Book 1 Chapter 32
【32】31
“Hello.”
“Good morning, Leo!”
“Did you have a good weekend?”
The morning after the weekend ended.
Classmates greeted Leo as he entered the classroom.
“Leo, I heard you met the student council president over the weekend!”
As Leo was about to sit down, Theid, a classmate, approached him and asked in an excited tone.
“I thought you were close with Celia Zerdinger from Class 1, but you even met that student council president?”
Illiana, who approached with her arms crossed, also showed a surprised expression.
Only Kal and Chelsea in the class knew that Leo was Celia’s cousin.
“You’re very interested in the student council president?”
“Of course! He’s the strongest, ranked number one in Lumen!”
Theid said excitedly.
“Good family, good skills, good grades. And handsome. Leo, were you perhaps invited to join the student council?”
Illiana asked with a curious voice.
Leo was a talent noticed in Lumen.
Initially, many people questioned the fact that Leo, who wasn't even the top student, became the freshman representative, but now it was different.
He was an unprecedented "All-Class" student, coveted by professors from all major departments.
At Illiana’s question, Leo shook his head.
“I wasn't specifically invited to do anything like that. Even if I were, I’m not interested in the student council.”
At his words, Theid and Illiana's eyes sparkled.
“Leo, why don’t you join the Summoning Material Research Club with me?”
Theid actively encouraged him to join the club.
“You’re still weak in practical summoning skills, aren’t you? It will definitely help!”
“Get out of the way! Did you forget Leo is All-Class? Leo! Let’s join the Magic Swordsman Club together! You're absolutely welcome!”
Theid and Illiana bickered.
Both of them had already temporarily joined their desired clubs even before the freshman club activity allowance period began.
Watching the two squabbling, Kal appeared, clicking his tongue.
“Both of you are late with information. Leo has already decided on his club activity.”
“What? Where?”
“He said he’s going to make his own club.”
“Make a club?”
“A freshman?”
Theid and Illiana blinked.
“What kind of club will you make?”
Nella, who was sitting far away, showed interest with her characteristic languid voice.
“He said it’s a Hero Research Club.”
“But isn’t that already sufficiently researched in Heroics?”
Illiana made a face like she had bitten into something sour.
“He said he’s going to research forgotten heroes? Like Kyle, for example.”
Hearing that, Theid and Illiana made expressions that asked, ‘Why would he do that?’
But Nella nodded.
“So you’re interested because Kyle is the only All-Class hero, even if he’s a fictional one.”
Nella nodded.
‘I need to quickly find my Hero Record page or something.’
As long as the Hero Record wasn’t found, there was no way to prove his existence.
Just then, Ellig Tuna, a male student from Class 8, entered Class 5.
He approached Leo and asked.
“Hey, Class 5. Who’s your class president?”
“We don’t have a class president, but I’m currently acting as one.”
“It hasn’t been decided yet, but you can tell me.”
“Huh? What’s going on?”
Theid, Illiana, and even Chelsea, who was reading a magic book nearby, raised their heads and reacted.
“Um… so who is the class president?”
Ellig asked, looking back and forth between the three.
The gazes of the three intertwined in the air.
“Of course, it’s me. I’ve been assisting Professor Harland until now.”
Theid said, crossing his arms.
“What are you talking about? I’ve also assisted Professor Harland a lot, haven’t I? And shouldn’t it be me, a person from the famous Laden family, who does it?”
Illiana snorted and puffed out her chest.
“Are you discussing families in front of Rwalin now? How ridiculous. Of course, I don’t need the prestige of a family. Shouldn’t the class president, as the face of the class, be the most outstanding person? Who is the most outstanding in our class?”
Chelsea smiled and stood up.
As the three people claiming to be class president began to squabble, Ellig approached Leo.
“Leo Plov. Here you go.”
He handed a document to Leo.
“What’s this?”
“It’s an adjustment for today’s Heroics class. Everyone is to gather in the grand auditorium after homeroom. Professor Artian decided to conduct a joint class with ten classes this time.”
