Book 1 Chapter 572

572.

Rustle rustle-

Countless crowds of people were moving back and forth within Lumern.

Seeing this, Chelsea crossed her arms and muttered.

"I never dreamed I'd live to see such a crowd gather in Lumern."

Even the second-year students, who had long since grown accustomed to Lumern, found the current sight unfamiliar.

Lumern also invites outsiders for special events.

However, this was the first time they had seen so many people that the entire vast Lumern campus was packed.

"It's certainly rare for this many outsiders to enter in Lumern's entire history."

As an educational institution that fosters heroes, it also has many enemies.

The biggest enemy is, of course, the demons of Tartaros.

That's not all.

There are countless forces constantly looking for opportunities to diminish Lumern's influence.

In addition, there are many threats targeting individual students.

Political rivals sometimes attempt assassination before their power grows.

As such, Lumern has maintained ironclad security for a long time.

Invitations were sent randomly and equally to everyone, except for key figures of the world and the students' families.

Therefore, those who visited Lumern were diverse in status and age.

"To make something like this possible, it must be Lumern, after all, wouldn't you say?"

It was then that Chelsea once again marveled at the school's influence.

"Miss Chloe Muller?"

Just then, a boy among the crowd greeted Chloe, acting as if he knew her.

The man, dressed in an elegant robe and holding a magic staff studded with sparkling magic stones, stood before Chloe and said.

"It's an honor to meet you, Miss Chloe Muller."

"Who are you?"

"Oh, my apologies for the late introduction. I am Vito Ingteum, heir to the Ingteum family, a family belonging to the Eastern Continent's Magic Tower."

"Ah, nice to meet you."

The Ingteum family is famous even in the North.

"I read all the magic treatises you publish, Miss Chloe. Your magic theories always excite me."

Chloe already had a great reputation in the magical academic world as a genius magic girl, succeeding Torua Yan, who graduated last year.

Unlike Avad or Chelsea, who specialized in combat, she also showed outstanding prominence in magic research.

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me."

Chloe smiled faintly.

"Ahhh. Beautiful."

At that moment, Vito Ingteum gasped, clutching his head.

Chelsea frowned upon seeing Vito Ingteum.

'What? Who is this greasy guy?'

"You are a woman beautiful not only in intellect but also in appearance. Grant this Vito Ingteum the honor of kissing your hand!"

Vito Ingteum, who was making a fuss, suddenly knelt down, grabbed Chloe's hand, and tried to kiss it.

It was when Chloe narrowed her brow and tried to pull her hand away from his sudden action.

Thwack-!

"Ugh!"

Betty Marste, Chloe's mentee from the first semester, suddenly appeared and elbowed Vito Ingteum in the face.

"What rude behavior is this! Vito Ingteum!"

"That's what I should be asking! Betty Marste! What are you doing?!"

"You were rude to Chloe senior!"

"Rude? I merely complimented her beauty!"

At Vito's words, Betty made a cold expression and jutted her chin.

"Deal with him."

Then, first-year magic students appeared from behind Betty.

"Huh? What?! Who is this bastard!"

"Where did this dog bone roll in from!"

"Are you daring to hit on our Ice Queen?"

"Wh-what… Aaaargh?!"

Regardless of gender, the first-year magic students surrounded Vito Ingteum and started beating him with their staffs.

Watching this, Chelsea pulled out a small paper bag from her pocket, crunched a cookie inside, and said.

"Chloe, your followers seem to be turning into more and more of thugs."

At Chelsea's words, Chloe clutched her head.

Chloe, who enjoyed taking care of others, also took very good care of the first-year students.

Thanks to this, she was the most popular senior among the first-year magic students.

And Betty, Chloe's most fervent follower, rushed to Chloe.

"Chloe senior! That pervert didn't do anything strange, did he?"

"Calm down, he just held my hand."

"He held your hand with those filthy hands?! I'll chop off his wrist right now!"

"That's too much."

When Chelsea interjected from the side, Betty paused, then shouted furiously behind her.

"That pervert! Beat him half to death! He has very bad manners!"

As magic families from the same eastern region, the Marste family and the Ingteum family had frequent interactions, and thanks to this, the heirs Betty and Vito had known each other since childhood.

