Book 1 Chapter 924

"I… I've arrived…"

The first-years, who had been wandering the desert, arrived at the campsite one by one.

As the desert crossing had been tough for the second and third-years as well, the state of the first-years who arrived at the campsite was inevitably miserable.

"You worked hard."

Lunnia, who stayed at the campsite to help guide the students, took care of the Seirun students.

"P-President of the Student Council!"

Just then, Radies, the representative of the Seirun first-years, rushed up to Lunnia.

Radies was a first-year who treated Lunnia with great difficulty.

Although he was the class representative, he admired Lunnia, who had been recognized as Luna's successor, and believed he shouldn't approach her carelessly.

He was a student who strived to maintain traditional elven etiquette and dignity even while human culture was trending throughout elven society.

Lunnia remembered him as a righteous student who did not belittle the cultures of other races.

Seeing him crawl and grab her ankle, Lunnia was flustered.

"Radies. What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Seeing Lunnia ask with a worried expression, Radies said in a dying voice,

"I'm hungry… and thirsty…"

At his words, Eiran hurriedly brought bread and water and gave it to Radies.

Radies wolfed down the bread, and as if he choked, coughed.

Then he quickly drank water.

"Ugh."

Radies, having barely swallowed the bread stuck in his throat, hastily ate more bread.

"Eat slowly, you'll get indigestion."

"Yes, yeeees! *Cough!*"

"You don't need to answer."

Eiran patted his junior's back.

Watching this, Lunnia's eyes grew somber.

'Even someone so dignified and upright can be turned into a beggar in just a few days.'

Lunnia shuddered at Leo's ruthlessness.

Then, she glanced towards the Rumerun side.

Unlike other Hero Academies, where many students had not yet arrived, almost all of the Rumerun first-years had arrived.

Lunnia stroked her chin, looking at them.

"Lunnia! What are you thinking so hard about?!"

Arga, who was leading the Azonia students, approached with a puzzled look and asked.

Lunnia replied,

"Oh. It seems most of the Rumerun students have arrived."

"Hmm? Now that you mention it, you're right."

Arga's eyes widened.

"It's not like the Rumerun students are stronger than our students."

Lunnia looked at the Seirun students who were hugging each other and crying because they survived.

Arga also looked at the Azonia students who were slumped over, their spirits broken.

"Seirun Student Council President, what are you two talking about?"

Digness, who was leading Demian's third-years with Dryana, asked with a puzzled look.

"Nothing. I was just wondering what the difference was between our students and the Rumerun students."

"Hmm. Their combat abilities are probably about equal. However…"

"However?"

"Perhaps the Rumerun students are better at coping with extreme situations like this?"

At his words, Lunnia and Arga fell into deep thought.

Just then, Dryana approached.

Dryana had a roster of Demian's first-years by her side.

"Digness. Please comfort our students."

"Understood. But Dryana, can't you change your way of speaking?"

"Hmm? What's wrong with my way of speaking?"

"You sound like an old man. It doesn't suit you at all."

"Hmph! I'm imitating Dweno-nim's way of speaking, and you say I sound like an old man!"

"If you think about it, Dweno-nim is also an old man in a way."

"You impudent wretch!"

Dryana swung the roster she was handing to Digness.

"Cough?!"

Digness, hit on the head by the corner of the book, rubbed his head and grumbled.

"You're cute too! What's the big deal about using a way of speaking that suits your age?!"

"Why are you so obsessed with your way of speaking?"

"It's embarrassing! Embarrassing! I always grab anyone and talk about nude models in my old man voice!"

Digness thumped his chest as if his anger was about to explode.

Of course, Dryana ignored him and waved her hand as if to dismiss him.

"Stop talking nonsense and go check the headcount of your juniors."

Digness grumbled and walked towards where the Demian students were.

"Oh? What is it? You even called me cute! Is this it?"

As Arga's eyes sparkled and he raised his pinky, Dryana said,

"Digness has a fiancée. Don't say such dangerous things."

