Chapter 639
Chapter Title: The Unraveling Upperclassmen
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639
“Wow, I knew he was strong, but this is suffocatingly powerful, isn’t it?”
Runba, who often commentated on events at Lumerne, wore a weary expression.
As if in agreement, several students nodded their heads.
“Niel, does the president have any weaknesses?” a fifth-year female student from the Knight Department asked, her face a mask of frustration.
Coming from a family that served the Jerdingers, Niel knew Leo better than anyone else here.
At his classmate’s question, Niel sighed.
“Young Master Leo has no such thing as a weakness.”
Dual Classes used their two abilities to compensate for each other’s weaknesses.
But Leo was an All-Class.
He could cover the weaknesses of every class, meaning he had no discernible weak points.
‘Besides, even if you look at each of his classes individually, he’s at the top of the academy…’
As a knight, as a mage, as a summoner.
Each of his classes, taken alone, was on par with the strongest students at Lumerne.
No matter how seasoned Lumerne’s fifth-years were, finding a weakness in someone like that was no easy task.
Just as the fifth-years wore expressions of despair at Niel’s words, a mocking voice cut in.
“A vassal, you say? After all that groveling to your underclassmen, you don’t even know the weakness of someone from the family you serve? Or are you hiding it because you’re a vassal? Which is it?”
Niel’s cold gaze shifted toward the source of the voice.
Standing there was Tak-on, also from the fifth-year Knight Department.
Seeing Tak-on’s reaction, Runba smirked and muttered to himself.
‘Ah, of course he’d get bent out of shape.’
Tak-on Sejir.
He was a student who had never lost his first-place ranking in the Knight Department among his peers.
‘No, he *was* a student who had never lost it.’
Tak-on had held the top spot in the Knight Department for all four years.
But in the final exams of his fourth year’s second semester, he had surrendered the number one position to Niel.
Niel had been a top-tier student since his admission, but before his fourth year, he had always been just a step behind in the competition for first place.
Then, starting in his fourth year, he began to show terrifying growth, ultimately seizing the top spot by the end of the semester.
‘Honestly, it’s not that surprising.’
Lumerne was a place where the greatest talents gathered to develop their skills.
‘By the fourth year, you’re talking about the cream of the crop.’
That meant ranks could be overturned at any moment without it being strange.
But from Tak-on’s perspective, it was unacceptable.
‘This damned factionalism.’
Runba scratched his head vigorously.
Factions existed in every year.
They formed on a large scale between departments, continental regions, or based on the interests of various nations.
On a smaller scale, there were even power games within a single year.
It couldn’t be helped.
Many students from powerful families enrolled at Lumerne.
But as students moved up in years, the conflicts between factions tended to heal.
‘Well, a pecking order gets established one way or another… and you become comrades who’ve been through thick and thin. Though, you do occasionally get people who act like mortal enemies for life.’
After spending so much time together at the academy, they inevitably had to rely on each other.
A sense of camaraderie was bound to form where there was none before.
However…
‘Our year is the opposite.’
The current fifth-years were split in half.
One side consisted of the general students, led by Niel, and the other was Blue Moon.
They were the former members of Blue Moon, the hero dungeon-clearing party led by Elena.
‘The Queen’s followers.’
The Blue Moon party had been disbanded when they became fourth-years.
To be precise, Elena had stopped abusing her authority.
The chairman’s daughter and acting chairman.
Even before that, Elena’s overwhelming talent had put her on par with the top-ranking fifth-years when she was only a second-year.
Thus, she had used her position as acting chairman to secure all sorts of conveniences for herself.
She was a true hellion.
The Queen’s followers had enjoyed all those conveniences by her side.
‘Of course, all the riffraff who just wagged their tails next to her for the privileges were expelled.’
Lumerne wasn’t lenient enough for such people to survive.
‘The problem is that the ones who remain are the true believers.’
They wanted only one thing.
To be acknowledged by Elena.
