Editor : Amethyst00



One week after the Dance party.

Professor Ain of the Department of Knight stood with his arms crossed, observing the duel before him.

Fwoosh—!

Fierce flames engulfed the entire sparring ground.

At the center of it all, Celia swung her sword.

Her swordsmanship was as graceful as a dance.

'Her technique is flawless.'

Ain admired her inwardly.

She truly lived up to her name as one of the leading students of the so-called golden generation of third-years.

Unlike the fierce flames, her elegant and fluid swordsmanship left a deep impression.

There weren't even five students across all years who could demonstrate such a high level of polished technique.

'For a knight, swordsmanship is the vessel that holds aura.'

Of course, swordsmanship without aura has its limits.

But aura without solid swordsmanship also lacked power.

For a knight, the harmony between aura and swordplay was more important than anything else.

Ain's gaze moved from Celia to her opponent.

The one dodging Celia's sword within the raging flames with soft, precise movements was none other than Chen Xia.

Even in the face of Celia's sword, Chen Xia did not back down.

On the contrary, she continuously searched for openings.

Droplets of water shimmered at her fingertips.

Celia controlled the space with overwhelming dominance.

But Chen Xia didn't mind and continued to fight her head-on.

Whoosh—!

Celia's sword aimed directly at Chen Xia's neck.

Tap—!

Chen Xia guided the blade aside with her fingertips and closed the distance, diving into Celia's guard.

"Tch!"

Celia clicked her tongue and stepped back with an aura step.

For a moment, her figure disappeared into the surrounding flames, as if she had become one with them.

Chen Xia closed her eyes and focused her mind.

A sharp awareness spread in all directions.

Hyper-sense.

Her tactile senses crossed into hyper-sensory territory, gathering information with acute precision.

Then Chen Xia launched a kick into the air.

Clang—!

"Urgh?!"

Celia, who had blocked the heavy strike, was thrown back but quickly regained her balance and landed smoothly.

Chen Xia pursued her, using her water aura to suppress Celia's flames.

Fwoosh—!

But the flames didn't diminish.

Despite being opposing elements, Celia's fire flared even more fiercely.

As students from the chivalry department watched with tense faces—

"Stop."

Ain's voice echoed, signaling the end of the duel.

Chen Xia and Celia withdrew their aura and stood at attention.

"Both of you were excellent. Nothing to criticize."

"Thank you, Professor Ain."

"…Thank you."

Chen Xia replied cheerfully, while Celia responded with a slightly subdued tone.

As the two stepped down, Ain spoke.

"Nella, Eliana. You're up next."

"Alright~! I'm not going easy!"

"Me neither. Hehe."

The two stepped onto the stage energetically.

Meanwhile, Chen Xia and Celia returned to their seats.

Today was a mock duel day, and each student had to face an opponent with an elemental disadvantage.

Celia, seated, sipped from her water bottle through a straw.

Yet her gaze never left Chen Xia.

"Is there something on my face?"

"You weren't going all out, were you?"

Celia asked with a hint of frustration. Chen Xia smiled.

"No way. I couldn't afford to hold back against you, Celia."

"You didn't use your shadow techniques."

"This is a knight class, after all."

In this duel, Chen Xia had fought purely as a knight.

Celia found that fact quite disagreeable.

More accurately, she felt anxious.

Sensing this, Chen Xia smiled gently.

"No need to rush."

"I'm not."

Celia replied curtly, but Chen Xia simply gave her a mature smile.

Celia clicked her tongue and turned her gaze to the sparring stage.

"Normally, I should be your senior. I just enrolled late due to family matters."

Chen Xia reassured her gently.

"I'm just a few steps ahead. It's a small gap you can close anytime."

"Sometimes, you never close that small gap."

"That won't be the case for you."

"…"

Celia's sense of urgency had a clear cause.

Some of her peers had already ascended to the rank of hero.

Leo and Carl were extremely special cases.

When she heard they became heroes, she felt motivated rather than rushed.

But after Chen Xia, Eliza, and Chelsea rose to hero status a week ago, anxiety started to build in her.

"There's a saying in the Xian Empire—'The more urgent you are, the more you should take the long way.'"

At Chen Xia's words, Celia nodded.

Seeing that, Chen Xia smiled brightly.

'She really is mature.'

It wasn't just because she was two years older.

Nella was the same age as Chen Xia, yet she didn't have this mature air.

'She must've experienced a lot from a young age.'

Celia didn't know much about Chen Xia's life as a shadow.

