Book 1 Chapter 58
【58】57
Leo thought as he looked at the room key in his hand.
‘No matter what, giving a granddaughter’s room key to a strange man is not right, is it?’
According to Rune, she had locked herself in her room.
‘Reforming a hikikomori, huh.’
He scratched his head.
‘Will seeing me motivate her?’
Rumern and Seirun are rival schools.
Even so, would confronting a gloomy elf who had given up on competition with Rumern’s first-year representative truly be stimulating?
‘Well, whatever. If it doesn’t work, there’s no disadvantage anyway.’
Leo arrived at the door Rune had mentioned, feeling light-hearted.
And he knocked.
After all, he couldn't just barge into a girl's room, could he?
But there was no reaction to the knock.
Next, he tried turning the doorknob, but it was locked.
Leo opened the door with the key he was holding and entered.
The state of the room was a sight to behold.
Snack bags were scattered on the floor, and changed clothes were carelessly shoved into a corner.
Among the scattered clothes, underwear was also clearly visible.
If Leo had been an ordinary teenage boy, it would have been a rather stimulating sight, but Leo's sensibility was not that of a teenager.
In other words, to Leo's eyes, this place was nothing more or less than a pigsty.
However, there was one clean spot.
It was the photos covering an entire wall of the room.
‘Lysinas, Luna, Arion, Dweno?’
The photos were of his companions, who were now called Great Heroes.
To each race, the Great Heroes are proud great figures and the most popular heroic tales.
As such, there were naturally many related products.
‘I knew there were kids who collected these, but this is a bit excessively fanatical?’
Leo, narrowing his eyes, discovered another clean thing.
It was a school uniform neatly hung in the closet.
‘Is it Seirun’s uniform?’
“Grandpa. Isn’t it too much to just walk into your grown granddaughter’s room?”
Just then, something wiggled beneath the blanket on the bed and poked out its face.
And it made eye contact with Leo.
“Hieeeek! Wh-who are you?!”
The elf girl, seeing a stranger, shrieked and tumbled onto the floor, still wrapped in her blanket.
Then she widened her eyes, looking at Leo's ears.
“Hello. My name is Leo Flobe.”
Despite Leo's introduction, the girl just remained frozen.
Watching the girl, she suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!” and came to her senses, asking with a flustered expression.
“H-how did a human come here?!”
It was only natural for her to be shocked, as a human boy who shouldn't be in elf territory had suddenly entered her room.
She even wondered if she was dreaming.
Leo gave a gentle smile in response to the girl's question.
“I came to talk with you at your grandfather’s request.”
“My, my grandfather?”
Eiran, who was flustered, soon emerged from the blanket she was wearing and stood up.
“Pl-please sit down first.”
And she offered Leo the guest sofa in a corner of the room.
The elf girl in pajamas approached the tea set arranged in one part of the room.
It was an elf custom to brew and serve tea directly to guests.
As she was about to brew tea, she saw the clothes scattered all over the room and her face turned bright red.
She then frantically shoved them into a corner, covered them with a blanket, and then prepared tea and brought it to Leo.
“My, my name is Eiran Ersar.”
Eiran, the hikikomori elf with disheveled long silver hair and clear blue eyes, introduced herself hesitantly.
“You said you were my grandfather’s guest, but how did a human come to Elsalvekia…?”
Watching Eiran ask with a questioning face, Leo sipped his tea and replied.
“I’m a student at Rumern. I came to Elsalvekia for a school trip.”
“Rumern?”
Eiran was surprised.
“Lord Rune said that since his granddaughter is a Seirun student, it would be beneficial for you two to meet, so I came to see you.”
In reality, it was a plan to stimulate the hikikomori Eiran, but he couldn't just say that directly.
Eiran swallowed dryly and looked at Leo.
‘A student from Rumern, the human hero academy.’
He was a human she had never seen before, and not only was he her age, but he also attended a hero academy.
That alone made Eiran quite curious about Leo.
‘A b-boy I’ve never seen before in my room…!’
The situation of a boy her age visiting her room was quite stimulating for a teenage girl.
More than anything, it was Eiran’s first time having a friend come to her room.
In fact, she was introverted and didn't have many friends.
‘Hair as white as snow, and pretty ruby-like eyes.’
Eiran, who was closely examining Leo’s face, suddenly made eye contact with him and her face flushed slightly.
Meanwhile, Leo was contemplating what to talk about with Eiran.
After a moment of thought, Leo pointed to one side of the room.
“You must like the Great Heroes?”
“Yes! I, I like them very much!”
Eiran said, clutching her hands tightly.
“They are honorable people who saved the world! When I was little, I read the fairy tales of the Great Heroes and fell deeply in love! So, collecting things related to them is my hobby!”
The introverted Eiran was now sparkling her eyes brightly.
“Lord Leo, do you also have a favorite anecdote related to the Great Heroes?”
“The Battle of Darnorth.”
“You mean the battle where they defeated Tiberka, the Legion Commander of Tartaros, right? The battle where the Great Heroes first became comrades and fought!”
It was an anecdote that was not preserved in hero records but only in literature.
“Do you also know where Legion Commander Jirga’s forces were defeated?”
“Edvelik. It’s where Luna first tested her star magic.”
“That’s right! People usually don't know records that only exist in literature!”
‘Because I experienced it all myself.’
Leo smiled subtly.
Eiran, who had met someone she could converse with well, had lost her nervousness and her tension had risen.
