Editor : Amethyst00



Leo spoke as he looked at the pairs who had been grouped together.

“It was decided fairly by drawing lots, so no one has any objections, right?”

“Young Master Leo! I object! How could I be paired with this weakling of a man? I can’t accept this!”

“I also agree with this tomboyish woman for once!”

A man and a woman immediately protested before Leo could even finish speaking.

Leo looked at Niel and Marcel with a bored expression.

“Just think of it as fate.”

The drawing of lots happened three times.

It was because Niel and Marcel, who were paired together in the first draw, strongly objected.

In the second round, they ended up together again, and even in the 3rd round, they were still paired.

At this point, it felt pointless to redo the groupings just because of the two of them.

“They say the first is coincidence, the second is inevitability, and the 3rd is fate, right?”

“Lady Chelsea! Don’t say such horrible things!”

Marcel recoiled violently when Chelsea giggled and muttered that.

Niel was no different.

“Young Master Leo! Please change it! Or let us draw one more time!”

Watching the near-panicked reactions of the tearful Marcel and Niel, Chelsea spoke.

“Nope. Not changing. Get over it.”

Chelsea, for her part, ended up in the same group as Leo after the 3rd draw.

When Leo wouldn’t budge, Niel turned to Celia.

Celia, with a displeased look, was glaring at Abad standing beside her.

Niel, who saw Celia paired with Abad, spoke.

“Lady Celia! You want to switch partners too, don’t you?”

Celia let out a small sigh as Niel tried to pull her in.

“Niel, we’ve already drawn three times. And I’m fine.”

Celia had grown quite close to Abad since they became second-years.

They had crossed countless deadly situations together and cooperated in every one, so it was only natural they developed camaraderie.

Niel, having failed to rope in Celia, was about to seek help elsewhere.

“You guys sure whine a lot.”

“Young, Young Master Leo?”

Niel flinched at Leo’s muttering voice.

“You two.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Yes!”

Niel and Marcel snapped to attention instinctively under Leo’s icy gaze.

Leo, though their junior, had treated them with respect as seniors until now — but not anymore.

“Are your families mortal enemies or something?”

“The Rhoda family is a vassal of the Zerdinger family, so it’s only natural we don’t get along with Lewellin’s—”

“Are Zerdinger and Lewellin sworn enemies? Trying to kill each other on sight?”

“That’s… not exactly true.”

“Did the Rhoda and Rugia families slaughter each other back in the day?”

“…No…”

“Then why are you acting like you want to tear each other apart? What? Are you going to act like this in front of the demons of Tartaros too? Huh? Try saying no. Go on. You kids, who barely dried the blood off your heads, growl like you’ve met your lifelong nemesis? What? Have you even seen a real enemy? Huh? Have you?!”

Leo’s overwhelming energy made those around them subtly back away.

Niel and Marcel couldn’t even squeak, their heads hanging low in shame.

They knew well that even though Leo was their junior, he had long surpassed them in skill.

In fact, Leo felt more mature than they were in every way, and now they had nothing to say.

They had caused a scene and made everyone uncomfortable due to their petty feelings — getting scolded was only right.

Still, Niel and Marcel shuddered at the familiar yet uncanny sensation.

‘What the—? Young Master Leo is younger than us, right?’

‘Why does it feel like we’re being scolded by someone much older?’

As the two trembled in cold sweat and fear, Leo said, “When I was your age—!”

“Leo.”

Just then, Chelsea gently called out.

“I think that’s enough.”

Leo looked at Niel and Marcel and smiled brightly.

“Since you’re paired up anyway, use this opportunity to become friends.”

The terrifying atmosphere from a moment ago vanished as Leo returned to his usual self. Niel and Marcel blankly nodded.

“You’re both adults now, so stop acting like children.”

When Leo’s eyes narrowed again, the two frantically nodded like madmen.

Satisfied, Leo turned to the others.

“Well then, everyone enjoy your time. Let’s meet again tomorrow.”

At his words, the knights of Zerdinger and the mages of Lewellin looked at each other with mixed expressions.

bl

Leo and Chelsea walked through the streets.

As she followed behind Leo, Chelsea noticed the difference in their strides and muttered inwardly, ‘Come to think of it, the height difference wasn’t this big when we first entered the academy. He’s grown a lot.’

Chelsea herself had grown quite a bit since entering school.

But Leo had grown even taller, making the difference obvious.

She quickened her pace to match Leo’s steps.

Though he didn’t seem to care about matching her stride, Chelsea wasn’t bothered.

She knew now.

‘For the past two years, while attending Lumene together, Leo has always kept an eye out for me.’

To make sure she never gave up moving forward.

‘Like someone teaching me how to run.’

But she couldn’t be on the receiving end of his consideration forever.

‘I don’t want to hold him back.’

Chelsea no longer wanted to just watch the person she admired from behind.

