Book 1 Chapter 107
【107】106.
“An admission recommendation letter for Azonia?”
“Yeah. When Mom was young, she helped Azonia. At that time, I guess you could say it was forced, but I received an admission recommendation letter.”
Reina scratched her head and spoke to the spirit.
“My son is already attending Lumerne, so he cannot enroll in Azonia.”
[I see.]
The spirit nodded as if understanding.
[After you sign the admission notice, please come to Azrek in three days.]
“They’re not communicating.”
“Because it’s a messenger spirit.”
“Right, it would only relay what it was told.”
“By the way, how did you know I turned fifteen and selected me as a candidate?”
“When I received the recommendation letter, I made a kind of contract with the spirit. According to the contract sealed with blood, it must have known you turned fifteen.”
Leo clucked his tongue, watching Reina grumble.
“You shouldn’t make contracts carelessly.”
“How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this?”
Leo chuckled at Reina’s grumbling and examined the letter from Azonia.
Then he stroked his chin.
“So, this is a qualification to attend Azonia’s entrance ceremony?”
“That’s right. Well, we can just ignore it. If we don’t register, they’ll find another recommended applicant.”
Leo said, watching Reina shrug.
“That sounds interesting?”
“What?”
Reina looked at Leo with surprised eyes as he smiled.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a rare opportunity, isn’t it?”
“With your skills as the Lumerne class representative, you’d pass the entrance exam without fail, wouldn’t you?”
“This is also an experience. If I drop out midway and come back, the admission will be canceled anyway. And I just won’t reveal that I’m Leo Flobe.”
“I thought I’d finally get to spend a good vacation with my son.”
Reina grumbled.
“I’ll go to Azrek in three days.”
At Leo’s words, the messenger spirit nodded and vanished from the spot.
It had released its summoning and returned to its contractor.
‘Azonia, huh. I wonder what the beastman hero candidates are like.’
***
Azrek, the city of sea and desert located at the southern tip of the continent, was one of the largest cities on the continent.
This was because all trade between the west and east passed through here.
Naturally, the city grew wealthy.
It was a metropolis that wielded as much influence as Lumeria City, known as the largest human city.
The difference from Lumeria City was that various races resided there.
Arriving in Azrek via a warp gate, Leo smiled as he walked the city streets.
‘It’s peaceful.’
For Leo, seeing the lively scenery of such a large city was a pleasure.
This vibrancy was a testament to Kyle and his comrades saving the world.
Walking through the streets, Leo arrived at the central plaza.
Many people were gathered in the central plaza.
All of them were offering flowers to the statue of a wolf beastman in the middle of the plaza.
Sharp eyes, protruding fangs.
With claws extended and a valiant face letting out a roar, he was someone Leo was all too familiar with.
‘Arion.’
Hero Arion.
The racial hero of the beastmen and one of the great heroes who saved the world in the past.
Leo burst into laughter, looking at Arion roaring.
“What is that, it doesn’t suit him?”
In this era, Arion was recorded as a very brave man.
Since the gods referred to Arion as a ‘hero,’ there was nothing strange about it.
Leo bought flowers from a nearby merchant and went to his friend’s statue.
In front of the statue, an inscription dedicated to Arion was written.
In honor of Arion, the hero with indomitable courage
‘Indomitable courage, my foot. He trembled with fear in every battle.’
Leo chuckled and offered the flowers.
Arion, who was more cowardly than anyone else, was more valiant than anyone when it came to his friends, and seeing that, the great heroes were able to gain courage.
‘Guys… *cough*. Don’t cry. It was my role to protect you. And I’m sorry… I couldn’t keep my promise to protect you until the end.’
Leo wore a bitter smile, recalling Arion, who apologized even in his dying moments.
After offering flowers to his friend’s statue, Leo left the central plaza.
He then walked to find the dormitory where Azonia Academy student candidates were staying.
‘The exam starts in three days, right?’
The admission notice arrived two days ago.
If a candidate did not register by tomorrow, their admission would be invalidated.
‘Where should I go?’
After deliberating, Leo decided to go to where children his age were most numerous.
Azrek was the examination venue.
As free lectures were held in various beastman nations, the place where admission candidates naturally gathered was also the registration place.
As expected, there was a place where many individuals who looked like Azonia student candidates were gathered.
And seeing that building, Leo’s expression momentarily went blank.
‘Coliseum?’
The place the students were heading was Azrek’s Coliseum.
“Get out of the way, half-breed.”
Leo ignored the voice from behind.
He thought it wasn’t directed at him.
‘Why a Coliseum of all places?’
Thud—!
“Move it!”
But when someone irritably pushed his back, he frowned and looked behind him.
There stood three wolf beastmen of Leo’s age.
Leo asked, looking at them, who held a dense sneer.
“What did you just say?”
“I said half-breed, are you offended?”
“Derkin. Stop it. The half-breed might get offended. Hehehe.”
“You’re worse!”
The wolf beastman boy and girl on either side giggled at the boy in the middle’s words.
Seeing that, Leo reached to pick his ear with his pinky finger but stopped.
