Book 1 Chapter 156

"Was I summoned to confirm if I was Kyle?"

"It was only a few minutes ago, when I first met you, that I thought you might be the Hero of the Beginning."

Melina replied politely.

"The moment I met you, the mana of Lord Lisinas went out of my control."

"I see."

The Dragon Lord.

Her demeanor, though she was called the King of Dragons, was very respectful.

Although her appearance was that of a fifteen-year-old hero candidate, Leo was a great hero who had saved the world long ago.

As the final hero, he was a great figure who had single-handedly defeated Erebus.

No matter how great the Dragon Lord was, she couldn't compare to Kyle.

"I still can't believe it. To think I'd be talking to a Great Hero in reality, not in the world of heroes."

Melina, speaking with a voice filled with emotion, asked Leo various questions.

Most of them were about the Great Hero.

Like a dragon thirsting for knowledge, Melina focused on Leo's every word.

"Ah. I wish I could continue listening to your stories, Leo."

Melina let out a sigh of regret.

She wanted to continue talking to Leo.

To hear stories from a legend from the distant past, something she didn't know herself.

'As one who craves knowledge, could there be a greater joy than this?'

But she couldn't keep Leo for long.

This meeting was truly sudden.

'I can't put Leo in a difficult position out of my own greed.'

Melina said with a wry smile.

"I will explain why I brought you here, Leo."

"Go ahead."

"As you may know, Leo, Tartarus's minions have infiltrated the Hero Academy. Among them are traitors."

Melina let out a deep sigh.

"We are pursuing them, but it's not easy."

'That must be the case.'

Leo had also been observing everyone carefully since noticing Tartarus's presence in Lumine.

But they were perfectly hidden.

'Not even a hint of suspicion, let alone anything unusual.'

Since his time as Kyle, Leo had defeated countless demons of Tartarus, making him more sensitive to Tartarus's aura than anyone else.

Even Leo couldn't find a clue.

It wasn't strange that he couldn't catch the traitors in Lumine.

"However, Tartarus's objective is clear."

"To cut down the budding talents who have the potential to become heroes."

"Yes. That's why I wanted to ask you to act as bait to draw out the traitors."

For Tartarus, Leo's current existence must be a thorn in their side.

An all-class hero like Kyle.

And his continuous unusual actions.

He was a dangerous individual they had to eliminate by any means necessary.

"Bait, huh? Not a bad idea."

Seeing Leo speak with a smirk, Melina showed an expression of gratitude.

"Can I really dare to ask such a thing of you, Leo?"

"It's fine. Honestly, I wanted to find these guys too, but I couldn't do it properly due to my student status."

Leo let out a chuckle.

As a student, his actions were bound to be restricted in various ways.

Moreover, he had to hide the fact that he was Kyle's reincarnation.

Lumine had many skilled individuals.

If Leo, who even they couldn't find, found the traitors, it might arouse suspicion.

'I refuse to be treated as a spy trying to infiltrate Lumine.'

Amidst this, the Dragon Lord, Melina, had contacted him.

Reven must have judged Leo as a 'trustworthy person' to arrange this meeting.

'Thanks to that, I unintentionally revealed my true identity.'

Leo glanced at Melina.

When their eyes met, Melina smiled.

"I'll be the bait. But I have one request."

"You won't tell anyone else about my identity, will you?"

"That's right."

Melina also guessed why Leo had kept his identity hidden.

'It's not good for many people to know secrets.'

Even if they were trustworthy, the secrets Leo held were ones that no one could handle.

'This person is still fighting.'

There were plenty of easy paths.

It was an era of peace, after all.

So no one would point fingers even if he closed his eyes and enjoyed life.

Yet, the reincarnated Great Hero chose to fight.

Melina touched the corner of her left eye.

Long ago, Melina had fought Erebus.

'It was a fake, not the real one.'

The world of heroes, unconquered for thousands of years.

'The return of the Great Cataclysm.'

