Book 1 Chapter 132
132.
“Hmph, has the time finally come for my name to be known throughout the entire world?”
“You’re dreaming.”
“Why would anyone want to know your name?”
That evening, the entire dormitory dining hall was abuzz with talk about the mission practical.
“Everyone’s excited about the mission practical.”
Chelsea opened her mouth wide and ate the pudding that came as dessert.
“Mmm~”
Watching Chelsea happily cup her cheeks, Kal asked.
“What is it? Is the pudding good?”
“It’s a limited edition today, so I’m absolutely not giving you any.”
Seeing Chelsea display strong vigilance, Kal said dismissively.
“It’s cheap, so I won’t eat it.”
“Okay. Don’t eat it. Leo, would you like a bite?”
“What is with this temperature difference!”
Kal protested, making a tearful face.
Ignoring Kal, Chelsea scooped a spoonful of pudding and looked at Leo.
“I’m fine.”
“This is really delicious! Leo, you’ve never had limited edition pudding before, have you?”
“That’s right. Leo. That’s super delicious. The kids aren’t making a fuss over nothing to eat it.”
Kal, who had tasted the limited-edition pudding before, nodded, agreeing with Chelsea.
“Then maybe I’ll have a bite.”
“Okay.”
Just as Chelsea was about to feed Leo a spoonful of pudding.
Grab-!
“Mmm-! As expected, the limited edition pudding is delicious.”
Someone who intervened in the middle ate the pudding.
Chelsea, her eyes wide, tried to wildly stir the spoon that had gone into Celia’s mouth.
But Celia bit down hard on the spoon and, instead, snatched it away from Chelsea’s grip.
“Are you an alligator!”
“Hmph.”
Celia tossed her hair back and snorted.
Chelsea, who had been trying to take the spoon back, glared at Celia and Kal and warned them.
“Touch my pudding, and you die!”
“I won’t let anyone eat it.”
Leo burst out laughing and said, and only then did a relieved Chelsea quickly go to get the spoon.
“Leo. You haven’t decided where to go for the mission practical yet, have you?”
“I have, why?”
“With whom? Surely you’re not going with the kids from class 5?”
Celia made a displeased face.
It was obvious that if he went with classmates, Chelsea would be included.
As Celia had planned to decide on the mission practical with Leo, she was not pleased.
“No. Just me.”
“What? Then that’s good. Go with me…”
“Guess who?”
Just then, someone covered Leo’s eyes.
Leo calmly removed the hands and said.
“What’s up, Chen Xia.”
“Aw, you’re no fun.”
Chen Xia made a disappointed face at his indifferent reaction and removed her hands from Leo’s.
Celia looked puzzled.
“Is that how you two play?”
“I try to tease young master Leo, but his reaction is always so nonchalant that it’s no fun.”
Chen Xia grumbled, poking Leo’s cheek.
Watching them, Kal turned his head.
Chelsea, who was coming with the spoon, was frozen there.
“Miss Chelsea. Hello.”
Chen Xia smiled and waved.
“Uh, yeah. Hi.”
Chelsea answered, flustered, then sat in front of Leo.
And she looked back and forth between Leo and Chen Xia.
“Did you come because of the mission practical too?”
“Yes. I thought it would be good to form a party with young master Leo. If Miss Celia also plans to form a party with young master Leo, would you include me too?”
“Hmm. A mission practical with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd rank students from the Knight Academy… Not bad. It’s a super luxurious lineup, isn’t it?”
It was Kal who answered Celia’s words.
“It’s not that I like our country’s prince. But the 2nd rank in the Knight Academy is Duran. And why is Leo in the Knight Academy?”
“Right! Right!”
Chelsea swung her spoon, protesting Kal’s words.
Celia, seeing this, said dismissively.
“What is she talking about? Soon, when it’s announced that Leo is my cousin, he’ll just be confirmed for the Knight Academy, you know?”
“Oh? That was going to be officially announced?”
“Yeah. It’ll happen soon.”
As Kal looked surprised, Celia nodded matter-of-factly.
“As expected, young master Leo and Miss Celia were related by blood.”
“You noticed?”
“Because the flames you two use were similar. All the observant students would have vaguely noticed.”
Chen Xia shrugged her shoulders.
“Anyway! Leo! Let’s do the mission practical with us!”
“That’s right. It’s good to do it with people from the same department, isn’t it?”
Chen Xia chimed in, agreeing with Celia.
“I haven’t decided on my major yet, you know? Besides, I’ve already decided on my mission practical.”
“Then come with us. If it’s a place you chose, the level must be high, right?”
“Leo said he’s going to subjugate bandits.”
“Bandit subjugation? Were there any major bandit groups active right now?”
“I haven’t heard any news about that?”
Watching the two female students react with puzzlement, Leo made an indifferent face.
“I’m going to subjugate a bandit group in a rural backwater.”
“What? Why!”
“Such a mission practical wouldn’t help your grades at all, would it?”
At their words, Chelsea said, holding a spoonful of pudding to her mouth.
“I told you several times, but you didn’t listen.”
“Leo must have his reasons.”
As Kal leaned back in his chair, Chelsea pouted.
“No matter what, with Leo’s abilities, he could easily solve a better request.”
After that, Celia tried to persuade Leo several times, but he didn't listen.
It was after they finished their meal and Leo left the dormitory dining hall.
Murmur- Murmur-
There was a commotion in front of the dormitory.
“What’s going on?”
In response to Kal’s question, a student from the Summoning Academy said in an excited tone.
“Seniors from the Dungeon Conqueror Party have arrived!”
“What?”
“They say they’re recruiting first-year students to join them for this mission practical?”
