Book 1 Chapter 708
708.
The morning after Leo opened the prelude to the historical first departmental war.
The morning at the Clock Tower dormitory, which would normally be bustling with energy, was filled with an awkward atmosphere.
Leo became lost in thought, looking at the dormitory students who were completely divided into three.
‘Cooperation between different classes is definitely necessary.’
Even Leo, an all-class student who could do anything, needed comrades to fight alongside.
‘Because I can’t do anything alone.’
He needed comrades who could do what he couldn’t.
That’s why Lumern emphasizes joint classes.
But yesterday, Leo broke that harmony.
He intensified their competition.
‘Because there are things you learn by fighting.’
Those with similar abilities group together to defeat those with different abilities.
In that process, one can more clearly understand what their own shortcomings are and what the opponent’s weaknesses are.
It makes one feel many things and ultimately helps them take one step further,
‘That’s why Lumern encourages competition between departments while also emphasizing harmony.’
From today, they would focus thoroughly on bringing down the opposing departments.
It was when Leo was about to go to the dormitory dining hall.
Thump!
“Leo.”
Karl put his arm around Leo’s shoulder.
“Cut me some slack, or at least give me a heads-up beforehand. I’m really struggling.”
Seeing Karl whine so early in the morning, Leo made an apologetic expression.
“Giving you a heads-up beforehand would have defeated the purpose.”
“Tsk.”
Karl scratched his head.
As full-fledged competition between departments had begun, the student council had a lot to do.
First, it was the establishment of new school rules regarding the use of common facilities.
Battles between students were allowed during late-night hours.
But there was no law saying battles only had to happen at night.
Emotions would flare up, and there would be cases of fighting even during the day.
Especially in common amenities used by all students.
Therefore, the student council needed to quickly sort things out.
Karl, in particular, was in the same department as Elena.
“Well, still, because you roughly set the guidelines, establishing the new school rules wasn’t as difficult as I thought.”
The broad framework for the school rules to be applied during the departmental war period had all been established.
Leo sent that to the student council.
“By the way, Leo. You bet big, didn’t you?”
“Big bet?”
“You said you’d grant a wish if someone became MVP, right? I bet there are a lot of kids aiming for it.”
Karl, smiling cunningly, patted Leo’s shoulder.
“Only within the scope of what I can do, of course.”
Karl chuckled at Leo’s reply.
“Young Master Leo, Sir Karl.”
Then, Chen Xia’s voice was heard from behind.
“Good morning.”
As Chen Xia smiled and greeted him, Leo greeted her back.
“Good morning.”
Behind Chen Xia, Illiana also appeared.
Illiana looked between Leo and Karl, then squeezed between them, separating them.
“What are you doing?”
When Karl asked with a puzzled face, Illiana wiggled her finger.
“In this departmental war, the class president is strictly a referee, you know. You shouldn’t be too friendly with students from a specific department.”
Saying that, Illiana pushed Leo’s back.
“Class President. Let’s go eat with the Knight Department.”
“Didn’t you just say not to be too friendly with a specific department?”
At Leo’s question, Illiana’s eyes widened.
“Yes, I did. But Celia said she wanted to see you for a moment, didn’t she? Celia is the Class President’s cousin, after all.”
“That’s right. Miss Celia said she has something to tell you.”
Chen Xia also stuck close to Leo, took his hand, and pulled him along.
As they were walking towards the Knight Department with the two of them.
Illiana glanced around, confirmed no one was there, and then put her hand into Leo’s inner uniform pocket.
“What are you doing?”
“A gift.”
At her words, Leo pulled out what had been placed in his inner pocket.
It was the most popular snack among female students.
It was an item very difficult to obtain.
“Isn’t this a bribe?”
“Oh, come on! A bribe? It’s just a small token of my sincerity because I like the Class President.”
“I’m fine.”
“Hey! Put it back! Put it back! Are we really the kind of people who can’t even give and receive something like this?”
Illiana tucked the snack Leo had returned back into his pocket, quickly scanned her surroundings, and then quietly asked.
“By the way, Class President. You said you hid problems all over the dormitory, didn’t you? A little hint, maybe…”
“Achoo.”
Just then, a sneeze was heard.
Illiana quickly turned to look in the direction of the sound.
Behind a building pillar.
A presence was felt.
Illiana, narrowing her eyes, dashed behind the pillar at incredible speed.
“Oh? Betty?”
“Ah, hello. Senior Illiana.”
“You saw, didn’t you?”
Illiana gave a cold look to Betty, the second-ranked student in the second-year Magic Department.
“Ah, I didn’t see anything! Nothing at all.”
“Hmm? I think you did see something?”
“Ugh!”
“If you go telling anyone what you saw today. You know, right? Your school life won’t be fun… Ack!”
Chen Xia chopped Illiana’s back of the head with the edge of her hand.
