Chapter 43. 20. A Taste That Cannot Be Respected (3)
'No, get a hold of yourself.'
Lumian shook his head.
Her chest, looking as soft as freshly baked bread, dazzled his eyes, but today's Lumian was different from usual.
Since becoming Lumian, or rather, since gaining 'that thing,' this was the greatest crisis he had faced.
No matter how excellent the figure of the woman before him was.
No matter his inclination to value body over face, that wasn't what mattered right now.
Taking a deep breath, he spoke in a forceful tone.
"Call out the person in charge."
"Why? Why come here suddenly and cause trouble?"
"It's not trouble. I came to legitimately address an issue."
"Address?"
"Yes. Address."
Lumian dropped formal speech.
As he spoke, his gaze inevitably drifted toward her face rather than her chest, and he could feel his mind gradually returning.
Along with that, the anger in his chest began to boil hotly.
Lumian removed his robe and mask and threw them far away.
The large-chested female student's eyes went wide.
"I am Lumian Callad."
"......!"
"I heard you're spreading ridiculous rumors here, so right now immediately..."
"Kyaaah, Lumian Callad-nim! I'm your fan!"
Before he could even finish speaking, the female student approached and embraced him.
Lumian wore a dumbfounded expression.
The softness of her chest felt through his clothes, and the completely unexpected reaction. He couldn't collect his thoughts at all.
Naturally. This was the highest level of skinship in Lumian's life.
He froze solid like a stone statue.
"What are you doing right now!"
It was Teoro who saved that Lumian.
Unlike his usual self, he stepped forward actively and separated the two. Then he whispered to Lumian.
"Get a hold of yourself."
"Ah, umm."
"I don't know what bullshit that girl is spouting, but she might be trying to vaguely brush it off. Don't let it slide and get a definite answer. That she'll never do it again."
"...Right."
Lumian nodded with a hardened expression.
This was Teoro, who normally didn't use rough language.
For someone like him to speak this harshly, it was for his sake.
'Right, common sense says if the victim came forward, she wouldn't react so affectionately. She definitely intends to smooth-talk her way through.'
Thinking that way, the flames in his heart that had briefly weakened burned even more fiercely.
He wouldn't waver anymore.
With firm determination, Lumian strongly confronted the female student.
However, the female student was a far more remarkable person than Lumian, Teoro, or Boomer had imagined.
How absurd her thoughts were became clear from just a brief conversation.
"Don't spout fan this, fan that, bullshit. Call out the president here."
"I am, I am the president! What to do, Lumian-nim came here in person! I've been a fan since the first round of the sword tournament! Could you perhaps give me an autograph?"
"No, what kind of nonsense are you... Not only did you spread rumors that an innocent person is gay, but you even made and sold this kind of trash? Are you in your right mind?"
"Lumian-nim."
"W-what."
The Subculture Research Club's president stepped one foot closer. Lumian's expression showed slight surprise.
Right now, he was emitting quite a strong presence.
He couldn't use force against an ordinary woman who hadn't even held a sword or learned aura. But since it was too unfair to just argue with words, he had expressed his dissatisfaction in his own way.
Yet for her to break through that and approach him.
Common sense couldn't explain it.
'How is this possible?'
Her expression was strange too.
The president approached like a fanatic, completely bewitched by something.
She tightly grasped Lumian's hand.
Then spoke with a serious face.
"Homosexuality is not shameful."
"......"
"It's a type of beautiful and noble love. You don't need to hide it."
"......"
"We support the love between Lumian-nim and Kal Krone-nim. Really."
Teoro and Boomer shook their heads.
Lumian closed his eyes deeply, harboring intense anger.
'Where do I even start?'
There wasn't just one or two things to address.
The fact that she was meddling in something that wasn't her business.
The fact that this meddling was completely untrue.
The fact that he was suffering enormous mental damage because of it.
The possibility that Kal Krone might be suffering just as much as he was.
Besides that, various thoughts swirled in his head.
'Should I hit her?'
Lumian seriously considered it.
He had no intention of arguing about others' tastes.
Whether women liked women, or men liked men, what did it have to do with him?
Rather, if men liked men, he was grateful for it. That meant fewer competitors.
But he didn't want to tolerate forcing such tastes on him.
He quietly opened his eyes.
'One last time.'
Let's try words one more time. Lumian thought.
He was someone who had lived by chivalry for decades. No matter how unreasonable the opponent, he couldn't recklessly use violence against the weak.
"Listen here."
Lumian spoke to the president with superhuman patience.
His tone returned to formal speech. She looked at Lumian with a face full of affection, as if not understanding what was wrong.
Though this made him even angrier, he held back for now.
It was the moment he was about to speak again with sincerity.
"Lumian-!"
Flinch.
Teoro was surprised, and Boomer was surprised.
But the most surprised was Lumian.
He turned his head backward. It seemed like a creaking sound came from his throat due to tension.
One person entered his eyes.
The person he least wanted to meet right now.
A man approaching with a smile more terrifying than the high-ranking demons he had defeated in his previous life, more than the Demon King.
It was Kal Krone.
"Oh my, Kal Krone-nim too..."
"What? Kal Krone-nim?"
"What! Lumian Callad-nim is here too?"
