Book 1 Chapter 368
368
Flash-!
The warp gate glowed.
“It’s hot.”
Leo, emerging from the warp gate, muttered as he felt the desert heat.
Leo had arrived in Uargella, the oasis city.
It was one of the most prominent large cities in Elehem.
Leo walked through the warp gate.
Luke followed behind Leo and said,
“Wow, it’s incredibly hot?”
Already feeling the heat, Luke was sweating profusely.
Since it was the scorching summer in the central continent as well, he had already changed into summer clothes.
However, the desert weather was so hot that his summer clothes seemed useless.
Luke marveled at Leo, who didn’t sweat a single drop.
Meanwhile, other students began to appear through the warp gate.
As Uargella itself was a vast metropolis, many teams had come to investigate it.
Seeing the Lumern students emerging through the warp gate, the people passing through the warp gate began to murmur.
“Lumern?”
“Why are they here…?”
The first-year students reacted in various ways to the surprised expressions of the onlookers.
Some students were smug, while others felt embarrassed.
The second-year students, already accustomed to the public's attention, were generally indifferent.
Leo then walked outside.
And squinted his eyes at the scene that unfolded.
Luke’s eyes widened in surprise at the landscape outside the warp gate.
The city streets were dazzling.
The entire city sparkled, illuminated by the magic stone lamps lit throughout the streets.
The faces of the people moving about the streets were all bright.
They chatted joyfully.
Street vendors were selling all sorts of goods.
Fresh fruits of all kinds, food, even bouquets of flowers.
It was a scene reminiscent of a festival.
“It’s a bit different from what I imagined.”
“I agree.”
Luke nodded at Leo’s mutterings.
‘It’s almost as grand as the capital of Lorden.’
Leo recalled the capital of Lorden, which he had visited with his cousin Celia.
Lorden was one of the wealthiest nations in the world.
To think that the streets of a major city in two such countries were not much different.
As this was the place for their mission, they had already completed preliminary research on Elehem.
Therefore, they were aware of Elehem’s situation as the world’s poorest country.
However, the scene on the street now was far from that of a poor country.
While Leo was lost in thought.
The other students also exited the warp gate and widened their eyes at the streets of Uargella.
“Wow! Amazing!”
“It’s almost like Lumelia City?”
The other students were also excited by the streets, which were different from their expectations.
The female students, in particular, were humming happily.
They had been worried about having to stay in low-quality accommodations, but seeing the streets relieved those concerns.
“I worried a lot about the accommodation, but it was unnecessary.”
“Let’s find accommodation first!”
“Yeah! The school provided ample support, so since we’re here, we should stay somewhere nice!”
The students rushed out of the warp gate.
“Shall we find accommodation first too?”
“Yes, can you find it?”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Leo spread out his palm.
Fwoosh-!
With a small flame, a small red chick appeared.
Peep-
It was Fiorra.
Leo handed Fiorra to Luke and said,
“When you find accommodation, use this little one to let me know your location.”
“Yes.”
“After finding accommodation, investigate the anomalies in this city on your own.”
“By myself?”
“You can do it, right?”
“Yes!”
Luke replied with enthusiasm.
Peep- Peep-
Fiorra flew up to the top of Luke’s head.
Then, tilting its head, it pecked a few times, and as if it liked Luke’s beautiful silver hair, it gracefully flapped its wings and settled down.
It looked like a bird settling into its nest.
“Please take care of her.”
Peep-
Fiorra nodded at Luke’s words and responded.
Watching this, Leo said,
“Don’t buy her everything she asks for.”
“Yes.”
After answering, Luke rushed off to find accommodation.
Watching his retreating figure, Elci, sitting on Leo’s shoulder, said,
-Why are you sending him alone?
“He’s from the countryside and lacks experience.”
Leo turned his body.
“I want him to have various experiences. And I also want him to realize that he is a capable person.”
-What do you mean by wanting him to realize he’s capable?
As Elci tilted its head, Leo replied calmly,
“Luke has lost a lot of confidence recently.”
It was as Leo said.
Other students were rapidly improving their skills.
However, Luke was treading water due to the restrictions Leo had imposed.
The first-year students, unaware of this fact, often mocked and laughed at Luke.
He was lucky to get admitted and became the student council president’s mentee, but ultimately, he was ridiculed as someone lacking talent.
Most first-year students considered Luke to be merely lucky.
Leo was also aware of this.
Upon hearing Leo’s words, Elci muttered,
-It must be very difficult.
“It is difficult.”
There is nothing more agonizing than not receiving rewards for one’s efforts.
Especially in a school where one has to compete with others, the thought of being left behind alone can cause immense stress.
“He probably lacks confidence in himself and feels like he’s walking a path where he can’t see ahead.”
-Even so, Luke doesn’t stop trying, does he?
Trusting Leo’s words, Luke is doing his best.
Even though he could immediately remove the restrictions and show a level of skill that would overwhelm most students, he endured.
