LHAHS Chapter 325
At Glory's base, Chloe approached Leo, who was perched on the wall.
Sitting beside him, she swung her legs and gazed ahead. "We gained a lot in the first battle. We found out that Chelsea is Harmony's king and that Carl is Noble's. On top of that, we've earned a lot of points while defending against Harmony and Noble."
Glory had firmly secured the upper hand.
"If we continue focusing on defense while intervening in fights between Harmony and Noble, we can maintain our advantage. Of course…" Chloe turned to Leo. "They won't just sit back and take it."
Leo propped his chin on his hand, watching her speak with absolute confidence. "How do you think Harmony and Noble will respond?"
"They'll probably form an alliance, with Carl leading the effort." Chloe thought for a moment. "Carl will put together the best team possible to defeat you."
"The best team to take me down, huh?" Leo smirked. "Frontline would be Walden and Chelsea, rear support Abad, and Eliza covering both."
"Exactly." Chloe grinned. "Celia and Duran will focus on me and Chen Xia since they have the advantage over us."
Celia, who wielded fire aura, held the elemental advantage over Chloe's ice magic. Likewise, Duran's lightning aura had an edge over Chen Xia's water aura. The first condition for defeating Leo was preventing Chloe and Chen Xia from joining him.
"You need to be careful. If you're eliminated, we lose."
"You think I'll lose?"
"No, but…" Chloe chuckled as she thought of their classmates. "I just don't think they'll give up that easily. They're going to come at you with everything they've got."
"We showed them a clear power gap. If you were in their position, what would you do?"
"I'd fight with everything I had." Chloe smiled shyly. "Someone once taught me to never give up, no matter what."
"Oh? Who?" Leo grinned.
Chloe pouted. "You, obviously."
Leo chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Glad you haven't forgotten."
"Ugh?!" Chloe's face turned bright red as she gaped at him.
"What do you think the class rep and Chloe are talking about?" Eliana's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"They're probably discussing strategy." Chen Xia smiled, and a male student from Glory's knight department crossed his arms.
"Aren't you going to join them? You're a dorm leader too."
"Leo and Chloe's planning is more than enough. Besides, there aren't many options left for Harmony and Noble. Their move is easy to predict."
"You can predict it?" Eliana tilted her head, but the other students nodded.
"Yeah, it's obvious."
"There's only one real choice left."
As the others exchanged remarks, Eliana flailed. "Wait, wait! Tell me!"
"Come on, it's not hard to figure out." A mage student teased her, and Eliana scowled before kicking his shin.
"Gah?!" He hopped in pain.
She huffed. "I'm not the only one who didn't get it! Right?"
No one agreed with her.
"Chen Xia! They're looking at me like I'm an idiot!" Eliana wailed, latching onto Chen Xia.
Patting her head, Chen Xia explained, "Harmony and Noble will form an alliance."
"Ohhh, that makes sense." Eliana nodded before pausing. "But wouldn't that be worse for them? They can't fight each other."
Folding her arms, she mused, "We've already racked up points, so all we have to do is defend. Even if the dorm leaders work together, can they really beat the class rep? We still have you and Chloe."
"Honestly, if it were me… I wouldn't even think about challenging Leo."
"Yeah, he's way too strong."
The Glory students shuddered as they looked at Leo.
"Chloe seems unfazed, though." Eliana tilted her head, impressed.
"She probably got used to it." Chen Xia chuckled.
At that moment…
"Guys! We've got enemies approaching from the front!"
A student in the watchtower shouted urgently.
Chloe immediately stood. "How many?!"
"…All of them, I think."
Hearing the tense voice, Leo rose as well. He smirked when he saw the dorm leaders at the front of the advancing force.
"Shall we go?"
Carl glanced at Chelsea beside him, scratching his head. "Chelsea."
"……"
"Hey, Chelsea."
"Huh?" Startled by Carl poking her cheek, she jumped back and covered her face. "What?"
"You were zoning out."
"…I was just thinking," Chelsea muttered weakly.
Carl grinned. "Then, as your good friend, I have a gift for you!"
He pulled a small potion from his pocket and handed it to her, speaking in a suspiciously dramatic tone. "This is a legendary elixir I acquired from Dweno's alchemy book! The Potion of Courage!"
Glancing around conspiratorially, he whispered, "Aaron drank this and gained the courage to…"
Pop!
Chelsea casually opened the bottle, sniffed it, and frowned. "…This is just fruit juice."
"Cough!" Carl cleared his throat loudly.
Closing the bottle, Chelsea raised her hand.
"Eep?!" Carl flinched, bracing for a punch.
Instead, she silently returned the bottle and walked away. Watching her, Carl scratched his head. She was definitely acting different from usual.
