is to manage our condition?”
Faced with the complaints from her fellow dorm members, Chloe tilted her head.
“Isn’t preparing for the written exams something you can do in your spare time while studying normally and getting ready for the practicals?”
At that, Chen Xia smiled brightly.
“That’s only possible because you’re you, Miss Chloe. Ordinary people can’t do that.”
“...But you did it, Chen Xia.”
Iliana said with a look of exasperation.
Looking at Iliana, Chen Xia smiled radiantly.
“Well, I only slept for about 30 minutes a day. I was trained to be able to do that.”
“...If Chloe is unbelievable, you’re just plain scary.”
Iliana shook her head.
“If it’s studying, I can help you all.”
“Ooh!”
“Chloe!”
“Ice Goddess! Ice Queen! Ice Witch!”
“Who was that who just called me a witch?!”
Chloe shouted, her face turning red.
***
Lumerne was packed with people.
Lumerne's headmaster, Riina, pressed her temples as if her head ached, looking at the stands packed with spectators.
“Why do those board members make me be their figurehead? It’s not like the powerful people even like me, since I come from the Shadows.”
Yura, who was assisting Riina, agreed with her irritated grumbling.
“That’s what I’m saying. Why are they making me do this?!”
Usually, Yura wore sensual, easy-to-move-in clothes, but today she was dressed like a very proper lady.
Seeing her like that, Ren spoke.
“Yura-sunbae, you look quite plausible as long as you keep your mouth shut.”
“And why does the ‘as long as you keep your mouth shut’ part have to be attached to that?”
“Do you really not know? Then allow me to explain it in a way Yura-sunbae can understand…”
A vein popping on her forehead, Yura grabbed Ren by the collar.
Seeing this, the outside dignitaries who had been approaching to greet them fled with fearful eyes.
Riina cackled, enjoying the sight of the two.
At this, Ain let out a deep sigh.
“Headmaster, you should be stopping their disgraceful behavior, not just watching.”
“Thanks to them, the annoying pests are staying away. Isn't that great?”
Ain pressed the bridge of his nose.
‘Times like these make me miss the late Kalian.’
Headmaster Kalian was subtly frivolous and often pushed his work onto the professors, but during external events, he always maintained a definite sense of gravity.
Riina was a more diligent headmaster than Kalian, but she had a tendency to despise external events.
Looking at Ain, Riina rested her chin on her hand and smiled.
“Don’t get such a headache over it, Professor Ain.”
Riina sneered.
“Everyone already knows I’m a Shadow. So the outside guests probably don’t want to greet me much anyway. It’s rare to find a person in power who doesn’t have something shady in their past.”
For generations, the Shadows have been tasked not only with punishing traitors but also with excising cancerous elements from the world.
In extreme cases, there were even Shadows who made assassination their calling.
As such, those in power had a strong, instinctual tendency to avoid the Shadows.
“By the way, should we say there were no surprises in the first-years’ exam results?”
Riina propped her chin on her hand, watching the first-years who were receiving cheers from the crowd after finishing their combat practical exam.
This year’s first-year midterm for the combat practical was a labyrinth dungeon conquest.
Not a Hero Dungeon, but a labyrinth dungeon arbitrarily created by the professors.
The team that cleared the labyrinth in the fastest time received the highest score.
“Aina Veydean. I suppose that’s to be expected of Kalian’s great-granddaughter, isn't it?”
Riina narrowed her eyes and looked at Aina standing on the training grounds.
“She got first place in the Knight Studies exam too, right?”
“So I’ve heard.”
Ain nodded.
“She beat Haviden by a narrow margin.”
“Hoh. What about the other departments?”
At Riina's question, Ain reported.
“There were no upsets. In the Summoning Department, Shasha won the phantom beast race. She’s first overall in Summoning. In the Magic Department, Juen took first place in magical combat.”
“Hmm.”
Riina stroked her chin.
“What about Leo Flove’s mentee?”
“In Luke Elda’s case, his written exams are in the upper-middle ranks, but he’s at the very bottom for all practical exams.”
“Is that to be expected?”
“It is the expected result. However…”
“However?”
“Compared to the beginning of the semester, he hasn’t grown at all.”
“...I heard he was working hard, though?”
“He works harder than anyone.”
Riina wore an amused expression.
“Looks like the student council president did something. Should we look forward to the final exams?”
Nodding, Riina casually checked the time.
“You all should get going and prepare now.”
“Yes, understood.”
Ain bowed his head, then looked at his junior professors who were still fighting and spoke coldly.
“Let’s go, you idiots.”
“Who are you calling an idiot?!”
“Ain-sunbaenim. Let me explain to you in simple terms what an idiot is…”
“Shut up.”
Watching Ain drag the junior professors away by the scruffs of their necks, Riina shook her head.
‘Ain is going to age quickly.’
***
At the Noble base, Abad gathered the dorm students and spoke.
“According to Karl’s intel, Glory’s Chloe and Chen Xia will attack the Harmony base, while Leo attacks ours. I thought it was necessary, so I shared this information with Celia.”
“Was that necessary?”
Dade asked with a puzzled look, and Abad replied.
“We and Harmony have a non-aggression pact anyway. We can’t attack each other until Glory’s base is destroyed. That being the case, I thought it best to gather all our key forces and strike Glory’s base.”
Eliza filed her nails.
“Since their dorm members are split, it’ll be difficult for them to destroy a base anyway.”
“Right. Chloe must have planned to quickly deploy her key forces to secure kill points.”
