Book 1 Chapter 186

186

After the class assessment ended, Leo approached the spectator seats where the first-years were waiting.

Everyone held their breath and focused on Leo.

It was astonishing that a first-year had managed to fight the strongest student to a draw, even if only for a moment.

Furthermore, Leo was a contractor of the Phoenix.

Before long, he would truly possess strength befitting a student council president.

Therefore, everyone realized.

Though he was a first-year, Leo clearly had the qualifications to be the student council president.

The first-years also looked at Leo with nervous eyes.

'Is Leo really going to be the student council president?'

'Really?'

'Won't we have to be careful around the upperclassmen for nothing?'

'Anyway, doesn't that mean he'll be the most powerful student in Lumern starting from first year?'

The first-years' emotions were complex.

The feelings of the other upperclassmen were no different.

'Argh! At this rate, that first-year will really become the student council president!'

'But there's no justification to stop him. Elena initially recommended Leo Flobe as student council president.'

'Since things have come to this, should we really try to recruit Leo Flobe? If this is the trend, Leo Flobe would be easier to handle than Elena Zerion.'

The second-years screamed internally.

The third-years still watched Elena carefully.

And even the fourth-years thought that given the circumstances, it might be better for a first-year to become student council president.

Amidst various complex gazes.

Chirp-

"Hungry?"

Leo, who was heading to his Class 5 seat, furrowed his brow, took out a chocolate from his pocket, and placed it on his hand.

Flap- Fiora flew onto Leo's hand and pecked at the chocolate.

After quickly finishing it, Fiora looked up at Leo, spread her wings, and hopped around.

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

"What? You want more? There isn't any."

Chirrrp-

"You'll really turn into a pig if you keep this up."

At those words, Fiora flew onto Leo's head and tugged at his white hair.

'Cu- Cute!'

'I want one! A Phoenix!'

Students, forgetting their complex thoughts from a moment ago as they watched Fiora, exclaimed.

As Leo sat down, the students of Class 5 rushed around him.

"What is it! What! When did you contract with a Phoenix?"

"That's awesome!"

"Leo! Show me too!"

Fiora looked flustered as students gathered around her.

It was the first time in her life she had received such ardent attention.

But her confusion lasted only a moment.

She elegantly raised her head from atop Leo's head.

"Kyaaaaah!"

"So cute!"

As the girls in Class 5 screamed and delighted, Fiora struck various poses.

Each time a reaction burst forth, Fiora became even more puffed up.

"Oops! Hey! Professor Harland is glaring!"

"Gasp!"

But when Karl shouted urgently, they snapped out of it and quickly returned to their seats.

Fiora, who had been quite proud, looked around bewildered when the crowd dispersed.

Amidst the commotion.

Kalian, who had been observing the situation from the head seat, was looking at Leo.

"He finally proved himself worthy of being the student council president."

Kalian nodded at Livens' murmur beside him and stood up.

"What are you going to do?"

"If it's proven, shouldn't we just confirm it?"

At his words, Livens said.

"Amazing. I knew you liked Leo Flobe, but I didn't know you'd push him this actively."

"Isn't he a deserving student?"

Kalian smiled at Livens' words and went down to the dueling arena.

All the students looked surprised as Kalian, the principal, suddenly walked to the center of the dueling arena.

Amidst that, Kalian looked around at the students and said.

"All the first-years did well. I believe you must have felt many things during the duels."

Kalian looked at the first-years with a serious expression.

"There must be students who found themselves growing incomparably from half a year ago, and there must also be students who directly experienced the growth of a student they thought was inferior to them."

At those words, some students had proud expressions, while others looked resentful.

"This is the path you must walk. You must endlessly compete and endlessly grow. That is how you will gradually become humans closer to heroes. It is the path your predecessors walked. And it is the path I, too, have walked."

Smiling gently, Kalian said.

"And I will also speak about the student council president."

Everyone held their breath.

Kalian looked at the entire student body, who had nervous expressions, and said.

"Lumern's motto is 'Surpass your limits.' To put it differently, it also means that anything can happen."

Kalian looked at the spectator seats where the upperclassmen were sitting.

"Do you believe that Student Leo is not qualified to be the student council president?"

At those words, no student could say anything.

Leo himself had engaged in a duel equal to the strongest student.

Furthermore, he was a contractor of the Phoenix.

Just from what Leo had shown so far, he was fully qualified to be the student council president.

Of course, the current Leo was not the 'strongest student.'

But Leo was a first-year.

He harbored limitless potential.

He had shown the potential to overtake the current strong ones in the blink of an eye.

"Not many students are qualified to be the student council president. Moreover, students with the aptitude are even rarer."

Harland smiled.

"I judged Leo Flobe to be a student with both the qualification and aptitude for student council president, so I accepted Lyss Zerginder's recommendation."

No one could answer.

"Therefore, I intend to appoint Leo Flobe as the student council president here and now. Does any student object?"

While the entire student body and even the professors were surprised, no student raised an objection.

Kalian looked at them for a moment and said.

"Lyss Zerginder, Leo Flobe, come forward."

At those words, Leo and Lyss stepped forward into the center of the dueling arena again.

"The formal appointment will be at the end of the second semester, but I thought it would be good to announce it to the students now, as the handover should begin now. What are your thoughts?"

"I'm fine with it."

"Me too."

At their words, Kalian smiled and nodded.

"Good. Then, from now on, I declare Leo Flobe as the next student council president."

At that declaration, the entire student body looked at each other.

But when Lyss clapped, they stealthily looked around, then soon followed suit and started clapping.

Clap- Clap- Clap- Clap-

Various gazes intersected as they watched the emergence of an unprecedented first-year student council president.

Elena rested her chin on her hand and smiled gently.

'Now, I must help Leo-kun play an active role as student council president.'