Illiana clutched her head and rolled on the floor.
“You shouldn’t threaten your juniors.”
“I wasn’t threatening anyone!”
Illiana made an aggrieved expression.
Leo approached Illiana and stamped her with a demerit.
“Harassing a junior is against school rules.”
“Aaaah!”
Illiana screamed.
“I can’t believe it. Are you an idiot? You got a demerit while trying to bribe Leo?”
Celia, with her arms crossed, wore an incredulous expression.
Illiana, kneeling before Celia, said in a meek voice.
“The demerit stamp I received wasn’t for bribery, but for threatening Betty…”
“What a thing to be proud of!”
Seeing Celia growl, Illiana recoiled her neck.
Leo, who had been watching the scene, asked Celia.
“You said you called me because you had something to say?”
Celia, who had been glaring at Illiana, took a letter envelope from her pocket and handed it to Leo.
“It’s a letter from your aunt.”
Originally, it should have gone to Leo, but ever since he became a third-year, Leo’s room had become a place where outsiders could not easily enter.
So, it was Celia’s job to receive Leo’s letters on his behalf.
“Thank you.”
Leo, having expressed his thanks, opened the letter envelope and checked its contents.
A moment later, seeing Leo carefully fold the letter and put it back into the envelope, Celia asked with a curious expression.
“What did your aunt say?”
“She said she’s registered her name in the Hero Records this time.”
“Really? That’s very good… What?!”
Celia, who had been nodding at Leo’s calm reply, widened her eyes.
“Your aunt registered her name in the Hero Records?”
“So it seems.”
Other students also looked at Leo, surprised.
“Congratulations, Leo!”
“Wow! That’s great!”
“Leo! Congratulations!”
Leo smiled faintly at the congratulations pouring in from all sides.
“Thank you, but it’s not something I should be congratulated for.”
At Leo’s reaction, the surrounding students paused.
Registering one’s name in the Hero Records.
In other words, becoming a hero was the glory of the entire family.
Considering that even families known as “heroic noble families” cannot produce a hero in every generation.
It was literally something to be overjoyed about.
But Leo’s actual reaction was very dry.
Thanks to that reaction, the students momentarily misunderstood.
‘Are we overreacting?’
But no matter how they thought about it, it was indeed something to celebrate.
However, with the person being congratulated showing such a reaction, the Knight Department students were at a loss.
“You’re really dry too. You don’t seem very happy.”
As Celia grumbled with her arms crossed, Leo looked down at the letter envelope and chuckled.
“I am happy. It’s just that.”
“Just that?”
“I believed my mother was someone fully qualified to be a hero. So, I’m just not showing it.”
Leo finished his answer and stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“To write a reply.”
“Wow, he’s going to write a reply right away. He doesn’t show it, but he must be incredibly happy.”
Leo lightly tapped Chen Xia’s forehead for teasing him, then left.
Seeing that, Celia also stood up from her seat.
“Miss Celia, where are you going?”
“I’m going to write a letter to my aunt too. I respect her, you see. Leo! Let’s go together!”
Following them, Illiana, who had been kneeling, also stood up.
“Where are you going?”
At Nella’s question, Illiana gave a confident thumbs-up.
“I’ll make up for the demerit I received.”
At her reaction, the surrounding Knight Department students made anxious expressions.
“What mischief is she planning now?”
“The Class President is in a good mood right now, isn’t he? I’ll try to ask him to cancel the demerit.”
“This idiot!”
“Hey! Catch her!”
“Don’t needlessly bother Leo!”
The third-year students rushed towards Illiana.
Watching that, Nella sighed.
“We need to make sure Illiana can’t even get close to Leo. Isn’t there a good way?”
“Hmm.”
Chen Xia, who was pondering Nella’s words, tilted her head.
“Should I just snap her neck if she tries to approach Young Master Leo?”
“…”
Normally, Nella would have scolded her for being too extreme, but today she didn’t.
A moment later.
Nella sighed.
“Still, that’s too much.”
The most benevolent student in the Knight Department.
At Nella’s words, Chen Xia nodded.
Magic Department class.
“Students! Did you all have a good weekend?!”
Ren came up to the podium.
Seeing him, students began putting away their textbooks.
Today was the day of the written exam Ren had announced.
Since he had said the exam would start as soon as the lecture began, they put everything away except their writing implements.
Some students slowly closed their textbooks, trying to glance at the content a little longer until the very last moment.
A moment later.
On the now clean desks of the circular classroom.
It was then that tension flowed among the students.
Professor Ren, wearing a solemn expression, snapped his fingers.
Then, a golem made of magic entered, carrying a bundle of papers.
“What, why is the exam paper so thick?”
“It’s thicker than the midterm and final exam papers.”
“Ughhhh.”
Responses of exasperation poured out from among the students.
