Book 1 Chapter 16

【16】15

In the center of the vast Lumern Academy was a huge training ground called Erekh.

It was a place where major school events were held, most notably the entrance and graduation ceremonies.

And it was here, in Erekh, that all of Lumern's students had gathered.

"You're here?"

"You're soaked, as expected?"

"Hahaha! Look! Didn't I tell you there wouldn't be many dry ones?"

Some of the older students with bad personalities heckled them.

A few proud freshmen trembled with shame, but none retaliated.

Amidst this, Artian, who had led the freshmen, spoke in the center of the Erekh training ground.

"Line up by region. And the top students, please come forward as representatives."

At his words, the students formed five lines and straightened their ranks.

As expected, the students from the western region were noticeably fewer.

The professors watching from the platform tutted.

"Should we call it Professor Alby's work again? The number of students from the western region is too much."

One teacher spoke to Alby, who sat with a blank expression, as if admonishing him.

However, Alby didn't even flinch.

Leo stood at the very back.

"Ah! Oppa Leo! Hello!"

At that moment, Chelsea Lewallyn, with whom he had formed a team during the entrance exam, approached with a bright smile.

"I'm so busy, I'm just seeing you now!"

Leo chuckled as he looked at Chelsea, who spoke to him warmly with sparkling eyes.

"Hurry and get in line."

"Okay!"

Chelsea, standing next to Leo, chattered away.

"I was so moved by watching you fight back then that I'm thinking of taking Knight Studies as a minor."

"Hmm? Come to think of it, you said your goal was to be a Battle Mage, right?"

"Yes!"

To his immediate reply, Leo looked at Chelsea for a moment and then said,

"Then you should focus more on magic training for now."

"Huh? I have enough magic! Why do I need to focus more on magic training?"

As Leo was about to say something while looking at Chelsea with a slightly bewildered expression,

"The entrance ceremony will now begin. First, we will have the Principal's address."

Chelsea closed her mouth at the words of the professor in charge standing on the platform.

Along with that, an old man appeared in the center of the platform.

The freshmen wore tense expressions.

No one here didn't know this old man.

He, who was praised as the greatest of the current human heroes.

The Sword Saint, Kalian Badean.

"You've all worked hard to get here, my fledgling gentlemen."

Kalian spoke, displaying a spirit that belied his age.

"I won't say much. I will tell you about the path you must walk!"

CRASH-!

Kalian slammed his fist onto the platform.

"If you are someone who dreams of becoming a hero, always stake yourself! And surpass your limits! Those who do not!"

The freshmen held their breath at the Sword Saint's roar.

"Are not needed in Lumern."

With that, he descended from the platform without any lingering attachment.

A moment of silence followed.

And then…

"Woooooooooo!"

A thunderous cheer erupted from the freshmen.

His short speech, which could hardly be called an oration, had the power to ignite the freshmen.

Turning his back, the Sword Saint made a V sign with his fingers towards the professors with a stern expression.

At this sight, several professors clutched their heads.

'Principal!'

'If you had remained stern, you would have been truly magnificent!'

'Sob, the more I experience life as a professor at Lumern, the more my illusions about the Sword Saint are shattered.'

Whether they liked it or not, the professors knew.

They knew that the Sword Saint, the greatest hero everyone admired, was actually a ridiculously flippant old man.

The professor in charge also clutched his head and said,

"Now, we will have an address from the representative of the freshmen."

At those words, everyone in the Erekh training ground focused on the professor in charge.

The representative of the freshmen.

This meant the absolute best among Lumern's freshmen, where only geniuses gathered.

Literally, a powerful hero candidate among hundreds of hero trainees!

Even the top students, who were at the very front, wore tense expressions.

As everyone watched, the professor in charge opened his mouth.

"Freshman Representative, Leo Flob."

"Leo Flob?"

"Who is that?"

"The freshman representative isn't a top student?"

The freshmen looked around and murmured.

The six top students sitting at the front also showed bewildered expressions.

Even the professors who didn't know who the freshman representative was reacted with surprise.

At that moment, the professor in charge said,

"Student Leo Flob. Please come up to the platform."

At his words, Leo stood up.

Chelsea's eyes widened as she looked up at Leo.

Kal, sitting in another row over there, opened his mouth agape.

It was highly unusual for a regular student, not a top student, to become the representative.

The older students also showed surprised reactions.

All eyes were fixed on Leo.

'I'm the freshman representative?'

Leo also felt a sense of bewilderment.

He had certainly performed impressively in the entrance exam, but he thought Celia and Abad would have scored higher.

In the actual exam, those two had performed the best, and that's why they shared the top spot.

Feeling a sense of doubt, Leo ascended the platform and met the gaze of Alby, the supervisor of the western exam.

Alby, who had been expressionless, smiled.

It seemed to be a recommendation from the supervisor.

Putting aside his doubts, Leo stood on the platform.

A prepared speech was on the platform.

"Esteemed professors and seniors. Thank you for welcoming us freshmen like this. As proud members of Lumern from now on…"

Leo read the speech without any signs of nervousness.

Many gazes, filled with various emotions, were directed at Leo.

Doubt and curiosity about a regular student becoming the representative, surpassing the top students.

Envy and jealousy for occupying such an honorable position.

"…Freshman Representative, Leo Flob."

Clap, clap, clap, clap-!

Applause erupted after the speech.

