Chapter 603
Chapter Title: A Day Without Money
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Leo looked at the newly formed pairs and spoke.
“This was all decided by a fair drawing, so no one has any objections, right?”
“Young Master Leo! I object! To be paired with this scrawny man! I cannot accept it!”
“For once, I must agree with this tomboyish woman!”
The man and woman protested the moment he finished speaking.
Leo wore an unimpressed expression as he looked at Niel and Machel.
“Think of it as fate.”
The drawing had been held a total of three times.
This was because Niel and Machel, who had been paired up in the first drawing, had protested vehemently.
In the subsequent drawing, they were paired up again, and on the third try, they inevitably ended up in the same group.
At this point, it was becoming awkward to redraw the pairs just for these two.
“Isn't there a saying? The first time is a coincidence, the second is inevitable, and the third is fate.”
“Lady Chelsea! Don't say such dreadful things!”
As Chelsea chuckled and muttered, Machel showed a strong aversion.
Niel was no different.
“Young Master Leo! Please, let us switch! Or just one more time!”
Seeing Machel and Niel on the verge of tears, practically having a fit, Chelsea said.
“No. No switching. Go back.”
Chelsea, for her part, had ended up paired with Leo after the three drawings.
When his pleas to Leo failed, Niel looked toward Celia.
Celia was staring at Abad, who stood beside her with a displeased look.
Niel spoke to Celia, who was paired with Abad.
“Lady Celia! You want to switch partners too, don't you?”
Seeing Niel trying to drag her into it, Celia let out a small sigh.
“Niel, we've already drawn three times. And I'm fine.”
Since becoming a second-year student, Celia had grown quite close to Abad.
They had crossed the line between life and death together countless times, and in the process, they had always joined forces, making it impossible not to build a bond.
Just as Niel, having failed to sway Celia, was about to seek help from someone else.
“You sure do whine a lot.”
“Y-Young Master Leo?”
Niel flinched at Leo’s quiet murmur.
“You two.”
“Sir!”
“Yes, sir!”
Under Leo’s cold gaze, Niel and Machel instinctively snapped to attention.
Leo had treated them with the respect due to upperclassmen, but that was completely gone now.
“Are your families mortal enemies?”
“The Roda family is a vassal to the Jerdingers, so naturally, with a vassal of the Llewellyns…”
“Are the Jerdingers and Llewellyns sworn enemies? Do they kill each other on sight?”
“Well… no.”
“Did the Roda and Rujia families’ ancestors kill each other?”
“…No…”
“Then why are you two at each other's throats? What? Are you going to fight like this in front of the demons of Tartaros? Huh? Tell me I’m wrong. Go on. You wet-behind-the-ears brats act like you’ve met your mortal enemy every time you see each other? What? Have you ever even met a real enemy? Huh? Have you?!”
At Leo’s unnerving intensity, the others began to slowly back away from him.
Niel and Machel stood before Leo, unable to utter a single word, their heads bowed low.
Although he was their junior at the academy, they knew Leo’s skills had long surpassed their own.
They had even felt he was more mature than them in every way, and right now, they had no excuse to offer, even if they had ten mouths.
They were making a scene and troubling those around them because of their personal feelings, so it was only natural they were being scolded.
But Niel and Machel couldn’t help but shudder at this familiar yet alien feeling.
‘What… what is this? Young Master Leo is definitely younger than us.’
‘Why does it feel like we’re being scolded by someone far, far older?’
As the two began to break out in a cold sweat, terrified, Leo spoke.
“Back in my day!”
“Leo.”
Just then, Chelsea cautiously called out to him.
“I think that’s enough.”
Leo looked at Niel and Machel and smiled brightly.
“Since you’re in the same group anyway, take this opportunity to get to know each other.”
The terrifying atmosphere from moments ago vanished completely, and seeing Leo back to his usual self, Niel and Machel numbly nodded their heads.
“You’re both adults who’ve had your coming-of-age ceremonies, so don’t cause any more childish trouble.”
The two saw Leo’s eyes narrow for a split second and nodded their heads furiously.
Wearing a satisfied expression at the sight, Leo looked at the other retainers.
“Well then, everyone have a good time. See you tomorrow.”
At his words, the Jerdinger knights and Llewellyn mages looked at each other with complicated expressions.
***
Leo and Chelsea walked down the street.
Following behind Leo, Chelsea suddenly noticed the difference in their strides and muttered to herself.
‘Come to think of it, our height difference wasn’t this big when we first enrolled, but now it’s quite significant.’
Chelsea, too, was in her growth period, and she had grown quite a bit since she had first entered the academy.
But Leo had grown much taller than her, creating a distinct difference.
Chelsea quickened her pace to match Leo’s.
It would have been fair to feel a little resentful that Leo didn’t mind his pace, but Chelsea didn't care about such things.
She understood now.
‘For the past two years at Lumerne, Leo has always been looking out for me.’
So that Chelsea wouldn't give up on moving forward.
‘Like someone teaching me how to run.’
She couldn't be coddled like that forever.
‘I don’t want to hold Leo back.’
What Chelsea wanted now wasn't to gaze at the back of the person she admired.
It was to stand beside him and see the same view he was looking at.
Leo, who had been weaving through the crowd, came to a stop.
Standing slightly behind him, Chelsea stared up at his back.
