Book 1 Chapter 338

338

Seirun, lunchtime.

Leo was walking down the corridor of the 1st-year 'Castle of Beginnings'.

Thump- thump-

And at the end of the long corridor.

Swish-

A gray-haired girl peeked her face out from the wall at the corridor corner.

'It must be Leo Plov, right? Are you sure? It's not someone who just looks similar, is it?'

Seeing Leo leave the dining hall, Leah hastily finished her meal and chased after Leo.

Leah was certain it was Leo, but she still couldn't quite understand the current situation.

It made no sense for the Student Council President of Lumerne to be pretending to be a Seirun student.

'And in the lower class of the 1st year?'

The situation was so strange that she followed Leo to confirm it was him.

Thump-

Just then, as Leo stopped walking, Leah flinched and instinctively darted behind an armor decoration on the wall.

'Wait, why do I need to hide? Can't I just ask him?'

It was a moment when she felt pathetic for hiding when she hadn't done anything wrong.

"What are you doing?"

"Kyaaak?!"

Startled by the voice from behind, Leah shrieked and clung to the armor decoration.

Whoosh-!

The armor decoration swayed, unable to support Leah's weight.

Thud-! Whoosh-!

Leo reached out and caught Leah.

He used wind magic to set the armor decoration upright again.

Leah, seeing Leo's face up close, became certain.

'It's Leo Plov after all!'

"Are you okay?"

Leo helped Leah, who had lost her balance, stand up and asked.

Staring intently at Leo, Leah gasped and collected herself.

Then, she put some distance between herself and Leo and hastily turned around.

'It's Leo Plov! It's really Leo Plov!'

Leah quickly tidied her clothes.

And then she cleared her throat and turned back around.

Looking up at the boy who was taller than herself, Leah politely greeted him.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Leah Tingel."

Leo gave a puzzled expression, watching Leah, who slightly lifted the hem of her school uniform skirt, greeting him in a proper manner.

'1st-year valedictorian?'

Professor Tina had mentioned her as Seirun's 1st-year representative and an honors student who had successfully communicated with Siload.

'Well, it's not strange to meet since we're both 1st-years, but why is her attitude so polite?'

They were both 1st-years.

Moreover, she was treating Leo, who was in the lower class, as if he were an upperclassman, which raised questions.

Leah soon cleared up Leo's puzzlement.

"You are Leo Plov, right? Why were you in the Seirun 1st-year dining hall? And in the lower class at that."

'It seems she recognized me.'

"H-h-h-ho-hopefully! Did Aunt Tina send you to Seirun? Is that it? Yes? Yes?"

"Why are you so flustered?"

"Because I like you!"

"…"

Leo's face turned strange as he looked at the girl who declared her affection to someone she had just met today.

Leah couldn't contain her excitement and gushed.

"I've loved the fairy tales of Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings, since I was little! His story is… what should I say… so desperate, isn't it? I thought he was a true great hero who touched my heart! But you are an All-Class like Kyle! On top of that, you made a huge contribution in revealing that Kyle was a real person! Ahh! I can't tell you how excited I get every time I hear about your heroic deeds one by one!"

Leo looked dumbfounded as he watched Leah gushing at a terrifying speed.

In fact, quite a few Lumerne students fanatically believed in the Great Hero.

That's a characteristic not only of Lumerne students but of all Hero Academies.

As much as they admired heroes and dreamed of becoming heroes.

It's not strange to have deep respect for the Great Hero, who saved this world and can be called the greatest hero.

Especially, there's no law that one's favorite Great Hero must be of the same race.

Even among elves, one could respect Arion, who possessed the greatest courage in the world.

Or they might like Lysinas the most, who wisely led everyone.

It's perfectly natural for each person to have a different Great Hero they revere according to their individual disposition.

But…

'This one uniquely likes me the most?'

Although it's now revealed that Kyle existed.

Calling Kyle, who had been treated as a fictional character for thousands of years, the favorite Great Hero was certainly eccentric.

Among the Great Heroes, Kyle was quite a minor figure.

In fact, the only people who really liked Kyle's story were Chelsea, Eiran, and Luke.

Even they didn't necessarily revere Kyle as their favorite or most respected Great Hero.

But now, someone from another race.

Even among elves, who have strong racial pride, calling Kyle their favorite Great Hero?

"So, you see! I wanted to enter Lumerne and tried to take the entrance exam! But my family was terribly against it, you know?"

Leah, who had been chattering, clasped her hands together.

"But why are you at Seirun?"

"I came as an exchange student."

"Exchange student! Ah! I see! But…"

Leah's face showed great confusion.

"In that case… why… in the 1st-year lower class…?"

Seirun doesn't have an exchange student system.

However, Leah, a direct descendant of the Tingel family, knew how powerful her family's influence was.

Although Tina couldn't make a name for herself within the family, it wouldn't be difficult to create a non-existent system as an exception if it were her request.

Leah also thought that Leo's presence as an exchange student at Seirun would be a tremendous help.

She had never met him directly, nor did she know him personally.

But looking at the feats Leo had accomplished as a hero candidate, it was an obvious fact that he was an amazing person.

