Chapter 554
Chapter Title: The First Target
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554.
Before the start of the match.
Woreden, who had assigned Iliana the task of provoking the other team, spoke.
“The main strikers on the opposing team will undoubtedly be Chelsea Llewellyn, Chen Xia, and Eiran Ersar.”
He looked at Chelsea, Chen Xia, and Eiran.
“It won’t be easy to get the ball back from those three.”
Speed was one thing.
But in terms of evasive maneuvers, Chelsea was superior to Duran.
And while Celia and Duran overwhelmed opponents with sheer power, Chen Xia was the type to defeat them with fluid movements.
As for Eiran, she was literally a guardian for her allies.
That was why it would be difficult to reclaim the ball once it was in their possession.
“In the beginning, we’ll have to focus on blocking their offense. But if an opening appears…”
“We can pass the ball to Celia and aim for the first score.”
Haul said with a nod.
As everyone else agreed, Woreden shook his head.
“No, our first objective is to eliminate Karl Thomas.”
At his words, everyone stared at Woreden in surprise.
“Why the long faces?”
“Well, it’s just surprising. You said that taking Karl out is a higher priority than scoring first.”
Jureden said in a bewildered tone.
In Bastera, assuming equal strength, the defensive team had the advantage the longer the game went on.
In Bastera, defense included the ability to possess the ball, and the ball was the only means of attack.
Holding onto the ball for a long time meant having more opportunities to attack.
Like a light rain soaking one’s clothes, the defensive team would gain the upper hand as time went on.
“We probably won’t have that many chances to attack. Isn’t it a waste to use one of those precious chances to take down Karl?”
The other students, except for Woreden, nodded in agreement with Jureden’s words.
“In Bastera, when an extremely offensive team meets an extremely defensive one, the defensive team has the advantage. That’s why most students—including all of you—think Professor Lipen put Karl Thomas on the defense team to balance things out.”
Woreden glanced over at Karl Thomas.
“But Duran Moira, Abad Llewellyn. Didn’t you two just name Karl Thomas as your most troublesome opponent?”
“That’s…”
“Celia Jerdinger. You’re also wary of Karl Thomas, aren’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“But you only see him as a nuisance, not a serious threat.”
“Well, yeah… it’s Karl, isn’t it? The weakest of the second years.”
Turka shrugged.
“I’m not looking down on Karl. He’s definitely skilled to have survived this long. And his strategies are excellent. But this isn’t a real battle, is it? I think it’s a waste to throw away an opportunity to gain the upper hand just to eliminate Karl.”
“That’s the most irritating thing about Karl Thomas. He makes people underestimate him, not seeing him as a threat. He even does it to himself.”
A corner of Woreden’s mouth curled up.
“But remember this. He has always overcome the same trials as us… no, in some ways, even more than us, to be standing here. And every time, the party members with him have always drawn out power beyond their limits. All of you were there, so you should know this well.”
At Woreden’s words, the expressions on Celia, Abad, and Duran’s faces hardened.
“We were the ones who surpassed our limits, that’s true. But can you confidently say you would have been able to do so if Karl Thomas hadn’t been there?”
“That’s…”
Celia trailed off.
Looking at her, Woreden continued.
“That’s what’s so frightening about him. He helps his comrades draw out more than their maximum power. The longer he stays on the field, the more he’ll find our weaknesses and strengthen the opposing team. I believe that taking him out at the very beginning is the key to this match.”
Woreden’s gaze shifted to Karl.
“Whether you target him from the start or not, I’ll leave the decision to you.”
***
*Crackle—!*
An aura of lightning raged.
Nella stood in front of the ball flying toward their goal.
“Aaaah! Nella, move!”
“That’s too reckless!”
The male students outside the field screamed.
Seeing Nella, considered one of the most beautiful girls of the second year, stand against Duran, who boasted the strongest offensive power in the Knight Department, naturally made them worry.
*KABOOM! K-K-K-K-KRAAACK!*
As Nella caught the ball, she was pushed back with a long slide.
Seeing this, Chelsea quickly used magic.
*Whoooosh!*
A gust of wind wrapped around Nella’s back.
Coming to a halt, Nella took a light breath and smiled brightly at Chelsea.
“Thanks, Chelsea.”
With a grin, Nella bounced the ball and walked toward the opponent’s goal.
The male students stared at her, their mouths agape.
“Is… is she okay?”
“How?”
Just as the boys were expressing their shock.
“It seems you all thought of Nella Kabun as a simple healer.”
Professor Lipen, who was grading the match, said indifferently.
“Of course, she was born with the wonderful trait of a healing aura, but Nella Kabun is undeniably one of the top students in the Knight Department. She uses defensive swordsmanship because she isn’t aggressive by nature, but her toughness is among the best of the knight students.”
“Nella is tough?”
“But she’s such a delicate, beautiful girl.”
As the male students mumbled in a daze, Lipen clicked his tongue.
Nella specialized not in defeating opponents on the front lines, but in stopping their attacks.
The foundation of this was her healing ability.
She was the ultimate shield, capable of healing herself while fighting the enemy, buying time for the mages in the rear to cast their powerful spells.
‘It’s good that she’s making the most of her abilities, but I should advise her to be a little more careful with her body.’
The fact that she was smiling her characteristic smile despite the pain was probably to ease her teammates’ worries.
Just then, Haul tried to steal the ball from Nella using his aura.
