Chapter 182
Everyone murmured as they looked between Leo and Rhys.
Rhys, sitting in the fifth-year section, narrowed his eyes at Leo.
‘So that’s how it is.’
Rhys immediately understood why Leo had chosen him.
‘He wants to prove himself through strength.’
Not a bad approach.
Since Leo was announced as the student council candidate, the backlash had surprisingly been mild.
But that didn’t mean it was something easily overlooked.
The situation was a calm before the storm—tension from unresolved feelings hung thick in the air.
Many still believed, ‘There’s no way a first-year could really become student council president.’
Choosing the next student council president was within the current president’s authority.
But the final approval lay with the principal.
While the president’s opinion was respected, absurd candidates would never be approved.
Rhys rested his chin on his hand.
‘Though the principal already gave his approval for Leo.’
When Rhys recommended Leo as the next president, the principal agreed without hesitation.
‘Many are starting to recognize Leo’s value.’
At this rate, Leo becoming president was nearly guaranteed.
However…
‘The students won’t accept it so easily.’
Which is why Leo had to prove himself—show that he truly deserved to be president.
Rhys thought Leo would prove himself after becoming president.
But surprisingly, Leo was trying to prove it before that—right in front of every student.
It was bold, but perhaps too reckless.
And now, Rhys had no intention of holding back.
‘The moment I go easy on him, no one will acknowledge him.’
Rhys smirked as he watched his cousin choose to confront the storm head-on rather than avoid it.
[Um… Rhys. What do you want to do?]
Chiera, acting as host, asked nervously.
Rhys chuckled at her question.
“It wouldn’t be polite to decline a challenge like that, would it?”
Thus, an unprecedented sparring evaluation between the first-year and fifth-year representatives was set.
The nomination process among the first-years began next.
Most had already arranged their opponents beforehand, so it proceeded smoothly.
After everyone had chosen their opponents…
Eliana clicked her tongue as she saw Leo end up matched with the student council president.
“Wow. That lunatic. Seriously insane.”
Leo was the only one who had chosen an upperclassman as his opponent.
As Eliana looked exasperated, Nella asked,
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
Leo smiled at her concerned tone.
“I’ll have to face it and find out.”
Despite causing a huge stir, Leo remained calm, leaving his classmates in awe.
Chelsea came up beside him, clenching her fists and eyes sparkling.
“Good luck, Leo!”
Chelsea was a firm supporter of Leo becoming student council president.
Watching this, Tide muttered,
“No matter how you look at it, a first-year president is a stretch.”
“Huh? Are you saying Leo can’t be student council president? What?”
“Ah, no. I was just being realistic—hey! Stop that! What are you, a gangster?!”
Chelsea kicked him repeatedly with a fierce look, and Tide quickly ran away.
Meanwhile, two students appeared at the center of the arena.
The first-years watching tensed up.
“Leo’s match may be wild, but…”
“This one’s just as intense.”
Standing in the arena were two black-haired girls.
One had vivid red eyes—Celia Zerdinger.
The other had black eyes—Chen Xia.
It was a match between the top two students of the Knights Department.
In terms of elemental advantage, Chen Xia held the upper hand.
But this wasn’t a match that could be decided by elements alone.
As everyone focused on the match, Chiera, now acting as host, said:
[Now, here’s a match that’s been drawing attention since the beginning! Celia Zerdinger versus Chen Xia! As a fifth-year knight, I’m curious to see how my juniors perform!]
Standing brightly between the two, Chiera sparkled with excitement.
But she didn’t speak further.
She clearly wanted to talk more, but after being scolded by Professor Harrid earlier, she held back.
[Then! The first match of the first-year sparring evaluation begins now!]
With that, Chiera stepped off the stage.
Facing each other, Celia drew her sword.
“This is the first time we’ve had a proper match, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
Chen Xia smiled and readied her stance.
Though they had practiced before, this was their first real battle.
And with everyone watching.
A match where they had to defeat each other using everything they had.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“So am I.”
Chen Xia smiled.
“You train with Leo personally, right? I’d like to see the results.”
At her words, Celia lowered her stance and activated her [Aura].
“You shouldn’t be so relaxed.”
Fwoosh—!
[Aura] blazed around Celia’s body.
“You might get taken down in an instant!”
Flames wrapped around her sword as she charged at Chen Xia with incredible speed.
Chen Xia responded by spreading her palm and releasing [Water Aura].