‘I wonder what the view Leo sees is like?’
Thinking this, Chelsea stood on her tiptoes, trying to raise her height to match his line of sight.
After struggling for a moment, Chelsea let out an involuntary laugh.
‘How foolish of me. It’s not like I can understand what he sees just by getting a little taller like this.’
It was an unconscious act, born from the desire to get a little closer to the person she admired.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s nothing.”
Chelsea shook her head at Leo’s quizzical expression and lowered herself from her tiptoes.
“Anyway, where should we find a place to stay?”
“I don’t know. Since we’re broke, shouldn’t we find a way to get some money first?”
“I have a question. Why did you specifically pair up people from the Jerdinger and Llewellyn families for a penniless tour?”
What Leo had proposed wasn't a simple tour.
He had randomly paired up people from rival families and told them to spend a day without any money.
“I know you’re trying to create an opportunity for the Jerdingers and Llewellyns to get along, but is this really necessary?”
“For people who don’t get along to become friends, they need to go through hardship together.”
“And that’s a penniless trip?”
“It’s not just about being penniless, is it?”
Leo smirked.
Before they all went their separate ways, Leo had set the rules for the day.
First, start the tour without a single coin.
Second, the use of aura and magic is forbidden.
Third, absolutely no sleeping outdoors.
Fourth, no fighting.
Leo had added that anyone who broke one of these rules would have an… interesting experience, which made the retainers of both families shudder.
Chelsea had some doubts about whether this could really create an opportunity for them to become friends.
“It’s surprisingly effective. It’s a method Lisinas used to use.”
“Lord Lisinas did?”
Chelsea’s eyes widened at Leo’s words.
“Wait, does that mean the Great Heroes didn’t get along at first either? How bad was it that you had to take such drastic measures?”
Seeing Chelsea’s eyes sparkle with excitement, Leo smirked.
“It was me and Luna.”
“What? You and Lady Luna?”
Chelsea looked bewildered.
When Luna had been at Lumerne last time, she and Leo were perfectly in sync.
It was as if they knew what the other wanted with just a look.
To hear that the two who had shown such perfect chemistry had been on bad terms was baffling to Chelsea.
“Me and that girl had completely opposite personalities from the moment we met.”
Luna, in those days, was brimming with confidence, boasting that she could do anything, while Kyle viewed everything with a cynical eye. Their relationship was bound to be rocky from the start.
Moreover, Kyle at the time had a very cynical side.
Because of that, he never hesitated to throw sharp remarks at Luna.
‘Lisinas was the type to hold it in until he exploded, but that girl would fire right back.’
If Kyle’s personality was twisted, Luna’s was cantankerous.
Watching the two clash almost daily, Lisinas, unable to bear it any longer, finally took drastic measures.
“So that’s what happened. I don’t think I would have ever believed it if it came from anyone else’s mouth.”
Chelsea giggled.
“You and Lady Luna, like me and Celia. I can’t imagine it.”
‘You and Celia can’t even compare.’
Leo chuckled inwardly.
But for the sake of his and Luna’s honor, he didn't bother to share that story.
“So, did you and Lady Luna wander a city without money, just like we are now?”
“No, of course not.”
“Huh?”
“That guy Lisinas sealed my and Luna’s mana and threw us into the middle of a forest teeming with monsters.”
Chelsea’s expression turned to one of shock at Leo’s words.
“Even for Lord Lisinas, is that even possible?”
To simultaneously seal the mana of the strongest mage in history and someone with comparable power.
“Lisinas specialized in summoning, so he was also good at writing up scam contracts.”
“S-Scam contracts?”
Seeing Chelsea’s aghast expression, Leo spoke nonchalantly.
“Yeah. That lizard’s specialty is pulling scams. You saw him try to trick me into a marriage, right?”
“……”
Chelsea was at a loss for how to respond to Leo’s words.
“Anyway. Once they suffer a bit, a sense of cooperation is bound to develop.”
“Will they suffer?”
Chelsea was still doubtful.
The retainers on this trip were all young people with little experience of the world.
But even if they couldn't use aura or magic, they were still retainers who served the Jerdinger and Llewellyn families.
They were all individuals who had been considered talented since they were young.
Chelsea didn’t think such people would have a hard time.
“They’ll suffer more than you think.”
“Huh? Why?”
“They’re kids who’ve walked the elite path, born into noble houses. Using aura and magic is more natural to them than breathing. In a situation where their status, wealth, and abilities are all restricted? They’re in for a world of hurt.”
Although they were vassals, they were all from noble families.
When they actually tried to do something, they were bound to be flustered.
“You think so?”
Despite Leo’s words, Chelsea kept tilting her head, still not quite understanding.
Leo smirked at her.
“You’ll find out starting now.”
“Huh?”
“How about you start by finding us a place to stay for the night?”
“By myself?”
Chelsea pointed at herself, her eyes wide.
“If I step in, it’ll be solved easily. Then it wouldn’t be a hardship, would it?”
“That’s true.”
“So, do your best on your own.”
“I feel like I’m supporting you, Leo.”
“You don’t like it?”
“No, I think it’ll be fun.”
Chelsea said confidently.
“Besides, Karl was always the one who handled this kind of stuff so easily, right?”
*Ahem!* Chelsea puffed out her chest and declared proudly.
“Just you watch. I’ll give you a luxury tour today!”