Book 1 Chapter 434
434.
“That special instructor, his name was Akan, right? Didn’t he look familiar?”
Chelsea said, handing Leo a wooden bowl.
“He resembled Lord Arwon, didn’t he?”
“Cough, cough.”
At Leo’s words, Kal, who was drinking water nearby, choked and coughed violently.
The surrounding students distanced themselves from Kal.
“Oh! Now that you mention it, he did look like him.”
Chelsea exclaimed in admiration.
Leo scooped stew from a stone pot made with alchemy magic and handed it to Chelsea.
“Wow! That looks delicious!”
Chelsea cheered at the smell coming from the stew.
The person in charge of breakfast today was none other than Leo.
In his previous life, during expeditions, meal times were the only moments they could enjoy some leisure and peace.
As such, even the great heroes wanted to eat the most delicious food possible during meal times.
They took turns preparing meals, but the most popular turns among the great heroes were Kyle’s and Luna’s.
Kyle, being a mercenary, was used to sleeping outdoors and living outside, while Luna, using her experience in making elixirs, often made excellent dishes.
‘Lysinas was terrible at cooking, and Arwon just loved it if you grilled him some meat.’
Still, when those two were on meal duty, something edible usually came out.
The problem was the dwarf.
‘Cooking is also an art! I’ve prepared a unique dish just for you all!’
Despite being more knowledgeable in alchemy than Luna, he would often create terrible things in the name of art.
Whenever he stood in front of the campfire doing suspicious things to cook, Luna would run over and kick him.
“Mmm~!”
Chelsea, who had taken a spoonful of stew, held the spoon in her mouth, cupped her cheeks, and smiled happily.
The way she tilted her head left and right suggested it was very delicious.
“Is it edible?”
“Yes! It’s delicious! So delicious! I’ve been thinking this for a while, but Leo oppa is good at cooking too! Is there anything you can’t do?!”
At Chelsea’s bright smile, the students lining up in front of Leo gulped nervously.
“Leo! Give me some quickly too!”
“We need to eat something delicious to be able to endure that awful training from yesterday again!”
The hungry teenagers, still in their growth spurt, pestered Leo.
The students who received stew from Leo began eating boisterously.
“I’m alive, I’m alive because I’m in the same group as Leo!”
Teid spooned the stew, tears streaming down his face.
In a state of mental exhaustion due to the poor meal last night, Leo’s cooking was literally like a welcome rain in a drought.
“Never let Chelsea touch cooking. What she makes is poison.”
As Kal warned while eating stew, an indignant Chelsea firmly kicked Kal’s back, who was sitting in front of her.
Even as he was pushed, Kal was resolute.
“What she makes could probably kill even demons.”
The proper breakfast time began, and boisterous cheers erupted from here and there.
“Now, everyone, eat up.”
Chen Sia smiled brightly and handed out bowls to Chloe and Celia.
The students in the same meal group as Chen Sia also received bowls.
And everyone’s expressions became subtle.
“…The stew is green?”
Chen Sia replied, looking at Chloe, who asked with a slightly stiff face.
“I put in some herbs that are good for fatigue recovery. And if prepared well, they taste excellent. It might look a bit strange, but it’ll be delicious.”
Celia bravely took a sip.
“Hmm. It’s delicious. Sia wouldn’t give us anything strange, would she?”
At her words, the other students also put Chen Sia’s stew into their mouths.
“Wow, it’s actually delicious?”
“I feel like my fatigue is melting away.”
“The visual is a bit, well, but it’s excellent?!”
“But what on earth did you put in to make it green?”
“I carefully prepared and added Atropy grass.”
“Ohh, Atropy? So it tastes like this. I had no idea.”
The students, who had been nodding in admiration, suddenly stopped moving.
“Wait, Atropy is a poisonous herb, isn’t it?”
“And it’s not just any poisonous herb, isn’t it famous for having potent venom?”
