Chapter 16
In the center of the vast Lumeln Academy was a massive drill ground called Erek.
It was the place where all the school’s major events took place, most notably the entrance and graduation ceremonies.
And now, all the students of Lumeln had gathered in Erek.
“You’re here?”
“Knew you’d be completely soaked, huh?”
“Puhaha! See? I told you there wouldn’t be many who made it through in one piece!”
Some of the upperclassmen with bad personalities jeered at them.
A few of the proud new students trembled in shame, but none of them lashed out.
In the midst of this, Artian, who had led the new students to the center of Erek, spoke.
“Line up by your region. And the top students, please step forward as representatives.”
At those words, the students lined up in five rows, forming orderly ranks and files.
Naturally, there were noticeably fewer students from the western region.
The professors watching from the podium clicked their tongues.
“As expected of Professor Albi, I suppose? The number of western region students is just too few.”
One of the teachers, with a reproachful tone, spoke to Albi, who sat there with an expressionless face.
But Albi didn’t so much as bat an eye.
Leo stood at the very back.
“Ah! Leo! Hi!”
Just then, Chelsea Rewallin, who had teamed up with him during the entrance exam, came over with a bright smile.
“It was so hectic I’m only seeing you now!”
Leo let out a small laugh as Chelsea approached him so cheerfully.
“Get in line already.”
“Okay!”
Chelsea stood beside Leo, chattering away.
“I was so moved watching you fight back then, I’m even thinking about taking the knight course as my minor.”
“Hm? Come to think of it, you said your goal was to become a Battle Mage, right?”
“Yeah!”
At her prompt answer, Leo looked at Chelsea for a moment before saying,
“Then for now, you should focus more on your magic training, right?”
“Huh? But my magic is already good enough? Why do I have to focus more on magic training?”
As Chelsea asked with a slightly confused face, Leo was about to say something when—
“We will now begin the entrance ceremony. First, the principal will say a few words.”
At the words of the professor on stage, Chelsea closed her mouth.
At the same time, an old man appeared in the center of the podium.
The new students tensed.
There wasn’t a person here who didn’t know that old man.
The one hailed as the greatest among current human heroes.
Sword Star, Kallian Beydean.
“You’ve all done well to make it this far, fledgling chicks.”
Kallian spoke, exuding a vigor unbefitting his age.
“I won’t say much. I’ll just tell you what path you must take!”
Thud—!
Kallian slammed his fist on the podium.
“If you dream of becoming a hero, always risk yourself! And surpass your limits! Anyone who doesn’t—!”
At the Sword Star’s shout, the new students held their breath.
“Is not needed in Lumeln.”
With that, he stepped down from the stage without hesitation.
A moment of silence followed.
And then…
“Waaaaaaaah!”
An explosive cheer erupted from the new students.
Those few short words—hardly even a speech—had the power to set the freshmen ablaze.
Sword Star, turning away, flashed a V sign at the professors with a solemn face.
Some of the professors grabbed their heads.
‘Principal…!’
‘If only he’d kept being dignified, he’d be so cool!’
‘Ugh, the longer I work as a professor at Lumeln, the more my illusion of the Sword Star gets shattered.’
The professors knew, whether they liked it or not.
That the hero everyone admired was, in reality, just an incredibly carefree old man.
The presiding professor also grabbed his head and spoke.
“We will now have a speech from the freshman representative.”
At those words, everyone in Erek focused on the presiding professor.
Freshman representative.
It meant the very best among the geniuses gathered at Lumeln.
Among the hundreds of hero candidates, the strongest candidate!
The top students in the front row also wore tense expressions.
With all eyes on him, the presiding professor spoke.
“Freshman representative, Leo Flove.”
“Leo Flove?”
“Who’s that?”
“The freshman representative isn’t one of the top students?”
The freshmen glanced around in confusion.
Even the six top students sitting in front looked baffled.
The professors, who also didn’t know who the representative was, were visibly surprised.
Then, the presiding professor spoke again.
“Leo Flove, please come up to the podium.”
At those words, Leo rose from his seat.
Chelsea looked up at Leo, her eyes wide.
Sitting in another row, Carl mouthed wordlessly.
It was extremely unusual for a regular student to be chosen as the representative instead of a top student.
The upperclassmen also reacted in surprise.
Everyone’s attention was fixed on Leo.
‘I’m the freshman representative?’
Leo, too, felt confused.
He had definitely made a strong impression during the entrance exam, but he thought Celia and Abad would have higher scores.
The ones who actually performed best in the exam were those two, and that’s why they were joint top students.
As Leo pondered this, he made his way to the podium and locked eyes with Albi, the proctor from the western exam.
The previously expressionless Albi now smiled at him.
It seemed to be the proctor’s recommendation.
Letting go of his questions, Leo stood atop the podium.
There was a prepared speech on the podium.
“Respected professors and seniors, thank you for welcoming us freshmen so warmly. As proud members of Lumeln, from now on, we—”
Without a hint of nervousness, Leo began reading the speech.
Several gazes filled with different emotions settled on Leo.
Curiosity and suspicion about how a regular student, not one of the top students, had become the representative.
Jealousy and envy at him taking such an honorable spot.
“…Freshman representative, Leo Flove.”
