Chapter 123
The morning of the day they were leaving for Lumeria City.
A guest arrived at the Plov family estate.
“Yaaawn. Good morning, Leo.”
“What? Chelsea, why are you here?”
“Huh?”
Chelsea, who had just let out a long yawn, suddenly opened her eyes wide, fully awake.
And when she spotted Celia talking to Leo, she folded her arms.
“Obviously, I came to visit Leo at his house!”
“Leo, how long has she been here?”
“About a month?”
“You stayed for a whole month? Aren’t you shameless?”
“What does it have to do with you? Beh—!”
“You little—!”
Watching the two girls bicker as soon as they met, Leo clicked his tongue.
“When are you two ever going to grow up?”
The two girls often spent time together because of Leo, but they were still rivals.
“Oh my, Celia, you’re here.”
“Aunt!”
Celia ran over to Reina and bowed.
“Hello! How have you been?”
“I’m well. What brings you here so early?”
“I’m heading to Lumeria City with Leo.”
“Is that so? Have you had breakfast?”
“Not yet.”
“Then let’s eat first.”
“Yes!”
At breakfast, Celia chatted with Reina after a long while, glancing lazily at Chelsea, who joined in the conversation like it was the most natural thing in the world.
She poked Leo in the side.
“What?”
“Aunt Reina and Chelsea seem pretty close, don’t they?”
“Chelsea’s always been good at getting along with people, especially adults. Besides, my mother’s always wanted a daughter, so she dotes on Chelsea a lot.”
“Hmph. Sly girl.”
Celia shot Chelsea a glare.
“You said you’d come over during vacation, but you never did.”
“I was busy with some family matters. It’s something that concerns you too, so I’ll tell you the details later.”
“Alright.”
After breakfast, Leo took his luggage and came to the front door.
He greeted Reina and Deid, who had come to see him off.
“I’ll be back.”
“Take care, Leo.”
“Stay healthy, and study hard.”
“Yes.”
After Leo finished his goodbyes, Chelsea bowed her head.
“Marquis Plov, Lady Reina, thank you for taking care of me this past month. I had a wonderful time!”
“Hohoho, we enjoyed having you too. Please come visit again.”
“Yes! I’ll definitely visit during winter vacation!”
“Aunt Reina, I’ll visit during vacation too.”
“Alright. Give my regards to your father and Gis. And tell Rhys to finish his graduation well.”
“Yes.”
After saying their goodbyes, the three of them boarded the same carriage.
On the way to Delan’s Warp Gate, Celia asked,
“By the way, Leo, did you finish all your vacation homework?”
“Of course.”
“You had to do not just Knights Department homework, but Magic and Summoning Department homework too. That must’ve been tough.”
“It wasn’t that bad.”
“Well, for you, I suppose it wouldn’t be.”
“How about you?”
“Of course I finished. Though, the special activity homework was a bit of a hassle.”
“That was tricky for me too.”
Chelsea grumbled.
Special activity homework.
As the name implied, it required students to have a special experience during vacation and write a report based on that.
“Leo doesn’t have to worry about that.”
“Oh? What did you do during vacation?”
“I attended the Azonia entrance ceremony.”
“What?”
Celia looked shocked.
“At this year’s Azonia entrance ceremony, Arron’s Hero’s World was cleared, right? You saw that happen?”
He not only saw it but cleared it himself, but he only nodded, since he couldn’t say so.
“How did you get to attend the ceremony?”
“My mother had a recommendation letter for Azonia from something that happened a long time ago. Thanks to that, I got to participate. But I had to leave early because Professor Ain and Professor Yura found me.”
“That must’ve been fun.”
Celia looked envious.
The students of Azonia were all outstanding warriors.
So she envied Leo for getting to compete with the Azonia entrance candidates.
“There were a lot of outstanding students, right?”
“Yeah. Among them, Ar was a bit special.”
“Ar Tune. You mean the top scorer in this year’s Azonia entrance?”
Celia’s eyes sparkled.
“I’d like to face her sometime.”
Leo rested his chin in his hand, remembering Ar, as he watched Celia’s eyes burn with rivalry.
‘I wonder how she’s doing.’
While they were chatting, the carriage carrying the three arrived at the Warp Gate.
The staff working at the gate looked surprised when they spotted the group.
“Wait, aren’t those Lumene uniforms?”
“The boy is Leo Plov, but who are the girls?”
“Wait—aren’t they Celia Zerdinger and Chelsea Lewellin?”
Since the entrance ceremony had been held in Delan six months ago, quite a few people remembered Celia and Chelsea’s faces.
After completing the check-in procedure at the gate and approaching the attendant, he wore a nervous expression.
The Lumene class representative and the daughters of famed heroic families.
Anyone would be nervous to see such high-profile hero candidates.
“I’ll need to confirm your names. Are you Leo Plov, Celia Zerdinger, and Chelsea Lewellin?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you. Please step onto the Warp Gate. I’ll activate it now.”
The three boarded the Warp Gate headed for Lumeria City.
Flash—!
With a bright light, the scene in front of their eyes instantly changed.
After arriving at the busy Warp Gate, Leo left the building.
Outside, the vast Lumeria lakeshore stretched out before them.
“Even though it’s only been two months, it feels like ages.”
Celia brushed her hair back in the wind and smiled faintly.
“Miss Chelsea.”
Just then, a young man in a mage’s robe approached Chelsea.
“Sir Lewin.”
“Did you have a good vacation?”
“Of course.”
Lewin, a mage of the Lewellin family, greeted Chelsea politely, then bowed his head to Leo and Celia as well.
“My name is Lewin Framt.”
