LHAHS Chapter 408
After the one-on-one tournament was announced as the final exam for first-years, all attention turned to them.
"There won't be any showcase exams for upperclassmen this time, right?"
During a break in the second-year summoning class, students gathered in small groups, chatting. From where they sat, they could see their first-year juniors training for the tournament.
Ever since the announcement, the first-years had been devoting themselves entirely to training.
"The first-round matchups have already been decided, right?"
"Who's your mentee up against?"
"Some mid-tier knight department student, apparently."
"That's lucky."
"What's lucky about it? My mentee's grades are in the lower-middle tier."
Second-years also had a stake in their mentees' results. While their own final exam scores were important, if they passed but their mentees failed, they could end up being expelled. That alone was enough to put them on edge.
"That's not good enough!"
"Is this really all you can do?!"
"Get it together! If you get expelled, I go down with you! Did you forget that?!"
Shouts erupted from second-years who were taking time between classes to coach their mentees. First-years flinched and lowered their heads.
The once-friendly relationships between seniors and juniors were beginning to crack. That was how much pressure the final exams placed on both years.
"This doesn't look good," Chen Xia muttered as she observed the scene.
"Of course not," Eliza scoffed. "First- and second-years have been living comfortably this whole semester without the pressure of expulsion, haven't they?"
With her signature sneering smirk, she gazed at the second-years raising their voices and the first-years shrinking in fear.
"Now they're paying the price."
Expelling students with poor grades had always been a part of Lumene's system, constantly pressing down on students. Of course, given how brutal Lumene's curriculum was—where a single mistake could lead to death—it was even more irresponsible to keep weak students enrolled.
From third-year onward, once students had matured as hero candidates, the number of expulsions dropped significantly. But for first- and second-years, even those with mid-tier grades were at risk of expulsion.
This looming threat had always pushed students forward, acting as a driving force for growth. However, with the introduction of the mentor system, first-years had been able to attend school without fear of expulsion for an entire semester.
Now, that solace had vanished.
Not only that, for the first-years, the pressure was even greater. Unlike the second-years, who had already experienced this kind of fear last year, this was the first time the first-years were truly feeling its weight.
"This looks like fun," Eliza smirked.
"Oh? Do you have to make it that obvious?" Chen Xia remarked.
Eliza beamed. With her naturally twisted personality, she found the current situation quite amusing.
"I've always thought there was a flaw in this system. Lumene's cutthroat academic structure had gone soft, in my opinion," she said, examining her nails. "But judging by this scene, maybe not. They're just getting all their pressure at once instead."
"It was probably intentional," someone cut in.
"Kyaaah?!"
Hearing a voice suddenly from right behind her, Eliza shrieked and latched onto Chen Xia.
"Surprised? Were you scared, Eliza?" Chen Xia, ever composed, patted Eliza's head with an indulgent smile.
"Don't treat me like a child!" Flushing red with embarrassment, Eliza glared at Leo. "Don't sneak up on people like that, Leo Plov!"
Leo chuckled at her reaction.
Eliza bristled and reached for her whip, but Chen Xia calmly stopped her.
Taking a deep breath, Eliza crossed her arms. "What do you mean, 'intentional'?"
"Throughout the first semester, both first- and second-years were given the freedom to grow at their own pace within Lumene. I think the school introduced the mentor system as an experiment to compare the effectiveness of self-directed growth versus pressure-driven growth."
Leo glanced at the first-years. "They had it easy for a while, but now they have to take responsibility all at once. That makes the pressure even worse."
"Hmm. So it wasn't just a 'comfortable' semester after all," Eliza mused.
"Right. There are probably plenty of first- and second-years struggling under the weight of despair right now."
No matter how hard one fought, everyone had limits, and the first to recognize their limits were always themselves.
I guess this test is about whether they can surpass those limits or not.
Leo narrowed his eyes.
Watching him, Eliza asked, "Hmm… By the way, will you be okay, Leo Plov?"
"Why as you asking that?"
"Your chosen mentee is the lowest-ranked first-year, isn't he?" Eliza smirked. "Of course, knowing you and your scheming nature, I assume you have some sort of hidden plan."
"You think I'm scheming?"
"There's a certain old-man quality about you. You should take it as a compliment, Leo," Chen Xia interjected with a smile.
"That's not what I meant," Eliza retorted, scowling.
Leo chuckled, "Well, in any case, it's nice to see you worrying about me."