"Then it really is because you're embarrassed, right? I mean, if I were you, I'd be embarrassed if I were the student council president."

Arga, clutching his stomach, burst into laughter.

Of course, he collapsed after being punched in the side by Dryana's fist.

"By the way, what were you talking about?"

"Well, we were wondering if we should train our students like Leo."

Lunnia said with a sigh.

When they first met in their first year, Leo had a sense of rivalry.

But now that they knew Leo's true identity, they no longer felt any rivalry.

For Lunnia and Arga, Leo was someone who led them as a leader.

That's why Lunnia and Arga wanted to grow quickly and become useful individuals.

'Only then can we lessen Leo's burden.'

"We can't let Leo worry about students from other Hero Academies."

"So, do you see a big difference between the Seirun students and the Rumerun students? As far as I can see, there's not much difference besides experience?"

"The Rumerun students are calm even after going through the same ordeal."

"…To me, they just look resigned?"

Dryana tilted her head.

Then she said,

"Well, it's natural for leadership ability to differ, not just heroic ability."

"…But."

"We just need to find our own way. If it were necessary, Leo would have intervened in the growth of other Hero Academy students long ago."

Dryana said seriously to Lunnia and Arga, with her arms crossed.

"The fact that he didn't means he trusts you."

"Hmm…"

"Dwarves and humans, elves and beastmen are all different. It's right to find our own way rather than imitate Leo's human methods. Leo would want that too. So don't be impatient."

Lunnia and Arga were impressed by Dryana's advice.

"Dryana, you give surprisingly good advice?"

"Wasn't Dweno-nim's role in the party of the great hero to give advice? Shouldn't I also be a reliable advisor to you?"

As the sun began to set.

All the first-years from every school had arrived, except for one person.

"Pellena is missing?"

Leo frowned as he received the headcount.

Chen Xia, who was assisting Leo, also widened her eyes.

"Yes. Even though all the first-years from every Hero Academy have arrived, only Pellena is missing. The first-years from other schools said she acted alone."

Elena nodded, and Leo called out someone's name.

"Anyas."

After calling his name for a moment.

Water pooled in Leo's shadow, and Anyas appeared from it.

"You called, Leo-nim."

"There's a straggler."

"Who is it?"

"Pellena Hergin."

Anyas paused.

Seeing his reaction, Leo asked,

"Do you know something?"

"Yes. She was on the verge of dropping out midway, but I saw her being helped by a Demian student who was acting alone like Pellena-student in the middle."

"Demian student's help?"

"That's strange. None of the Demian students had any contact with Pellena. And even fewer acted alone."

At Elena's words, Leo asked,

"Any other peculiarities?"

"She recognized me as a shadow at once. She even approached me by deceiving my senses."

"Hmm…"

"However, she was clearly a Demian student. Among my subordinates, there is one named Thea who has the mana characteristic of 'Truth and Lies'."

Listening to Anyas's words, Leo asked,

"Is Truth and Lies omnipotent?"

"…It is not."

Anyas bit his lip.

"I was negligent. I will immediately dispatch my subordinates…"

"Anyas, if someone can evade your senses and nullify the mana characteristic of Truth and Lies, they won't be easily found even if we deploy the shadows."

At Chen Xia's words, Leo nodded.

"Chen Xia is right."

"Then how…"

"I'll go."

Leo said calmly.

Anyas was taken aback.

"Leo-nim doesn't need to move for something like this…"

"I was the one who pushed forward even when an abnormal situation occurred in the test. I must take responsibility."

"If Leo-doryo takes action, we can find her quickly."

Chen Xia smiled faintly.

"I will assist you, Leo-doryo."

At her words, Leo nodded.

"Elena. I'll leave it to you."

"Understood. Have a good trip."

Elena smiled faintly.

Melina was currently searching for the entrance to the Hero Dungeon.

Therefore, only Elena could substitute for Leo at the moment.

"Shadows, be prepared for any eventuality."

"Understood."

