574.
Lea tightened her fists as she looked at Aina, who had blocked her path.
‘Aina Beydna.’
It was a name that had been endlessly repeated since the moment she entered Seirun.
‘The descendant of the Sword Saint, they all called her. Just like me.’
Much like herself, who had borne the expectations of her race as the heir of the Tingel family.
Aina must have been the same.
That’s why she couldn’t ignore her.
Even after finding out that Luke was Leao’s mentee, it hadn’t changed a bit.
A rival she had to overcome.
Ever since the day of her enrolment, countless people around her had watched, hoping to see Lea defeat Aina.
‘This person seems no different. Seeing that you’ve come for me…’
Lea smirked.
“It’s quite bothersome, isn’t it? Knowing someone else expects you to be defeated.”
“What?”
Aina wore a look of confusion at her words.
“Did you not come here to defeat me?”
“No.”
Lea’s smirk froze.
“Didn’t you just say I was your target?”
“Uh-huh.”
“So, you’re here to defeat me, right?”
“No.”
Lea was at a loss for words as Aina shook her head.
“I just want to protect Luke from you. You’ve been way too fixated on Luke from the very beginning.”
“Are you his personal bodyguard then?”
“That’s right.”
Swoosh!
Aina swung her sword, scattering sword energy around Lea.
“Luke must not fall to anyone.”
Aina’s eyes gleamed sharply like a blade.
“Not until he falls to me.”
Lea could sense from Aina an obsession for Luke that rivaled her own.
‘Definitely, Luke Eldar is worth defeating.’
Lea had initially taken interest in Luke as Leao’s mentee.
Her feelings towards him were closer to jealousy than competitiveness.
And during the first semester’s end, during the time of the World Summit, Lea had been astonished by her first glimpse of Luke.
‘Even while battling Aina Beydna, he kept growing steadily.’
Luke’s relentless pursuit to surpass his limits became clear.
That’s when Lea finally understood why Leao chose Luke.
‘He was impressive even during the training camp.’
Therefore, it wasn’t hard to understand why Aina, as a rival from the same school, would fixate intently on Luke.
‘But… but…’
Lea’s shoulders trembled.
“How dare you look down on people! That attitude of completely ignoring me, what’s that supposed to be?”
Agitated, an intense surge of mana erupted from Lea’s body.
Crack!
The ground beneath her feet cracked in multiple places.
“I’ll make you remember clearly by defeating you!”
Mana gathered around Lea’s hands.
“You must defeat me before you can even think of defeating Luke Eldar!”
“As long as I’m here, no one will touch Luke! Because I’ll be the one to defeat him!”
Kaa-KABOOM!
Explosive mana collided with the sharp sword energy in a stunning clash.
Luke wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling the chilling clash coming from behind.
“Why do both their fights involve my name?”
“Hmm. They’re probably fiercely battling to claim you.”
“Not interested in being claimed, thank you.”
Luke scowled.
As a Sword Magician, Luke fully understood just how terrifying Aina’s swordplay was and how devastating Lea’s magic could be.
The thought of either of those sword swings or magical blasts targeting him was far from comforting.
‘Enough already with Juin and Shasha, plus Habidden, constantly eyeing me like prey.’
Luke wasn’t exactly enemies with these people.
In fact, they were close.
But the predatory glares they constantly shot his way were always enough to put him on edge.
Then there was Lea, who had been hostile since she met him, joining Aina as a source of anxiety.
‘And now this guy too.’
Luke swallowed dryly as he glanced at Medvez, the representative of the first-year students from Azonia.
Overwhelming stature combined with an imposing muscle mass.
Of course, size doesn’t always equate to strength.
But Medvez wasn’t merely big.
‘Strong.’
The slightest movement of his muscles was enough to make Luke involuntarily tense up.
Luke adjusted his stance while Medvez spoke.
“You look like prey.”
“Excuse me?”
“Are you not the slightest bit shaken by those two fighting over you?”
“I am. Very much.”
Just imagining those deadly assaults directed at him was enough to unsettle him.
“That’s not what I mean.”
Medvez looked at Luke with disapproval.
“The strong ones, those two, are exerting their utmost to earn the right to defeat you. Yet, here you are, merely trembling. Pathetic.”
Breathing deeply, Luke processed Medvez’s words.
‘Maybe he’s just trying to lose interest in me.’
Luke had never intended to avoid the battles he’d chosen to fight.
But his current priority wasn’t defeating the strongest.
‘Winning for Lumeran.’
Both Lea and Aina, as well as Medvez, seemed to have momentarily forgotten this overarching goal.
A team battle involving a hundred participants.
And these were students carefully selected from the first year.
‘It’s impossible for one person to drastically turn the situation around.’
Realistically, conserving power would be wasteful now.
If Medvez lost interest in him and left, it wouldn’t be entirely bad for Luke.
‘Not entirely bad, but…’
Luke glanced briefly at the sky.
There, Leo was seen heralding the start of the competition.
‘Senior Leo took the battlefield by storm all by himself.’
The image of Leo’s overwhelming presence during the second-year dormitory battle flashed in Luke’s mind.
‘Comparing someone like me to Senior Leo is absurd…’
Yet the vivid impression of that fierce moment lingered.
Right then,
Rumble-Rumble-Rumble!
The ground started to shake.
What started as a subtle tremor quickly escalated into a ferocious quake.
“What, what’s happening?”
First-year students, who had been organizing themselves to attack the other schools, looked baffled.
