Book 1 Chapter 437
437.
A week had already passed since the training camp began.
As befitting a rural estate on the frontier, the mountains of the Flobe family had many rugged terrains.
Among them, far down below, above a precipice where rough valley water flowed.
The students gulped dryly as they looked at the faintly visible valley water.
And they turned around and asked.
“So? What are we doing today?”
Illiana asked with a slightly fed-up expression.
To this, Azonia's graduate, the rabbit beastman Banir, said calmly.
“What are we doing, you ask?”
With an expressionless face, she gestured with her chin towards the precipice.
“Jump.”
At her words, the faces of all the students training under her, including Illiana, turned pale.
“You said today was a simple courage test?!”
Azonia's second-year, the fox beastman Ruen, cried out urgently.
“This is the courage test.”
Banir said calmly.
“Courage is essential in a fight. As you know, this is not just a virtue of beastmen, but something absolutely necessary for any hero candidate.”
At those words, Illiana raised her hand.
“I'm curious what that has to do with jumping off a cliff with nothing but our bare bodies.”
“Where do you think true courage comes from?”
“It comes from the heart.”
At Illiana's answer, Banir shook her head.
“No.”
Seeing Banir shake her head decisively, this time Tirena, a student from Seirun, raised her hand.
“I believe it comes from thorough preparation.”
“Incorrect.”
Soon, the students voiced their thoughts, but Banir merely shook her head decisively.
Ruen frowned and said.
“Where exactly does true courage, as you define it, Senior Banir, come from?”
“True courage comes from fear.”
“Huh?”
“When you overcome fear and squeeze out courage, that's when it truly becomes real courage. The training of jumping off a cliff with nothing but your bare body is the same.”
Banir approached Ruen.
“Creatures instinctively fear jumping from high places. This training is about overcoming that primal fear.”
“If it's such a barbaric method, why not make other beastman students do it? Why am I the only beastman student here?”
Ruen reacted sharply.
At her words, Banir said calmly.
“Other Azonia students are ignorant, so they would undoubtedly jump off the cliff without a second thought at the mention of 'true courage'.”
“Certainly, idiots would do that.”
“But you are different.”
Banir looked at the faces of the students under her charge, including Ruen, and said.
“You're not fools who would be tempted by such talk and jump.”
“Hmph, as expected of someone who was a student council president, you have keen insight. I certainly tend to assess situations calmly.”
Seeing Illiana answer with a conceited expression, Banir said.
“All of you are the type to needlessly overthink things. As a result, you're the kind of people who will feel fear continuously while questioning such illogical training. To put it bluntly, you're petty and timid.”
At the scathing words that pierced their hearts, the students' faces twisted terribly.
“In that sense, this inefficient, illogical, and insane training is perfect for you.”
“If you know it's inefficient, illogical, and insane training, don't make us do it!”
Ruen shouted indignantly.
Thwack-!
Banir, with an expressionless face, lifted Ruen like that and threw her directly off the cliff.
“Aaaaahk!”
The desperate scream of the fox beastman echoed.
Banir, who had been calmly watching Ruen fall down the cliff, said.
“Next, jump. Execute.”
But despite her words, no student jumped.
Banir grabbed Illiana.
“Wait! We could really die! A more rational training than this…!”
“It's fine, you won't die.”
“How can you guarantee that?!”
“If you die from this, blame your weakness.”
“Th-that's so irresponsible…! Kyaaaaaaahk?!”
Banir's cold words ended, and Illiana's desperate scream echoed throughout the entire mountain.
“Don't you hear Illiana's scream from somewhere?”
When Nella asked with a bitter smile, Chloe sat up and shook her head.
“No, I don't hear anything.”
“Must have misheard.”
“It's understandable to hear phantom sounds.”
Chloe gritted her teeth.
“Because we're being beaten up so badly like this.”
“Hahahahaha! Chloe Mueller. For a magic department student, you have good grit.”
Zamua approached, rolling her shoulders.
