Book 1 Chapter 167
167
Leo opened the classroom door on the left and entered.
The gazes of the Emerald students sitting in the lecture hall instantly fixed on Leo.
Thud- thud-
Leo, who had ascended the platform, scanned the audience.
His eyes met those of one girl among them.
Flinch-!
Shilla, the girl whose eyes met his, flinched as if stung by the memory of trying to trick Leo with complex magic formulas in Rumeria City yesterday.
‘She was an admission candidate?’
Leo chuckled and stood behind the lectern.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Leo Flobe.”
At his words, the Emerald students began to murmur.
“Leo Flobe?”
“Are you talking about *that* All-Class?”
“Leo Flobe, the one who subjugated Gigantes.”
“They also said he conquered the world of the Progenitor of the Nebula this time, right?”
The students cast curious gazes at the boy who, despite being a first-year, might become their direct senior, having already accumulated a career more impressive than most upperclassmen.
Of course, there were also those among them who looked at Leo with suspicious eyes.
“As an instructor assisting with classes, I'll be taking over your lesson today in place of Professor Ren. Please treat me well.”
At the same time he said that, someone raised their hand.
It was a boy about Leo's age.
The boy spoke with a slightly defiant look in his eyes.
“My name is Kun Beya.”
Befitting a scion of the Kun family, a renowned magic noble house in the East, his black hair and black eyes, characteristic of those from the Eastern Continent, stood out.
Bey, having introduced himself, asked with a slightly provocative smile.
“Do you have the skills to teach us?”
“Well. Since Professor Ren sent me to teach, wouldn't it be quite possible?”
Leo replied with a faint smile.
As a magic professor, Ren was certainly an extraordinary person.
The reason all first-year magic students genuinely respected Ren and were enthusiastic about his classes was not simply because he was a professor, but because his teaching ability was exceptionally outstanding.
Therefore, the first-year magic students trusted Ren's words, at least when it came to classes or magic.
But the Emerald students were not like that.
Even though Ren's name was mentioned, they still cast distrustful glances.
“We came to attend Professor Ren's class, not some low-level lecture by a mere first-year.”
Bey, who had spoken as if picking a fight with Leo, curled up the corners of his mouth.
This would have been impossible in Rumerun.
Rumerun's admission age was 14-17. As such, there were quite a few cases where seniors and juniors were the same age, or juniors were older than their seniors.
But that didn't mean juniors would rashly defy their seniors.
Rumerun's academic curriculum was by no means easy.
No, rather, it was a system designed to filter out those who were unqualified.
One could not maintain Rumerun student status simply by completing time, and even if one managed to survive, failure to pass the promotion exam meant one could not advance to the next year.
One year.
It might be a short time, but one year at Rumerun was vastly different compared to one year elsewhere.
Surviving one more year meant one was sufficiently deserving of respect.
Even if they were all Rumerun, they weren't all the *same* Rumerun.
But the Emerald students, who had not yet experienced Rumerun, were not like that.
There were some students who, despite being candidates, thought that if they were admitted, they would become equal to them.
Bey was also one of those students.
‘After all, we're both fifteen.’
Several students were also siding with Bey.
Not only that, but other Emerald students could be seen observing Bey's reaction.
“So? You don't want to attend my class?”
“That's right. So, could you please call the professor?”
“I'm sorry, but I'd like you to be satisfied with me.”
“Why should we?”
Bey thought Leo was intimidated and relentlessly pressed on.
Leo looked at such a Bey and said with a smile.
“Rumerun professors aren't particularly fond of teaching unqualified students, you see.”
Bey's face stiffened instantly.
“Yet, giving instruction is a kind of goodwill, wouldn't you say? You're not people who can just order them around.”
“Are you saying I'm not skilled enough to learn magic from Professor Ren?”
“I didn't exactly say that, did I? Are you feeling stung?”
At Leo's words, Bey's face flushed crimson.
“How dare you! Me, a member of the Kun family!”
“If you're a Rumerun admission candidate, I'll give you one piece of advice.”
Leo said in a bored voice.
“Rumerun is a place where skill is everything. I don't care at all what your family is.”
“Hmph! What did you say? How dare you challenge the authority of the Kun family… ”
“Hey, Bey. Hold on a second. Leo Flobe's maternal family is Zerdinger.”
Another student hastily stopped Bey, who was raising his voice, unable to control his excitement.
Hearing that, Bey instantly flinched and trembled.
Even if the Kun family was a famous hero noble house in the East, it couldn't compare to the Zerdinger family.
But soon, he gritted his teeth.
“So what if it's Zerdinger! It's his maternal family! Not even a direct lineage!”
Bey, shouting indignantly, sprang to his feet.
