Chapter 86

85.

‘I’ve shaken him off!’

Emio wore an expression of certainty.

‘Once he slows down, it’ll be hard for him to reaccelerate!’

Contrary to Emio, Leo was continuing to gain speed.

‘This should make the others feel the limits of that Leo guy too….’

“Hi?”

“…!”

Emio’s eyes widened as he glanced to the side.

There, Leo sat on his broom, waving his hand.

“Eh, how did you—?”

“How hard is it to just follow quickly?”

With an apathetic expression, Leo generated mana.

Fzzt-!

“This is in return for earlier.”

A golden spark sprouted in Leo’s hand.

“Lightning Bolt!”

Flash! Fzzt!

“Ugh!”

Emio dodged hurriedly.

“Of course, it’s Alby Professor’s magical artifact! It looks useless on the outside, but its performance is incredible!”

Emio, smirking, summoned mana into both his hands.

As a specialist in lightning magic, Emio was casting the superior spell of Lightning Bolt.

“Chain Lightning!”

Bzzzzt-!

A chain-like thunder struck Leo.

Leo easily dodged the assault, prompting Emio to exclaim.

“It’s futile!”

‘A guidance function?’

Leo wore an expression of amusement.

This spell didn’t just electrocute the hit target, but the surrounding area too, through altered magic circuits to function as a guided attack.

As Chain Lightning chased him, Leo leaned forward and gripped the broom tightly.

Fzzt-! Bzzt!

‘Uh… Is he dodging all of it?’

With astonishing ease, Leo avoided the rapidly pursuing Chain Lightning. Emio stared at the broom Leo was riding.

‘Unfair! How am I supposed to win against someone with such a magical artifact….’

“Ice Bolt.”

Leo sent a magical spell forward.

Countless shards of ice flew like bullets.

“What are you aiming at!”

“Ahead, not me. Chain Lightning.”

Fizzt-!

Leo’s cast Chain Lightning created a giant electric web in the air.

“No way!”

Realizing the sudden appearance of the enormous electric web in front, Emio’s eyes widened in shock.

The Ice Bolt that Leo cast earlier had served as the conductor.

“Ghh!”

Emio urgently stopped.

If he continued, he would be electrocuted and surely lose.

WHOOSH-!

Fizzt! Bzzt!

Just as Emio sighed in relief after narrowly stopping before Leo’s electrical net, Leo spoke.

“It’s not over yet.”

SHOOM!

“Huh!”

Leo channeled his aura into a punch and struck Emio’s magical artifact.

In an instant, the magical artifact’s magical circuit was disrupted, causing it to violently shake.

“I didn’t break it, so it should just need some repairs.”

Leo smiled faintly and ascended into the sky.

“Gaaah! Whaat?!”

Out of control, it swung violently from side to side.

WHOOSH-!

“Huh!”

Then, it began to hurtle towards the school building.

“No, stop it!”

PUFF!

“Gyaaah!”

Emio, crashing into the wall, slid down helplessly.

Seeing this, Leo smiled slightly at Emio before heading back to the finish line.

“I’ve returned.”

“Leo. It seems you don’t need extra airborne combat training.”

Alby complimented Leo with a smile.

Upon seeing this, Assistant Professor Anna was amazed.

‘Oh my, is Professor Alby actually giving compliments?’

Being typically stingy with praise, this was surprising to Anna.

“Even Professor Alby, my senior, has recognized the true value of Student Leo! Of course! That shining talent couldn’t have been unnoticed by Professor Alby! He too has acknowledged that Leo Student is the essential talent for the Department of Magic!”

‘This person’s exaggerating again. He really needs to keep his explosions in check in front of the students.’

Thinking about when she should reel this person in, Anna let out a deep sigh. At that moment—

Emio, his face battered from hitting the wall, struggled back with difficulty.

“This is unacceptable! Leo, you cheated!”

Emio shouted, his voice filled with anger.

“What cheating?”

“Where’s using Aura in a magic class?”

“There was no rule saying not to use abilities other than magic, right?”

Hearing their conversation, the students started whispering amongst themselves.

“He used Aura?”

“In a magic class… that’s a bit….”

Emboldened by their murmurs, Emio shouted.

“It’s a principle that only magic should be used in Magic Department classes!”

“In a regular magic class, I wouldn’t have used Aura. But this is a class in preparation for the Interdepartmental Competition, isn’t it? Let me tell you, most students in the Department of Knights have been preparing since the start of the semester for aerial attacks. Flying isn’t much of an advantage.”

“Uh…?”

Leo’s words caused Emio to hesitate before he became enraged.

“Are you saying that the Department of Knights excels in magic department classes now?”

Leo sighed deeply.

“I’m saying prepare for countering Knight Department students. As soon as your Wing artifact became useless, you lost your maneuverability. In the Interdepartmental Competition, situations like this can easily happen.”

The decisive downside of Wing Magic.

If the artifact is damaged, mobility is lost.

“Gh… even then, this match was unfair! You used Professor Alby’s Wing artifact for the match!”

“This?”

Leo smirked and looked down at the broom in his hand.

“This is just an ordinary cleaning magical artifact.”

“What?”

Confused, Emio looked as Leo tossed the broom over.

Emio caught it unintentionally, his face hardening.