There were no ears where they should have been.
Instead, ‘rabbit ears’ were attached higher up on his head.
Currently, Leo was perfectly disguised as a mixed-blood beastman.
This was because he had polymorphed into a mixed-blood beastman with Kirian’s help.
In the process, his white hair had turned black.
If asked why a rabbit of all things, the reason was simple.
It was Reina’s preference.
Thinking of his mother, Leo sighed and said,
“Why don’t you watch your language?”
“Oh, really?”
The large wolf beastman boy on the left twitched his eye, seeing Leo who was not at all intimidated.
“A cowardly half-breed rabbit has a lot of nerve, huh? But you picked the wrong opponent to defy!”
Grab—!
“We’re attending Azonia’s entrance ceremony this time, that’s what I mean!”
The large beastman boy grabbed Leo’s rabbit ear on his head and glared.
Azonia admission.
This alone was a very big deal among beastmen.
Because they had passed the difficult, hellish free lectures and earned the qualification.
“So?”
But Leo’s reaction was nonchalant.
For the Lumerne class representative, Azonia candidate qualification was neither a big deal nor a threat.
“What?”
“What if you attend the entrance ceremony? Are you even Azonia students yet?”
The boy was flustered by Leo’s question.
“You’re not even Azonia students yet, what makes you so boastful?”
“You bastard…! *Cough*!”
The boy, provoked by Leo’s words, raised his fist.
Of course, before the fist could land, Leo’s foot struck the boy’s stomach.
The large beastman boy’s body bent into a ‘ㄱ’ shape.
Leo then elbowed the bent boy directly in the back.
Leo muttered after easily knocking down the wolf boy.
“If this is the skill of an Azonia admission candidate, it’s a bit disappointing.”
“You damn half-breed!”
The atmosphere turned grim.
The two students who had identified themselves as Azonia admission candidates unleashed their auras.
Curious eyes from the surroundings focused on them, wondering what was happening.
“What are you doing?”
Just then, a clear girl’s voice was heard.
A girl with white cat ears and a tail hurriedly stepped between Leo and the wolf beastmen.
Then, the girl among the wolf beastmen shouted.
“Who are you!”
“My name is!”
“Isn’t that Ar Tune?”
“From the Tune family? Now that you mention it, her appearance matches perfectly.”
“She’s a recommended candidate this time, isn’t she?”
As the surrounding beastmen whispered, Ar, who was about to introduce herself, stopped speaking and perked up her ears.
Ar, wearing a cat-like expression, wagged her tail as if pleased that people recognized her.
But that was only for a moment.
She raised her white tail, clearly annoyed, looking at the three wolf beastmen.
“Don’t you think it’s cowardly for three people to attack one?”
“No, this half-breed attacked my friend first…”
“I saw you start the fight first. And.”
Ar’s eyes turned cold.
“Do you call your own kind ‘half-breed’?”
Contempt filled Ar’s eyes.
Seeing that, Dergon flinched, then stammered, ‘I, I just remembered an urgent errand!’ and quickly ran away.
“Let’s, let’s go together!”
The girl also, with a terrified face, dragged the fallen large boy and followed.
Laughter erupted from the surroundings.
Ar snorted, watching them.
“I don’t know how they passed the free lectures.”
As the crowd that had gathered for the fight dispersed, Ar approached Leo.
“You’re an admission candidate too, right?”
“Yes.”
“Heh-heh-hem! What an energetic fellow! Not intimidated by three opponents!”
Ar proudly puffed out her chest, placed her hands on her hips, and nodded as if pleased.
“Is there any reason to be intimidated?”
Even if Ar hadn’t helped, he could have easily beaten the three of them.
“I was worried there would only be boring kids, but this is great! You’ll pass the entrance ceremony! Black Rabbit!”
Ar’s cat-like smiling eyes momentarily changed like a cat’s pupils.
Her gaze turned to a desert butterfly fluttering about.
Ar instinctively swung her left hand to catch the butterfly.
But the desert butterfly avoided her touch.
Ar, with her tail standing stiffly, chased the butterfly and said,
“Well then, I’m off!”
Leo chuckled, watching her chase the butterfly like a cat.
“They’re still a race true to their instincts.”
If other races had seen Ar, they might have found her silly, but the other beastmen looked at Ar with very serious eyes.
The gazes of the admission candidates crossed in two main ways.
Awe and competitiveness.
‘It’s different from Lumerne or Seirune.’
To humans, Lumerne students were objects of longing, admiration, and support.
To elves, Seirune students were those to be respected, carrying on the will of their great ancestors.
And beastmen…
‘They’re objects of worship.’
Heroes, before being agents of change, were also individuals possessing powerful and great strength.
Because of this, the beastmen’s attitude toward hero candidates was also divided into two main categories.
A fighting spirit to defeat the strong and worship that paid respect to the strong.
‘It’s certainly unique.’
Leo, arms crossed, his eyes sparkling.
It was a completely different atmosphere from Lumerne.
‘Glad I came.’
Smiling faintly, Leo went to the student candidate dormitory building to register for the entrance ceremony.
------------------==