Book 1 Chapter 782
782.
In the middle of the scorching desert.
Ar, who had been trudging along, using his longsword as a staff, suddenly crumpled to his knees and then collapsed entirely.
“I failed… You guys go… first…”
But despite Ar’s somber murmur, the surroundings were silent.
Ar glanced up and looked behind him.
His classmates were already sprawled on the ground.
Seeing that, Ar muttered bitterly.
“Is this the end…?”
Ar, who had murmured softly, struggled to turn his body and stretched out like a starfish.
And with a melancholy face, he murmured.
“In the end… I wanted to go back to Azonia…”
“What are you doing?”
*Pourrr*
“Gasp! H-H-Hurk!”
A water bottle suddenly appeared in front of his eyes and tilted, pouring water directly onto Ar’s face.
Ar thrashed and bolted upright.
Kar approached the other students and gave them water to drink.
Soaked to the bone, Ar wore a miserable expression.
“Just how long do we have to wander in this desert?”
“Until you can properly control your own powers.”
Saying that, Leo turned his body.
“Let’s go, Kar.”
“Okay. Hang in there, everyone.”
Kar followed behind Leo with his characteristic kind smile.
Ar and his group were circling the desert on their way back to Azonia, fighting monsters while their supernatural and physical abilities were sealed.
This was due to Leo’s opinion that Azonia itself, compared to other hero academies, was located in a very harsh environment, making it perfect for training.
As the day faded and evening arrived, Ar, who had set up camp, let out a sigh mixed with complaints in front of the campfire.
“That guy. He’s truly evil.”
Unlike Kar’s physically demanding training, Leo was putting them through mentally taxing exercises.
Training them in combat with various restrictions in such extreme situations was a prime example.
To Ar’s complaint, Dion said.
“But he definitely teaches well.”
“That, I admit.”
The other students also nodded.
It was also thanks to Leo that they were able to delve into supersenses, which had been difficult to master.
Even though a basic foundation had been laid, their awakening was ultimately due to Leo’s advice and training.
“It also felt like he knew a lot about us.”
Borman wore a surprised expression.
When receiving Leo’s training, he would often give instructions for training that couldn’t be given unless one understood each person’s strengths and weaknesses.
That wasn't something that could be grasped by observing for a day or two.
“Did Senior Kar teach him?”
At Luwen’s murmur, Dion gave a bitter smile.
“I don’t think Senior would have been aware of such things.”
It wasn’t that Kar wasn’t interested in his juniors.
Kar had strived more enthusiastically than anyone to support and teach his juniors.
It was just that he was terribly bad at teaching.
Kar’s training method was simple.
First, he would demonstrate.
He would demonstrate something that made one wonder if it was even possible, then say, ‘How’s that? Pretty easy, right? You can do it too!’ and explain the method and tips.
Of course, from the listeners’ perspective, it was impossible to grasp.
“Geniuses can never understand ordinary people.”
If they were students who entered Azonia and achieved top grades, they too fell into the category of geniuses, but if Kar was the subject of comparison, it was a different story.
Ar looked down at his palm.
After meeting Leo, Ar had rapidly become stronger in a short period.
‘No, to be precise, I feel like I’ve become able to properly use the power I possess.’
What Leo had said during training still lingered in his memory.
‘You are neither Arion nor Kar.’
It was a fact he knew.
But the light emanating from Kar’s presence was so intense that he had momentarily forgotten.
He had followed that light as if possessed, but…
‘I am me.’
“…Will he not come as a professor to our school?”
As Ar murmured softly, everyone’s gaze fixed on Ar.
“What?”
“No, Ar. You don’t particularly like that guy.”
“Yeah. But now I do. He makes me strong.”
Everyone nodded at Ar’s words.
“Speaking of which, Lord Arion… how should I put it. It was a shock.”
At Dion’s words, the Azonia students recalled the young Arion they had seen in Arion’s world.
Just their own age.
No, the image of the hero from an even younger age.
But the young Arion was… no, quite different from their imagination.
“I liked it, though. How should I put it… He was so cowardly, yet he showed great courage in times of emergency.”
Ar said with a bright smile.
“He’s like Senior Kar. Could Senior Kar possibly be Lord Arion’s reincarnation?”
At those words, the other students burst into laughter.
“You certainly have a rich imagination.”
“That’s an interesting thought.”
“Why! He’s strong, dignified, and cowardly like Lord Arion! He could be a reincarnation!”
Ar bristled.
Not far away, Leo, who had been listening to their conversation, poked the campfire and said.
“Ar… he’s unnecessarily sharp, isn’t he?”
“Kael! Your cooking skills seem to have improved! You could open a restaurant!”
“…Alright. Eat plenty.”
Leo let out a chuckle, watching Kar innocently eating his food.
To Kar, who was eating with a happy expression, Leo said.
“I’m thinking of heading to Lumerne soon.”
“Huh?”
Kar’s eyes widened.