Therefore, Betty knew well that Vito was someone who would try to pick up anyone.

At Betty's sharp cry, the atmosphere among the first-year magic students grew even more hostile.

"What kind of undignified behavior is this! Mages beating someone with staffs! You should be ashamed as mages! I never dreamed that the seniors of the school I'm about to enter would be so vulgar!"

Vito shouted furiously.

At his words, the first-year students looked at each other and nodded.

"Oh, so you're a junior who'll be taking the entrance exam next year?"

Then they made even more menacing expressions.

"This is physical magic I learned from a senior in the magic department. Magic Swing!"

"Aargh!"

"It's a Magical Fist! You arrogant junior candidate!"

"Cough?!"

"Magic Kick! You brat!"

"Kehek!"

Chelsea frowned, watching the even more ferocious first-years.

"Who taught them such idiotic behavior?"

"Senior Iliana."

"They learned something rotten."

Chelsea clicked her tongue.

"You guys stop."

Chloe, who could no longer stand it, calmed the first-year students.

"It was rude, but this is a bit too much."

"Oh, Miss Chloe Muller… Your heart is as beautiful as your intellect and appearance! Please, the honor of kissing your cheek…"

Seeing Vito getting up and trying to place his hands on her shoulders, Chloe pushed him away without hesitation.

"Yes, it seems it would be better for him to just be scolded."

The enraged first-year students swung their staffs at Vito.

"So many people are coming, so there are also many strange people."

"Indeed."

Chelsea crunched on her cookie, shaking her head.

In fact, the strangest people here were none other than the Lumern students.

Indeed, nearby visitors stared at the scene with bewildered eyes, but the students, who had grown accustomed to Lumern, did not perceive anything to be strange at all.

Chelsea checked the clock on the clock tower in the street and said.

"First-years, it's time to prepare for the opening ceremony. Let's move."

"Yes!"

***

Countless visitors continued to stream into Lumern.

Accordingly, ships traveling to and from Lumeria City were also bustling.

That wasn't all. Huge pillars soared throughout Lumeria City.

These were magical devices that brought to mind magical screens broadcasting live the Hero's Festival taking place in Lumeria City, visible from anywhere in Lumeria City.

Currently, the magical devices were illuminating various parts of Lumern.

Amidst this.

Suddenly, the magic screens all simultaneously displayed the Erec parade ground in Lumern.

Lumern students began to enter the gigantic Erec parade ground.

At the appearance of the Lumern students, the people watching from the stands cheered.

Perfectly lined up by department, at the very front appeared Leo, a white-haired boy holding Lumern's flag.

"Leo Flobe!"

"Lumern's youngest student council president!"

"A hero whose name is on the Hero Record!"

With Leo's appearance, the atmosphere became even more heated.

It was when the entire audience was fervently cheering.

Suddenly, a shadow formed in the center of the Erec parade ground.

The audience, startled by the sudden situation, looked up at the sky.

"…A ship?"

Someone muttered in an astonished voice.

In the sky, a huge ship, resembling a warship, was flying.

Literally, the culmination of the best existing magic engineering and alchemy.

The entire audience was aghast at the appearance of a flying battleship that would only exist in imagination.

"Damian! It's Damian's flag!"

"Could it be a ship made by Damian?!"

Exclamations erupted from various parts of the stands.

Boom-!

The ship landed in one part of the Erec parade ground.

Clank- Clank- Clank-

Along with it, Damian's students began to disembark from the ship in unison.

Small, but the power emanating from them overwhelmed the audience.

Sizzle-!

Suddenly, sparks began to fly in one part of the Erec parade ground.

Sizzzzzle! Flash-!

With a bright flash of light, Seirun students appeared.

"Hundreds of people teleported at once without a warp gate?!"

"Was such an absurd thing possible?"

"As expected of Seirun… worthy of a school that trains the strongest mages!"

It was when they widened their eyes at the unimaginably advanced magic technology.

Piiiii-!

The enormous roar of a mythical beast echoed in the sky.

As the audience's gaze turned to the sky again, hundreds of wyverns were flying there.

"Not tens, but hundreds of top-grade mythical beasts, wyverns…"

"Amazing… It must be Azonia, right?"

It was when the audience gasped.

Whoosh-!

Azonia students riding wyverns suddenly leaped off the wyverns.

