Book 1 Chapter 657

657.

Early dawn.

The summoning department dormitory of the clock tower dormitory.

Within that building existed a vast garden accessible only to students of the summoning department.

Rustle- rustle-

"It's incredibly spacious for a garden, though."

Eliza, stepping into the garden barefoot, took a deep breath.

Though it was spring, the dawn air, still before sunrise, was cold.

Breathing in the early morning spring air, Eliza opened her eyes.

Vast nature unfolded.

Although it was called the garden of the summoning department dormitory, it was, more precisely, one of the islands on Lake Rumelia.

It was originally an island forbidden to students.

This place had been designated as the dormitory garden.

The summoning department was not the only one with such a space.

The knight department and the magic department also each had an island assigned as their garden.

The assigned islands also varied greatly in characteristics for each department.

While the knights' island was suitable for training and the magic students' island was good for magical experiments, the summoning students were given a place with a well-maintained natural environment.

Summoners were those who lived alongside the spirits and familiars, beings of great nature.

Therefore, an environment where they could feel nature up close and absorb its energy was essential.

Here, they would commune with their familiars and hone their skills as summoners.

And Eliza was one of the students who started their mornings the earliest among the Rumeln summoning students.

"Oh! Eliza! Good morning!"

"Good morning, Senior Ril."

Seeing Ril waving with a bright smile, Eliza lightly bowed her head in greeting.

After exchanging greetings with Ril, Eliza walked towards a corner of the garden.

Then, she began to tend to the cultivated land there.

It was Eliza's small hobby, as she was also a member of the gardening club.

In fact, even in her second year, Eliza had taken care of Noble's garden.

"Oh wow…! That. That's Eliza's vegetable patch!"

"Did… you…?"

Seeing Eliza tending the soil, Ril exclaimed in admiration.

"What kind of crops are you going to grow?"

Ril's eyes twinkled brightly.

"I'm thinking of making it a flower garden, not a vegetable patch."

"What? A flower garden? You mean you're going to grow flowers?"

"Yes."

"Eliza? Flowers?"

"What does that mean?"

Seeing Eliza suddenly getting emotional, Ril was taken aback.

"But you can't eat flowers, can you? Wouldn't crops be more efficient?"

Eliza felt her head spinning.

'This is why people from military families.'

Seeing the typical behavior of someone from a military family who excessively valued efficiency, Eliza said,

"It's a hobby."

"That's a good hobby."

"Leo Frolov, I didn't expect to be able to talk to you."

"Though we don't quite match."

"You really!"

Eliza, with narrowed eyes, turned her head and was momentarily horrified.

"B-Brother?"

"No, wait, where did you pop out from!"

Even Ril, who was usually unfazed by anything, looked at Leo with wide, surprised eyes.

"My room has a door that can go anywhere within the dormitory."

The door in the student council president's room, when opened thoughtlessly, would randomly transport one anywhere.

However, Leo had confirmed through experimentation that by thinking of a destination, he could open it and go to the desired place.

"Oh wow! That's the student council president's authority."

"How convenient… Wait. You can go anywhere?"

Eliza's face stiffened.

"Surely it can't go into bathrooms or other people's rooms, can it?"

"Hey. Even for Rumeln, it wouldn't go that far…"

"You know, Senior. This school is the kind of school that would do exactly that."

"…"

Rumeln was one of the world's foremost educational institutions, but it was also a school that occasionally showed disturbingly insane and chaotic operations that were on par with its prestige.

"I don't have any intention of misusing it in a strange way, so don't worry."

"As expected, this school is crazy."

Eliza wore an expression of disbelief.

She considered protesting to the school administration immediately, but knowing it would be useless, Eliza let out a small sigh.

'Leo Frolov. This person is certainly not someone who would do anything insidious.'

Having set him as a target and struggled, Eliza understood Leo as a person well.

And because of that, she trusted him.

"By the way, Brother. What are you doing at this late hour, before dawn?"

"I have some business with Eliza."

"With me?"

Eliza, with her arms crossed, wore a puzzled expression.

"Yes. I received a request this time."

"And?"

"I want to include you in the party."

"Who made the request?"

"Demian."

"…"

Eliza's expression turned slightly serious.

Ril, who had been listening, was the same.

Upon hearing that the request came from Demian, both of them instinctively knew it was a significant matter.

"Brother. Do you not need my help?"

"You're going out for a mission soon too."

"Hmm! I wanted to be of help to you!"

Ril wore a slightly disgruntled expression.

"Let's hear the details."

"Alright. Then let's go to my room now."

"Your room?"

"Yes. We depart tomorrow."

"Indeed, you only have one day to prepare. But it's still curfew. Leaving the dormitory at this hour is a violation of school rules."

"Aren't rules meant to be broken?"

"Hmph."

Eliza snorted.

"Ril. Please keep this a secret."

"Of course!"

Ril clenched his fist and nodded.

After Leo opened the garden door, he stepped back from the doorway.

Eliza stepped inside.

Whoosh-!

Eliza's vision changed, and she realized she was in a vast room that felt desolate.

"Wait on the sofa. I'll bring the others."

The reason Leo brought Eliza first was simple.

She was the first to wake up among the third-years.

