Book 1 Chapter 124

124.

"What did you just do to those kids?"

"Don't worry. I merely sent them far away."

Answering the shelter employee, who asked with a bewildered expression, with an unenthusiastic face, he sharply turned his body.

And disappeared into the crowd.

'Why is a dragon here?'

A dragon.

A species revered as the strongest on land.

In the past, they settled and lived all over the land, but now they were a rare species to see outside of Dragonia, known as the kingdom of dragons.

'A dragon like that is in Lumeria City.'

He was briefly interested but soon decided to drop the matter.

He thought it wasn't strange for a dragon to visit to observe the situation, given that there had been quite a few issues in Lumern over the past six months.

Afterward, Leo continued to show Elsie around Lumeria City.

In the process, incidents similar to what happened at the Hero's Rest occurred quite often.

Dropouts were frequently seen going around to professors, begging for one more chance.

Some first-year students laughed at them, who had been their classmates just a short while ago.

The contrast between those who survived and those who didn't was clearly being drawn.

As the sun was setting, upon returning to the hotel, he saw a familiar face.

"Uncle Zis."

"It's been a long time, Leo. How have you been?"

"Yes, I've been well."

Zis, the vice-head of the Zerdinger family, smiled warmly at Leo.

Besides Zis, there were people who appeared to be Zerdinger knights standing in the hotel.

Since Zerdinger had rented out the entire hotel, there were no other guests.

The Zerdinger knights cast curious glances at Leo.

A boy who was the first-year representative of Lumern and had mastered Phoenix Breath, a skill only accessible to those of the Zerdinger bloodline acknowledged by the family.

As knights, they couldn't help but pay close attention.

"So? What conclusion did the family come to?"

Celia asked with a nervous expression.

'She seems to care more about this than I do.'

Leo burst into laughter, watching Celia, who was far more invested in the succession issue than he, the person directly involved, was.

"To put it simply, Leo's acquisition of the right of succession has been postponed."

"Ah…"

Celia let out a sigh filled with disappointment.

"Why?"

Zis gave a wry smile, looking at Celia, who wore a somewhat disgruntled expression.

"Firstly, the biggest reason is that the family doesn't quite know what kind of child Leo is."

"Even so, I don't understand! Leo is Aunt Reina's son, and he's a skilled individual, more than capable of being called a direct descendant of Zerdinger!"

"It was decided at a family meeting, so do you think arguing with Uncle Zis will solve it?"

Leo, who gently tapped Celia's flustered forehead, asked.

"Does 'postponed' mean they'll make a decision later?"

"Yes. It seems it will be decided after the family members meet you in person and make their judgment."

"That means…"

"Visit Zerdinger during the winter break."

"Understood."

Zis smiled faintly, watching Leo nod calmly.

Celia continued to wear a displeased expression, but knowing it wasn't a problem that could be solved by arguing, she didn't bring up the topic again.

"For now, don't worry about family matters. What you two should focus on most right now is the second semester."

"Yes."

"It will be very different from the first semester."

"Is it that different?"

"Yes."

Zis, a Lumern alumnus, wore a significant expression as he looked at his niece and nephew.

"You can consider this the real Lumern Academy from now on."

***

During their stay in Lumeria City, Leo and Celia spent a hectic time preparing for the new semester.

And on the opening day.

Students gathered at the pier heading to Lumern.

Since the piers were different for each grade, there was no chance of meeting upperclassmen.

"Oh my! Nice to see you! How was your vacation?"

"It was great! You look a bit tanned, though?"

"I stayed at the villa during the break."

The female students were busy chatting about their vacation stories.

"Heh, I did some monster subjugation during the break."

"When I got back, I was swamped with party invitations. And you know what? Even noble daughters I didn't know pretended to know me at those parties."

"Do you know where I went during the break?"

The male students chattered about their heroic exploits during the vacation.

"Seeing this makes me realize it's truly the start of the semester."

It was then that Celia swept her hair back and smiled faintly.

"Leo! Celia!"

"Chloe!"

From a distance, Chloe approached with a bright smile.

"Did you have a good break?"

"Yeah! How was yours?"

"I was swamped with family issues."

As the class president and vice-president of Class 1, they were best friends.

"How was Leo's break?"

"Oh, I spent it pretty normally."

"Normal? Attending the Azonia entrance ceremony is normal?"

"Azonia entrance ceremony?"

Chloe made a startled expression.

"I'll tell you the details later."

Leo replied with a smile.

"Yo! Leo! Chloe! Celia!"

Just then, Kal, having spotted the three, approached with a laugh.

Celia, seeing him, wore an expression of surprise.

"It's amazing. To see Kal survive until the second semester."

"Heh. Isn't this all thanks to my skill?"

Kal, who had placed a hand on his chin and worn a meaningful expression, chuckled.

"But honestly, I'm surprised I survived too."

It was true that he had worked hard during the first semester, but there were still limits.

To be frank, he was still bewildered to be here.

"Anyway, Leo, our classmates are gathered over there, let's go that way."

"Okay."

Leo nodded and said to Celia and Chloe.

"See you in a bit."

"Okay. Bye."

"Hahahaha! In the second semester, we'll take the top class spot!"

As Kal provoked with a laugh, Celia, with her arms crossed, wore a scornful expression.

"Nonsense."

Classes 1 and 5 harbored a strong, unspoken rivalry towards each other, thanks to Sedjen and Hallind.

As Leo and Kal headed toward Class 5's gathering place, female students greeted them from all directions.

"Oh! It's Leo!"

"Hi, Leo~"

Kal smiled bitterly, watching the female students wave their hands with squeals of laughter.