KABOOM!
Lava erupted from the ground.
The first-year students stared in horror.
“The lava is swallowing the terrain!
“Those who can fight in the air need to ascend quickly…”
Boil! Boil! KABOOM!
A giant monster rose from the lava.
“Lava Golem?!”
Shouts of shock erupted among the first-year students.
The towering Lava Golem began swinging its arms wildly at the students flying above.
Simultaneously, molten lava falling from its arms rained down like fireballs.
“It’s dangerous to stay in the air!”
“Ugh! Do we have to deal with this while battling those guys AND worrying about the Lava Golem?!”
“It’s not just that! The battlefield space keeps shrinking because of the lava!”
Panicked voices erupted from all sides.
Setting up defenses and hunting enemies became increasingly difficult.
In this situation, starting a chaotic melee to rapidly defeat the enemy seemed like the best strategy.
“Everyone, attack!”
“Urgh!”
“Best not to target the Lava Golem if possible! It’s too energy-consuming!”
“Hmm, staying here would definitely get us caught in its attacks.”
“Tch! This is troublesome.”
“Luke, let’s get out of here quickly.”
The Lava Golem’s appearance prompted Medvez, Lea, and Aina, who were nearby, to attempt a quick retreat.
However, as Aina glanced at Luke, her lips parted slightly.
‘He’s smiling?’
“The first-year representative from Seirun is a total chip off the old rogue Elf block.”
Ar muttered as she observed the match.
Her gaze then turned to her juniors.
“Good movements.”
In such chaotic battles, students from Azonia with overwhelming physical abilities were clearly more advantageous.
Frequent skirmishes were a regular part of life in Azonia, which made them better suited for such chaotic environments.
“The wildcard here is, obviously, the Lava Golem.”
Ar, with her arms crossed, narrowed her eyes.
Causing indiscriminate chaos that affects all four schools.
‘Even defeating it won’t give any significant advantage, really.’
It would probably just drain their energy.
‘What would I have done?’
Pausing to think, Ar quickly reached a conclusion.
‘I’d have taken down the Lava Golem first.’
There was no other reason.
It was simply a threat to all four schools.
Moreover, if someone were to win by sheer luck, it would involve the element of ‘fortune.’
‘Unpredictable wildcards like the Lava Golem make it hard to predict the results.’
Even if they were ultimately victorious, Ar knows she’d feel uneasy.
She had the confidence to take down the Lava Golem and still overcome the enemy.
Even if they lost, she would feel happier losing than winning through luck alone.
‘A victory reliant on fortune is worthless. Losing might be better, even.’
Ar glanced around.
It seemed she wasn’t the only one harboring such thoughts.
The same seemed to apply to the students of Azonia.
Not only Azonia, but the students from other hero academies as well.
Everyone has a sense of pride, believing their school to be the best.
They must face every difficulty and prove it.
Though the Lava Golem is a formidable threat, those at the top of the year rank can likely take it down individually.
They simply choose not to because the risk is too high.
‘How ruthless, Black Rabbit.’
Ar smirked as she caught on to Leo’s plan, looking upwards to where he hovered.
*
“Leo is really ruthless sometimes. No mercy at all.”
Kal shook his head.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Chelsea looked at Kal curiously.
“The situation was cleverly set up for the first years so they wouldn’t be able to defeat the Lava Golem.”
“Yeah? And that’s bad?”
Kal chuckled lightly.
“The ideal path to victory is without risk. But the Hero’s Festival, above all else, is a celebration of unity.”
Kal observed the first-year students frantically shifting the responsibility of the Lava Golem onto others.
“The whole world is watching.”
“Yeah. So?”
“That’s why the heroes don’t understand the common people’s heart.”
Kal laughed softly.
“People want heroes.”
Kal glanced at Leo.
“People want a hero who believes in us, who keeps striving forward, pursuing potential, and overcoming limits.”
After shifting his gaze from Leo to Chelsea, Kal questioned,
“What would you do in that situation?”
“I’d trust in myself and my teammates to overcome it and take down the Lava Golem.”
“Yeah. That’s what the people would want to see. But the first-years aren’t quite seasoned enough, making such a move risky.”
Kal watched the Lava Golem as his eyes narrowed.
“Leo is testing them. To see if there’s anyone among the first-years worthy of standing on the same stage as the rest of you.”
“Huh?”
Chelsea tilted her head in understanding.
“Why ‘you’ and not us?”
Chelsea gave Kal a puzzled look.
Kal shrugged in response.
“Please don’t lump me, the mere average guy, in with you.”
“And what, pray tell, is our category?”
“Monsters.”
Chelsea landed a punch on Kal’s side.
Kal, holding his ribs as he collapsed to the ground, looked up defiantly.
“…So, you’ve given up on making the third year?”
“Ha! Not a chance. Still gonna fight to the end. But you know,” Kal grinned sheepishly, “effort doesn’t always mean success. No matter how much you surpass your limits, sometimes it’s just not possible. I know that better than anyone.”
“…”
“I’ve gone as far as I can. Chelsea.”
“But even so, I’ll play my best supporting role. Keep buying from me! You’re going to be a hero someday, and having a hero as a regular customer would be great publicity!”
“d*mn…”
Chelsea sighed, looking at Kal’s cheeky face.
“Ooh?”
At that moment, Kal gasped in surprise.
“Look! Luke’s going after the Lava Golem!”
![[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")