However, Dade quickly used a summoned creature to block Haul’s attack.
“As long as I’m here, you won’t lay a single finger on Nella.”
Dade said with a grin, and Iliana jeered at him.
“Booo~ Don’t try to act cool, Dade!”
“Nella, pass to Eiran.”
As the ball was passed to Eiran, Iliana quickly fled.
The current score was 2:2.
It seemed like an even match, but the defense team was gradually being pushed back due to being short one player.
‘It’s a shame Karl Thomas was eliminated so early.’
Lipen hadn’t put Karl Thomas on the defense team to give them a handicap.
He had placed Karl on the defense team based on a clear assessment of his strength.
‘Though his own underestimation of himself was his downfall.’
While he was clicking his tongue, the tide of the battle turned in favor of the offense team.
In the end, the match concluded with a final score of 3:2, a victory for the offense team.
***
Karl opened his eyes.
“Huh?”
Sitting up, Karl scratched his head.
“I got taken out. We lost, didn’t we?”
“You know that well.”
“Ugh.”
Karl flinched at the voice coming from his side.
Eliza was there, legs crossed, trimming her nails.
“Eliza? Why are you here?”
“Because I was the one who brought you to the infirmary.”
“You? Not Chloe or Chelsea?”
Karl asked in disbelief, and Eliza’s eyes narrowed.
“Why do you react as if it’s only natural for the other dorm leaders to take care of you?”
“No, it’s just that, I thought you’d say, ‘Hmph, why should I care for the likes of Karl Thomas? I’d rather spend that time trimming my nails,’ and not even give me a second glance… Gack!”
“You’re really asking for it, Karl Thomas.”
“Fo-forgive me…!”
Karl managed to choke out, his neck now wrapped in her whip after his ridiculous impression of Eliza.
Eliza released her grip and scoffed.
“I just thought that if a leader of the same dorm was on my team, I should be the one to take care of them. Besides…”
“Besides?”
“I had a vague feeling that Woreden Tiden might target you first. And yet, I stood by and watched, which was clearly my mistake.”
Eliza bit her lip hard.
“So it was Woreden’s idea to target me first. But why?”
“…Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
Eliza stared at Karl as if he were pathetic.
Looking at her, Karl scratched his head.
“A summoner has to choose a summon with stronger traits, even among summons of the same class. That’s why I think they have a better eye for people than knights or mages.”
“Hmm, the summoner department kids are definitely like that.”
As Karl nodded, Eliza spoke.
“I never thought I’d say this to you. Karl Thomas. You are a far greater person than you think you are.”
Eliza glared at Karl irritably, as if it pained her to have to spell it out.
“You’ve helped me a lot. So I’d appreciate it if you didn’t treat yourself so cheaply. It makes me feel cheap for having been helped by you.”
At those words, Karl looked at Eliza with a moved expression.
“Wh-what is it?”
Eliza blushed slightly, a little flustered by Karl’s continuous stare.
Karl took Eliza’s hands in both of his.
“Wh-what do you think you’re doing?”
Eliza’s face grew redder with embarrassment.
“Eliza, you actually know that you get help from me?”
“…”
“I honestly thought you’d never realize.”
“What in the world do you take me for?”
“But I thought you’d be thinking, ‘Hmph. A mere commoner. It’s only natural for you to help me. You should feel honored.’”
*Swish! Crack! Crack! Crack!*
“Aaaah! I was joking! Joking!”
Eliza’s expression turned icy as she began to whip Karl relentlessly.
It was then.
*Slam—!*
“Karl! Are you alri— Oh my?”
Iliana, who had burst through the infirmary door, froze and her eyes widened at the scene inside.
“Looks like you were having a good time. Sorry to interrupt.”
And she closed the door.
“Don’t go in. They’re in the middle of some whip play.”
Iliana’s playful voice could be heard from outside.
“Karl Thomas.”
“Yeah.”
“I can destroy her, right?”
“Of course.”
With a cold smile, Eliza left the room.
Iliana’s desperate screams echoed throughout the infirmary.
“Sigh. Can’t even get a moment’s rest.”
Sighing heavily, Karl rested his chin on his hand and looked out the window.
‘Don’t treat yourself so cheaply, huh…’
***
“The weather is so nice today, it’s putting me in a good mood.”
Elena, sitting on a cafe terrace, said as she put the straw of her fruit juice to her lips.
Leo, sitting opposite her, sipped his coffee and replied.
“You seem to be in high spirits.”
“It’s because I’m skipping class for the first time in a while.”
Elena’s answer, accompanied by a bright smile, was beautiful.
As befitting the greatest beauty of Lumerne, her smile alone caused everyone in the cafe to stare, entranced.
Seeing this, Leo let out a small laugh.
“You’re so calm.”
“Do I seem that way?”
“Yes. We called it a date, but all we’ve been doing is sitting here looking at the street. Aren’t you bored?”
After leaving Lumerne, Leo and Elena had come to this cafe and sat for hours.
They had eaten snacks, but they had barely spoken, simply watching the scenery of the street outside.
“I quite like it. Spending time like this, doing nothing at all.”
Leo looked out the window.
Having always lived a busy life, spending time so leisurely made him feel much more relaxed.
“Hmm?”
Elena, who had been watching Leo with her chin in her hand, spoke.
“Leo.”
“Yes.”
“Would you like to spend the night at my place?”