Chapter 61
Kwagagagagak-!
The Wind Chains aimed at Leo flew off course in all directions.
Chelsea’s eyes widened.
‘What, what is this! What just happened!’
The turbulent air swirling around Leo threw off the Wind Chain’s attack trajectory.
Leo pointed a finger at Chelsea.
“Wind Bolt.”
“Wi-Wind Shie—!”
Puff-!
“Kyaa!”
Chelsea was blown backward.
Leo quickly closed the distance to Chelsea.
“Wind Sword!”
In a hurry, Chelsea used a close-range attack spell, swinging a blade of wind at Leo.
Whoooosh—!
But the gusts whirling around Leo’s body lifted him lightly into the air.
Letting his body flow with the wind, Leo was unaffected by Chelsea’s wind magic.
Chelsea’s eyes grew even wider.
‘Is this really wind magic?’
The idea of using wind to surround the body and let the wind magic flow through it was something Chelsea could never have conceived of.
It was simply too reckless a method.
“Wind Sword.”
Meanwhile, Leo finished casting his spell.
Leo’s blade of wind touched Chelsea’s neck.
Chelsea gritted her teeth.
A complete defeat.
All the students in the class wore expressions of disbelief.
Leo hadn’t used any martial techniques as a knight.
He subdued Chelsea solely with wind magic.
“What do you think was the reason for the outcome?”
At Professor Harrid’s question, Chelsea hung her head without a word.
“What about the rest of you?”
“……”
He asked the other students, but none could answer.
No one could believe what had just happened.
“In terms of raw ability as a magician, Chelsea Lewellin is in no way inferior to Leo Plov. In a duel using only wind magic, normally Leo Plov wouldn’t stand a chance against Chelsea Lewellin. If this had been a real fight for their lives, Leo Plov would have lost.”
Professor Harrid crossed his arms.
“But in a contest of technique, Leo Plov was victorious. The deciding factor was the difference in understanding and utilization of wind magic.”
Everyone focused on Professor Harrid’s explanation.
“As Lumene students, you knights are always learning stronger techniques, mages are always learning higher-level spells, summoners are always learning how to summon higher-class familiars.”
Professor Harrid looked at the students.
“So you all tend to focus on acquiring new powers. Even before you’ve fully mastered the ones you already have.”
Professor Harrid punched the air.
“To use a simple fistfight as an example: swinging with brute force versus using only the necessary muscles for the situation. Which is more deadly to your opponent?”
“Using only the necessary muscles for the situation is much more deadly.”
Nella’s reply earned a nod from Professor Harrid.
“Exactly. It’s the same with special abilities. You tend to think you’re advancing technically just by learning a variety of skills, but that’s just building strength. That’s why what happened just now happened.”
The students, having just seen Chelsea—the best in the class—defeated by Leo, couldn’t object.
“To move to the next stage, increasing your technique is essential. That alone will make your skills improve by leaps and bounds.”
“Yes! Understood.”
“Good. Now, from here on, start your individual training.”
—
“Huff!”
“Save me…”
“Mmph!”
“Hey! If you’re going to throw up, go to the bathroom!”
“We have to do this for the entire school trip!”
The morning passed.
Exhausted, all the students of Class 5 lay sprawled across the dorm floor.
“Hey, Leo. You came up with this training schedule, didn’t you?”
Leo nodded at Carr’s question from where he was collapsed on the floor.
“Yeah.”
“Kaa! I knew it!”
Having seen Celia and Chelsea training with Leo on weekends, Carr screamed.
“Everyone, take a break for lunch. I’ll post your mission exercises.”
ProfessorHarrid posted the mission assignments on the wall on the first floor.
Even though they were wiped out, everyone struggled to check the bulletin board out of curiosity.
“Gather herbs in the Fairy Forest? What is this? Are we just supposed to pick grass all day? No way!”
“Goblin extermination? This one’s not bad!”
“Training with the elf soldiers. I’ll do this one!”
Everyone picked a mission they liked.
“Leo, what are you going to do?”
Leo picked up a mission from the corner at Carr’s question.
“This one.”
“Huh? Gathering herbs? Are you really going to do that?”
“Yeah.”
‘It’s perfect for investigating the Fairy Forest alone.’
It was a mission the others avoided because it seemed boring, but for Leo, who needed to investigate the Fairy Forest, it was perfect.
“Well, if you want… By the way, Chelsea, how long are you going to mope?”
Carr sighed deeply at Chelsea, who was curled up on a chair in the corner.
Chelsea, who admired Leo greatly, was still shocked at being defeated in her area of expertise.
A few students tried to console her, but she just couldn’t get over the shock.
“Leo, can’t you talk to her?”
Nella, looking troubled, asked, so Leo approached Chelsea.
“Chelsea.”
“Yeah.”
“Want me to buy you something good for dinner?”
‘Hey! She’s not a kid! As if food’s going to fix it!’
‘Ugh! That guy! Is there anything he’s good at besides studying and training!’
The boys in the class all looked frustrated.
As the youngest in the class, Chelsea was someone the boys looked after like a little sister.
“Something good?”
But Chelsea’s eyes sparkled as if tempted.
“What are you going to buy?”
“Anything you want.”
“Wow!”
“……”
“……”
The boys watched Chelsea’s bright smile with dumbfounded faces.
“Should we have tried cheering her up with food too?”
Tide scratched his head as Carr gave him a look of disbelief.
“As if that sly fox would cheer up just because you gave her food… Kyaaa?!”
“Huh? Carr? What did you say? Want to repeat that?”