“If Atropy is prepared well, it helps with fatigue recovery and tastes good, didn’t you know? There’s plenty, so everyone eat a lot and be energized.”
Watching Chen Sia cheer them on with a bright voice, the students continued their meal with difficulty.
Knowing her effort in painstakingly gathering ingredients and cooking stew since morning, they couldn’t bring themselves to refuse.
However, this case could be considered much better.
“What is this?”
“Stew.”
As Eliza twitched her eyes, asking about the unidentified object in the bowl, Iliana said proudly.
“It looks like this, but it’s delicious. Probably.”
“Probably? Probably?! Did you not even taste it?”
“Still, it’ll be much more delicious than what you made yesterday!”
“Are you picking a fight with me first thing in the morning?!”
“Duran, where are you going?”
“I’m going to find something to eat.”
“I’ll go too.”
The place where Iliana was in charge of meals was already a mess.
Not only among the Lumen students but also among students from other schools, there were many places where a commotion was arising.
Just then.
“Black Rabbit!”
Ar, who had been rolling on the floor since early morning because of Lienia, ran up and shook Leo violently.
“Because of you, what kind of hellish suffering is this first thing in the morning?!”
Leo said, watching Ar explode in anger.
“Then who told you to go wild?”
“I didn’t go wild!”
“You were about to go wild, weren’t you?”
When Kal chimed in from the side, Ar glared.
“It wasn’t…! Oop?!”
Leo spooned stew into Ar’s screaming mouth, “Ah-! Ah-!”
At first, Ar’s eyes widened, but soon they sharpened.
Her ears and tail stood straight up, and her claws sharpened, as if to say, ‘What is this?!’
Ar was about to throw a tantrum like an angry cat.
But soon after tasting the stew, she docilely chewed the contents in her mouth.
When Leo handed over his bowl, she happily ate the stew quietly.
Nella smiled subtly at the sight.
“Every time I see it, I feel like the Azonia representative is really happy. Should I say she quickly forgets misfortunes? She’s very positive.”
“Heh heh - it’s because she’s simple, because she’s simple. Ugh!”
Kal, who had been chuckling at Nella’s words, was kicked in the side by Ar.
“What do you mean, you give away Leo oppa’s share?”
Chelsea sighed heavily, then scooped some stew and offered it to Leo with an “Ah-!”
“I’m fine. I’ve already cleared that training.”
At Leo’s words, Chelsea made a regretful expression and quietly put the stew into her mouth.
“By the way, how long will that training from yesterday last?”
“It’ll probably continue until you clear it?”
As Teid grumbled tiredly, Leo chuckled and answered him.
“Only after passing that will you receive proper training from the instructors.”
“Woah?!”
Ar, who had been happily eating stew, suddenly opened her eyes wide and devoured all the remaining contents at an incredible speed.
Then she abruptly stood up, swallowed the stew, and shouted.
“Then I must quickly overcome that training!”
The Lumen students looked puzzled, seeing Ar suddenly become so motivated.
“Black Rabbit! I’m going to prepare for training!”
As Ar dashed away, Chelsea looked bewildered.
“Why is she suddenly like that?”
“There must be a reason.”
Kal answered with a spoon in his mouth and then whispered softly to Leo.
“Looks like it’s 100% her, doesn’t it?”
“I think so.”
“What on earth happened?”
“Something must have happened when we weren’t around. Since I already passed the first day’s training, I’ll ask her when I meet her.”
Kal nodded at Leo’s words.
“How come no one suspects anything?”
“Because her impression is completely different, they seem to think she’s just someone similar. In fact, many beastfolk imitate the style of the hero. They probably can’t even imagine it’s actually her.”
“True.”
Even if Luna and Seirun appeared in the present world, such miracles didn’t happen continuously.
“What are you two whispering about so much?”
Chelsea narrowed her eyes and leaned her face in.
“We were talking about today’s training. Asking if there were any secret tips.”
