Chapter 324
Chapter Title: A Plan to Topple a Monster
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A turret installed by Glory to protect its barrier.
Iliana popped out of the turret, arms crossed, and burst into a loud "Wuhahahaha!"
“As long as I'm here, no one will dare breach Glory's walls!”
Mimicking a valiant hero from a story, Iliana wore a smug expression as she watched the students from the other dorms retreat.
Then, suddenly noticing the silence around her, she froze.
‘Strange? Someone should be heckling me by now.’
Puzzled by the unusual reaction, Iliana looked at her fellow dorm students.
Standing on the barrier, they were all looking in one direction.
Iliana turned her head in that direction, a bright expression on her face, and waved.
“Ah! Class rep! Did you take care of the ones who attacked our rear?”
Seeing Iliana greet him warmly, Leo gave a faint smile and returned to Glory's base.
Watching Leo, the Glory students muttered.
“Celia, Abad, and Chelsea... all three at once...”
“What about Woreden, Duran, and Eliza who went to the rear?”
“I heard from the scouting team... they were all declared ‘dead’?”
“So he single-handedly got five of the top students in our year declared dead?”
“Was Leo really that strong?”
Everyone looked completely stunned.
Hearing this, Iliana also looked shocked.
‘The class rep took on all the dorm heads by himself?’
Of course, he didn't face them all at once.
But even so, the fact that he defeated three of them by himself was already spine-chilling.
***
Murmur, murmur—
“...To think he was that overwhelming.”
“An All-Class, just like the Hero of the Beginning...”
“Does it even make sense for him to handle a phoenix and a fairy at the same time?”
Bewildered voices erupted from the spectator stands.
When Leo and Woreden first began to fight in earnest, cheers had erupted.
A battle between a phoenix, one of the three great phantom beasts, and Titaum, the great spirit of the earth.
The unexpected major match was enough to excite not only the students but also the outside visitors.
However, the course of the battle that followed was shocking.
Overwhelming power that no one had anticipated.
The combat prowess Leo displayed was, quite literally, shocking.
In the section where the first-years were gathered, everyone wore looks of shock.
Shasha clenched her fists, her lips pressed tightly together.
A secret that only she knew.
‘...A phoenix... a fairy... and even a pegasus.’
The pegasus, Ati, which had contracted with the imperial family of the Rodren Empire for generations.
Shasha knew that Ati had made a contract with Leo.
For a typical summoner, contracting with even one of the three great phantom beasts was an unimaginable dream.
But he had contracted with all three.
For Shasha, it couldn't be anything but shocking.
Juen also gritted her teeth.
‘Just what is he?’
Mages usually specialize in a single field.
But Leo had no such limitation.
‘He uses star magic freely, and even draconic magic...’
On top of that, there was Leo's unique magic, Bible.
A magic that had caused a huge stir in the magical academic world last year.
It possessed all the ideal qualities a mage could dream of.
The fact that such a senior was in the year above them was enough to be intimidating.
Haviden seemed to be thinking something similar, his expression stiff.
Luke clenched his fists tightly.
‘Senior Leo.’
It wasn't just the first-years.
The third, fourth, and fifth-years were also shocked by Leo's skill.
Even the students who had secretly disapproved of Leo being the student council president were left speechless.
The professors were the same.
Leo's true strength, finally revealed, was enough to send massive shockwaves through everyone associated with Lumerne.
“...This is serious.”
Ain muttered in a stiff voice.
Reina, too, was watching the screen with rare seriousness in her eyes.
Reina had been the previous owner of the Flame Storm that Celia was using.
Therefore, she knew better than anyone what it meant for Flame Storm to have been broken.
‘The sword itself won't be ruined or anything.’
Flame Storm is a sword made of fire.
If the owner's will is rekindled, it will regain its original form.
‘But it's not easy for a once-extinguished ember to reignite.’
Reina sighed.
‘And the other kids...’
Celia wouldn't be the only one who was broken.
“It's as if he's trying to break his peers.”
To Ain's mutter, Reina said.
“He probably is trying to break them.”
“...Why would he? The Leo I know isn't the type of student to break his opponents. He has no reason to.”
“You're right. Leo isn't that kind of kid.”
Reina propped her chin on her hand.
And she narrowed her eyes.