“It’s been a while, Sir Framt.”
“It’s good to see you, Miss Celia.”
Lewin Framt was a renowned talent even in the Empire, so Celia was familiar with him as well.
“I was ordered by the head of the house to escort you, Miss.”
“I see. I should head to my quarters first.”
“Alright. If you can, let’s meet before the term starts. If not, see you on the first day of school.”
“Okay! I’ll go ahead!”
“Hurry up and go, shoo shoo.”
“Hmph!”
Celia waved her hand dismissively, and Chelsea stuck out her tongue before leaving with Lewin.
“She gets more annoying every day.”
“I think she’s cute.”
“I don’t find her cute at all.”
Celia rolled her eyes and turned toward the Kuraju district of Lumeria City.
“Let’s go to our quarters too. Uncle Gis is coming tonight. He wants to talk to you.”
“He wants to talk to me?”
“Yeah. There’s been a lot of talk about your position in the family over the summer.”
Leo had learned the Phoenix Breath and was the son of Reina, but he still hadn’t been registered on the Zerdinger family register.
But after his outstanding performance in the first semester, the family’s attitude had changed a lot.
“Most of the family members agreed to announce officially that you’re my cousin.”
Leo had more than proven his worth during the first semester.
With so many countries and factions keeping an eye on Leo, the Zerdinger family needed to move quickly.
Even for a renowned heroic house like Zerdinger, losing someone of Leo’s talent would be a loss.
“But there’s still one issue being discussed.”
“What is it?”
“Your inheritance rights.”
Celia spoke seriously, and Leo was surprised.
“Inheritance rights?”
“Yeah.”
Currently, the undisputed first successor of the Zerdinger family was Rhys.
The second successor was Celia.
No one else was an official successor.
Now, Leo was being mentioned as the third successor.
This wasn’t just about being recognized as a blood relative of the Zerdinger family.
It meant Leo would actually have power within the family.
“Well, there’s a lot of opposition, so who knows what will happen.”
Celia shrugged.
Then she shot Leo a mischievous smile.
“What? Are you looking forward to possibly getting inheritance rights?”
“Like that would ever happen. Even if I did, with Rhys and you around, so what?”
“Even if you don’t become the family head, having real authority in Zerdinger would be nice, wouldn’t it?”
“I’m not interested.”
Celia let out a short laugh at Leo’s indifferent face.
If someone had told her this at the start of the year, she would’ve thought it was nonsense.
But since it was Leo saying it, she understood.
‘Is he just broad-minded, or does he have no ambition? I really can’t tell.’
Celia shook her head.
“For now, let’s rest at our quarters until Uncle Gis arrives. We can start preparing for the new semester tomorrow.”
Even though there were still several days before the start of school, they came to Lumeria City early to buy everything needed for the second semester.
“There’s a lot more supplies to prepare than in the first semester. Feels like our life at Lumene is really beginning now.”
Celia muttered as she checked the supply list, then spoke to Leo.
“You’ve got to prepare for both magic and summoning, so it must be hectic.”
“It’s not that bad.”
Leo replied as he checked his own list.
As soon as they arrived at their quarters, the two immediately unpacked.
Leo lay on the bed, and Elci appeared.
[Leo! What is this amazing city?]
“Lumeria City. It’s one of the biggest cities in the world.”
[Wow! It’s incredible!]
Elci clung to the window, marveling at the bustling cityscape.
“Do you want to look around?”
[Um… shouldn’t you rest?]
“We used a Warp Gate. No need to rest.”
Leo chuckled and got up.
After telling Celia he was going out, he left for a walk.
Sitting on Leo’s shoulder, Elci was thrilled by the lively city—so different from the world five thousand years ago.
Leo smiled at her delight and wandered leisurely around Lumeria City.
“What? We’re Lumene students!”
“That’s right! Hero candidates! Why won’t you let us in?”
There was a commotion on one side of the street.
Several students in Lumene uniforms stood there.
It was a café called ‘Hero’s Haven.’
It looked ordinary from the outside, but only Lumene students and staff could enter.
In other words, it was a Lumene-exclusive hangout in Lumeria City.
“So please present your student IDs.”
“I left it behind! We’re not staying long! Just let us in for a minute! You know our faces!”
Leo watched the group of agitated students and clicked his tongue.
‘They’re the ones who were advised to withdraw after finals.’
Just a few months ago, they had been Lumene students, but not anymore.
So there was no way they’d be allowed into Hero’s Haven.
Onlookers sighed as if this was nothing new.
“They must be here to beg the professors for another chance.”
“Happens all the time.”
“But there’s never been a single re-admitted student, right?”
Leo was shaking his head as he overheard the whispers when—
“If you don’t move, I’ll use force!”
The boy who seemed to be their leader activated his Aura.
People nearby looked shocked.
“So noisy.”
A listless voice rang out from somewhere.
Leo turned his head and was surprised.
A man with black hair and black eyes.
“Lumene doesn’t give expelled students a second chance. Give it up and walk your own path. Becoming a hero isn’t only about attending Lumene.”
“Who are you?”
“We’re not expelled yet!”
The dropouts flared up.
The man raised his hand.
Creep—!
“Ah!”
In an instant, the dropouts were sucked into the ground.
More precisely, they were swallowed by shadows.
Everyone’s eyes widened, and the man muttered in a lethargic tone.
“What a hassle. They said this year’s first-years were something special, but looking at these shameless dropouts, I’m not so sure… Why did Kalian call me here, anyway?”
Leo narrowed his eyes as he watched the man mumble in a languid voice.
Leo had no trouble figuring out the man’s identity.
‘Dragon.’