‘Senior, can I really beat Aina?’
‘What do you think?’
‘How can I beat Aina?’
Luke denied his own potential.
But…
‘Still, since Senior Leo said it’s possible, I’ll try.’
He couldn’t believe in his own potential, but he believed in Leo’s words.
“In that regard, he resembles Berkia and Bihari.”
Leo recalled his disciples from his past life.
Disciples who never stopped trying, constantly thinking they were lacking.
That is why they were able to achieve great things in rebuilding the world after the era of disaster ended.
“If he is treated as a Lumern student during the investigation, he will regain some confidence.”
Regardless of what happens, admission to Lumern is an achievement Luke earned.
When surrounded only by Lumern students, he might not realize its significance, but to outsiders, it is a remarkable feat.
“Besides… the place we’re going now might be a bit too stimulating for a child.”
At those words, Elci tilted its head.
Leo then disappeared into an alley.
Swish-
“Did he go?”
A girl sitting not far away lowered her newspaper and nodded towards the alley where Leo had disappeared.
“Senior.”
“Yes, why, junior?”
Austin cautiously called out to his mentor.
“Why are you secretly watching the young master?”
In response to Austin’s question, Iliana smiled meaningfully.
“You don’t know anything. The class president is incredibly good at these kinds of missions, you know?”
Iliana said, elegantly folding her newspaper.
“So, if you just follow the class president well during the mission practice, you can slack off.”
Austin looked at Iliana with a bewildered expression.
“Was it to follow the young master that you ordered me to ask Luke about his destination?”
“Of course!”
Iliana’s eyes sparkled.
Seeing Iliana like that, Austin let out a deep sigh.
“Can’t we just investigate on our own?”
“It’s not impossible.”
Iliana jingled her wallet, which contained the sponsorship money.
“Since we received plenty of money, can’t we have a comfortable mission practice?”
“As a Knight of Schrödinger, I cannot condone this. The virtues of a Knight of Schrödinger are first, diligence; second, morality; and third…”
“Ah! Shut up! The virtue of the Raden family is that it’s good if it’s good!”
“Even so, thinking about playing during mission practice…”
Austin tried to persuade Iliana somehow.
Seeing Austin like that, Iliana smiled brightly.
“Austin. Do you know what your young master said to Senior Hark, the current vice-president, when he became student council president last year?”
“What did he say?”
“Do as you’re told.”
“……”
Austin lowered his head.
Iliana is not a bad mentor.
No, she is quite excellent.
She teaches and guides well.
However, when she goes berserk like this, communication is impossible.
“Now, let’s follow him!”
Iliana stood up and followed Leo with Austin.
“By the way, why is he making such an old man-like expression?”
Iliana tilted her head, recalling Leo’s expression.
Iliana and Austin entered the alley and followed Leo.
When they reached a fork in the alley, they smoothly moved by asking passersby in the back alleys which way Leo had gone.
And after a while.
“An entrance?”
Something like an entrance appeared in the back alley.
Iliana tilted her head, looking at the entrance, which was covered by a curtain as if dividing a section.
Just as they were about to enter.
“Heh heh heh. This is no place for you little brats whose blood hasn’t even dried yet.”
An old woman standing at the entrance said with a strange laugh.
At her words, Iliana crossed her arms.
“Didn’t a kid in similar clothes to ours pass through here just now?”
“That young master did pass.”
“We are following him.”
Iliana lifted her chin.
“If he went in, we can go in too, right?”
“That is true. This place doesn’t discriminate against people who enter. However…”
The old woman looked at Iliana and Austin.
“It might be too stimulating for little ones to come.”
The old woman chuckled, and Iliana let out a snort.
“Grandma, I’m a grown lady, you know. I’m far from innocent. Humph! How stimulating can it be?”
Iliana confidently opened the curtain at the entrance and went in.
Austin was about to follow Iliana when.
“Kyaaaaaaaah-!”
Iliana’s scream echoed.
“Senior!”
Startled, Austin hastily drew his sword and was about to enter the entrance.
Whoosh-!
Iliana ran out of the curtain at full speed.
Iliana, her neck red, stammered and collapsed on the spot.
“Senior! What happened?”
“I, a man! And a wo-wo-wo-woman! In the middle of the street-!”
Seeing Iliana babbling, clearly shocked by the culture, the old woman tutted.
“It seems those who were drugged happened to be at the entrance.”
“What is this place?!”
Iliana asked, her face flushed, and the old woman replied.
“This is the pleasure district, where the castle of pleasure resides.”
Heh heh heh, the old woman laughed.
“The dirtiest paradise in the world. It’s no place for young ladies and gentlemen like yourselves. Though that young master walked through as if it were nothing.”
Austin’s expression became tense.
Iliana muttered,
“No wonder the class president had an old man-like expression…!”
“Senior, the young master likely came here solely for the investigation.”
Austin defended Leo, but Iliana didn’t listen.