Book 1 Chapter 597

On the evening of Leo's family's visit to the Zerdinger mansion.

A celebration party was held at Zerdinger.

It was a little different from the usual aristocratic parties where nobles were invited to enjoy themselves.

Only families associated with Zerdinger were invited.

Leo looked at the invited guests and murmured softly.

"It's grand."

"Huh? What are you talking about? The country is in turmoil due to rebellion, so it can't be grand. This is quite modest."

"Right. Sometimes I forget that you are the young daughter of a very great family."

"You're the young son of that great family too, aren't you? And what does that mean?"

"It means your definition of modest is very different from the general one."

"Are you making fun of me for being out of touch with the world?"

Celia opened her eyes lazily.

As Leo waved his hand lightly at Celia, who looked at him.

"Young Master, Young Lady."

Five boys and girls approached Leo.

Led by Martina, followed by Austin, Valerie, Julian, and Karin.

They were first-year knights from Rumern and Leo's knights.

Looking at the five people who came to greet him, Leo said.

"You all said you succeeded in advancing to the second year, right?"

"Yes, it's all thanks to you, Young Master."

Martina smiled brightly.

Leo chuckled, looking at Martina.

"What did I do? Rather, Zerdinger's knights, Celia took better care of you than I did."

It was true.

Before being juniors in the Knight Department, they were Zerdinger's knights, and Celia was the one who took the most care of them as their senior.

"Celia Young Lady's help was also very great! Thank you!"

Karin stepped forward and thanked them with a bright smile, and Celia tucked her hair behind her ear.

"You don't need to thank me. As a direct descendant of Zerdinger, I did what was natural."

Celia smiled sweetly.

"You are Zerdinger's knights before you are Leo's knights. Don't forget that. You worked hard in blood for the honor of Zerdinger. Be proud of your own achievements. This party's protagonist is Leo, but it's also a party for you."

At her words, Martina scratched her cheek and gave an awkward smile.

'Actually, I worked hard because I wanted to live.'

Celia also took good care of the five.

But before that, it was Leo who pushed the five to their limits.

***

At the end of the second semester, while preparing for the Festival of Heroes.

Leo summoned the five and said with a smile.

"You are all working hard at school. How are you doing these days?"

In response, Valerie, Julian, and Karin spoke enthusiastically.

"Thanks to you, Young Master, we were able to do well!"

"Celia Young Lady and Niel Senior also take good care of us!"

"This may be the last time, but we will do our best!"

Martina was a diligent top student, and Austin was in the upper-middle range.

However, unlike the two, the other three were not in the lower ranks, but their advancement to the second year was slightly precarious.

Even top-ranking students sometimes fail Rumern's promotion exams.

Therefore, Valerie, Julian, and Karin focused on doing their best without regrets.

Leo smiled faintly at their words.

"The last?"

At his smile, the three felt goosebumps all over their bodies.

"That's strange. Why do you say it's the last when the exam hasn't even started yet?"

"W-well… it's because we might fail the promotion exam."

"It's not a weak state of mind! We'll do our best so we don't have any regrets! Right? Hahaha!"

"Th-that's right! Young Master! We worked hard, but what can we do if it doesn't work out?"

Watching the three quickly recover, Leo said.

"Thinking that it might not work out is a sign of a weak state of mind. And there's a saying, isn't there? If it doesn't work, make it work."

At Leo's words, the faces of the three turned pale.

"If you fail to advance, you'll face training that will make last year's pre-entrance exam training seem like child's play."

"Eeeek?!"

As the three screamed in fear, Martina and Austin sent them sympathetic glances.

"All five of you."

"Wait a minute! Young Master! Why us?"

"If these three fail to advance, does that mean we'll also have training?"

Martina and Austin asked urgently, and Leo said.

"There's also the concept of collective punishment, isn't there? You're in the same knight order, so it's natural to share joy and sorrow, isn't it?"

At that, Martina and Austin placed their hands on the shoulders of the three.

"From today, don't think too much."

"It's special training."

Leo smiled, watching the two with determined expressions.

"Your camaraderie is nice to see."

