Chapter 128

“Kyle?”

“Was Kyle a real person?”

The students reacted in shock.

The lecture hall instantly erupted in noise.

Until now, Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings, was a figure whose name existed only in fairy tales.

‘That was because my [Hero Record] didn’t remain.’

But even as a fictional character, he was an incredibly famous name.

For at least thousands of years, his name had always been mentioned alongside other great heroes.

That’s why many scholars in hero studies had spent years researching the origins of the name Kyle.

But since there was never any proof that he existed, he was ultimately dismissed as a person who never was.

And now, the name Kyle had been mentioned in the world of the [Hero].

As the students buzzed, Artianne spoke.

“Everyone, please calm down. For now, only the name was mentioned. And it’s still not clear if he’s the same person as the Hero of Beginnings.”

At those words, the students settled down.

Just then, Chloe raised her hand.

“Yes, Chloe?”

“If the ‘Hero of Beginnings’ really existed, what would happen?”

“If that were true, it would overturn everything we know in hero studies. You know there are pages among the discovered hero pages where we don’t know which hero they belong to? One of those might belong to Kyle.”

“Ooooh.”

“Then humans would have their own [Great Hero]?”

The students became excited.

There are five races on earth.

Humans, elves, beastkin, dwarves, dragons.

Among them, only humans didn’t have a [Great Hero].

So, without realizing it, they always felt inferior compared to the other races.

If Kyle truly existed, humans too could stand proudly before the other races.

“Exactly.”

The students’ eyes sparkled as they watched the smiling Artianne.

‘So this is how it gets out.’

Leo also felt some discontent at being forgotten.

Then Celia raised her hand.

“Professor, if Kyle really existed, would he have been an [All-Class]?”

“Most likely. After all, there’s someone at our school who is an [All-Class].”

As soon as Artianne spoke, all eyes in the room turned to Leo.

With over 300 pairs of eyes focused on him, most would have been flustered, but Leo was calm.

“What are you looking at?”

At that, the students looked back at Artianne.

“In any case, it’s true that a fascinating topic has been brought up about Kyle. That’s why so many scholars of hero studies are heading to Azonia right now.”

“What does it mean to be the Surviving Hero?”

“They say even the challenger didn’t know for sure. It was simply a name mentioned by the hero at the time—‘The Guardian of the Azure Sky,’ who was Arron’s teacher.”

“Arron had a teacher?”

“Well, it’s not that strange.”

“Man, I’m jealous. Imagine meeting Arron in person!”

“Even among the first-years, the class reps met Lysinas.”

Back in the first semester, Kyle’s page had opened here.

At that time, the class representatives met Lysinas.

“Now, for today’s lesson, let’s study [Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings]. How much do you know about the Hero of Beginnings? Who knows about Kyle’s most famous feats?”

Everyone looked troubled at Artianne’s question.

Though he was a famous figure, Kyle was also treated as a fictional one, so not many knew the details.

Even the number of legendary deeds attributed to Kyle in fairy tales was overwhelming.

But there was a student who had genuinely studied him out of a love for fairy tales.

“Yes! One of Kyle’s greatest feats was the Battle of Datefran against Necroking Hell Kaiser!”

Chelsea shot her hand up and answered.

“That’s right. Ten points to Chelsea.”

Chelsea clenched her fist tightly.

After that, Artianne taught the lesson on Kyle.

Starting from how the academic world viewed Kyle, to opinions on how things might change going forward.

Since this was Lumene, where [Hero Studies] was taught, it was a fascinating and in-depth lesson.

All the students focused on the class.

After class ended and break time began, Chelsea summarized the lesson and muttered,

“But why is he called the Surviving Hero?”

“Probably because he survived.”

Leo answered simply.

“He must have survived so many battles thanks to his strength, and that’s how he got the name.”

Leo explained why he had once been called the Surviving Hero.

“Hmm! That’s simple, but right now, it makes sense to take it literally.”

Chelsea nodded.

Leo leaned on his hand and recalled the past.

‘It wasn’t exactly a nickname I liked.’

At the time, it was closer to a derogatory nickname.

Before joining the subjugation force, Kyle made a name for himself as a mercenary, fighting in countless battles.

And when everyone else was wiped out, he alone survived.

At first, people praised him as extraordinary, but as it happened again and again, he became seen as a symbol of misfortune.

‘Thanks to that, no one wanted to be my companion anymore.’

That was when Lysinas, who was called a fool at the time, approached him.

Lost in thought, Leo watched his classmates discussing Kyle so seriously and smiled.

‘Who would’ve thought I’d end up studying Kyle at Lumene?’

Of course, Leo had wanted something like this all along.

He’d saved the world just like the others, but only his companions were remembered, which was a bitter thing.

Still, hearing it discussed in class made him feel strange.

‘I’m probably the only one trying to spread my own achievements to the next generation.’

Sighing deeply, Leo lamented his own situation.

After a full day of classes on the very first day of term, all the students were exhausted.