Dungeon Conqueror Party.
It is a party composed of students with excellent academic records in their departments.
They are officially authorized by the school to conquer hero dungeons and are deployed on missions.
They were, quite literally, the best students at Lumen.
As they went towards the dormitory entrance, they indeed saw those who appeared to be third and fourth-year students.
Fifth-year students, who were graduating, were retiring this year and did not participate in recruiting party members.
“Ah! Celia!”
Just then, someone approached Celia.
A boy with black hair and red eyes.
It was Baden Jerdinger, Celia’s relative and a second-year student at Lumen.
“Perfect! I was waiting for you!”
“Why me?”
As Celia asked, folding her arms, Baden grinned.
“Why, of course! To invite you to join our party!”
For ordinary students, joining a conqueror party is a tremendous honor.
Because dungeon conquerors are literally the best students, and joining the party allows them to build relationships with them.
So everyone tries to join a conqueror party by any means necessary.
But there are exceptions everywhere.
Rising stars.
Students like Celia, in particular, were desperate for the conqueror party to recruit them.
Because they would naturally have the skills to become dungeon conquerors once they reached higher grades anyway.
Therefore, students with good grades are naturally invited to join by the party.
“You haven’t decided on a conqueror party yet, have you? Brother Lys’s party consists entirely of fifth-year seniors, so it’s disbanding this year.”
The Dungeon Conqueror Party to which Lys Jerdinger belonged, Red Wing, was a conqueror party Lys had personally formed.
It was a party that had been active since their third year, with formidable peers like Torua and Jamua as its core members.
Many current third and fourth-year students wanted to join Red Wing, but it adhered to the principle of only accepting members from the same year, so it was ultimately a party that would disband at the end of this year.
“I’m part of Blue Moon, the Conqueror Party formed by Senior Elena! I guarantee you, the only Conqueror Party with as much influence within Lumen as ours is Red Wing!”
Seeing Baden speak with confidence, Chelsea, who was behind him, scoffed.
“Okay. You can go that way, Celia.”
“Chelsea Rwalin? Should I include you too?”
“I don’t need it, you know? And who are you to call my name so casually?”
“What? You don’t know me? You don’t know Baden Jerdinger?”
“What’s so great about Jerdinger that I have to memorize the names of people who aren’t even direct descendants?”
“What did you say?”
Baden bristled at Chelsea’s pointed remarks.
But as Chelsea said, no matter how great the Jerdingers were, there was no reason for Chelsea, a direct descendant of Rwalin, to remember a collateral relative of the Jerdingers.
“Ah, anyway! This time, we’re going to explore a Hero Dungeon! It’s the mission practical period now, isn’t it? Going with us will be a huge help! It’ll be easy to manage your grades too!”
At that, Celia said.
“I’m not thinking of joining a conqueror party yet.”
“What?”
“Let’s go, Leo.”
As Celia walked, Leo followed her.
‘That bastard!’
Baden glared at Leo’s back.
As a Jerdinger himself, he also knew that Leo might become the successor this time.
‘Even though he doesn’t even bear the Jerdinger name!’
If one only looked at bloodline, Leo was much closer to the direct lineage, but Baden couldn't accept Leo.
As Leo, Celia, Chelsea, Chen Xia, and Kal walked away, people from the conqueror party rushed over.
This was because, among the first-year students, Leo, Celia, Chelsea, and Chen Xia were targets that absolutely had to be recruited.
Besides the four of them, all the students who had played an active role in catching Gigantes in the inter-departmental competition were being held by seniors.
“Popular people are enviable.”
Kal muttered, taking a step back.
“Indeed. Leo is very popular.”
“Huh? Haa-!”
Kal, who turned his head at the clear voice from beside him, gasped.
Not only Kal but everyone around them was startled to see her.
The person there was a tremendous figure.
‘Elena Jereon!’
Everyone held their breath at the appearance of a senior like the sky, whom the current first-year students dared not even look at.
Even other upperclassmen who had come for promotion activities were surprised.
Because Elena, known as the Queen of the school, was a student hard to see not only for first-year students but also for other upperclassmen.
Elena smiled brightly at Kal.
Kal’s face reddened on its own at her breathtaking beauty.
The Blue Moon party, realizing Elena had arrived, hurriedly gathered around her.
But no one stood next to Elena or spoke to her.
The conquerors who had come for promotion activities were merely affiliated with the party and did not directly participate in conquests, they were, so to speak, the low-ranking members.
No one dared to speak casually to Elena, whom even official members found difficult to talk to.
As Elena moved, the crowd parted widely.
Elena walked through the crowd as if accustomed to it.
The place where she stopped was none other than in front of Leo.
“Hello, Leo.”
“Hello, Senior Elena.”
Seeing Elena greet him with a bright smile, Leo returned the greeting nonchalantly.
Even at her enchanting smile, Leo remained composed.
Elena, watching him as if amused, said.
“My conqueror party decided to explore a hero dungeon this time.”
“Yes.”
“Join our party. I’ll make you a formal member of the conqueror party.”
Everyone was astonished by the extraordinary offer.
It was surprising enough that the party leader of a conqueror party personally offered to have him join, and he was only a first-year student.
“I’ll make you the best, Leo Flobe.”
Elena smiled confidently and extended her hand.
A proposal from a girl who was beautiful, strong, and possessed immense power.
Who in the world would refuse such a proposal…?
“No, thank you.”
‘What did he just say?’
‘He said no?’
Everyone present at that moment couldn't understand Leo’s words.
Elena also furrowed her delicate brows.
“Why?”
“As I said before, I’m expensive.”