Chapter 267 Understanding [6]

267 Understanding [6]

"Ah!!" Screams of shock echoed throughout the grounds as everyone watched Julien fall over. The scene had occurred so abruptly that none were able to see exactly what had happened. However, in the eyes of those from the Haven side, one thing was clear. "You cheated!" ".....You didn't wait before throwing the fifth attack!" "This maniac!" "Wait, calm down." It was Aoife who held everyone back from complaining. Staring at the Vice-Chancellor, she could see that his expression was still not relaxed. And as expected. "Look." Right after Julien's body fell onto the floor, it started to scatter under everyone's vision. "Ah!?" Seeing that, the eyes of many changed. Before they even had the chance to wonder what had happened, a shadow cast right behind the Vice-Chancellor. It was neither fast nor slow. However, it was the suddenness at which it appeared that took everyone aback. Everyone but the Vice-Chancellor. 'An illusion, interesting.'

Indeed, when he attacked, he didn't feel it hit anything. But that was merely a feeling. There was something else that confirmed his thoughts. ....It was the image of Julien's face right before the attack landed on him. 'It was almost perfect.'

The Vice-Chancellor trusted his eyes, and while it almost did feel like he had hit Julien, upon closer look, Julien's nose was crooked. Not only that but so were his eyes. His left eye was blurrier than the other. If one didn't pay close attention, they wouldn't notice such changes. And most wouldn't. Swoosh! Turning his head slightly to look behind him, the Vice-Chancellor caught a glimpse of a silhouette preparing to make a move to attack him. It was rather quiet, and if not for the fact that he knew he was there, he probably wouldn't have heard it.

"....Unfortunate." Without much thought, the Vice-Chancellor waved his hand back and confronted the ambush head-on. Woom! The air seemed to split apart with the subtle movement of his hand, as a powerful wave of condensed mana shot in the direction he had waved.

His attack was so fast that the cadet had no time to react. 'It's over.' "This should do—" It should've been over. And yet...

When had anyone been able to tell what she was thinking? At least, that was what Leon thought at first. However, shortly after staring at Julien, her head turned in the direction of the Vice-Chancellor, and while Leon wasn't able to see what she did, seeing how the Vice-Chancellor started to tremble the moment their gazes met, Leon paused.

"Hm?" He scratched his head. ".....I'll bring him back to heal." A soft and crisp voice brought him out of his thoughts. When he turned his head, he saw the Chancellor stand before Julien and Leon blinked his eyes. '.....Something is off.'

The more Leon looked at her, the more he found that something was off. Flick. His gaze paused on Julien. Flick. And then paused back on Delilah. "....." As if noticing his gaze, her head turned and their gazes met. Leon suddenly found his entire body growing slack as his mind momentarily blanked. It was as if he had suddenly sunk into the deepest part of the ocean with no way up. All that he saw was darkness. A deep and unreachable darkness. But within that darkness, he was reminded of a scene he had seen not too long ago and he snapped out of it. Suddenly, his eyes started to sting as he looked at the Chancellor. Flick. His head flicked back to Julien. Flick. And then to the Chancellor. Flick. Flick. Flick. Flick. Flick. Flick. Flick. As if his head had a mind of its own, it flicked back and forth between the two. Unknowingly, his expression stiffened, and his eyes turned completely bloodshot.

...His expression only worsened when his gaze lowered and fell on Julien's hand. "....." Leon suddenly felt his heart stop beating as his eyes turned completely red.

As if he was a machine that hadn't been lubricated in a long time, his head rigidly lowered in the Chancellor's direction. "....." Drip! Something dripped from the corner of his mouth. Suddenly, he tasted iron in his mouth.

In such a state, Leon stood still and watched as Delilah and Julien's figure disappeared shortly after. Even as the minutes passed, he remained on the spot without a change in his expression. "Leon?" It was only when his name was called out that he finally snapped out of it. When he turned his head, he realized that almost everyone was gone. It was just him and Evelyn now, and when he looked at her, he saw the worried look on her face. "Are you okay?" ".....I am fine." He wasn't. "Are you sure?" Evelyn seemed to be able to see right through him. Or at least, he thought at first. However, pointing at her chin, Evelyn squinted her eyes. "It doesn't seem like you're fine at all." "...." Leon wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and looked down. "...." Silently, he stared back at Evelyn and closed his eyes. "....I'll be fine." *** Next chapter at usual schedule from before. We are back to two a day.