Chapter 228

228

Celia entered the Imperial Palace’s Magic Library accompanied by Leo’s Order of Knights in the evening.

The people in the Imperial Palace’s Magic Library had surprised expressions at Celia’s visit.

Since Celia was a famous figure, there was no one in the Empire who did not know her.

However, as the wizards knew that she rarely entered the palace’s library, they could only express bewilderment at her appearance.

They gazed at the Slayer Order accompanying her.

“Are they the Zerdinger trainees?”

“Are they the new trainees who just entered Lumeran?”

“What’s this? Did they come to show off?”

Displeased murmurs erupted here and there.

At these reactions, the Slayer Order showed expressions of dismay.

The Rodren Empire had a strong sense of rivalry not only between Zerdinger and LeWalyn but also among knights and wizards.

Thanks to the five new Zerdinger trainees from Lumeran this time, all the knights belonging to the Rodren Empire were in a festive mood.

In contrast, the wizards looked scornfully at those knights.

“Miss Celia, is it alright for us to be here?”

Martina asked cautiously, to which Celia smirked and brushed her hair aside.

“Yeah. We’re just here to meet Leo. There’s no need to feel intimidated. Rather, we should enjoy this gaze.”

‘Celia is amazing.’

To enjoy such burning gazes.

While Martina was tongue-tied, Chelsea approached, walking heavily.

“Where do you think you are coming so boldly?”

The Slayer Order tensed up at the sight of Chelsea.

‘Chelsea LeWalyn!’

She was a big shot rumored within the Zerdinger family.

“I came to pick up Leo.”

“Brother Leo is talking with Aunt.”

Chelsea replied succinctly and glanced at the Slayer Order.

“Is that the knight’s order from Brother Leo who just entered Lumeran?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, I guess we’ll be seeing each other often.”

Abad walked in from behind Chelsea.

‘Even Abad LeWalyn!’

As big names kept appearing, the entire Slayer Order couldn’t help but feel tense.

These individuals were the core of the Golden Generation in Lumeran.

When various gazes crossed paths, a voice was heard from the back.

“What a curious situation. Three people from the Imperial Palace’s Magic Library are all together.”

All eyes turned to the source of the voice.

A girl with brilliant golden hair was walking forward flanked by royal knights and wizards.

All the wizards who visited the Imperial Palace’s Magic Library knelt and bowed their heads.

The Slayer Order also knelt and offered their respects as knights.

Celia, Abad, and Chelsea did not kneel but lowered their heads and showed their respect as subjects.

It was the appearance of Shasha, the next Empress of Rodren.

“Welcome, Your Highness, the Princess.”

Abad, who held the highest official position among those present, welcomed the princess on behalf of everyone.

Celia, Abad, Chelsea, and Shasha had been childhood friends, and their bond was strong.

They spoke comfortably in private but maintained formalities in public.

As Abad reached out and kissed Shasha’s hand, she smiled.

“Abad, you are always so dignified.”

“Too much praise.”

“Ugh. So cheesy.”

When Shasha playfully remarked, Abad replied cheekily, while Celia bit her tongue lightly.

Chelsea glared at Celia with fierce eyes.

They were individuals who would eventually lead the Empire but were still just teenagers in their mid-teens.

It was at that moment of playfulness.

“Anyway, Your Highness Shasha, what brings you to the Palace Library?”

“I came to see Leo Flove. I want to invite him to my Lumeran entrance celebration party.”

“Did you come all the way here for that? You could have sent someone to do it…”

“You will all, including Leo Flove, the Phoenix Summoner, receive a lot of help in your school life from now on.”

Shasha, who had been shyly smiling, asked.

“So where is Leo Flove?”

“He is currently in a meeting with the head of the main family.”

“I see. Then shall we wait for a moment?”

With the princess’s arrival, the Imperial Palace’s Magic Library became bustling with activity.