Since her first year, Elena had never acknowledged any of her peers as her equal.
To be more accurate, she had never seen them as comrades.
It was only natural.
‘They’re on a completely different level.’
She wasn’t called the Queen for nothing.
Elena had thoroughly reigned over them.
That was why Elena’s followers so desperately wanted to be acknowledged as her comrades.
To an outsider, it might not seem like a big deal.
Elena had never once looked down on her classmates.
In fact, she often laughed and joked with them.
But that was as far as it went.
She never allowed them to get any closer.
They could not stand by her side.
For those who had been with Elena for so long, it was enough to drive them mad.
‘That must be why those guys have survived so tenaciously at Lumerne.’
In that situation, having his first-place spot stolen was what made Tak-on react so sharply.
Even when he was number one, she didn’t give him the time of day. Now that he’d been pushed down to second, would she ever acknowledge him? That anxiety made him impatient.
The spark that flew between Niel and Tak-on was a signal.
The students who weren’t part of Blue Moon couldn’t help but harbor ill feelings toward the Blue Moon members, who were always on edge and obsessed with their grades.
The non-Blue Moon students hadn’t originally been interested in factions.
But as the other side was constantly hostile, they naturally banded together, forming a faction of their own.
“What are you talking about?”
A female student from the Magic Department glared, her eyes narrowed.
In response, a female student from Blue Moon, also in the Magic Department, sneered.
“What? It’s true that Niel would prioritize his family in this situation, isn’t it? He’s a loyal servant, after all.”
“Like you, Elena’s loyal dogs?”
“What did you just say?”
The atmosphere grew increasingly hostile.
Unable to watch any longer, Runba stepped in to mediate with an easygoing smile.
“Hey, hey. Stop fighting. Aren’t you embarrassed in front of the underclassmen?”
“You stay out of it, Runba!”
“We’re settling this today. You’re a third party, so don’t interfere.”
Despite Runba’s attempt to stop them, their anger showed no signs of subsiding.
Seeing this, the smile vanished from Runba’s lips.
“You think what I’m saying is a joke?”
His voice, a complete reversal of his usual playful demeanor, was so cold that not only the fifth-years but also the fourth-years flinched.
After staring at his classmates with a blank expression, Runba smiled as warmly as a spring day and said,
“For now, our priority is figuring out a plan against Leo.”
The question of who would graduate as the top student of the Knight Department would be decided at the end of the semester, but the question of who would graduate as the class salutatorian had been settled since their first year.
Runba Tes.
He was the undisputed, immovable number two, who had even once surpassed Elena Jer-on to become the year representative.
‘Well, that was only possible because that girl Elena decided she didn’t want to study and skipped an entire semester.’
“For now, Tak-on, you’ll take command.”
“…I understand.”
“As for the strategy… Eren. I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, senior.”
Runba delegated the role of strategist to Eren, the fourth-year with the best tactical mind.
No one voiced any complaints.
‘Why would they? I’ve got years of experience as a commentator.’
He knew the students inside and out.
Tak-on and Eren were the best among the fourth and fifth-years when it came to command and strategy against powerful foes.
After sorting things out by appointing a commander and a strategist, Runba picked out a few more students.
“You’re the scout team. Follow me.”
“Yes, senior.”
Runba led the fourth-years with strong scouting abilities to prepare for Leo’s attack.
After the underclassmen had scattered, Runba was left alone, lost in thought.
A moment later, Runba nodded.
“I see what the professors intended.”
The other fifth-years wouldn’t admit it, though.
Runba saw their problem clearly.
“The problem is that we completely fall apart without Elena.”
Runba sighed inwardly.
‘And the fourth-years.’
The current fourth-years, his juniors by one year, had been swayed by the fifth-years for four years straight.
Elena’s charisma had extended beyond the third-years, even reaching the second-years.
The problem was that now, his juniors were upperclassmen in their own right.
‘They won’t just follow our lead anymore.’
They were old enough to think for themselves now.
