Book 1 Chapter 970
970.
In front of the Tower of Heroes, located in the center of Lumern, there were external vendors.
Starting with high-end cafes and restaurants, there were famous eateries selling local specialty foods from all over the world.
Just as it was difficult to gain admission to Lumern, getting a spot as a vendor was also by no means easy.
Because all of them had top-tier culinary skills, the area in front of the Tower of Heroes was always bustling with students.
Of course, Lumern's cafeteria food was very delicious, but it was natural to get tired of any food if you ate it every day.
Among them was the large cafe, Haven of Abundance.
The cafe's outdoor seating was full of students.
Kyle, sitting at one of the tables, slowly sipped his warm coffee with a relaxed expression.
“Phew. As expected, delicious coffee after an exam is bittersweet, isn't it?”
Across from him, Illiana, who was savoring her black tea, agreed with Kyle's relaxed murmuring.
“It seems there's nothing better than teatime after an exam.”
Kyle and Illiana, exuding a warm atmosphere and laughing heartily.
First-year students passing by looked at the two with envious eyes.
“Wow, Senior Kyle and Senior Illiana are so relaxed.”
“Senior Kyle has achieved the rank of hero, and Senior Illiana is the best magic swordsman in the third year. For those two, a midterm exam must be easy.”
Hearing the first-year students' murmuring, Kyle and Illiana wore even more relaxed expressions.
A short while later.
After lunchtime ended, the first-year students returned to the classroom area.
Unlike the third-year students, whose exams had finished relatively early, the first-year students still had midterm exams remaining.
Just then, Chelsea, Nella, and Teide, who had come to the center, spotted them.
“What are you two doing?”
Teide asked with an exasperated look, and Kyle clicked his coffee cup down, answering,
“I'm enjoying the leisure of someone whose exams are over.”
“Enjoying, my foot. It just looks like you failed the exam and are putting on an act.”
Despite Chelsea's sharp and merciless remark, Kyle and Illiana maintained their relaxed expressions.
“Listen, Chelsea.”
Illiana put down her teacup and looked at Chelsea.
“I'm a third-year now. I'll be a fourth-year soon.”
“So?”
“It means we've been through too much to be overly happy or sad just because we failed a midterm.”
“Exactly. Exactly. Illiana's right.”
Kyle chimed in.
Seeing the two of them, Teide clicked his tongue, as if pitying them.
“They're broken. Nella, can't you fix them?”
“Hmm… I can't really do anything about them being mentally broken…”
Nella, who had a slightly troubled expression at Teide's question, raised her morning star and asked,
“Should I give them a little shock with this?”
At that question, Kyle and Illiana, who had been wearing relaxed expressions until then, flinched.
“Nella.”
“Yeah.”
“Don't do that. Please, stay a sensible person.”
Teide said seriously, and Nella smiled faintly.
“It's a joke.”
“Your jokes seem to be getting more and more brutal.”
Teide clicked his tongue.
Whatever it was, once Nella put away her morning star, Kyle and Illiana, who had been agitated, regained their composure.
“By the way, are you two really okay? I heard that those who scored low on the written exam this time will have supplementary classes.”
Kyle and Illiana looked back at Chelsea.
“Again, Chelsea. We've been through too much to be swayed by such things.”
“Exactly. We even participated in the battle against Erebus recently. Do you think we'd be scared of something like supplementary classes?”
Chelsea clicked her tongue, looking at the two bragging with a somehow mature expression.
“These fools have only gotten unnecessarily mentally strong.”
“Hahahaha.”
“Hohohoho.”
It was then that Chelsea sighed, watching the two who seemed to suffer no mental damage at all.
“Everyone's gathered here, huh?”
“Oh! Leo!”
Chelsea greeted Leo, who arrived a little late, with a bright smile.
This was because they had made plans to go out to Lumeria City to celebrate the end of their midterm exams.
“Did everyone do well on their exams?”
At Leo's question, Chelsea folded her arms and raised her chin.
“Hmph! As for me, I'm perfect as always.”
“Me too, as usual.”
Nella also smiled, wearing her usual relaxed expression.
Teide also spoke with a confident expression.
“I did well this time too.”
“Teide, that's surprising.”
“What's so surprising about it?”
As Teide grumbled, Leo, who burst out laughing, looked at Kyle and Illiana.
“As for those two…”
“As you can see, they messed up.”
At Teide's shrug, Leo clicked his tongue.
“What will you do?”
“Huh? Why?”
Teide asked with a puzzled expression, and Leo said as if it were nothing,
“I heard that this time, the third-year supplementary classes will be taught by each student's first-year homeroom professors.”
At those words, Kyle and Illiana, who had been exuding a relaxed atmosphere, completely froze.
Illiana's hand, frozen in the act of lifting her teacup, began to tremble violently.
“P-President… If it's our first-year homeroom professor… Surely not…”
“For us, it's Professor Halind.”
“Kyaaaaaaaah!”
Illiana screamed uncontrollably and clutched her head.
In the process, her teacup was tossed into the air.
Chelsea used magic to retrieve both the teacup and its contents, then wore a pitying expression.
“That's too bad. I guarantee it. You two are dead meat with Professor Halind.”
“Wow. If it were me, I'd have committed suicide.”
Teide also gave a pitiful smile.
“President. It's a lie, right? Right?”
“Leo! Tell us it's a lie!”
Kyle and Illiana, with tearful faces, clung to Leo, pleading.
Leo merely shook his head, looking at the two clinging to his arms.
