Book 1 Chapter 744

744.

Flash-

A bright light burst from the warp gate.

And from within it, the students of Lumerne Academy revealed themselves.

Thump- Thump-

The gazes of those in front of the warp gate fixed on the Lumerne students.

"White hair and red eyes… That must be Leo Flobe, the student council president of Lumerne."

"The youngest student council president and a hero…"

"Didn't he even seize the throne of the Kingdom of Duncan?"

"He's smaller than I thought."

"Perhaps because he's small, he doesn't feel particularly dignified?"

Around the time the murmurs of the people reached Leo's ears.

The gaze that had been on Leo soon turned to Elena, who was beside Leo.

"Is that woman Elena Zerion…?"

"Amazing! She's beautiful…!"

"Isn't she called the Queen of Lumerne?"

"Even at a glance, she looks like a noblewoman!"

Unlike when Leo was met with skepticism, praises poured forth.

Besides Elena, Celia, Avad, Juuen, and Sasha also received high praise.

At the reaction of those who appeared to be Debian nobles, Leo muttered with an unenthusiastic expression.

"Why are they evaluating others like that and making a fuss?"

At that murmur, Lil spoke.

"Nobles in a country tend to be strongly like that, Hyung-nim."

Lil shrugged as if it were familiar.

"Surprisingly, there are many royals and high-ranking officials who don't care about public reputation. Of course, they can't just gossip about Lumerne students and heroes… but if they're Lumerne students, there's a strong tendency to value those from better families more. The same goes for heroes."

At Lil's explanation, Leo clicked his tongue.

"And perhaps because of Kal's recent activities, the nobles who used to concern themselves with such things have become even more focused on family lineage."

Kal's registration in the Hero Record.

That was an event that caused as much shock and stir as when Leo's name was entered into the Hero Record.

It was understandable, as Leo had been a celebrity since his admission.

Among the distinguished members of his admission class, he proudly claimed first place.

Not only that, he captivated people's attention as an unprecedented all-class student.

Afterwards, he continued to show unconventional actions and eventually succeeded in becoming the first-year student council president, an unprecedented feat in Lumerne's history.

Later, he revealed the true existence of the Great Hero Kyle and was even designated as his successor.

But Kal was different from Leo.

Unlike Leo, who was extraordinary from the start, Kal was a student who barely survived, constantly struggling at the bottom ranks.

A completely unknown student.

Although he made a name for himself by conquering the world of Dweyno, the strong impression was that he had merely ridden on the coattails of those with overwhelming power.

But one day, he suddenly rose to the position of a hero.

And he was merely a commoner, not even a noble.

Kal became an object of envy among commoners, but among nobles who disregarded commoners, he became an eyesore.

Furthermore, unlike Leo, who was called the "Unknown Hero," Kal's epithet was "One Who Prepares for the Beginning."

That epithet, which seemed deeply connected to Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning, drew even more attention to Kal, and his reputation among commoners grew day by day.

Indeed, Kal was one of the most popular heroes among commoners recently.

Given the situation, the nobles, who valued status, further reinforced such standards.

At Lil's explanation, Leo clicked his tongue.

'Such things happened during the winter break.'

He hadn't had the chance to feel such an atmosphere.

It was understandable, as during the winter break, Leo had been busy traveling between the Zerdinger family and the Lesentung region.

Moreover, the nobles he met were also nobles of the Rodren Empire.

Although he held a status through his mother's side, there were no nobles in the Rodren Empire bold enough to slight someone recognized as a direct descendant of the Zerdinger family.

But this was a distant foreign country, far removed from the Rodren Empire.

Furthermore, even if he was recognized as a direct descendant of Zerdinger, Leo's surname was still Flobe.

The Debian nobles secretly looked down on Leo, thinking he was from an unknown small kingdom on the western frontier.

This was because they judged him to be still young, even though he was Lumerne's student council president and a hero.

It was a common behavior seen among nobles who had no interest in world affairs and only asserted their authority within their own domains.