"They jumped?!"

"They'll land with magic, right?!"

The audience screamed, watching the Azonia students begin to fall from the high sky.

However, the Azonia students fell towards the ground without using magic.

Thud!

Exclamations of astonishment erupted from various parts of the stands as they watched the Azonia students land and stand up with purely physical abilities.

All the invited schools were overwhelming just by their entrance.

Everyone watching could not contain their excitement at the unique entrance methods that far surpassed common sense.

Amidst this.

Leo, who had handed Lumern's flag to Elena, walked to the center of the Erec parade ground.

-I now declare the commencement of the Hero's Festival.

"Waaahhhhhh!"

Everyone watching cheered at Leo's calm words.

-One hundred first-year students, selected as representatives from each school, step forward.

At Leo's words, all students except the 100 selected first-years began to exit the Erec parade ground.

Damian's giant ship once again flew into the sky and headed towards Lumeria Lake.

"Carl, is the opening ceremony only for the first-years?"

Iliana asked curiously, and Carl nodded.

"That's what they say."

"What? You don't know the details either?"

"The Hero's Festival must be fair for everyone. As such, other than Leo, only the professors know the overall schedule."

Iliana nodded at Carl's words.

Meanwhile, the first-year students lined up in front of Leo with nervous expressions.

"First-year representatives, to the stage."

At Leo's words, four students went up to the stage where Leo was.

From Lumern, Luke went up to the stage with a terrified face.

Azonia's representative, the bear beastman Medvez, gripped his fist, looking at Leo.

'This man is Leo Flobe. The strongest man recognized by Senior Ar!'

Medvez looked at Leo with serious eyes, then glanced at Luke, who was heavily nervous next to him and whose height barely reached his shoulder, and frowned.

'He has little guts. To be so scared in such a situation. I heard rumors he was amazing, but were they just rumors? No need to be wary. I should really be most wary of Seirun's Rea Tingel… Huh?'

Medvez found Rea staring at Luke with wide open eyes and made a dumbfounded expression.

It turned out Luke was trying his best to avoid eye contact with Rea.

'Wh-why is this person doing this to me since before?'

'I can't forgive him. I can't forgive him. To enjoy the luxury of being Senior Flobe's mentee all by himself. This envious brat! I can't forgive him.'

'…Rea Tingel… To burn with such rivalry towards Luke Elda… I was foolish to judge by appearance!'

Medvez's eyes widened.

'Luke Elda! As a sign of apology, I will also do my best to face you!'

'EEK! Why is this person like this?'

Luke was even more terrified when the giant bear beastman glared at him.

Watching this, Damian's first-year representative, Rixen, muttered.

'I'd better not get close to those three people for now.'

Leo spoke to the students standing before him.

-First-year representatives, take the school pledge.

-As a Lumern student, I will challenge my limits!

-As a Seirun student, I will not betray my self-belief.

-As an Azonia student, I will not hesitate to move forward.

-As a Damian student, I will not doubt possibility.

The first-year representatives, having recited their respective school mottos, declared in unison.

-In the name of our great predecessors, we pledge to participate in the Hero's Festival without shame!

At those words, Leo nodded.

-With this, I conclude the opening ceremony.

Waaahhhhhh-!

The brief but powerful opening ceremony came to an end.

It was then.

Snap-!

Leo snapped his fingers.

Along with that, a scoreboard appeared above the Erec parade ground.

[Lumern : 100]

[Seirun : 100]

[Azonia : 100]

[Damian : 100]

"…?"

The entire audience made a dumbfounded expression at the sudden situation.

Not only the audience, but also the first-year students in the parade ground wore blank expressions.

Flash-!

Crrraaaccckkkkkkk-!

From the sky, with a flash of light, weapons, magic staffs, and summoning artifacts appeared and fell to the ground.

"What in the…"

It was when Luke murmured blankly.

"What are you doing? I said the opening ceremony is over, didn't I?"

Leo said calmly.

"Yes… it's over. But what is this?"

When Medvez asked blankly, Leo said.

"If the opening ceremony is over, then we should start the opening match. The first match is a survival. The school that survives to the end and has the last person standing wins. You roughly understand, right?"

Leo smiled faintly.

"From now on, kill each other."