Leo, who left the words, headed into the desert.

Following behind him, Chen Xia asked,

"For what purpose would they have kidnapped Miss Pellena?"

"We can't know. But they must have had a purpose to kidnap her. It's not the worst situation yet."

Listening to Leo's words, Chen Xia nodded.

Just then, Leo lifted the obsidian cloak he was wearing.

Then Chen Xia entered inside it.

Looking down at Chen Xia, who was hugging him tightly, Leo said,

"You don't have to hug me so tightly."

"Leo-doryo will move at an incredibly fast speed. I might fall off, so I have to hold on tight."

At Chen Xia's words, Leo chuckled and crouched down.

*Fwoosh-!*

Leo sprinted through the desert at an incredible speed.

***

*Crackling- crackling-*

The desert at night.

Eiran, standing by the campfire, said with a worried expression,

"A student is missing, is it okay to continue the test?"

All the first-years were currently heading to Reysar.

The shadows had gone to patrol the surroundings, so only five people remained at the campsite.

In response to Eiran's question, Elena said,

"Since Leo-kun didn't say anything, we should proceed as scheduled."

Having said that, Elena's eyes sparkled.

"By the way, where did our cute Arga go?"

Elena had taken a liking to Arga when she met him at Seirun last time.

"He went to the campsite entrance to wait for Leo."

"He really acts like a cat."

As Elena giggled, Lunnia tilted her head.

"Isn't waiting for someone at the entrance of your house more like a dog?"

"Cats do that a lot too. They're very lonely animals."

At Elena's words, Lunnia looked surprised.

Meanwhile.

Arga, sitting cross-legged at the entrance, was swaying his body from side to side.

Then, when a scorpion crawled by, he rolled his eyes.

*Hiss-! Thwack-!*

He struck the scorpion with his tail.

Arga, who had been yawning lazily while watching the scorpion fly away after being hit by his tail, widened his eyes.

*Sniff sniff sniff-*

Arga's head tilted as he sniffed the air.

"Beastman?"

With those words, a figure wearing a hood appeared in the distance.

Seeing that figure, Arga's eyes narrowed.

'What is it? I've never smelled this before.'

It was definitely the scent of a beastman.

However, it didn't have the characteristic scent of beastmen.

'It smells similar to a wolf beastman, but it's strangely different.'

Both by appearance, aura, and scent.

It was suspicious in many ways.

Finally, the beastman also stopped walking and stared intently at Arga.

"Annoying. Smells like a cat."

The beastman woman muttered irritably.

At that, Arga's tail perked up like an exclamation mark.

"And it smells of that damn coward too? What are you? A conqueror of the Hero's World?"

"Damn coward…?"

Arga's complexion instantly changed.

"Are you talking about Arion-nim?"

At that, the beastman woman tilted her head askew and said,

"That's right?"

"How dare you speak ill of him!"

Arga, glaring, pounced on the beastman woman.

Suddenly-!

'Huh?'

Seeing the beastman woman's fist right in front of his nose, he flinched.

'Fast!'

Shocked, he crossed his arms to block the attack.

*Kwagagagagaga-!*

With an immense sound, Arga was sent flying.

'She reacted to my attack?'

The beastman woman's eyes, hidden within her hood, twitched.

'And a conqueror of the Hero's World.'

As the beastman woman, clenching and unclenching her fist, was about to step forward.

*Fwoosh-!*

Dryana swung her giant axe, and Eiran's longsword shot out with a sharp sound.

Seeing the attacks targeting his waist and neck, the beastman woman swung her hand.

*Thwack-!*

"……!"

"……!"

As the attack was caught, Dryana and Eiran's eyes widened.

'This dwarf smells of Dweno-nim. It's strange. Even at a glance, they are children, yet they possess this much skill, and Rodia didn't know?'

*Goooooo-*

At that moment.

A smell of giant flames filled the air.

Azoonia, who smelled Luna within it, let out a breath, 'Hmm-'.

'I see. It's outside the Hero's World.'