Book 1 Chapter 785

785.

Kal's inn, operating on the first floor of a tranquil everyday life.

Kal served refreshments to his classmates, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

The inn's first-floor restaurant not only served simple meals but also offered alcoholic beverages and functioned as a high-end cafe.

Having attended Lumern for a year and thoroughly benchmarked the shops that had opened there, it had become the most frequented shop by Lumern students in Lumeria City.

In addition to Chelsea and Iliana, any Lumern student naturally used the shop.

One corner of the shop also had a stall selling items necessary for school life or missions.

Leo silently watched several familiar faces on the first floor.

Just then, Chelsea sipped her tea and said.

"Kal. Do you happen to know of any missions that are good for earning credits?"

"Why? Did your credits fall short again?"

At Kal's question, Chelsea rested her chin on her hand, averted her gaze, and whistled.

"You're skilled and have good grades, so why do you slack off so much? You should take a lesson from Iliana."

"Ka, Kal, what did I do…?"

"Iliana. You're truly a model student, precise as if measured with a ruler. You're diligent and earnest in everything. You listen to the professors well. You turn in your assignments on time."

Iliana made an embarrassed expression at Kal's words.

Jureureureuk-

"Excuse me. You're Leo, right? The water's overflowing."

Leo lifted the pouring water pitcher at Chelsea's words.

"How clumsy."

Chelsea pulled out her staff and lightly swung it, and the spilled water floated into the air and then dispersed and disappeared.

Kal clicked his tongue, watching Chelsea casually clean up.

"Did you transfer the heat to the air and evaporate it?"

"Yeah. As expected, you have a good eye."

"It's such a waste of your mana manipulation sense."

"Heheheung! What's there to waste? I'm the party leader of the third-year second party! Isn't this impressive enough?"

"It is impressive. It's a position I can only dream of."

Kal sighed.

"But Chelsea. You're capable enough to join the first party, aren't you?"

At his words, Chelsea's eyes widened.

Then she burst into giggles.

"If I tried really hard, I could probably just barely make it. But then I'd really have to work hard and not sleep, and crucially, I'd have to compete with my older brother, wouldn't I?"

Chelsea smiled brightly.

"It's enough for me to assist my older brother. Sister Rea also asked me to lead the second party."

Leo watched Chelsea puff out her chest and make a proud expression, then asked Iliana.

"What's the first party and what's the second party?"

"Huh? Uh, well…"

At Leo's question, Iliana's eyes widened, then she hung her head low.

'I'm not used to this.'

Leo made a strange expression watching such an Iliana.

It was disconcerting enough that Iliana, who was always overflowing with uncontrollable energy and causing trouble, was quiet, but to be so mindful of others.

Leo, recalling Iliana's cheerful demeanor from when they first met, furrowed his brow.

'Was Iliana in this world originally timid? But looking at Kal, Chelsea… and Ar, their personalities don't seem to have changed?'

It was merely the difference of whether he was born or not.

His friends' personalities hadn't changed much.

Leo looked at Chelsea, who was talking with Kal.

'Well, thanks to that, this one doesn't seem to have found her own path.'

The Chelsea in Leo's world also didn't have her own path when they first met.

From a young age, Chelsea was content with following in the footsteps of Avard, the ideal hero she imagined in reality.

After meeting Leo during the entrance exam, she tried to follow in the footsteps of Leo, a hero she had only seen in fairy tales.

That wasn't the wrong path, nor was it bad.

But Chelsea's talent was too great to walk only looking at another's back.

That's why both Leo and Avard hoped Chelsea would find her own way, and as a result, she had now found her path.

She chose to stand beside Leo and Avard, not follow them.

But the Chelsea here was not like that.

'Avard… it seems she's following Licinas instead of me.'

Having spent a long time together, it was easy to tell.

'Given that Kal left Lumern at that Licinas fellow's suggestion… maybe it's not a strange situation.'