It was then that Leo wore a pathetic expression.

"Princess Trenikoni of Debian has arrived!"

A magnificently dressed noble shouted resonantly.

With that, the nobles parted to the left and right.

Those who appeared to be an orchestra began to play music, and a red carpet was unrolled between the parted nobles.

Along with that, a woman who appeared to be in her mid-20s walked proudly through the space.

Behind her, adorned in magnificent clothes, followed those who appeared to be her attendants.

Even though the country was embroiled in civil war, they were displaying excessive pomp and ceremony.

Amidst the resounding music of the orchestra, Princess Trenikoni, who had majestically approached Leo, spoke.

"It is an honor to meet you. I am Trenikoni, the First Princess of Debian."

Trenikoni greeted elegantly.

Just as Leo was about to open his mouth, looking at Trenikoni.

"I am Elena Zerion, the Vice President of Lumerne's Student Council."

"Ah. You are the renowned Queen of Lumerne."

Elena, who was next to Leo, smiled faintly.

While her academic year might be different, from an external perspective, Vice President Elena holds a lower rank than Leo.

Nevertheless, Elena stepped forward first, on behalf of Leo, the representative.

However, Princess Trenikoni didn't seem offended by it.

No, rather, the atmosphere was welcoming.

'The princess seems to be the same.'

Leo inwardly clicked his tongue.

He hadn't come specifically to be treated with special regard.

His only desire was to quickly resolve the civil war and subdue the culprit causing the unusual temperatures in Debian.

His only desire was to subdue a fragment of Erebus.

At that moment, Princess Trenikoni spoke.

"It's a pity. I wish the Debian students who are enrolled in Lumerne had also come."

As Debian was the largest territory in the east apart from Shan, there were many Lumerne students from Debian.

Seeing Trenikoni express her regret, Elena smiled faintly.

"Lumerne is always neutral. Originally, we too should not have intervened in this civil war… but as Sayrun intervened first, we had no choice but to intervene for the sake of balance."

At those words, Princess Trenikoni showed a displeased expression.

"But with our homeland in danger, it's regrettable that Luite Shiuan hasn't come."

Luite Shiuan.

A 5th-year student in the Department of Magic.

He was the heir to the Shiuan family, a distinguished heroic lineage of Debian.

'Luite definitely shouldn't come.'

Elena wore a pathetic expression.

The symbolic significance of the Shiuan family in Debian is great.

Shiuan is also a distinguished heroic lineage.

A distinguished heroic lineage refers to a family that has produced heroes for generations.

And in this era, the status of a hero is no less than that of a king of a nation.

Naturally, a distinguished family that has produced many such heroes holds a status no less than royalty.

Consequently, among those who rose to the position of hero, some founded their own nations and earned the title of Hero-King.

Besides that, families enjoying noble status are largely divided into three categories.

Cases like Zerdinger and Rwallyn of Rodren, who pledge absolute loyalty to the imperial family and establish themselves as unwavering allies.

Cases where they become semi-independent duchies, acquiring the status of a duke-king.

Lastly, those who outwardly pledge loyalty to the royal family but do not follow the king's commands, instead dedicating their efforts to independently defending the nation.

The Shiuan family was such a case.

As such, they maintain a position of absolute neutrality in foreign policy.

To express regret that such a Luite did not come.

'Luite had originally highly praised the former crown prince as a great man.'

Although she had never met him, Elena was well aware of the rumors about the former Crown Prince of Debian who had died in battle against Tartaros.

But for someone like this to be the one trying to ascend the throne.

The second prince didn't inspire much hope either.

She didn't know how Sayrun was drawn in, but the moment Sayrun intervened in Debian's civil war, it was obvious that Lumerne would intervene for mediation.

Lumerne and Sayrun.

Both sides are merely external forces from Debian's perspective, but anyway, Lumerne is human and Sayrun is elves.

Lumerne's influence over neighboring countries is bound to be overwhelmingly stronger than Sayrun's.

