That night, I couldn't sleep.
Too many thoughts crowded my mind, and I wasn't confident in my own abilities. Among my team, I was the weakest.If it weren't for my lack of talent, our chances of victory would be far greater.
There are too many things I still need to test, too many gaps I need to find in Leon as a character. They say the sky and the earth are worlds apart. If that were the original Leon… then perhaps he was the bedrock itself, something no one could ever reach.
Tch.
I needed to clear my head, even if just a little. With Umbros still dormant, I had no one worth talking to. So I wandered through the academy's corridors, paths I knew all too well.
I had walked every hallway countless times. Everything felt dull, almost comforting, like my own home. The main halls were nearly empty, the academy slowly sinking into sleep.
I entered the training grounds, greeted by a cool breeze brushing against my skin.
Only one person came to mind.
And sure enough, she was there.
Elena.
She was training alone. Had she been here since the afternoon?
From a distance, I watched her movements.
Elena raised her staff, summoning a surge of wind that formed into a spherical barrier. As she chanted, the bubble began to compress, trapping a violent current swirling inside.
That skill shouldn't have been accessible without a scroll. But of course, I knew it. I knew every skill, every condition required to unlock them.
It was a mid-tier spell. Nothing extraordinary by my standards.
"Urgh…"
Elena faltered. One of the reasons was her low Mana density. She was too afraid of exhausting her Mana, holding back until she could no longer sustain the spell.
Her fear, the belief that she was useless, weighed heavily on her mind. That wasn't something I could change for her. Only she could.
The wind bubble destabilized and exploded, releasing a violent blast that sent Elena flying.
I caught her before she hit the ground.
"You know that if you hesitate like that, our team will lose. Right?"
Elena fell silent. She knew I was right.
She picked up her staff and stood there without saying a word.
"Why do we even need to win?"
That caught me off guard.
Elena, who was usually so positive, sounded indifferent.
"Trial of Harmony exists just to show weak juniors how strong the seniors are. It's been like that for decades," she said, turning away. Her expression was one I'd never seen before.Fear.
"Winning or losing won't get us expelled anyway. So why does it matter?"
"You're right. We won't be expelled," I replied calmly. "But everyone in this academy will reject us. And one day, you'll realize it would've been better to die than to keep living in this hell."
The greatest academy? Don't make me laugh.
Politics, economics, social hierarchies. This place was more dangerous than the outside world. The academy wasn't built to nurture talent, it was designed as a rehearsal for real war.
Before you even realize it, you'd be drowning in a pit of crocodiles.
"Do you know what they call you?" I continued, stepping closer as Elena lowered her head.
"A fraud. A parasite. An opportunist. Enough names to make you afraid to show your face."
"Why?" I pressed. "Is it wrong to be a little brave? To prove you're stronger than them? I wonder how disappointed the great Tempest Dragon would be if she knew her legacy would rot in the hands of someone like you."
"H-how do you know about that…?"
"Oh? How do I know?" I scoffed. "How do you know you're worthy of inheriting the Tempest Dragon's legacy? You're nothing but a coward hiding behind the tail of a flying lizard."
"Don't call my mother that!"
"Oh? What is it? You want to attack me?" I smirked, shoving her shoulder lightly.
"I bet your wind is barely stronger than a coin-operated fan."
I hated doing this.
But Elena was standing on the edge now. The choice was hers. Fight… or fall.
"Stop!"
Elena raised her staff and pointed it toward the center of the field.
A wind sphere formed again. This time, it was larger. Denser. Perfect.
The compressed storm shredded everything inside it.
Elena collapsed to one knee, but she stayed standing, gripping her staff as she glared at me with blazing fury.
"That's what you call a coin fan?" she said, straightening her posture.
I laughed and sat down.
She didn't fall.
She didn't retreat.
She climbed higher.
Her resolve had solidified, just as a true heir of the Tempest Dragon should.
"Why are you laughing?" Elena demanded. "After insulting my mother like that…"
"Relax," I replied calmly. "I was provoking you to bring out your best. Sometimes, anger is the shortest path forward."
Realization dawned on her face, and her tension eased.
"So… you didn't mean it," she muttered. "I was actually thinking about throwing you out of the academy."
That confidence was dangerous. I'd need to be careful from now on.
"You're ready now," I said. "That wind bubble disrupts Lyena's magical frequency. I don't need to worry about you leading the team anymore."
Elena froze.
"Me? Leading? Why not you?"
"That's part of the strategy," I answered. "I'm sure Lyena thinks I'll be the one in charge."
In Lyena's room.
She was restless.
The structure of the Trial of Harmony felt wrong. Especially after the rumors of Leon Moriet challenging her spread throughout the academy.
"Leon Moriet… He's orchestrating all of this. But what's his real objective?"
Her perception of Leon had changed.
At first, she believed he was merely exploiting the entrance trials to slip into the elite class, something she despised. Someone who reached their goal without effort.
But Leon wasn't lazy.
He manipulated perspectives.
He moved people into place.
"He's not just a troublemaker," she murmured. "He is the problem."
Her desk was buried beneath sheets of strategic drafts.
Trial of Harmony had to be won by the second-year students. That was how juniors learned humility and motivation.
Lyena could not afford to lose.
She analyzed strategy after strategy, weakness after weakness, drafting contingencies upon contingencies.
"Leon has no combat record aside from the placement exam," she thought. "They say he led flawlessly despite having no talent with weapons. I have plenty of intel, yet that story still doesn't add up. How do you confront an intruder with nothing but willpower?"
She was still thinking when someone knocked and entered.
"Lyena, you're still here?"
The door opened slightly. Edward, her strategic aide, stepped inside. His glasses were crooked, his hair messy. He hadn't slept either.
"I'm thinking about Trial of Harmony," Lyena replied without looking up.
"I can tell. Your desk looks like a battlefield before the real one."
She exhaled and finally looked at him.
"Have you heard of Leon Moriet?"
"Of course. He's been collecting signatures from each year's representative to legitimize his place in the elite class. So far, he's only secured one."
"The first-year representative is Tohime," Lyena said. "She's his ally. I suspect his plan is to prove his worth during Trial of Harmony."
"That makes sense," Edward nodded. "If he defeats the second-years, the remaining leaders will have no choice but to acknowledge him."
"Impressive."
"Huh?"
"Leon Moriet planned every scenario," Lyena said quietly. "I'm starting to doubt whether he's truly a disgrace of the Moriet family… or someone deliberately hiding his talent."
"If that's the case," Edward said after adjusting his glasses, "I've obtained some information you might find useful."
"What is it?"
"Elena," Edward replied. "A timid, withdrawn student. She's been using mid-tier wind magic without any instructor supervision."
Lyena went silent.
Mid-tier magic without guidance was extremely dangerous.
Nothing was going according to her expectations. All because of Leon.
"So," Edward asked carefully, "What will you do now, Lyena?"
"Isn't that obvious?" she replied, lifting a freshly drafted strategy. "We've already become Leon's chess pieces. But for the honor of the second-years, we'll prove that not every chess piece can be controlled."