“Hmm?”
At Kal’s nonchalant answer, Chelsea looked slightly suspicious but soon nodded.
It was then.
“Hurry up and finish your meal! How long are you going to dilly-dally?!”
Lienia shouted sharply.
“I really don’t want to get caught by that person.”
Kal shuddered, looking at Lienia.
Leo clicked his tongue, looking at Kal.
‘Now that I think about it, Lienia was Kal’s instructor, wasn’t she?’
Leo, who had considered telling his friend about the future, soon shook his head.
And so, the morning of the second day of the training camp dawned.
***
“Uryaaaaaa!”
Ar opened her eyes wide and began climbing the cliff at an incredible speed.
“Why is she suddenly like that?”
Celia looked flustered at the sight of Ar climbing the cliff with incredible vigor.
But soon after, unable to reach the top, she seemed to lose strength and slid down with a whoosh.
“Miss Ar, are you alright?”
As Eiran cautiously asked, looking at Ar slumped on the ground, Ar suddenly stood up.
“I’m going to climb this damned cliff and quickly move on to the next stage!”
Ar, with a dirt-covered face, climbed the cliff once again.
“I’ll climb up before Azonia’s representative.”
“You’re getting unnecessarily competitive again.”
As Duran scoffed, Celia shook her head.
“Hmph. Just you wait, Celia Gerdinger. I’ll look down on you from the top.”
“What?”
Celia glared sharply at Duran, snarled, and then climbed the cliff.
“H-hey everyone. Take it easy.”
Eiran said to the three with a tearful face, but the three didn’t listen.
“I felt it earlier too, but kids these days are amazing.”
Arwon, who had been covering his eyes with his hand and gazing at the cliff from far, far away, murmured.
“Can you see those children with your naked eye without using magic?”
“Yes.”
As Melina asked with a surprised expression, Arwon nonchalantly nodded.
While Melina was marveling at the physical abilities of the great hero, who had far surpassed human limits.
Leo spoke.
“What do you think?”
“They all possess strong powers unsuited for their age. Especially that child, Ar. She’s become incomparably stronger than when I saw her before, hasn’t she? Didn’t you say only about a year has passed since then?”
Arwon admired them and looked at Celia and Duran.
“That human boy and girl are also amazing. The breathing technique those children use. It seems a bit similar to my own breathing technique.”
“It was created by people of later generations based on your breathing technique.”
“Ah, I see. Indeed, it can be applied in such a way. I hadn’t even thought of that.”
Arwon was impressed.
Then he soon tilted his head.
“If that breathing technique is applied, would it be possible for other children to learn hypersense too?”
Hypersense.
A sensory technique used by Arwon.
It is Arwon’s signature technique, which Leo can only imitate to some extent.
“If that’s possible, it would be a great strength for the beastfolk.”
Melina said with a slightly flushed face.
“I’m glad to hear it would be helpful?”
Arwon said with a happy face.
“But that elf girl resembles Belkia. Though her aura is completely different.”
Arwon sniffed and tilted his head.
“Even the scent is similar.”
“Ah, if you mean that child, she’s a descendant of Lord Belkia.”
“What?”
Arwon’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.
“I see. She also left descendants.”
At the mention of his disciple’s descendant, Arwon couldn’t hide his happy smile.
“How to put it, I’m happy. It clearly feels like our efforts weren’t in vain.”
Arwon said, wagging his tail.
Leo said, looking at Arwon who was smacking his lips.
“Among them, keep a close eye on that one called Ar.”
“She’s a bit scary… Is there a reason?”
Leo said, looking at Arwon who asked, slightly shrugging his neck.
“She’s a child with the power to transform other beastfolk into their beast forms with a howl.”
“What?”
At the mention of her possessing the ability he had longed for, Arwon’s eyes widened as he looked at Ar.
“That sounds promising, doesn’t it?”
Arwon smiled, his eyes gleaming.