Book 1 Chapter 715

715.

Late at night.

Walking down the gloomy dormitory corridor, Leo arrived at an area where portraits of graduates were displayed.

Innumerable portraits hung in the corridor.

All of them were Lumerne graduates.

Usually, students whose portraits are hung on campus are often those who have brought honor to the school.

These individuals here also displayed heroic qualities after graduating from Lumerne.

However, they did not bring honor to the school's name.

They did not rise to the position of a hero, nor did they record their names in history.

No matter how outstanding their abilities were.

Even if they lived a noble life based on those abilities.

Even if they saved many people through noble sacrifice.

Unless they achieved great accomplishments.

It was not easy to be remembered by many people for a long time.

Because most people only remember the victors.

The owners of the portraits here were those who ended their lives before they could fully bloom their potential.

Although they did not bring honor to the school's name.

They were individuals who did not forget the essence of a hero and met a magnificent end.

To let the school's juniors know that their deaths were not in vain.

That such great seniors existed, Lumerne displayed the portraits of its graduates within the school.

As the dormitory's structure was reorganized, a space to honor and commemorate seniors was created, and thus the portrait corridor came into being.

"It's kind of scary coming here at night," Illiana said, hiding behind Leo.

Chelsea, who was standing next to Leo, recalled the memory of the paintings simultaneously staring at her just a moment ago.

Chelsea shivered once and moved closer to Leo.

Then she reached out and gently grabbed the hem of Leo's clothes.

Illiana muttered as she watched her.

"Ugh. Why are you acting so delicate, unlike yourself?"

"Huh? Who's acting delicate?"

Squeeze!

Pat, pat, pat!

"Surrender, surrender. I misspoke."

Illiana urgently hit Chelsea's forearm with her hand as Chelsea came behind her and quickly wrapped her arm around her neck, strangling her.

Released from Chelsea, Illiana gasped for breath.

Thud- Thud-

Leaving the two of them, Leo walked to the center of the corridor.

Chelsea and Illiana hastily followed behind Leo.

Leo, standing in the center of the corridor, created a light with light magic and carefully observed the portraits.

'I don't feel anything suspicious.'

Leo, looking around the portraits, paused when he discovered the painting of a graduate from the Knight Department.

"Chelsea."

"Hmm?"

"This armor. Isn't it that armor from earlier?"

Chelsea's eyes widened at Leo's words, and she carefully examined the knight with a solemn expression in the portrait.

"Oh? The shoulder shape is the same!"

Chelsea's eyes widened, and she clapped her hands.

"Let's see. A 991st-term graduate… So, a senior from about 2000 years ago."

Leo's current term is the 3021st.

As Chelsea said, he was a grand senior from about 2000 years ago.

Illiana, listening to their conversation, also widened her eyes.

"Look at this. This magician! Isn't this that red cloak from earlier?"

Indeed, the graduate Illiana was pointing to was wearing a red cloak.

"This person is a senior from the 992nd-term."

It seemed that the summoned spirits were from the same era.

"This confirms it. Brother Leo summoned the spirits of the seniors."

"But class rep. What kind of spirit were you trying to summon for grand seniors to be summoned?"

Illiana asked with a puzzled face.

"A swindler."

"Huh? A swindler?"

Illiana looked bewildered.

But unlike Illiana, who wore a clueless expression, Chelsea instantly understood Leo's words and her mouth dropped open.

"Surely Li… Hmpf!"

Chelsea, who had unconsciously repeated the question, covered her mouth.

Illiana tilted her head, watching her.

"Li? What's Li?"

Illiana narrowed her eyes.

"You know something, don't you?"

"I don't know anything at all."

Illiana said, watching Chelsea feign ignorance.

"What is it? That's unfair! You're leaving me out."

She didn't press, but she seemed upset.

It was when Chelsea was looking flustered, seeing Illiana's hurt expression.

"Illiana, want this?"

Leo pulled out a cookie from his pocket.

"Do you think I'll be appeased by just one of these?"

Illiana pouted her lips as she took the cookie from Leo's hand and crunched- bit into it.

"Huh? It's Professor Mel's homemade cookie?"