But a chilling intensity was contained within her gentle smile.
The task for the students under Zamua's charge was extremely simple.
It was defensive training where they just had to withstand Zamua's attacks without counterattacking.
The problem was Zamua's merciless attacks.
As if proving she was the 'strongest' among last year's graduates purely through raw physical strength.
Even without using aura or weapons, Zamua unleashed power equivalent to a considerable large-scale magic spell with just hand-to-hand combat.
‘If it were magic or summoning, there would be defensive methods… but Senior Zamua's attacks are pure physical force, making it even harder.’
As an orthodox mage, Chloe also had countermeasures prepared for being defenseless.
But these were merely countermeasures for allies nearby or for counterattacks.
When the sole purpose was defense, her countermeasures were insufficient.
No matter what anyone said, Chloe was an attack-specialized mage.
At that moment, Driana stepped forward.
“Oh?”
Zamua curled the corners of her mouth.
“Are you trying to block me alone?”
“Yes. Before I am a blacksmith, I am our allies' shield.”
“Indeed, befitting Damian's class representative.”
Driana stood before Zamua, her voice serious, unlike usual.
Her face was infinitely serious.
Seeing that, Chloe stood up.
“I'll help.”
Rrriiiip-!
And while blocking Zamua's attacks, she tore her ragged skirt hem up to her knees, as it was hindering her movement.
Seeing Chloe, who was now dressed for easier movement, Zamua grinned, seemingly pleased.
“Tough, aren't you?”
Driana stared intently at Chloe's legs.
“Yes, an ice sculpture would also be good.”
“What?”
“Your legs are a work of art. Chloe, was it? Would you be interested in being a model for an art piece?”
“Nude models are out of the question.”
“Don't worry about that. It's semi-nude. No need for the whole body. Only the lower half is necessary.”
“Absolutely not.”
Chloe refused in a cold voice.
“Can you feel the summon's emotions now?”
Lunia's eyes trembled as she looked at Ultar, last year's graduate from Rumerun, who asked with his arms spread wide.
It wasn't just Lunia.
Beside her, Eliza also had a similar expression.
“No.”
“Tsk tsk.”
Ultar looked at the sky and lamented.
The students under Ultar, the Pegasus's contractor, were only two.
Only Lunia and Eliza.
“Why do you not know! I've told you repeatedly, your affinity with mythical beasts is higher than mine! So why can't you do this simple thing?”
“How can I read the mind of someone else's summon, not even my own?”
“I agree with Lunia El Rundia, Senior Ultar.”
At Eliza's words, Ultar sighed deeply.
“Fiora, this is what you want, isn't it?”
Ultar handed a cream-topped cookie to Fiora, who was sitting on the back of his hand.
Peep-!
Fiora flapped her wings joyfully as she looked at the cookie Ultar offered.
What Ultar was making Lunia and Eliza do was training to read a summon's mind.
For a summoner, reading their own summon's mind is a perfectly natural act.
That's why Ultar brought Fiora, Leo's contractor.
“Wait a minute! I also gave her that cookie earlier, didn't I?”
Lunia protested as if feeling wronged.
Lunia, who was originally chosen as Fiora's contractor, had the position taken away by Leo.
But even after that, she didn't spare her affection for Fiora.
As such, she prided herself on knowing Fiora well.
“There was no cream on it, no cream.”
Peep- peep-
“Ugh-!”
When Fiora chimed in with Ultar's chiding, Lunia made an indignant expression.
“Do you understand now? What I mean by 'you lack love'! In that sense, kneel down and close your eyes. From now on, you will deeply contemplate what love is.”
Ultar, who shouted majestically, zipped-! and left.
Lunia and Eliza knelt and closed their eyes.
They had been kneeling and meditating like this all week.
“Eliza Hergin.”
“What is it, Lunia El Rundia.”
“What exactly is this 'love' that he's talking about?”
“Don't ask me.”
For the two girls to understand, Ultar's thoughts, famous as much for his eccentricity as for being a genius summoner, were on another dimension.
