Chapter 12: Life is not always fair, but that is not an excuse (4).
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Returning to the previous scene, the outcome of the battle was becoming clear.
"A-agh..."
Fall!
The young man's body fell helplessly to the ground, as if he were losing consciousness.
"... Hah... hah... hah"
After the last of her enemies fell, the girl gasped as she dropped to her knees on the ground.
She was satisfied with her performance; who would expect her to defeat ten people alone?
There may have been many circumstances that helped her, but a win is a win.
Even those who do not understand martial arts understood that, let alone the experts.
Just as she was about to show a gentle smile at her achievement...
"Tsk tsk tsk! Seriously! Ugh! Kids these days are so fragile!"
Unfortunately, it seems there is a "damned scoundrel" who does not agree with either the scholars or the ignorant.
The young man Leon beside her clicked his tongue, as if he were watching a pathetic show.
"Even after putting you in such a comfortable environment, you are already exhausted? Your frail body is really weak!"
He shook his head in disappointment.
"... Are you serious now?"
For the first time, an annoyed voice came from the girl.
Simply put, after her immediate victory over the first boy, she took advantage of the enemies' tension and eliminated as many of them as possible.
Unfortunately, after defeating about four enemies, the others regained their composure.
Why didn't they think of fleeing? They did, of course they did, how could they not?
They sincerely wanted to escape, but when one of them tried to make a move, Leon was already standing behind him, placing his finger on his neck.
His reckless speed instilled fear and anxiety in their hearts.
A strong enemy is frightening, but an enemy who can grab you at will is even more terrifying.
As the ancients said: there is no use for tiger claws unless they reach your body.
The frightening appearance of the red-eyed boy, while smiling lightly, as he held a member of Fernando's group with a single finger, was deeply etched in their minds.
It was unlikely they would think of escaping now.
So, what about attacking collectively and leaving a chance for one of them to escape?
That was even less realistic.
Is there anyone willing to sacrifice themselves for the escape of others? Impossible.
Not to mention anything else, they are just spoiled brats from their families, where is the initiative to help others? What nonsense!
Therefore, after taking the time to analyze their situation, the only solution lay in winning this battle.
Everyone facing the girl had to exhaust her as much as possible while insisting on winning at the same time.
That was all they could do in a desperate situation.
The reason was their hope for one thing.
When the representative after Fernando gathered all his courage to speak and asked Leon if he would let them go if they defeated the girl, he agreed.
But in the opposite direction, they would all have to fulfill one wish of his if they lost, and he assured them that he would not ask for anything unreasonable.
Naturally, no one hesitated and they all agreed.
The promise was only verbal, but that didn't matter!
There are many ways money can be used to keep promises and treaties intact.
They had already recorded the conversation.
The way they fought changed from what it was; when they saw hope after despair, they became fiercer.
The scales began to slowly shift, and the fatigue within them gently affected the girl.
The enemies' style became more suicidal over time, which made her focus on defense in her fight, whether she liked it or not.
At that change, Leon began to speak as if he had expected it, his correct guidance helped her avoid loss in many situations.
When she was about to get hit, he told her to parry while putting her weight down, sometimes, with his guidance, she threw sand at her enemies and provoked them with words.
Well, her way of speaking was more provoking than the words themselves.
As the battle raged on, the girl quickly adapted to the enemy's tactics, and the sword's blade accelerated.
The fatigue that afflicted her, the enemy attacking regardless of losses, and even Leon's guidance, merged together and she found inspiration.
How could she combine defense and speed together? Is that even possible in the first place?
If speed constitutes an attack, then by applying the same principle, couldn't she perform specific attacks in the same way, at tremendous speed, and form a defensive wall without gaps?
It's difficult, but her experience in rapid sword waving over the years since childhood would help her grasp the method.
The center of gravity is stable, the position is down, move the sword with force, as if to smash the attack.
Counter the attack with a faster attack, keeping the range in a circular shape around the body.
Through illusion and rapid attack, this would form the defense.
She seemed in ecstasy, as if she were unaware, moving her sword only to defeat the enemy, and when he was defeated, she attacked without concern.
If it weren't for Leon, someone might have been killed.
He changed the enemy with every defeat for the girl, and her swordsmanship evolved completely.
That's all that happened; her consciousness returned when she defeated the last one.
She could proudly say that there was no blemish in her battle, so what does this person gift her?
"Well, well, despite that, you did well"
Just as she was about to complain, words of praise came from Leon's mouth.
'... You should have said it from the beginning'
She collapsed to the ground, as if losing consciousness, when a thought crossed her mind.
"Finally, the little one has fallen asleep... Wait, she might be a few months older than me? Ah, well, that doesn't matter"
Watching the girl fall into a deep sleep, he was not surprised, instead, he felt relieved.
"If she had exhausted herself more, her brain would have been damaged"
The worst part of using mana, or chi as Leon likes to call it, was the mental exhaustion.
It doesn't matter how much chi is in the body, the greatest pressure is on the mind, so it is always advised in battles to keep a mind free of worries.
