Book 1 Chapter 597

597.

That evening, on the day Leo's family visited the Gerdinger Grand Estate.

A celebratory party was held at Gerdinger.

It was a little different from a typical noble family's party, which usually invited various nobles for enjoyment.

This was a party where only families associated with Gerdinger were invited.

Leo murmured quietly as he looked at those invited to the party.

"It's magnificent."

"Huh? What are you talking about? The country is in an uproar due to the rebellion, so we can't have a grand celebration. This is rather modest."

"Right. You sometimes forget that you're the young lady of a distinguished family."

"You're also the young lord of that distinguished family, aren't you? And what does that mean?"

"It means your concept of 'modest' is quite different from the general one."

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

Celia narrowed her eyes.

It was then that Leo lightly waved his hand, looking at Celia.

"Young Master, Young Lady."

Five boys and girls approached Leo.

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

They were first-year knight academy students from Lumern and Leo's knights.

Seeing the five who had come to greet him, Leo said.

"You all succeeded in advancing to the second year, didn't you?"

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

Martina smiled sweetly.

Leo chuckled, looking at Martina.

"What did I do? If anything, Celia took care of you more than I did, as Gerdinger's knights."

That was true.

Before being junior knight academy students, it was Celia who took the most meticulous care of the five, as Gerdinger's knights and their senior at school.

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

As Karin stepped forward, smiling brightly and expressing her gratitude, Celia swept back her hair.

"There's no need to thank me. It's what I naturally do as a direct descendant of Gerdinger."

Celia gave a soft smile.

"You are Gerdinger's knights before you are Leo's knights. Don't forget that. You've put in blood, sweat, and tears for Gerdinger's honor. Be proud of your achievements. Leo is the guest of honor at this party, but it's also a party for you."

At that, Martina scratched her cheek and smiled awkwardly.

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

It was true that Celia took good care of the five.

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

***

Towards the end of the second semester, when preparations for the Festival of Heroes were in full swing.

Leo, who had summoned the five, said with a smile.

"You're all working hard at school. How have things been lately?"

At his words, Valerie, Julian, and Karin said enthusiastically.

"We've been doing well thanks to you, Young Master!"

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

"We don't know if this will be our last, but we're going to work hard!"

Martina was a solid honor student with top grades, and Austin had upper-middle-class grades.

However, unlike those two, the other three, while not in the lower ranks, were at a slightly precarious level for advancing to the second year.

Lumern's promotion exams sometimes saw even high-achieving students fail.

As such, Valerie, Julian, and Karin placed importance on doing their best without leaving any regrets.

Leo smiled broadly at the three's words.

"Last?"

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

"That's strange. The exam hasn't even been taken yet, so why mention 'last'?"

"Th-that's… because we might fail the promotion exam."

"It's not a weak mental state or anything like that! We're going to do our best so we don't have any regrets! Right? Hahahaha!"

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

Leo watched the three quickly trying to recover their words and said.

"The very thought that it might not work out means your mental state is weak. And isn't there a saying? If it doesn't work, make it work."

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

"If you fail to advance, training that would make last year's entrance exam preparation look like child's play will be waiting for you."

"Hee-hee-hee-hee?!"

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

"All five of you."

"Wait! Young Master! Why us?"

"If these three fail to advance, does that mean we also have to train?"

As Martina and Austin asked urgently, Leo said.

"Isn't there a saying about guilt by association? You are all from the same knight order, so sharing joys and sorrows is only natural, isn't it?"

At that, Martina and Austin placed their hands firmly on the three's shoulders.

"Don't even think about it starting today."

"It's special training."

Leo smiled, seeing the determined expressions of the two.

"Your camaraderie is good to see."

'Do you call this camaraderie?!'

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

Martina, making an awkward face as she recalled that incident, subtly glanced at Celia.

Receiving Celia's gaze, which looked at them with pride, a sense of guilt somehow slowly crept up on her.

"Young Lady Celia, Young Master Leo. And our cute juniors!"

Just then, Niel approached with a smile.

Seeing the Lumern students gathered in one place, the eyes of the squire knights and apprentice knights invited to the party sparkled with envy.

'Ugh, I'm jealous.'

'I wish I could talk to Young Master Leo just once.'

'With them gathered like that, it feels unnecessarily burdensome to approach.'

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

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

"It warms my heart to see young knights, who are the future of our family, talking."

Just then, an elderly knight approached them.

"Hello, Sir Eggerson."

Celia greeted Eggerson.

Leo quietly asked Martina, looking at Eggerson.

"Who is he?"

"He is Eggerson Gerdinger. He is an Elder Knight of the Elder Council."

Elder Knight.

A knight honored with the title of Elder.

He had red eyes, but given the glimpses of brown hair among his white hair, he was from a collateral branch.

'He's the one who snapped at me earlier.'

He was the Elder who had reprimanded Leo during the conversation with Regas.

"Is this the first time we've exchanged greetings, Leo Flobe?"

"I am Leo Flobe."

Leo took Eggerson's outstretched hand and greeted him.

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

Celia furrowed her brow, watching Eggerson chuckle.

Nameless hero.

That was one of the countless monikers circulating about Leo.

Leo was the only hero whose moniker did not appear in the Hero Record.

As such, he was called by various monikers in public.

All-Master.

The Successor of the Beginning.

And so on.

Leo disliked many of these monikers, finding them embarrassing.

But among them, there was a moniker that disparaged Leo: "nameless hero."

At Eggerson's words, Martina and the others, including Niel, also showed displeased expressions.

Regardless of being Gerdinger retainers, as Lumern students, they naturally held deep respect for Leo.