'You see this as camaraderie!'

The five screamed inwardly but couldn't say it out loud.

Martina, who looked awkward recalling that day, glanced at Celia.

As she met Celia's proud gaze, a sense of guilt crept into her heart.

"Celia Young Lady, Leo Young Master, and our cute juniors!"

Just then, Niel approached with a smile.

Seeing the Rumern students gathered together, the invited trainee knights and squire knights in the party looked on with envy.

'Ugh, I'm so jealous.'

'I want to talk to Leo Young Master too.'

'It feels intimidating to approach them when they're all gathered like this.'

Among the young knights, Leo was already a legendary figure.

And the five who became Leo's knights last year were now objects of envy.

"It's heartwarming to see the young knights, who are the future of the family, talking."

Just then, an old knight approached them.

"Hello, Mr. Egerzon."

Celia greeted Egerzon.

Looking at Egerzon, Leo quietly asked Martina.

"Who is he?"

"He is Egerzon Zerdinger, an Elder Knight of the Elder Council."

Elder Knight.

A knight who has received the title of Elder.

He had red eyes, but seeing brown hair peeking through his white hair, he seemed to be from a collateral branch.

'That's the person who yelled at me earlier.'

He was the elder who had berated Leo during his conversation with Regas.

"This is the first time we're meeting, Leo Flob."

"I am Leo Flob."

Leo shook Egerzon's outstretched hand and greeted him.

"I should have greeted the renowned nameless hero first."

Celia narrowed her brow, watching Egerzon chuckle.

Nameless Hero.

That was one of the countless epithets for Leo circulating in the world.

Leo was the only hero with no epithets in the Hero Records.

As such, he was called by various epithets.

All Master.

Successor of the Beginning.

And so on.

Leo disliked many of these epithets, finding them embarrassing.

However, among them, there was an epithet that demeaned Leo, and that was 'Nameless Hero.'

At Egerzon's words, Martina and the others, including Niel, also changed their expressions to displeasure.

Regardless of being retainers of Zerdinger, as Rumern students, they felt a natural sense of respect for Leo.

The way Leo had shown himself as the student council president while preparing for the Festival of Heroes was enough to make them admire him as a hero.

In Rumern, where talents of all kinds gathered, Leo was undeniably recognized as the leader of Rumern, regardless of seniority.

He was, quite literally, the pride of the Rumern students.

Even an elder of the family, it was hard to tolerate him intentionally mocking Leo to belittle him.

Seeing this, Celia was about to speak when Leo intervened.

"Rather, I should have greeted the Elder Council first, so my greeting is late."

"Haha! You're so polite. I can't believe you're the son of that shrew! I worried because she married a worthless man, but to have a son like this! Truly, the bloodline of our Zerdinger is great!"

'Look at this? He keeps crossing the line. So? This is your home turf, isn't it?'

Perhaps still holding a grudge from Leo's earlier attitude, Egerzon continued to say unnecessary things.

'Earlier, he blabbered carelessly like a brash kid, but he won't dare to speak so recklessly here with so many eyes watching.'

He had already gained powerful speaking rights and influence within the family as an Elder Knight.

In contrast, Leo was still an outsider.

If someone else were to criticize him within the family and be caught, it would be a great offense, but Leo, who did not yet have influence within the family, was not.

'Besides, young people who gain fame tend to be overly concerned with their reputation.'

Egerzon sneered inwardly and took his revenge to his heart's content.

But unfortunately, Leo was not the kind of person to care about that.

Leo smiled faintly, and Celia looked uneasy.

'What is he going to say to be smiling like that?'

"I'm glad we can greet each other like this. Otherwise, I might have never seen you again."

"What? What do you mean…"

"If we were born in the same era and I died without seeing the successor of a great hero, how unfair would that be?"

For a moment, Egerzon, who had a puzzled look, not understanding what Leo was saying, turned red.

Seeing this, Celia's jaw dropped.

'Even so, treating an elder like an old man who could die at any moment!'

Niel and Martina also held their breath and watched cautiously.

"And it's not that Zerdinger is great."

"Wh-what?"

"I am great."

