Book 1 Chapter 425

425.

"This first semester was also eventful."

"Indeed. It was an even more chaotic first semester than last year."

At Chloe's murmur, Chen Sia smiled faintly and nodded.

Currently, all students of Lumerne were gathered at the Grand Parade Ground, Erek.

The closing ceremony had ended, marking the conclusion of one semester.

Students received evaluations for their efforts during the semester.

The most notable person at the closing ceremony was, as expected, the first-year representative.

"Anyway, he ended up becoming the class representative, didn't he?"

Luke, who defeated Aina in the semifinals, met and defeated Habiden in the finals, ultimately securing the position of class representative.

A remarkable achievement accomplished during the ongoing summit.

Luke, who became the protagonist of a major upset no one had expected, instantly became a hero candidate receiving global attention.

"Luke seems to have gained a bit of experience as a class representative, don't you think?"

At Chen Sia's words, Chloe looked toward where the first-year students were.

Luke and Juan were talking.

Then Habiden, Sasha, and Betty joined them and continued the conversation.

Soon, it looked like Juan and Habiden were raising their voices and arguing, and Luke, caught in the middle, appeared to be suffering.

"Doesn't seem like it at all."

Chloe shook her head repeatedly and looked elsewhere.

There, Celia and Aina were talking.

'Their relationship has gotten better again.'

Celia, an honor student, was good at looking after other students.

That's why Celia did her best as a senior and a mentor to Aina.

However, Chloe knew through Celia that the two had been slightly at odds throughout the first semester.

And during the final exam tournament, their relationship had completely broken down.

But after the semi-final match with Luke, Aina sought out Celia again, and their relationship recovered.

'That's good.'

It was then that Chloe, who knew Celia was deeply worried about Aina, nodded her head.

"Princess! I will attend to you until you return to Shan!"

At that moment, Jane approached Chen Sia, her eyes sparkling.

"Jane, I told you to call me 'senior' at school."

"Since the closing ceremony is over, I'm no longer a student! I will now immediately carry out my duty of attending to Princess Sia."

With those words, Jane threw off her school uniform.

Countless gazes instantly flew towards the school uniform top and skirt fluttering in the air.

"How did you do that? Is it magic?"

Chloe asked in a dazed voice.

Jane was wearing the traditional attire of the Eastern Continent under her school uniform.

How could she have hidden the flowing, unique Shan Empire clothing under her school uniform?

"It's not magic. As someone who serves the Princess of Shan, changing clothes quickly is a basic skill."

Jane smiled faintly.

"Who said you could just casually throw off your school uniform?"

"Eek?"

But she screamed at the terrifying voice that came from behind.

"Come with me, El Jane."

Jane, who had unnecessarily tried to set a mood, was dragged away by Hallind.

Besides them, the first and second-year students, who had been in mentor-mentee relationships, chatted, seemingly having grown fond of each other during the first semester.

Among them, many first-year students were in tears.

"I'm sorry, Senior. Because of me. *sniff sniff*."

"No. I would have been expelled even if it wasn't for you. Rather, it's because of you that I could stay until the second semester. If anything, I'm sorry I couldn't help you more."

Many first- and second-year students were leaving Lumerne this time.

There were cases where only first-years remained, and also cases where both were expelled together.

There were mentors and mentees who didn't even speak to each other, and also students who cried together in despair.

"As expected, I just can't get used to that."

Chloe made a bitter expression.

Quite a few students from Glory were also expelled this time.

"It can't be helped. Lumerne is bound to have those who stay and those who leave. But even so, in the end, we're all walking toward the same place, aren't we? Our paths may have diverged, but surely the day will come when we meet again."

It was then that Chloe nodded at Chen Sia's words.

"Senior Chloe! What's your schedule after the closing ceremony?"

Betty, Chloe's mentee, approached her.

"I'm going to have an after-party with my dorm friends."

"Then, after my classmates and I finish our after-party, would it be alright if I came to see you?"

"Yes."

"Wow!"

Betty smiled brightly, overjoyed.

Besides them, first and second-year students made plans with their mentors and mentees.

Lily, the third-year representative, watched them from afar and murmured.

"I'm envious of the first and second-years. Their senior-junior relationships are so close."

"Oh my, aren't we just as close as them?"

Elena playfully braided Lily's hair and smiled sweetly.

To that, Lily said in a gloomy voice.

"Senior Elena, you treat me like a toy."

"Oh my, how could I?"

She kept playing with Lily's hair as she widened her eyes.

"I want to tell my juniors in the Summoning Department to have a good vacation."

Lily was a popular senior in the Summoning Department.

"But the ungrateful first and second-years aren't coming to greet you, are they?"

'I think they're not coming because they're scared of you, not me.'

Lily pouted and murmured inwardly, but she didn't say it out loud.

Because it was clear that if the ill-tempered Elena heard those words, she would relentlessly follow Lily until she went home.

***

Leo looked down at his hand.

He felt a faint, alien power, divine power.

'My divine power has definitely increased.'

After battling Hel Kaiser's avatar.

The divine power Leo held had increased.

Of course, it was a very small amount.

"What could have happened?"

At Mel's question, Leo recalled the moment he obtained divine power.