This girl, it can be said that her head is full, but due to her obsession with the sword, she does not notice the stress that falls upon her.
Preventing her from using the aura to put her in a more difficult position would put additional pressure on her mind.
Leon wanted to exhaust her to the point of fatigue, so her mind could rest and she would have an excuse to relax.
"I doubt she will rest, so the other sword fanatic should keep her in check and force her to rest"
All of this was for the fool, who was severely unaware of others, and his recklessness caused problems; he should stick to someone else who takes care of him, this would curb his enthusiasm.
Not to mention that the girl herself would grasp the new knowledge she had acquired and analyze her mistakes in battle.
Two birds with one stone.
Out of thirteen people, only one remained standing, without any visible injury or mark on him.
Leon Evenius, as he now calls himself, stood lost in deep thought.
"Looking at the time, the ship should be approaching the dock, and the others are dealing with it"
Not much time left until the play begins.
Now, all that remains is for Lloyd and Dio to come with the chicks, and then all he has to do is create a scene that angers the faculty, but not to the point of causing expulsion.
"This will make them focus more on me, not to mention it will affect my evaluation in the class ceremonies"
A strong person in a lower position, wouldn't that raise suspicions?
Breaking what is called the system and rules, to what extent will there be chaos, these years will not be easy.
Of course, that is for others.
Hehehe.
Leon chuckled at the thought of the troubles that someone else would have to clean up instead of him.
As he moved the unconscious bodies of the people before him, the gears in his head turned and he smiled nobly, as if he were a saint.
---
Not much time left for the floating ship to reach the shore of the island.
In the continued stifling silence, what seemed like a round of eye combat was happening.
Dios Orpheus, the supervising professor of the faculty, and the most competent person in the academy.
A white-haired boy, with eyes of a unique cold violet hue, wearing a simple smile.
And finally, the president of the student council, Olivia Romanov, the student with the greatest exceptional ability, whether mentally or physically.
Was that an unspoken agreement? For some reason, the two stared at the white-haired boy, albeit in different ways.
'... Would you kindly grant me some privacy? Your stares are annoying, guys'
Loki inhaled gently while enjoying the scenery, as if he didn't mind the stares of the other two.
The silence continued, with the sound of waves and wind heard from time to time.
"What a boring thing"
That was before the white-haired boy broke it.
His voice spread across the entire group, and naturally, question marks appeared on the horizon.
"Even though I bothered myself to come here, but being ignored like this... this younger brother feels sad"
His calm voice came out, as if he felt disappointment.
'What is this person talking about?'
'Has he gone mad?'
'A younger brother? Is he someone's younger brother here?'
As if they felt glee, people looked left and right.
"... Is that true?"
For the first time since the boys' arrival, her voice came out as a whisper, bitterness could be felt in her tone.
Olivia Romanov, the girl who had been staring at the white-haired boy Loki for a while, felt her emotions become complicated.
'I wasn't sure before... but his words confirm this for me... He is my younger brother'
Her mind went blank, and for a moment she didn't know what to do.
"Oh? Your voice finally came out? I thought this little brother was completely forgotten, hahaha!"
The boy laughed warmly as he directed his cold eyes at her.
Olivia felt her blood run cold for a moment, his eyes were staring at her in a way she had never experienced before.
The younger brother, with whom she had communicated, had become different.
She bit her lip as she thought in her mind: "... He has really grown up, grown to the point where I don't recognize him"
Maybe he has, maybe he hasn't, but from this simple interaction, she felt something different about him.
'Why is this boy talking to the president of the student council?'
'Wait... younger brother... is he her brother?!'
'How is that possible?! Didn't she only have one brother, and it was said that he died three years ago?!'
'It seems there is something brewing behind the scenes...'
The audience's eyes were filled with confusion, bewilderment, and curiosity.
"R- President... is he saying now...?"
"Sorry girl, but can you give them some privacy? This is not something the audience can interfere with"
The girl, who was trying to communicate with the student council president Olivia, was interrupted by a stern voice.
"... You, what's it to you?!"
"The same goes for you, are you trying to ruin the reunion of the brothers? Look at the student council president, her expression doesn't look good, isn't that due to your unnecessary interference?"
The boy, who is Faron, shrugged his shoulders indifferently, as he said in his uninterested tone.
"... You"
A vein appeared on the girl's forehead as she spoke angrily, but she didn't say anything more.
"He knows how to make her silent"
"Yes, yes, finally, we found her natural enemy"
"But thinking about it, I thought her paleness was due to meeting her brother, who would have thought the reason was Xiao Yui..."
"Tsk tsk tsk, she doesn't know how to respect privacy!"
The girl's colleagues in the student council whispered quietly, while they gave a thumbs up to the boy, and at the same time their suspicious glances turned to the girl.
It is refreshing to silence the chatterboxes and sycophants!
And this girl? She was both.
Unlike the anxiety this girl showed, she was the type who licked boots a lot, there was no situation in which she didn't change her aspects.
Perhaps her silence now was due to the situation she shouldn't be entering, not to mention she already carried some doubts.