The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honor Student

The lounge of the Noble Dormitory.

As always, Eliza sat in her luxurious personal chair, legs crossed, filing the tips of her nails.

Around her, the Summoning Department students of the Noble faction were cautiously stealing glances at her.

"E-Eliza. You haven’t gone out much lately."

A female student from the Summoning Department spoke up timidly.

Eliza gave her nails a light blow and inspected the result.

Seeing her reaction, the Summoning Department students looked frustrated.

Eliza was the de facto leader of the second-year Summoning Department.

Of course, that did not mean she was the top student.

In terms of grades alone, she was indeed an honor student who competed with Walden for first or second place, but she skipped class at the drop of a hat.

Her attendance was poor, and she often slept through the lectures she did attend.

She even frequently sent the students who followed her on personal errands.

If one ignored her grades, she was a delinquent through and through.

Still, the reason she was the leader of the second-year Summoning Department was that Walden was fundamentally individualistic.

Even if Eliza was insincere, she firmly led the Summoning Department students as their leader.

The professors of the Summoning Department also acknowledged her because of her excellent grades and that very leadership quality.

And for the past week.

Eliza had been staying in the dormitory doing nothing.

She did not attend classes, nor did she participate in the reconstruction of Lumeria City.

She always wore a bored expression, but for the past few days, all emotion had vanished from her face.

Because of that, the students who followed her felt as if they were suffocating.

'Why is she acting like this?'

'W-Who knows? Did something happen?'

It was while the Summoning Department students were exchanging glances.

"How annoying."

Eliza, who had been ignoring her surroundings for days, suddenly spoke.

"What?"

"Everyone, get out."

"Wait, what..."

"I said get out of my sight. You’re annoying."

Seeing Eliza speak so irritably and sharply, the Summoning Department students flinched and quickly scattered.

Though she had a tyrannical streak, Eliza was usually generous to those who followed her. This sharp irritability was something her faction members were seeing for the first time since enrollment.

Left alone in the silent lounge, Eliza ground her teeth and stood up.

'Pathetic.'

The reason she had holed herself up in the dormitory was because of what had happened a week ago.

At the gathering of the second-year top students, Eliza had felt it.

'I’m the only one who hasn’t grown.'

Feeling stifled, Eliza entered her dormitory room.

Creak— Click—

She closed the door and flopped onto her bed.

'Before summer vacation started, I never thought I was falling behind anyone in the second year.'

Her thoughts paused there, and she let out a self-deprecating smile.

'No, there was one person.'

There was one person she had started considering an exception at some point.

'Leo Plov.'

Leo was the first wall Eliza had ever encountered in her life.

That was why she was always conscious of him.

'Others might not know, but I certainly do.'

Eliza wore a listless expression.

To Eliza, Leo was a benchmark.

'As a Summoner, and as a Hero, the human named Leo Plov is perfect.'

She had no special feelings beyond that.

While she could never tolerate someone being above her, she had no choice but to acknowledge someone like Leo.

'That was the case, but...'

Eliza’s face contorted miserably.

When the Death King attacked Lumene.

She had seen the backs of her peers, whom she had considered her equals.

Until she entered Lumene, Eliza had never doubted that she was the best.

In fact, her talent was second to none in this era.

Now, she knew well enough that she could not be the best because of an immeasurable monster like Leo Plov.

Even so, she had been confident that she was not falling behind, at least among her classmates.

That confidence had been shattered.

'A limit?'

Eliza bit her lip hard and looked down at her palms.

Even if she tried not to be conscious of it, she could not help it.

She had seen countless students who were full of themselves, thinking they were the best their whole lives, only to drop out at Lumene.

Back then, she had mocked them, but not anymore.

She wondered if she was the only one sitting still while everyone else ran forward.

If she would eventually end up a failure just like those she had ridiculed.

For the first time in Lumene’s competitive system, Eliza felt fear.

'Taking my own problems out on those around me. I’m a mess too.'

Eliza was burying her nose in her pillow with a bitter smile when—

Shhh—!

She heard the sound of something sliding under her dormitory door.

She lifted her upper body slightly and turned her head to see a letter.

'How annoying at a time like this.'

Eliza grimaced.

Though she was tied with Duran for the worst temper in the second year, Eliza was nonetheless an incredible beauty.

She had many followers drawn to her haughty demeanor.

On top of that, she was the successor of the Hergin family, the most prestigious summoning family in the northern part of the continent.

She had received hundreds of love letters.

Of course, Eliza had never read a single one of them.

She burned every letter she received.

'Hmph. If they like me that much, they should confess to my face.'

She had no interest in confessions made by those who did not even have the courage to show their faces.

Of course, even if they confessed boldly to her face, she had no intention of accepting.

It was impossible for someone she had no interest in to catch her eye in the first place.

Eliza walked to the door, intending to tear the envelope apart.

Then she caught a glimpse of the name written on it and paused.

'Carr Thomas?'

Eliza’s eyes twitched.

'Why did this man write me a letter?'

She scoffed, but her curiosity was also piqued.

Normally, she would have torn it up without hesitation, but before she realized it, Eliza was opening the envelope and checking the contents.

[I have something to tell you. I’ll be waiting at the dormitory training ground at midnight. - Carr Thomas]

"How arrogant."

