Chapter 517

Inside the common area of the Noble Dormitory.

Reclining in her customary, extravagant personal seat, Eliza had her legs crossed while she meticulously tended to her fingernails.

In her vicinity, peers from the Summoning Department cast anxious, stolen glances in her direction.

“Um, Eliza. Have you been staying indoors the whole time lately?”

One of the girls from her department ventured to ask, her tone laced with caution.

Eliza simply offered a soft exhalation to scatter the dust from her fingertips and inspected the clean edges.

Observing this dismissive response, the gathered classmates exchanged looks of mild frustration and helplessness.

Within the sophomore ranks of the Summoning Department, Eliza functioned as the undisputed figurehead.

Naturally, this position did not imply she held the highest academic ranking among her peers.

When looking strictly at test scores, she was undoubtedly a brilliant pupil who routinely vied for the apex position alongside Wareden, yet her attendance record was abysmal.

She rarely showed up to lectures, and during the ones she did attend, she frequently dozed off.

Moreover, it was a common sight to see her dispatching her loyal followers to handle various private chores for her.

If one disregarded her remarkable academic performance, her behavior painted the perfect picture of a problematic student.

Nevertheless, she retained her grip as the commander of the second-year pupils primarily because Wareden was fiercely independent and preferred isolation.

Despite her lack of genuine commitment, Eliza possessed a natural authority that allowed her to guide her fellow students effectively when necessary.

Even the faculty members of the Summoning Department recognized her status, overlooking her faults due to her stellar intellect and organizational capability.

However, throughout the preceding seven days, a change had occurred.

Eliza remained confined within the residential halls, completely idle.

She neglected her educational duties entirely and refused to assist with the ongoing restoration efforts taking place in Lumeria City.

While her countenance typically conveyed a sense of aristocratic apathy, over these last few days, her features had turned completely blank and unreadable.

This chilling shift in atmosphere left her regular companions feeling utterly paralyzed by an oppressive, suffocating tension.

‘What could possibly be bothering her?’

‘I have absolutely no idea. Do you think something terrible occurred?’

Just as the members of the department were frantically communicating through worried looks, a voice broke the silence.

“This is infuriating.”

Eliza, whose awareness had seemed completely detached from her environment for days, abruptly spoke aloud.

“Pardon?”

“Get out, all of you.”

“What do you mean by—”

“I said you are irritating me, so clear out of this room instantly.”

Faced with such sharp, volatile hostility, the surrounding pupils recoiled in fear before hastily making their exit.

While they were well-acquainted with her imperious nature, this level of raw, unraveling anxiety from a girl who normally showed immense confidence—and relative leniency to her inner circle—was completely unprecedented since the start of the school year.

Standing solitary within the deserted common room, Eliza maintained a tense quietude before clenching her jaw tightly and rising to her feet.

‘How miserable.’

Her self-imposed isolation inside her private quarters stemmed entirely from an incident that transpired a week prior.

During an assembly composed of the highest-ranking second-year prodigies, a sudden, brutal realization had washed over her.

‘I am the only one who has remained stagnant.’

Swallowed by an intense wave of irritation, Eliza strode into her personal living space.

The door groaned slightly before snapping shut.

Securing the lock, she cast herself face-first onto the mattress, letting her body go limp.

‘Before the arrival of the summer recess, the notion that anyone in my class could surpass me had never even crossed my mind.’

She froze momentarily as that reflection lingered, a bitter, mocking smirk gracing her lips.

‘That is incorrect; there is a single individual.’

Deep down, she had long ago categorized one particular student as an anomaly beyond normal standards.

‘Leo Flobe.’

That young man represented the very first immovable obstacle Eliza had encountered in her existence.

As a consequence, his presence constantly occupied her thoughts.

‘The rest of the academy might remain oblivious, but I certainly am not.’

Her face settled into a weary, detached look.

To her estimation, Leo served as the ultimate standard of comparison.

‘Whether viewed as a master of summons or as a future savior, the entity known as Leo Flobe embodies absolute perfection.’

Her assessment carried no romantic or sentimental weight; it was a cold evaluation.

While her pride normally revolted at the thought of anyone standing superior to her, she found herself utterly incapable of denying Leo’s supremacy.

‘However, the problem lies elsewhere…’

At that thought, her features twisted into a grimace of profound frustration.

During the catastrophic assault launched by the Lich King against Lumerun, she had been forced to witness the advancing figures of her peers—individuals she previously viewed as mere contemporaries on her own level.

Prior to her arrival at Lumerun, Eliza harbored an unwavering conviction that she reigned supreme over her generation.

In fact, her talent was not inferior to be called the best of an era.

In the present day, she accepted that achieving the absolute top spot was impossible so long as an incomprehensible anomaly like Leo Flobe existed.

Yet, she had maintained a fierce certainty that she remained unexcelled by the rest of her peers.

Now, that fundamental certainty lay completely ruined.

‘Have I already hit my ceiling?’

Sinking her teeth into her lower lip, Eliza stared intensely at the lines of her open hands.

No matter how desperately she attempted to push these thoughts aside, they continuously demanded her attention.

