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Everyone murmured, alternately watching Leo and Ris.
Ris, seated among the 5th-year students in the audience, narrowed his eyes at the sight of Leo.
‘Indeed.’
Ris immediately understood why Leo had chosen him.
‘This means proving oneself by skill.’
It wasn’t a bad idea.
Since the announcement of Leo as a candidate for the student council president, there was surprisingly little backlash.
But even so, this wasn’t a situation that would be easily accepted.
The situation was literally the calm before the storm.
There were many entangled factors tied to this event, and though they weren’t openly discussed, no one knew when grievances might surface.
Additionally, there was the thought, ‘Surely a real first-year student couldn’t possibly become the president, right?’
Choosing the next Student Council President is the current president’s prerogative.
However, the final approval lies with the Principal.
The Student Council President’s recommendations are respected, but absurd candidates won’t be approved.
Ris rested his chin on his hand.
‘Although the Principal did approve concerning Leo…’
When Ris recommended Leo to be the next Student Council President, the Principal readily agreed.
‘Many people have begun to recognize Leo’s worth.’
If things continued this way, it was a foregone conclusion that Leo would become the president.
But…
‘The students wouldn’t readily accept it.’
Thus, Leo needed to prove himself in some way.
That he was a worthy candidate for student council president.
Ris thought Leo would demonstrate that once he became president.
But surprisingly, before becoming the president, Leo was attempting to prove himself right in front of all the students.
In one sense, it was daring, but on the other hand, it could be seen as overly reckless.
Given this, Ris wouldn’t possibly give Leo a pass now.
‘If I let him off, he’ll never gain anyone’s respect.’
Watching his cousin choose to confront the situation head-on rather than turn back, Ris curled the corner of his mouth upward.
[Hey… Ris, what are you going to do?]
Cheira, who was hosting the event, whispered and asked.
At Cheira’s question, Ris smiled.
“It wouldn’t be polite to accept such a challenge and back off, now would it?”
Thus, an unprecedented duel evaluation commenced: a match-off between the 1st-year representative and the 5th-year representative.
Following this, nominations among the first years began.
Since most of the students had prior discussions, the process went smoothly without much delay.
After all the opponents were decided, Iliana whistled upon seeing that Leo would have to duel with the current Student Council President.
“Wow. Crazy guy. Truly a crazy guy.”
Leo was the only one in this year’s combat evaluation to have chosen an upperclassman.
Nella, watching Iliana who was speaking with a frustrated look on her face, asked,
“Will he be okay?”
Worrying, Nella looked at Leo, who smiled and responded,
“I guess we’ll see in the clash.”
Despite having created a significant uproar, Leo seemed perfectly calm, leaving the other students to whistle their amazement.
Chelsea approached Leo, clenched both her fists, and her eyes sparkled.
“Leo-nii, fighting spirit!”
Chelsea was enthusiastically supporting Leo’s candidacy for student council president.
Seeing this, Teid spoke up,
“Still, even if he’s good, a first-year student president is a stretch, isn’t it?”
“What? Are you saying Leo-nii can’t be the president? What is this?”
“Ah, no. I’m just stating the realistic point… Uh… Stop! What kind of thug are you?!”
Chelsea kicked Teid furiously with her fierce expression, forcing him to flee in a hurry.
In the meanwhile, two students appeared on the sparring ground, which was set up in the center of the training ground. This caught the attention of the first-year students who tensed up immediately.
“Leo’s chosen such an unconventional opponent that it’s overshadowing this match too…”
“It doesn’t seem easy.”
The two combatants stepping up on the field were both female students with jet-black hair.
One was Celia with striking red eyes, and the other was Chen Sia with black eyes.
This was a clash between the two top students of the Department of Knights.
Judging by the affinity matchup, Chen Sia had the advantage.
But this was not a battle determined solely by the element superiority relationship.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the duel when Cheira, who was hosting the event, spoke.
“Alright! Here we have a much-anticipated freshman duel between Celia Zerdinger and Chen Sia! Wow! As the 5th-year representative of the Department of Knights, I’m quite curious to watch how this match unfolds!”
Cheira stood between the two students, her eyes sparkled brightly.
However, she didn’t elaborate too much, although it was evident she wanted to keep the audience engaged. She’d already been called out once by Halind.
“Alright! Now! The first duel of freshmen mid-term combat evaluation begins! Let’s go!”
Cheira stepped off the sparring ground as soon as she finished speaking.
Celia, drawing her sword, said as she faced Chen Sia,
“Engaging in a proper duel like this is new to me.”
“It is to me as well.”
Chen Sia smiled faintly as she assumed her stance.
Though they had practiced sparring many times, they had never truly tested each other’s skills.
This was their first proper duel, conducted in front of everyone, where they would utilize all their abilities.
“Looking forward to it.”
“Me too.”
Chen Sia smiled warmly.
“Celia-san, don’t you also practice privately with Lord Leo? I’d like to see the results.”
At this, Celia lowered her stance and activated her aura.
“Leaving space for relaxation wouldn’t be wise.”
Hwoorrk—!
Celia’s body was enveloped in a blazing aura.
