Chapter 422
Chapter Title: A Clash of Swords and Ideals
-----------------------------------------------------------------
422.
-Students! And our esteemed guests visiting Lumerne! Welcome! I’m Runba Tes, and I’ll be your commentator for this tournament!
Runba greeted them with a cheerful voice.
-And today, we have a special guest with us. The professor in charge of the second-year Magic Department! Professor Ren!
-A pleasure to be here. I’m Ren Horus.
Ren introduced himself, looking sharp and tidy.
-Professor. What are your thoughts on this tournament?
-I've been watching with great interest. This year’s first-year students have had a different curriculum than any before them. They all took the first-semester final exams, and thanks to the mentor system, they’ve been receiving help from their second-year seniors… I'm overjoyed to see how well everyone has grown under this different curriculum. I am quite fond of the system introduced by Professor Reina, our newly appointed headmaster.
-Yes. That’s why so many people are paying attention to Lumerne’s new academic system. But Professor Ren, what are your thoughts on the fact that not a single Magic Department student has made it to the semifinals?
Driven by his own desire to make the commentary more entertaining, Runba brought up a rather sensitive topic for Ren.
And the moment he finished, screams erupted from the Magic Department’s section.
Halind’s eye twitched.
-And as a professor from the Magic Department, it was a bit surprising that you volunteered to commentate on a match between two first-year Knight Department students…….
-Who said there are no Magic Department students in the semifinals?
-Pardon?
-And what do you mean, a match between Knight Department students?
-Um, well.
Ren asked Runba in an ominous voice.
Meeting Ren’s gaze, Runba realized he’d touched on something he shouldn’t have.
-Student Luke Elda is a dual-class student! He’ll be transferring to the Magic Department starting next semester! What’s more, student Luke has been receiving my personal tutoring in magic all semester— *BEEP*—!
-We apologize for the brief broadcasting incident.
Yura spoke hastily into the magically amplified microphone.
Lumerne teachers were free to give private lessons to specific students.
But broadcasting that fact in a public venue could easily lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
Thus, Ren's outburst was quickly quelled by other professors who intervened.
Ain clapped a hand over Ren’s mouth and dragged him away.
Mmph! Mmph! As Ren struggled, Halind gave a slight nod, and Ain mercilessly twisted his neck. Ren immediately went limp.
Taking Ren’s place at the microphone was Mel, a first-year Magic Department professor.
-It’s Mel! I look forward to working with you all.
As Mel spoke with a bright smile, cheers erupted from the students.
Hearing Mel’s voice, Ar perked up her cat ears.
“Hey, that Lumerne professor’s voice… didn’t it sound a lot like the Dragon Lord’s?”
“Now that you mention it.”
“Hmm. It is similar.”
At Ar’s sharp observation, Lunia and Driana also tilted their heads.
“Must be a coincidence, right?”
“Yeah. It’d be weird for the Dragon Lord to be working as a professor at Lumerne.”
But they quickly lost interest.
Logically speaking, it was an impossible scenario.
Meanwhile, Runba continued his commentary.
-Now then, let’s introduce them! Though he remained at the bottom of his year for the entire first semester, he achieved the magnificent feat of reaching the semifinals in the final practical exam! The star of a great reversal! Luke Elda!
Waaaaaah!
Fervent cheers poured out.
The first and second-year students watched Luke with complicated expressions, but to the third-years and above, Luke, the author of this incredible comeback, was an object of fascination.
Moreover, among the proud hero candidates of Lumerne, Luke, with his gentle and innocent appearance, was quite popular with the upperclassmen.
At his seniors’ cheers, Luke blushed slightly and offered an awkward smile.
His somewhat clumsy and naive appearance made the upperclassmen who favored him scream with even more delight.
-Oh! Student Luke! Your popularity is incredible! Now then! Our next student is! The most noteworthy sword genius among this year’s new students! Aina Veydna!
As Aina stepped into the arena, a roar of cheers rivaling Luke’s erupted.
Last year, the Sword Saint, in his aged body, had held off the Demon Queen until the Hero of the Beginning and the Progenitor of the Nebula arrived.
If not for him, most of the students here might have lost their lives.
Remembering the Sword Saint’s noble sacrifice, his great-granddaughter, Aina, had received a great deal of attention since her enrollment.
Amidst the pouring cheers.
Luke and Aina stood facing each other in the center of the arena.
“You made it this far.”
“Yes, Aina.”
Luke took a deep breath.
“I’ll do my best today so I won’t be ashamed to stand before you.”
“Luke Elda.”
“Yes?”
It was the first time Aina had ever called him by his name, so Luke looked a little surprised.
“Why did you enroll at Lumerne?”
At the sudden question, Luke looked momentarily puzzled.
But he soon answered.
“I’ve admired heroes since I was a child.”
Luke said with a smile.
“Heroes are incredible people, you know. I wanted to be like them.”
He spoke shyly.
It wasn’t some grand ambition.
Simply because it was his childhood dream.
He didn't have a big reason for helping others.
It was just the right thing to do.
Luke had always helped others without hesitation.
Aina recalled Luke helping her during the entrance exam.
After her match with Juen.
For the first time since enrolling, Aina had started to look at her surroundings.
And she realized.
All of her peers had a goal they were striving for.
‘They’re fundamentally different from me.’
Aina’s eyes grew dim.
‘Everyone holds an ideal and aims to be a hero.’
She didn’t care about being a hero.
She had only polished her swordsmanship and enrolled at Lumerne to get revenge on Tartaros.
