Book 1 Chapter 335

335

Whooooosh-!

A cold wind was blowing.

At that moment, magic swirled from the warp gate.

Flash-!

The bright light receded, and Leo appeared.

It was the height of spring.

But regardless of the season, the harsh land boasted its coldness.

"Hoo."

As Leo lightly exhaled, his breath obscured his vision.

He got off the warp gate, carrying a travel bag full of luggage.

Leo was the only one who took the warp gate from Lumerne to Seirune.

'It's not yet the academic conference period, so Associate Professor Anna will arrive according to the conference schedule.'

Thump- thump-

Leo looked around as he walked on the marble floor.

It was already late.

All academic schedules at Seirune had ended.

Only the mages operating the warp gate were there.

'Lunia or Eiran. I thought one of them would come to meet me?'

Leo knew that he wouldn't be welcomed at Seirune.

Still, among the students, Lunia and Eiran were close friends, and among the teachers, Herdium highly regarded him.

Therefore, he didn't expect no one to come to meet him.

Feeling puzzled, Leo approached the elf mage operating the warp gate.

"Excuse me."

The elf mage glanced at Leo.

It seemed they had already been informed about the situation at the warp gate, as there was no surprise that a Lumerne student had suddenly arrived in Seirune.

"Yes?"

"I'm Leo Plov, an exchange student from Lumerne. Has anyone come to meet me?"

"No."

The elf mage shook her head, led Leo out of the warp gate, and pointed to the Seirune campus visible in the distance.

"If you go to the entrance of the Seirune campus, a faculty member will probably be waiting."

After hearing the explanation, Leo nodded and left the warp gate.

The elf mage, who was watching Leo's retreating figure, hesitated and then spoke.

"Um… good luck."

At her words, Leo paused and looked back.

When the elf mage's eyes met Leo's, she quickly turned her head and swept the snow in front of the warp gate.

'Her capabilities as a mage are high, but her achievement in star magic isn't outstanding.'

Star magic.

It's a unique magic system created by Luna, and now it has become a symbol of the elves, a unique magic of the elf race itself.

Any elf mage can use star magic.

However, just because one can use star magic doesn't mean everyone can achieve high levels of accomplishment.

Even if other magic is excellent, there are certainly elf mages whose achievement in star magic is low.

'And such elves were not favored, was that it?'

In Seirune, this tendency was even stronger.

What was most emphasized at the Hero Academy founded by the Comet Mage was star magic.

No matter how outstanding one's talent for Aura or summoning was, if they could not master 'star magic,' they could not cross the threshold of admission to Seirune.

Therefore, Seirune students who handled Aura or summoned beasts were all dual-class by default.

As much as star magic was valued, their pride in star magic was also immense.

Stories about Leo are famous worldwide, not just among humans.

That elf mage probably said that because she anticipated how Leo, an exchange student, would be treated at Seirune.

'Judging by her reaction, could she be reprimanded just for having a private conversation with me?'

Yet, she said those words out of concern for Leo, whom she was seeing for the first time.

'No matter where you go, there are people with good intentions.'

Leo smiled faintly as he headed to Seirune.

Lysinas said that just because such people exist, this world is worth risking one's life for.

Crunch- crunch-

Footprints appeared on the snow with each step Leo took.

He hadn't walked far before he arrived at the main gate of Seirune.

And there stood a meticulous-looking elf.

She adjusted her glasses and said,

"It's a pleasure to meet you, student Leo Plov of Lumerne. I am Orlene Azel, responsible for the etiquette education of Seirune's second-year students."

"I am Leo Plov. I look forward to working with you for the next month."

Leo greeted her politely.

But before his greeting was even finished, Orlene abruptly turned around and started walking.

A moment later, Leo arrived at a castle inside Seirune.

Opening the antique castle gates, a vast entrance hall unfolded.

Until he arrived at a small room inside the castle, he did not encounter a single faculty member, let alone a student.

The vast castle was as silent as a grave.

Entering the small room, Orlene eventually turned to Leo and said,

"Although it's a short period, as an exchange student, you must follow the strict rules of Seirune."

Orlene snapped her fingers, and a closet door on one side of the room opened, revealing school uniforms and books that looked like textbooks placed on a table.

"Books and luggage brought in from outside are not permitted. Please leave them all here."

At her words, Leo nodded and placed his travel bag on the table.

"One more thing, Leo Plov. You came to Seirune to study, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Then I hope you don't make it obvious that you're an exchange student."

Orlene adjusted her glasses.

"To learn at Seirune, you need to look the part. While you are here, I hope you will live like an elf. Even your appearance. Because your presence could cause confusion among the students."

At her words, Leo made a subtle expression.

"Aren't the Seirune students aware of the exchange student program anyway?"

"No, they are not."

Leo tilted his head.

"Even so, I don't think they wouldn't recognize me just because I'm dressed like an elf."

"You have unnecessarily strong pride in yourself, Leo Plov."

Orlene curled the corners of her mouth.

