Chapter 25 : Each Person Has A Different Inner Feeling

“…What was that just now?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Wait, did Leonhardt just lose?”

“No way…”

“That guy… wasn’t his mana sensitivity supposed to be the lowest?”

“Kalbrandt of Class A… maybe he really was worthy of receiving Lady Ophelia’s recommendation.”

The cadets couldn’t hide their shock at the result.

Leonhardt.

Not only was he kind-hearted, but his skills were also untouchable, so most cadets had been trying to get close to him.

The academy was like a small society.

The cadets here—especially those who stood out—would eventually become part of the greater society.

That’s why this place was a microcosm of that world, and the connections built here would one day become powerful networks.

In that sense, Leonhardt was the golden rope they had to seize.

Judging by his talent, it was clear he would rise to even greater heights.

And if they tried to grab hold of that rope later on… it would be far too late.

The cadets already knew—being on equal footing with him was only possible within the academy.

Moreover, everyone believed that there wasn’t a single person at this academy who could defeat Leonhardt.

And now—

“Leonhardt… lost..?”

That belief had shattered.

Lost? That word wasn’t enough.

It had been a complete and utter defeat.

Leonhardt hadn’t even grazed a single hair on Luen.

He’d been taken down in a single strike.

Just that fact alone left everyone breathless, staring blankly at Luen’s back as he walked away.

They already knew.

It was a common rumor that Luen had the lowest mana sensitivity.

Which made the current situation all the more incomprehensible.

How had Luen defeated Leonhardt in one blow?

And what was that thing Luen summoned?

Even more baffling—Luen’s attitude was composed.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world to defeat Leonhardt.

As if, of course, he would walk away from the duel without a second thought.

For some reason, everyone felt like a faint flame was flickering from his retreating figure.

And then—

Elicia gazed at Luen in silence.

The moment she found out Ophelia had written him a letter of recommendation, she had taken notice of him.

Ophelia was the person Elicia respected the most.

Her path, her talent, her personality—everything about her had captivated Elicia.

She had admired Ophelia since she was a child.

And because she knew her so well, Elicia didn’t believe Ophelia would write a recommendation lightly.

Of course, she’d assumed Luen must possess some kind of talent—some kind of ability.

And now, witnessing that talent firsthand—

“Interesting.”

Elicia had that thought before she even realized it.

What an interesting person.

I want to fight him.

Elicia couldn’t feel anything but discomfort watching the duel with Leonhardt.

A match between a knight and a mage always left a bad taste in her mouth.

It lacked everything she valued—those mental battles, reading each other’s intentions, testing each other’s skill and wit.

A battle of magic against magic… She couldn’t have that with Luen, but even so, Elicia genuinely wanted to fight him.

Is this what it means to feel your blood boil?

She looked at Luen with sparkling eyes.

And then—

‘…Is that really Luen?’

Emil couldn’t believe her eyes.

That wasn’t the Luen she knew.

She’d thought he’d changed a little—his demeanor, his vibe—but this felt like a complete shift in essence, as if he were a different person entirely.

When she first heard that Luen had challenged Leonhardt to a duel, Emil had thought he’d finally lost his mind.

But that thought had been thoroughly shattered.

Not only had he defeated Leonhardt—he’d utterly overwhelmed him.

Still in a daze, Emil stared at Luen, and before she realized it, a sly smile crept across her face.

Her reason for approaching Luen in the first place was simple.

By getting involved with him again, she thought it would give her a natural way to connect with Ophelia.

To Emil, Luen had only ever been that—just a means to an end.

Until now.

But after seeing Luen crush Leonhardt so completely, her perspective had changed.

“He might be even more useful than I thought…”

To Emil, only one thing mattered—her own advancement and the rise of her family.

That’s why even a fiancé or marriage partner was nothing more than a tool to her.

And Luen Phil Kalbrandt was no exception.

The fact that they had been close as children was a stroke of luck.

She believed using him would help the Hawkluk family soar even higher.

That was all he ever was to her.

Which was why, when she thought he had no talent, she’d discarded him without hesitation.

And now—

Luen had become useful to her again.

With the strong connection to Ophelia and the talent he clearly possessed.

What made her even more confident was that Luen had shown clear signs of lingering affection when she tried to break off their engagement.

So Emil came to a conclusion.

“I need to meet Luen again.”

She had to reconnect with him.

“At least, that’s probably what she’s thinking.”

As I silently walked away from the dueling arena, I thought of what Emil must be plotting.

I already knew how disgusting she was, but still… I found myself wondering if even she could be this vile.

“Well… if it’s Emil, I guess that tracks.”

That thought passed through my mind.

A quiet snort escaped me without realizing, and I shook my head, picking up my pace.

It had been a brilliant debut match.

Just as I planned, I had completely overwhelmed Leonhardt, and all eyes were now on me.

It couldn’t have gone better.

I was fully satisfied.

Emil would undoubtedly become more interested in me.

And Calcento, who had clearly been paying close attention to the duel, would now realize my abilities weren’t ordinary.

“So transparent.”

Calcento’s intentions had already become clear to me yesterday.

Among those who challenged me to a duel, many bore the names of families backed by Kalbrandt—
more precisely, Calcento’s support.

If I’d fought them instead, they might’ve tried to kill me using some underhanded trick.

‘…Or maybe not.’

Maybe they actually believed they could kill me with their skills alone.

From Calcento’s perspective, I must’ve seemed like a weak, fragile little kid.

“You did well.”

“Ack!No,Ididn’t!”“

Ack! No, I didn’t!”

I praised Hotty for the hard work, while calmly continuing my thoughts.

This duel had brought me more gains than I expected.

As the cadet who defeated Leonhardt, I engraved my name into everyone’s memory.

And by overwhelming him, I proved my strength beyond doubt.

At the same time, I kept my true abilities hidden, leaving Calcento in the dark.

Since the duel ended so quickly, there was no way he could easily predict my full capabilities.

And even if he made a rough guess—it would be completely off the mark.

Because out of my four spirits, I had only used Hotty.

“Well… Tanky did lend a little strength, but…”

Very few would’ve noticed that.

And even if someone did, they’d only have figured out half the truth at most.

That’s what made this such a successful debut.

Though… it wasn’t a perfect one.

Spirit User.

Now, everyone knew I was one.

Spirit users had been hunted and oppressed by mages, driven to near extinction.

The reasons weren’t well-known to the public, but among mages, spirit users were believed to wield ominous powers.

The cadets might not fully grasp what power I used.

But the faculty, and others in positions of knowledge—they would’ve picked up on it.

There was no way they wouldn’t.

“I wonder how they’ll respond.”

One way or another, it was bound to come out eventually.

I could have disguised it as magic channeled through spirits, but that would’ve only delayed the truth—it’d still come out in the end.

And honestly, I had no intention of hiding this power.

The moment Calcento found out I was a spirit user, he’d try to tear that part of me apart.

But that was exactly what I wanted.

“If you think you can sink your teeth into me—go ahead and try.”

He’d try to cover up his own wrongdoings with political maneuvering.

But all that would do was tighten the noose around his own neck.

Even if he raised a sharp blade to end me—

That same blade would end up pointing at him.

Because I would make it so.

And so would Ophelia.

I let out a long breath and quietly kept walking.

With this successful debut, I’d taken one step closer to revenge.

That fact alone brought a smile to my face.

Because that was the only purpose driving my life.