422.
-Students! And esteemed guests who have come to Lumern, welcome! I am Runba Tes, your commentator for today’s tournament!
Runba greeted the crowd with a cheerful voice.
-And today, we have a special guest. The professor in charge of the second-year Department of Magic, Professor Ren!
-Pleased to meet you, I am Ren Hors.
Ren introduced himself, looking impeccable.
-Professor, what are your thoughts on this tournament?
-I’m watching it with great interest. This year’s freshmen have followed a different curriculum than before. Everyone has taken the first-semester final exams, and thanks to the mentor system, they’ve also received help from second-year seniors… I’m thrilled to see how well everyone has grown under a schedule different from the norm. The system introduced by Professor Rina, our new principal, really impresses me.
-That’s right. Many people are paying close attention to Lumern’s new curriculum system. But, Professor Ren, what are your thoughts on the fact that there isn’t a single student from the Department of Magic in the semifinals?
With a clear intent to provide an entertaining commentary, Runba brought up a rather sensitive matter for Ren.
The moment Runba finished speaking, a cry of dismay erupted from the Department of Magic side.
Halind’s eyes twitched.
-And you, a professor of the Department of Magic, volunteering to commentate on matches featuring first-year students from the Department of Knights… it’s somewhat surprising…
-Are you saying there’s not a single person from the Department of Magic in the semifinals?
-Yes?
-And what’s this about matches featuring only Department of Knights students?
-Uh, well…
Ren questioned Runba with a sinister tone.
As their eyes met, Runba realized he had touched upon something he shouldn’t have.
-Luke Eldar is a dual-class student! And starting the second semester, he’ll definitely transfer to the Department of Magic! Moreover, Luke has been receiving personal tutoring from me throughout the first semester… Sh-!
-Apologies for the brief broadcasting mishap.
Yura hurriedly addressed the issue through the enchanted microphone.
It’s true that Lumern professors have the freedom to provide private lessons to specific students.
But discussing such matters in a public setting might lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
Before things escalated, other professors swiftly intervened to restrain Ren.
Ain quickly covered Ren’s mouth and dragged him away.
Gagging sounds came from Ren as Halind nodded to Ain, who promptly twisted Ren’s neck, causing him to slump unconscious.
Replacing Ren at the microphone was Mel, the professor for the first-year Department of Magic.
-I’m Mel! Nice to meet you all.
As Mel cheerfully said this, applause erupted from the students.
Listening to Mel’s voice, Arga perked her cat ears.
“Hey, doesn’t Professor Lumern’s voice sound familiar? It’s kind of similar to Dragon Lord’s, isn’t it?”
“Come to think of it…”
“Hmm, it is kind of similar.”
With sharp intuition, Arga’s comment made Lunia and Driana tilt their heads.
“Probably just a coincidence, right?”
“Yeah, it’s odd for a Dragon Lord to be working as a professor at Lumern.”
They quickly dismissed the thought.
Such an occurrence was highly improbable when considered logically.
Meanwhile, Runba continued with his commentary.
-Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you! While maintaining the bottom rank throughout the first semester, this student achieved an incredible turnaround by making it to the semifinals! Give it up for Luke Eldar!
A roaring applause erupted.
While the first- and second-year students looked at Luke with complex expressions, older students regarded him with newfound attention.
After all, Lumern, home to the ambitious Hero Candidates, tends to admire unexpected underdogs.
Luke, with his innocent appearance, was especially popular among the seniors.
Blushing slightly at the cheering, Luke offered a shy smile.
His somewhat awkward demeanor only heightened the enthusiasm of his senior admirers.
Next, Runba introduced the following participant while holding the microphone.
-O! Introducing this year’s standout sword prodigy, Aina Beydna!
As Aina stepped onto the field, cheers erupted for her as well.
Last year, an elderly figure stepped forward and, until the arrival of the Hero of Beginning and the founder of the Star Cloud, blocked the Demon Queen.
If not for him, many of the students present might have lost their lives.
In remembrance of the revered knight’s sacrifice, his great-granddaughter Aina garnered much attention from the moment she enrolled.
Standing face-to-face in the center of the arena, Luke and Aina locked eyes.
“Here we are.”
“Yes, Miss Aina.”
Luke took a deep breath.
“I’ll do my best today, so I won’t be embarrassed in front of you.”
“Luke Eldar.”
“Yes?”
It was the first time Aina had called Luke by his name, causing him to look slightly surprised.
“Why did you enroll in Lumern?”
Startled by the unexpected question, Luke initially wore a confused expression but soon responded.
“I’ve always admired heroes since I was a child.”
Luke gave a faint smile as he continued.
“Heroes are amazing people, aren’t they? I always thought I wanted to be like those great people.”
There wasn’t grand ambition.
It was simply a childhood dream for Luke.
He didn’t have a big reason for wanting to help others.
It was merely because it was the right thing to do.
Without hesitation, Luke helped others.
Aina recalled the moment during the entrance exam when Luke helped her.
After the match with Juen,
Aina had, for the first time since enrolling, started to consider her surroundings.
And she realized something.
All her classmates had their own goals in mind.
“Fundamentally, I’m different.”
Aina’s eyes dimmed.
“Everyone in here carries an ideal and aims to become a hero.”
Being a hero wasn’t even a consideration for her.
She had only entered Lumern to hone her sword skills in order to exact revenge on Tartarus.
Completely opposite to her peers who idolized Leo Flove and aspired to be like him,
She viewed everything as a means to an end.