For compulsory subjects like Combat Studies, each homeroom professor is in charge.
The reason was that they had to guide the students in a way that understood and utilized their individual characteristics.
However, for Heroics, there is a specialized professor.
And the Heroics professor for freshmen was Professor Artian, the homeroom professor for Class 8 and the one who left a strong impression on the first day of admission.
“You can give it to your homeroom professor during morning homeroom today. Well, I’m off.”
Ellig left the class.
“Where, where.”
Kal received the document from Leo.
“Oh! So this is it! The research on the recovered Hero Record page.”
“Really?”
Nella also checked the contents of the document.
“What kind of hero would it be? Leo, did you hear anything from the student council president yesterday?”
At Kal’s question, Leo rested his chin on his hand.
“He said there was a page so damaged that the hero’s world couldn't be realized, so I wonder if it’s that.”
“Ugh! Inference class is the hardest!”
Kal clutched his head.
“I told you I’m the class president!”
“No! It’s me!”
“You’re impossible to reason with! Let’s decide it by skill! Both of you, come at me!”
“Do you think we’d chicken out?”
“I’ll show you results in a month!”
Until then, the three who were still claiming to be class president were yelling, "Wah! Wah!"
Watching them, Nella wore a troubled expression.
“If Professor Harland comes… ”
“We’d be dead, that’s what.”
Kal shook his head.
***
“A joint class? I see.”
During homeroom.
Harland took the document from Leo and nodded.
“This joint class will be observed by not only Professor Artian but also all the freshman homeroom professors.”
He said, tossing the document casually onto the lectern with an indifferent face.
“As it’s the first joint class, try to make a good impression.”
“Yes.”
“If you show such foolish behavior as these guys in front of other classes, it won’t end at just this.”
The eyes of the classmates turned to the three people kneeling on their desks and holding up chairs.
Chelsea, Theid, and Illiana hung their heads in shame.
“Professor! Why haven’t we chosen a class president yet?”
Kal raised his hand and asked.
After a month since the academic schedule began, Class 5 was the only class that had not yet elected a class president.
“I expected you all to choose among yourselves without me having to pick. It’s inefficient for me to intervene and waste time.”
In other classes, they wasted entire Combat Studies class periods trying to elect a class president.
In the case of Class 1, with three top students, it took twice as long as other classes.
Harland considered it a waste of time and left it to the students' autonomy.
However, the students of Class 5 were waiting for Harland to bring it up.
“If you want me to intervene, I’ll do as I please. Leo, Nella.”
Harland called Leo, who was in the furthest corner at the back of the class, and Nella, who was at the very front.
“Leo will be the class president, and Nella will be the vice president.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
“Wait, just a moment! Professor! There are methods like voting, aren't there? It’s unfair if you pick us this way!”
“I agree too!”
Illiana protested, and Theid backed her up.
At their words, Harland showed a nonchalant reaction.
“Is there a more suitable student than Leo Plov to be a leader in this class?”
At that, Illiana and Theid fell silent.
Indeed, no student in Class 5 could match Leo’s leadership shown in Combat Studies.
“And Nella has the calmest personality in our class. Don’t you think she’s perfect as a vice president to assist the class president?”
Again, there was no refuting it.
It was just that neither of them had any ambition for the class president or vice president positions.
If Harland designated the two, there was nothing more to say.
“Does anyone have an objection?”
“No.”
“Good. Then everyone prepare for class and move to the grand auditorium.”
The great migration of freshmen began.
Since students rarely had classes together outside of departmental subjects, everyone was in quite an excited mood.
“Hi, Leo?”
“Leo! Want to have lunch together after class?”
A few female students giggled and spoke to Leo.
As he took all major subjects, quite a few students were acquainted with Leo.
“Heh! Leo! You’re popular, aren’t you? Well, you do have the looks.”
Kal poked Leo’s side and acted slyly.