It felt as if their senses, loosened over the break, were being tightened up again.

“Haah! I’m tired! So tired!”

Carr stretched after bathing together and asked,

“Leo. Want to go to the school store?”

“No. I think I’ll turn in early tonight.”

“Okay, got it.”

Carr nodded and headed to the store alone.

Returning to his room, Leo took out Elci from his necklace.

Elci flew to the window and looked up at the night sky, her eyes sparkling.

Ever since coming to the modern era, gazing at the night sky each night had become part of Elci’s routine.

“Elci.”

“Yes, Leo?”

“I’ll introduce you to my summons now.”

“Oh! You mean the Phoenix and the fairy you told me about before.”

“Right. But as I said before, don’t let them know that I’m Kyle.”

Leo sighed, recalling the lively Fiora and Kirran.

Those two would never purposely reveal their contractor Leo’s secrets.

But given their personalities, there was a good chance they’d blurt it out by accident.

‘The fewer people who know the secret, the better.’

If it ever got out in Tartarus that Leo was Kyle reincarnated, it would be a disaster.

If that happened, they’d stop at nothing to destroy him before he regained his full strength.

‘If it’s ever revealed, it needs to be after I’ve regained enough power.’

With that in mind, Leo summoned Fiora and Kirran.

“Your contractor, Fiora, has come at your call.”

[Leo! You’re back!]

Fiora gracefully lifted her skirt and greeted him, while Kirran waved.

Then they both paused when they noticed Elci.

“Who’s that?”

“A spirit I just made a contract with.”

[My name is Elci.]

Elci smiled gently as she introduced herself, and Kirran exclaimed in wonder.

[A newcomer? I’m Kirran, the leader of Leo’s summons.]

“I’m the leader.”

[Why would you be the leader?]

“I was the first to contract with Leo.”

Fiora spoke as if it were obvious.

[The leader is the most dignified and highest-ranked summon. Like me.]

“This fairy’s out of her mind, so just consider me the leader.”

[You pig chick!]

Watching the two bicker, Leo sighed deeply.

To Leo, the first contracted and highest-ranked summon was none other than Elci.

Compared to the great spirit he’d contracted with in his past life, Fiora and Kirran were still just kids.

[Lively bunch, aren’t they?]

Elci smiled brightly, seeming to enjoy the noisy atmosphere.

Seeing Elci look at them like a doting older sister, Leo shook his head.

“They’re not lively, just immature.”

—

From the very first day, the students were thrown into classes.

But the first-years, who had already been through a lot, adapted without trouble.

After finishing all the core classes common to every year, their major classes began.

The first major class was none other than [Magic Department].

Together with Chelsea and Carr, Leo headed to the training ground, as announced beforehand.

“Practical training on the first day? That’s not like Professor Len.”

Chelsea tilted her head.

Len was a professor who valued theory above all.

Of course, it’s not like he ignored practical skills, but he was a strong believer that magic was a field built on research and exploration.

So starting the second semester with practical training was a big surprise.

The first-years gathered at the training ground to wait for Len.

Soon, Len appeared together with Assistant Professor Anna.

Standing at the center, Len smiled kindly.

“Did you all have a good break?”

“Yes!”

“Professor Len! We missed you!”

A few of the girls greeted Len with sweet voices.

Thanks to his good looks and friendly nature, Len was especially popular among the female students.

Of course, he would sometimes go overboard, but even that was seen as part of his passion for magic—and many found it charming.

Len nodded at their responses.

“Please turn in the assignments you did over the break.”

At that, the students handed in their reports.

Anna collected the assignments and stored them in her subspace.

Meanwhile, Len spoke.

“During the break, I thought hard about how I should teach you all in the second semester.”

The students looked curious.

“As you know, the school has been paying a lot of attention to you this year.”

Len looked around at the students.

“So we had high expectations for you at the Department Competition last semester.”

Emio raised his hand.

“During the Department Competition, the first-years subjugated the Gigantes!”

Only nine students actually took down the Gigantes, but the truth was, without the rest of the first-years, it would have been impossible.

That’s why Emio always said it was a joint effort.

“Right. But that didn’t prove the excellence of the Magic Department.”

It was a success for the whole first-year class, not a specific department.

“Did you know? Among the professors, your second-, third-, and fourth-year predecessors are not held in high regard.”

“Huh?”

“Wasn’t the Magic Department always neck-and-neck with the Knights Department in the ratings?”

The students who cared about interdepartmental rivalry looked puzzled.

Len folded his arms.

“That’s how it looks from the outside.”

His eyes sharpened.

“But among the first-years, the Magic Department hasn’t beaten Seiren at the Lumeiren in the past three years!”

At that, the students flinched.

“The professors in the Magic Department decided they couldn’t suffer another humiliation for a fourth straight year. That’s why, this semester, all classes will be aimed at preparing you for the Lumeiren at the end of the term.”

Len’s declaration shocked the students.

“Starting today, you’ll all begin learning [Hero Magic].”