“Carelessness could lead to a quick defeat!”
Celia, wrapping her sword with a fiery aura, lunged toward Chen Sia at an astonishing speed.
Seeing this, Chen Sia raised her palm and conjured a water-based aura.
Chaaarrk—!
Chen Sia surrounded herself with a thin veil of water like silk and spun around.
‘Celia-san doesn’t stop at all.’
Celia’s swordsmanship was extremely aggressive.
Despite wielding a rapier, one might expect graceful swordplay from her, but contrary to that image, she wielded a rather brutal style.
’Even in the early days of the first semester, her swordplay was rather restrained.’
Someone changed Celia’s swordplay style completely.
‘Not that Celia-san’s techniques lack refinement or are rough.’
She uses overwhelming firepower to create openings and relentlessly exploits these gaps, attacking persistently.
Attempting to defend or find flaws in her strategy will prove futile as there are none.
This was evidence that Celia did not simply rely on brute force.
Thus, Chen Sia knew very well that meeting Celia’s attacks head-on would be foolish.
Although water was an attribute specialized in defense, evading was even more crucial.
Kwajjajk—!
Chen Sia skillfully avoided Celia’s thrust with movements fluid like water.
Celia momentarily lost her footing but recovered quickly.
But Chen Sia didn’t press the opportunity.
Hwaak—!
Celia, regaining her posture, spread flames of aura around her in all directions.
Aura dispersion.
Chaaaiiik—!
The flames scattered in all directions and vaporized Chen Sia’s water aura.
A fire as if it would turn everything into ashes.
However, Chen Sia didn’t step back, but clenched her fist and surged forward through Celia’s burning aura.
‘Not stepping back?’
Caught off-guard by Chen Sia’s unexpected action, Celia was surprised.
She expected this match with Chen Sia would turn into a drawn-out battle.
But instead, Chen Sia dashed forward unexpectedly to finish the fight swiftly.
Thud!
Chen Sia’s punch struck Celia’s chest.
Even though Celia activated her aura armor in an instant, it was too late.
“Grr!”
Celia quickly distanced herself.
Engaging in close combat with Chen Sia, whose forte was martial arts without a weapon, was disadvantageous.
Celia retreated to gain leverage for an angle to swing her sword.
However, Chen Sia didn’t chase her.
‘Why? Since she’s at an advantage, I would have expected her to press on.’
Celia looked curiously at Chen Sia with a slightly confused expression.
Then Chen Sia smiled faintly.
Burnt patches on her uniform, and severe burns on her hands suggested that despite not being armed, these injuries would impact Chen Sia significantly.
Thud, thud—
However, Chen Sia didn’t seem to care.
She simply let her arms hang loose and continued to close the gap with Celia.
Seeing this, Celia wiped her mouth dry.
‘This Chen Sia is different from the one up to now.’
The atmosphere had changed.
The usually gentle and soft Chen Sia now felt like a finely sharpened blade.
Even her usual warm smile now felt like a chilly sword edge.
‘This is the real Chen Sia in actual combat.’
Celia tightened her grip on her sword as she broke out in a cold sweat.
‘She’s different from me. Actually, she’s different from the other Department of Knights students too.’
Up until now, Chen Sia had the upper hand.
If they were to continue exchanging attacks while calculating the pros and cons, Celia would eventually falter.
But that would leave no room for retreat for Chen Sia either.
‘In a training duel, that’s acceptable. But if this were a battlefield…’
Such a method of attack would lead both her opponent and herself to destruction.
The hero’s stage is on the battlefield.
A place where countless variables could arise at any moment.
Therefore, Chen Sia’s fighting style was far from that of a “hero.”
The Department of Knights at Lumeran wouldn’t teach that kind of combat method.
‘What exactly is she?’
Seeing this unexpected side of Chen Sia, Celia couldn’t hide her sense of confusion.
Leo, sitting at the freshman spectators’ seat, narrowed his eyes.
‘So.’
Leo, resting his chin, murmured inwardly.
‘An assassin, huh.’
When Chen Sia challenged him during the previous Interdepartmental Competition, he had sensed she was different from a regular knight.
He thought then she was specialized for one-on-one situations.
But even within that specialization, she stood apart from ordinary knights.
Watching her battle with Celia this time, Leo was certain.
Chen Sia’s movements were akin to that of an assassin.
‘She’s certainly not like a regular assassin, though.’
With Chen Sia’s skills, she didn’t need to exploit gaps or any such reasons.
She just fought in a style similar to an assassin.
‘Perfect as an assassin, or even a bodyguard. But it’s not what a hero should aspire to.’
Not only Leo but also the 4th and 5th-years were shocked to realize the underlying nature of Chen Sia’s tendencies.
Watching from a distance, Professor Ain narrowed his eyes.
Yura, standing beside him, asked,
“You seem troubled, Ain-sempai.”
“Of course. It’s a tremendous loss to treat as merely a personal tool someone with skills like hers.”
“But what can be done? It’s because of Chen Sia’s background, right?”
“Even a half-bl**d, the daughter of an emperor is still the emperor’s daughter. Yet she’s treated this way.”