Eliza, sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed and legs crossed, closed her eyes, waiting for the party members to gather.

A moment later, Chelsea appeared with Leo.

"Chelsea, please wait a moment."

"Yes, yes!"

As Leo disappeared, Chelsea looked at Eliza and said,

"What is it, Eliza?"

"Are you complaining?"

"Not really."

Chelsea lightly sat on the sofa.

"Since you and I were chosen for the party, the next one will be him, right?"

"Yes. It's only that person."

Chelsea and Eliza, who had predicted Leo's chosen party members, waited for Leo to arrive.

However, as time passed and he showed no sign of coming, they wore puzzled expressions.

Creak-

"What~ I have to sleep. Where does it say you can drag a lady out at this early dawn hour? Can't you tell me later?"

"Be quiet, Iliana Laden."

Iliana's whimpering and Duran's irritated voice were heard.

Leo, entering behind the two, closed the door.

Duran, who seemed to be in training attire from his morning practice, grabbed Iliana by the nape of her neck and headed towards the sofa.

"What? Why Iliana?"

"There's an impurity."

Chelsea, with her eyes wide open leaning against the sofa, and Eliza, frowning.

Swish-!

Duran unceremoniously threw Iliana next to Chelsea and sat down on the opposite sofa.

"Don't ask me. It's Leo Frolov's choice."

At Duran's words, Chelsea nodded and sat on the sofa with a grunt.

"I apologize for calling everyone so early in the morning."

"Tell us the details of the request first, Leo Frolov."

As Duran immediately asked for the main point, Leo scratched his cheek.

"First, I think we need to wake Iliana up."

Seeing Iliana nodding off, Duran snapped his fingers.

Crackle-

Iliana's eyes snapped open.

Her hair stood on end as if from static electricity, and Iliana looked around with clear eyes.

It was a delicate electric shock, just enough to clear her mind.

'Ho? When did he become capable of controlling his power to this extent?'

Leo inwardly admired Duran's ability to minutely control his aura.

Meanwhile, Leo said,

"Recently, the frequency of monster appearances has increased in the Tartarus border region in the eastern part of the continent. Demian has dispatched an investigation team regarding this."

Leo spoke about the details of the request.

"So, it's a reconnaissance mission to confirm the survival of the investigators and the existence of a hero's dungeon?"

To Chelsea's question after hearing the story, Leo nodded.

"Yes. That's why I chose you with good mobility as party members."

"I understand everything, but why did you pick Iliana Laden?"

"Because I'm faster than you guys!"

Iliana, having come to her senses, said as if it were obvious.

"Ho?"

Seeing Duran's combat-ready smile, Iliana quickly hid behind Leo.

"I chose this group because I thought they were the best."

Indeed, they were four people who boasted the best mobility among the third-years.

"What do you think?"

"Hmph. Is there any reason not to go?"

"It will be a good experience."

Duran and Eliza answered immediately.

"Of course, I'm going!"

Chelsea nodded as if it were obvious.

"Heh heh. Since the captain needs me, of course, I have to go!"

'If it goes well, I might even fill up my mission points. Hehe.'

Although Iliana gave a slightly sly smile, she readily nodded.

"Alright, then everyone, prepare for the mission today."

For Rumeln students to go on a mission, various procedures were necessary.

First, they had to write a letter of absence for classes, so they could make up for it later.

Then, prepare the supplies to be used for the mission.

"Oppa Leo, if we're moving as a party, we need to write a party name too. What should we call it?"

Chelsea asked while writing the letter of absence.

"Is it okay if I decide?"

"Hmph. Since you formed the party, you decide."

At those words, Leo glanced towards a coat rack in the corner of the room.

After looking at the black cloak hanging there for a moment, he opened his mouth.

"Arhi. Write the party name as Arhi."

At that, Chelsea's eyes widened.

"This means 'beginning' in Draconic, right? Come to think of it, Captain. Didn't you say you were going to change the name of the country you're going to inherit to this? So you decided to push this party name as well?"

"It's not for that reason."

Chelsea shook her head.

"Huh?"

"Arhi was the party name of the great heroes led by Lord Lisinas."

"What?"

At Chelsea's words, Iliana's eyes widened.

Duran and Eliza also looked surprised, as they didn't know this fact.

"Chelsea, how do you know that?"

"That…"

"Luna told me when she came to the mortal realm before."

It was Leo who answered instead.

"The party name of the great heroes was Arhi."

At Leo's words, Duran wore a serious expression.

"Is it okay for us to use such a name so carelessly?"

Using the party name of the previous heroes was the same as inheriting their will.

And for those living in the present, the great heroes were a kind of sacred ground.

They hesitated, wondering if they, as hero candidates who had barely taken their first steps as heroes, dared to use that name.

Duran, as well as Eliza and Iliana, felt the same.

Seeing them, Leo said,

"I've received 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."

"…"

After Leo's words, the four people who had been silent wrote the party name in the blank space with determined expressions.

By now, the sun was beginning to rise.

Leo, looking at the sunlight streaming in through the window, murmured.

'It all begins now.'

The dazzling sunlight, unchanged from the morning sun they had barely regained in the past.

'Your will. I will surely pass it on to the next generation.'