'Because he's like the heroes themselves.'

For such a person to come to the 1st year instead of the 2nd year.

Thinking positively, it could be to have a good influence on the 1st-year students.

Leah had even considered entering Lumerne because of Leo.

If they could study together, it would be a fervent welcome.

'But… the lower class?'

She couldn't understand it.

Leo glanced at the confused Leah and asked.

"Leah Tingel."

"Oh! Please call me Leah! Senior Plov!"

"Senior? I'm not a Seirun student?"

"Even if it's a different Hero Academy, as fellow hero candidates, you entered a year before me, so you're naturally my senior! Senior Plov… Ah! What a wonderful resonance that name has."

Leo let out a dry laugh, watching Leah, who was overly excited and delighted by herself.

"Alright, Leah. What do you think about the lower classes?"

"Lower classes? Our teachers said that the lower class students are those who don't put in effort?"

Leo clicked his tongue, looking at Leah, who answered with an innocent face.

'Is that how they're educating them?'

It seemed they were educating the students in the lower classes as 'dropouts who don't try'.

'It seems Seirun's current orientation is clear.'

A school founded by the Comet Mage, who sought to follow the progenitor of the Nebula.

The force currently leading Seirun's operation seemed to be planning to turn Seirun itself into a school for cultivating the successors of the Comet Mage.

A school exclusively for excellent Star Mages.

'…Would the Comet Mage truly have wanted that?'

The Heroes of Genesis are still fighting against the fragments of Erebus in the Hero Record.

And one of them is Seirun.

'…If Seirun had conquered Luna's world of heroes…'

Leo's eyes darkened.

'If he had truly carried on Luna's will… would he have wanted a school solely for Star Mages?'

What Luna wanted was a world where flowers bloomed.

She risked everything and confronted Erebus, wishing for that one peaceful scene.

A junior by a vast 2000 years, whom he had never met.

But the heart that was willing to sacrifice herself for the world and fight against Erebus was probably not so different from his own… and his friends' from 5000 years ago.

Such a Seirun would not have wanted to create a school solely for 'Star Magic'.

He would not have wished for someone to follow in Luna's footsteps.

Even more so, Seirun himself would not have sought his own successor.

He would have founded this school simply to pass on to future generations the aspiration to protect this world, which Luna, whom he respected, had risked her life to defend.

This world, which his predecessors had painstakingly rebuilt.

'If we were in the same situation as the Heroes of Genesis… we would have done the same.'

The current Seirun was wrong.

Surely there must be some older Seirun students who felt that way.

'I wasn't going to care if the school went to ruin or not.'

Leo chuckled and said to the strange elf girl who liked the Hero of Beginnings the most.

"Leah Tingel."

"Oh, come on, call me Leah…"

"Do you think you can do a piece of homework for me?"

"What kind? If it's about Star Magic theory, I can have it done by tomorrow…"

"Will you go ask your seniors what they think about the current Seirun?"

"What they think about the current Seirun to the seniors? Which seniors?"

"Lunia and Eiran."

Leah's eyes widened at the mention of the 2nd-year valedictorian and salutatorian, who were the center of attention at school.

"If they don't seem like they want to talk, tell them I asked you to."

"Okay! In return! If I do it, will you grant me one wish?"

"What's your wish?"

"Treat me as your junior and teach me magic, Senior Plov."

Ahem! Leo chuckled, watching Leah puff out her chest.

"Alright."

"Hooray!"

Leo continued, watching Leah genuinely overjoyed.

"And keep it a secret from your classmates that I'm an exchange student."

"It's a secret between Senior Plov and me! Got it!"

Leah grinned and ran down the corridor.

It seemed she was going straight to Lunia and Eiran.

Leo watched her disappear and chuckled.

'I hope I'm not making an innocent kid into a troublemaker.'

He thought that for a moment, but then mumbled, looking at the view of the 'Castle of Beginnings' outside the corridor window.

'…Shall I completely overhaul it?'

***

Spring days in the Northern Continent are harsh.

Perhaps it was natural in this cold Northern Continent.

But the faces of the people working were full of vitality.

The faces of the elves looking at the soon-to-be-completed 'Castle of Beginnings' were bright.

They believed without a doubt that this place would soon be a new hope and future.

"Your school will be completed soon too."

"Yes."

The elf woman smiled faintly and replied to the only human present.

"How about your school, Lumerne?"

Lumerne replied to the elf's question.

"The freshmen are cute."

"Really?"

"Yes. Don't make such a dark face, Seirun."

Lumerne said with a smile to her friend, who had a dark expression.

"Surely heroes who will save the world will be born in the future."

"Yes. Because it's a Hero Academy for that very purpose."

Seirun smiled brightly and nodded.

While Lumerne turned her head elsewhere.

Seirun lifted her head.

Just then, it appeared.

The symbol of disaster, black flames, visible only to her 'true' eyes, perhaps the only one among those present.

When she founded the Hero Academy, she believed without a doubt.

That a hero who would protect the world would be born.

But…

'It's already 2900 years… can we hold out until then?'