Chapter 69: Hidden Motives
Amid the distant roars and thunderous explosions echoing across the wilderness, the two largest factions of Frontier Academy’s first year finally met under the leadership of Leopard and Rachel.
Neither side had come for a friendly discussion.
Both leaders had brought the full strength of their factions, including the teams they had recruited over the past weeks. At first glance, Rachel appeared to hold the advantage in numbers. However, she knew better than anyone that Leopard possessed the stronger combat force. His faction had more Enhancers with powerful abilities and greater overall quality among its elites.
Although both sides had D-Enhancers at the top, Leopard still maintained a slight edge. That advantage was enough to balance the disparity in numbers, making any direct confrontation far too costly and uncertain for either side.
"I see you came prepared for a war, not a meeting."
Standing among five Enhancers who represented the strongest members of her faction, Rachel slowly surveyed the area.
Across an oval table, Leopard sat calmly in his chair while three Enhancers stood behind him.
"Have a seat."
He ignored her remark entirely. After all, Rachel had also arrived with nearly everyone under her command. Still, he couldn’t help being surprised by the number of teams gathered behind her. It was far beyond what his latest reports had indicated.
"Why did you send for me?"
Rachel spoke as though she knew nothing about the purpose of the meeting. And Leopard didn’t believe the act for a second.
"Let’s stop wasting time."
His gaze drifted past her shoulder toward the distant battlefield where the dragon continued to rage.
"We both know Silas and Cher arrived alone a few hours ago before disappearing into some unknown location."
Rachel smiled calmly, though countless thoughts were moving behind her composed expression.
"I managed to track them for a while, but eventually lost their trail."
She paused briefly.
"That reminds me... three Lisan Al-Gaias in one place, with a dragon appearing nearby. Doesn’t that strike suspicion?"
"How so?"
Leopard feigned ignorance.
He understood exactly what she was trying to probe, and that realisation forced him to revise part of his earlier assessment of her. Rachel might be small and soft-spoken, but she was far from naïve.
On the other hand, Rachel recalled the precious advice she received moments before coming here. And that advice greatly changed everything for her.
"You know the story of the first Lisan Al-Gaia, don’t you?"
She casually twirled her short staff while watching him closely. Yet Leopard remained silent, not a single reaction appeared on his face.
"According to the legend, the first human to hear Gaia’s voice didn’t understand what was happening to him. Seeking answers, he approached one of the elder races of Eldrune and eventually met a dragon. When he explained the strange voice in his head, the dragon flew into a storm of rage. It refused to believe that a young race like humanity could hear the sacred words of Gaia."
She leaned back slightly.
"You know what happened afterwards, right?"
Of course, Leopard knew. The tale was among the most infamous legends in human history. It was mostly the reason why Lisan Al-Gaia had a bad reputation among normal Enhancers.
Still, his expression remained unchanged.
"The dragon didn’t kill him. Instead, it followed him back to one of the earliest human settlements and slaughtered everyone there while forcing the first Lisan Al-Gaia to watch. Before leaving, it told him that any human capable of hearing Gaia’s voice would forever be met with merciless persecution from dragons and the other races. That event marked the beginning of humanity’s hostile relationship with the rest of Eldrune."
"I still don’t see your point."
Leopard lied flatly, while Rachel’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"A dragon is here. Three Lisan Al-Gaias are here. Don’t you think that’s a little too much to dismiss as a coincidence?"
Leopard met her scrutiny with the same calm expression.
"If you’re asking why a dragon suddenly appeared within a safe haven, inside the Elfine Kingdom, then I’m afraid I have no answer. Even with all the connections my family possesses, I couldn’t uncover the reason."
"It’s because of the incident outside the safe haven."
Rachel let out a soft chuckle, though her gaze never left him. She could easily tell he was lying, and that was thanks to the news reaching her from a shared friend to both of their families.
Then awkward Silence settled over the table.
As the tension grew, the Enhancers standing behind both leaders gradually became more vigilant. Eventually, Rachel broke the silence.
"Anyway, we’re here to deal with those two, aren’t we?"
"That’s correct."
Leopard knew exactly how deeply she hated Cher. And he was glad she finally shifted her eyes off the Gaia Calling point.
Originally, he had intended to exploit that hatred and direct it toward his own goals. However, after seeing how openly Rachel tested him with her suspicions, he decided to change his approach.
For now, patience would serve him better.
"I say we secure the outposts surrounding theirs first."
Rachel moved a finger through the air, and a projected map appeared above her wristwatch.
"I believe you’re already familiar with the location of their outpost. We should capture as many nearby outposts as possible and split the rewards between us. As for the rest, we can compete freely and let the final rankings decide who comes out ahead."
"Are you aiming to secure the first spot in the team ranking for yours?"
Leopard disliked the proposal immediately. Just as he had feared, Rachel’s focus had shifted toward defeating Cher in the mission rather than confronting and humiliating her personally.
And yet, his competitive nature didn’t allow him to even accept such open challenge.
"It’s based on our abilities after all."
Rachel was playing with him, despite the fact that this was indeed her goal from the start.
Leopard didn’t like how she acted haughtily, and somehow vowed inside that he would teach her a lesson, to put her in the right place during this mission.
"It’s certainly a reasonable plan."
Still, rejecting her suggestion outright would only raise suspicion.
"However, there’s another factor we need to consider."
He pointed at the map.
"As you can see, there’s a dragon in the area."
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