“Mine and Luke Eldar’s… No. Not just Luke Eldar. I’m different from everyone else. That’s why I haven’t been able to push past my limits.”
Throughout the first semester, Aina had never once challenged her limits.
She had given up immediately when it seemed hopeless, both during the entry exams and when selecting her mentor.
Even against Juen a few days ago, she quit as soon as she hit her limit.
Contrast that with Juen who pushed beyond her limits, determined to knock Aina down.
“Luke Eldar is no different.”
Aina remembered Luke pre-entrance.
He was so incompetent, she thought he didn’t belong at Lumern.
Yet…
“This kid belongs here more than anyone.”
By constantly breaking through his limits, he made it to the semifinals against her.
“Of course Leo recognized him. It was inevitable.”
Aina had struggled to accept that Luke, rather than herself, became Leo’s mentee.
But now she understood.
“I don’t deserve to be a Hero Candidate.”
At the judge professor’s signal, the two students returned to their respective positions.
Luke drew his sword and looked at Aina with nervous anticipation.
Aina was silent, only staring at the ground.
Ding!
The coin signaling the start of the match soared through the air.
Clang!
When the coin hit the ground, Luke darted forward in a silver flash.
“He seems deflated.”
Leo murmured as he watched Aina, then turned to Celia.
“Why is she like that?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
Celia responded with a somewhat curt voice.
“Looks like Aina hasn’t been coming to you.”
“Even if she did seek me out, the help wasn’t necessary.”
Celia sighed briefly.
“Aina’s someone who figures things out on her own.”
“Still, given your nature of caring for others, you must have helped her a lot.”
“True. For some reason, she seemed unstable. As her mentor, I wanted to straighten her out.”
Celia’s expression turned melancholy.
“But I guess I wasn’t a good enough mentor to help her.”
“You’re too hard on yourself.”
“What?”
“You were a great mentor. In fact, Aina was even more unstable than you realized.”
Why Aina sought Leo’s approval was unclear,
But Leo knew that to Aina, everything was merely a tool.
Leo had seen countless others who burned with vengeful hatred for Tartarus, just like her.
“Having revenge-driven motivation isn’t inherently wrong. In a sense, it can be a source of strength.”
However, pure hatred can eventually consume someone.
For that reason, even though he could have given Aina what she wanted, Leo chose not to.
If he had become Aina’s mentor, she likely would have used it as fuel for her hatred.
“That might have become uncontrollable. She needed someone her age who tried to understand her, someone who would challenge her relentlessly, rather than someone who would simply comfort and understand.”
“You didn’t know, but you’ve been holding her together, making sure she doesn’t stray too far or collapse.”
“Is that so?”
Celia crossed her arms, tilting her head.
“After the match, if she comes to you, give her a proper scolding.”
“I was planning to. I need to say something to clear my conscience.”
Celia smirked, brushing her hair back.
“Anyway, Leo. What do you think of this match?”
“Based on pure capability, Aina has the advantage.”
“True. But in her current mental state, it’ll be tough for her to overcome Luke.”
“Not necessarily.”
“What?”
“Types like Aina can perform at their full potential no matter what. Even if their mental state is crumbling, they can still push through.”
“Then Luke doesn’t have much of a chance.”
“Exactly.”
Leo smiled.
Watching him, Celia tilted her head.
“You seem pretty relaxed. Does this mean you’re content that they’ve made it this far?”
“No.”
Leo shook his head.
“To Aina, Luke could be a good catalyst. It’s possible that Aina might surpass her limits as well.”
“Wouldn’t that make it even harder for Luke?”
“True. But he’s not one to give up easily. Just like Luke is a stimulus for Aina, she’ll also be one for Luke.”
Clash-!
Luke’s silver-tinged sword and Aina’s golden-tinged sword crossed.
Creeak-!
The swords locked, engaging in a fierce struggle.
Soon after.
A golden flash erupted.
A line of gold streaked through the air.
ClangClangClangClangClash!
But every streak of gold was blocked by Luke’s silver sword.
‘Impressive.’
Luke’s eyes widened.
This was his first time clashing with Aina.
In the Department of Knights, students engage in endless mock battles divided by grade.
But as the bottom-ranked student of his year, Luke had never faced someone like Aina.
From afar, all Luke could do was admire Aina’s swordsmanship.
He knew his skills couldn’t measure up to her precise techniques.
But once he personally blocked her attacks, it was an entirely different level than what he had observed.
‘No emotions can be sensed.’
Her sword felt emotionless, devoid of passion—cold and ruthlessly sharp.
Because no emotions came through, it was difficult to predict her next move.
‘As expected, Miss Aina is incredible! How can she be so capable?’
Struggling, Luke managed to block Aina’s sword before retreating.
Witnessing this, Aina thought,
‘Emotions are clearly present in his sword.’
Through the clash of swords, Luke’s emotions were vividly perceptible.
Aina was taught to conceal her emotions while wielding a sword,
And that was likely true for any true knight.
Intense emotions cloud judgment.
Furthermore, skilled knights quickly read their opponent’s emotions, allowing them to foresee the flow of their attacks.
With this in mind, Luke’s swordsmanship seemed straightforward.
His attacks, filled with emotion, revealed every weakness.
And yet,
‘Too many emotions make it unpredictable.’
Paradoxically, it was this very vividness that made predicting his moves extremely difficult.
‘How is this possible?’
![[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")
