Chapter 518: A New First For Lucas Interlude
By the ti morning ca, both Reina and Flam had already gotten their well-deserved rest.
“Haah~ this is the life~” Flam stretched lazily, her voice full of satisfaction.
“You really have no sha, you know that?” Reina muttered, watching her in disbelief.
“You just noticed?” Flam grinned, lying back without a care in the world.
Reina let out a small sigh as she looked over at Flam, who was completely relaxing in the river near their resting area.
She was floating on top of her summoned wind spirits like they were a personal luxury raft.
With her arms behind her head and her eyes half-closed, she looked more like soone on a vacation than a student participating in a difficult exam.
“Aren’t you even a little worried about your rank?” Reina asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Hm? Not really~” Flam replied casually, glancing up at the sky.
As expected, her na was still at the top of the leaderboard, but a few others were starting to close the gap—so students had been hunting nonstop ever since Stacia and Vanessa got eliminated.
“I never really cared much about this exam anyway,” she continued. “Honestly, it’s kind of boring. Unlike so of our seniors, we don’t have anything major on the line. For us freshn, this is just another one of the many tests and exams we always go through. And even if soone does outrank , so what? Points are just numbers. It’s your actual performance that matters~”
Reina rolled her eyes. “And your latest performance is… running away.”
Flam smirked. “I could say the sa to you, coward Reina. And it wasn’t running away—it was a tactical retreat. Know the difference. That’s just how you handle Senior Rose~”
“Right…” Reina muttered, already regretting asking in the first place.
While Flam’s words were technically true, that didn’t an they could just lounge around and bother their senior without a care in the world.
Not to ntion…
[POINT RANKING: REINA HELL — 21]
Reina’s eyes twitched slightly as she stared at her rank.
She had dropped a couple of spots recently.
Sure, like Flam said, their positions weren’t exactly on the line the sa way it was for the seniors. But that didn’t an Reina wanted to slack off or look incompetent.
She was still an S-rank student among the first years.
Expectations surrounded her—so from others, many from herself.
She had to at least show her worth.
If she didn’t, how was she even supposed to face her brother?
Let alone the senior who personally trained her.
The worst part?
The exam was set to end by tomorrow morning.
She didn’t have much ti left—barely a day.
And at this point, it was impossible to catch up by just hunting monsters.
The mystery reward at the center of the map?
Out of the question—too many high-ranked students already made that place a battlefield.
That left her with one option: hunt students.
She looked up at the current rankings again, brows furrowed.
[#1 – ??? – Unknown Points]
[#2 – ??? – Unknown Points]
[#3 – ??? – Unknown Points]
[#4 – Lucien Illois – 5,400 Points]
[#5 – Hailey Stein Walker – 4,000 Points]
[#6 – Karlsen Magnus Dain – 3,400 Points]
…
…
The top three were hidden—but Reina already knew Flam was sitting at the top, probably far above the rest.
There was no point in trying to catch up to her now.
But the ones below the hidden top three?
Their scores were doable. Beat a few of them in direct combat or steal their points, and she could claw her way back into the top ten—maybe even higher.
It wasn’t ideal.
But it was her only shot now.
“You two, breakfast’s ready.”
Lucas’s voice echoed from behind them.
Flam instantly perked up. “Coming~!”
“Such shaless enthusiasm…” Reina muttered with a sigh, watching Flam hop her way back toward the camp without a shred of restraint.
She followed soon after, and the two girls were soon seated around the small makeshift table where Lucas had already set out their food.
The aroma hit them first—warm, savory, freshly made.
As soon as they took a bite, both of them paused.
“This is… surprisingly really good,” Reina said, blinking.
“You actually know how to cook, senior?” Flam added, eyes sparkling. “This is sooo good~”
Lucas chuckled, scratching his cheek a bit awkwardly. “Haha, thanks. Actually… I only really learned how to cook recently. Soone helped out a lot.”
“Oh? Was it that red-haired senior? Janica, right?”
Lucas shook his head lightly. “No… well, Janica did teach the basics—and she yelled at a lot for ssing up—but the one who really taught how to properly cook was soone else. Kind of pushed through the hard part.”
“Hmm~ is that so~” Flam said.
Reina continued quietly eating, but her eyes flicked toward Lucas.
After swallowing another bite, she spoke. “By the way, Senior… are you assigned to stand guard here the whole ti?”