Melina, who inherited Lisinas's power, bravely challenged the return of the Great Cataclysm with her companions.

And she failed.

Most of her companions, praised as great, died or became incapacitated.

Melina, relatively unscathed, was able to recover, but she never dared to try again after recovering.

Her companions were gone.

She was left alone, and no one acknowledged her.

Despite being in a similar situation, Leo was preparing to fight alone.

'This is why he is a Great Hero.'

The man chosen by the Great King of Wisdom.

"Leo."

"Yes?"

"Don't use the word 'request.' I am someone living in the era of peace you brought about. If I didn't know who you were, it would be different. But now that I know your identity, I will serve you."

Melina bowed her head respectfully.

"As the Dragon Lord, as one who carries on the will of the King of Wisdom. I am ready to lay down my life at any time. So, when you need me, please command me. It will be my destiny."

Melina said solemnly.

"I feel burdened by all this talk of destiny."

"Yes?"

"I didn't save the world for some grand reason. I was just dragged along by Lisinas."

Leo chuckled.

"So I'm not fighting now for some grand reason either. I'm just fighting because I want to."

Leo tapped Melina's forehead.

"So, live your life the way you want to. That's all that matters."

Melina looked up at Leo, her eyes wide.

Then, she smiled faintly.

"Then I will do as I please."

"Yes."

The Great Heroes, as heard directly, were different from what she had imagined.

'But they are still great individuals.'

It was because of people like him that the world could be saved.

So the Dragon Lord made a vow.

'I will lessen his burden, even by a little.'

***

After Leo returned to Lumine, Melina sat back on her throne.

"My Lord. How was Leo Flove?"

"He was a remarkable boy. Just as you said. He was worthy of being a Great Hero."

Reven had first introduced Leo to Melina as a candidate for a Great Hero.

'She seems to be in a good mood.'

Reven smiled as he watched the Lord tap his leg and hum a tune.

"Lord Reven."

"Yes."

"I'll entrust the first-year students of Lumine to you."

"……."

"They will surely grow into amazing heroes."

"You don't have to worry. I have already made up my mind."

Reven smiled.

"Let's bet our future on them. Therefore, I will do my best."

Melina smiled bitterly, watching the old dragon laugh passionately.

"Please take care of them, Lord Reven."

***

Leo, leaving the clock tower, entered Courage, the main street of Lumina City.

The atmosphere of Courage street was slightly different from usual.

Students of his age were visible in various places.

'Students from other academies.'

Leo looked at them, dressed in school uniforms and exploring the street, with interest.

Seeing Leo, students from the three major class academies began to whisper.

"Lumine uniform?"

"Is that a student from Lumine Academy? They don't seem that special."

"What's his class? Knight? Mage? Or Summoner?"

"Right. I heard Lumine students wear emblems."

Curious gazes fell upon Leo.

'There's still a bit of time until the assembly.'

Leo checked the time and stroked his chin.

'Where are the others?'

"Hello? Are you a student of Lumine Academy?"

Someone called out to him.

When he turned his head, there were girls wearing white short-sleeved blouses with frills, black skirts, and cloaks, and mage hats.

They were unmistakably students from the Emerald Mage Academy, their attire screaming 'I am a mage.'

"But."

"Do you happen to take magic classes?"

"I do."

"Great! My intuition was right! You exude a strong mage-like aura!"

The girl clapped her hands, smiling broadly.

"My name is Shila. I'm a first-year student at Emerald."

"My name is……."

"No need for introductions! Can you come here for a moment?"

Shila, cutting off Leo's introduction, led him into a nearby cafe with a bright, friendly smile.

Upon entering the cafe, Leo paused.

The entire cafe was occupied by students from Emerald Academy.

"Our academy students can get a bit too carried away with their studies, and once a debate starts, they can't rest until it's resolved."

Shila shrugged and smiled, then pointed to a portable blackboard in a corner of the cafe.

