Book 1 Chapter 107

"An Azonia admission recommendation letter?"

"Yes. My mother helped Azonia when she was young. At that time, she received an admission recommendation letter, I guess you could call it forcibly."

Raina scratched her head and said to the spirit.

"My son is already attending Lumern, so he cannot enroll in Azonia."

[I see.]

The spirit nodded as if understanding.

[After you sign the admission notice, you may come to Azrek in three days.]

"This is useless."

"Because they are messenger spirits."

"Well, they'll just inform me of what they were ordered to."

"By the way, how did you know I turned fifteen to select me as an admission candidate?"

"When I received the recommendation letter, I made a kind of contract with a spirit. According to the contract imprinted with blood, they knew you turned fifteen."

Leo clicked his tongue, watching Raina grumble.

"You shouldn't make contracts carelessly."

"Did I know this would happen?"

Leo chuckled, watching Raina mumble, and examined the letter from Azonia.

Then he stroked his chin.

"So, this is the qualification to attend Azonia's entrance ceremony?"

"That's right. Well, you can just ignore it. If you don't register, they'll find other recommended applicants."

Watching Raina shrug, Leo said,

"This will be fun?"

"What?"

Raina looked at Leo with surprised eyes, seeing him smile.

"What do you mean?"

"It's a rare opportunity."

"With your skills as Lumern's grade representative, you'll definitely pass the entrance exam?"

"This is also an experience. If I withdraw midway, the admission will be canceled. And we just won't reveal that Leo Frolov is the one."

"I thought I'd have a good vacation with my son."

Raina grumbled.

"I'll go to Azrek in three days."

At Leo's words, the messenger spirit nodded and vanished on the spot.

It had released the summon and returned to its contractor.

'Azonia. I wonder what the beastkin hero candidates will be like.'

***

Azrek, a city of sea and desert located at the southernmost tip of the continent, was one of the largest cities on the continent.

All trade between the west and the east passed through here.

Naturally, the city became prosperous.

It was a major city that exerted as much influence as Lumelia City, known as the largest human city.

The difference from Lumelia City was that various races resided there.

Leo arrived in Azrek via a warp gate and walked the city streets with a smile.

'It's peaceful.'

For Leo, seeing the scenery of such a vibrant, bustling city was a pleasure.

Such liveliness was proof that Kyle and his companions had saved the world.

Walking through the streets, Leo arrived at the central plaza.

A large crowd had gathered in the central plaza.

They were all laying flowers at the statue of the wolf beastman in the center of the plaza.

Sharp eyes, protruding fangs.

He was roaring with a valiant face, claws extended, and he was all too familiar to Leo.

'Arion.'

Arion the Brave.

A hero of the beastkin race and one of the great heroes who saved the world in the past.

Leo burst into laughter, looking at Arion roaring.

"What's that, it doesn't suit him?"

In this era, Arion was recorded as a very brave person.

When the gods called Arion 'Brave,' 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 was an inscription dedicated to Arion.

In memory of Arion, the Brave, who possessed indomitable courage.

'Indomitable courage, my ass. He trembled with fear in every battle.'

Leo offered the flowers with a wry smile.

Arion, who was more cowardly than anyone, was more valiant than anyone when it came to protecting his friends, and seeing that, the great heroes could find courage.

'Guys… *cough* Don't cry. Protecting you was my role. And I'm sorry… I couldn't keep my promise to protect you until the end.'

Leo smiled bitterly, recalling Arion apologizing even in his dying moments.

After laying flowers at his friend's statue, Leo left the central plaza.

Then he set off to find the dormitory where Azonia Academy's student candidates were staying.

'The test starts in three days, right?'

The admission notice arrived two days ago.

If the admission candidate registration was not completed by tomorrow, the admission would be invalidated.

'Where should I go?'

As Leo pondered, he decided to go to the place where most children his age were.

Azrek was the venue for the test.

As various free lectures were held in the beastkin countries, the registration place was naturally where the admission candidates gathered.

As expected, there was a place where many people who looked like Azonia student candidates were gathered.

And upon seeing the building, Leo's expression went blank for a moment.

'A colosseum?'

The place students were heading towards was Azrek's colosseum.

"Move, mongrel."

Leo ignored the voice from behind him.

He thought it wasn't directed at him.

'Why the colosseum of all places?'

*Thud-!*

"I said move!"

But when someone impatiently pushed his back, he grimaced and looked back.

There stood three wolf beastmen his age.

Looking at them with a deep smirk, Leo asked,

"What did you just say?"

"I said mongrel, does that offend you?"

"Derkin, stop it. It'll offend the mongrel who's listening. Hehehe."

"You're worse!"

At the words of the boy in the middle, the wolf beastmen boys and girls on either side giggled.

Seeing that, Leo started to pick his ear with his pinky finger but stopped.

