Book 1 Chapter 918

918.

Rustle-

The sound of turning a page echoed quietly.

Late at night, Leo, alone in the student council room, was silently reading the Tome of Shadows.

Each time he turned a page, a new page with a record written on it appeared.

And the turned page disappeared.

-You must be proud.

Elsie, sitting on Leo's shoulder and reading the Tome of Shadows with him, said.

"What's there to be proud of about a damn disciple who never listens to a word I say?"

Leo answered gruffly, but a trace of affection was evident in his hand as he turned the page.

"That damn brat."

-….

Elsie gave a wry smile.

The things Vihar did were things someone had to do.

Things Kyle would have thought he would do himself if he had survived.

But through Vihar's records, it was clear.

It wasn't simply a choice made because someone had to do it.

Vihar had never regretted it, not once.

'Do not feel sorry for the Shadow…'

Recalling Emperor Shau's words, Leo closed the Tome of Shadows.

Just then, the door opened slightly, and Chen Sia peeked her face in.

"The student council lights weren't off, so I thought maybe… you were still here? What were you doing until so late?"

"I was working."

At that answer, Chen Sia giggled.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Oh, nothing. I just thought you must be having a hard time without Senior Elena and Kal. You usually dump all the troublesome tasks on Senior Elena."

"Anyone would think I play around every day."

Chen Sia covered her mouth and chuckled, watching Leo grumble, then exited the student council president's office.

A moment later, she returned carrying a tray with a warm teacup.

Clink-

Chen Sia placed the teacup in front of Leo and said.

"This is tea that the imperial family of the Shan Empire drinks. It's said to relieve fatigue and clear your head."

At her words, Leo took a sip of the tea.

The tea was clear in color, and he couldn't detect any scent or taste.

But he definitely felt his head clear and his fatigue vanish.

"Oh? What is this? Is it alchemically made tea?"

"It's tea brewed with poison."

"…"

Leo took his mouth off the teacup and looked at Chen Sia with a face demanding an explanation.

"There are many kinds of poisons. Among them, some have beneficial effects on the body."

"Of course, as they are called poisons, most of those beneficial effects are overshadowed by the poison or even enhance its toxicity. But…"

"But?"

"There's a saying, 'fight poison with poison,' isn't there? Sometimes there are poisons that neutralize each other's toxicity. When the toxicity is neutralized, only the beneficial effects remain. This tea is made that way."

"Even so, you're feeding people poison?"

"It's tea that the emperors of Shan have enjoyed drinking while handling state affairs for generations. Its effects are guaranteed."

Leo shook his head, watching Chen Sia stick out her tongue and smile cutely, then he sipped his tea.

"You're drinking it well, even though it's poison."

"Because you wouldn't give me anything bad."

Chen Sia smiled proudly at Leo's words and said.

"Is there still a lot of work left? I'll help you."

"Did you get permission to go out?"

"No. I snuck out."

Leo let out a hollow laugh at Chen Sia's confident words and said.

"I've finished everything I needed to do."

"Then what were you doing?"

"I was reading the Tome of Shadows."

Leo placed the Tome of Shadows on the desk.

"Did you tell the first-years that this practical assignment is to conquer the Tome of Shadows?"

"Yes."

"And the reaction?"

"Everyone's in a state of confusion."

"What about the reactions of those from Shadow backgrounds?"

"…"

"Did something happen?"

Leo asked with a puzzled expression when he saw Chen Sia's face cloud slightly.

"It just struck me again how lucky I was."

"What about?"

"Becoming a hero was like a dream to me just two years ago."

Chen Sia looked down at her hands and said.

"I took the hand Young Master Leo offered and came out into the bright light. I probably won't ever forget that moment."

Leo, who had offered his hand and told her she would become a beloved hero.

Chen Sia had intuitively known then that her destiny had changed.

And so, she obtained the title of hero, which she had thought was a dream.

