Chapter 409
Chapter Title: Go Show Them Who You Are
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409.
*Clang—!*
The sharp sound of swords clashing echoed.
*Whoosh—!*
Celia spun, deflecting Martina’s sword as it pressed down on her.
The moment Martina lost her balance.
*Fwoosh—!*
Aina leaped in behind Martina.
Aina’s thrust aimed for Celia.
A strike as fast as a flash of light.
But Celia, as if expecting it, dodged the attack with ease.
Then she snatched Aina’s wrist and threw her.
Suspended in the air, Aina looked down at Celia with a blank expression.
In that time, Celia aimed the tip of her sword at Martina.
“Mock battle, concluded.”
Celia said calmly as she retracted her sword.
*Swish—!*
After a few stylish swings in the air, Celia sheathed her sword with a click and spoke.
“I agreed to this mock battle since you asked for it.”
Celia narrowed her eyes at Aina.
“But why did you ask for it in the first place? For someone who initiated this, your teamwork was terrible.”
Looking at Celia, Aina opened her mouth to speak.
“I haven’t been subdued yet.”
“The mock battle ended the moment Martina was subdued. There’s no reason to continue.”
Celia said, sweeping her hair back.
“Aina, you’re not unaware that you can’t beat me on your own, are you?”
The three of them were engaged in a pure swordsmanship duel, without using Aura.
Aina was the great-granddaughter of a Sword Saint and had been called a genius with the sword since childhood, but Celia was also a direct descendant of the Jerdinger family and hailed as a prodigy.
The gap between a first-year and a second-year was as wide as the distance between heaven and earth.
Thus, even in a pure swordsmanship duel, Aina could not defeat Celia.
But Aina showed no signs of backing down.
Watching her, Celia spoke.
“You should have tried to save Martina just now, instead of attacking me.”
“I wanted to duel you one-on-one, Senior Celia.”
“What’s the reason?”
“To improve my skills as quickly as possible and earn Senior Leo’s acknowledgment.”
*Leo again.*
Celia sighed.
She was already aware of Aina’s strange obsession with Leo.
That obsession became blatant whenever Aina pushed herself too hard.
“I won’t ask why you’re so obsessed with getting Leo’s acknowledgment. That’s your personal business.”
“……”
“But if you keep on like this, you’ll never get it.”
“What… do you mean by that?”
“Take what just happened, for example.”
Celia glanced at Martina, who was standing behind them with a slightly worried expression.
“When Martina was subdued, you should have saved her instead of attacking me. You learned that in class, didn't you?”
“……”
Aina clenched her fists.
“If Leo’s standard was simply ‘strength,’ you would have already earned his acknowledgment.”
Aina had never once lost her position as the top first-year.
*She’s held onto the number one spot, fending off formidable competitors like Haviden from the Knight Department, Juen from the Magic Department, and even Lady Sasha from the Summoning Department.*
And yet, Leo still didn’t acknowledge Aina.
*Besides, Leo has consistently acknowledged Karl since their first year.*
It wasn't simply because they were friends.
Leo genuinely thought Karl was amazing and considered him a comrade walking the same path, even before being his closest friend.
At first, Celia hadn't understood it, but she had recently come to realize it herself.
From the midterm exams to the recent Elehem incident.
Karl’s abilities as a supporter and as a commander who could read the flow of battle were astounding.
“I once asked Leo why he didn't choose you as his mentee.”
“...It’s because I failed to land an attack on Senior Leo back then. But Luke Elda succeeded.”
“Then and now, Luke is no match for you. So why did it turn out that way?”
“That’s…”
Aina’s voice trailed off.
Even now, she couldn't understand what had happened back then.
“Did you even look at Leo properly that day?”
Aina’s eyes widened.
“My cousin, Leo Flove—what kind of person is he?”
Aina’s eyes wavered.
“He’s…”
“Are you even seeing me for who I am?”
At Celia’s words, Aina fell silent.
“How do you expect to gain Leo’s acknowledgment when you can’t even see what’s around you?”
Aina lowered her head at Celia's cold words.
Celia took a deep breath as she looked at her.
“What future do you wish for? What kind of hero do you want to become?”
“……”
Aina didn't answer.
She just stared silently at the ground.
Watching her, Celia scratched her head in frustration.
Celia had done her best for Aina.
And Aina had done her best to follow Celia’s guidance.
But Aina had never once truly seen Celia.
She was only obsessed with getting Leo’s acknowledgment.
Even for the good-natured and generous Celia, this was her limit.
“I don’t know anymore. You don’t need me, do you? I get it. You’ll get stronger even without me. You’ll get through the second semester at Lumerne without issue and move on to the next year.”
“Y-Young Lady Celia?”
Martina looked flustered as Celia began to walk away.
*Step— Step—*
Celia, walking away coldly, stopped.
She turned around.
“But you might not be able to hold on to your position as the year representative anymore.”
“……?”
Aina lifted her head and looked at Celia.
“I heard Leo declared in front of the other students earlier. That Luke Elda’s goal is an undefeated run.”
“Undefeated?”
Aina’s face stiffened.