When Leo’s knights were about to stand in line next to Celia in a state of tension, Shasha said,

“You all are entering Lumeran this time, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct, Your Highness.”

Martina bowed her head in representation.

Seeing Martina, Shasha smiled brightly.

“I look forward to seeing you as classmates. Please make sure to attend the party.”

“It is an honor, Your Highness.”

Martina paid her respects.

As Zerdinger trainees, they had received proper etiquette training, so there was no superfluity.

At that moment, someone who appeared to be Shasha’s attendant approached and spoke to her quietly.

Upon hearing the report, Shasha’s eyes widened.

“Pardon? A duel? With the representative of Azonia?”

*

“Heh, Black Rabbit. Finally, you’re ready to duel with me.”

Aron stood in the middle of a wide open space with a smug expression.

Looking at Aron, Leo said,

“Didn’t I just say? I’m here to see how well you handle Aron’s hand-to-hand combat skills by having a duel.”

“Of course!”

Aron puffed out his chest proudly.

“I’m handling it perfectly!”

“We’ll see about that.”

Leo raised his wooden sword.

As Leo prepared, Aron crouched down as if ready to spring into action.

Like a cat stalking its prey, Aron placed both hands on the ground and raised his rear.

‘Is this my first time dueling with the Black Rabbit?’

Aron’s eyes sparkled.

‘The last time I saw the Black Rabbit’s skills was during the Azonia entrance exam, and it was incredible.’

After that, Leo became the youngest Student Council President of Lumeran.

‘He was impressive even during the entrance exam.’

His ears perked up, and his tail twitched.

Aron, displaying the characteristic ferocity of a Beastman, bent his knees.

Watching Aron, Leo took a step forward.

Thud-! Bam-!

That was the signal for Aron to charge.

Disappearing from sight as if vanishing, Aron closed the distance to Leo with amazing speed.

The Beastman’s superior physical abilities combined with the power of aura.

Whoosh-!

Aron swung his hand.

Leo slashed with his sword imbued with aura towards Aron’s fist.

Clang-!

It sounded like iron clashing.

Sparks flew from Aron’s hand, which was gripping Leo’s sword.

Thud-!

“……!”

Leo pushed Aron away, causing his eyes to widen.

He hadn’t been outmatched in the strength of the aura.

‘It was pure physical strength that I lost to.’

Aron snorted.

‘Incredible!’

Humanity was naturally physically weaker than Beastmen due to their racial traits.

Yet Leo had flipped that racial advantage on its head.

‘Exciting!’

Aron’s eyes gleamed.

Though he had been overwhelmed in strength, that didn’t matter.

Many classmates from Azonia were stronger than Aron.

Nonetheless, what made Aron the representative of his class was his flexibility and speed.

Whoosh-!

Aron leaped from his spot, aiming his heel towards Leo’s arm.

Crash-!

Stumbling-!

Leo’s knee buckled as he blocked Aron’s attack.

Just as Leo prepared to retaliate, the claws on Aron’s other hand glimmered sharply.

Whoosh-!

As Aron swung his hand, Leo defended with his remaining arm.

Fwoosh, whoosh-!

Aron slipped from Leo’s grip, doing a somersault before landing on the ground.

“Yap!”

Then he took up an attack posture.

Leo tilted his head at the stinging feeling on his cheek.

Aron licked the bl**d from his fingertips with a cat-like smile.

“Hmmm.”

Leo chuckled.

“Impressive.”

“You’re the amazing one, Black Rabbit. This is incredible for someone who hasn’t shown their full power yet.”

“Isn’t that the same for both of us?”

Whoosh-

Flames of aura flared from Leo’s body.

Seeing Leo like that, Aron clenched his fists, trembling with excitement.

‘He’s serious. Then I…’

Whoosh-

A golden aura rippled around Aron.

Noticing it, Leo narrowed his eyes.

It was a familiar aura.

The friend who stood at the forefront in an impossible battle.

‘Aron’s aura.’