Unlike all her classmates who admired Leo Flove and wished to be like him.
She had only seen him as a necessary tool.
‘Luke Elda and I… no. It’s not just Luke Elda. I’m different from the others. That’s why I couldn’t challenge my limits.’
During the first semester, Aina had never once challenged her limits.
During the entrance exam and the mentor selection, she had given up as soon as she thought it was hopeless.
Even in her match with Juen a few days ago, she gave up the moment she reached her limit.
Unlike her, Juen had tried to push past his limits to defeat her.
‘It’s the same for Luke Elda.’
Aina knew Luke from before enrollment.
His skills were pathetic, incomparable to her own.
She had thought he was a student who didn’t belong at Lumerne.
But…
‘This boy is more suited for Lumerne than anyone.’
By endlessly pushing past his limits, he now stood before her after such a short time.
‘In a way, it’s only natural that Leo acknowledged him.’
Until now, Aina had been unable to accept that Luke, not her, had become Leo’s mentee.
But now she understood.
‘I… don’t deserve to be a hero candidate.’
At the refereeing professor’s word, the two students returned to their respective positions.
Drawing his sword, Luke watched Aina with tense eyes.
Aina simply stared at the ground in silence.
*Ting-!*
A coin, signaling the start of the match, flew into the air.
*Clang!*
The coin hit the ground.
In that instant, Luke shot toward Aina like a silver flash.
***
“She looks dispirited.”
Leo murmured as he watched Aina, then glanced at Celia.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“How should I know?”
Celia answered in a somewhat blunt voice.
“Looks like Aina didn’t come to you for help.”
“She was never a kid who needed my help in the first place.”
Celia let out a short sigh.
“Aina is the type to get stronger on her own.”
“Even so, knowing your personality, how you like to take care of others, I thought you would have helped her a lot.”
“You’re right. She seemed unstable in a way. As her mentor, I wanted to correct that.”
Celia wore a bitter expression.
“But maybe because I was a terrible mentor, I couldn’t be of any help in the end.”
“Your sense of responsibility is too strong. That’s also a problem.”
“What?”
“You were a perfectly good mentor. Aina was more unstable than you think.”
Leo didn’t know why Aina was so desperate for his acknowledgment.
But whatever the reason, he knew that to Aina, everything was merely a means to an end.
Leo had seen countless others who burned with a desire for revenge against Tartaros, just like Aina.
‘It’s not that it’s wrong. In some ways, it can even be a driving force.’
But simple hatred would eventually consume a person.
That was why Leo hadn't chosen Aina, even though he could have given her exactly what she wanted.
If Leo had chosen Aina as his mentee, she would have used it as fuel for her hatred.
‘It would have become uncontrollable then. She didn’t need an adult who would understand and coddle her, but a peer, an older sister or brother figure, who would try to understand and constantly challenge her.’
“You might not have known it… but you were there to keep Aina from going astray and breaking down.”
“Was I?”
Celia crossed her arms and tilted her head.
“If she comes to you after this match, give her a real scolding.”
“I was planning to. I won’t be satisfied until I give her a piece of my mind.”
Celia scoffed and swept her hair back.
“Anyway, Leo. What’s your take on this match?”
“In terms of raw power, Aina has the upper hand.”
“Right. But in that state of mind, it’ll be hard for her to gain an advantage against the current Luke.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.”
“What?”
“Aina’s type can always perform at 100%, no matter the time or place. Even if her mental state is completely shattered.”
“Then it’ll be hard for Luke to win.”
“That’s right.”
Leo smiled.
Seeing him, Celia tilted her head.
“You seem relaxed. Are you satisfied just with him getting this far?”
“Not a chance.”
Leo shook his head.
“Luke will be a good stimulus for Aina. Perhaps Aina will also surpass her limits.”
“Then won’t it be even harder for him to win?”
“It will. But he’s not the type to break easily. Just as Luke is a stimulus for Aina, Aina will be a stimulus for Luke.”
***
*Clang-!*
Luke’s sword, wreathed in silver aura, and Aina’s sword, wreathed in golden aura, crossed.
*Krrk-!*
They locked blades, pushing against each other.
A moment later.
A golden flash sparked.
Golden lines embroidered the air.
*Ch-ch-ch-ch-chang-!*
But every golden line was blocked by the silver sword.
‘Incredible.’
Luke’s eyes widened.
This was the first time he had ever faced Aina.
In the Knight Department, students of the same year constantly held mock battles.
But for Luke, who was at the bottom of his year, Aina was an opponent far beyond his league.
He had never had the chance to cross swords with her.
Luke could only watch Aina's swordsmanship from a distance.
He knew her technique was exquisite, on a level he couldn’t hope to match.
But facing it directly was a completely different dimension from just watching.
‘I can’t feel any emotion.’
A sword that cut people down without emotion.
A merciless and sharp swordsmanship because of it.
Because there was no emotion, it was impossible to predict.
‘Aina is amazing! How can she do this?’
Luke struggled to block Aina’s sword and retreated.
Watching him, Aina thought.
‘A sword that clearly shows emotion.’
Through his sword, Luke’s emotions were clearly palpable.
When Aina learned the sword, she was taught not to reveal her emotions.
That was likely true for any knight.
Strong emotions clouded judgment.
And a skilled knight could quickly read an opponent’s emotions to predict the flow of their attacks.
In that sense, Luke’s swordsmanship laid his attacks bare.
He was literally full of openings.
But…
‘I can feel too many emotions.’
Ironically, because his attacks were so clear, they were hard to predict.
‘How can this be?’