Egerzon's jaw dropped.

Leo said to Egerzon,

"What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a great person before?"

Looking at Egerzon with a look of pity, Leo muttered to himself.

'Compared to Luna, I'm a saint.'

'What? Are you picking a fight? Do you want me to send you back to nature by my own hand before you die of old age?'

Luna would have said it directly without twisting her words.

"Goodness! Don't you have any respect for the elderly!"

"I have respect for the elderly."

"Gah! You arrogant fool! Have you achieved a few small feats and become so conceited that you can't see anything else? You need to know how vast the world is!"

As Egerzon roared, his eyes rolling, all eyes turned to Leo.

Under their gaze, Leo calmly said.

"If fighting Erebus with the Hero and preventing the return of the calamity is a small feat, then what is a great feat? Have you fought Erebus and are saying this?"

"Gah!"

Realizing that further conversation would only be detrimental to him, Egerzon suppressed his anger and stormed out of the party.

As everyone murmured, Celia covered her face.

"You… no matter what, the Elder Council has completely turned against you. They will do everything they can to put you at a disadvantage."

"It would have been the same even if I had been meek and obedient."

Leo chuckled.

"What are you going to do tomorrow?"

"Mother told me to trust her."

"Aunt?"

At Leo's words, Celia turned and looked at Reina, who was smiling in their direction.

'I'm even more worried.'

***

The next day.

Leo and Reina were summoned to the Hall of Elders.

The reason for the summons was to decide the territory Leo would inherit.

As the meeting began, Reina brought up the land she was supposed to have inherited.

"Do you think that makes sense? Do you know how long ago that was?"

Egerzon said, his face contorted.

"What has your son done for Zerdinger? Although he has been recognized as a direct descendant, he is not of the Zerdinger surname, and he is an arrogant scoundrel who claims to be superior to the family. How can such a person, even if a direct descendant, be treated the same as other direct descendants?"

"Can't he?"

"Are you asking the obvious!"

As Egerzon raised his voice, the other elders nodded.

Seeing this, Reina made a sulky expression.

Regas smiled wryly, seeing her expression.

'What is she going to do now?'

Although they hadn't met for a long time, he knew his daughter well.

When she makes that expression, she might do something impulsive.

Regarde de elders with a face full of displeasure, Reina stood up.

"Leo, stand up."

"Why?"

"Pack your bags. Let's go."

At Reina's sudden words, Leo stood up with a puzzled expression.

The elders were also taken aback by her sudden attitude.

"What is this? Where are you going?"

"To Rhuwalyn."

At that, the Elder Knights of the Elder Council's mouths dropped open.

"Why are you going to Rhuwalyn?!"

"Let's go and ask them to accept him as a direct descendant. For someone like Leo, even a direct grandfather would surely accept him."

"W-what!"

The Elder Council was thrown into chaos by the completely unexpected bombshell.

"Were you not once a proud knight of Zerdinger? Are you going to betray the family and go to those worthless mages!"

"I've already disowned Zerdinger anyway."

"Isn't Leo Flob a knight?"

"What knight is Leo? He's an all-class."

Reina placed her hands on Leo's shoulders and smiled faintly.

"As the youngest student council president, a hero, and the successor of Kai, the Hero of the Beginning, an all-class would surely welcome him with open arms."

"Do you think they'll accept someone with Zerdinger's blood flowing through them!?"

"Hmm? Is that so? Leo, why don't you marry Chelsea this time? My family doesn't seem to be able to do anything for you. But Rhuwalyn might be different."

The Elder Council was in an uproar over Reina's bombshell.

Rhuwalyn, of all places, was absolutely unacceptable.

Leo asked Reina, watching the chaotic Elder Council.

"Is this okay?"

"Son, do you know the basic principle of negotiation?"

"Blackmail."

"Correct. And if you're going to blackmail, you have to do it in a way the other party hates the most."

"What if it doesn't work?"

Reina smiled faintly.

"Then it becomes a chicken game."

"That's irresponsible."

"It's not a marriage I'm entering into, is it?"

'I see why they call her a witch.'

Leo let out a hollow laugh.