“Those guys also seem to have found their own direction.”
During the short time they trained with Leo, the Azonia students had changed remarkably.
The vessel was complete.
Only the direction was wrong.
‘Indeed. With the intense light of the Hero next to them, they couldn't help but be blinded.’
The Azonia students in Leo’s world chose their own paths in their own ways.
It was a tailor-made path for each of them, as they had deeply contemplated their strengths and weaknesses before deciding.
But the Azonia students in this world were not.
‘It won’t be just Azonia. Other schools will likely be in a similar situation.’
In this world, Kar, the reincarnation of Arion, Rune, the reincarnation of Luna, and Balhar, the reincarnation of Dweno, are called the return of the great heroes.
‘Only Lisinas is not receiving such an evaluation.’
That’s probably because, on this side, the Hero of Beginnings is regarded as a fictional character.
‘The students of Lumerne… might be a little different from Azonia, Seirun, or Demian.’
No one else but Lisinas is teaching them.
Leo recalled the way he had led the hero candidates.
Leo thought of ways to maximize the potential of the hero candidates.
‘Ultimately, what I showed them was direction.’
Constantly provoking them, asking if they could follow his lead.
Sometimes matching their pace, sometimes moving ahead to adjust the distance.
Because that’s how they could grow significantly.
Even now, the hero candidates in Leo’s world are still following him, despite feeling the distance between them and Leo.
‘But these guys are different.’
Leo looked at Kar.
A timeline where the great heroes, excluding himself, had reincarnated.
Leo needed comrades to share the burden, but the friends in this timeline had friends they could rely on.
That difference affected the hero candidates.
‘To begin with, the fact that Silatuna and Gias weren’t subjugated, and that the fragments of Erebus haven’t awakened, might also be related to that.’
It’s a world where four great heroes have reincarnated.
The power of the four would be a strong deterrent just by their very existence.
‘Even so, it remains unchanged that the heroes of creation in this world have reached their limits.’
Then, preparations would be underway for that.
Leo looked down at his own hands.
‘I’ll convey everything I can.’
There must be a reason he came to a timeline where he was not born.
“Even without me, the Azonia kids will go their own way well.”
“Yeah, I guess so. But do you need to go to Lumerne so urgently? Why don’t you stay in Azonia a little longer?”
Kar made a regretful expression.
Leo chuckled, looking at Kar.
“I’m curious about what the Lumerne students in this world are like.”
“Ah, I guess I’d be curious too.”
Kar nodded.
And then he said.
“I’ll head straight to Lumerne once the Azonia matter is finished. See you then! And! Don’t reveal your identity to Lisinas until I get to Lumerne!”
“Why?”
“I want to surprise her! Lisinas will definitely be happy.”
“I guess so. Her dead husband came back to life. She’d be happy.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“Didn’t Lisinas tell you? That girl liked me.”
“…”
“Luna liked me too, by the way.”
As Leo chuckled, Kar wore a worried expression.
“Kael. Are you alright? Did fighting Erebus make your head weird?”
Seeing Kar genuinely worried, Leo sighed.
‘If I had my way, I’d punch him.’
Regrettably, he couldn’t defeat the beastman in front of him with pure hand-to-hand combat.
Leo stood up.
“Anyway, I’ll go to Lumerne first, so finish up and come.”
“Okay. But can you even get into Lumerne?”
“Do you think I, the student council president, can’t get in?”
Leo chuckled and used spatial transfer magic to disappear.
“If they know about Kael’s existence… Lisinas and Luna will return to their old selves too, right?”
Just as Kar was smiling with genuine joy.
*Whoosh!*
“Huh?”
Something flew down from the sky.
“Windhawk?”
It was a wind spirit beast often used to deliver letters or small items.
And there was only one summoner in this world who would use a Windhawk to find him.
Kar read the letter delivered by the Windhawk and his eyes widened.
“Come to Demian right now?”
Kar tilted his head, having read Lisinas’s letter.
“Did something happen? More importantly, Kael and I will cross paths.”
Kar smacked his lips and stood up.
“Guys~ Let’s go back to school right now. Something urgent came up!”
***
Leo, who quickly arrived at a nearby city via spatial transfer magic, found a warp gate and immediately traveled to Lumeria City.
It was late at night.
Leo walked the familiar streets of Lumeria City.
‘Nothing much has changed here. Well, it’s the same space, after all.’
Leo wandered around Lumeria City and soon entered a suitable inn.
‘Arion told me not to meet Lisinas… So, should I go find Ryan first?’
Arion didn’t know about Ryan, the librarian of the Hero’s Record.
Thinking that he could get help from Ryan no matter what, Leo stood at the boisterous inn counter.
“Welcome! Customer!”
A familiar voice was heard.
Leo instinctively raised his head, then paused.
“Kal?”
“Oh? Do you know me, customer?”
There, a boy with orange hair, Kal, was looking at Leo with wide eyes.