“Ah, no actually,” Lucas said, sitting down across from them. “As of yesterday, we got word from the principal. We’re allowed to let go of our monster roles now—we can hunt other students too if we want.”
Flam’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh~? Then you’re basically just another competitor now?”
“Pretty much. But don’t worry, I won’t attack you two.” He smiled. “Not really interested in picking a fight unless I have to.”
Reina narrowed her eyes a bit. “Then… what about the mystery reward? Is it already taken?”
Lucas leaned back slightly, thinking. “From what I heard, it’s still at the center. No one’s gotten it yet. Since it’s sothing the Academy itself stashed away, it’s probably sothing of importance. But I’m pretty sure they’ve got sothing guarding it too. The faculty wouldn’t leave sothing like that just lying around.”
“I see…” Reina muttered under her breath.
She glanced at Flam, who was still stuffing her face like she didn’t have a single care in the world.
Ti was running out.
If the reward was still there, and if Lucas wasn’t lying… it might still be worth aiming for.
Even if the odds were slim.
“Then… you’ll allow to go forward?”
Reina’s voice was calm, but beneath her composed tone was a quiet resolve that made Lucas pause for a mont.
Lucas blinked, a little surprised by her directness. “…Well, you can. But it’ll be dangerous,” he replied softly, his gaze montarily lingering on her eyes. “I might not be guarding the road anymore, but I can already sense a few clusters of monsters up ahead. It’s not exactly safe.”
“It’s fine,” Reina said, her lips forming a small smile. “Actually… despite how it might look, I do want to give it my best in this evaluation. I’m not like a certain lazy, shaful soone…”
Her eyes flicked briefly toward Flam, who clicked her tongue in mock annoyance.
Lucas let out a quiet chuckle. “You really are impressive, Reina,” he said. His words were light, but there was sothing more behind them—a quiet admiration. “And… what about you, senior?” Reina asked after a beat. “Isn’t your rank on the line too?”
Lucas scratched the back of his head. “Yes, technically… but the junior I trained already secured my high rank for this evaluation. She really went all out.”
“Ah, right,” Flam suddenly chid in, her voice rising with a mix of realization and complaint. “I forgot about that part. Weren’t you seniors being evaluated based on your junior’s performance for the past month? Tsk… maybe I should’ve picked a more laid-back route. I’m basically dragging my assigned senior to the top for free. He never even trained !”
“…Didn’t you completely ignore him?” Reina asked with a subtle side glance.
“Haah~” Flam sighed dramatically. “If I can ignore him so easily, that just proves how pointless and utterly unremarkable he was. End of story.”
Reina looked at her like she was the embodint of shalessness.
Lucas, anwhile, laughed softly.
The faint tension in the air needed to be brushed away—and so, with a gentle tilt of his head, he turned back to Reina.
“Since you’re planning on heading toward the center…” Lucas began, his tone softer now, almost tentative, “you wouldn’t mind if I tagged along, would you, Miss Reina?”
Reina blinked at him in surprise, then smiled, a hint of curiosity playing on her lips. “Is that alright?”
“Actually… aside from being evaluated through our juniors’ performance, we’re also getting points for our own individual actions. So, earning a few myself is still necessary.”
Lucas’s voice turned faintly sheepish as he glanced away.
“That… and I wouldn’t feel right letting you walk down such a dangerous path alone. I an no offense, of course—please trust that I’m just… worried sothing might happen to you.”
The last part ca out softer, almost like he was holding sothing back. Reina caught it instantly and laughed gently, the warmth in her voice evident.
“Fufu~ Alright. Having a reliable senior by my side actually puts at ease too,” she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll be in your care for a while longer, then…”
From behind, Flam’s eyes narrowed as she observed the exchange.
She always thought Reina had a thing for this overly handso, gentlemanly senior…
But now she wasn’t so sure.
Was it actually the other way around?
‘But then again… this senior does have a thing for Riley too, doesn’t he?’ Flam thought to herself as her gaze drifted lazily toward Lucas. ‘So maybe… he’s just into the Hell family~? Hah. That’d explain a few things. My spirits said he was acting like a total wuss in front of that other blonde-haired senior of ours too. Hmm… maybe he’s got a blonde complex?’
She tilted her head, amused at her own theory.
‘But wait… he doesn’t act that way with Senior Rose. So maybe it’s not just any blonde—maybe it’s blonde with blue eyes? Tch. So oddly specific. His taste is weirdly refined for a sword freak.’
In the end, though, she shrugged.
Well, it wasn’t like it mattered to her.