Leo's face darkened.

The first and second parties mentioned in Chelsea and Kal's conversation could also be easily inferred without needing an explanation.

However, a detailed explanation was still needed.

"Um… that… what the first and second parties are, is…"

As Iliana tried to explain in a small voice, Leo spoke.

"Speak comfortably."

"Huh?"

"After all, I'm the same age as Kal and his friend. It's a little uncomfortable that you, Kal's friend, treat me so cautiously."

"Th-Then… I'll speak informally?"

"Please do."

"Uh, um… so… I'll call you Leo?"

"Call me whatever's comfortable. So. What are the first and second parties?"

"Okay. The first party means a party selected from the best skilled individuals in each grade at Lumern Academy."

'As expected.'

"The ones belonging to the third-year first party are… Sia, Chloe, Celia, Avard, Duran, Warredden, Eliza, those seven people. You said your name was Leo, right? You've probably heard their names."

"What about Rea?"

"Sister Rea is on a different level!"

Chelsea suddenly interjected into their conversation.

Chelsea stood up with a "Cheok-!" put her hands on her hips, and made an "Ehem!" expression.

"Sister Rea, the student council president, is truly on a different level. You can't call it the same party!"

"Why are you the one bragging?"

Kal let out a hollow laugh.

Watching them, Leo asked.

"Who are the second party members?"

"Me and Iliana here. And Sister Nella. Teyd and Juredon from the Summoning Department. Howl from the Knight Department, and Elig from the Magic Department!"

They were all top-ranked students.

"Is there a need to specifically divide them into first and second parties?"

"There is! The first party is the symbol of each grade! They're the aces, in other words. Well, the second party is also quite impressive, but should we call us the first party's supporters and reserve members?"

According to Chelsea's explanation, all of Lumern's capabilities seemed to be concentrated in the first party.

'As expected, she's different from the Licinas I know.'

She was different from the Licinas who wanted many people to unfold their potential.

As he quietly sighed inwardly, Chelsea spoke.

"Anyway, Kal! Are there no missions that pay good credits right now? Preferably easy ones."

"Would there be such a thing?"

Kal lightly clicked his tongue, then stood up and headed to the counter.

And then he took out a few mission papers.

"These are requests I pulled aside because I thought students shouldn't just take them."

"I asked for easy ones."

"These are the only missions that can fill credits in a short period."

Kal clicked his tongue and looked at the mission papers.

"The minimum number of people starts at four."

Chelsea pouted her lips, and Kal shrugged his shoulders.

"Gathering party members is easy, isn't it?"

"If it were easy, would I have come to you? Everyone's busy preparing for exams. There's no one to help but Iliana."

Chelsea picked up one of the request forms.

"Death Land reconnaissance mission. This must be the quickest mission for short-term credits."

Death Land.

The territory of a country destroyed by the Necromancer King Hell Kaiser 500 years ago.

Even now, it was under the influence of Tartarus, a place where countless undead appeared.

The request form stated that the movements in Death Land had recently become unusual.

"Should we hire mercenaries for the missing party members?"

It was then that Chelsea tilted her head.

"Shall I help?"

"Huh?"

Chelsea's eyes widened at Leo's words.

"I happen to be free. Kal, why don't you come along too?"

"Eh? Me too?"

Kal pointed to himself with his finger.

At his words, Chelsea's eyes sparkled.

"Great! Kal! You seem free too!"

"Hey, hey. I have to look after the shop."

"Didn't you say your shop employees are competent? Trust them and leave it to them!"

Chelsea smiled brightly.

Watching Chelsea, Kal narrowed his eyes.

"You're trying to save money because you're out of allowance, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

Kal sighed, "Ehyu," at Chelsea, who shamelessly nodded.

"Leo. But are you sure? Death Land is a very dangerous place."

Leo smiled faintly at Kal's words.

"I won't be a burden."

"I-If it looks dangerous, I'll protect you!"

