Book 1 Chapter 657
657.
Early dawn.
The Summoning Department dormitory of the Clock Tower Dormitory.
In that building, there existed a vast garden that only students from the Summoning Department could enter and exit.
Pitter-patter- pitter-patter-
‘It's immensely vast for a garden, though.’
Eliza, who stepped into the garden barefoot, took a deep breath.
Although it was spring, the dawn air just before sunrise was cold.
Eliza, who inhaled the early morning spring air, opened her eyes.
A vast natural landscape unfolded before her.
Although it was called the Summoning Department dormitory's garden, this place was, to be precise, one of the islands in Lake Lumeria.
Originally, it was one of the islands where student entry was prohibited.
This place was designated as the dormitory garden.
It wasn't only the Summoning Department that had such a space.
The Knight Department and the Magic Department were also each assigned an island as their garden.
The assigned islands also had different characteristics depending on the department.
If the island for Knight Department students was a good place for training, and the island given to Magic Department students was good for magic experiments, then for Summoning Department students, it was given as a place with a well-maintained natural environment.
Summoners are those who live alongside spirits and phantom beasts, beings of great nature.
As such, an environment where they could feel nature up close and absorb its energy was essential.
It is here that they interact with their summoned beasts and hone their skills as summoners.
And Eliza was one of the earliest risers among the Lumerne Summoning Department students.
“Oh! Eliza! Good morning!”
“Good morning, Senior Lil.”
Seeing Lil smile brightly and wave her hand, Eliza bowed her head slightly in greeting.
After exchanging greetings with Lil, Eliza walked to one side of the garden.
And she began to tidy up the cultivated patch of land there.
It was Eliza's small hobby, as she was also a member of the horticulture club.
In fact, even in her second year, Eliza had tended to Noble's garden.
“Ohh…! That. It was Eliza's vegetable garden!”
“Huh…?”
Lil admired Eliza as she tilled the soil.
“What kind of crops are you going to grow?”
Lil's eyes sparkled brightly.
“I'm planning to make it a flower garden, not a vegetable patch.”
“What? A flower garden? You mean you're growing flowers?”
“Yes.”
“Miss Eliza? Flowers?”
“What does that mean?”
Seeing Eliza momentarily bristling, Lil was flustered.
“But you can't eat flowers, can you? Wouldn't crops be more efficient?”
Eliza felt her head throb.
‘This is why people from military families are like this.’
Seeing the typical behavior of someone from a military family, overly emphasizing efficiency, Eliza said.
“It's a hobby.”
“That's a good hobby.”
“Leo Flobe, I didn't think I'd ever see eye to eye with you.”
“Though it doesn't suit you.”
“You really!”
Eliza, who rolled her eyes and turned her head, was startled for a moment.
“B-Brother?”
“No, wait, where did you pop out from?!”
Lil, who wouldn't bat an eye at most things, also looked at Leo with extremely surprised eyes.
“My room has a door that can go anywhere within the dormitory.”
The door in the student council president's room transports you randomly anywhere if you open it without thinking.
However, Leo had confirmed through experiments that if you open it while thinking of the destination, you can go to the desired place.
“Ohh! That's the student council president's authority.”
“That would be convenient… Wait. You can go anywhere?”
Eliza's face stiffened.
“Surely that doesn't mean you can go to the bathroom or other people's rooms, right?”
“Oh come on. Even if it's Lumerne, not to that extent…”
“You know too, Senior. This is the kind of school that would do something like that and then some.”
“……”
Lumerne was one of the world's foremost educational institutions, but it was also a school that occasionally showed insane, chaotic management on par with its prestige.
“I have no intention of misusing it in a strange way, so don't worry.”
“It's still crazy. This school.”
Eliza made an expression of utter disbelief.
She even thought about protesting to the school immediately, but knowing it wouldn't achieve anything, Eliza sighed softly.
‘Leo Flobe. This person is certainly not one to do anything sinister.’
Having struggled to make him her goal, Eliza also understood Leo well.
And as such, there was trust as well.
“By the way, Brother. What's the matter at this late hour before the sun has even risen?”
“I have something to discuss with Eliza.”
“With me?”
Eliza, with her arms crossed, wore a puzzled expression.
“Yes. I've received a request this time.”
“And?”
“I want to include you in the party.”
“Who made the request?”
“Damian.”
“……”
Eliza's face turned slightly serious.
Lil, who was listening to the conversation, was likewise.
Both of them instinctively knew it was a big deal upon hearing that Damian was the one who requested the mission.
“Brother. Don't you need my help?”
“You're also leaving for a mission soon.”
“Ugh! I wanted to be of help to you, Brother!”
Lil wore a slightly vexed expression.
“Let's hear the details.”
“Alright. Then let's go to my room now.”
“To your room?”
“Yes. We depart tomorrow.”
“Indeed, we only have one day to prepare. But it's still curfew, isn't it? Leaving the dormitory at this hour is a violation of school rules.”
“School rules are meant to be broken, aren't they?”
“Hmph.”
Eliza snorted.
“Lil. Keep it a secret.”
“Of course!”
Lil clenched her fist and nodded her head firmly.
After Leo opened the garden door, he stepped back a pace from the doorway.
Eliza stepped inside.
Whoosh-!
With her vision changed, Eliza realized she had arrived in a vast room that felt desolate.
“Sit on the sofa and wait. I'll bring the others.”
The reason Leo brought Eliza first was simple.
It was because Eliza woke up the earliest among the third-year students.