“...Does that mean Glory didn’t choose their king from among the dorm leaders?”
At Duran’s words, Abad shook his head.
“No, they would have chosen their king from the dorm leaders.”
“Isn’t that too risky a strategy, then?”
“Strong people don’t die that easily. They must have thought they could catch their opponents off guard by making a strong person the king. The problem is, which of the three is the king…”
Abad stroked his chin.
“Karl, what do you think?”
At Abad’s question, Karl scratched his head.
“Well, if I were Chloe, I think I would have chosen Leo as the king.”
“Why?”
“He’s the most reliable, isn’t he?”
“...Certainly. If it’s Leo Flove, his mobility is excellent, so he could quickly withdraw from the battlefield.”
Eliza narrowed her eyes.
“Should we target Leo Flove?”
“No. Leo’s mobility is too good. Of course, in the air, I can catch him. On the ground, Duran can, and in the water, Eliza can match his speed.”
Abad narrowed his eyes.
“But Leo has high mobility in the air, on land, and in water—all of them. If we try to catch him rashly, we’ll only end up with more casualties on our side.”
Abad shook his head.
“It’s better to focus on destroying their base for certain.”
Abad unfolded a map.
“Celia is probably thinking the same thing I am. Our main forces will attack the front of the Glory base. And Emio. You take some people and move as stealthily as possible to the rear of the Glory base.”
***
Celia looked at her students.
“If you go to the rear of the Glory base, you’ll probably meet the Noble’s detached unit. If they keep their promise, don’t fight them. Attack together. Of course, it’ll be hard to destroy it in one go. But if we can deal a heavy blow to their base, the Glory members won’t be able to participate actively in the battle.”
“A non-aggression pact... but we’ve unintentionally formed an alliance.”
At Nella’s murmur, Celia wore a serious expression.
“The moment we gain the upper hand against Glory, we and Noble will immediately enter into battle. So don’t let your guard down just because we’re in an ‘alliance’.”
Just as the strategy meeting was wrapping up.
Fweeeee—! Boom—!
A signal flare shot up over the entire Lumeria Lake.
Seeing it, Celia said.
“Alright, let’s move!”
At her words, the second-years began to move.
***
Emio led the Noble students to the rear of the island where the Glory base was located.
“Good weather for this.”
Emio’s lips curled into a smirk.
A thick fog covered the entire lake.
The perfect environment for moving stealthily.
Just then, he sensed presences in the distance.
The Noble students adopted wary expressions.
“Is that Harmony?”
“Yes, that’s right, Emio.”
“So it’s you, Nella.”
Emio frowned.
“Abad planned this operation trusting your commander. It seems Celia Jerdinger and Abad are on the same wavelength, despite all their growling at each other.”
“They’ve known each other since they were kids.”
Nella gave her characteristic languid smile.
“Let’s work together until Glory is defeated. We’ll take the lead, so you follow behind.”
Emio moved forward.
“Why’s he trying to take the lead? Does he think he’s the boss?”
One of the Harmony students grumbled, and Nella smiled brightly.
“Soldiers always put the most importance on who captures something first, don’t they?”
Shrugging, Nella led the Harmony students and followed behind Noble.
Leading the way, Emio muttered to himself.
‘This is annoying. It feels like everything is going according to that bastard Abad’s plan.’
This exam had a lot of strategic elements.
As such, he, the heir to a military family, thought he would be able to shine.
But the students had unanimously chosen Abad as the commander.
That much was fine.
The problem was...
‘Why did he make Karl, that bastard, his strategist?’
Moreover, Karl had perfectly figured out the enemy’s attack route.
That fact displeased him even more.
‘It’s turned into a perfect stage for that commoner bastard to shine, hasn’t it?’
He was fervently wishing that Karl’s information was wrong.
Shwaaaaa—!
He sensed a presence up ahead.
Emio paused, then inwardly cheered as his lips curled into a smirk.
“It seems that Karl fellow was wrong after all.”
“What?”
“It’s the Glory bastards.”
At Emio’s words, the Noble students hurriedly assumed combat stances.
Following their lead, the Harmony students also prepared for battle.
“This should be fun. Let’s see what kind of opponents we have here.”
Just as Emio began to deploy his mana.
“I’ll wipe you all out.”
Emio quickly began to chant a spell.
But his opponent finished their chant faster.
Fwooooosh—!
Moreover, its power was just as strong as the spell Emio had been preparing.
Caught off guard by the unexpectedly powerful magic, Emio’s eyes widened.
Kra-ka-ka-ka-BOOM—!
“What?!”
A flame-type spell instantly evaporated the fog and engulfed Emio.
Caught in the sudden ambush, Emio tried to defend himself, but the flames were faster.
Whoosh—!
Struck by the flames, Emio was instantly judged as ‘dead’ and teleported back.
“You shouldn’t let your guard down.”
Nella let out a groan as she saw the figure that appeared through a break in the fog.
“Leo?”
“Why is he here?!”
“Was the intel wrong?”
Leo, who was supposed to be attacking Noble, had appeared at their rear.
The fog once again concealed Leo’s form.
“Read his presence!”
“How many Glory members came to intercept us?!”
“I can’t sense anything!”
“Don’t tell me…”
The Harmony and Noble students wore bewildered expressions.
“He’s alone?”
“Correct.”
Wooooong! Fwoooooosh—!
Seeing the soaring flames, the students’ faces hardened.
Kra-ka-ka-ka-ka-BOOM—!
A massive pillar of fire erupted.