Chapter 325
At Glory’s base.
Chloe walked up to Leo, who sat perched atop the wall.
“We gained a lot from the first skirmish,” she said, sitting down beside him and looking ahead.
“We found out that Harmony’s King is Chelsea, and Noble’s King is Carr.”
Chloe swung her legs casually as she continued.
“On top of that, we earned a lot of points defending our base against Harmony and Noble.”
Glory had clearly secured the upper hand.
“If we keep focusing on defense and step in whenever Harmony and Noble clash, we can maintain the advantage. Of course…”
She turned to Leo.
“They won’t just sit back and take it.”
Her confident smile made Leo rest his chin on his hand.
“What do you think they’ll do?”
“They’ll probably form an alliance—led by Carr.”
Thinking it through, Chloe added, “If it’s Carr, he’ll come up with the best combination possible to take you down.”
“The best combination to beat me, huh.”
Leo’s eyes narrowed.
“Frontline: Walden and Chelsea. Rearguard: Abad. The one covering both—Eliza, right?”
“Exactly.”
Chloe smiled brightly.
“And Celia and Duran will aim for me and Chen Xia, since we’re their unfavorable matchups.”
Celia handled flame aura; Chloe specialized in ice magic.
By elemental affinity, Celia held the advantage.
Likewise, Duran’s lightning aura countered Chen Xia’s water aura.
The first condition for defeating Leo was clear—
They had to stop Chloe and Chen Xia from joining the battle.
“Be careful. If you’re taken out, we lose instantly.”
“You think I’ll lose?”
“No, but still…”
Chloe smiled faintly as she thought of her classmates.
“They won’t go down easily. They’ll throw themselves at you with everything they’ve got.”
“You’ve already shown them the difference in strength. What would you do if you were in their place?”
“I’d give it my all.”
Chloe smiled shyly.
“Because someone once taught me never to give up, no matter what.”
“Yeah? Who taught you that?”
When Leo grinned teasingly, Chloe puffed up her cheeks.
“You did.”
Leo chuckled softly and patted her head.
“I’m glad you haven’t forgotten that.”
“E-Eh?!”
Chloe’s face turned bright red as she flailed silently.
—
“I wonder what the captain and Chloe are talking about?”
Eliana’s eyes sparkled curiously.
“They’re probably discussing strategy,” Chen Xia replied with a gentle smile.
One of the Glory knight students crossed his arms.
“You’re not joining them? You’re a dorm leader too.”
“Sir Leo and Miss Chloe are more than capable of planning things. And honestly, Harmony and Noble don’t have many options left. It’s not hard to predict what they’ll do.”
“You can?” Eliana tilted her head, confused.
Everyone except her nodded.
“Yeah.”
“That’s the only move they’ve got.”
As whispers spread, Eliana puffed her cheeks.
“Hey! Tell me what it is!”
“Isn’t it obvious to anyone with a brain?” one magic student teased.
Eliana promptly kicked him in the shin.
“Gah!”
As he hopped in pain, Eliana huffed.
“Some people might not know, okay?! Right?”
No one answered.
“Chen Xia! They’re treating me like an idiot!”
Sniffling, Eliana clung to Chen Xia, who patted her head gently.
“In this situation, Harmony and Noble will form an alliance.”
“Ohhh, that makes sense.”
Eliana nodded, then tilted her head again.
“But wouldn’t that make things worse for them? They can’t attack each other if they’re allied.”
She crossed her arms, thinking.
“We already have so many points. All we need is to defend and we’ll win. Even if the dorm leaders join forces… could they really beat the captain? We have Chen Xia and Chloe too.”
“Honestly, if it were me… I wouldn’t even have the courage to face Sir Leo.”
“Yeah. He’s too strong.”
The Glory students looked at Leo with dazed expressions.
“Chloe’s amazing though—she looks so calm.”
When Eliana said that, Chen Xia smiled faintly.
“Someone must’ve rubbed off on her.”
Just then—
“Enemies ahead!”
A lookout on the watchtower shouted urgently.
Chloe stood up.
“How many?!”
“…All of them. Looks like everyone’s coming.”
The tense voice made Leo rise from his seat.
He looked toward the frontlines, where the dorm leaders stood at the head of their forces, and smiled faintly.
“Shall we go?”
—
Carr glanced at Chelsea beside him and scratched his head.
“Chelsea.”
“…”
“Hey, Chelsea.”
“Huh?”
Chelsea flinched when he poked her cheek and stepped back, rubbing it.
“What?”
“What are you spacing out for?”
“…Just thinking.”
Her quiet reply made Carr grin.
“Heh. Then as your friend, I’ll give you something good!”
He pulled a small potion bottle from his pocket and handed it to her, whispering conspiratorially.
“I got this from Master Dweno’s alchemy notes! It’s called the Potion of Courage…”
He glanced around.
“They say Sir Arron drank this to gain courage. I’ll give it to you for just one gold coin—”
Pop—!
Chelsea uncorked the yellow potion, sniffed it, and muttered,
“…It’s fruit juice.”