Sitting on the sofa, arms crossed and legs crossed, Eliza closed her eyes and waited for all the party members to gather.
A moment later, Chelsea appeared with Leo.
“Chelsea, wait a little.”
“Okay!”
As Leo disappeared, Chelsea looked at Eliza and said.
“What is it, Eliza?”
“Are you displeased?”
“Not particularly.”
Chelsea lightly sat on the sofa.
“The fact that you and I were chosen as party members means the next one will be that guy too, right?”
“Yes. It can only be him.”
Chelsea and Eliza, having predicted the party member Leo would choose, waited for Leo to arrive.
However, as time passed and there was no sign of him, they both looked puzzled.
Bang-
“What~ I need to sleep. Who just drags a lady out at this early hour of dawn? Can't you tell me later?”
“Quiet, Illiana Laden.”
Illiana's whining and Duran's irritated voice could be heard.
Leo, who had entered behind the two, closed the door.
Duran, dressed in training attire as if he had been in morning training, grabbed Illiana by the scruff of her neck and headed towards the sofa.
“What? Why Illiana?”
“There's an impurity among us.”
Chelsea, with wide eyes, leaning back on the sofa, and Eliza, narrowing her brows.
Whoosh-!
Duran, who roughly threw Illiana next to Chelsea, sat down heavily on the opposite sofa.
“Don't ask me. It's Leo Flobe's choice.”
At Duran's words, Chelsea nodded and settled herself onto the sofa with a grunt.
“I'm sorry for calling you all out so early in the morning.”
“Tell us the mission details first. Leo Flobe.”
As Duran immediately got to the point, Leo scratched his cheek.
“First, I think we need to wake Illiana up a bit.”
Duran, seeing Illiana nodding off, snapped his fingers.
Crackle-crackle-
Illiana's eyes flashed open.
Illiana, with her hair disheveled as if from static electricity, looked around with clear, bright eyes.
It was a delicate electric shock, just enough to clear her mind.
‘Oho? When did he become able to control his power to this extent?’
Watching Duran subtly control his aura, Leo admired him inwardly.
Amidst that, Leo spoke.
“They say that the frequency of monster appearances has recently increased in the Tartaros border region of the Eastern Continent. Damian dispatched an investigation team to look into it.”
Leo spoke about the details of the request.
“So it's a reconnaissance mission to confirm the survival of the investigators and the presence of a hero dungeon?”
Leo nodded at Chelsea's question after hearing the explanation.
“Yes. That's why I chose you guys, who have good mobility, as party members.”
“I understand everything else, but why did you choose Illiana Laden?”
“Because I'm faster than all of you!”
Illiana, having come to her senses, said as if it were obvious.
“Hmph?”
As Duran gave a chillingly belligerent smile, Illiana quickly hid behind Leo.
“I chose this lineup because I think it's the best.”
Indeed, these four boasted the best mobility among the third-year students.
“What do you say?”
“Hmph. Is there any reason not to go?”
“It will be a good experience.”
Duran and Eliza answered immediately.
“Of course I'll go!”
Chelsea also nodded as if it were obvious.
“Heh heh. The class president needs me, so of course I have to go!”
‘If I do well, I might even get mission points for free. Heh heh heh.’
Although Illiana gave a slightly sly smile, she readily nodded.
“Alright. Then everyone, spend today preparing for the mission.”
For Lumerne students to go on a mission, several procedures were required.
First, they had to write a statement of absence since they would be missing classes, even if it was for future make-up lessons.
And then, preparing supplies to be used for the mission.
“Brother Leo, if we're moving as a party, we need to write a party name, so what should we write?”
Chelsea, who was writing the statement of absence, asked.
“Is it okay if I decide?”
“Hmph. It's the party you formed, so you decide.”
At those words, Leo glanced at the clothes rack in one corner of the room.
And after looking at the black cloak hanging there for a moment, he opened his mouth.
“Arhi. Write the party name as Arhi.”
At those words, Chelsea's eyes widened.
“This means ‘beginning’ in Draconic, doesn't it? Come to think of it, Class President. You said you'd also change the name of the country you're inheriting to this, didn't you? So you decided to push for this as the party name too?”
“That's not the reason.”
Chelsea shook her head.
“Huh?”
“Arhi was the name of the party of great heroes led by Master Risinas.”
“What?”
At Chelsea's words, Illiana's eyes went wide.
Duran and Eliza also wore surprised expressions at this unknown fact.
“Chelsea, how do you know that?”
“That's…”
“Luna told me about it when she came to the mortal realm previously.”
It was Leo who answered instead.
“The name of the great heroes' party was Arhi.”
At Leo's words, Duran's expression turned serious.
“Are we allowed to use such a name so casually?”
Using the party name that previous heroes used was tantamount to inheriting their will.
And for those living in the present, the great heroes were a kind of sanctuary.
They, mere hero candidates who hadn't even taken their first steps as heroes, hesitated, wondering if they dared to use that name.
Not only Duran, but Eliza and Illiana felt the same way.
Watching them, Leo said.
“I've already gotten permission, so it's fine. But if you're still concerned.”
Leo looked at his party members.
“Become heroes worthy of that name as quickly as possible.”
“……”
The four people, who had been silent at Leo's words, wrote the party name in the blank space with determined expressions.
Before they knew it, dawn was breaking.
Leo gazed at the sunlight streaming in through the window and murmured.
‘It begins now.’
The dazzling morning sunlight, unchanged from the morning sunlight he had barely reclaimed in the past.
‘Your will. I will surely pass it on to future generations.’