Moreover, they likely harbored some resentment from being constantly pushed around.
‘If we’re not careful, a rift will form between the fourth and fifth-years.’
If Lil had been here, she could have sorted things out, but unfortunately, Lil was also absent.
Runba scratched his head vigorously.
“Haa, if I had a greater capacity for leadership, would things be a little better?”
Though his grades were excellent and he was good-natured and sociable, Runba unfortunately did not have what it took to lead others.
The person who knew that best was Runba himself.
‘First, I need to share the professors’ intentions with the others…’
“It would have been a little better. Though the fundamental problem would remain unsolved, of course.”
“Haha, President. When did you get here?”
“I’ve been here since you figured out the professors’ intentions.”
Leo gave him a deep smile.
Seeing that smile, Runba felt a chill run down his spine.
‘An opening… there won’t be one, will there?’
Even if Runba was the second-best in his year.
His opponent was Leo.
‘It would have been different if it were Elena or Lil.’
Until two years ago, the second-ranked fifth-year was the second strongest in Lumerne.
But that formula had been broken last year.
The strongest person at Lumerne was now a second-year.
The arrival of an irregular named Leo Flove.
But even without Leo, Runba would not have become Lumerne’s number two.
That was because of Lil, his junior by one year.
‘If anything, Leo makes my position less embarrassing, so should I be grateful?’
Runba burst out laughing.
Looking at Runba, Leo spoke.
“You seem pretty unmotivated, senior.”
At Leo’s words, Runba laughed.
He wasn’t particularly offended.
Leo hadn’t said it to mock him.
He was, quite literally, unmotivated.
It was something professors, seniors, and even juniors in his own department often said.
“Live a long, quiet life. That’s my life’s motto.”
And it was true.
The reason he, the second-ranked student in his year, hadn’t left a significant mark on school life was because he thoroughly sought the easy path.
Leo nodded.
It took all sorts of people to make a world.
However.
“For someone with that motto, you try awfully hard.”
Leo’s deep smile made Runba flinch.
‘Busted!’
Runba, who had been secretly using spirit arts to alert the fifth-years of Leo’s arrival, swallowed hard.
“It doesn’t matter, since I was planning to crush you head-on anyway.”
“As expected of our Student Council President. You think big.”
Runba laughed it off good-naturedly.
‘There was a time when I wanted to be that ambitious, too.’
In his first year, seeing Elena had been discouraging, but he had still challenged himself with vigor.
But in his second year, after seeing Lil enroll, he had cleanly given up.
He had seemed too pathetic to achieve the things he dreamed of.
‘He’s my junior, but he’s a really cool guy.’
Just as Runba was smiling brightly at Leo, Leo’s expression changed.
“You’re laughing?”
“Huh?”
“You think this situation is funny?”
The sudden words made Runba freeze.
This was the same pattern the graduated seniors used when they used to chew him out.
“Hey. No matter what, I’m still your senior, you know?”
“Senior this, senior that. Other people would kill for the abilities you have, but you’re just standing there thinking, ‘Oh, there are people more amazing than me, so I’ll just be a spectator.’ You think that makes any sense? Why did you even come to Lumerne?”
The atmosphere had turned serious.
This went beyond seniors just chewing him out.
This was on the level of a professor.
And of all of them, the most feared one, Halind.
“I was wondering why you always duck out of competitions to be the commentator, and this was it? I’m here trying to whip some sense into you seniors who can’t get your act together, and here you are, with a completely rotten mindset. You, get over here. I’m going to fix that rotten mentality of yours.”
“Hiiiiiik?”
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
Seeing Leo glare and charge at him, Runba fled in terror.
He didn’t know why Leo had suddenly snapped, but one thing was certain.
If he got caught now, he was in deep trouble.
“It’s Leo!”
“Form up according to the plan!”
“Awoooo!”
A howl tore through the air once more.
The battle between Leo and the fourth and fifth-years had officially begun.