Book 1 Chapter 214

The five Zerdinger knight trainees sitting in the rest area glanced at Leo and Celia.

"You can get drinks and light snacks, as well as meals here to recover from fatigue."

"Is it similar to our school's cafeteria?"

"Not really. You don't pay for things, and the menu is always fixed."

Celia explained about the rest area with a shrug.

This was because Leo would be using the training grounds frequently as he was staying at Zerdinger's main estate during the early part of his vacation.

Leo nodded at Celia's words and returned to the trainees with their drinks.

Seeing Leo, the trainees were startled and hurriedly got up from their seats.

"M-Master Leo! We'll do it!"

"Huh? It's okay, though?"

"P-Please let us do it!"

"Yes! Please!"

Seeing them pleading, as if burdened by Leo taking care of them, Leo nodded and handed over the tray.

The girl who appeared to be the leader among the trainees first set up Leo and Celia's drinks and then distributed drinks among the knights.

"Well, even though it's a meeting, it's our first time meeting, so shall we start with simple self-introductions? Before that."

Leo spoke to Celia, who was sitting next to him and drinking her beverage through a straw.

"What are you doing?"

"Huh?"

"How long are you going to be here?"

"Are you telling me to leave?"

Celia frowned.

When Celia, who was evaluated as a noble direct descendant of Zerdinger and the future of the family, frowned, the trainees became restless.

Especially since they had been training swordsmanship with Celia in the training grounds since they were young.

They were even more surprised because they had never seen Celia make such a pained expression.

Leo looked at Celia's reaction with a nonchalant expression.

"Why are you here? I'm having a meeting with my knights."

"Hey, that's unfair! I can watch! How can you be so stingy and draw a line?"

Leo, who was staring intently at the indignant Celia, waved his hand.

"Go."

"Fine! I'm going! Going! So unfair, really!"

With a whoosh! Leo chuckled as he watched Celia's retreating back.

"Sulking."

"Um… Master Leo… Um… Is it okay to let Miss Celia go like that?"

At that moment, the girl who seemed to be the leader asked cautiously.

"She looks very angry."

"It's okay. If you leave her alone, she'll calm down on her own."

Leo chuckled and looked at her.

"In that sense, why don't you introduce yourself first?"

Leo had instantly perceived that this girl among his knights was the most skilled.

'That's why she's the leader.'

At Leo's words, the girl introduced herself.

"My name is Martina Eran. I have been training as a Zerdinger trainee for five years. I am fifteen years old."

Martina, who was the same age as Leo, stood up and bowed politely.

"My name is Austin Mare. I am sixteen years old."

"I'm Karin Lotte. I'm fourteen, the same as Karin."

"Julian Cariven. I'm fourteen, the same as Karin."

"Valerie Thom. I'm also fourteen."

After that, Austin, Karin, Julian, and Valerie introduced themselves in that order.

Leo nodded, remembering each of their names.

"I'm Leo Flov. I'm fifteen years old."

At Leo's introduction, the five looked at him with envious eyes.

It was inevitable.

Leo was one of the most famous prospective heroes this year.

He was called the best student not only in Lumern but across all hero academies.

Lunias of Seirun.

Ar of Azonia.

Dirdan of Demian.

The renowned first-year students representing each race who entered this year.

Among them, no student had achieved as much as Leo.

In addition, he also rose to the position of the youngest student council president.

He was bound to be an object of admiration for his peers.

However, the knights' eyes soon darkened.

Seeing their expressions, Leo said,

"Even though they are knights appointed by the family, they have become my people, so I will fulfill my duties."

"No. We all volunteered to become Master Leo's knights."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Before summer, the family recruited those who wanted to become Master Leo's knights."

Becoming a knight of a direct descendant was a great honor.

Furthermore, it was a path to a high position within Zerdinger.

Being a knight of a Zerdinger direct descendant also meant many opportunities to enhance one's name.

Therefore, becoming a knight of a direct descendant was an immense opportunity for a Zerdinger trainee.

"I personally watched Master Leo's entrance exam."

Martina said with a shy smile.

During the previous entrance exam, when Celia visited the Flov family, Martina had accompanied her as a squire.

"Your fight against that monster without using aura was amazing."

Martina said it was like a hero in a story, making the impossible possible.

That's why, when she heard the news of Leo becoming a direct descendant, she was the first to want to become Leo's knight.

The other trainees also said they volunteered to become Leo's knights for their own reasons.

Hearing their stories, Leo nodded.

"Really? Then you guys chose me?"

Leo grinned.

However, Martina's face did not brighten.

Seeing that, Leo wore a puzzled expression.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry to say this, but we all intend to resign as Master Leo's knights."

At those words, Leo furrowed his brow.

"Why?"

Martina hesitated at Leo's question.

Austin carefully spoke on behalf of the hesitant Martina.

"We all feel that we are too lacking to be Master Leo's knights."

Austin's explanation was as follows.

Martina, Austin, Karin, Julian, and Valerie.

All five of them were currently only at a mid-tier level among the Zerdinger family's trainee knights.

Martina was at a mid-upper tier, but even so, she was not skilled enough to be appointed as a knight of a direct descendant.

At that, Leo rested his chin on his hand.

"Then how did you become my knights?"

"Well, you see…"

Karin stealthily glanced around and cautiously opened her mouth.

"When Master Leo's knight corps was being recruited, the competition wasn't that fierce."