“But that's surprising. That the professors in charge during first year are specifically in charge of supplementary classes.”
“According to the professors, it's about time students start getting too confident and neglecting general education exams, so the first-year professors are taking charge to help them regain their initial mindset.”
In Lumern, written exams are important, but one can avoid failing grades with practical exams alone.
That's why, by the time they reached third year, students began to approach general education and written exams with the mindset of simply avoiding a failing grade.
However, Lumern's goal is not merely to create heroes who are good at combat.
Lumern's goal is to produce talented individuals who can lead the era, possessing both literary and martial arts skills.
Therefore, neglecting general education, no matter how minor, was not tolerated.
No matter what anyone said, the professors in charge during the first year, having observed the students for the longest time, could be considered suitable choices for mental education and guidance.
“Crushed by the calamity they brought upon themselves.”
Teide shook his head, looking at Kyle and Illiana, who had lost their relaxed aura and were now emitting a gloomy one.
“Lucky leaves. They don't have to take supplementary classes.”
Illiana, squatting down, poked the fallen leaves scattered on the ground with her finger.
The leaves crumbled.
Kyle muttered, watching her.
“I want to be a fallen leaf. Then I wouldn't have to take supplementary classes.”
“They're completely broken.”
Nella sighed.
Of course, Chelsea paid no attention to the gloomy duo.
“Where should we go today?”
“Let's go eat lunch first. I'm craving some Eastern traditional cuisine after a long time.”
“I know a good place. It's where I went with Shia before.”
As Leo and Chelsea talked only about where to eat, completely ignoring the two, Teide clicked his tongue in disbelief.
“Aren't you two concerned about them?”
At that question, Leo and Chelsea answered simultaneously.
“We're not the ones taking supplementary classes.”
Seeing the two answer without missing a single word, Teide let out a hollow laugh.
“You two seem to be getting more and more alike.”
***
“Oooh! This is delicious!”
Illiana took a bite of a dumpling and her eyes sparkled.
Seeing that, Nella smiled faintly.
“It's a relief you recovered quickly.”
“I decided to think about tomorrow's problems tomorrow! The important thing is to enjoy the present!”
“That's a reckless mindset of living only for today, isn't it?”
At Chelsea's remark, Illiana, who had been pouting, quickly jabbed a fork into one of the dumplings left for Chelsea and took it.
“Aah! Hey!”
As Chelsea glared, Illiana stuck out her tongue.
“This is revenge for teasing me earlier!”
And quickly put the dumpling in her mouth.
“Hot, hot, hot, hot!”
Then she burned the roof of her mouth and jumped up.
“You!”
As Chelsea sprang up from her seat, Leo spoke.
“I'll give you mine. Don't fight. And Illiana, don't tease too much.”
“Uh, okay.”
As Leo gave her his portion of dumplings, Chelsea obediently nodded her head.
Seeing that, Kyle clicked his tongue.
“You're not ten-year-old boys. Why are you fighting over food so childishly?”
“Food is a serious matter, Kyle.”
As Illiana mumbled her answer with a mouthful of dumpling, Kyle shook his head.
“I still can't believe you're young ladies from prestigious families. When I first enrolled, I thought everyone was like you.”
“Oh?”
Chelsea glanced at Kyle and asked.
“And now?”
“You know you two are strange, right? Eliza and Nella are normal.”
At those words, Illiana and Chelsea began to snatch all of Kyle's food.
Kyle made a tearful face.
“I'm sorry. Please spare me.”
Kyle, who had been starving, was only able to eat properly after apologizing.
After finishing their late lunch, Nella spoke.
“Nella, what are you going to buy?”
“Well, I heard a new morning star has been stocked, so I'd like to see that first.”
“Oh! I'm also going to the blacksmith's because new items have come in!”
“I'm getting a dagger for close-range combat.”
Teide muttered, watching the female students talking about shopping while eating dessert.
“If it weren't for the content, it would be a normal conversation among female students.”
“What are you talking about? It's just a normal everyday conversation.”
As Kyle pointed that out, Teide sighed.
“That's by Lumern standards, though.”
Before long, the three female students' conversation had shifted to topics like smashing enemy heads, severing necks, aiming for the eyes, and so on.
It was certainly a normal conversation by Lumern standards, but not one that ordinary female students of that age would have.
“I definitely need to marry a normal lady.”
Kyle chuckled at Teide's declaration.
“Do you think that'll go as you wish?”
“Why? I'm pretty normal. After graduating, I'll achieve some respectable achievements, and then retire a bit early to enjoy a comfortable old age.”
“The moment you started hanging out with us, 'normal' was out of the question.”
“Is that so?”
At Kyle's words, Teide burst out laughing.
“Oh, come to think of it, the night market is open today too.”
“Ah! It's curfew! If I had known, I would've applied for an overnight pass!”
At Nella's words, Illiana shrieked.
“We can just go tomorrow.”
“But Chelsea. You know the night market has the most to see on its first day.”
“That's true, but…”
Chelsea made a regretful expression.
Illiana rubbed her hands together and smiled brightly at Leo.
“Student Council President. Can't you issue an overnight pass with your authority as president?”
“No.”
“Aww~ Don't be like that!”
Illiana's eyes sparkled as she looked at Leo.
Seeing that, Kyle rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.
“I have an overnight pass.”
“Kyle, if you knew the night market was opening, why didn't you tell us beforehand?”
At Nella's words, Kyle shrugged.
“I didn't get the overnight pass for the night market.”
“Then?”
Kyle smiled, looking at Nella, who tilted her head.
“A date.”