“The Shan Empire has always been strict about lineage. Moreover, the other half of her heritage is connected to the ‘Shadow Clan,’ so it’s unavoidable.”
Yura too lamented with a dissatisfied expression.
The Shan Empire.
A powerful nation located at the easternmost edge of the continent.
Though it doesn’t rule the entire Western continent like Rodren, it occupies half of the Eastern continent, making it a dominant power.
And Chen Sia, by lineage alone, was the daughter of the emperor.
Of course, only the professors knew this fact.
Chen Sia had never mentioned her background.
‘I don’t like it.’
Ain frowned as he thought.
*
Thud!
‘At this rate, I’m going to lose!’
Celia gritted her teeth.
The attacks from Chen Sia, who meticulously calculated the balance of damage taken and inflicted, were terrifying.
Not having experienced anything like it before, Celia was even more flustered.
However, Celia maintained composure.
‘Chen Sia’s attack is teetering on the brink, at any moment she could lose her balance.’
Though Chen Sia was gradually gaining advantages while treading an extremely precarious line, this style of attack, if mishandled, could result in a significant downfall.
But while balancing so delicately, Chen Sia maintained her equilibrium remarkably well.
‘I need to create an opening.’
Realizing this, Celia gripped her sword firmly.
Seeing this, Chen Sia smirked lightly.
‘So she’s settled her mind. Truly, Celia-san.’
Chen Sia’s attack was like quicksand.
Once ensnared, there was no escape.
Celia acknowledged this fact and gambled her all.
‘The judgment was swift.’
For Chen Sia, the students from the Department of Knights were all easy targets to manage.
They were people who were taught to bring about “destruction” to their opponents.
Except for Lord Leo, all the Department of Knights students were targets easy to handle for Chen Sia.
‘Though it wasn’t a matter of simple skill difference. It felt like they had a different number of battles experienced.’
“This Celia-san… She’s like flames.”
“Huh?”
“You shine so brightly.”
Chen Sia smiled faintly as she activated her aura.
‘Since Celia-san has committed to throwing in everything, I can’t handle this half-heartedly.’
Celia’s attacking prowess was on a different level from other students.
‘If I handle it half-heartedly, I’ll be defeated instantly.’
Had this been a real skirmish instead of a training duel, she could have navigated this to her advantage with more freedom.
The means didn’t matter as long as it secured victory. Though some might call it dishonorable, Chen Sia was taught victory was more valuable than honor.
‘But this is a training duel though.’
And at this moment, she didn’t want to win in such a way.
The sight of Celia’s flames reminded her of someone.
Chaaarrk—!
A torrent of water swirled around Chen Sia, swiftly forming the shape of a dragon.
“Prominence.”
Hooorrk—!
A sea of fire flickered.
“Water Dragon.”
The massive water dragon opened its mouth and roared.
Hwaaang! Kwaaang! Cheeeeiiiiik—!
The clash of flames and the water dragon spewed out a massive amount of steam.
As the steam dispersed, both Celia and Chen Sia were barely standing at the edge of the sparring ground.
“With my advantage, I thought I’d win easily.”
Chen Sia smirked bitterly, tearing her burnt uniform to pieces.
“Yet somehow it’s now a tie.”
“Kruuu—!”
Celia’s face showed frustration.
Both were exhausted.
Their unsteady forms had everyone watching holding their breath.
Cheira ascended the sparring ground.
[Stop! Professors say it’s enough! Continuing further could lead to serious injury!]
Cheira inserted herself between the two fighters and marveled,
[Both are amazing! Not your average first-years. Outstanding! The result of this duel is a draw! Both of you displayed excellent skills!]
Cheira clapped and smiled.
[Both of you, head to the first-aid tent.]
“Yes.”
Chen Sia smiled brightly and headed toward the medical tent without any hesitation.
Meanwhile, Celia gritted her teeth.
‘It doesn’t feel like a draw at all.’
Her ultimate attack didn’t break through Chen Sia’s defense.
With her aching body, Celia finally headed to the medical tent.
“Would they have continued, how would it have ended?”
“Chen Sia would’ve won.”
To Chelsea’s question, Leo answered calmly.
“It seemed close, but Chen Sia had an edge and wouldn’t lose that lead.”
“I see.”
“Though,”
“Though?”
“I can’t guarantee Chen Sia would win if they fight again.”
‘They’re nearly equal in skill. The difference lies in experience. With the same tactics, she won’t be able to beat Celia.’
As students cheered for Celia and Chen Sia, the next match began.
There were a few more big matches like Celia and Chen Sia’s.
The duels between top-tier students generated tremendous excitement and interest.
In the process,
Only one final duel remained as every student had fought.
Climbing onto the dueling ground, Leo moved his wrist, warming up.
Step-step-step…
A sound of footsteps was heard.
Everyone held their breath.
Leo smiled and looked at the man before him.
The current strongest student at Lumeran.
Ris Zerdinger.
“I hope you give me your best, Leo.”
“I thank you, Brother Ris.”
They shared similar smiles and greeted each other.
![[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1743806812-5548-TS-The-Protagonist-is-Conquered.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered")