"What's wrong? Something bothering you?"
"…I just feel pathetic. Whether it's my brother or Leo… I've always been satisfied with just watching them. I acted so proud of being a top student, but in the end…" Chelsea slumped her shoulders. "…I was just living without any real goal."
Abad, who had protected her, had fallen. Celia had fallen. And Chelsea had run away. It was the obvious choice as the King. But that wasn't it. Even if she weren't the King, she would have still run away.
Because she knew the overwhelming difference in power. Because she didn't want to fight Leo.
Even though they were on opposite sides, she instinctively reached out to Abad in a moment of crisis. And when facing Leo, she couldn't even fight properly. She realized it now—she had been so blinded by admiration that she had become pathetic.
"…Abad must be disappointed in me. Leo too."
As Chelsea shrank into herself, Carl scratched his head, waving his hands dramatically toward Abad, mouthing something.
"Don't call for my brother. I'm too ashamed to face him right now."
She didn't even turn around as she spoke, and Carl scratched his head again.
"Is it so bad not to have a goal?"
"…What?"
"Look at me. My goal is to stick around at Lumene for as long as possible. Then, I'll use this title to land a support job, score a big paycheck, and rake in a ton of money." Carl grinned, forming a circle with his fingers, mimicking a coin. "And with that money, I'll sell potions or something, then live an easy life, doing nothing."
"…That's pathetic."
"Well, when you put it like that, it does sting a little. But see? Even a pathetic goal is still a goal. Having one isn't always good, and not having one isn't necessarily bad either."
Carl chuckled. "Leo wouldn't be disappointed in you. If anything, he's probably just curious about when you'll find a goal of your own."
Chelsea blinked. Different statuses, different family backgrounds, different positions in school. Yet Carl had always treated her as an equal since they enrolled. And at this moment, when she felt lost and discouraged, his words resonated deeply.
"You don't have to find your goal right away. What's important right now is fighting against Leo."
"Aren't you scared?"
Carl shuddered dramatically. "Of course I am. I'm the one leading the battle, you know? If I mess up, can you imagine how much Eliza is going to chew me out?"
It was different from the fear Chelsea felt. Her fear came from the vast distance between her and Leo, but for some reason, Carl's exaggerated antics made her laugh.
"This is just for you, okay? Don't go blabbing about it."
"What is it?"
"Hero Aaron? He was actually a massive coward."
Crunch!
"Gaaahhh!"
Chelsea mercilessly stomped on Carl's foot.
Carl collapsed, rolling on the ground. "You think you can trick me?" Chelsea scoffed.
Carl hobbled up, wincing. "I'm serious! Ask Leo if you don't believe me!"
"That's ridiculous." Chelsea shook her head in disbelief.
Seeing her reaction, Carl said, "I couldn't believe it either. But in the end, he was the bravest of them all."
Carl grinned. "He was called a hero because he overcame his fears."
He tossed her the potion bottle. "And this? It really is Aaron's favorite fruit juice."
Chelsea looked down at the bottle. Carl flashed a thumbs-up before retreating to the rear.
Ahead, the walls of Glory's base came into view. Chelsea took a deep breath.
Smack!
She slapped her cheeks, inhaled deeply, then downed the potion in one go.
"Mm! It's good!" Her eyes sparkled. She felt like courage was welling up inside her. "Alright! Let's do this! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!"
A fierce gust suddenly blew in front of her.
"Huh?"
"You've found your resolve, I see." Leo had appeared before her, his sword raised.
Chelsea quickly shifted into a battle stance.
"Gasp!"
"It's Leo's ambush!"
Chaos erupted around them.
Whoosh!
Leo swung his sword, and Chelsea countered with her staff.
Clang!
Blades of wind clashed.
Leo let out a chuckle. "Not bad."
"I had a good teacher." Chelsea smirked confidently.
Whoosh!
"I won't lose so easily in close combat using wind magic!"
She channeled mana into the long staff in her other hand.
Fwoosh!
Leo, who had tried to strike Chelsea by surprise, was suddenly launched high into the air.
Crackle!
Lightning aura crackled toward him.
Flash! Boom!
A veil of water instantly shielded Leo.
"Chen Xia."
"Duran has to fight me anyway, right? I'll take him on."
"Hmph." Duran scoffed.
Flames and frost erupted near the walls. The clash between Celia and Chloe marked the beginning. Harmony and Noble's forces launched their attack.
Thud!
Leo landed on the ground and looked at the four people standing before him. He smiled when his eyes landed on Carl in the back. "Carl, are you ready?"
"Of course!" Carl gave him a thumbs-up.
Leo chuckled at the sight. "Good. Then…"
His face turned expressionless.
"You're ready to feel the difference, aren't you?"