Book 1 Chapter 782

In the middle of a scorching desert.

Arga, who had been trudging along, using his longsword as a walking stick, suddenly fell to his knees with a thud, and then collapsed.

"I was wrong… You guys go on ahead… Go…"

But Arga's desperate muttering was met with silence.

Arga glanced up and looked behind him.

His classmates were already writhing on the ground.

Seeing that, Arga muttered bitterly.

"Is this how it ends…"

Arga muttered softly, then with difficulty turned his body and sprawled out.

And with a sorrowful face, he mumbled.

"In the end… I wanted to go back to Azonia…"

"You're dreaming."

*Splash!*

"Gasp! *Cough cough cough!*"

A water bottle suddenly appeared before his eyes, tilted, and water poured directly onto Arga's face.

Arga struggled and sprang to his feet.

Kar approached the other students and gave them water.

Arga, soaked to the bone, scowled.

"How long do we have to wander in the desert?"

"Until you can properly handle your own powers."

Leo, saying that, turned around.

"Let's go, Kar."

"Yeah. Hang in there, everyone."

Kar followed Leo with his characteristic kind smile.

Arga's group was fighting monsters while wandering through the desert on their way back to Azonia, with their supernatural abilities and physical strength sealed.

This was due to Leo's opinion that Azonia itself was located in a very harsh environment compared to other hero academies, making it perfect for training.

As the day waned and evening fell, Arga, who had set up camp, sighed with a hint of complaint by the campfire.

"That human. He's truly cruel."

Unlike Kar's physically demanding training, Leo provided training that was mentally taxing.

Training battles in such extreme situations with various restrictions were a prime example.

Dion said in response to Arga's complaint.

"But he certainly teaches well."

"I admit that."

The other students nodded in agreement.

It was thanks to Leo that they were able to enter the super senses, which had been difficult to access.

While the basic foundation was already there, the awakening was ultimately due to Leo's advice and training.

"It feels like he knows a lot about us, too."

Borman looked surprised.

When receiving Leo's training, he would often give instructions that could only be given if one understood each person's strengths and weaknesses.

This was not something that could be figured out by observing for a day or two.

"Did senior Kar teach him?"

Dion smiled wryly at Rwen's muttering.

"I don't think our senior would grasp something like that."

It wasn't that Kar wasn't interested in his juniors.

Kar, more than anyone else, had passionately cared for and strived to teach his juniors.

He was just terrible at teaching.

Kar's training method was simple.

First, he would demonstrate.

He would demonstrate something that seemed impossible, and then say, "See? Isn't it easy? You can do it too!" and explain the method and tips.

Of course, for the listener, it was impossible to get a grasp of it.

"Geniuses can never understand ordinary people."

If they were among the top performers after enrolling in Azonia, they too were a kind of genius, but the story was different when compared to Kar.

Arga looked down at his palm.

After meeting Leo, Arga had grown stronger rapidly in a short period.

'No, to be precise, it feels like I've finally been able to use the power I possess.'

He still remembered what Leo had said during training.

'You are neither Arion nor Kar.'

It was something he already knew.

But the light emanating from Kar was so intense that he had momentarily forgotten.

He had followed that light as if entranced…

'I am me.'

"…I wish he would come work as a professor at our school?"

As Arga muttered softly, all eyes turned to him.

"What?"

"No, Arga. You don't really like that guy."

"Yeah. But now I do. He makes me strong."

Everyone nodded at Arga's words.

"By the way, Lord Arion… it was, how should I put it… shocking."

At Dion's words, the Azonia students recalled the young Arion they had seen in Arion's world.

Just around their age.

No, the appearance of the Hero from an even younger age.

But young Arion was different from their imagination… no, quite different.

"I liked it. It's like… he was so scared, yet showed great courage in times of crisis."

Arga said with a bright smile.

"He's like senior Kar. Could senior Kar be the reincarnation of Lord Arion?"

At that, the other students let out hollow laughter.

"You really have a rich imagination."

"That's an interesting thought."

"Why! He's strong and brave like Lord Arion, and also scared! He could be a reincarnation!"

Arga bristled.

Leo, who was listening to their conversation from not far away, stirred the campfire and said.

"That Arga kid… he's unnecessarily sharp. Don't you think so?"

"Kyle! Your cooking skills seem to have improved! You could open a restaurant!"

"…Yes. Eat a lot."

Leo let out a hollow laugh watching Kar eat the food with a naive expression.

Leo said to Kar, who was eating with a happy expression.

"I think it's time to head to Lumern."

"Huh?"

Kar's eyes widened.

"It seems those guys have also found their own direction."

