LHAHS Chapter 517
In the Noble dormitory lounge, Eliza sat in her luxurious private chair as always, legs crossed, carefully tending to her nails.
Around her, Noble students from the Summoning Department were nervously watching her, stealing glances at one another.
"E-Eliza, you haven't been going out much lately," a female student from the Summoning Department cautiously said.
Eliza blew lightly on her freshly polished nails and inspected them. Seeing her indifferent reaction, the Summoning Department students grew even more frustrated.
Eliza was the de facto leader of the second-year Summoning Department. Of course, that didn't mean she was the top student in summoning.
Academically, she constantly competed with Walden for first and second place, but she frequently skipped classes. Her attendance was abysmal, and she even dozed off in class often.
On top of that, she frequently ordered her followers around for personal errands. Aside from her grades, she was practically a delinquent.
However, she remained the leader of the second-year Summoning Department because Walden was too much of a lone wolf. Even if she was unreliable in other ways, Eliza at least took charge of the Summoning Department students. The professors also acknowledged her due to her outstanding grades and commanding presence.
For the past week, however, Eliza had done nothing but stay in the dormitory. She skipped classes and refused to participate in Lumeria City's reconstruction efforts. She always looked bored, but in the past few days, even that expression had disappeared from her face.
Because of that, her followers felt suffocated.
What's going on with her?
I don't know. Did something happen?
As the Summoning Department students exchanged nervous glances, Eliza, who had been ignoring everything around her for days, suddenly grumbled, "So annoying."
"What?"
"Get lost."
"Wha…"
"I said, get out of my sight. You're all annoying me."
Her irritated, sharp tone made the students flinch before scattering in all directions.
Eliza had always had a tyrannical streak, but she had never been so harsh toward her own followers. This was the first time since their admission that the students saw this side of her.
Left alone in the lounge, Eliza clenched her teeth and stood up.
Pathetic.
The reason she had locked herself in the dormitory for a week was simple. She had realized something during that gathering of second-year elites.
I'm the only one who hasn't grown.
Feeling suffocated, Eliza stormed into her dorm room.
Creak—click.
She slammed the door shut and collapsed onto her bed.
Before summer break started, I never once thought I was falling behind any of my peers.
As she thought that, she suddenly stopped and let out a self-deprecating smirk.
No, there was one person.
There was one person she had eventually given up comparing herself to.
Leo Plov.
Leo was the first wall Eliza had ever encountered in her life. That's why he was always on her mind.
Maybe others wouldn't understand, but at least I do.
Eliza's expression turned blank.
To her, Leo was a benchmark.
As a summoner and as a hero. Leo Plov is perfect.
There were no special emotions beyond that. She could never tolerate having someone above her, but Leo was the only exception.
At least, that's what I thought…
Eliza's face twisted in frustration.
When the Lich King attacked Lumene, she saw the backs of the peers she had once considered her equals.
Before coming to Lumene, Eliza had believed, without a doubt, that she was the best, and her talent was certainly enough to be called the greatest of her generation.
Now though, she understood that she wasn't the best because of the insurmountable existence that was Leo Plov.
Still, at the very least, she had never thought she was lagging behind her peers…until now.
Her confidence had been shattered.
Have I reached my limit?
Eliza bit her lip and looked down at her hands. She tried not to think about it, but she couldn't help it.
She had spent her life being arrogant, only to see countless students at Lumene fall behind.
Back then, she had laughed at them.
But now… Now, she wondered if she was the one being left behind while everyone else moved forward.
She feared that, like the ones she had mocked, she too would become a failure.
For the first time in the competitive system of Lumene, Eliza felt fear.
And now I'm just taking it out on others? I really am a mess.
Letting out a bitter smile, she buried her face into her pillow.
Shff—
At that moment, something slipped under the door of her dormitory.
She lifted her upper body slightly and glanced at it.
It was a letter.
Seriously, at a time like this? How annoying.
Eliza scowled. Her temper was infamous, rivaling even Duran's among the second-years, but despite that, she was an undeniable beauty. On top of that, she was the heir to the prestigious Hergin family, the greatest summoning lineage in the northern continent.
She had many admirers who worshipped her from afar, and had also received hundreds of love letters.
Of course, she had never read a single one. Every letter she received was burned to ashes.
Hah. If they like me so much, they should have the guts to confess properly.
She had no interest in cowardly, anonymous confessions. Even if someone were bold enough to confess in person, she wouldn't accept them anyway.
She had never been interested in anyone.
Eliza walked up to the letter and was about to tear it apart, when she saw the sender's name on the envelope.
She froze, her eyes twitching.
Carl Thomas? Why the hell is he sending me a letter?
She scoffed but couldn't deny her curiosity.
Normally, she would have torn it apart without a second thought, but this time, without realizing it, she was already opening the envelope and reading its contents.
[I have something to talk about. I'll be waiting at the dormitory training ground at midnight. Carl Thomas.]