“But maybe there's a reason he *has* to break them?”
“A reason he has to break them?”
“Yes.”
Reina hummed as she gathered her thoughts, then finally spoke.
“My son has always been needlessly mature, a kid who never had a cute side to him even when he was little.”
Ain focused on Reina's words.
“So he's always been very considerate of those around him. It was probably the same at school. It might not be that he was hiding his power, but that he's been considerate of his peers all this time.”
A hidden potential with no end in sight.
If the other students had known there was such a massive gap between them, would they have been able to feel a sense of rivalry toward Leo?
‘They wouldn't have.’
Ain narrowed his eyes.
“But he couldn't keep being considerate forever. In a way, he's finally showing his true self to the peers who always came at him with all they had.”
“I see. So he's testing the other students by showing them the gap.”
“Exactly.”
Reina smiled faintly.
“There are some things that professors can't teach. You know that well, don't you?”
“When you taste despair from someone you saw as your goal... there are things you can only see then.”
“Mhm. That's right.”
Reina wore a nostalgic expression.
“You were the same. Remember how you cried your eyes out after I completely crushed you after the first-year midterms?”
“...”
Ain's face turned grim.
Reina and Ain.
A secret only the two of them knew.
Ain, who had placed second in Knight Studies upon entering as a first-year, had also lost to Reina in the first semester midterms, taking second place again.
Unable to accept it, he challenged her to a duel the day the midterms ended and tasted bitter defeat.
He had been so frustrated back then that he had cried his eyes out.
“It wasn't a complete defeat. It was a narrow loss.”
“Hmm. Should I tell Yura and Ren?”
“Kgh...”
Seeing Reina threaten him with his dark past, Ain gritted his teeth.
“You... are still a witch, Reina Jerdinger.”
“It's Reina Flove now. Don't worry. I won't tell our juniors.”
Watching Reina burst into laughter, Ain heaved a deep sigh.
And he looked at the screen.
‘It's fine to be frustrated. It's fine to be broken. To be given chance after chance is a student's privilege. However.’
Ain's eyes grew cold.
‘Just don't lose sight of your goal.’
***
“Hah-! Hah-! I-I almost died.”
Karl clutched his chest.
And looking at the devastated interior of the Noble dorm's base, he wore a stunned expression.
“Eliza. Uh... th-thanks! If you hadn't come, Karl might have been done for.”
“W-well... we did our best, you know.”
“...”
The Noble dorm students spoke hesitantly as they looked at Eliza, who had driven off Chen Xia.
With her head bowed low and an ominous expression on her face, Eliza looked like she could explode at any moment.
Just then, Karl dusted off his pants and stood up.
He shuddered, as if thoroughly creeped out.
Chen Xia's relentless pursuit of him had been pure terror.
“Hey~ thanks, Eliza. Really, if it wasn't for you...”
*Whip-!*
“D-don't be mad. We'll properly set up our defenses... Eliza?”
Karl flinched as he saw Eliza spin around and walk toward him.
Then he noticed her trembling hands and paused.
“Did you... fight Leo?”
“I did.”
Eliza said, her head still bowed low.
“Woreden, Duran, and I. The three of us fought Leo Flove.”
“The three of you?”
“Wow...”
“That's surprising. The three of you ganging up on one person.”
The Noble students exclaimed in awe.
Just then, Duran trudged over.
The Noble students looked flustered by Duran's ominous aura.
“What's wrong?”
“What on earth happened?”
The two, who were always brimming with confidence, were silent.
The Noble students couldn't help but be bewildered by the silence of the two who would have normally chewed them out for letting Chen Xia invade.
Amidst this, Karl spoke up cautiously.
“By any chance... did Leo get you?”
At Karl's question, the Noble students looked incredulous.
“Hey, Karl. No matter how great Leo Flove is, does it make sense for Duran, Eliza, and Woreden to lose when they teamed up?”
“Yeah.”
“...”
“...”
But despite the other Noble students' words, Duran and Eliza remained silent.
At that, the Noble students' faces stiffened.
“Hey, no way.”
“It can't be, right?”
Just as everyone wore looks of shock...
“Everyone, gather 'round.”
Abad, having returned to the base, called the Noble students together.
Everyone gathered with bewildered faces.
“We need to change our strategy.”