She wanted to stand beside him and see the same view he did.

Leo, parting the crowd, suddenly stopped.

Chelsea, a step behind, looked up at his back.

‘What kind of scenery is Leo looking at right now?’

Trying to match Leo’s viewpoint, Chelsea rose on tiptoe to get as close to his height as she could.

After a moment of effort, she burst into a small laugh.

‘I’m such a fool. Even if I matched his height, there’s no way I could see the world the way he does.’

It was something she did without thinking, just from a desire to get a little closer to him.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

She quickly dropped her heels and shook her head at Leo’s puzzled expression.

“Anyway, where should we stay tonight?”

“Well, since we’re broke, shouldn’t we earn some money first?”

“Actually, I’m curious — why did you make people from Zerdinger and Lewellin form pairs and go on a penniless trip together?”

What Leo had proposed wasn’t just sightseeing.

He had deliberately paired members of rival houses by random lot and told them to spend a day with no money.

“I get that you want Zerdinger and Lewellin to get along, but isn’t this a bit extreme?”

“For people who don’t get along to bond, they need to go through hardship together.”

“Hardship like traveling with no money?”

“It’s not just about being broke, right?”

Leo smirked.

Before they all split up, Leo had laid out the day’s rules:

First, they start with no money at all.

Second, they’re forbidden from using aura or magic.

3rd, absolutely no sleeping outdoors.

Fourth, no fighting.

He’d added ominously that breaking even one of these rules would lead to a very interesting experience, making everyone shudder.

Chelsea wasn’t sure if this would really help build camaraderie.

“It’s surprisingly effective. It’s something Lysinas once used.”

“Lady Lysinas did?”

Chelsea’s eyes widened.

“Wait, you mean even the Great Heroes didn’t get along at first? How bad was it that Lady Lysinas had to go this far?”

Intrigued, Chelsea’s eyes sparkled. Leo chuckled.

“Me and Luna.”

“Huh? You and Lady Luna?”

Chelsea looked shocked.

When Luna had visited Lumene before, she and Leo had moved as one.

They could practically read each other’s thoughts with just a glance.

It was hard to believe those two ever didn’t get along.

“Luna and I had totally opposite personalities when we first met.”

Back then, Luna was full of confidence, claiming she could do anything, while Kyle was extremely cynical and skeptical of everything.

They clashed from the start.

Kyle didn’t hesitate to throw biting remarks at Luna.

‘Lysinas holds things in until she bursts, but Luna would respond right away and hit back.’

If Kyle was twisted, Luna was stubborn.

The two fought almost daily until Lysinas, unable to watch any longer, stepped in with drastic measures.

“I had no idea. Honestly, if anyone else had said it, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

Chelsea giggled.

“Leo and Lady Luna, huh? Hard to picture.”

‘You and Celia can’t compare to us.’

Leo smirked inwardly but didn’t say it out loud, for the sake of his and Luna’s dignity.

“So did Lady Lysinas make you two wander the city broke like this?”

“No, not quite.”

“Huh?”

“She sealed our mana and dropped us right in the middle of a monster-infested forest.”

Chelsea looked horrified.

“Even for Lady Lysinas… is that possible?”

Sealing both the strongest mage in history and someone of comparable power?

“Her specialty is summoning, so she’s good at writing… questionable contracts.”

“Qu-questionable contracts?”

Leo responded dryly to her aghast expression.

“Yeah. That lizard’s specialty is fraud. You saw how she scammed me into a marriage contract, right?”

“…”

Chelsea was at a loss for words.

“Well, anyway. They will go through some hardship, and teamwork naturally follows.”

“You think they’ll really suffer?”

Chelsea remained doubtful.

Most of the participants were elite youngsters, groomed for greatness.

Even without aura or magic, they were still top-class.

She didn’t think they’d struggle too much.

“They’ll suffer more than you’d think.”

“Really? Why?”

“They’ve been elite their whole lives. Using magic or aura is more natural to them than breathing. Now, they’re stripped of status, wealth, and power. They’ll be lost.”

Though they were technically vassals, they were still nobles.

When it came time to act, they’d inevitably be flustered.

“If you say so…”

Even with Leo’s explanation, Chelsea tilted her head, unconvinced.

Leo laughed softly at her.

“You’ll see for yourself soon.”

“Huh?”

“First, why don’t you find us a place to stay for the night?”

“Me? Alone?”

Chelsea pointed at herself, eyes wide.

“If I step in, it’ll be over in a second. That wouldn’t be any fun.”

“That’s true.”

“So do your best on your own.”

“Why does it feel like you helping me?”

“Don’t like it?”

“Nope. Sounds fun.”

Chelsea said confidently.

“This is the kind of thing Kyle used to handle with ease, right?”

She puffed her chest proudly.

“Just watch. I’ll give you a luxury tour today, Leo!”