Clap clap clap clap clap—!
As the speech ended, applause broke out.
“Well done, Leo. Now, as the freshman representative, please share a few words of resolve.”
The presiding professor grinned mischievously.
A few words as the freshman representative.
This was a kind of tradition at the Lumeln entrance ceremony.
As the freshman representative who had overcome intense competition, he was given the chance to address the entire school.
But on the other hand, there was also the intent to provoke the other first-years.
‘Is it meant to challenge the ones who could’ve taken this spot?’
Leo let out a small laugh.
There were bound to be many students who desired this position, having always been the best.
Leo turned to look down at all the freshmen.
“I am Leo Flove, the freshman representative.”
At Leo’s polite greeting, the presiding professor looked a bit disappointed.
‘So this year’s freshman representative is a quiet one. Well, an honor student’s ambition isn’t bad either.’
In truth, even students with fiery personalities found it hard to speak carelessly once up here.
‘Looks like this will be a smooth entrance ceremony this year…’
“If you want this spot, take it.”
The presiding professor’s eyes widened.
The other freshmen’s mouths fell open.
Leo gave a smile and stepped down from the podium.
He had understood and followed the school’s intentions exactly.
‘But still, that was a bit much!’
The presiding professor screamed inwardly.
Even among the upperclassmen, laughter broke out.
“This year’s entrance ceremony is one for the books.”
“We’ve got a bold new junior.”
All eyes were on Leo.
But even so, Leo walked off the podium without so much as a blink.
As he returned to his seat, he met Celia’s gaze.
Celia, who’d been staring at Leo, let out a faint snort and lifted her chin.
Sitting next to her, Abad smiled as he looked at Leo.
“Wow! Wow! Leo, you were the representative?”
When he returned to his seat, Chelsea whispered excitedly.
“Aren’t you disappointed Abad didn’t get it?”
“I mean, it’s a shame my brother didn’t, but both of us saw you fight, Leo.”
Mmm-hmm—Chelsea nodded, arms folded.
“We didn’t say anything, but I think my brother recognizes you too.”
“Is that so?”
Leo looked at the back of Abad’s head in the seat ahead.
Time passed, and soon the entrance ceremony ended.
* * *
After the ceremony, the freshmen were immediately led to the dormitories.
Naturally, the dorms were divided by gender.
Each dormitory, as grand as a mansion, stood side by side.
There was a garden at the center, and training grounds on the surrounding grounds.
In the gathering place for freshmen, one of the dorm supervisors spoke.
“Dorm assignments are one person per room. There is a curfew. In special cases, overnight leave may be granted. However—”
The dorm supervisor let out a brief sigh.
“Entering the dorm of the opposite sex is strictly forbidden.”
His face grew stern.
“I understand you’re all at the age where you’re curious about the opposite sex. But please respect the boundaries.”
“Yes~”
The freshmen answered cheerfully.
The supervisor gave a wry smile at their response.
Even with that answer, energetic teenagers break this rule at least once a year.
‘Of course, after that, they never try again.’
“All right, find your luggage and unpack in your assigned rooms, then gather here again in an hour.”
The supervisor pointed to the luggage that had been delivered during the ceremony.
The freshmen chatted as they searched for their bags with friends.
They checked their assigned rooms.
“Oh! Leo! We’re next-door neighbors?”
“Really? That’s great.”
Carl said brightly, and Leo laughed.
“Still, I was surprised you were the student representative!”
“Yeah, I didn’t know either.”
“You must’ve really stood out during the exam?”
“Seems the proctor liked me.”
Leo and Carl carried their luggage up to their assigned rooms on the second floor.
Other freshmen stared.
“He’s the freshman representative?”
“Why did he get chosen over the top students? Maybe he’s got connections?”
“You think you can be the representative just because of connections?”
‘Looks like I’ll be getting a lot of attention from day one.’
After changing clothes and gathering again, the day passed in a whirlwind.
First was class assignment.
Lumeln’s curriculum was mainly focused on majors, but there were also shared classes.
For those, students attended with their classmates.
There were ten first-year classes, from Class 1 to Class 10.
Leo was assigned to Class 5, along with Chelsea and Carl.
Afterward, they were introduced to the facilities inside Lumeln Academy.
As one of only four Hero Academies in the world, Lumeln’s campus was vast.
It took half a day just to tour the important facilities.
After the tour, they returned to the dorm to find the dorm supervisor waiting.
“Welcome. I’m Obellio, the dorm supervisor for first-years. Good work today. Starting tomorrow, you’ll have a week of provisional classes.”
During the provisional class period, students could attend whatever classes they wanted.
Even those aiming for the knight program could take magic or summoning classes.
Sometimes, students even discovered talents they didn’t know they had.
“Classes start tomorrow, so don’t get too worked up. Go to bed early tonight.”
At Professor Obellio’s dismissal, the students headed to their dorm rooms.
“Whew~ What a crazy day!”
Carl stretched, looking tired.
“I can’t wait for tomorrow! Anyway, Leo, good night!”
“Yeah, good night.”
After saying their goodbyes, everyone went into their rooms.
Once inside, Leo changed into his pajamas and got into bed.
Feeling the comfort of the mattress, he drifted off to sleep.