Leo, being a celebrity at school and a handsome young man, was certainly very popular.
“Do you know anyone among your close friends that you could introduce me to?”
“You also have many close female friends, so why are you asking me for something like that?”
“In my case, they’re all just clients.”
Kal grumbled, putting his clasped hands behind his head.
“Kal.”
“Huh?”
Someone called Kal from behind.
Kal turned his head and made an odd expression.
“Chloe, you look very tired?”
At Kal’s question, Chloe glanced at Leo then shook her head.
“Not really. If you have any leftover fatigue recovery potions, will you sell them all to me?”
Kal took out a fatigue recovery potion from his subspace.
Chloe, receiving it, opened several bottles and poured them directly into her mouth.
“It’s the beginning of the semester, aren’t you overdoing it?”
At Leo’s question, Chloe shook her head.
“I’m fine.”
She said that and walked ahead.
“Wow, she’s tough. Really tough. To be first in the theory exam and still go that far.”
Currently, the first place in the Magic Department’s theory exam was undoubtedly Chloe.
Second was Avad, third was Chelsea, and Leo was fourth.
Suddenly, Chelsea interjected into the conversation.
“Chloe can’t help but be anxious.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Kal. Sometimes I doubt if you’re really in the Magic Department.”
“I only study hard enough not to get expelled!”
Kal said proudly, giving a thumbs-up.
“Ugh. Anyway, the reason Chloe is anxious is that if Leo just gets used to the latest magic trends, he could immediately catch up in theory scores.”
Chelsea was right.
Leo was more unfamiliar with the latest magic trends than any other wizard in Lumen.
And all classes were focused on the latest magic trends.
However, when it came to magic interpretation ability, which Lumen professors emphasized, no student could rival Leo.
“Tsk. Is being first in theory really that important?”
“It’s a matter of pride as a mage of the Magic Tower, so that part can’t be helped.”
Chelsea shrugged her shoulders.
While mages of noble families inherited through bloodline tended to focus on ‘combat’-oriented magic, mages of the Magic Tower focused on ‘exploration and research’.
Heroic noble mages like Chelsea might be strong in combat, but they couldn't lead the latest trends in magic.
Conversely, new discoveries and spells were all created in the Magic Tower.
Chloe felt a sense of crisis from Leo in a field she believed she absolutely couldn't lose in.
‘Well, working hard is good and all.’
Leo scratched his cheek and looked at Chloe walking ahead.
‘If she overdoes it, she’ll get sick.’
A great hero who once saved the world, and a budding sprout now growing.
It was inevitable, as their starting lines were different.
‘I should find a time to talk to her about it.’
***
“Yes, Lyss.”
Lyss was reporting to Kalian in the principal’s office about the results of his recent dispatch.
“Is it true that this hero page reacted?”
Kalian carefully picked up a small fragment of a Hero Record page.
“Yes.”
“Interesting. It’s normal for a page of this size to contain no power whatsoever.”
For a fragment so damaged it was awkward to even call it a page, it was normal for it to contain no power at all.
“Was there any reaction afterward?”
“No, there wasn't.”
“Hmm… was it a reaction that occurred as it got closer to the Hero Record?”
Kalian put down the page fragment.
“Anyway, Lyss. You’ve worked hard on the dispatch.”
“Yes.”
After saying his goodbyes and seeing Lyss off, Kalian turned and spoke to his secretary, Erena.
“Take this to the Grand Auditorium of the Hall of Beginnings.”
“Yes, Principal.”
At Kalian’s words, Erena stared intently at the Hero Record fragment he handed her.
“Erena?”
“Oh, yes. I’ll take it now.”
As Erena left the principal’s office, Kalian, left alone, stroked his chin.
Having conquered countless heroic worlds, he knew more about the Hero Record than anyone else.
‘Come to think of it, there have been times when such a small fragment reacted.’
Kalian shook his head, thinking it was an impossible feat.
‘It reacts when the very person recorded in the Hero Record arrives.’