Book 1 Chapter 404

404.

As the mission practical ended and the first and second-year students returned to Lumen, Lumen regained its vitality.

Lumen is a school where students must constantly compete and strive to survive.

As a result, students are expelled from each grade every year.

Therefore, the largest number of students in Lumen are first and second-years.

It was true that Lumen itself seemed to have fewer people because all the first and second-year students had left for their mission practical.

“School is the best after all. Outside school is dangerous. All you do is suffer~ Isn't it great to just study like this?”

Karl said, stretching widely after the morning magic class.

At his words, Chloe, who was tidying up her textbooks, smiled faintly.

“Really? Then, shall we take this opportunity to review today's lesson content?”

“Sorry. I get an allergy when I hear the word 'review'.”

Karl said playfully.

Looking at Karl like that, Chloe squinted her eyes.

“Final exams are coming soon, what are you going to do?”

Chloe said, squinting her eyes.

At Chloe's words, Karl burst out laughing, "Uh-ha-ha-ha!"

“Tomorrow, tomorrow's sun will rise!”

At those words, Chelsea, who was leaving the classroom with Abbad, widened her eyes.

“Do you even have a sun?”

“That's a bit too much, isn't it?”

“But it's true, isn't it? Karl, your school life is dark. Like Celia Zerdinger's hair color.”

At Chelsea's relentless words, Karl gave a wistful laugh.

Amidst that, Abbad spoke.

“Personally, I hope you survive, Karl.”

At Abbad's words, Karl, leaning back in his chair, sighed, "Ehyo-".

“Wouldn't I want to? In that sense, can you help me make a cheat sheet?”

“Karl.”

As Chloe glared, Karl shrugged.

“It's a joke, a joke. Well, Abbad wouldn't participate in something like that anyway.”

Abbad Lwelyn, the best-looking boy in the second year who always wears a gentle smile, is very calm and decisive, unlike his soft appearance.

He is the opposite type of Chelsea, who speaks harshly but constantly takes care of him.

“By the way, what will this semester's final practical assignment be?”

“The midterm assignment was familiars.”

“There weren't any particularly special classes this time, were there?”

Chloe, Chelsea, and Abbad discussed the assignment.

Listening to their conversation from the side, Karl muttered.

“Sometimes I feel like I shouldn't be here.”

“Why?”

When Leo, who was packing his textbooks, asked, Karl shook his head.

“Anyone can see this is a gathering of top students and honor students of the year.”

At his words, Leo chuckled and stood up.

“Going to lunch?”

“Yeah.”

“Let's go together.”

As Karl stood up, Leo said.

“I have a prior engagement today.”

“Prior engagement? Can I come along?”

“There's no reason why you can't. We decided to eat at the student council.”

Karl's face darkened.

As someone who had been dragged to the student council for a drug incident before, Karl wanted to avoid the student council.

Recalling that memory, Karl shivered and said.

“I'm not going.”

At his words, Leo burst out laughing.

“What about you guys?”

“We have a prior engagement today. We're having a meal with students from the Lodren Empire.”

Abbad said with a smile.

“I also have a lunch appointment with Celia today.”

Chloe said she had an appointment with her best friend, Celia.

“Then I'll see you later.”

Leo nodded and left the classroom.

***

The Student Council of the Tower of Heroes.

“Oh, it's the student council president!”

A fifth-year student council member looked at Leo entering the student council with a welcoming expression.

“Hello, senior.”

“Since Harc and Elena are absent, you, Leo, are coming to the student council.”

Toren, a fifth-year male student, wore a curious expression.

The two core members currently leading the student council, Harc and Elena, had been dispatched on a mission to Ellem, leading their respective dungeon raid parties.

As two students vying for the strongest in their year, it was natural for them to be dispatched to Ellem, where a large-scale hero dungeon had emerged.

As a result, there was no one to manage the student council, and Leo, who had been uninvolved in student council affairs, came to the student council.

“You're the youngest student council president in Lumen's history, but even before that, you'll be the first ghost member student council president.”

“I'm still a second-year. I have to learn diligently before my seniors graduate.”

As Leo spoke with a smile, Toren made a strange expression.

“From what I see, you'll probably ignore student council work even when you're in fifth year.”

“No way.”

Leo shrugged playfully, but Toren didn't believe him.

And that's because, even as the student council president, he is currently a fifth-year top student.

Leo even makes Harc, Lumen's officially strongest student, work without batting an eye.

Toren, a classmate from the Knight Academy, studied with Harc for five years.

‘I can confidently say that Harc is having the hardest school life right now.’

Harc had been the top student of his first year since his first year.

As the heir to the Ligard family, one of Lumen's three great noble families, even his seniors had never dared to treat him disrespectfully.

Even though he slept at any time every day, his school grades were also top of his year.

Although he had a bad relationship with Elena Zerone, who was a year below him, Elena, known as the Queen of Lumen, and her faction dared not treat Harc disrespectfully.

And last year, a student appeared who tormented Harc.

That was Leo.

Toren shook his head.

‘He'll probably pass on student council duties to Elena Zerone once we graduate.’

And when Elena graduates?

‘He'll pass it to Lil.’