In the short time they had trained under Leo, the Azonia students had changed noticeably.

The vessels were complete.

Their direction was simply wrong.

'Well, with a strong light called the Hero beside them, it's no wonder their eyes were blinded.'

The Azonia students in Leo's world had each chosen their own path in their own way.

It was a path chosen after deeply contemplating their own strengths and weaknesses, so it was a perfect fit for each of them.

But the Azonia students in this world were not like that.

'It's not just Azonia, is it? Other schools are likely in similar situations.'

In this world, Kar, the reincarnation of Arion, Run, the reincarnation of Luna, and Balhar, the reincarnation of Dwenno, are called the reincarnation of great heroes.

'Only Lisinas isn't receiving such an evaluation.'

That's probably because the hero of origin is evaluated as a fictional character here.

'The students in Lumern… might be a little different from those in Azonia, Seirun, or Demian.'

It is taught by Lisinas, not anyone else.

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.'

I constantly stimulated them by saying, "Can you catch up to this back?"

Sometimes I kept pace, and sometimes I moved ahead, adjusting the distance.

That's how they could grow significantly.

Now, the hero candidates in Leo's world are following him, even though they feel the distance from Leo.

'But these guys are different.'

Leo looked at Kar.

A worldline where great heroes other than himself have reincarnated.

Leo needed companions to share the burden, but the friends in this worldline had friends to rely on.

That difference had affected the hero candidates.

'Of course, the fact that Silathuna and Gias haven't been defeated, and the fragments of Erebus haven't awakened, might be related to that.'

It's a world where four great heroes have reincarnated.

The power of those four would be a powerful deterrent in itself.

'Even so, it's still true that the heroes of the great creation in this world have reached their limits.'

In that case, they would be preparing.

Leo looked down at his hands.

'I will pass on everything I can.'

There must be a reason why he, who was not born, came to a worldline where he was not born.

"Even without me, the Azonia guys will go their own way now."

"Yeah. They probably will. But is there a need to rush to Lumern? How about staying in Azonia a little longer?"

Kar looked disappointed.

Leo chuckled at Kar's expression.

"I'm curious about what the Lumern students in this world will be like."

"Ah. I think I would be curious too."

Kar nodded.

And then said.

"I'll head to Lumern right after I finish things in Azonia. See you then! And! Don't reveal your identity to Lisinas until I get to Lumern!"

"Why?"

"I want to surprise her! Lisinas will surely be happy."

"She would be. Her dead husband came back to life. She'd be happy."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Didn't Lisinas tell you? She liked me."

"…"

"Luna liked me too. Honestly."

As Leo chuckled, Kar looked worried.

"Kyle, are you okay? Did you hit your head fighting Erebus?"

Leo sighed, looking at Kar, who was genuinely worried.

'I'd like to smack him, but…'

Unfortunately, in a pure hand-to-hand fight, he couldn't defeat the beastman before him.

Leo stood up.

"Anyway, I'll go to Lumern first, so finish up and come."

"Yeah. But can you enter Lumern?"

"I'm the student council president. Do you think I can't get in?"

Leo chuckled and disappeared using spatial magic.

"If they know about Kyle's existence… won't Lisinas and Luna return to their former selves?"

As Kar smiled a genuinely happy smile.

*Fwoosh!*

"Huh?"

Something flew from the sky.

"Wind hawk?"

It was a wind hawk, a fantasy creature often used for delivering letters or small items.

And there was only one summoner in this world who would use a wind hawk to find him.

Kar's eyes widened as he read the letter delivered by the wind hawk.

"Come to Demian right away?"

Kar tilted his head after reading Lisinas's letter.

"Did something happen? More importantly, my path will diverge from Kyle's."

Kar licked his lips and stood up.

"Hey everyone~ Let's go back to school right now. Something urgent has come up!"

***

Leo, who had quickly arrived at a nearby city through spatial magic, found a warp gate and immediately traveled to Lumoria City.

It was late at night.

Leo walked the familiar streets of Lumoria City.

'It hasn't changed much here. Well, it's the same space after all.'

Leo wandered around Lumoria City and entered a suitable inn.

'Arion told me not to meet Lisinas… So, should I go find that guy Rian for now?'

Arion didn't know about Rian, the librarian of the Hero Records.

Thinking he could get help from Rian no matter what, Leo stood at the noisy inn counter.

"Welcome! Guest!"

A familiar voice was heard.

Leo's head automatically lifted, and he stopped.

"Kal?"

"Oh? Do you know me, guest?"

There stood Kal, a boy with orange hair, looking at Leo with wide eyes.