Chapter 213 Four Empire Summit [4] |
Dorset Hall.
It was nighttime, and the world was quiet. The moon hung high in the sky, casting a soft, silvery glow over the landscape.
Leon stood outside while staring at the moon that hung up above.
Basking in its gentle afterglow, he stood still with his eyes closed.
"Haa..."
His soft sigh inevitably broke that silence.
Leon's mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts. In particular, about the exhibition that they were going to have tomorrow with the members of the Aurora Empire.
.....It wasn't supposed to be anything important considering that the real test was in the Four Empire Summit, but Leon understood all too well the implications that this exchange had.
'If we lose, all the momentum we've gained will shattered.'
Thankfully, the exhibition was private, and no one was going to see the results. Otherwise, if things went south, it would really be detrimental to their future.
"What are you doing?"
A voice echoed quietly from behind. Leon didn't turn his head and continued to stare at the moon in the sky.
From the peripheral vision, a lock of purple hair entered his vision.
"...You're not the type to be up this late. Are you perhaps nervous?"
"Nervous?"
Leon thought about it before shaking his head.
"Not really."
"Then...?"
"Just lost in thought."
Right, he was lost in thought.
.....It was undeniable that besides Aoife, everyone was at a disadvantage compared to the members of the other Empires.
They all started way later than those of the other Empires.
And while it was true that he was the same strength as Aoife, the reason he was as strong as her was because of the 'that'.
The Chalice.
If not for that, he wouldn't have been in the same position as her.
"You should get some rest. I've been told their best member won't participate tomorrow. Not that it would matter."
Evelyn stepped forward and turned around to match his gaze directly.
"...You're very strong now. I don't think you will have to worry too much about tomorrow. Especially since their strongest member is likely not going to participate."
"You're right."
Leon smiled.
He was now on the verge of breaking through to Tier 4 and officially surpassing some of the Professors teaching him.
There was still a little bit left and he was almost there.
Over the last few months, everyone has seen a large increase in their power.
Their confidence was quite high. It was for that reason that they couldn't afford to lose the matches.
But who could predict what would happen?"I guess I shouldn't worry too much."
Leon pushed his hair back while letting out a long breath.
Whatever happens tomorrow,
....He wasn't going to lose.
***
At the same time, Delilah's office.
"What do you think?"
Delilah sat in her seat without saying a single word. Opposite her, Atlas looked around in wonder.
'It's clean.'
A miracle...!
"....."
As if she could read his thoughts, Delilah looked up and narrowed her eyes. Atlas coughed and shrugged.
"You've cleaned well."
"....."
Delilah didn't answer and focused on the paperwork in front of her.
With the upcoming Summit, she had a lot of work that she needed to get done. There was not a single day of rest for her.
"Who was it?"
Delilah's expression changed slightly.
"I knew it."
Atlas smacked his palm with his fist.
"You had someone clean up the room for you."
".....If you don't have anything useful to say, get out."
"I do actually. I have been trying to speak for the past minute but all you've done is ignore me."
"..."
Staring at him wordlessly, Delilah dropped her pencil and finally looked at him properly. Her gaze seemed to say, 'I'm listening.'
Atlas took the chance to speak,
"About tomorrow's exchange. What do you think about letting 'him' participate?"
"....."
Delilah's eyes narrowed, and the air froze.
"Why?"
".....You know why."
Atlas smiled, his smile cooling the temperature of the room slightly.
From the way he was acting, it didn't seem like he was bothered at all by the pressure that she was giving out.
Instead, he seemed to find the situation to be rather amusing.
"Didn't they come here to cause trouble with us? Why don't we flip the situation over?"
Delilah frowned and thought about it for a good moment before shaking her head.
"No."
"Why?"
"Leon and Aoife are good enough."
"That's not going to work."
The layout of the exchange was a 'last man standing' wins. With twenty people on each side, one side would send one person at a time, and the one who wins gets to remain.
Atlas was confident in their top rankers' abilities, but the same couldn't be said for those beneath them.
"Our top rankers may be stronger, but stamina is incredibly important. They don't lag very much behind us in terms of abilities. If we let this play out, then there's no guarantee that we might win. If you—"
"Still, no."
Delilah cut Atlas off.
He seemed to want to say something else but eventually stopped himself and shook his head.
"If that's what you've decided I won't go against it. You're the one in charge after all."