Just as Leo mentioned, it was indeed an ordinary cleaning magical artifact.

“To begin with, I don’t even know how to use Wing Magic. I wasn’t taught.”

“What?”

The entire group of students were surprised at that statement.

“Not knowing Wing Magic? It’s the basics of the basics! Moreover, how did you even chase after me without Wing Magic?”

“I used the Fly spell.”

“Fly spell?”

A literal magic spell of flying that boasts history and tradition from before the Era of Catastrophe to now.

However, with the invention of Wing Magic, it has been rarely used in this era.

“N-no… that’s impossible.”

Emio wore an expression of disbelief.

“Wing Magic is certainly easier and allows for quick flight. Just looking at that, it may seem like a superior version of Fly Magic.”

Leo wore a bland expression.

“But that’s all there is to it, isn’t it? It heavily relies on the artifact, and it has clear limitations on the magic circuits.”

“Leo Flove is correct. Wing Magic is based on Fly Magic; it allows anyone to fly quickly through the use of a magical artifact, but that’s its only virtue. Due to its focus on convenience, it cannot achieve the delicate manipulation that Fly Magic offers.”

The students who talked about Wing Magic advantages avoided Alby’s gaze.

“The invention of Wing Magic did indeed address one of the biggest drawbacks of wizards—mobility. However, that’s only in general cases. You aren’t regular wizards, but students of the Hero Academy.”

Alby’s words made everyone tense.

“And the students from other departments you’ll compete with are also from the Hero Academy. Do not assume that conventional methods will work against your competitors. The biggest problem isn’t the Department of Knights but the Department of Summoning. Wizards reliant on Wing Magic are merely good prey for summoners with aerial familiars and spirit mages who control air spirits. Now, do you understand what I mean when I say mobility is an issue?”

“Y-yes…”

The weak answers from the Department of Magic students prompted Ren to hint to Anna.

“Everyone, starting today, we will practice Fly Magic. Ren Professor and Student Torua, as well as me and the teaching assistants, will assist in the practice. Prior to that, we need to split you into separate groups based on your skill levels. We’ll be conducting a test. Please line up.”

At Anna’s words, the students formed a line.

“Grr…”

Emio shot Leo a dirty look before joining the line.

Ren approached Alby and Leo.

“Student Leo can receive combat guidance from Senior Alby.”

“Don’t I need to take the test?”

“Your airborne maneuverability, demonstrated in the match, is already passing, Leo Student.”

Huff, smiled and as he was about to instruct the students, Ren noticed Torua standing next to Leo and narrowed his eyes.

“Student Torua, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to attend Professor Alby’s class.”

“You already know all of this! Stop making excuses and guide the underclassmen!”

Ren grabbed Torua by the collar and dragged her away.

Seeing the bustling training ground, Alby spoke.

“We need to move locations.”

Alby casually waved his hand, creating an entrance in the air leading to another space.

‘Fairy magic.’

Leo passed through the spatial gateway.

As soon as he did, he appeared in another magical training ground.

“What now?”

“Study on your own.”

“Won’t you teach me anything?”

Alby sat on a chair in one corner of the training ground and closed his eyes.

“I can’t seem to figure out what I should teach a first-year capable of modifying Fly Magic to this extent.”

Alby, assessing the magical prowess Leo just exhibited, said.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything I can teach you at the first-year level. Teaching higher-level material would be stepping out of my bounds as a professor. Therefore, the only thing I can ask you to do as a teacher is self-study.”

“So, Professor, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Could I enter the Lumeran Restricted Archives?”

Alby opened one eye and looked at Leo.

“Accessing the Restricted Archives goes beyond the authority of teachers.”

“As a member of the Zeruon family, not as a professor.”

“….”

The Zeruon family.

One of the three great hero families of Lumeran, wielding significant influence in the realm.

“Why do you want to enter the Restricted Archives?”

“I want to find certain manuscripts.”

“What kind?”

“Records relating to the unknown parts of the Hero Record.”

“….”

Silently observing Leo’s honest intentions, Alby finally nodded.

“If that’s what you want, I’ll write the recommendation.”

“Yes!”

Leo was delighted, thinking it was proceeding more smoothly than expected.

“Of course, having my recommendation alone won’t grant access to the Restricted Archives. You’ll need the consent of the head of the Zeruon family, my elder brother, Altech Zeruon, for entrance to the Restricted Archives.”

Alby pulled out a piece of paper from his robe and scribbled on it.

“All I can do is facilitate the introduction. What happens next is up to you.”

“Eh.”

Leo wore a disappointed expression.

In reality, even obtaining a recommendation to meet Altech was extraordinary.

Few royal families could easily meet Altech.

As Leo took the letter, thoughts of Altech crossed his mind.

‘The Infinite Spellcaster, right?’

A powerful hero who wields infinite spells.

“Hold on. Isn’t Lord Zeruon deployed in the southern front of Tartarus?”

Since he was suppressing Tartarus at the front line, he was currently absent.

“There’s a proxy you can meet.”

“Proxy?”

“Yes. Someone you can easily meet. She’s your senior, you know.”

“Who?”

Alby rarely took a deep sigh.

“Elena Zeruon, third year student of Lumeran.”

His headache-inducing expression was accompanied by a clicking tongue.

“She’s my niece.”