Humming a tune, Illiana put the cookie in her mouth and looked happy.

'Thank goodness. She's simple.'

While Chelsea sighed inwardly, watching Illiana.

Leo swept his gaze over the portraits of those summoned as spirits.

"John Fredis, Ilesa Ruang."

The moment Leo mumbled those names.

Leo's spiritual power reacted.

At the same time, the locations of the two spirits began to be distinctly felt.

'Did a provisional contract form by saying their names?'

Although not a formal contract, a provisional contract can be made if one learns the name of a summoned spirit.

Leo pinpointed the spirits' locations and said.

"Let's go."

At his words, Chelsea and Illiana followed behind Leo.

***

The knight in bloody armor. John scoffed, looking at the magician and summoner in front of him.

"Hmph. Are you wandering this world as spirits because you still have lingering regrets? Your appearance is a mess."

It was true.

Ilesa had no neck, and the other summoner.

Redin Sugmer, the summoner department graduate with the highest term among them, had no lower body.

Ilesa scoffed at John's taunt.

"I'll say the same thing to you. You don't even have a body left, do you?"

Redin, hearing Ilesa's words, said.

"What are you proudly babbling about, you foolish ones? You who ran away from a junior who is vastly younger."

At Redin's words, John and Ilesa protested.

"That fellow was the one who summoned us!"

"That's right. If something went wrong, the summoning could have been released, and we might have disappeared."

Redin curled the corners of his lips at their words.

"Then shouldn't you just persuade your junior? The fact that we are vastly senior remains unchanged."

"Will young ones these days listen to us?"

"That's right. You might not know since you were summoned in the garden, but seeing it here during the day, it was different from 2000 years ago."

Redin's eyes twitched at John and Ilesa's words.

"How was it different?"

"They even argued with a senior from the same department."

At that, Redin clucked his tongue.

"Tsk, tsk. These young ones these days. It seems they don't know how to listen to their seniors. They're so brazen, enjoying secret rendezvous at dawn."

"Oh my?"

Ilesa instinctively tried to cover her cheek.

But since she had no head, her hand fruitlessly sliced through the air.

"Are they dating in a sacred school? Things unimaginable in my time! How disgraceful!"

As John looked incredulous, Redin slammed his hand on the floor.

"And with a brat from the Magic Department!"

"That's unacceptable. Dating someone from the Summoning Department with no proper background."

"What did you just say?"

Redin's eyes shot up, but Ilesa didn't bat an eye.

She didn't have eyes to bat in the first place.

"Anyway, did you say the one who summoned us is the current student council president?"

"Yes."

"The student council president of the Summoning Department. Then my words will get through."

"We couldn't even talk to him, what makes you think you'd fare any better?"

Redin curled his lips at John's remark.

"Do you think all student council presidents are the same? It's different from a mere knight or magician."

At that, John raised his sword.

"It seems I should cut out your tongue, not your lower body."

"I agree. Shall we burn his tongue? It looks so greasy, it'll burn well."

It was when the three spirits were growling at each other.

Bang!

"Don't move! You senior evil spirits!"

The door to the room where the three spirits were burst open roughly, and Illiana stormed in.

"If it's not a ghost, there's nothing to be scared of…"

John threw his helmet at Illiana's head as she charged in fearlessly.

Thud!

"Guh?!"

"You disrespectful brat! How dare you act so impolitely, even knowing we are your grand seniors! As expected, someone who learned magic and doesn't know what chivalry is!"

John yelled, but Illiana, who usually charged headfirst out of habit, was unconscious from an unexpected blow.

Furthermore, she hadn't materialized until just before the direct hit to her head, so she couldn't even defend herself.

"When is this charging idiot going to fix her habit of charging without thinking?"

Chelsea poked the unconscious Illiana with the tip of her staff.

Ilesa, seeing Chelsea, said.

"Junior. Could you tell the current student council president to show proper respect to us, his grand seniors?"

"Of course, of course. Even if our departments are different, we were clearly the student council presidents of Lumerne 2000 years ago. Chasing away a grand senior is rude."

As John nodded beside her, Chelsea blinked her large eyes.

'Wow, he's so old-fashioned.'

They're like the elders of a family, emphasizing etiquette.