Eliza looked dumbfounded at the incredibly simple message.

"Is he kidding? Who does he think he is, telling me to come and go? He needs to know his place."

Letting out her signature scoff, Eliza neatly folded the letter back into the envelope.

Click, clack—

Eliza tossed the letter onto her desk and was about to lie back down on the bed when she stopped in front of the full-length mirror on one side of the room.

Stealing a glance at her reflection in the mirror, Eliza adjusted her hair.

For some reason, she felt her gloomy mood lifting slightly.

Unconsciously humming a small tune, she sat down at her vanity.

Then she gave a faint smile.

'It might be fun to trample him mercilessly.'

"..."

(T/N: Eliza x Carr ? )

Eliza’s face crumpled when she saw who was standing at the meeting place.

"I’ve been waiting, Eliza."

At Leo’s words, Eliza crossed her arms.

"I’m honored that the Student Council President himself was waiting for me. But wasn’t it Carr Thomas who called me here?"

"I’m here too!"

Carr, appearing from behind Leo, gave a thumbs up and laughed playfully.

"So the one who had something to say to me wasn’t Carr Thomas, but you, Leo Plov?"

"Yes."

"Sigh. I should have just stayed in bed."

Eliza muttered irritably.

Watching her, Leo spoke.

"It’s an important conversation."

Eliza paused at those words, then scoffed.

"It had better be important enough to call me out at this late hour."

Of course, Eliza knew Leo was not someone who talked nonsense, so she knew it really was important.

She simply had to say something to satisfy her personality.

Leo nodded at her.

Carr looked at Eliza and said,

"By the way, Eliza. You look especially pretty today."

"I look the same as always."

Eliza replied listlessly.

But unlike usual, her tone was a little softer.

"Full makeup at this hour... I get it! You’re planning to go meet a guy after this—"

Whoosh—! Snap—!

"Guh? Cough, hack!"

"Do I look like the kind of loose woman who goes out to meet men in the middle of the night?"

"Y-You’re popular, so I thought you might go on a date since you’re already out—"

"I don’t do that stuff."

Tighten—!

"Choke, wheeze!"

Eliza, who had wrapped her ever-present whip around Carr’s neck and pulled him toward her, began to throttle him in a fit of hysteria.

Watching this, Leo said dryly,

"You two still get along well."

"Who gets along with who?"

Answering sharply, Eliza shoved Carr aside and spoke.

"So? What’s this important talk about?"

"I heard from Carr. He said you’ve been quite anxious lately."

"So what? Are you here to mock me for running in place by myself?"

Eliza reacted prickly.

Fundamentally, Eliza saw Leo as a rival she needed to catch up to.

As such, she was not in a position where she could simply accept Leo’s concern or help at face value.

Leo burst into laughter as he looked at the competitiveness burning in Eliza’s eyes.

"Yes, go ahead and laugh all you want, Leo Plov."

"That’s not what I meant."

Leo shook his head.

"Sometimes I forget that you guys are just kids."

"...That’s a very strange thing to say. I know you have an old soul, but I am technically older than you."

Eliza let out a hollow laugh at the sudden comment.

Leo looked at her and said,

"It’s not that you’re particularly lacking compared to the others. It’s just that your environments are a bit different."

"..."

"Chloe and Abad stimulate each other unconsciously. They have similarities, and they often debate with each other. They’re certainly good rivals."

"There’s Chelsea too. Well, in Chelsea’s case, it’s more about grinding her teeth and thinking, 'I can’t lose,' because of Celia."

Carr, having escaped Eliza’s whip, spoke while resting his interlaced hands behind his head.

"In the cases of Celia, Duran, and Chen Xia, they also see each other as rivals."

Citing examples from the Magic Department and Knights Department, Leo continued.

"But you don’t have a rival."

Walden existed, but Walden was not the type to have a strong sense of competition.

He was simply the type to pursue strength and push forward single-mindedly.

Even when Eliza picked fights with him several times during their first year, he had simply ignored her.

"And as for me being a rival... you know what I mean, right?"

"Urgh!"

Eliza ground her teeth.

Watching her, Leo spoke.

"Most importantly, Summoners grow slowly as well."

"Are you telling me not to be anxious because time will solve everything? What truly wonderful advice."

Eliza sneered.

Leo sat down on a nearby bench and said,

"Well, if it’s you, you’ll jump over the wall soon enough. But while jumping over it is good, wouldn’t now be a good time to learn how to forcibly break it down?"

"What do you mean by that?"

The corners of Leo’s mouth curled up.

"How long are you going to make me wait?"

At those words, Eliza’s face instantly stiffened.

She clenched her fists and ground her teeth.

That gaze looking down at her from an immeasurably high place.

It was the look Leo had shown her before.

'I really hate that attitude of yours, acting like you’re waiting for me!'

Sparks flew in Eliza’s eyes.

Leo watched her and spoke.

"And Carr was very worried about you."

"Carr Thomas was?"

Eliza stole a glance at Carr.

Carr shrugged.

After staring at Carr for a moment, Eliza took a deep breath.

"So? How exactly can you help me?"

"Are you prepared to do whatever I tell you to do?"

"As long as it’s nothing strange."

"In that case."

Leo looked at Eliza and said,

"Are you prepared to die?"

***

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