Amidst this, following Ren’s gesture, the exam papers flew towards the students.
Thump-thump-
Professor Ren approached the blackboard in the middle of the classroom.
And holding chalk, he began to write something on the blackboard.
Clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack!
Students who saw the sentence Professor Ren wrote on the blackboard with dazzling hand movements momentarily wore puzzled expressions.
They had expected him to announce the exam time or method, but the sentence written on the blackboard had absolutely nothing to do with the exam.
Bang!
“Who is our main enemy!”
“…”
At Ren’s sudden words after hitting the blackboard, the students became dumbfounded.
Just then, the honor student Chloe raised her hand without hesitation.
“Student Chloe!”
“It’s Tartarus.”
“Incorrect!”
At Ren’s firm answer, Chloe wore a bewildered expression.
Starting with Chloe, students began raising their hands and giving their answers.
“It’s the Demon Race!”
“No!”
“Hero Hunters?”
“It’s the Necromancer King!”
“Wrong!”
“The Legion Commanders…?”
“Incorrect answer!”
While incorrect answers were pouring out.
Leo raised his hand.
“It’s Erebus.”
For a moment, silence enveloped the entire classroom.
Erebus.
An enemy of the world that must be defeated, but it was not easy to utter that name.
As the atmosphere grew heavy just from the name itself.
“Unfortunately, that is also not the correct answer!”
Everyone was perplexed.
Not only Chloe, the top honor student of the Magic Department, but even Leo, the student council president, had given an incorrect answer.
Just then, Karl, who had been quiet, raised his hand and answered playfully.
“It’s the Knight Department!”
“Karl.”
Chloe glared at him.
As Karl, his face full of mischief, sent a ‘why?’ look.
Clap-clap-clap-clap!
“Bravo! Correct answer! Student Karl! As expected, an honor student who became a hero early on is indeed different!”
“Huh?”
Ren, enthusiastically applauding all by himself.
Karl, evaluated as an honor student by Ren for the first time since his admission, wore a dumbfounded expression.
Ren took a stamp from his pocket, stamped it bang! onto a palm-sized piece of paper, and then sent it flying to Karl.
As Karl, who received the [Well Done] stamp, wore a blank expression.
Ren slammed his fist on the podium.
“Just as Student Karl said! Our main enemy that we must defeat is none other than the Knight Department!”
At that enthusiastic declaration, Anna, who was waiting in the back of the classroom, looked at the ceiling and lamented.
‘It seems this man’s penchant for nonsense has flared up again.’
‘He’ll just give one speech and be done with it…’
While she was thinking that.
Ren spoke.
“Alright! Now, solve the exam papers I handed out today!”
At his words, the students flipped over the bundles of exam papers that had been face down and checked their contents.
Instantly.
The faces of all the students changed strangely.
“Um… Professor Ren?”
Chelsea cautiously raised her hand.
“What is it, Student Chelsea!”
“The exam content is a bit strange, Professor? No, setting aside ‘strange’, why do we even have to solve this?”
At Chelsea’s words, Anna flinched and then checked the contents of the exam paper.
And then she began to tremble.
“‘Why is this exam necessary?’”
At those words, Ren’s eyes widened.
“Because ideological verification is necessary!”
“You crazy human!”
Anna rushed at Ren and grabbed him by the collar.
Even while being held by the collar by Anna, Ren spoke resolutely.
“From today onwards, I will conduct research classes on how to efficiently defeat those Knight Department riff-raff! How to invade the Knight Department’s dormitory! How to utterly destroy the Knight Department!”
“Student Leo! Student Abbad! Student Karl! Get this guy off the podium right now!”
At Anna’s words, the three people stood up from their seats and went up to the stage.
“What, what are you doing! To a teacher like heaven!”
“Professor. Let’s go outside the classroom and calm down for a bit.”
Karl smiled and took one of Ren’s arms.
As Abbad also took the other half of Ren, Leo grabbed both of Ren’s legs and dragged him outside.
“Associate Professor Anna! This is treason against me, a professor! How can you do this to me!”
Ren’s desperate shouts, being dragged out just like he usually did to Sedgen, echoed in the classroom.
Anna was pressing her temples with a tired expression.
Amidst all this, there was one student who was solving the problems very seriously.
“Illiana, what are you doing?”
At Chloe’s question, Illiana moved her pen quickly and said.
“I got a demerit stamp today. I need to make up for it, so I have to do well on this exam.”
At that answer, Chloe said.
“But you’re from the Knight Department.”
Although she was a magic swordsman and attended Magic Department lectures, her affiliation was still the Knight Department.
“So what?”
“…Never mind. Keep solving.”
Chloe sighed.
‘Is our department going to be okay like this?’
She was worried if they could even have proper classes.
However, similar situations to what happened in Ren’s class today were occurring all over Lumern.