Chapter 552

“What? A date?”

That afternoon.

Celia stared in disbelief upon hearing the news during combat studies class.

“So he skipped class to go on a date?”

“Yeah. Apparently, there were plenty of witnesses.”

“This is ridiculous.”

Celia crossed her arms and let out a hollow laugh.

Leo was undoubtedly the strongest among the second-years.

No, at this point, it would be more accurate to call him the strongest student in Lumene.

However, if asked whether he was a flawless honors student in every respect like Celia, the answer would be no.

He was indisputably the best in practical subjects such as combat studies, Hero Dungeon raids, and mission execution.

But the same could not be said for other subjects.

Despite being a Hero Academy, Lumene was still an academy responsible for educating teenage boys and girls.

History, social studies, mathematics, languages, music, art, etiquette, and more.

The students also studied a wide range of liberal arts subjects.

Leo’s grades in those subjects were not terrible, but neither were they exceptional.

That sharply contrasted with the top students of each department, who competed for the highest marks in every subject.

Even so, Leo had never skipped a single class since enrolling.

'And now he skipped class to go on a date with a girl? That isn’t like Leo at all.'

Celia narrowed her eyes.

Elena Zeron.

She was such a stunning beauty that even Celia could not help but admire her.

Furthermore, she was currently one of the three strongest students in Lumene.

Her family background was impeccable as well.

Celia knew Leo was popular with the female students.

However, there had never been a single rumor about him dating anyone.

'Leo is a man too, so if it’s Elena Zeron...'

As Celia agonized over her cousin’s uncharacteristic behavior, a voice interrupted her thoughts.

“What’s the problem? Leo’s a man too. Maybe he wanted to enjoy a date with a beautiful woman.”

“Shut up, Butter. Do you think Leo is like you?”

Celia scowled and shot Abad a piercing glare.

Abad, the self-proclaimed most handsome boy among the second-years, was famous for treating every female student kindly.

Thanks to that, he was also the second-year most frequently involved in romantic rumors.

When Celia crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes, and ground her teeth, Abad raised both hands.

“Whoa, calm down, Celia. Aren’t you getting a little too worked up?”

“I’m in a position where I have to consider the relationship between the Zerdinger and Zeron families!”

“Even for a perfectionist like you, isn’t that taking things a little too far?”

“Hmph.”

Celia snorted and swept back her hair.

The rest of the second-years were also buzzing with the news that Leo had skipped class to go on a date with Elena.

“Come to think of it, some first-years said they saw Leo and Elena Sunbae heading toward the pier earlier.”

“What? You mean they went to Lumeria City?”

“Well, Elena Sunbae has skipped class plenty of times before.”

“Are those two dating?”

“They’ll be the Student Council President and Vice President next year, right?”

“Considering their positions, they do look good together.”

No matter where one went, gossip about other people’s romances was always entertaining.

All the more so when it involved the Student Council President of the world-renowned Lumene.

“Xia, what happened?”

Eager to learn the truth behind the rumor, Carr quickly questioned Chen Xia, who served on the Student Council with Leo.

“Leo-nim asked Elena Sunbae to become Vice President. In exchange for accepting the position, Elena Sunbae requested a date with Leo-nim.”

“Oho?”

Carr’s eyes sparkled.

The second-year Student Council members quickly spread that news throughout the entire year.

Just then, it was time for class, and the combat studies professor arrived.

The professor looked puzzled as he took attendance.

“Leo is absent? How unusual.”

“I heard he skipped class to go on a date.”

“That is a common enough reason, yet one that seems remarkably unlike Leo.”

The combat studies professor looked intrigued as Eliza spoke nonchalantly while tending to her nails.

However, he did not pursue the subject any further.

Whether students attended class was entirely their own choice.

They alone bore responsibility if poor attendance or an inability to keep up with the curriculum caused them to fail, so many professors paid little attention to absences.

“Then let us begin. For today’s lesson, you will play Basterra in teams of eight to cultivate teamwork.”

“Yes, sir!”

The students answered energetically.

However, the chatter about Leo and Elena continued even after the lesson began.

“Still, I’m surprised. I can’t believe Elena Sunbae was the one who asked for a date. She’s so haughty that it’s hard to imagine.”

Duran, who was in the same group as Eliana, chuckled at her remark.

“It is only natural for the strong to claim more. People are inevitably drawn to strength.”

As Duran flexed his fists, Haul, another member of their group, muttered, “In any case, we’ve encountered a formidable opponent from the very beginning.”

“Hmm! Chelsea, Chloe, Carr, Chen Xia, Eiran, Tide, Nella, and Eliza.”

Eliana stood on tiptoe, shaded her eyes with one hand, and peered toward the opposing side.

“And our team has Celia, Duran, Abad, Walden, Jureden, Haul, Turka, and me.”

With the exception of Carr, nearly all of the strongest second-years in terms of pure combat ability had gathered here.

“The strongest forces are clashing from the very first match? I like it.”

Turka cracked his knuckles and gave a bellicose grin, while Abad smiled faintly.

“That’s not all.”

“What?”

“The two teams have completely opposite characteristics.”

When Celia elaborated on Abad’s observation, Jureden, Turka, and Haul looked confused.

“Hmph. You couldn’t even figure out something that simple? How pathetic.”

“What did you say?”

Turka bristled at Duran’s mockery.