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

In Lumern, where talents of all kinds gathered, Leo was unequivocally recognized as Lumern's leader, regardless of senior or junior.

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

No matter that he was an elder of the family, it was difficult to tolerate such deliberate mockery intended to belittle Leo.

It was then that Celia was about to speak, seeing their expressions.

"Rather, I should have greeted the Elder Council first. My apologies for the delay."

"Hahaha! And polite too. I can't believe he's that tomboy's son! I worried so much when she married that pathetic man. To give birth to such a son! Indeed, the Gerdinger bloodline must be truly remarkable!"

'Look at this? He keeps crossing the line? Really? Is this your living room, then?'

Perhaps harboring resentment from Leo's earlier attitude, Eggerson continued to make unnecessary remarks.

'Earlier, he babbled like a wild child. But with so many eyes watching here, he won't be able to speak so recklessly as before.'

He, as an Elder Knight, already wielded strong influence and authority within the family.

In contrast, Leo was still an outsider.

If someone else were to gossip about him, who was already established in the family, they would be guilty of a great offense, but Leo, who had no influence within the family yet, was not.

'Besides, young ones, once they gain fame, care more than necessary about their reputation.'

Eggerson sneered inwardly, freely unleashing his earlier frustration.

But regrettably, Leo was not someone who cared about such things.

Leo smiled broadly, and Celia's expression became uneasy.

'What on earth is he going to say with that smile?'

"I'm glad we got to greet each other like this. If we hadn't, we might never have met."

"What? What are you…?"

"Wouldn't it have been a great injustice if you had gone to the next world without seeing the successor of a great hero, especially after being born in the same era?"

For a moment, Eggerson, who had an puzzled expression, not understanding what Leo was saying, turned red and then purple in the face.

Celia's mouth dropped open at the sight.

'No matter what, treating an Elder like an old man who could die any moment!'

Niel and Martina also held their breath and exchanged glances.

"And Gerdinger isn't that great."

"What, what did you say?"

"I'm the great one."

Eggerson's mouth hung open.

Leo spoke to Eggerson.

"What are you looking at? Is this your first time seeing a great person?"

Leo murmured inwardly, looking at Eggerson as if he was pathetic.

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

'Oh? Where's the quarrel? Should I send you back to nature's embrace by my own hands before you die a natural death?'

Luna would have said it directly without twisting her words.

"Agh! Don't you know how to respect elders, you scoundrel!"

"I know how to attack elders, though."

"Eee-hee-hee! You arrogant wretch! It seems you've accomplished a few minor feats and now you see nothing! You need to realize how big the world is!"

As a furious Eggerson roared, the surrounding gazes turned to Leo.

Receiving those gazes, Leo calmly said.

"If fighting Erebus with the hero and preventing the calamity's return is a 'minor feat,' then what is a 'great feat'? Have you fought Erebus yourself to say such a thing?"

"Agh!"

Realizing clearly that continuing the conversation would only harm him, Eggerson suppressed his anger and stormed out of the party hall.

As everyone murmured, Celia covered her face.

"You… No matter what, the Elder Council has completely turned into an enemy now. They'll try everything to disadvantage you."

"It would have been the same even if I had been obedient, wouldn't it?"

Leo chuckled.

"What are you going to do tomorrow?"

"My mother told me to trust her."

"Your aunt?"

At Leo's words, Celia turned her head and looked at Reina, who was smiling towards them.

'I'm even more uneasy.'

***

The next day.

Leo and Reina were summoned to the Elder's Corridor.

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

When the meeting began, Reina mentioned the land she should have inherited previously.

"Do you think that makes sense? When do you think that was?"

Eggerson said, his face scrunched up.

"What has your son ever done for Gerdinger? Although he's recognized as a direct descendant, his surname isn't Gerdinger, and isn't he an arrogant and disrespectful person who boasts that he's better than the family? How can such a person, though a direct descendant, be treated the same as other direct descendants?"

"Can't he?"

"Of course not!"

As Eggerson raised his voice, the other Elders also nodded.

Reina made a sulky face looking at them.

Regas, seeing her expression, gave an awkward smile.

'What kind of mischief is she planning now?'

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

When Reina made such an expression, he knew she might do anything unexpected.

Reina, her face full of dissatisfaction, looked at the Elders and 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 flustered by her abrupt demeanor.

"What is this? Where are you going?"

"To Rwalyin."

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

"Why go to Rwalyin?!"

"We'll go and ask them to accept him as a direct descendant. Someone like Leo would surely be made a direct ancestor."

"W-what did you say!"

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

"Weren't you once a proud Gerdinger knight? And now you're going to betray the family and go to those magician riff-raffs!"

"I already disowned Gerdinger anyway, didn't I?"

"Isn't Leo Flobe a knight!"

"What kind of knight is Leo? He's All-Class."

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

"The youngest student council president, who also ascended to the rank of hero, and an All-Class following Kyle, the Hero of Beginning—Rwalyin would welcome him with open arms, don't you think?"

"Do you think they would accept someone with Gerdinger blood flowing through them!?"

"Hmm? Is that so? Leo. How about you marry Chelsea this time? It seems my family can't do anything for you. But it would be different with Rwalyin."

Reina's bombshell threw the Elder Council into utter pandemonium.

Rwalyin, of all people, was absolutely unacceptable.

Leo asked Reina, watching the chaotic Elder Council.

"Is this okay?"

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

"Threats."

"Correct. And if you're going to threaten, you should do it in the way your opponent dislikes the most."

"What if it doesn't work?"

Reina smiled broadly.

"From then on, it's a chicken game."

"That's irresponsible."

"It's not my marriage, is it?"

'I can see why she was called a witch.'

Leo let out a hollow laugh.