Lil Luce, the class representative one year above him.

She is also an exceptionally talented student.

And when even Lil graduates, he would undoubtedly pass on student council work to his excellent classmates.

‘Well, it probably has nothing to do with me.’

Toren shrugged and said.

“There's a fairly important agenda today that requires your approval, so I called you.”

“What is it?”

“Let's discuss that later when the others arrive.”

Toren said, tidying up documents.

Just then, a fourth-year female student from the Knight Academy entered the student council room.

“Ah, Young Master Leo. You've already arrived. I should have gone to escort you.”

Niel Roda.

She was from the Roda family, a vassal family of the Zerdingers, and was also Celia's knight.

She was originally in the art club, but after Leo became student council president, she joined the student council to assist with its work.

It was both her wish and her family's wish.

The Zerdinger family wanted to solidify Leo's position as much as possible, as he had become the youngest student council president after Lyss.

Originally, the conditions for joining the student council were quite strict, but since Niel was an honor student, there was no major problem.

“Hello, Senior Toren.”

Niel greeted him with a bright smile.

A short while later.

The student council door opened, and a fifth-year student from the Magic Department entered.

Niel's face crumpled when she saw him.

It was none other than Machael Luzia, and in his case, he was from a vassal family of the Lwelyn family.

Naturally, he and Niel were like cat and dog.

“It's been a long time, Young Master Leo.”

Machael treated Leo with utmost respect.

Leo was from Zerdinger, but before that, he was a friend of Chelsea and Abbad, and furthermore, he was a wizard who had achieved tremendous feats in the magic world at a young age.

Although he was an older student and senior, Machael had ample reason to treat Leo respectfully.

“Chelsea said she was going to eat with the Lodren Empire students, so you didn't go that way?”

“I'm busy with student council work. It's a shame, but I thought I should eat something simple and then work, so I came here.”

Most of the senior student council members were absent, having gone to Ellem with Harc and Elena.

Therefore, these three were the only senior students left in the student council who could discuss important agenda items.

“Alright, let's start with the student council agenda now. First, it's about club budgets before the summer vacation.”

Toren, serving as secretary, looked at Machael with a cool expression.

“Machael. The Magic Engineering Department is asking for an increased budget again this time. To prepare for the Luse War in the second semester.”

“That's right. Magic engineering inevitably requires a lot of budget.”

At Machael's words, Niel narrowed her eyes.

“Still, this is too much. Senior Harc always passed the budget with his authority as Vice President, but this seems a bit excessive.”

The two students from the Knight Academy raised objections, but Machael didn't bat an eye.

“I've already finished talking with Harc. Or should I call James Dext? He'd explain well why more budget is needed, wouldn't he?”

At Machael's words, Toren pressed his temples.

‘If I call him, he'll probably foam at the mouth and babble something unintelligible.’

James Dext was from the Magic Department but was a close friend who had been close with Harc since their first year.

As such, Harc had granted James's request.

Of course, it's true that the Magic Engineering Department has achieved many outstanding results this year, but it's still difficult to allocate any more additional budget.

At that moment, Leo, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, spoke.

“Shall I go and tell him? Or will Senior Machael go and explain it well?”

At Leo's words, Machael, who had been pondering, began to hesitate for a moment.

Then he promptly nodded obediently.

“I will explain it well to James.”

“Then let's say there will be no additional budget allocation.”

Watching Leo, who had simply resolved the issue of additional budget allocation for the Magic Engineering Department, Toren said.

“That James fellow, he'll come running, foaming at the mouth, won't he?”

“He definitely won't come. If he can't accept it, I'll go to him. Well, Senior James probably wouldn't want to talk to me.”

James Dext, the head of the Magic Engineering Department, used to have a fit and run away whenever he saw Leo.

Last year, he underestimated Leo, the first-year student council president, and tried to inflate the budget to get more funds, only to face the crisis of having the budget almost cut.

For wizards conducting magic research, the scariest words in the world were 'budget cuts'.

In that sense, for James, the existence of the student council president, an absolute authority who could logically cut the Magic Engineering Department's budget, was more terrifying than the Grim Reaper.

Thus, the student council's discussion proceeded, starting with club agenda items.

A short while later.

Toren discussed the last agenda item.

“There's one agenda item that came from the school board just before today's meeting.”

Everyone wore a puzzled expression at Toren's words.

It was rare for the Lumen school board to directly deliver an agenda item.

“Everyone knows that the world is buzzing about the mission practical of the first and second-year students, right?”

Everyone nodded at Toren's words.

The first and second-year students finished all their schedules, returned to school, and resumed their daily lives.

However, the ripple effects of the Ellem incident have not yet concluded.

“Discussions regarding the Ellem problem, and also issues related to last year's [Reappearance of the Nebula's Progenitor] and the recent [Reappearance of the Comet's Mage]. It's been reported that the opinion for a place to deeply discuss various problems has been debated in each Hero Academy.”

Toren handed the documents to Leo, the student council president.

Leo narrowed his eyes as he looked at it.

“World Summit?”

“Yes.”

Toren nodded.

“Timed with the final exam schedule. A [World Summit] will be held in Lumen.”