Swoosh—!
Like silk, a thin film of water wrapped around her body as she spun.
‘Celia doesn’t stop.’
Celia’s swordsmanship was aggressive.
Though she used a rapier, which one might expect to result in graceful fencing, her style was brutal.
‘Just at the beginning of the semester, her swordsmanship was much tamer.’
Someone had clearly influenced her change in style.
‘That doesn’t mean her swordsmanship lacks finesse or precision.’
She used overwhelming firepower to open gaps and then relentlessly drove into them.
Even if one tried to defend or look for an opening, it was nearly impossible.
That alone proved she didn’t rely on brute strength alone.
Chen Xia knew well that blocking Celia’s attack head-on would be foolish.
Water is certainly well-suited for defense—but more than that, it excels at evasion.
Crash—!
Chen Xia deflected Celia’s thrust with fluid, flowing movements like water.
Celia staggered slightly, losing balance.
But Chen Xia didn’t exploit the gap.
Whoosh—!
Celia regained her posture and spread [Aura] flames in every direction.
[Aura Release].
Hssss—!
The flames evaporated Chen Xia’s water aura.
Fire that seemed ready to reduce everything to ashes.
But Chen Xia didn’t retreat—she clenched her fist and charged straight into the flames surrounding Celia.
‘She’s not backing down?’
Celia was startled by her unexpected move.
She had anticipated a prolonged battle with Chen Xia.
But suddenly, Chen Xia aimed to finish it quickly.
Wham—!
Chen Xia’s punch struck Celia square in the chest.
Celia deployed [Aura Armor] in the nick of time, but it was too late.
“Ugh!”
Celia quickly widened the distance.
Close-range was disadvantageous against Chen Xia, who specialized in martial arts.
Celia backed off to create space for her sword.
But Chen Xia didn’t pursue.
‘What? She had the advantage, so why didn’t she follow up?’
Celia looked slightly confused.
Chen Xia simply smiled back.
Her uniform was scorched, and her hands were visibly burned.
If she wielded a weapon, it might’ve been different.
But for someone who relied on martial arts, those burns were serious.
Step, step—
Yet Chen Xia didn’t care.
She lowered her arms and calmly closed the distance.
Seeing that, Celia wiped her lips.
‘This isn’t the same Chen Xia I knew.’
The atmosphere had changed.
Usually gentle and composed, Chen Xia now felt like a razor-sharp blade.
Her usual soft smile now resembled a cold edge.
‘This is Chen Xia in a real fight.’
Celia, sweating nervously, gripped her sword tighter.
‘She’s different from me… no, from any other Knights student.’
In their earlier exchange, Chen Xia had come out ahead.
If the battle continued in this calculated back-and-forth, Celia would lose.
But that also meant Chen Xia had no room for error either.
‘That might be fine in a spar, but in an actual battlefield…?’
This style of combat would lead to both sides being destroyed.
A battlefield, where heroes operate, is a place filled with countless variables.
Which is why Chen Xia’s fighting style was not that of a “hero.”
Even in Lumene’s Knights Department, they didn’t teach this kind of combat.
‘What is she?’
Celia couldn’t hide her confusion at this unfamiliar side of Chen Xia.
* * *
Sitting in the first-year section, Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘I knew it.’
Resting his chin on his hand, Leo muttered internally.
‘She’s an assassin.’
He had sensed it during the Department Competition when Chen Xia challenged him.
She wasn’t like a typical knight.
It wasn’t just that she was skilled in one-on-one battles—her style itself differed from that of a traditional knight.
Watching her match against Celia confirmed it.
Chen Xia’s movements resembled that of an assassin.
‘Though she’s not quite like a typical assassin either.’
With her level of skill, Chen Xia didn’t need to rely on exploiting weaknesses.
Her combat style merely resembled that of an assassin.
‘As a bodyguard or hired killer, she’s ideal. But she doesn’t embody what a hero strives to be.’
Other fourth- and fifth-years were also startled by how clearly her nature showed in this match.
Watching from afar, Professor Ain narrowed his eyes.
Yura, standing nearby, asked,
“You seem displeased, Professor Ain.”
“Of course I am. Wasting talent like hers just as a pawn for ‘someone’s agenda’ is a huge loss.”
“But what can we do? Her identity is… complicated.”
“Even a half-blood daughter of an emperor is still an emperor’s daughter. And yet she’s treated like this?”