Abad said, looking around at the Noble students.
“Avoid fighting Leo as much as possible. Fighting him now will just be giving points to the Glory dorm.”
Hearing Abad's words, the Noble dorm students looked at Duran and Eliza.
The two who should have been the most provoked by Abad's statement remained silent.
Afterwards, the dorm students who had participated in the battle returned one by one.
And after hearing the news about Leo, they all wore shocked expressions.
The fact that Leo had won both times despite being attacked by two groups of dorm heads was, quite literally, shocking.
“He handles a phoenix and a fairy?”
“A ridiculously overpowered defensive magic that nullifies a three-person coordinated attack...”
“He overwhelmed Abad and Celia?”
It was an unbelievable story.
But it was true.
Just then, Karl, who had been lost in thought, spoke up.
“You said Leo went to attack the rear detachment alone at the beginning, right?”
“That's right.”
Abad nodded.
“Chen Xia infiltrated our base to find out who the King is. All the other students were focused on defending the base.”
Karl, still thinking, said.
“This confirms it. Glory's King is Leo.”
Abad smirked.
“Your reason?”
“If he had stayed at the base, he would have had to face you guys, which would have been a greater risk. So they sent him to the front lines to avoid suspicion that he's the King. Besides.”
Karl wore a serious expression.
“If Leo is rampaging like that all by himself, it's even more likely that he's the King.”
“Why? Isn't it riskier the more he rampages?”
A Noble student asked with a puzzled look.
“It is risky. But the more he does it, the less anyone will think he's the King. I think Leo is making a show of force, in a way.”
Karl looked at Abad.
“Right away, Abad, you planned a strategy to avoid Leo. If the dorm heads avoid Leo, what happens? In the end, there will be no one left to face him. We'll just be beaten one-sidedly.”
Karl took a deep breath.
“Leo is planning to thoroughly crush us.”
“Why is he suddenly doing this after hiding his skills all this time?”
Duran asked, his face contorted.
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't imagine being able to beat Leo.
It would probably be the same even if all the dorm heads joined forces.
If the power difference was that overwhelming.
Even with four of them, victory couldn't be guaranteed.
‘We'd need at least five.’
That was the gap Duran estimated between Leo's strength and their own.
However…
‘They don't just have Leo Flove. They also have Chloe and Chen Xia.’
Because of Leo's presence alone, the balance of power had long since crumbled.
In such a situation, defeating Glory was next to impossible.
To Duran's words, Karl replied.
“Maybe he had a change of heart? I don't know what kind of change. But it's certain that he's at least taking us seriously.”
Karl wore a serious expression.
“The dorm heads I know might be slyly evasive, rude, and annoying, but.”
He looked over Abad, Duran, and Eliza.
“At least they weren't people who would run from a challenge.”
Karl's voice gained strength.
“You already knew the gap was wide, right? It just got a little wider! But you're giving up over that? No! In the first place!”
Karl shouted as if it were unfair.
“Hey! Even I, the lowest-ranked second-year, am thinking about how to beat Leo, so who are you to be giving up! Aren't you guys even worse than me right now!”
Duran's face twisted, and Eliza, her shoulders trembling, swung her whip, wrapped it around Karl's neck, and dragged him over.
“What did you just say, you mere Karl?”
“Hiiiik? F-forgive me...!”
His bravado broken by Eliza's murderous glare, Karl begged.
Watching the scene, Abad burst out laughing.
“The last-place student is thinking of beating the first-place student?”
“Yeah. Of course, it'd be suicide if I fought him myself, but.”
After escaping Eliza, Karl said.
“I don't think it's impossible for you guys.”
“...Leo Flove has no weaknesses. He was literally a perfect, flawless monster. You think we can win against a monster like that?”
As Eliza answered in a weak voice, Karl marveled.
“...You surprisingly have a girly side to you. Acting like a delicate maiden just because you got thoroughly beaten once.”
“...I'll kill you.”
“Stop! Stop! If I die, our dorm is finished!”
Karl screamed.
Abad calmed down the fuming, red-faced Eliza, while Duran crossed his arms.
“...Are you confident?”
“Of course not.”
Shrugging, Karl grinned.
“But if we just leave Leo alone, we're bound to lose, right? So let's try to take down this perfect monster.”