While thinking that, she narrowed her eyes, scanning the third-years.

'What should I do about those who are dissatisfied?'

Among the third-years, there were those who absolutely obeyed Elena's words.

But there were also many who thought and acted as they pleased.

'I should manage them before they do something foolish using my name, shouldn't I?'

Smiling gently, Elena wore a tyrant's smile.

Meanwhile, the fourth-year spectator section was calm.

"Quite something, Leo Flobe?"

Hark's eyes showed a competitive spirit.

"It would be fun to fight that guy?"

His fellow fourth-years sighed deeply as they watched Hark, who thought of nothing but competing with someone, except when sleeping.

"Leo. Would you like to say a few words to the students about becoming student council president?"

At Lyss's words, Leo received a microphone with a voice amplification spell on it.

As Leo held the microphone, everyone looked tense.

Leo scanned them and said.

"I will do my best so that the fact that a first-year has become student council president does not bring disgrace to the school."

The professors nodded at his words, which were close to a model answer.

"And if you experience it and don't like it or become dissatisfied, come find me. If you fight me and win, I will hand over the student council president position to you."

"…!"

"…!"

Everyone gaped at Leo.

Those words were tantamount to a provocation against the second, third, and fourth-years.

Even Lyss looked at Leo with a bewildered expression.

"Pfft! Puhuhuhu! Hahahahahahaha!"

Hark, sitting in the fourth-year spectator seats, clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.

"I like it! Yes! If you're going to be the student council president, a position called the strongest student, shouldn't you have that much guts?"

"Is this funny to you? If things go wrong, a battle for the student council president might break out starting next year!"

One of the fourth-years scolded Hark.

The student council president is given powerful authority.

If abused, it could cause immense chaos to the school itself.

Indeed, there had been such precedents in Lumern's history.

But Leo, at his appointment as student council president, publicly declared that one could become president 'if they just defeat him.'

For the upperclassmen, that position couldn't help but be tempting.

"Leave him be. It's not like that guy is thoughtless; he must be confident to provoke so boldly, right?"

Hark, with his arms crossed, looked at Leo with eyes that glowed unlike his usual self.

"Fifth year should be interesting too."

Meanwhile, Leo added.

"Ah. And I've already decided on the vice student council president. It's Hark Ligar, a fourth-year senior."

"Huh?"

"Senior Hark will also handle all the practical work of the student council."

Everyone looked surprised at Leo, who continued his announcement nonchalantly.

The power of the student council president comes from practical work.

To entrust the source of that power to Hark?

'No, that person wouldn't do such troublesome things in the first place, would he?'

All the students focused on Hark.

And as expected, Hark shot up from his seat.

"Why should I do such troublesome work?"

Leo looked as if he was hearing something strange as he watched Hark, who was scowling and objecting.

"Senior Hark. I'll be the student council president starting next year, right?"

"That's right."

"The student council president has the power to appoint personnel, right?"

"Correct."

"So I ordered it."

Hark's face twisted severely.

Hark, although his personality wasn't well-known because he slept all the time, wasn't someone with a very good personality.

As Hark wore a fierce expression, everyone looked tense.

A spectacle of the new student council president and vice president engaging in a battle of wills from the start.

And the content was also strange.

'No, he's refusing to do the practical work?'

"No way I'm doing that. I refuse."

"I'll refuse your refusal."

"Who are you to say that?"

"Because I'm the student council president."

Leo smiled.

"Just do as I say."

"Cough? Th-that guy…!"

Hark clutched the back of his neck, looking at the arrogant junior student council president.

He felt like the low blood pressure he got from daily sleep was being cured.

"Hey! You guys say something! That guy became student council president and is already climbing all over his seniors!"

Hark's eyes widened as he shouted at his classmates.

But the fourth-years had intrigued expressions.

"If Hark has the real power, isn't that good for us?"

"Yeah. Anyway, the student council's power comes from practical work."

"Looking at how that guy usually acts, he deserves to hear something like that from a first-year."

There was no one on Hark's side, who usually just slept no matter what happened.

"You guys really…"

Hark's body trembled.

Seeing that, Leo smiled gently.

"Power is indeed good."

At those words, Hark had to clutch the back of his neck once more.

***

Seirun.

"Student council president? A first-year?"

"Leo Flobe… Is that the guy who cleared the Ancestor's Hero Dungeon this time?"

Even the elf students showed surprised reactions.

Seirun students generally didn't pay much attention to the affairs of other hero academies.

This was because they were full of confidence that they themselves were the best hero candidates.

However, the fact that a first-year became student council president was enough to cause a huge stir even in Seirun.

"They say he contracted with a Phoenix?"

"…Perhaps we should be a little nervous about this Seirun-Lumern match."

The Seirun upperclassmen generally viewed Leo with caution.

Meanwhile, Lunia gripped her hands tightly, looking at the newspaper in her classroom.

'Leo became student council president?'

Just when she thought she was catching up, he had taken another step forward.

'Good! I'll also quickly form a contract with a Phoenix and chase after him!'

Lunia's eyes burned brightly.

Meanwhile, Eiran, sitting next to her, smiled sweetly while clipping the photo of Leo printed in the newspaper.

'Lord Leo in this newspaper looks cool.'

Eiran, who had a hobby of collecting hero-related items, had recently been diligently recording Leo's exploits.

***

"…He's doing well. A first-year as student council president."

"They say he contracted with a Phoenix?"

"I want to fight him sometime?"

Voices filled with competitive spirit were heard from various places.

Amidst them, a beast-kin girl sitting in a classroom seat was looking down at the newspaper, wagging her white cat tail.

'Black Rabbit!'

Ar listened intently to the news of the boy she had declared her rival.

As the world watched.

Lumern was moving in a new direction.