Hearing the commotion outside, more members of the Subculture Research Club popped out.
They all looked at Lumian with faces full of excitement, and at Kal Krone walking from afar. And they started whispering among themselves.
Stories close to delusions that didn't consider the feelings or positions of the parties involved at all.
Lumian's reason snapped with a pop.
At that moment, Kal Krone, who had approached right in front of him, opened his mouth.
"I've been looking all day, but to think you'd be in a place like this."
"......"
"Not happy to see me? I, called the greatest talent in Tarazan history, came personally? Of course you're someone worth that much, but still, show some reaction."
But no reaction came from Lumian.
Rather, exclamations flowed from the mouths of people he didn't care about, gloomy female students whose names he didn't even know.
Kal Krone frowned.
'What? Who are those people?'
Of course, they weren't people he needed to deeply concern himself with.
For him right now, only the realization he had just had, and the only worthy rival to test that realization.
In other words, only Lumian Callad mattered.
He smiled broadly, thinking about the past few days.
Since achieving a tie with Lumian in the sword tournament finals, Kal Krone had become a demon of the sword. He spent twice as much time in the training hall as before, devoting himself to honing his sword.
Yet he didn't tire. It wasn't difficult.
Rather, he couldn't even hide his surprise at his skills improving day by day.
'It's all thanks to a wonderful rival appearing.'
Yes. He couldn't deny it.
His recent growth was eighty percent thanks to Lumian.
Because there was a unique peer swordsman chasing right behind his chin, he could escape from long laziness and abandon his nasty hobby of enjoying others' attention.
And the result of investing all that wasted mental energy into himself.
He had stepped into the final stage to become a Sword Expert.
'At the same age as... that great Knight King!'
He had succeeded in breaking through the lower passage, one of the three gates!
Recalling that time, Kal Krone smiled again.
'Of course, two gates still remain.'
The middle passage, much harder to break through than the lower one.
And the upper passage, much thicker than that, requiring determination to become crippled just from attempting it.
He couldn't reach the realm of Sword Expert before breaking through those. Drawing out even an incomplete Aura Sword was also impossible.
But he was only fifteen years old.
Break through the middle passage within one year, and the upper passage within two years.
And thus enter the realm of Sword Expert at age seventeen, the same age as Zenas's Knight King Philip III.
That was Kal Krone's new goal.
'I can do it!'
If an ordinary cadet had such thoughts, and went around expressing such ambitions, they would surely face harsh criticism.
But Kal Krone was different.
He, who was shattering all records of Tarazan Academy.
If he was together with a wonderful pacesetter named Lumian Callad.
He thought he could make his dream a reality.
"Take it."
Whoosh!
Thwack!
Kal Krone threw his sword toward Lumian.
Not the wooden sword used in classes, but a real sword for competition.
Lumian caught it and looked at Kal Krone with an expressionless face.
"I'm too impatient to wait for a big stage like the sword tournament."
"......"
"And I wanted to show you my results first."
At Kal Krone's meaningful words, the female students around them whispered again.
However, Lumian no longer wore an unpleasant expression.
He just silently gazed at the sword Kal Krone had handed him.
But that appearance was extremely chilling.
It felt like a sheet of ice was grazing his spine and neck. Kal Krone showed a startled expression, then smiled broadly and took his stance.
"Not easy. As expected, you're the only one who can keep up with my growth pace."
"......"
"Be careful. I'm on a different level from the tournament finals."
As soon as those words ended, Kal Krone's sword began to glow blue.
Wooooong!
"No!"
"Crazy... bastard!"
Teoro and Boomer were startled.
What Kal Krone had shown was that remarkable.
It didn't reach the incomplete Aura Sword, like flames flowing outside the sword's surface.
But it was much denser than surface reinforcement through aura. It could be called the stage right before transitioning to Aura Sword.
"Lumian Callad, draw your sword. Let's settle the match we couldn't have back then, right here."
Kal Krone spoke confidently.
He could feel his blood boiling too.
The frost-like energy flowing from his body didn't seem as solid as what he showed during the sword tournament championship, but it looked much sharper and more dangerous.
That made it even more interesting and thrilling.
He shouted loudly once more.
"Come! Let's settle this!"
"...Right. Let's finish this."
Lumian Callad drew his sword.
Still expressionless, with cold energy swirling around.
But beneath his skin, indescribably hot blood, seething rage was flowing.
Gritting his teeth, he charged fiercely.
"Huh, huh?"
"What!"
But the direction of his charge was strange.
He didn't run toward Kal Krone. Instead, he stood before one of the beautiful statues lined up in front of the Subculture Research Club building.
Then swung his sword like lightning.
Shaaaak!
Slide... thud!
The statue collapsed to the floor along a diagonal slash mark that appeared.
Everyone wore dazed expressions. But Lumian didn't stop.
One statue wasn't enough to quell his anger.
Swaaaak!
Bang!
Spit-!
Boom!
Shaaaak!
Slide... thuuud!
The president's face turned pale white as she watched the statues continuously collapsing.
She couldn't help but tremble all over at the murderous energy Lumian was emitting and the gruesome sight.
But there was someone even more surprised than her.
The person who thought Lumian was his equal, or perhaps slightly below him.
It was Kal Krone.
'In that short time... he rose above me?'