"This is Seirune, not Lumerne. This means it's an elf society, not a human society. I don't know how famous you are in Lumerne and human society, but it's a mistake to think your fame will apply here."

Orlene snorted and said coldly,

"Please change into the school uniform and wear the necklace that comes with it. And I'll give you a campus map, so you can stay there."

Leaving those words, Orlene exited the room.

'What is she talking about? All the second-year students at Seirune know my face anyway, don't they?'

Leo, with a bewildered expression, was about to change into the Seirune uniform when his gaze turned to the textbooks, and he paused.

Then, after looking at the textbooks, he let out a chuckle.

"That's what she meant?"

He finally understood Orlene's words.

The textbooks Orlene handed to Leo were none other than those for Seirune first-year students.

'Indeed, it seems she truly doesn't like me.'

It appeared she didn't want him to attend the same classes as the second-year students.

In addition, it seemed she was trying to prevent him from meeting Lunia and Eiran.

'Does she think I'm a bad influence on the two of them?'

During the exclusive contract with Smith previously.

Lunia fell out of favor with Seirune's general supervisor.

From Seirune's perspective, they must have judged Lunia to be a delinquent student whose prestige had fallen.

Indeed, they even threatened to exclude Lunia, who was being considered a candidate for the next student council president, in front of everyone.

'But with Lunia's conquest of Dweno's world, the situation must have changed.'

She obtained a divine artifact specially created by Dweno for Lunia.

Not only that, but she inherited the Phoenix King's flame, whose lineage had been severed during the Age of Calamity.

Literally unprecedented.

Lunia's value had become too great to abandon her.

Therefore, they would want to change Lunia to their liking in any way possible.

"…How is it that bad things are learned so well even without being taught?"

Recalling the methods of the High Elves from 5000 years ago, Leo let out a hollow laugh.

Leo, who had changed into the Seirune uniform, put on the necklace Orlene had mentioned.

It was a necklace enchanted with star magic and illusion magic.

He went in front of the mirror.

Wearing the white Seirune uniform, his ears had transformed into elf ears.

Literally, an unmistakable Seirune student stood there.

"I'm destined to act like a Seirune first-year student, something not in my fate."

Leo chuckled at his reflection in the mirror.

"It'll be interesting."

Leo wasn't here to study anyway.

He came to Seirune at Tina's request, who wished for him to positively influence Seirune in exchange for obtaining Kiryan's wings.

And she asked him to teach magic to her niece, who had entered this year, if possible.

'While I'm at it, it wouldn't be bad to get a clear idea of the level of Seirune's first-year students.'

Leo picked up the textbooks and left the room.

***

Following the map Orlene had left, Leo walked towards the dormitory room.

It was essentially a situation where Leo was half-neglected.

But Leo easily navigated using the map and headed towards the dormitory area.

A moment later.

Leo was able to reach the dormitory area without difficulty.

Upon arriving at the dormitory area, despite the late hour, two people were sitting on the lounge sofa, talking.

"Did you hear about it?"

A male student sitting in the middle of the lounge crossed his arms and said.

"The student council president of Lumerne during Lumerne's midterms."

"Are you talking about Leo Plov?"

A female student took a sip of tea and tilted her head.

"Yeah. They say he summoned a fairy during the exam?"

"Pfft! Do you believe that?"

The female student burst into laughter after hearing the male student's words.

"He's already a contractor of the Phoenix, isn't he? But suddenly a fairy? Do you think that makes sense?"

The surrounding students also chuckled.

"That's not all. They say he also summoned Pegasus."

The male student, who had initially brought up Leo's story, still spoke with a serious expression.

"Hey! That makes even less sense! No matter how amazing he is, do you think it's possible for a mere second-year student to make contracts with all three legendary beasts?"

Tsk tsk tsk- The female student clicked her tongue, looking at the male student.

The male student looked at the female student and said seriously.

"No matter how absurd the story, you need to pay attention. We need to prepare for this Seiru-War. We don't get much information about Lumerne, so we should gather even small pieces of information to prepare."

He seemed to have a cautious personality.

The female student scoffed, looking at the male student who kept making remarks as if he was wary of Leo.

"Well, I get that Leo Plov is amazing. But among our actual competitors, the Lumerne first-years, there aren't any particularly famous kids, are there? At most, the great-granddaughter of the Sword Saint who was already famous?"

The female student, sipping her tea, smiled meaningfully.

"Besides, who do you think is the top student in our current class? It's Leah Tingel."

The female student flashed a confident smile.

"With Leah, who succeeded in summoning the Fairy King after thousands of years, why bother worrying about Lumerne? We also have Senior Lunia and Senior Eiran, so this Seiru-War is definitely our victory!"

"Excuse me for interrupting your conversation."

"Huh?!"

The female student gasped in surprise and turned around at the voice that suddenly came from behind her.

Leo, leaning back on the sofa and craning his neck forward, smiled faintly and asked,

"Who summoned whom?"

In this world.

Leo couldn't help but pay great attention to the story of the only friend who shared the same time as him.