“Ahem.” Carr coughed awkwardly.
Closing the bottle, Chelsea raised her hand.
“Eek?”
Carr flinched, expecting a punch, but she simply handed the bottle back and walked away.
He scratched his head. Something about her was off.
“What’s wrong? Something happen?”
“I just… feel pathetic.”
Chelsea’s voice was low.
“My brother… and Leo… I was content just watching them. Always showing off as an honor student, but…”
Her shoulders drooped.
“…I was just drifting without a real goal.”
When Abad fell protecting her, and Celia went down too—Chelsea had run.
As King, it was the logical choice.
But she knew the truth—she would’ve run even if she hadn’t been King.
Because she already knew how hopeless the difference was.
Because deep down, she didn’t want to fight Leo.
Even when they were enemies, she’d instinctively reached out to Abad in that moment.
And when Leo threatened her, she couldn’t fight back.
She realized she’d been nothing but a girl chasing a distant light she admired.
“My brother must be disappointed in me… and Leo too.”
Carr scratched his hair again and gestured wildly toward Abad.
“Don’t call for him. I don’t even have the face to look at him right now.”
Chelsea spoke without turning around, and Carr sighed.
“Is it really so bad not having a goal?”
“What?”
“Look at me. My goal’s simple—stay at Lumene as long as possible, get hired somewhere as a support mage, make a bunch of money…”
Carr grinned and made a coin shape with his fingers.
“Then I’ll use that money to make potions and live easy for the rest of my life.”
“How pathetic.”
“That hurt. But see? Even a dumb goal is still a goal. Having one isn’t always good, and not having one isn’t always bad.”
Carr chuckled.
“Leo won’t be disappointed in you. He’s probably just curious about when you’ll find your own path.”
Chelsea blinked.
Different background, different class, different family—
but Carr had always treated her as an equal since they’d enrolled.
That’s why his words hit home now.
“You don’t have to find your goal right away. What matters now is fighting Leo.”
“Aren’t you scared?”
“Of course I am. I’m in charge of leading the battle. If I mess up, Eliza will kill me.”
He shuddered dramatically.
It wasn’t the same fear Chelsea felt—hers was the distance between her and Leo.
But somehow, Carr’s ridiculous attitude made her smile.
“Hey, this is just between us, okay? Don’t tell anyone.”
“What is it?”
“Sir Arron the Brave—he was actually a huge coward.”
Crunch—!
“Gyaaaah!”
Chelsea stomped on his foot without mercy.
Carr rolled on the ground clutching his leg.
“Where’d you learn to lie like that?”
Snorting, Chelsea glared down at him.
“It’s true! Ask Leo!”
He looked genuinely offended.
“No way.”
Chelsea crossed her arms, unconvinced.
Carr laughed through the pain.
“I didn’t believe it either. But in the end, he was the bravest one of all.”
He grinned.
“Because courage isn’t about not being afraid. It’s about facing fear head-on.”
Carr held out the potion bottle to her again.
“And that’s actually the fruit juice Sir Arron loved.”
Chelsea looked down at it.
Carr gave her a thumbs up and stepped back toward the rear lines. (T/N: I swear, Carr really is the MVP of this arc.)
Lifting her gaze, she saw Glory’s towering wall in the distance.
Taking a deep breath—
Slap—!
She smacked her own cheeks, steadied her breath, and drank the potion in one go.
“Mmm! It’s good!”
Her eyes sparkled.
She could feel courage rising.
“Alright! Let’s do this! Aja! Aja! Aja!”
Whoooosh—!
Just as Chelsea found her energy again, a storm swept toward her.
“Huh?”
“You look lively.”
Sword in hand, Leo appeared right in front of her.
Chelsea instantly raised her guard.
“W-What?!”
“It’s Leo’s ambush!”
The area erupted in chaos.
Fwoosh—!
Leo swung his blade, and Chelsea swung her staff in return.
Clang—!
Wind blades clashed violently.
Leo chuckled.
“Not bad.”
“I had a great teacher.”
Chelsea grinned confidently.
Whoooosh—!
“I’m not losing so easily in close combat with wind magic!”
She poured mana into her staff, her stance fierce.
Hwaaaah—!
Leo’s body shot into the sky as a sudden gust launched him upward—
Crackle—!
Lightning aura burst around him.
Flash! Zap!
In an instant, a veil of water shielded him.
“Chen Xia.”
“I’ll take care of Duran. We’re supposed to fight anyway.”
“Hmph.”
Duran smirked.
Fwoosh! Crackle!
Flames and ice erupted near the wall as Celia and Chloe’s clash signaled the full assault of Harmony and Noble’s forces.
Tap—!
Leo landed lightly and looked ahead.
Four stood before him.
At the back, Carr raised his hand.
“Carr, ready?”
“Of course!”
Carr gave him a thumbs up.
Leo smiled faintly.
“Good. Then—”
His expression hardened.
“—I hope you’re ready to understand the difference.”
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