Then, with a sudden “Ah!”, she regained her composure.
“I, I think I’ve only asked useless questions to my guest.”
“No. Wouldn’t the Great Heroes have been very happy if they knew there was someone like you?”
‘No, they would be happy, since they liked being praised, except for Arion.’
Hearing Leo’s words, Eiran’s expression brightened even more.
Afterwards, Eiran introduced her collection.
The appearances of the Great Heroes known in this era were all based on their depictions in hero records, so the images of his friends drawn in Eiran’s collection were as vivid as they were in life.
Seeing those images, memories of that time resurfaced in Leo’s mind.
“This is something I particularly cherish. It’s said to be the Great Heroes’ appearance before they embarked on their final expedition!”
“Yes, it is. It’s really identical.”
“Identical?”
Eiran paused.
“Lord Leo, you speak as if you’ve seen them yourself.”
To the sharp question, Leo replied.
“We have things like this in human society too. That’s what I meant by identical.”
“I see!”
The innocent girl easily accepted it.
Leo smiled wryly as he looked at the drawings of his friends on the desk.
“I’ve never shown my collection to anyone else, but it’s truly enjoyable.”
Eiran, whose gloomy appearance had vanished and was now smiling brightly, cautiously spoke.
“This is just my thought, but historically, there are four confirmed Great Heroes, but I think a fifth might have actually existed… What do you think, Lord Leo?”
“Are you talking about Kyle?”
“Yes. Others laugh at it as delusion, but… it’s just that his records aren’t left in the Hero Records. There are many literary records about Lord Kyle.”
Having said that, Eiran blushed.
“I talked so well with Lord Leo that I ended up saying something strange without realizing it…”
“I think the same.”
“Huh?”
“I also believe Kyle exists. I don’t collect these kinds of things, but I plan to start a club activity to research Kyle’s exploits when I go back to school.”
He hadn’t been able to focus on it due to various things, but he planned to gradually start club activities once he returned to school.
“Oh, no wonder! That’s why you knew so much about the Great Heroes.”
Eiran exclaimed with clasped hands.
She thought she had met someone with similar interests.
Leo looked at Eiran, whose guard was now completely down, with a puzzled expression.
‘She doesn't seem like the type to refuse to go to school?’
Seirun also had a dormitory system, just like Rumern.
It was serious that she had left school and come home when the semester was well underway.
Rune had told him that the reason he had Leo, whom he had met for the first time today, meet Eiran was because she might face expulsion if she didn't return soon.
‘At first, I thought she might be so bad she couldn't even talk to others… but even though she's introverted and passive, she seems okay to this extent?’
Moreover, she even possessed the admirable quality of believing in Kyle's existence, didn't she?
‘She’s so cute and admirable, I can't believe she's the descendant of that arrogant Berkia.’
“Actually, Lord Rune is very worried that you’re not going to school.”
“Ah…”
Eiran’s face abruptly darkened.
“Lord Rune told me you are an excellent student… Why aren’t you going to school?”
Rune had said it was because there was one student she absolutely couldn’t surpass.
But to Leo, it didn’t seem like that was the case.
As soon as the topic of school came up, Eiran’s face instantly darkened.
“Se-Seirun doesn’t seem like the right place for me, I think.”
“Why?”
“Seirun’s students are all, all incredibly diligent… and they are people with great passion for, for striving upwards. And they are people who seriously strive to become heroes. Not, not one person dreamed of being a hero with a light heart like me.”
*Sigh* Leo crossed his arms, looking at Eiran, whose ears drooped.
“Dreaming of becoming a hero with a light heart, huh…”
‘Certainly, elves have a subtly different sensibility from humans.’
Elves prioritize order.
As such, they plan their future meticulously.
‘There are humans like that too, but for elves, it’s almost a racial trait. But refusing to go to school for just that reason is strange.’
Leo tilted his head, looking at Eiran's shadowed face.
‘Did someone say something strange to her?’
He thought she might have been hurt by someone’s words and lost heart.
Leo glanced at Eiran’s uniform.
‘But storing that uniform so carefully means she hasn’t given up on it yet, doesn’t it?’
Leo smiled faintly.
“Right now, our entire class is in Berkia, not just me.”
“Huh?”
“I told you we’re on a school trip. I think they’d really want to meet you if they heard your story.”
At that, Eiran quickly hid behind the sofa.
“Ar-ar-are you going to take me? I, I don’t want to leave the room!”
“I’m not such a rude human.”
“Bu-but at school, all humans are rude… Ah! No! I didn’t mean Lord Leo is!”
Eiran waved her hands frantically.
Leo chuckled at the sight and stood up.
“We’ll be staying in Berkia for ten days. If you’re interested, our homeroom professor and associate professor are at the mansion, so feel free to visit our lodging.”
“…”
Eiran subtly avoided his gaze.
It seemed unlikely that would happen.
“Among my classmates, there’s a girl named Chelsea who collects these kinds of things. She’s missing a lot of what you have.”
“…! A, a Great Hero collection made in human society!”
Eiran’s eyes widened, showing a look of being tempted.
“Perhaps you two would talk well together.”
Leo looked out the window.
The sun was already setting.
They had talked about the Great Heroes for quite a long time.
“It’s getting late, so I’ll be going.”
“Ah! Um, so… Lord Leo.”
“Yes?”
“Oh. Goodbye.”
“See you again.”
Leo smiled and left the room.
“Ah…”
Eiran let out a sigh of regret, looking at the room Leo had just left.
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