To involve Sayrun in such a situation.

'She's clearly foolish.'

Elena clicked her tongue.

'Has this country's destiny run out?'

Elena, feeling pity for a classmate she had taken the same classes with for five years, clicked her tongue.

"Come on, come on! We shouldn't be standing around like this! Lumerne has come all this way to help our Debian! We should quickly throw a grand party!"

One of the ministers behind Princess Trenikoni fussed.

At his words, Elena smiled faintly.

"We appreciate the thought, but it seems we should go meet Sayrun right away."

"What? You've come a long way, you should rest from your journey."

"Well, we came by warp gate."

At Elena's words, Princess Trenikoni and her attendants exchanged glances.

They clearly wanted to invite the Lumerne delegation to their party somehow.

They weren't fools either.

They knew better than anyone that if they gained Lumerne's support, they could immediately gain the upper hand in this civil war.

Princess Trenikoni, having judged thus, thought.

'They said the real power in Lumerne was the Zerion Princess… and that was certainly true.'

Anyone could see that Elena was leading the conversation.

In reality, all of Lumerne's actual power was also handled by Elena.

Although he had risen to the position of a hero, Leo, being only a third-year student, was surely inexperienced in areas other than combat.

Therefore, the Debian nobles thought that the immense power of Lumerne's student council president lay with Elena.

'But even so, the student council president is Leo Flobe.'

Therefore, they believed that if Leo attended, the Lumerne students would have no choice but to participate in the party.

Princess Trenikoni, with a full smile on her face, said.

"Great Hero, Leo Flobe. It is an honor to speak with you like this. Please, would you tell the people of our Debian your honorable stories…"

"Euh-heung? What do you think you're doing?"

Elena made a strange snorting sound, cutting off Princess Trenikoni's words.

At that, Princess Trenikoni's bewildered gaze turned to Elena.

"Pardon?"

"How dare you speak to someone without permission? I thought you knew your place, but it seems I was mistaken?"

A beautiful smile graced Elena's face.

But her eyes gleamed ferociously.

Under that overwhelming pressure, not only Princess Trenikoni's face but also the faces of the other nobles turned pale.

The knights, mages, and summoners guarding them held their breath, intimidated by Elena's aura.

"I'll ask again. How dare you speak to someone so casually? Without permission?"

Elena, now expressionless, asked coldly.

"W-what kind of…"

Throughout the conversation, Princess Trenikoni hadn't even given Leo a glance.

She hadn't exchanged greetings with Leo, but he hadn't been offended.

The same was true for the other high-ranking nobles, excluding Princess Trenikoni.

This was because they secretly looked down on Leo, who hailed from a frontier kingdom.

"Does the position of Lumerne's student council president seem easy to you? Easy enough for a mere princess, neither king nor crown prince, to speak to so casually?"

However, Elena did not particularly interpret that as an act of disrespecting Leo.

Rather, she thought they knew their place well.

As she said, the position of Lumerne's student council president is one that even the emperor of an empire cannot treat lightly.

And Leo's external prestige was already sky-high.

For a mere princess to speak to such a Leo without permission.

Elena absolutely could not tolerate it.

"W-what is this! Do you think you'll get away with doing this to a Debian princess!"

At that moment, one of the attendants gathered courage and shouted.

But his courage had thoroughly provoked the Queen of Lumerne.

"And what if you don't 'get away' with it?"

Elena's head tilted askew.

"What are *you*?"

"W-we are Debian's…!"

"What can *you* do, whose greatest achievement in life is simply being born into a good family? And."

Elena frowned her elegant brows, wearing an expression of incomprehension.

"What is Debian?"

At those words, the faces of the Debian nobles, including the princess, turned pale.

Leo, watching the scene from behind, spoke to Lil.

"Shouldn't we stop that ruffian?"

"I don't think she's wrong, though?"

Lil tilted his head.

At that, Leo inwardly clicked his tongue.

'They hung out together, and eventually they became alike.'