"You have good grades AND you're popular with the girls?"

"I don't really feel it."

"You came in third in the first-year male student popularity poll during the first semester, you know?"

Kal grumbled.

"Who on earth held that kind of poll?"

"Who else? I did."

He explained that he had conducted a popularity poll among the female students while doing business with the entire first-year class.

"It's unofficial, but it still has considerable credibility. Heheheh."

"Why did you even investigate something like that?"

"I thought about making and selling photo albums, you see."

Leo let out a hollow laugh, watching Kal chuckle.

'Still, I am curious about the rankings.'

"Who's first?"

"Abad Lewellyn."

Indeed, Abad, being undeniably handsome, always kind to those around him, and consistently wearing a gentle smile, was bound to be popular.

Furthermore, he was the heir to the prestigious hero family, the Lewellyn family.

Skill, appearance, personality.

He was a man lacking nothing.

"Who's second?"

"Duran."

Kal made an annoyed expression.

"It's because he has a rotten personality, but his looks, skill, and pride are high. And crucially, he's a prince."

Though not the eldest son, this prince of the Knight Duchy of Moira was designated as the next King of Moira due to his overwhelming skill.

"And you're third. A very small difference from Duran."

"That's surprising. I hadn't really noticed."

"Of course not. Abad and Duran receive confessions or letters every week, but you haven't received anything."

Kal shrugged.

"Why is that?"

"…Think about the kids around you for a moment."

"The kids around me?"

Leo, Kal, and Chelsea were already famous as best friends within the school.

So wherever Leo was, Chelsea was almost always there.

Additionally, Nella, the vice-president of Class 5, was one of the most beautiful girls in the school.

She was always attached to him during department events.

As a bonus, Iliana, who often helped with class tasks, was also not lacking in appearance.

Besides them, he was also very close with Chloe and Chen Xia, the presidents of other classes.

"Crucially, Celia. The fact that you two are cousins is a secret, isn't it? Because they don't know that, quite a few kids mistakenly think you two are dating."

Since they had been together since the entrance ceremony, it wasn't unreasonable for people to think that.

"So, other female students aren't even thinking about approaching you."

Kal grinned.

"How about it? Doesn't it feel good to be popular?"

Leo let out a hollow laugh, watching Kal poke his side and tease him.

"If it becomes known that you're Celia's cousin, you'd immediately shoot up to first place, you know?"

"Zerdinger said they'd announce it publicly soon."

"Really? The students' reactions at school should be interesting."

Kal grinned.

"I didn't like it because there were many guys who subtly looked down on you just because you're from a frontier kingdom. And there are still many who badmouth you."

Kal was indignant at the fact that his friend was being underestimated.

It was then that Leo let out a small laugh, looking at Kal.

"Oh! It's the class president!"

A cheerful voice was heard.

He turned his head to see Iliana waving her hand.

"Leo, how have you been?"

"Welcome, Leo."

Tade and Nella also greeted him warmly.

Overall, the atmosphere in Class 5 was excellent.

This was because, among the ten classes, Class 5 was the only one, along with Class 1, that had not a single dropout.

Unlike other classes, their solidarity was bound to be extraordinary.

They were exchanging greetings and talking about what had happened during the break.

"The atmosphere is good, everyone, it's fresh. I can feel the youth."

Someone spoke in a voice amplified by magic.

Accordingly, the first-year students' gazes turned toward where the voice came from.

Standing there was none other than a black-haired man.

"Who is that? I've never seen him before."

"Is he a professor?"

"No, there wasn't anyone like that among the first-year professors, was there?"

All the students looked at the mysterious man with puzzled expressions.

'That dragon from back then.'

The man spoke in a languid voice.

"You're full of enthusiasm and vitality. While I've just grown old. *Sigh*."

'What, what is it? This person.'

The first-year students wore bewildered expressions, looking at the man who was complaining with not an ounce of enthusiasm.

"Greetings, everyone. My name is Reben. I am the vice-principal of Lumern."

The students' eyes widened.

Professor Reben, the vice-principal of Lumern.

A professor who had been away from the academy for the past five years.

Because of this, even fifth-year students didn't know much about the vice-principal.

Since such a vice-principal suddenly appeared, the first-year students couldn't help but be surprised.

Reben pulled out a student roster from his pocket.

"This year's total entrants were 440. Among them, 346 students have survived until the second semester."

It meant 94 students had dropped out.

At first glance, it might seem like many students were expelled, but considering Lumern's standards, it could actually be said that more students survived compared to other years.

Every year, around the end of the first semester for first-year students, an average of close to 200 students are expelled.

Especially this year, thanks to Albi, the Mage of the Evil Eye, being in charge of the Western entrance exam, the number of admitted students was smaller than in other years.

Considering that, 94 dropouts was a very small number.

"The public calls you the Golden Generation. You all know that, right?"

At those words, the first-year students wore proud expressions.

"So, Principal Kalian personally asked me. To become the general professor for the first-year second semester."

At Reben's words, the students murmured.

"But honestly, it's bothersome."

He said with a languid expression.

At his words, the students were taken aback.

"I know you are exceptional. But I'm not sure if you're truly at a level I'd want to teach. So, I'd like you to prove it."

Reben pointed towards Lumern with his finger.

"From now on, all of you are to head to Lumern's main gate."

The students wore expressions of bewilderment.

They had already experienced a Kraken attack during the entrance ceremony, so they expected the opening ceremony wouldn't be easy either.

But to suddenly be told to head to the school's main gate?

"Let me warn you, it won't be easy."

Reben, who had been mumbling in an unenthusiastic voice, curled up the corners of his mouth.

"Perhaps no one might even make it."