".....You know exactly why 'he' can't participate."
"I know."
Atlas nodded with a troubled look.
"But he can still participate. Even if..."
Atlas didn't finish his sentence but his meaning was clear to Delilah.
'....He isn't mentally stable.'
"...."
Delilah remained quiet and lowered her head.
Indeed, Julien...
Ever since waking up, he was almost like a completely different person.
To the point where even Delilah had trouble interacting with him.
That was why she was so hesitant to have him participate. For him to participate in his current state...
Despite her strength, Delilah wasn't sure.
....Sure of whether she could stop him from breaking the other cadets.
***
I am happy.
I am sad.
I am scared.
I am surprised.
I am angry.
I am...
***
The next day.
The training grounds were where the exchange was going to take place. It was a large square with seats on both ends.
Each seat was meant for each participant, and there were twenty seats on each side.
Both sides stood on opposite ends, the members of Haven wearing black uniforms while the members of the Aurora Empire wearing white with subtle shades of blue.
Moving forward, the two sides sat on their respective seats.
The training grounds were quiet, with both sides staring at each other without saying a single word.
Sat by the very end was Aoife, who had her eyes closed.
It was unknown what her thoughts were.
On the other hand, sitting on the opposite side of her was Kaelion, who appeared to be lost in his own thoughts, his gaze sweeping around the cadets on the other end, seemingly looking for someone.
"It looks like both sides are ready."
Professor Thornwhisper sat on one of the seats meant for the Professors.
Overseeing the exchange wasn't Atlas nor Delilah but Professor Bridgette, who looked at the cadets with a smile.
"How fun~"
"It will be even more entertaining later."
Professor Thornwhisper said, laughing from his seat.
He didn't expect much from this exchange. Looking around, he couldn't even see the previous Black Star, which made him feel even more relaxed.
'Looks like they've really replaced him.'
As expected of the Megrail family, they were really tyrannical.
To get rid of one of their top talents so that their own could shine. The more the Professor thought about it, the more he found himself laughing inside.
Truly...
A laughable sight.
Tak...!
A single step broke the silence that took over the arena grounds.
Marching forward, one of the Haven Professors appeared in the middle of the stage, his gaze pausing on each end.
"Now, then...!"
His voice bellowed loudly throughout the entire venue.
"I won't say much. This is a friendly exhibition, so please do not attack with the intent to kill. If we detect any such methods, they will be immediately disqualified and banned from the Academy grounds. That goes for both sides."
The Professor's brows narrowed as he said this.
Neither side said a word to the rules, a tacit form of agreement.
"Good."
The Professor nodded before holding his hands behind his back.
"Let the exhibition match begin! May the representatives from each side step up!"
Heavy tension fell on the arena grounds the moment the Professor's words fell. The expressions of the people from each side turned incredibly serious, and a cadet with short blonde hair and blue eyes stepped forward from Haven's side.
His name was Julius Claude, and he was a highly-ranked first-
year.
Ranked within the top 20, he had every right to be present.
Stepping onto the arena grounds, his face turned extremely serious.
'I just need to get one.'
He understood his role all too well.
Despite ranking so high, he knew that he was still lagging compared to the people from the opposing Empire.
Even the weakest member was stronger than he was.
His goal was simple: to tire his opponents out and make it simpler for his team members further down the line.
As of right now, there were only truly four to five people who could put up a proper fight against those of the opposite Empire.
He needed to—
"What's going on?"
"…Uh? What are you doing? Why did you…?"
"Wait, why are…"
Hearing the commotion coming from the opposite end, Julius raised his head.
Immediately, he felt his legs grow weak the moment his eyes laid on the figure standing opposite him.
"W-what…?"
He started to panic.
"Why?"
Staring at the man that stood in front of him, Julius felt his entire body grow cold.
'W-why is he here....!?'
On the other hand, Kaelion stared at him without saying much. He could still hear the shocked and surprised voices of his teammates, but that didn't matter to him.
'Maybe if I do this, he'll come out…'
He clenched and unclenched his fist, the mana surrounding him agglomerating at incredible speed.
Lifting his head to stare at his opponent, he brought his hand forward where over two dozen magic circles appeared behind him.
They levitated in the air, while his fingers twitched slightly, causing them to move at his will.
"....."
The very air twisted at his actions, and he slowly turned his head to look at the Professor in charge.
"I'm ready."
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