Leo nodded as if he understood Karin's whispered reply.

"I see."

When Leo's knight corps was first recruited, Leo was not famous except for being the class and grade representative.

Moreover, there were many people within the family who were displeased with Leo, who had suddenly appeared and been named a direct descendant candidate.

In such a situation, the higher-ranking trainees, who thought becoming Leo's knight was not a good choice, were all reluctant to apply to become Leo's knights.

Thanks to that, the current five people became Leo's knight corps.

However, starting with the inter-class competition in the first semester, the conquest of Luna's world in the second semester, and reaching the position of the youngest student council president, Leo's evaluation had completely reversed from before summer.

Already, within the family, there was not a single person who disapproved of Leo.

'So other Zerdinger trainees have also become covetous of my knight position?'

Leo chuckled inwardly.

And he looked at his knights.

'Perhaps none of them are from good families.'

They were from lower noble families.

Or there might be trainees from commoner backgrounds.

Basically, Zerdinger trainees were equal.

However, even so, they could not be unaffected by their skill and family background.

With mid-tier skills and no family support, harassment from other trainees must have been quite a hardship.

"There are many trainees who are more skilled than us. So… we think it's right to resign."

Including Martina, the other trainees lowered their heads.

Leo spoke as he watched them clench their fists with their lips pressed tightly.

"Why bother doing such a thing?"

"What?"

Leo said, resting his chin on his hand.

"Why don't you just be my knights?"

At that, Martina was taken aback.

"B-But Master Leo, we lack skill. We will surely tarnish Master Leo's reputation."

"Lack of skill can be improved. And you don't really need to worry about my reputation."

Leo looked at the five trainees and smiled faintly.

"You chose me from the beginning for your own reasons. That's enough."

Seeing the surprised knights, Leo got up.

"If you think you lack skill, why don't you try training with me starting tomorrow?"

"Training with Master Leo?"

"Yes."

'Training swordsmanship with the Lumern student council president…'

'T-This might be an opportunity…!'

The five trainees looked at each other and nodded.

"We will!"

At Martina's words, Leo smiled.

"Really? Then I'll tell Master Jerko separately."

If Celia had seen this, she might have tried to dissuade the trainees from quitting.

"You will train with me from tomorrow."

But unfortunately, Celia was not here.

***

The Lumern campus was very quiet after the students left.

Meanwhile, a faculty meeting was being held in the Hero's Tower.

"Then, the agenda this time is related to the entrance exam."

The professors concentrated on Halind, who was in charge of this year's entrance exam.

"The entrance exam is coming soon. However, it will be conducted differently from previous entrance exams."

It was time for Lumern to undergo change.

The Sword Saint, who had been the center of Lumern for a long time, had left.

Moreover, last year, spies had infiltrated Lumern.

It was a time when more caution needed to be exercised in selecting new students.

At Halind's words, Ain asked,

"When you say it will be conducted differently… are you referring to the 'joint exam' you mentioned last time?"

"Yes."

Halind nodded.

Up until now, Lumern's entrance exam had been conducted by each regional examiner at their discretion.

However, this year was different.

"We plan to send out an official notice tomorrow."

"Then, where will the exam be held?"

Yura asked with a puzzled expression, and Halind calmly replied,

"The Rodren Empire would be good."

At those words, the professors nodded.

Not many countries can handle the influx of people from all over the world at once.

The most suitable among them is indeed Rodren, the hegemonic power of the West.

"Naturally, the exam content will also be unified?"

"Yes."

Halind was flipping through the documents rapidly without even looking at the other professors.

"What is the exam content?"

Halind answered Ain's question calmly.

"Fighting with the current students."

"What?"

The professors wore blank expressions.

For a moment, they wondered if they had misheard.

"You mean fighting with the current students?"

"Yes. The current students will 'hunt' the prospective new students."

"…"

The professors' faces changed strangely.

"Even so, isn't that too harsh?"

Yura asked cautiously.

Halind raised his head with a blank expression.

"Do you really think I would propose an unreasonable exam?"

'Professor Halind…'

'Wouldn't he do something like that?'

The fact that not a single student dropped out from the first-year class 5, which he was in charge of this time, was considered a miracle by both the current students and the professors.

However, his true nature was that of Lumern's Wall of Lamentation, which reigned as a terror among students.

He was a terrifying professor who unsparingly recommended students who were unqualified to drop out.

"The students who will be deployed in the exam are second-year students."

"Ah, it's a relief that they are second-year students."

"Professor Yura, please summon the students on this list to the Rodren Empire."

Halind handed the list to Yura.

Yura's face hardened as she received the list.

"Chloe Müller, Duran Moira, Celia Zerdinger, Leo Flov, Chelsea Lewalin, Abad Lewalin, Ellie Heigin, Woren Tyren, Chen Sia?"

As nine names were mentioned, the professors' faces also hardened.

"W-Wait a minute. Are you really going to summon these students?"

"Yes."

Halind said, looking back at the documents.

"If they can't even survive against mere second-year students, then filtering them out is the answer."

'No, they aren't mere second-year students!'

Yura shrieked inwardly at Halind's words.

The reactions of the other professors were not much different.

However, no professor uttered it aloud.

Even to the professors, Halind was a source of terror.

Thus, the professors sent their sympathy to this year's prospective new students and sighed deeply.

The professors were convinced that this year's exam would be of unprecedented difficulty.