Chapter 83: The Dark Horse of Aurelia

The Dark Horse of Aurelia

A line of text slowly materialized on the giant screen above.

[Arena 094 — Aurelia No. 1 High, Martial High (8) Class, Leon — Complete Victory +10 Points!]

[Total Score: 30 Points]

The spectator stands buzzed with excited chatter.

"Leon might just be the biggest dark horse of this year’s exams!"

"No kidding. I’ve only ever seen displays like that in professional beast-girl league matches."

"That was so satisfying to watch!"

"I’m already a fan of Leon. The next placement match should be cross-city, right?"

"Exactly! Remember to search by school and name—I want to see how many more wins Leon can rack up!"

"If he keeps sweeping like this, he’ll be bringing glory to all of Aurelia City!"

"Absolutely. If a powerhouse emerges from Aurelia City, it’ll be in all the newspapers tomorrow. Just you wait."

"Damn—I’d never even heard of Leon before this. No. 1 High really kept him hidden!"

"They sure did!"

Leon stood quietly on the arena, waiting to be teleported away.

Beneath each arena, teleportation arrays were installed.

The remaining seven matches wouldn’t necessarily be held in the city’s own venue.

That meant Leon could be teleported to arenas in other cities.

Facing examinees from across the entire province.

Selena stepped closer, her golden eyes soft.

"That was incredible, darling."

Leon opened his eyes.

"It was nothing. You did all the work."

Selena shook her head.

"No. You gave me this power. You made me who I am."

Evelyn joined them, her purple eyes thoughtful.

"I still can’t believe how easily you handled that."

Leon smirked.

"Believe it. This is just the beginning."

"Leon—thank you!" Selena’s voice trembled with emotion.

Still riding the high of victory.

"Mhm." Leon acknowledged her softly.

He closed his eyes to rest.

Selena gazed at him, lost in thought.

Then—for reasons she couldn’t quite explain—her cheeks flushed a deep crimson.

---

After three matches, many were recovering and healing their injuries.

The healing-type beast-girls in this world were remarkably skilled.

As long as the injuries weren’t too severe, recovery was quick.

Soon, the break was over.

Everyone returned to their arenas, waiting for the random assignment to their next venues.

Back in the Aurelia City venue, many spectators had already used the venue’s search function to lock onto Leon’s matches.

"Leon—you’ve truly surprised me."

Principal Lawrence muttered to himself.

"Selena was clearly an A-rank beast-girl. How did she become so powerful in your hands?"

After reviewing past records, Principal Lawrence furrowed his brow.

"Truly... peculiar."

"Could this be the reason Evelyn chose to follow him?!"

Suddenly, he felt like he was onto something.

Just then—his screen flickered.

The image of an elderly man appeared.

"Principal Lawrence, I’m sure you’ve heard about the situation between my granddaughter Evelyn and your school’s Martial High (8) Class student Leon?"

The old man leaned on his cane.

His expression stern.

His voice carrying an unmistakable authority.

"I expect an explanation!"

Principal Lawrence’s heart tightened.

He knew this elder—the Blackheart family patriarch.

The Blackheart family held a pivotal position in Aurelia City.

And Evelyn was their prized jewel.

He took a deep breath and replied respectfully:

"Elder Blackheart, of course I’m aware."

"Then you know that my granddaughter has been contracted by Leon?"

The old man’s brow furrowed.

His voice laced with anger.

Principal Lawrence felt as if a boulder had been dropped on his chest.

He chose his words carefully:

"This... I... I only learned of this today myself."

"Hmph. As the principal, don’t you bear some responsibility for this?"

The old man glared.

His voice brimming with displeasure.

Principal Lawrence felt wronged—but could only endure it.

On this matter, he truly had no defense.

But then—he thought of Leon’s strength and performance.

He straightened his back.

His voice carrying a hint of conviction:

"Elder Blackheart, I admit there was negligence on my part in terms of oversight. But you’ve seen Leon’s performance for yourself—he’s exceptionally skilled, with unlimited potential. If he continues this streak, it will bring honor not only to Aurelia No. 1 High—but to the Blackheart family as well."

"Speaking of which—did you watch today’s matches? Leon is truly outstanding. To have cultivated such an exceptional beast-girl as Selena..."

At this point, Principal Lawrence actually sounded somewhat proud.

The old man coughed violently several times.

His face turning red—whether from anger or exasperation at the principal’s words.

Selena—when exactly did she become Leon’s cultivation project?

Wasn’t she my fourth son’s wife?!

What a disaster. Absolutely disastrous.

After his coughing fit, the old man thought for a moment.

His expression shifting between dark and uncertain.

He naturally knew of Leon’s strength.

But his love for Evelyn made it impossible to accept his granddaughter being contracted to such a young man.

After a long silence, unable to swallow his pride, he said coldly:

"Principal Lawrence, I don’t care how highly you regard Leon. But I hope you understand—Evelyn is a member of the Blackheart family. Her future is not yours to decide."

Though Principal Lawrence felt wronged, he knew that old people were often stubborn.

He swallowed his pride and took a deep breath.

Keeping his tone as calm as possible:

"Elder Blackheart, I understand your concerns."

"But I hope you’ll also understand that, as principal, if Leon truly leads our school to greater glory—I believe that would be a good thing for Evelyn as well."

The old man was once again left speechless.

His face contorted, clearly struggling to contain his anger.

Finally, he shot Principal Lawrence one last cold glare.

And ended the call.

Principal Lawrence watched the screen go dark and let out a cold snort.

He knew he’d just made an enemy of the Blackheart family.

But that old man had been so overbearing—he simply couldn’t hold back.

He hadn’t known about the contract between Leon and Evelyn either!

The martial exams were already underway by the time he found out!

Principal Lawrence smiled coldly to himself.

"What if Leon carries your granddaughter straight to the top of the scoreboard? Let’s see if you can still talk like that then!"

"You’d be secretly celebrating under your blankets."

"Wait—where did Levis go?"

"Forget it. One step at a time!"