At some point, Chelsea was stomping on Carr’s foot—hard!
“Why does everyone in the class dote on her like this!”
Chelsea smiled slyly as Carr rolled on the floor clutching his foot.
“Because she’s cute?”
“She’s not cute at all!”
—
Leo entered the Fairy Forest.
[So this is the Fairy Forest… The homeland of our fairies in the past, huh.]
Floating in the air, Kirran muttered in a serious voice before wrapping himself up.
[It’s cold! I’m leaving!]
Thwack-!
[Why’d you hit me!]
“That’s all you have to say about seeing the sanctuary of your people?”
[I just hate the cold!]
Clicking his tongue, Leo stepped further into the Fairy Forest.
“Kirran. There’s something I need you to do.”
[Something I have to do?]
Kirran hesitated for a moment.
Then put on a smug expression.
[Leo, looks like you finally recognize the true worth of this great me. Fine, as your contractor, I’ll listen to your request. What task will you entrust to me, the noble Fairy Prince?]
He grumbled, but since it was the first time he had a contractor, Kirran was secretly excited to see what Leo’s first request would be.
“Go pick some herbs in the forest and gather them up.”
Leo tossed a pouch for collecting herbs to Kirran.
[I’m a noble Fairy Prince! And you’re telling me to do such a lowly chore?!]
“You won’t do it?”
[Of course not!]
Kirran scoffed, slamming the leather pouch onto the ground.
A moment later.
After getting whacked with the pouch, Kirran was flying around gathering herbs.
Having pushed the mission onto Kirran, Leo ventured deeper into the Fairy Forest, surveying the woods.
‘They said the northern region got colder after the Age of Calamity, right?’
The ice spirits, who used to dwell in the east, migrated north and changed their home.
Fairies, who hated the cold, naturally sought new homes and had to leave their homeland.
‘Ever since the fairies left, monsters started appearing here one day.’
And even now, the monsters still hadn’t been completely eradicated.
‘Is there something that’s generating monsters here?’
Monsters can arise naturally, but sometimes are artificially spawned by Tartarus.
Right now, the latter seemed likely.
[Leo! Look! I gathered this much!]
“Huh? Oh? That’s amazing! Well done.”
Leo was impressed.
True to his fairy nature, Kirran gathered high-quality herbs in a short time.
[Hmph. For me, this was nothing.]
Though Kirran had grumbled at first, he was clearly pleased by the praise, wearing a smug face.
Leo stored the herb pouch in his subspace.
Kirran sat on Leo’s shoulder.
A little later, Leo stopped at a certain spot.
[Huh? Why did you stop?]
“It’s illusion magic.”
Kirran was startled by Leo’s words.
[This is Fairy King’s magic, isn’t it? But it doesn’t feel like my father’s magic?]
‘This must be the previous Fairy King, Grawin’s magic.’
The one who was Fairy King during the Age of Calamity.
To Kirran, that was like his grandfather’s generation.
‘It’s only been about 100 years since this magic activated.’
Leo sensed the flow of mana and was puzzled.
Grawin, who died at least thousands of years ago, had cast a spell that only activated a hundred years ago.
He carefully analyzed the spell, stroking his chin.
‘Since it’s the Fairy Forest, it wouldn’t be strange for the previous generation to have left a spell or two, but…’
“Kirran. When were you banished from Fairy Land?”
[100 years ago.]
‘Was the power that activated the spell Kirran’s wings? Why would someone cast a protection spell here, using Kirran’s power, when there are no fairies left?’
Kirran’s powers could be taken away as punishment, but there’d be no reason to use his power to cast a barrier.
‘Does that mean there’s something inside worth protecting?’
As Leo pondered over the illusion spell—
Clank— Clank— Ssssssh—!
The sound of metal scraping filled the air.
Kirran pinched his nose with his fingers.
[Ugh—! What’s that stench?]
“An undead.”
Leo frowned as an undead in a hood appeared.
The undead smirked at Leo.
“What’s a human doing in the territory of the elves?”
“Seems less strange than an undead like you being here.”
“Heh! Arrogant! This place has been under our Tartarus’s influence for ages.”
[This is the sanctuary of us fairies! What nonsense!]
“Fairy? Are there fairies as weak as you?”
[What did you say, you rotten-smelling corpse!]
Crackle—!
Wreathed in silver mana, Kirran charged at the undead.
“Hey!”
The undead tried to defend in a panic.
Puff-!
But Kirran rammed into the undead faster.
[Hah! You’re nothing! Acting tough for no reason!]
Kirran, who had pulverized the undead in one blow, looked triumphant.
“For a fairy, you sure attack head-on without thinking.”
[As long as it’s effective, who cares!]
Fairies, whose strength comes from vitality, are the natural enemies of undead, who wield death.
[How’s that! See my power!]
As Kirran boasted, spinning in the air, Leo pointed behind him.
“Look behind you.”
[Huh? Behind?]
Goooooooo—!
“As lowly as you are, you’re still a fairy, it seems.”
[Ugh— it stinks and won’t stay down!]
Kirran pretended to gag and mocked.
“Even your manner of speaking is crude for a fairy!”
As crimson eyes flashed from under the hood, a massive crimson greatsword appeared in the undead’s hand.
Leo’s expression changed when he saw that.
“Kirran! Get back!”
[Huh? Huuaaah!]
As the demon thrust the sword into the ground, crimson bone blades burst up from below.
Whoosh—!
Leo unleashed the aura of flames.
Narrowing his eyes, Leo stared at the knight exuding the crimson energy.
“Death Knight, huh?”