But unfortunately, they got the wrong address.

"Excuse me. Brother Leo… is a senior from an even more distant past than the seniors here, you see? He's senior to even Lord Lumerne himself."

In a way, he is the origin of all existing heroes.

"The Magic Department brat is making a funny joke."

Redin scoffed.

"It's not a joke."

It was Leo who answered Redin instead.

Stomp- Stomp- Leo stood before the spirits.

John and Ilesa flinched looking at Leo, but Redin did not cower.

"Are you the current student council president who summoned us?"

"So what?"

"So what? Your words are short. I am clearly your grand senior."

"…How old were you when you died?"

"23."

"23-year-olds, why do you speak like you're so old?"

Leo made an incredulous expression.

Redin bristled, looking at Leo.

"How disrespectful! I died in my youth! Why don't you kneel and apologize immediately!"

Leo smiled faintly at Redin's words.

Chelsea, seeing that smile, said.

"You two."

"Why do you call us?"

"If I may give you a piece of advice, Brother Leo is Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings."

"What? Kyle is just a character from legends, isn't he?"

"He hates that remark, so absolutely do not say it out loud. It would be good for your health to treat him respectfully as a senior."

No sooner had Chelsea finished speaking than Leo grabbed one arm of Redin, who had no lower body and was crawling on the floor, and pulled him.

"Can you still get around fine with one arm if I pull this off?"

"Aaaargh?!"

Redin's desperate scream echoed.

"Brother Leo won't stand for it if you act insolently," Chelsea said sincerely, rubbing her bottom, which had almost been completely scorched during their first encounter.

No matter how much they had threatened and intimidated her, they were still grand seniors.

Seeing them suffer would probably hurt her heart.

***

Chloe sat in front of the chessboard with a tense expression.

If it was one of the problems Leo had given her.

It was clearly going to be very difficult.

As Chloe sat down in front of the chessboard.

Swoosh-

A human silhouette appeared in the opposite chair.

Chloe trembled, seeing it.

She couldn't see the face.

It was just a shadowy, jet-black human figure.

Judging by the curves of the body, it was female.

But even from that, it was not difficult to predict that she was a very beautiful person.

Her posture, sitting upright with her back straight, even gave off an intellectual impression.

As the opponent and Chloe faced each other.

Clatter, clatter, clatter!

Suddenly, the pieces floated in the air and automatically began to settle into position on the chessboard.

White chess pieces lined up in front of Chloe.

The moment Chloe, taking a deep breath, reached for a chess piece.

Thud!

A black pawn moved first.

Chloe, seeing it, said in a flustered tone.

"Um… White moves first, doesn't it?"

At Chloe's words, the silhouette raised its head.

"If Black moves first, it's a loss by rule violation."

At that, the opponent, who had been still, flicked her own King with her fingertip, knocking it over.

'…Is this the end?'

Chloe was bewildered by the overly simple conclusion.

At that moment.

The black silhouette restored the chess pieces to their original positions.

Then.

Swoosh!

The chessboard spun half a turn.

Black was now in front of Chloe.

Thud!

The opponent moved a white piece again.

'Ah, this is the real start now.'

Feeling something was odd, Chloe nevertheless moved her piece.

A moment later.

"Checkmate."

Chloe simply made a check.

Just as Chloe was flustered by the opponent's surprisingly low skill level.

Tap-tap-tap-

The opponent moved the chess pieces one by one with her hand, restoring them to their initial state.

Tap-

And again, White moved.

Chloe moved her pieces seriously again.

And a win.

She repeated that result about ten times.

She thought the difficulty might increase with each opponent, but that thought was made irrelevant by the opponent's lack of skill.

All she knew was how to move the pieces.

She was no match at all for Chloe, the current Lumerne chess champion.

Tap-

The moment Chloe achieved her eleventh victory.

Whoosh!

The black silhouette flipped the chessboard.

And with that, it chased Chloe out the door.

Chloe, having fallen on her bottom, gaped and looked back.

Bang!

As the black silhouette irritably slammed the door shut, the door vanished without a trace.

Chloe's mouth dropped open at the sight.

"Wh-what in the world was that?"