That aura brought about a change in Aron’s body too.

His eyes became sharp like a cat’s, and his claws became even sharper.

Though it’s called hand-to-hand combat, the appearance doesn’t change much.

The inherent beastly traits were further enhanced, and his physical abilities overwhelmingly increased.

“Grrrr-!”

A growl rumbled from Aron’s throat.

‘It’s coming.’

As soon as Leo thought that—

Thud-!

The ground where Aron stood sank.

With Leo’s transcendent reflexes, he quickly tracked Aron’s movements.

But before his body could react, Aron’s kick struck Leo’s shoulder.

Boom-!

Leo was sent flying and crashed into the wall.

This was the magic experiment room adjacent to the Imperial Palace’s Magic Library.

Thus it was spacious, and as it was late, there were no users around.

‘But if the noise is this loud, people might come running.’

Thud-thud-!

Leo escaped from the wall and hurriedly ducked his head.

Boom-! Crash! Bang-!

Aron’s fist struck the spot where Leo had just been.

The wall cracked and collapsed.

‘He truly is a monster.’

Leo clicked his tongue.

Overwhelming physical prowess.

‘Aron’s hand-to-hand combat skills are confirmed.’

Leo sharpened his claws and bared his teeth as he watched Aron charging like a warrior.

‘Though I can’t use it properly.’

Swish-

Leo’s eyes opened.

Aron, who was momentarily startled, hastily created distance between himself and Leo.

He stood on edge, fur standing on end as he observed Leo.

Aron was sweating.

‘In that instant, I sensed… the shadow of Lord Aron in the Black Rabbit.’

The image of Aron that he saw firsthand in Hero’s World flickered through his mind.

Shaking his head vigorously, Aron thought.

‘It’s an illusion, just an illusion.’

He felt overwhelmed by Leo’s aura.

With that thought, Aron emitted an even stronger aura.

Aron’s aura swirled with a golden hue.

‘With this next attack, I’ll end this!’

He felt he was dominating the fight.

‘Before I use magic or summoning, I need to take him down quickly!’

Whoosh-!

Aron closed the distance to Leo.

In that moment—

Crack-!

Veins bulged on Leo’s hands.

Whoosh-!

As Aron reached within arm’s length of Leo.

Suddenly—!

“Nyah?”

Leo’s palm covered Aron’s face.

Boom-!

In an instant, Leo slammed Aron to the ground.

“Sorry.”

Under the moonlit night sky, Leo apologized to the dazed Aron.

“This is my first time using this ability, so my control isn’t great.”

After overpowering Aron in one strike, Leo stood up and looked down at his messed-up right hand.

“If I misuse this, I might self-destruct.”

His arm was swollen, unable to withstand the explosive aura’s power.

Aron called out to Leo with a dazed expression.

“Black Rabbit.”

“Yeah?”

“Were you a rabbit or a wolf?”

What caught Aron’s eye was the glowing golden right eye of Leo.

It resembled the eyes of a wolf Beastman.

And Aron thought it bore a striking similarity to the eyes of a certain Beastman he knew.

‘Lord Aron.’

As Aron stared at Leo with a blank look, Leo smirked.

“That’s ridiculous. I’m human. I just imitated a friend of mine. I can’t even match up to him.”

The rewards Leo obtained in Aron’s world were three items.

Elshi, Aron’s breath, and Agon’s book.

Agon’s book was the original source of the aura techniques used by Aron.

Using this book as a base, Leo was eventually able to use Aron’s awakening abilities acquired from his world after extensive research.

‘Just like in my past life, I can use his power. Though it’s only a fraction, and I look like this.’

Leo gazed at his battered right hand.

‘Still, I’ve managed to imitate him.’

Leo’s eyes returned to their original color.

Then he said,

“It seems like for the transfer, you’ll have to come to me instead of me going to you.”

“Huh?”

“You’re being ruled by the Hero’s hand-to-hand combat skills.”