But she did know that Chen Xia had walked a path far more difficult than she could imagine.

Celia glanced at her side profile.

Chen Xia was quietly staring at something.

Her gaze was fixed on Leo, who was speaking with Duran.

'Why does she serve Leo as if he were her lord?'

The question suddenly crossed her mind.

Celia knew that Leo had saved Chen Xia.

Still, she found it strange that Chen Xia continued to serve him so devotedly.

'Chen Xia isn't just any shadow.'

She was the bloodline of the Shadow King, the pinnacle of all shadows.

She was also the heiress of one of the only two remaining imperial families on the continent.

In other words, a future empress.

In terms of sheer power, the only one comparable to Chen Xia at Lumene was Shasha, her friend and one-year junior, who was set to be the next Empress of Lordren.

'Actually, Xian Empire even surpasses us in national power, technically.'

Though Xian was quieter and more reclusive compared to the glamorous Lordren, its history was longer.

'And in the Xian Empire, imperial authority is even stronger than in ours.'

A woman destined to stand above all.

Thinking of how such a person served Leo, Celia had a strange expression.

"Come to think of it, Leo's out on a trip again."

"Lord Leo? On another mission?"

Chen Xia asked with wide eyes. Celia shook her head.

"No, this time he went to Seiren for the Hero Academy student council president meeting."

"I see."

Chen Xia's eyes sparkled.

bl

"No."

"…"

At the blunt refusal, Chen Xia looked at Leo with eyes full of complaint.

Leo responded.

"How long has it been since you returned from your last mission? And you already want to head out again? You're a student—you should study."

For Lumene students, missions were an important part of their curriculum.

Still, too many missions would inevitably interfere with classwork.

"You're going this time too."

"Then be student council president if you're jealous."

"…"

"I can hand it over to you right now if you want?"

"…"

"You're the future empress—should be great at this student council stuff."

Leo wasn't joking.

"If someone like me, a shadow, becomes student council president, there'll definitely be backlash."

"You only pull the 'shadow' card when it suits you. Who even sees you as a shadow anymore? You're a registered hero on the Hero Record."

Leo chuckled and sorted some documents before tearing open a letter.

"And if someone says stupid things, beat them up."

"…"

"You've got the leadership to guide Lumene's students."

He didn't plan to force the student council position on her.

"But I have a duty to serve as your shadow."

"Seiren isn't even dangerous."

"Still…"

"Don't be such a baby."

"You're the one who always treats me like a kid."

Chen Xia muttered. Leo chuckled at her pout as he read the letter.

"Who's the letter from?"

"Sir Sith. He says he's working Hark-sunbae to the bone."

"Poor Hark-sunbae."

Chen Xia gave the letter a sympathetic look.

She could vividly picture their senior dragged into forced employment in the Arhi Kingdom like livestock to the slaughterhouse.

"By the way, what happened with Lyl's title?"

A week ago—

Lyl had been recorded in the Hero Record under the title Monster Lady, and she had burst into tears.

"You have the authority to change it, don't you?"

"I could. But that was left to the gods."

Since the gods had carefully chosen that title, it wasn't something to change lightly.

Leo didn't worship the gods, but he intended to respect what he had entrusted to them.

"Besides, it suits her."

"Don't ever say that in front of her again."

At Chen Xia's sharp gaze, Leo nodded.

"I won't. I paid for that with a week of apologies."

He had said it suited her at the dance party and had to comfort her for a whole week.

"You're surprisingly kind to Lyl."

"She's my student."

"Will you treat me that kindly if I become your student?"

"I already treat you kindly."

Chen Xia narrowed her eyes at Leo's response.

Ignoring her, Leo slipped the letter back into the envelope when—

Tap, tap—

There was a knock at the student council room window.

They looked over to see a wind-attribute beast.

"A newspaper?"

Leo tilted his head.

Newspapers were usually delivered in the morning.

For one to arrive now—after school—it had to be major breaking news.

With a serious face, Leo opened the window. The spirit beast dropped the paper on his desk and flew away.

Leo read the front page.

"What's wrong? Is it bad news?"

Chen Xia asked with a concerned look.

"No, not bad news… but it's a big deal."

"What is it?"

She peered at the paper beside Leo—and her eyes widened.

"You knew about this?"

Leo looked at Chen Xia and asked:

[Breaking News — Emperor of Xian, Chen Xyau, announces abdication in favour of heiress Chen Xia.]

"Should I start calling you Your Majesty now?"

Chen Xia, staring at the article, replied:

"I'll go ask my father first."