***
“It's Leo Flobe.”
“It's dinner!”
“Line up! Line up!”
Dinner time.
All students attending the training camp lined up with bright expressions.
Before long, a large kitchen had been set up in the middle of the campsite.
With a week already passed, the hero candidates were adapting splendidly to the situation.
They now handled the nightly attacks without much difficulty.
Though pushed to extreme situations, they now had a certain degree of ease in their training camp life.
“We endured today for this time!”
“Leo! What's on the menu today?”
Leo, who had become the overall head of meals by unanimous decision of all schools, said.
“Barbecue.”
“Barbecue!”
“Ooooh!”
Cheers erupted from everywhere.
Seeing that, Leo wore a pitiable expression.
“Are they really that happy?”
“Because this is the only pleasure they have.”
Chelsea, who was assisting Leo, sighed deeply.
Thus, the cooking was finished, and distribution was complete.
It was a time when close students gathered in small groups, enjoying themselves.
“Leo oppa! Come here!”
Chelsea, sitting next to Kal, waved her hand at Leo.
“No, I'll eat somewhere else.”
Leo, who answered thus, took his plate and headed a little away from the campsite.
There, Arion was leaning against a large tree, sitting and idly staring at the sunset.
“Eat dinner.”
“Thanks.”
Seeing Leo hand him the meal, Arion smiled and accepted it.
And without taking his eyes off the sunset sky, he said.
“It's beautiful. I understand why Lisinas risked everything to reclaim this scenery.”
Arion, with a mouthful of meat, mumbled.
“Kael, did you also want to reclaim this scenery?”
“Well. I hadn't really thought about it.”
Leo chuckled and sat down next to Arion.
“Kael.”
“What.”
“If you hadn't saved me, I would have died at Erebus's hands then, wouldn't I?”
…
At Arion's question, Leo was silent.
Seeing Leo like that, Arion said calmly.
“It's okay. I know everything.”
“What?”
“Just before entering battle, I knew I was going to die there.”
“You knew?”
“Yeah. You know that super senses sometimes tell you things you don't want to know, right?”
Seeing Leo's surprise, Arion said calmly.
“I had prepared myself for death. And since I know the world has been saved like this, I'm fine. You don't need to feel guilty about my death.”
Arion smiled at Leo.
From the moment his future friend brought him to the future.
Arion knew that Leo felt sorry for him.
Arion wished Leo didn't harbor such feelings.
“Because you would have done the same if you were me. So, I don't know how long I can stay in this era. Don't worry about such things. Even if I return, I'm prepared to accept death.”
‘This guy who says he's prepared… did he really have eyes that didn't want to die so badly?’
Just as Arion recognized Leo's emotions, Leo also recognized Arion's emotions.
“Then get some sleep.”
Arion hadn't slept a wink since he came to the present world.
Because he was scared.
Scared that Erebus would be before his eyes when he opened them.
“If you keep your nerves so sharp, you can't help but worry even if you try not to.”
“…Yeah.”
Arion smiled at Leo's words.
And he gently closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
At that moment, Ar approached Leo.
“Black Rabbit! Instructor Arkan is…!”
“He's sleeping.”
Eiran, who came with him, opened his eyes wide.
“Instructor Arkan's sleeping f-mooooooo! Oop-! Oop-?!”
The moment Ar was about to get excited seeing Arion sleeping.
Driana covered Ar's mouth with one hand and restrained him by choking him with her other arm.
“If I punch him in the solar plexus to knock him out, he won't cause a ruckus, right?”
As Lunia clenched her fist and muttered lowly, Ar struggled wildly.
Then Chelsea, who followed Kal, crouched in front of Arion and let out a small gasp of admiration.
“But he really resembles Hero Arion a lot. I'd even believe they're the same person.”
“Indeed.”
Kal crouched beside her and muttered nonchalantly.
***
Whoosh-!
The moment he came to his senses, what he saw before his eyes was black flames.