"We were discussing magic circles, and it just so happened that you, a Lumine student, were passing by. So I thought I'd get your opinion on magic classes at Lumine, and I took the liberty of bringing you here! Sorry. Sorry."

Shila said with a hearty laugh and apologized, then asked Leo, "What do you think of this magic circle? It's quite popular at our school right now."

Leo looked at the magic circle.

'It's an unfinished magic circle.'

At first glance, he could tell it wouldn't activate.

Moreover, it was unnecessarily complicated.

'This is ridiculous. It's a magic circle designed to give the viewer a headache, not to get opinions.'

Leo glanced at Shila and then looked around at the Emerald students seated in the cafe.

They all seemed serious, but he could see them sneakily glancing at his expression.

Shila was no different.

Leo easily understood the situation.

'They're trying to embarrass me.'

It was well-known that students from the three prestigious academies, while admiring Lumine, also envied Lumine students.

'Should I just play along?'

He let out a small sigh and was about to speak when he felt a presence at the entrance of the cafe.

He turned his head and saw Yura and Ren standing at the entrance.

'They're here for supervision.'

The Emerald students hadn't noticed their arrival yet.

Yura also sighed softly upon seeing inside the cafe and started to enter.

But Ren, standing beside her, stopped Yura.

Ren saw Leo, smiled, pointed at the Emerald students with his finger, made a throat-slitting gesture, and then led Yura away.

'Demolish them?'

Leo let out a hollow laugh and decided to follow Ren's command.

"It's an interesting magic. It seems like it would activate with a few modifications."

"Oh? Really?"

Shila's eyes sparkled.

It was the gaze of a snake spotting prey.

"Yes."

Leo nodded nonchalantly and approached the blackboard.

Watching him, the Emerald students snickered.

'This is hilarious. That magic circle is absolutely impossible to activate.'

'It's impossible unless you rewrite the magic circle from scratch.'

'To fall for such a simple magic circle error trap. Lumine students aren't that great.'

Leo spun the blackboard in his hand and said, "This is my interpretation."

***

"Hey! You should have intervened! Emerald Academy is your responsibility!"

Yura smacked Ren's back with her fist.

"Go and stop them! Do you want to discourage the kids before the joint class?"

"Yes. I intend to crush their spirits."

'This crazy bastard. He was talking like he'd be supportive of the Emerald kids just a moment ago, so why is he acting like this now?'

"Why?"

"Hehehe. Senior Yura, how can you be so dull?"

"I don't know if I'm dull, but I know you want to die."

With veins bulging on her forehead, Yura tried to grab Ren's neck.

Ren blocked Yura's hand and said, "The Emerald students should also know. That student Leo is on a different level than them!"

Ren let out a chuckle.

"And if they are mages, they should savor the greatness of student Leo! They will be amazed by student Leo's genius and praise him! I'm not trying to stomp them down! I'm trying to broaden their horizons! Isn't there a saying that you have to break the eggshell to hatch from it?"

"……."

Yura blinked.

She tried to understand Ren's words for a moment.

But Yura couldn't comprehend it at all.

"What are you talking about, you crazy bastard."

"Hehehe. As expected, Senior Yura, with her narrow vision, couldn't understand my grand ambition. I will explain it in a way that someone of Senior Yura's level can understand."

"…So you're saying you want to die by my hand? If it's your wish, I'll kill you."

Yura took out a whip from her pocket and began to strangle Ren's neck.

Even as this happened, Ren continued his speech about Leo's genius.

While strangling Ren, Yura thought, 'The Scawn students are pitiful. Why did they have to pick Leo to provoke, and of all people, this guy as their professor? Those kids are unfortunate too.'

Thinking of the Emerald students, she wore an expression of pity.

Meanwhile, as his neck was being strangled, Ren thought, 'The Scawn students are also pitiful. Why is their professor the ignorant Senior Yura?'

The two professors thought the same thing.