As Haul and Jureden sighed, accustomed to their behavior, Eliana calmly explained.

“Our team is entirely focused on offense, while theirs is entirely focused on defense.”

Everyone stared at her in surprise.

Even Walden, who normally showed no interest in anyone else.

“Why are you all suddenly staring at me?”

At Eliana’s displeased question, Celia looked deeply moved.

“To think that the idiot who only knew how to charge forward can now assess the strengths of both her allies and enemies! Eliana, I’m so proud of you!”

As an honors student, Celia took excellent care of the students in her department.

Unlike Chen Xia, who gently looked after those around her, Celia was the type to identify their weaknesses, point them out, and work through them together.

Although Eliana was a Dual Class student, she belonged to the Knights Department and attended classes with Celia.

Celia had put tremendous effort into correcting Eliana’s habit of recklessly charging forward.

Until very recently, however, Eliana had shown no sign of changing.

Seeing Eliana assess the state of the battlefield instead of charging in the moment combat began left Celia deeply moved.

“Celia’s hard work has finally paid off.”

Haul marveled.

“You guys! What exactly do you think of me?!”

Eliana frowned and shouted, and Turka answered bluntly.

“An idiot.”

“Xia! Chloe! These guys are treating me like an idiot!”

As Eliana complained tearfully, Carr’s voice came from the opposing side.

“They say the best revenge is betrayal.”

“Oho?”

“Don’t fall for it, you idiot!”

“Who would betray their team in the middle of class?!”

Haul and Jureden shouted at Eliana as she stroked her chin thoughtfully.

“As Eliana said, our team specializes entirely in offense, while theirs specializes entirely in defense. Both teams are extreme in that regard. They couldn’t have divided us this way without a reason.”

“It’s a contest between a spear and a shield.”

Haul crossed his arms with a serious expression.

“To break through their defense, we must first collapse their formation. Moreover, the enemy has Carr Thomas, who is quite skilled in strategy. If we try to pressure them head-on by playing to our strengths, we’ll likely fall into his trap.”

Eliana looked intrigued as Duran calmly explained.

“You think quite highly of Carr, don’t you?”

“Because it’s the truth.”

Duran glanced at Carr, who was speaking with his teammates.

“Regardless of his magical ability, he has remained at Lumene this long and is now approaching his third year. Even if some luck was involved, no one can survive on luck alone. The fact that he stands alongside us now is proof enough of his ability.”

“I agree with Duran.”

Abad smiled brightly.

“Carr is also the person I’m most wary of on that team.”

Carr was an extremely troublesome opponent in a group battle.

“Nothing is more frightening than a strategist who already holds the strongest hand.”

Carr had always served as an unpredictable variable at crucial moments.

As a combatant, he posed little threat. However, when it came to reading the flow of battle, issuing commands, and acting unpredictably, he was the best in Lumene as far as Abad knew.

'Although he doesn’t seem to value his own strengths very highly.'

“For now, I want to lure them into attacking us aggressively so they can’t take advantage of their strengths.”

“To make them attack aggressively, we’d have to leave our goal exposed. But that would be too dangerous.”

“Hmm. Isn’t there some clever way to do it?”

While the entire team pondered Abad and Celia’s discussion, Walden, who had been quietly observing the situation, spoke.

“Eliana Laden.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“There’s something I need you to do at the very front.”

“Me?”

“You are the key to this Basterra match.”

“I am?”

Eliana pointed at herself with wide eyes, and Walden nodded.

===

“Hmph. I expected better from you, but your strategy is rather ordinary.”

Eliza spoke with a bored expression.

“I appreciate the high opinion, but I’m no brilliant strategist. How could I devise an extraordinary strategy every time?”

Carr shrugged.

“When both sides are evenly matched, the best approach is to make full use of our strengths. For now, a defensive strategy is our best option.”

“Hmph.”

Even after Carr’s explanation, Eliza continued staring at him with dissatisfied eyes.

'Seriously, haven’t people’s expectations of me gotten too high lately? I’m the weakest student in Lumene—someone who could be expelled at any moment without surprising anyone.'

Carr laughed bitterly to himself.

“This will probably become a stalemate.”

“Yeah. But if there’s one variable...”

“What is it?”

“Eliana is on the opposing team.”

“Eliana Laden? Why is she a variable?”

“If I were on that team, I’d use Eliana to provoke us.”

“I know Eliana Laden is usually scatterbrained, but I don’t think she’s particularly good at taunting people.”

“That’s true. But our current situation is a little unusual.”

“Oh?”

“Well, Celia, Abad, and Duran are all smart, but none of them has a talent for underhanded tactics. They probably won’t think to use Eliana to provoke us... Huh?”

At that moment, Eliana walked to the very front.

Chelsea, positioned on the front line, gave her a faint smile.

“Be prepared.”

“Yeah, but Chelsea. About the Class Rep...”

Chelsea’s eye twitched.

Eiran, positioned directly behind her, pricked up her ears, while the expression vanished from Chen Xia’s face beside her.

Chloe, positioned at the very rear, maintained her gentle smile.

Eliana began chattering excitedly about Leo and Elena.

After rambling by herself for some time before the match began, Eliana suddenly adopted a serious expression, crossed her arms, and muttered, “Hmm, but surely the Class Rep wouldn’t stay out all night, would he?”