"I think I wandered a bit after my name was put on the Hero Record."

Reaching the position of a hero was not Chen Sia's final destination.

She still had many things left to do.

Her duty as a hero.

And the responsibility to assist Leo in his journey to save the world.

The path a hero must walk is long.

But the path Chen Sia herself wanted to walk disappeared the moment she became a hero.

Leo, resting his chin on his interlocked hands, asked.

"So? Have you set your path again?"

At that question, Chen Sia looked into Leo's red eyes.

'Young Master Leo has a face that says he knew everything.'

Chen Sia pouted her lips.

She felt a little resentful that his face, looking at her with approval for finding her path again, still treated her like a child.

"Today, seeing the first-years, I realized something. Just because I came into the light doesn't mean all Shadows have emerged from the darkness."

She recalled Perena, whom she had met earlier.

Her appearance reminded her of her old self.

She also remembered the gazes of the other first-years looking at her.

While some showed pure respect, others had eyes mixed with fear and a strange hostility.

Some also looked with awe.

Receiving countless crossing gazes, Chen Sia realized.

The fact that the title of hero she bore was heavy.

She had become the hero she so admired, but Chen Sia had no intention of denying the fact that she was a Shadow.

Just as Leo had.

She would build achievements as both a hero and a Shadow.

'Excluding Young Master Leo, I'm the first.'

One who rose to hero status as a Shadow.

She was the first since the Age of Heroes began.

And so, she set her goal.

"I want to reach out to the Shadows still trapped in darkness, just as Young Master Leo did for me."

"…"

"So that they can proudly reveal that they are Shadows. I will let people know that Shadows and heroes are the same."

Chen Sia smiled sweetly.

"I think that's why I became a hero."

"A wonderful goal."

Leo stood up and patted Chen Sia's head.

Chen Sia looked up at Leo and laughed joyfully.

"Let's get going now."

"Yes."

Leo and Chen Sia exited the student council room and locked the door.

Then, after leaving the Tower of Heroes, they headed to the Clock Tower Dormitory.

"The moon is really beautiful tonight. And the stars are shining too."

As they walked, Chen Sia looked up at the night sky and said.

"Indeed."

"By the way, whose Tome of Shadows have you decided to open? If it's decided, I'll bring the key."

To open the world of heroes, a hero's relic is needed.

A memento left by a hero during their lifetime.

Similarly, to open the world of Shadows, their mementos were needed.

And deep within the Shan treasury, the mementos of Shadows who dedicated themselves to the world are secretly preserved.

At Chen Sia's words, Leo said.

"No key is needed."

"Pardon?"

"You know I'm the owner of the Hero Record, right?"

"You told me before."

"I can open the Hero Record anytime I wish."

The Hero Records kept at each Hero Academy are in a damaged state and thus have restrictions, but the Tome of Shadows is a complete form of the Hero Record, newly written by Leo.

As such, he could open the world without restrictions.

"That's good to hear. So? Have you decided on the assignment?"

While Kal and Elena consulted with representatives from other Hero Academies to organize party formations, Leo was in charge of selecting the assignment.

At Chen Sia's question, Leo nodded.

"I have something in mind."

***

A week later.

Above the very center of the southern desert of the continent.

A giant ship was flying through the sky.

"Wow! This is the Dragonian Dragon Ship I've only heard about!"

Luke, the second-year representative of Lumern, exclaimed with admiration.

Luke had been selected to help the seniors supervising the exam this time and was accompanying them.

Besides Luke, other selected second-years were on the deck of the Dragon Ship.

On the deck, not only Lumern's second-years but also selected second-years from other Hero Academies were visible.

"Cool."

Aina, standing next to Luke, also sparkled her eyes in admiration.

"Luke Elda!"

Just then, a sharp voice came from the Seirun side.

Rea, the second-year representative of Seirun, glared at Luke with her arms crossed.

"Hi, Rea! How have you been?"