“Yep. The cousin I know isn’t one to make empty boasts. So, I guess that means Luke Elda has surpassed you, right?”
Celia smiled faintly.
“I wish you luck, Aina.”
With those words, Celia truly left.
“Aina! Make sure you apologize to the Young Lady next time you see her, okay? I’ll try to persuade her!”
Martina said to Aina before hurriedly chasing after Celia.
Left all alone, Aina stared at the ground.
Luke Elda, the first-year failure and the weakest of them all.
His goal was an undefeated run?
An image of Luke from the end of the Elehem incident flashed through Aina’s mind.
*I’ll never lose.*
Aina gritted her teeth.
“Y-Young Lady Celia. Are you really going to stop being Aina’s mentor?”
“What’s there to stop? The mentor-mentee relationship ends when the first semester is over anyway.”
Celia answered Martina’s urgent question calmly.
“...Are you saying you won’t think of Aina as your junior anymore?”
At that question, Celia sighed.
“As long as she’s a student at Lumerne, she’s my junior. The fact that I mentored her doesn’t change. She worked hard, and I’m satisfied with that. I’m even grateful to Aina for doing her best when it must have been tough.”
“Then why did you say that? Do you want Aina to lose?”
“...I don’t know about that. But it’s clear that Aina is conscious of Luke.”
“Because he was chosen by Young Master Leo?”
“That’s part of it. But more than that, it seemed like she had a strange sense of rivalry with him.”
Martina looked dumbfounded at those words.
The ones openly vying for Aina’s position as year representative were Haviden, Juen, and Sasha.
Though other first-years didn't show it, they all thought Aina was extremely wary of those three.
But Celia was saying that Aina, bizarrely, considered Luke her rival.
“I don’t think she realizes it herself, and even if she did, she wouldn’t admit it.”
Celia shook her head.
“How do you know what Aina is thinking so well?”
“Because until last year, I was a lot like her.”
“Like Aina?”
“When I first met Leo, he couldn’t even use Aura. I made a bet with him and lost, suffering the humiliation of having to act as his maid for a week.”
“...A maid? You, Young Lady Celia?”
Martina looked aghast.
“Don’t you go spreading that around.”
She squinted at Martina.
Within the Jerdinger family, it was a fact known only to the very few who were present at the time.
“After that, Leo learned Aura in an instant. And he proved he was an All-Class. Honestly, until the beginning of the semester, I looked down on Leo, who had just started using Aura, and didn't consider him a rival. I deliberately ignored it.”
The other students had felt the same way.
“And then I was surpassed in an instant.”
Celia’s eyes darkened.
“I felt like my world was collapsing. Before I knew it, Leo was so far ahead that it was hard to even chase after him. It’s still like that now.”
“I see.”
Having only ever seen the confident side of Celia, Martina had never imagined she had such worries.
“I don’t know if Luke will really beat Aina or not. But if she loses to Luke, her spirit might break. Especially since she can’t see what’s around her properly. That’s why I wanted to make her conscious of Luke.”
Celia said, looking back in the direction of the now-unseen Aina.
“If she at least becomes aware of Luke Elda and sees the path he’s walked… then even if she falls, she’ll be able to get back up and run again. I think this is the last bit of help I can give her as a mentor.”
“Young Lady.”
Martina looked touched.
But soon, a look of doubt crossed her face.
“But can Luke really beat Aina?”
“Who knows. But it won’t be impossible.”
“Why?”
“...It’s a bit much to say it myself, but… my cousin is a little… what should I call it?”
After pondering for a moment, Celia said.
“He’s a madman.”
“……”
“You can’t creatively torment people like that under the guise of training unless you’re insane.”
Celia shuddered.
She was one of the people who had suffered the most at Leo’s hands.
“...Young Master Leo’s motto is certainly terrifying.”
*‘Can’t do it? Haven’t you ever heard ‘make it happen’?’*
Martina shivered, recalling the look on Leo’s face as he’d said it so matter-of-factly.
“He’s already planned a special training schedule for this summer vacation.”
“No, that’s horrible.”
The two girls suffered mental anguish as they recalled the utterly vicious Leo.
***
*Waaaaah—!*
The first round of the tournament.
The sounds of students fighting fiercely could be heard from the dueling arena set up in Lumerne’s central training grounds.
Meanwhile, Leo stood in the waiting room for the next duel.
“Can I really do this?”
“I can’t know that.”
Leo replied calmly to Luke, who asked in a slightly anxious voice.
“But if you don’t believe in yourself, who will? Trust in everything you’ve done up to this point.”
At Leo’s words, Luke nodded.
“Oh, and you can take off those sealing restraints now.”
At Leo’s words, Luke looked down at the restraints on his wrists and ankles.
Then, he smiled.
“Yes, but I’ll do my best with them on for this round.”
Leo let out a small laugh at his words.
A magic screen in the waiting room showed the situation in the arena.
The match ended, and the next turn came.
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Luke.”
“Yes?”
Leo called out to Luke as he was leaving the waiting room.
As Luke turned back with a questioning look, Leo said.
“Go show them who you are.”
“Yes!”