Not right now anyway.
She just wanted to rest.
“By the way, Senior,” Flam called out lazily, shifting her posture, “since you’re free from your role, does that an the other top seniors are free now too?”
Lucas glanced at her and nodded. “Yes, for the most part.”
“Alright then~ I’ll stay here.”
“You really don’t care about your rank, huh…” Reina muttered, glancing over.
“Kuku~ of course I don’t,” Flam grinned without sha. “I already told you that, didn’t I? Besides, this spot’s basically the only safe haven I’ve got right now. I’m not about to go wandering around and get caught by a certain golden-haired senior again…”
Reina wanted to call her out for sounding like a coward—especially after the whole scene with Rose—but… well, she couldn’t exactly bla her either. She knew how intense Senior Rose could get when soone caught her attention.
She literally knows.
Afterall her cheeks got squeezed dry back in her hotown when Rose found her a tiny bit interesting…
Reina looked over at Lucas, who was quietly adjusting the strap of his blade.
“Let’s go then, Senior.”
Lucas gave a small, warm nod. “Alright.”
But behind that calm smile, Lucas had his own goals as well….
No, he had soone he wanted to challenge in this evaluation… soone whose strength he had long been excited to face once more.
Yet here he was, circumstances shifting his path once again—because now, there was soone to protect.
Ever since the day his sword had spoken to him, urging him to protect those he considered dear… that worthy of the light… sothing had quietly settled inside him.
Reina…. Was part of those worthies.
His reasonings are not just as a knight, but as a person, and… perhaps sothing more.
So, even if she didn’t ask for it, even if she didn’t need a bodyguard… he’d walk beside her.
Afterall she was the sister of soone special in his heart… soone who’s strength he aspires to reach and soone who he wanted to see the essence of his sword.
In truth, this kind of situation was a first for Lucas.
Almost everyone he usually associated with were people who stood on their own—fighters, mages, or knights who didn’t need to rely on his strength.
That was why helping out a junior like Reina… felt new to him.
Strange, but in a way, comforting.
There was a warmth to it—a warmth that ca from being relied upon. And he liked that feeling more than he cared to admit.
Of course, it wasn’t as if he had never protected soone before. He’d done so countless tis. But this was different.
To be trusted this openly, to be relied on without hesitation—it stirred sothing deeper in him.
Sothing that touched the part of his soul shaped by his ideals.
It was the kind of knightly duty he’d always dread of.
Not a grand battlefield.
Not a duel under a blood-red sky.
Just… walking beside soone who trusted him to be there. Soone who saw him as their shield.
Yup.
That was it.
It definitely wasn’t because he felt like so proper guardian or a noble knight in front of Reina.
And it certainly wasn’t because she was the sister of soone whose strength secretly inspired him.
Nor was it because—maybe just maybe—he found himself a little srized by Reina’s subtle beauty.
Nope.
Not at all.
It wasn’t about wanting to earn so favor points either.
It was… purely from the heart. From his code as an aspiring knight.
That’s what he told himself.
So, as they stepped into the heart of the forest—its silence tense and sacred—Lucas quietly vowed.
This would be his first true knightly mission.
To protect this young lady until the very end. Whatever dangers awaited them, he would shield her with his life.
And yet—why?
Why did it end like this?
“M-Miss Reina…?”
SHUCKK!!!
A sharp, crystalline blade pierced clean through Lucas’s chest.
His breath hitched. Blood poured from his lips as the world around him blurred.
His limbs refused to move—frozen, powerless—as the celestial magic trap that had activated silently dissolved all around them.
The surrounding mana field faded like mist, its beautiful glow mocking the horror that had just unfolded.
He collapsed to the forest floor with a heavy thud, his knees giving way beneath him.
“I… I’m really sorry, Senior Lucas,” Reina said, her voice trembling. “But I… I really needed the points.”
Lucas wanted to speak.
To ask why.
To say anything.
But he couldn’t.
His vision dimd.
His thoughts blurred.
His body shattered into fragnts of light.
He didn’t even get the chance to scream.
—
When he opened his eyes again, he was in a soft, white bed—back at the recovery station prepared for defeated students.
His hand instinctively went to his chest, as if expecting the wound to still be there.
It wasn’t.
But the pain—the betrayal—still lingered.
Lucas let out a quiet, half-hearted laugh.
“…That was a first.”
The pain in his chest was worse than any sword had ever caused him.
And for the first ti… it wasn’t just physical.
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