“What's an All-Class? He's probably nothing special anyway! What about Gigantes? Wasn't it just the entire first-year class working together? The World of the Great Hero? He probably just got lucky conquering it because the Rumerun third-year representative and the Seyrun third-year representative were with him! How great does he think he is to try and teach *us*?”
Bey spread his arms wide, instigating the Emerald students.
Seeing that, Leo said.
“Shall I prove it then?”
“What?”
“Whether I have the skills to teach you or not.”
Leo said in a nonchalant voice.
“Tell me what magical ability you want. I'll face you, no matter what it is.”
At those words, Bey flinched.
He tried to belittle his opponent by leveraging his family, as usual, but Leo was not someone that would work on.
“Why? No confidence?”
Bey hesitated at Leo's question, arms crossed, then said.
“We can't fight with personal feelings during class.”
Having said that, he lifted his chin and continued.
“If it's Rumerun's way for a student to teach another student, then I have no choice but to follow.”
Seeing that, Leo clicked his tongue.
‘He knows nothing but to flaunt his family. Not only is he lacking in skill, but he's also lacking in guts.’
In Leo's eyes, there was no hope for him.
Anyway, thanks to Bey, who had provoked a lot only to back out when it came to demonstrating skill, no other students voiced dissatisfaction with Leo's teaching.
The students who had been unhappy with Leo looked at him with gazes that said, ‘Alright, let's see how good he really is.’
Leo, standing in front of the blackboard, spoke.
“Since all of you are preparing for the Rumerun entrance exam, you must have some prior learning. You can all use activation formulas, right?”
All the Emerald students nodded their heads.
“At Rumerun, at the beginning of the semester, we study to understand magic activated by activation formulas.”
At his words, most of the Emerald students wore expressions of bewilderment.
They couldn't grasp the concept of having to understand magic they already knew how to use.
This was also a question most Rumerun magic students felt early in their admission.
“Why do we have to do that?”
A female student in the front row raised her hand and tilted her head.
It wasn't because she wanted to challenge Leo, but out of pure curiosity.
The girl, about Chelsea's age, blinked her big eyes and stared intently at Leo.
Seeing that, Leo spread his palm.
Vwoom-!
A magic formula formed on his palm.
“There isn't a student here who doesn't know what this is, is there?”
“Isn't it a Fireball magic formula?”
“Yes. But can you create a Water Ball using this Fireball formula?”
“If you need to use Water Ball, you just use the Water Ball formula. What's so hard about that?”
Bey scoffed.
Leo ignored Bey and changed the arrangement of the formula.
Along with that, a Water Ball instantly activated.
“So why bother with such troublesome…”
“Bey. Be quiet for a moment.”
“Shh!”
Most of the students present, except Bey, realized what Leo was trying to say.
Activation formulas were certainly easy to learn and allowed for quick spellcasting.
However, to activate a different spell, one had to learn a new activation formula.
Literally, the amount to memorize increased.
But if one understood and applied the structure and principles of a formula itself, one could use magic of opposite attributes with a single formula.
This was a huge advantage.
Because it literally meant having one more card to react with in a fleeting moment.
“It's amazing, but isn't it difficult?”
Another male student raised his hand.
The Emerald students had, by now, begun to treat Leo as a ‘professor’.
This was because they realized that while he looked like their peer, Leo's magical knowledge and abilities surpassed theirs.
Moreover, Leo presented a new concept to the Emerald students.
Mages fundamentally enjoyed learning new things.
Emerald Magic Academy was filled with students of such inclinations.
To the male student's question, Leo said nonchalantly.
“Rumerun magic students basically need to be able to do this.”
At his words, the Emerald students' faces stiffened.
‘This is basic?’
‘It looks difficult just by looking at it?’
Everyone swallowed dryly.
Once again, the difference between Rumerun and Emerald was felt.
They also understood why they should aim for Rumerun.
They felt convinced that to become the greatest mage, they had to be admitted to Rumerun.
“It's impossible to master this during the joint class period. But I can teach you the basics.”
Leo grinned.
“Isn't that why we study?”
Having said that, Leo picked up a piece of chalk.
“From now on, I'll tell you about the concept of altering magic formulas.”
At those words, the Emerald students hastily took out their writing tools.
And they began to concentrate on Leo's words.
Seeing that, Bey twisted his face in displeasure.
‘These damn nerds! What's so great about this that they're focusing on that fresh-faced kid's class when he's not even a professor?’
He looked at the academy students with a displeased expression.
Afterwards, he overtly asked strange questions or booed, disrupting the class.
About ten minutes passed like that.
One Emerald student carefully raised their hand, then, after observing for a moment, gathered courage and spoke.
“Instructor. I… I can't concentrate on the class. Because of… someone.”