She remembered the numerous peers who had spent their entire lives draped in vanity, fully convinced of their own peerless nature, only to suffer utter stagnation and ruin once they reached Lumerun.

In the past, she would have viewed such failures with absolute scorn, but the laughter had died in her throat.

What if she was doomed to remain frozen in place while the rest of her generation sprinted forward?

What if her destiny was to become a pathetic straggler, identical to the failures she had once looked down upon?

Trapped within the ruthless, merit-based environment of Lumerun, a cold dread gripped Eliza’s heart for the very first time.

‘This is entirely my own internal crisis, yet I am merely taking out my frustration on innocent bystanders. I really am pathetic.’

As a somber, self-pitying chuckle escaped her, she pressed her face deep into the cushions.

Sliiiip!

A faint rustling sound echoed near the entrance as an object glided across the floor beneath the door frame.

Propping up her torso, she shifted her gaze toward the entryway and spotted a sealed piece of parchment.

‘How tedious, especially right now.’

Her expression darkened further.

Though Eliza possessed a notoriously volatile temperament that rivaled Duran for the title of the most difficult personality among the sophomores, her striking physical beauty was undeniable.

Consequently, she was constantly plagued by a multitude of arrogant suitors.

Furthermore, she was recognized globally as the designated successor to the Helgin lineage, the most illustrious and powerful summoning house across the entire northern continent.

As a result of her status, hundreds of romantic solicitations had found their way to her.

Naturally, she had never deigned to peruse a single one of those declarations.

Her standard procedure was to consign every correspondence directly to the flames.

‘Pathetic. If your feelings are truly so profound, have the decency to state them to my face.’

She harbored nothing but disdain for the sentiments of cowards who lacked the basic fortitude to stand before her in person.

To be fair, even if a suitor gathered the nerve to approach her directly, her answer would remain a firm rejection.

An individual who failed to capture her attention initially stood zero chance of ever swaying her heart.

Walking over to the threshold, Eliza retrieved the envelope, intending to rip it to pieces without a second thought.

However, her movements froze as her eyes caught the sender’s identity inscribed upon the exterior.

‘Carl Thomas?’

Her brow furrowed in surprise.

‘What reason could that idiot possibly have for sending me a message?’

She let out a dismissive scoff, yet a small flicker of intrigue managed to pierce through her sour mood.

Under any other circumstance, the parchment would have been shredded immediately, but driven by an unconscious impulse, Eliza broke the seal and extracted the note.

‘There is a matter we need to discuss. Meet me at the residential arena at twelve o’clock tonight. Carl Thomas.’

“The absolute nerve of him,” she muttered, her face twisting into a mix of disbelief and annoyance at the blunt, demanding lines.

“Amusing. Who granted him the authority to command my movements? He truly forgets his station.”

Flashing a characteristically disdainful smirk, she methodically refolded the paper and slid it back into its container.

Tap-tap, tap-tap.

With a casual flick of her wrist, she sent the envelope sailing onto her vanity table. She moved to return to her bed, but her stride halted as she passed the tall mirror positioned against the wall.

Casting a sidelong look, Eliza evaluated her appearance in the glass, lifting a hand to smooth out a few stray strands of hair.

Inexplicably, the heavy weight that had burdened her mind for days seemed to lift just a fraction.

Without even realizing it, a faint melody escaped her lips as she took a seat before her vanity mirror.

A sharp, predatory grin spread across her beautiful face.

‘Perhaps going out there to thoroughly humiliate him will provide some quality entertainment.’

“…”

The moment she arrived at the designated location and identified the figure standing under the moonlight, Eliza’s expression soured instantly.

“You took your time, Eliza,” Leo greeted her calmly.

In response to his voice, she tightly locked her arms across her chest.

“To think the esteemed leader of the student body would personally wait on my arrival. I am deeply flattered. However, if my memory serves me right, the invitation bore the signature of Carl Thomas, did it not?”

“Hey, don’t forget about me!”

Emerging from the shadows behind Leo, Carl offered a mischievous grin while raising a cheerful thumb in the air.

“So the individual who supposedly required my presence wasn’t Carl Thomas at all, but rather Leo Flobe. You orchestrated this, correct?”

“That is accurate,” Leo confirmed.

“Good grief. I really should have remained in bed,” Eliza complained with heavy irritation.

Observing her hostility, Leo countered calmly, “This concerns a significant issue.”

Her initial retort caught in her throat before she managed a skeptical scoff.

“It certainly must be monumental if it warrants dragging me into the cold at midnight.”

Naturally, beneath her hostile exterior, Eliza was well aware that Leo was not given to idle chatter or trivial pranks; if he claimed the situation was critical, it undoubtedly was.

It was merely a necessity of her prickly disposition to offer resistance before cooperating.

Leo simply offered a quiet nod of acknowledgment in response to her attitude.

Shifting his gaze toward her, Carl remarked lightheartedly, “Hey, Eliza, did you do something different? You look remarkably beautiful tonight.”

“I look exactly as I always do,” she replied with cold detachment.

Yet, despite her sharp words, the underlying edge in her voice was noticeably tamer than normal.