"Why would I worry about you?" Eliza scoffed.
Leo smirked. "You don't need to worry about Luke. It's not like losing the first round means he's out."
"Oh?" Eliza raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying he'll be fine because there's a loser's bracket? That's surprisingly naïve of you."
Leo smiled faintly.
Something about his expression made Eliza uneasy.
What's with that look?
For Leo, this first-year tournament was arguably the most dangerous moment so far. He had overcome many obstacles before, but this was one thing his strength alone couldn't control.
And yet, his expression remained the same as always.
What exactly did he do to that first-year?
A scary thought crept into Eliza's mind.
After school, the training grounds were packed with first- and second-years. The second-years had brought their first-year mentees out for training.
"How could you not dodge that?"
"Come on, do better!"
Frustrated voices rang out as second-years drilled their juniors. Under their sharp criticism, the first-years could only shrink back, looking miserable.
Among them, Emio, a top-ranking second-year in the magic department, scoffed. "Hah, look at them scrambling now that the heat is on."
Standing beside him, Lement Morlock, the third-ranked first-year in the magic department, responded flatly, "They just look like desperate rats scurrying around."
"They have no choice but to struggle."
As Emio walked across the training grounds, he smirked as he spotted something. To be honest, he had no reason to be here. Coming from a renowned military family, he was one of the strongest combat mages among the second-years.
From the start of the semester, he had been training his mentee, Lement, in magic combat. That was why he had absolute confidence in the upcoming tournament.
Moreover, when he heard about his mentee's first-round opponent, he had inwardly cheered.
The reason he had come to the training grounds today was simple—to mock that opponent.
"As expected of the student council president," Emio said, loud enough for those nearby to hear. "It wouldn't be hard for him to get a private training ground, yet here he is, practicing alongside the other rabble."
At his words, not only Leo—who had been overseeing Luke's training—but also the students nearby turned to look at him.
"Emio. I don't recall you submitting an application to use the training grounds," Leo said.
"I didn't. I just came to watch the losers struggle."
"Hey, Emio Luce. Watch your mouth."
"Who do you think you are, calling us losers?"
The second-years bristled at his words, but Emio simply chuckled. "Don't talk back to me."
"What?"
"You must have forgotten your place just because you got lucky and weren't expelled last semester. If it weren't for the mentor system, you wouldn't even be here flailing around, you bunch of nobodies."
"You bastard…!"
The atmosphere turned hostile.
The second-years present were mostly students who would have been expelled under normal circumstances. Naturally, when selecting their mentees, they had chosen first-years who were at a similar academic level.
Aside from a few exceptions like Leo and Luke, or Carl and Juen, there was little disparity between the mentees and their mentors.
"If you know your place, shut up and stay in your lane. Don't get ahead of yourselves."
"Damn son of a bitch!"
As tension thickened among the second-years, Leo finally snapped. "Enough with the condescending remarks, Emio. Just be quiet."
"Oh? So the student council president is standing up for his peers now?"
"No. I'm telling you to know your place."
"What?" Emio's face stiffened.
Leo smirked coldly. "Like you said, not all second-years are the same. I'm the student council president, Emio Luce. So don't get ahead of yourself, just shut up and stay out of my way."
A spark flickered in Emio's eyes. Then, he slowly curled his lips into a grin. "How long do you think you'll be student council president? No, do you even think you'll be able to stay in Lumene?"
His gaze shifted to Luke. "Your mentee's definitely getting expelled. And when that happens, you're out too, Leo Plov. Or are you planning to abuse your authority as student council president?"
He wasn't wrong. From a logical standpoint, almost no one believed that Luke, who had the lowest grades and had shown no growth since enrollment, could survive the tournament and stay in Lumene.
However, Leo simply laughed, "I won't be using my authority."
"Heh. So you're saying you'll just accept your expulsion?"
"No." Leo met Emio's gaze head-on. "We're going to win everything."
"What?"
"My mentee's goal is to win every match."
For a moment, silence fell. Everyone questioned whether they had heard correctly.
The lowest-ranked student's goal was what?
"What kind of nonsense…"
"Luke's first match is against your mentee, Lement, right?" Leo smiled. "Luke's going to win."
"President, I respect you as my senior, but I cannot tolerate that statement," Lement argued, looking down at Luke, who was shorter than him. "The idea of me losing to Luke Eldar is simply unthinkable."
Leo's smile deepened. "Then you'd better give it your all, because you're about to witness something unthinkable."