Hearing those words, Bey flared up.
“What? Say that again? You can't concentrate on class…”
“Hey. Get out.”
“What?”
“The kids say you're disturbing the class. Get out.”
“Ha! Seriously, I've been letting you get away with it. Who are you to tell *me* to leave… *cough*?”
Leo unleashed his magic power.
Using telekinesis, Leo lifted Bey and flung him out of the lecture hall.
Bang-!
“*Cough*?”
Bey, hitting the classroom door, was thrown outside.
All the students' eyes widened as they alternated their gazes between Leo and Bey.
“What's going on?”
Anna narrowed her brows and peered into the lecture hall.
“There was a student disturbing the class.”
At those words, Anna, narrowing her eyes, looked at Bey, who was struggling to get up.
“This bastard! Really! I'll tell my family everything! I'll tell them all that I was unfairly treated during class…”
Grab-!
“Gasp?”
Anna extended her slender hand, grabbed Bey by the collar, and smiled gently.
“Understood. I'll handle this matter. Student Leo, please continue with the class.”
“Th-this, let go…”
“Hey.”
At Anna's eerie voice, Bey flinched and trembled.
“Stop disturbing the class and shut up.”
“Hee-eek?”
At Anna's terrifying gaze, Bey wore an expression of fear.
For Anna, who was always suffering under Ren, subduing a clueless brat with just a look was no big deal.
Seeing Bey being dragged away, still clutched by Anna's collar, the Emerald students wore expressions of satisfaction.
“Shall we continue with the class then?”
“Yes!”
The Emerald students nodded their heads, their eyes sparkling.
Before they knew it, all of them were concentrating on Leo's lecture.
***
Three days passed since the joint classes began.
Most of the students from other academies had somewhat adapted to Rumerun's academic schedule.
At first, as expected, there were troubles.
But as the professors mercilessly sent everyone home, most of the students who relied on their families, full of a sense of entitlement and expecting privileges, were expelled.
All the students realized.
That this was a Hero Academy, different from the three major class academies.
Thus, with only the genuine students remaining, everyone could focus solely on their classes.
The gazes directed at the instructors assisting the admission candidates' classes also changed.
At first, most of them looked down on or disapproved of the instructors, but after experiencing the instructors' skills, they all became completely speechless.
On the contrary, more students approached the instructors warmly.
“Instructor Celia! May I sit here?”
“…Do as you please.”
“Yes.”
When Celia spoke in a reluctant voice, an Icott male student quickly picked up his tray and sat in front of her.
“Instructor Celia! Are you free during the winter break, by any chance?”
Seeing the Icott male student hitting on her with sparkling eyes, Celia clicked her tongue.
Because of her excellent family background, skill, and appearance, there were quite a few students who openly tried to flirt with her like this.
The surrounding Knightry students who saw this chuckled.
“Wanna bet how many seconds it takes him to get up?”
“I say 10 seconds.”
“You underestimated. 15 seconds.”
A moment later, the male student, rejected in exactly 10 seconds, slumped his shoulders and went to another seat.
Seeing that, the Knightry students burst into laughter, but when Celia glared at them, they hastily fled.
Amidst the students growing closer.
Leo sat on a bench with a languid expression, watching the students come and go.
‘For now, I don't see anyone who seems to be from Tartaros.’
After the Great Library incident, Leo carefully observed the Rumerun students.
But not a single one among them was suspected to be from Tartaros.
‘I don't know what their scheme is, but do they intend to give up so easily? No. If that were the case, they wouldn't be unaware that it's only a matter of time before all the spies hidden in Rumerun are exposed, would they?’
Affiliated with Rumerun.
An organization unknown to the students.
They, known as the Shadows, are still secretly investigating the movements of everyone.
They've caught a tail.
No matter how secretly they moved, they couldn't evade Rumerun's watchful eye.
‘If so, given their nature… they're bound to try and cause trouble, even by force.’
Just as Leo had thought that far and narrowed his eyes.
Thud- thud-
He saw someone approaching him.
Whoosh-
A shadow fell before Leo.
Leo, seeing his opponent, made a puzzled expression.
“Why?”
Standing before Leo was an Icott student.
Leo's puzzled eyes instantly sharpened.
Along with that-
Whoosh-
The Icott student, raising his hand, brought his arm down towards Leo.
Crash-!
The bench Leo was sitting on was completely shattered.
“Well, well.”
Leo let out a hollow laugh.
“I expected something, but I didn't think they'd act immediately like this.”
Groooowwwl-!
Leo clenched his fist, looking at the male student, no, the demon, emitting black magic power.
“Leo Flobe.”
He said in an eerie voice.
“You'll have to die here.”