"Good, Student Leo. Now, as the freshman representative, please give us a word about your aspirations."

The professor in charge said with a mischievous smile.

Aspirations as the freshman representative.

This was a tradition of the Lumern entrance ceremony.

It was an opportunity for the freshman representative, who had overcome numerous competitions, to say a word to everyone at the school.

However, on the other hand, it was also intended to provoke the other first-year students.

'Is this a provocation to those who could have easily reached this position?'

Leo chuckled.

Having always been the best, there were surely many students who coveted this position.

Leo turned his body and looked down at all the freshmen.

"I am Leo Flob, the freshman representative."

At Leo's polite greeting, the professor in charge showed a disappointed expression.

'This year's freshman representative is a well-behaved student. Well, aspirations befitting an honor student aren't bad.'

In fact, even a hot-tempered student would find it difficult to speak carelessly when placed in this position.

'This year's entrance ceremony will be uneventful…'

"If you covet this position, take it."

The professor in charge's eyes widened.

The other freshmen's mouths hung open.

Leo gave a slight smile and descended from the platform.

Leo had accurately grasped the intention of the school administration and complied.

'But really, that's too much!'

The professor in charge screamed internally.

Laughter erupted even among the older students.

"This entrance ceremony is the best ever!"

"A truly bold junior has joined us."

All eyes were fixed on Leo.

Despite this, Leo descended from the platform without so much as a flinch.

As he returned to his seat, his eyes met Celia's.

Celia, who had been gazing at Leo, let out a small snort and tilted her chin up.

Abad, sitting next to her, smiled faintly as he watched Leo.

"Wow! Wow! Leo Oppa was the representative?"

Upon returning to their seats, Chelsea whispered excitedly.

"Aren't you disappointed that Abad didn't get it?"

"It's a shame that Oppa didn't get it, but both Oppa and I saw Leo Oppa fight, didn't we?"

Mmm-hmm! Chelsea said, crossing her arms and nodding.

"He didn't say it, but Oppa probably acknowledges Leo Oppa too."

"Is that so?"

Leo looked at the back of Abad's head, who was sitting in the front row.

A little while later, time passed, and the entrance ceremony ended.

***

After the entrance ceremony, the freshmen were immediately guided to their dormitories.

The dormitories were, of course, separated by gender.

Each dormitory, resembling a grand mansion, stood side by side.

In the center was a garden, and training grounds were located on the surrounding grounds.

In front of the assembled freshmen, one of the dormitory administrators spoke.

"Dormitory assignments are one person per room. And there is a curfew. In special cases, overnight stays are permitted. However."

The dormitory administrator sighed briefly.

"Entering the dormitory of the opposite sex is strictly prohibited."

The administrator's face turned stern.

"We are well aware that you are at an age where you are interested in the opposite sex. However, please respect the boundaries."

"Yes~"

The freshmen replied cheerfully.

The dormitory administrator gave a wry smile at their response.

Despite their answers, there were always students among these energetic teenagers who broke this rule at least once a year.

'Of course, they never do it again after that.'

"Now, please find your belongings, unpack them in your assigned dormitory room, and reassemble here in one hour."

The dormitory administrator gestured to the luggage that had been delivered during the entrance ceremony and spoke.

The freshmen, chatting with their friends, found their bags.

And they checked their assigned dormitory rooms.

"Oh! Leo! You and I are next door!"

"Really? That's good."

Kal said in a bright voice, and Leo smiled.

"By the way, I was surprised! I didn't know you'd be the student representative!"

"Me neither, I didn't know."

"Did you do well in the exam?"

"The examiner seemed to have a good impression of me."

Leo and Kal headed upstairs to the second floor, carrying their luggage to their assigned rooms.

The eyes of other freshmen were fixed on them.

"That guy is the freshman representative?"

"Why did he become the representative, surpassing the top students? Does he have connections?"

"Do you think you can become the freshman representative just by having connections?"

'I'm getting attention from the very first day.'

After changing clothes in their rooms and reassembling, they went through a hectic time.

First, class assignments.

Lumern primarily conducts major-specific classes, but there are also common classes.

For those classes, they attend with their classmates.

For the first years, there are ten classes, from Class 1 to Class 10.

Leo was assigned to Class 5 with Chelsea and Kal.

After that, they were given a tour of the facilities within Lumern Academy.

As one of only four hero academies in the world, Lumern's campus was vast.

It took half a day just to tour the important facilities.

Upon returning to the dormitory after the tour, the dormitory supervisor was waiting.

"Welcome. I am Obellio, the supervisor of the first-year dormitory. You've had a hard day today. Starting tomorrow, a one-week preliminary class will begin."

During the preliminary class period, students could freely take any class they desired.

Even if one aspired to be a knight, they could take classes in magic or summoning.

In the process, students sometimes discovered talents they didn't know they had.

"Classes start immediately from tomorrow, so don't get too excited and get some rest early tonight."

As Professor Obellio gave the order to disperse, the students headed to their respective dormitory rooms.

"Hoo, it was a really hectic day!"

Kal said, stretching as if exhausted.

"I'm really looking forward to tomorrow! Anyway, Leo! Sleep well!"

"Yeah, sleep well."

After saying goodbye, they entered their respective dormitory rooms.

Leo entered his room, changed into his pajamas, and got into bed.

Feeling the comfort of the bed, he fell asleep.

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