‘Ah, it's a dream.’
Arion realized that this situation was a dream.
His gaze naturally fell on his broken beloved sword, 'Brave', clutched in his hand.
The sword named Courage had reached the end of its lifespan.
Its lifespan had ended in the battle with Erebus.
‘No…’
Arion knew.
The sword breaking wasn't because its durability had run out.
Nor was it because Dweno, who forged the sword, lacked skill.
‘It was because I couldn't wield it to the end.’
He had stepped forward to single-handedly block Erebus for his comrades.
But Arion gave up the fight during the battle with Erebus.
Because he knew he would die.
‘Dweno… Luna… Lisinas… Kael… they'll take care of things after me.’
He resigned himself.
‘Because Kael would never give up.’
Until the moment of his death, he leaned on his friend.
‘I don't want to go back.’
He was afraid of dying.
‘I haven't even found what I want to do for myself yet.’
Courage, once broken in the face of the fear of death, made the hero hesitate.
Kwoooong-!
At that moment, the world shook.
***
Kwoooong-!
“An earthquake?”
Chelsea's eyes widened as she looked at the ground.
A small tremor was felt from beneath the ground.
Flash-!
At that moment, Arion's eyes flashed open.
Woosh-!
In an instant, Arion's body underwent a change.
‘Gasp?’
Kal, seeing that, exhaled inwardly.
Eiran also freaked out.
The moment Chelsea was distracted by the sudden earthquake.
Arion had suddenly transformed into his beastman form.
The moon hadn't risen yet.
No, even if the moon had risen, it wasn't a full moon today.
If Arion transformed in such a situation?
“What's with the sudden earthquake…!”
“Ch-Chelsea! You might fall!”
“Hey, Chelsea. Keep your balance!”
Eiran and Kal blocked Chelsea's view.
“What? It's just a small tremor, what fall? And why are you blocking my view? Are you hiding something from me?”
Chelsea narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“Hiding what?!”
Kal shook his head nonchalantly.
“Kwooooorrrg-!”
At that moment.
Ar moved Driana's hand and roared.
At the sudden roar, Chelsea covered her ears and grimaced.
“Why the sudden roar!”
“Kyaaaaang! Ahem! *Clears throat* Howling practice.”
“…You guys are suspicious.”
As Chelsea cast even more suspicious glances.
Arion, who had been looking dazed, came to his senses.
Kal and Eiran looked at Arion and mouthed words.
Leo quietly spoke to Arion, who was confused.
“Undo your transformation.”
Arion, understanding the situation, deactivated his beastman transformation.
But it was a step too late.
“Beastman transformation?”
Chelsea's eyes widened when she saw Arion's beastman form.
“H-how did he transform? Isn't that cat the only one who can transform without a full moon?”
Seeing the surprised Chelsea, Ar folded his arms.
“Hmph! It seems Instructor Arkan transformed in response to this one's howling!”
Ar puffed out his chest proudly.
Seeing Ar like that, Lunia and Driana quickly said.
“Did you finally succeed?”
“Remarkable. As expected of my exclusive model.”
“Who's your exclusive model?”
The three conversed nonchalantly to smooth over the situation.
To that, Chelsea made an 'Aha!' expression.
“Now that you mention it, Ar Tun could make other beastmen transform with his howling, couldn't he?”
Seeing Chelsea's 'now I get it' expression, Kal and Eiran added.
“That's amazing! Ar!”
“Oh, oh, indeed, befitting Azonia's representative.”
Kal, who had been desperately trying to defuse the situation, covered his face, seeing Chelsea staring intently at him with an amused expression.
Being close friends, he understood.
This little devil, who only pretended to be obedient and cute in front of Leo, had already grasped the entire situation.
“Do you guys think I'm stupid? Do you think I'd fall for such clumsy acting?!”
Chelsea narrowed her eyes.
And she walked up to the flustered Arion and said.
“Instructor Arkan! Please tell me honestly! You are Hero Arion, aren't you?!”