“Shan is a strict country when it comes to lineage. And the other half of her blood is from the Shadow Clan. There’s no avoiding it.”
Yura also clicked her tongue regretfully.
The Shan Empire.
A powerful nation in the far eastern end of the continent.
It didn’t rule the entire eastern half like Lordren did in the west, but it still held significant sway.
And in terms of bloodline, Chen Xia was a daughter of the emperor.
Only the professors knew this fact.
Chen Xia herself had never mentioned her identity.
‘I don’t like it.’
Ain narrowed his eyes.
—
Smack—!
‘If this keeps up, I’ll lose!’
Celia gritted her teeth.
Chen Xia’s attacks calculated damage and risk with terrifying precision.
Celia had never experienced anything like it, making it all the more disorienting.
Still, she remained calm.
‘Her attacks are so precise, yet just a slip-up could break her balance.’
Chen Xia walked a razor-thin line with each advantage she gained.
But despite the risk, she maintained perfect control.
‘I need to make her slip.’
With that thought, Celia gripped her sword.
Seeing this, Chen Xia smiled wryly.
‘You’ve steeled yourself, haven’t you? Just like I expected from Celia.’
Chen Xia’s fighting style was like a swamp.
Once someone stepped in, they couldn’t escape.
Celia recognized this and chose to gamble everything.
‘Fast decision-making.’
To Chen Xia, most Knights Department students were easy to “handle.”
She had learned how to “destroy” others.
Compared to her classmates who’d grown up straight and proper, they were easy targets.
‘Of course, Leo wasn’t.’
It wasn’t just a matter of skill.
It felt like they had lived through entirely different numbers of battles.
“Celia… you’re like fire.”
“Huh?”
“You shine so brightly.”
Chen Xia smiled and gathered her [Aura].
‘Since Celia’s going all out, I can’t respond half-heartedly.’
Celia’s power was different from other students.
‘If I don’t respond properly, I’ll get burned.’
If this were a real battle, she could have fought more favorably using all means.
Even underhanded ones.
Chen Xia was taught to value victory over honor.
‘But this is a duel.’
And at least for now—she didn’t want to win that way.
Seeing Celia’s blazing [Aura] reminded her of someone else.
Whoosh—!
A torrent of water surged around Chen Xia.
The current began to take the shape of a dragon.
“Prominence.”
Fwoosh—!
Crimson flames surged.
“Water Dragon.”
The massive dragon of water opened its jaws and roared.
Boom! Craaack! Hsssssss—!
Fire and water collided, creating a massive cloud of steam.
When it cleared, Celia and Chen Xia stood near the edge of the arena.
“I had the upper hand…”
Chen Xia, tearing off her burnt uniform, gave a bitter smile.
“But that one move evened it all out.”
“Ugh—!”
Celia scowled in frustration.
Both were exhausted.
As they staggered, Chiera stepped onto the stage.
[Stop! The professors say that’s enough! One more move and someone’s getting seriously hurt!]
She stood between them and clapped.
[You were both amazing! Doesn’t feel like you’re first-years at all. Excellent! The result is a draw! Both of you showed incredible skill!]
Chiera smiled brightly.
[Now head to the medical tent for treatment.]
“Yes.”
Chen Xia smiled and left without regret.
Meanwhile, Celia gritted her teeth.
‘It doesn’t feel like a draw.’
Her strongest attack hadn’t worked on Chen Xia.
Wincing, Celia also headed to the medical tent.
“What would’ve happened if they kept going?”
“Chen Xia would’ve won.”
Leo replied calmly to Chelsea’s question.
She looked surprised.
“Aren’t they pretty even?”
“They were. But Chen Xia held a slight edge. And she never gave it up.”
“I see…”
“But.”
“But?”
“That doesn’t mean she’ll win next time.”
‘Their skill levels are nearly identical. What made the difference was experience. The same method won’t work on Celia again.’
As the students cheered for Celia and Chen Xia, the next match began.
There were more high-profile matches after theirs.
Sparring between the top-ranking students stirred immense interest and excitement.
And finally—
All matches were over, except for one.
Leo stepped into the arena, rolling his wrist and warming up.
Step, step—
Footsteps approached.
Everyone held their breath.
Leo smiled as he looked at the man before him.
Lumene’s strongest current student.
Rhys Zerdinger.
“Let’s do our best, Leo.”
“I look forward to it, Rhys-senior.”
The two smiled similarly as they greeted one another.