“Impeccable cosmetics in the dead of night… Oh, I see! You have a secret rendezvous planned with some lucky guy after this, don’t you…?”

Swoosh—Snap!

“Gag—! Ack, cough!”

“Do you genuinely mistake me for a loose woman who sneaks around with suitors before dawn?”

“W-Well, you have legions of admirers, so I figured since you were already dressed up, a midnight tryst wasn’t out of the question…”

“I am not involved in such ridiculous pastimes.”

Tighten—!

“Cough, wheeze, gasp!”

Uncoiling the whip she consistently kept at her side, Eliza expertly lashed it around Carl’s throat, yanking him forward to constrict his airway in a sudden outburst of fury.

Witnessing the chaotic display, Leo observed flatly, “Your dynamic remains as lively as ever.”

“In what world do we have a pleasant dynamic?” Eliza hissed, throwing Carl away from her with a violent shove.

Turning her attention back to the primary issue, she demanded, “Enough games. What is this critical topic you wanted to discuss?”

“Carl brought your situation to my attention,” Leo explained. “He mentioned that you have been experiencing a great deal of internal turmoil.”

“And what if I am? Have you come here to ridicule me because I am stuck in place while everyone else advances?” Eliza shot back defensively.

Ever since their initial encounter, Eliza had designated Leo as the ultimate benchmark she needed to surpass.

Because of this competitive friction, her pride made it impossible to graciously receive any perceived pity or assistance from him.

Leo let out a soft, amused laugh as he observed the fierce spark of rivalry burning within her gaze.

“Go ahead, laugh all you want, Leo Flobe.”

“You misunderstand my intentions completely,” Leo replied, offering a gentle shake of his head.

“Occasionally, I fail to remember that beneath all this gravity, you all are still merely adolescents.”

“What a bizarre comment to make. I am well aware that you possess the temperament of an old man, but strictly speaking, I am your senior in age,” Eliza replied, letting out a bewildered, disbelieving laugh at his phrasing.

Fixing his eyes on her, Leo continued, “Your innate capabilities do not fall short when measured against your peers. The issue lies within your immediate circumstances.”

“Take Chloe and Abard, for instance; whether intentionally or not, they constantly drive each other forward. Their magical styles share common ground, leading to frequent debates. They serve as ideal foils for one another.”

“Don’t forget about Chelsea,” Carl interjected, rubbing his neck as he placed his hands behind his head after finally freeing himself from the leather coil. “Though in her specific scenario, her driving force is an absolute refusal to be outshone by Celia.”

“Similarly, Celia and Duran share that dynamic. And the same can be said for Chen Xia, who views them through a competitive lens,” Leo added, drawing parallels across the academy’s various branches.

By illustrating his point with prominent figures from both the Department of Magic and the Department of Knights, Leo summarized, “The core problem is that you lack a proper counterpart within your own discipline.”

While Wareden was certainly present, his nature was entirely devoid of typical competitive malice.

He was an individual solely dedicated to the singular pursuit of personal power, moving along his path without regard for others.

Despite Eliza’s numerous attempts to incite a rivalry with him during their freshman days, he had simply met her provocations with absolute indifference.

“And for someone of your high standards to acknowledge another as a true equal… well, you understand the difficulty, don’t you?”

“Tch!”

Eliza clenched her jaw tightly, a sharp rasp escaping her teeth.

Observing her reaction, Leo noted, “Furthermore, the progression curve for a practitioner of summoning arts is inherently more gradual compared to other paths.”

“Are you seriously suggesting that I should just sit idly by and let time resolve my shortcomings? How profoundly enlightening,” Eliza sneered sarcastically.

Paying no mind to her sarcasm, Leo took a seat on a wooden bench situated nearby.

“Naturally, given your talent, you would eventually bypass this bottleneck on your own. However, rather than waiting for a natural progression, wouldn’t it be far more beneficial to learn how to actively shatter the barrier before you?”

“What exactly are you implying?” she questioned, her focus narrowing.

A subtle, challenging smile touched the corners of Leo’s lips.

“Just how long do you intend to keep me waiting at the top?”

Upon hearing his question, Eliza’s expression turned stone-cold.

Her hands balled into tight fists as she ground her teeth together in absolute frustration.

That familiar, lofty perspective—looking down upon her from an immense, unachievable height—was exactly the same expression he had directed at her in the past.

‘I absolutely despise that arrogant demeanor, acting as though he is standing around waiting for me to catch up!’

Fierce resentment flared within her gaze.

Taking note of her burning resolve, Leo added softly, “Carl has also been deeply distressed regarding your current state.”

“Carl Thomas has?”

Eliza shifted her eyes over to Carl, who merely offered a helpless shrug of his shoulders in response.

She observed her classmate for a quiet moment before inhaling a deep, stabilizing breath.

“Very well. In what manner do you propose to assist me?”

“Are you genuinely ready to execute any directive I give you?” Leo inquired.

“Provided your instructions do not involve anything absurd or indecent,” she countered sharply.

“In that case,” Leo murmured, his tone shifting into something entirely serious. “Are you truly prepared to face death?”