Iliana said with a slightly firmer voice.

"Thank you."

"N-No problem."

When Leo said that with a smile, Iliana smiled brightly and replied.

"Alright! Then let's head to Death Land right away!"

Iliana rolled up the request form and swung it like a baton.

"Now?!"

"Yes, now."

Chelsea tapped his shoulder with the rolled-up request and left the room.

"I've prepared everything, so you just need to follow."

Iliana followed Chelsea, who left the shop like a leader.

Watching them, Leo stood up and looked at Kal.

Kal said something to an employee, then went into a room that looked like a warehouse on the first floor, and after a moment, he pulled a large bag and followed Chelsea.

Leo silently followed behind them.

***

Tadak-tadak-

That evening.

The group, who had come not far from Death Land, was preparing to camp.

Leo brewed stew in front of the campfire and distributed it to the students.

The faces of the three people subtly changed the moment they saw the stew.

"Why?"

"No… this stew looks exactly like the one Rea makes."

Kal poked the meat in the stew with a spoon, as if suspicious.

Chelsea cautiously brought her nose close, sniffed, and then furrowed her brow.

"It smells the same too?"

Iliana made a distressed expression, groaning, "Uuuh-!"

Watching their traumatized reactions, Leo calmly spooned the stew into his mouth and said.

"It looks like your student council president is terrible at cooking."

"Yeah. I guess you could say it's the only flaw of our perfect Sister Rea."

Seeing Leo calmly eat the stew, Chelsea also opened her mouth wide and ate it.

And then her eyes widened, and she covered her cheeks.

"It's incredibly delicious, unlike how it looks!"

Watching Chelsea smile happily, Kal and Iliana also cautiously ate the food.

And then their eyes widened.

"Wow, the visual isn't great, but the taste is amazing?"

As Kal exclaimed, Leo looked at the stew he had made.

Visually, it was quite excellent, but it seemed to look unappealing in their eyes.

'Whether in my previous life or after reincarnation, that cursed cooking skill doesn't seem to go anywhere.'

The appearance might have mimicked the food she made.

If the smell was also the same, it was certain.

But thanks to her disastrous cooking skills, the taste was still utterly awful.

Enough to cause trauma.

Leo clicked his tongue and ate his meal.

After the meal.

Iliana and Kal went out for reconnaissance of the surroundings.

Leo, sitting across from the campfire, added firewood and said.

"Is Iliana's personality originally like that?"

"Huh? What about her personality?"

"How should I put it? She seems like she'd normally be cheerful, but she looks very intimidated."

"Oh? How did you know Iliana was originally cheerful?"

Chelsea made a curious expression.

Then she rested her chin on her hand and slightly squinted her eyes.

"If you look closely, isn't it strange? It's like you know us well."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Chelsea smiled faintly, picked up a fallen twig nearby, broke it, and threw it into the firewood.

"Iliana was originally a very cheerful girl. She talked a lot and was always lively. And a bit lazy, I guess?"

Chelsea gave a bitter smile.

"That must have looked very bad in Sister Rea's eyes."

"Looked bad?"

"Yeah. She made her undergo very harsh training."

"…"

"Thanks to that, Iliana became incredibly strong. Strong enough that I could lose if I made even one mistake. But she trained so hard that her personality also changed to be a bit timid. It's sad to watch."

"…It must have been hard for her."

"Yeah. But Sister Rea did that for Iliana's sake."

'…For Iliana's sake, huh.'

Leo, who had been narrowing his eyes, turned his head.

A moment later, Chelsea also widened her eyes and looked in the direction Leo had looked.

A moment later.

Flash! Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gang-!

Iliana's magic raged.

Chelsea jumped up from her seat.

"Something must have happened!"

Chelsea, with a frantic expression, dashed off to where Kal and Iliana were.

Leo clicked his tongue at the distinctly felt energy.

'Hell Kaiser…'