As Luke smiled brightly and waved hello, Rea gave a chilling smile.

"That kind of leisure ends today."

"Huh?"

"This time, I'm definitely going to crush you. Heheheh."

"Um… This time we're here to help the seniors, so we won't be fighting, will we?"

"What do I care! Get ready!"

Rea declared, then turned sharply and left.

"Luke. Did you do something wrong to Rea?"

"I didn't do anything wrong."

Luke scratched his cheek with a troubled expression as Aina asked with a puzzled face.

Meanwhile.

Ar wore a confident expression in front of the third-years from other schools.

"Heheheh- Oh, I'm so sorry. It seems our Ajonia will take first place?"

Runia gave a cold smile at Ar and retorted.

"That's ridiculous. First place is Seirun."

Driana watched their war of nerves and shook her head.

"Don't you two ever get tired? Are you now fighting by putting your juniors forward?"

Driana clicked her tongue and looked at the deck.

"By the way, Leo's ideas are certainly extraordinary."

"What about them?"

"Didn't he come up with the idea of borrowing the Dragon Ship to make the first-years let their guard down, then forcibly free-falling them in the middle of the desert?"

"Hmm. That's true. Does he always only think about making students suffer?"

Runia nodded in agreement.

"You all must be having a tough time too."

Driana said, looking towards the Lumern side.

At her words, Abad, who was avoiding the sun in the shade, smiled faintly.

"I like that it's not boring."

"Hmm…"

Driana stared intently at Abad.

"Abad Lewellyn. Ever thought about becoming a nude model?"

"It's an honorable offer, but it's far too grand for me."

"Hmm. Considering your looks, I don't think it's too grand at all?"

"Heheh."

As Abad refused with a relaxed smile, Iliana nearby chuckled cunningly and said.

"Abad. Topless is okay, isn't it… Agh!"

Celia jabbed Iliana's temple with her elbow for teasing Abad.

"Well, it feels like a picnic."

Eiran, who had been observing the situation, said with a joyful smile.

Just then.

The moving Dragon Ship suddenly stopped.

Then the first-years began to murmur.

"Huh? Isn't there still a little way to go to the destination?"

"What's going on?"

The first-years looked bewildered, but the second and third-years, who had been told about a surprise test beforehand, had relaxed expressions.

"It looks like it's about to begin."

"I can clearly see the first-years getting surprised."

Runia and Driana looked at the first-years with slightly sympathetic expressions.

Now, the first-years, forcibly free-falling, would have to take a test where they had to find the test site in the middle of the desert.

All of this was Leo's idea.

Just then, Ar looked towards the Lumern side with a puzzled expression.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Preparing for free fall."

Iliana answered calmly.

"Why?"

Ar still looked confused by the answer.

Iliana added an explanation for Ar.

"It's obvious. Because we're going to free fall."

"No, I mean, why? We're not the test subjects."

"What are you talking about? When the student council president abandons students in the middle of the desert, he wouldn't abandon only the first-years. Isn't that common sense?"

Hearing Iliana's words, Ar looked dumbfounded.

"No. That's not common sense."

At Ar's words, Iliana looked envious.

"You Ajonia students sure have an easy school life, don't you?"

At that, Ar wore a strange expression.

'No, Ajonia's school life, which is a continuous struggle, couldn't possibly be easy.'

Flash-!

Just then, the Dragon Ship vanished.

And as Iliana had predicted, all the students from the Hero Academies on the Dragon Ship were abandoned in mid-air.

"No! Wait, I can't use Fly magic! And I can't summon my phantom beast either!"

As Runia shouted while falling due to gravity, Iliana calmly said.

"When the student council president forcibly free-falls us, he wouldn't leave us free to use our abilities, would he? That's common sense."

"Seirun doesn't have that kind of common sense!"

"Seirun also has a very easy school life."

Looking at Iliana, who genuinely looked envious, Runia thought.

'What kind of school life are the Lumern kids having?'