"It was definitely when I suppressed the flame of calamity spewed by the Necromancer King."

"Is Lord Leo's power anathema to Erebus?"

"That's right."

This power, which Lisinas named 'Purity,' was the only power that could stand against Erebus's unquenched flames.

With this power, Leo subjugated Erebus.

"But in my previous life, I only extinguished Erebus's flames."

Mel, who had been contemplating Leo's words, spoke.

"That god, Pibua, clearly described Erebus as an abomination comparable to a god, right?"

"That's right."

"And he said that if gods are beings of light, Erebus is a being of darkness."

"He did."

"Then aren't the gods and the root of primordial evil from the same origin?"

"My power purified the flame of calamity?"

"Yes."

At Mel's conjecture, Leo fell into thought.

"It's not that I haven't thought of such a thing. But 5000 years ago, I couldn't purify or absorb Erebus's power."

"Then isn't it possible that the flame spewed by the Necromancer King wasn't the flame of calamity?"

"It's the flame that burned the world, burned my comrades, and eventually burned myself."

Leo shook his head.

"There's no way I could be mistaken."

"Then could it be an awakening?"

"An awakening, you say."

"Yes. There's a high probability. Ard also re-awakened Lord Arion's abilities, didn't she?"

Though only once, Ard had transformed other beastkin into a beast form with her howling.

One of the miracles Arion had so desperately wished for.

Ard had bloomed new possibilities for her abilities through awakening.

"Hehehe."

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because it's newly surprising that there's a way to become stronger."

Leo burst into laughter.

"Both I, Lisinas, Luna, and Dweno. We all thought we had reached the end of the path we walked."

Of course, they hadn't stopped moving forward.

But at the time of their last journey.

Leo, as well as Lisinas, Luna, and Dweno, were individuals who were close to perfection, both in power and mentally.

"Well, of course. You must have reached the pinnacle to have been able to subjugate Erebus."

Mel, who had said that much, suddenly tilted her head.

"But what about Lord Arion?"

He had spoken of Leo, Lisinas, Luna, and Dweno, but there was no mention of Arion.

At Mel's question, Leo rested his chin on his hand.

"Arion had some shortcomings."

"Lord Arion had shortcomings? But surely the Hero is the strongest warrior in history."

Mel looked at Leo, who was smiling bitterly, with a slightly surprised expression.

No matter what anyone said, the Hero Arion was the strongest warrior.

"That's right. If you only consider brute force, he was the strongest. Even though he was a coward, that fact remains unchanged."

"Then what were Lord Arion's shortcomings?"

"The mental aspect."

Leo made a bitter expression.

"On our last journey, all of us except Arion were prepared."

"Prepared for what?"

"Prepared to die."

"……"

"And prepared to send each other off."

Mel fell silent, watching Leo calmly utter such a poignant statement.

"Because our last journey was an impossible one. Of course, no one gave up, but we all knew that none of us would return alive."

Therefore, the Great Heroes embarked on their journey with the resolve not to stop, even if a friend more precious than life itself were to die.

"But Arion, though prepared for his own death, ultimately couldn't prepare himself to watch us die."

That's why Arion sacrificed himself first.

"If it hadn't been him, the one who would have died instead… would have been Dweno, who was at the forefront."

"……"

"Arion was the youngest among us."

Among the Great Heroes, he was the only one born during the Age of Calamity who had never seen a blue sky or bright starlight.

In some ways, he was just like Elsy.

"If Lord Arion had made such a resolve, would the outcome have been different?"

"It wouldn't have been different."

Leo made a bitter expression.

"But we all regretted it. We had relied too much on his courage. We wondered if we should have comforted him as older brothers and sisters, even before being friends and comrades."

He recalled Arion, who had cursed himself and closed his eyes.

"Such a thing happened."

Mel said in a somber voice.

After a moment of silence, Mel spoke to change the subject.

"If you purified the flame of calamity with divine power, couldn't you use that power soon?"

"Well, since it's not a power originally permitted to the races of the Lower World, I don't have a feel for how to use it."

The divine power that Pibua had previously lent through Folium contained Pibua's will.

But this divine power was different.

A power unimbued with anyone's will.

"What should we do?"

"The moment to utilize it will come someday."

Leo stood up.

"I'll be going now. If I'm any later, they'll badger me."

"Yes. Have a good time."

Mel smiled and bowed her head.

"How are the invitations for the people I requested coming along?"

"They're going well. I plan to send out invitations in a week."

"Alright, keep up the good work."

Leaving those words behind, Leo departed from Mel's office.

After seeing Leo off, Mel retrieved a banner from a corner of her office.

It was a banner to welcome those who would be entering the training camp during this vacation period.

[Welcome to the Training Camp.]

Mel tilted her head, looking at the welcome message written in neat letters.

'It's a bit bland.'

No matter what, it was clear that it would be an incredible training camp, beyond imagination.

Such a welcome message for a training camp felt a bit lacking.

After pondering for a moment, Mel soon smiled brightly and clapped her hands.

And she rewrote the banner.

'This much should be enough to give the kids a sense of tension, right?'

[Welcome to Hell.]

She erased "Training Camp" and personally wrote the word "Hell" in red letters.

Mel looked at the banner and nodded, seemingly pleased.