There were no ears where ears should have been.

'Rabbit ears' were attached a little higher on his head.

Leo was currently perfectly disguised as a half-breed beastman.

He had polymorphed into a half-breed beastman with Krian's help.

In the process, his white hair turned black.

If you ask why it had to be rabbit ears, the reason was simple.

It was Raina's preference.

Reminding himself of his mother, Leo sighed and said,

"Why don't you just talk properly?"

"Oh?"

Seeing Leo, who wasn't scared at all, the large wolf beastman boy on the left's eyes twitched.

"A cowardly mongrel rabbit having the guts? But you've chosen the wrong person to defy!"

*Grabs-!*

"We're attending Azonia's entrance ceremony this time, you hear!"

The large beastman boy grabbed the rabbit ears on Leo's head and glared.

Azonia admission.

This alone was a very significant event among beastkin.

It was obtained by overcoming the difficult, hellish free lectures.

"So?"

But Leo's reaction was indifferent.

For Lumern's grade representative, the qualification of an Azonia examinee was not a great deal or a threat.

"What? So you'll attend the entrance ceremony? Does that make you an Azonia student?"

The boy was taken aback by Leo's question.

"You're not even an Azonia student yet, so what makes you so arrogant?"

"You bastard…! *Cough!*"

Enraged by Leo's words, the boy raised his fist.

Of course, before the fist could fly, Leo's foot hit the boy's stomach.

The large beastman boy's body bent into a 'G' shape.

Leo then jabbed his elbow into the bent boy's back.

Leo, who had easily defeated the wolf beastman, muttered,

"If this is the skill of an Azonia admission candidate, it's a bit disappointing."

"You damn mongrel!"

The atmosphere turned grim.

The two students who identified themselves as Azonia admission candidates unleashed their auras.

Curious onlookers' gazes were fixed on them, wondering what was happening.

"What are you guys doing right now?"

Just then, a clear girl's voice was heard.

A girl with white cat ears and a tail urgently intervened between Leo and the wolf beastmen.

Then the girl among the wolf beastmen shouted,

"Who are you!"

"My name is!"

"Isn't that ArTune?"

"From the Tune family? Come to think of it, the features match."

"Didn't you say you were a recommended candidate this time?"

As the surrounding beastkin whispered, Ar, who was about to introduce herself, stopped and perked up her ears.

Ar, with a cat-like expression, seemed pleased as people recognized her and her tail wagged.

But that was only for a moment.

Seeing the three wolf beastmen, she bristled, her white tail rising, as if displeased.

"Don't you think it's cowardly to attack one person with three?"

"No, this mongrel attacked my friend first…"

"I saw you picking a fight first. And."

Ar's eyes turned cold.

"You call your own kind 'mongrel'?"

Disdain flickered in Ar's eyes.

Seeing that, Dergon flinched, mumbled, and then exclaimed, 'Oh, I suddenly remembered an urgent errand!' and quickly fled.

"Let's… go together!"

The girl also grabbed the fallen one and followed, dragging him with a frightened face.

Laughter erupted from the surroundings.

Ar snorted, watching them go.

"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?"

"Yeah."

"Hoo-hoo-hoo! A spirited fellow! Not backing down against three!"

Ar, seeming to like him, puffed out her chest, placed her hands on her hips, and nodded.

"Is there any reason I should back down?"

Even if Ar hadn't helped, she could have easily beaten those three.

"I was worried it would be filled with boring people, so it's good! You'll pass the entrance ceremony! Black Rabbit!"

Ar, who was smiling like a cat, had her pupils momentarily change like a cat's.

Her gaze was drawn to a desert butterfly fluttering nearby.

Ar instinctively swung her left hand to catch the butterfly.

But the desert butterfly evaded her grasp.

Ar, with her tail raised, chased the butterfly and said,

"Then I'm off!"

Watching Ar chase the butterfly like a cat, Leo chuckled.

"Still a species faithful to their instincts."

If other races saw it, they might have considered Ar's behavior frivolous, but other beastkin watched Ar with serious eyes.

The gazes of the admission candidates were divided into two main categories.

Awe and competitiveness.

'It's different from Lumern or Seirun.'

For humans, Lumern students were objects of admiration, longing, and support.

For elves, Seirun students were those who should be respected for carrying on the will of the great progenitor.

And the beastkin…

'They are objects of worship.'

Heroes were not only beings who brought about change but also possessed powerful and great strength.

Therefore, the attitudes of the beastkin towards hero candidates were also divided into two main categories.

The fighting spirit to defeat the strong, and worship that shows respect to the strong.

'Definitely unique.'

Leo, with his arms crossed, his eyes sparkled.

The atmosphere was completely different from Lumern.

'It was good to come here.'

He chuckled and headed towards the student candidate dormitory building to register for the entrance ceremony.