"So full of himself."
The ridiculously simple message made Eliza let out a scoff.
"Who the hell does he think he is, telling me to come and go as he pleases? He should know his place."
Eliza smirked derisively and neatly folded the letter back into the envelope.
Crinkle—crinkle— Whoosh—
Eliza tossed the letter onto her desk, about to lie down on her bed when she suddenly stopped in front of the full-length mirror in her room.
She glanced at her reflection and adjusted her hair. For some reason, the heavy feeling weighing on her seemed to lighten a little.
Unconsciously, she hummed a quiet tune and sat down at her dresser.
Then, she smiled.
Crushing him mercilessly might be fun.
"……" Eliza scowled when she saw the person waiting at the designated meeting spot.
"I've been waiting for you, Eliza," Leo said.
Eliza crossed her arms. "I'm honored that the esteemed student council president was waiting for me, but wasn't it Carl Thomas who summoned me?"
"I'm here too!" Carl emerged from behind Leo, grinning playfully as he gave a thumbs-up.
"So the one who wanted to talk wasn't Carl Thomas, but you, Leo Plov?"
"Yeah."
"Sigh. I should have just gone to sleep," Eliza muttered in irritation.
Leo said seriously, "This is important."
Eliza paused for a moment, before she scoffed again. "It'd better be important enough to have called me out at this hour."
Of course, Eliza knew Leo wasn't the type to talk nonsense. She was well aware that if he had called her out, it had to be for a good reason. She just had to get a complaint in first—that was simply her nature.
Seeing her reaction, Leo nodded.
Suddenly, Carl remarked with a sly grin, "By the way, Eliza, you look really pretty today."
"I look the same as always." Eliza replied flatly, but unlike usual, her tone was noticeably softer.
"A full face of makeup at this hour… Ah! I get it! After this, you're planning to meet some guy…"
Whoosh—snap!
"Urk?! Cough, cough, cough!"
"You think I sneak out at night to meet men?"
"W-Well, you're popular, so maybe you were going to go on a date since you're already out…"
"I don't do that."
Squeeze—!
"Ghhk! Hrk…!"
With her ever-present whip, Eliza looped it around Carl's neck and yanked him toward her, strangling him in a fit of hysteria.
Leo commented dryly, "You two are still getting along, I see."
"Who said anything about getting along?" Eliza sharply retorted, shoving Carl aside before turning back to Leo. "So? What's this important talk?"
"I heard from Carl. He said you've been feeling pretty anxious lately."
"And what of it? Are you here to mock me for being the only one stuck in place?" Eliza said sharply.
From the start, she had seen Leo as someone she had to surpass. That made it impossible for her to simply accept his concern or help.
Seeing the competitive spirit burning in Eliza's eyes, Leo let out a small chuckle.
"Go ahead, laugh all you want, Leo Plov."
"That's not what I meant." Leo shook his head. "Sometimes, I forget you guys are still just kids."
"…That's a strange thing to say. I know you're like an old man in a young body, but for the record, I'm still older than you." Eliza scoffed, finding his words ridiculous.
Leo ignored her reaction and continued. "You're not lacking compared to the others. It's just that your circumstances are different."
"……"
"Chloe and Abad constantly push each other. They have similar traits and frequently engage in debates. They're strong rivals for each other. And… Chelsea too. Though in her case, she's just gritting her teeth, swearing not to lose to Celia."
Carl, finally free from Eliza's whip, interjected with a laugh, "Celia, Duran, and Chen Xia all see each other as rivals too."
"But you don't have a rival," Leo concluded after giving examples from both the Magic and Knight Departments.
There was Walden, but Walden wasn't the type to care about rivalry. He simply pursued strength and charged forward without looking back.
When Eliza had repeatedly tried to provoke him during their first year, he had completely ignored her.
"And I don't exactly count as a rival, do I?"
"Tch!" Eliza gritted her teeth.
Leo added, "Most importantly, summoners have a slow growth curve."
"Are you trying to give me the classic 'time will solve everything' speech? What a wonderful piece of advice." Eliza sneered sarcastically.
Leo casually sat down on a nearby bench and replied, "Well, I'm sure you'll get over the wall before long, but instead of waiting to climb over it, isn't now the perfect time to learn how to break through it?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Leo smirked. "How long are you going to make me wait?"
Eliza's face immediately hardened. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.
That gaze…
It was the same look Leo had given her before, as if he was looking down at her from an unreachable height.
I can't stand the way he acts like he's waiting for me!
Sparks practically flew in Eliza's eyes.
Seeing her expression, Leo continued, "Carl's been pretty worried about you too."
"Carl Thomas?" Eliza glanced at Carl, who simply shrugged.
After staring at Carl for a moment, she took a deep breath. "So? How exactly do you plan to help me?"
"Are you prepared to do whatever I say?"
"As long as it's nothing weird."
"Then… are you ready to risk your life?"