Chapter 161
The Human Hero Academy, Lumene, First Year Faculty Office.
Nine men and women stood with tense expressions.
Standing stiffly, they were waiting for someone.
At that moment.
Step—step—
A middle-aged professor with a sharp impression walked toward them.
Seeing the professor, the nine men and women looked even more nervous.
“Are you the temporary instructors selected this time?”
“Yes! That’s right!”
The Lumene professor scanned the nine with piercing eyes.
Then, folding his arms, he dragged a chair over and sat in front of them.
‘What incredible pressure!’
‘They said Professor Harrid would be our supervisor in Lumene, so that must be Professor Harrid.’
‘This is one of Lumene’s top professors!’
The promising young professors from Ecorte, Emeral, and Scaun tried to calm their trembling hearts.
They had all come to Lumene as temporary instructors for their internship at the Hero Academy.
It was an opportunity to be appointed as associate professors in Lumene.
They listened intently to the Lumene professor.
“Alright. You, then.”
“Y-Yes?”
He gestured to the female professor from Ecorte standing farthest to the left.
“Tell me what mindset a professor should have.”
“A professor is someone who helps students. What students want is…”
“Wrong! Next!”
“A professor is someone who leads students…”
“You’re wrong too! Next!”
The temporary professors behind them grew even more anxious at the professor’s mercilessness.
‘As expected of Lumene…!’
‘They must have a deep educational philosophy!’
Everyone gulped, their minds racing.
But none of the nine could give him a satisfying answer.
“Hoo— I expected more from such outstanding professors, but I’m disappointed.”
“S-Sorry.”
“No, don’t be sorry. Aren’t you all still learning? Actually, humans are creatures who learn from birth to death. Even I learn from my students at times.”
His expression softened, different from before.
The temporary instructors looked moved as they watched the professor.
‘I heard Professor Harrid is really scary?’
‘The rumors were wrong.’
‘He has great character. I feel like I’ll learn a lot.’
“So, what mindset should a professor have? That is!”
He folded his arms.
“Elegance.”
“Sorry?”
“Elegance! That is the mindset a teacher should have! A teacher must always be an object of admiration for students! You must always be ready so that students can look up to you! Now! Let’s all introduce ourselves! Make sure you present yourselves elegantly!”
“What are you doing, Sedgen?”
“You’re here, Professor Harrid.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be in charge of students?”
“Heh. I just wanted to impart some wisdom to the promising young teachers. Wait just an hour.”
“Take him out.”
Professor Harrid spoke mercilessly, eyeing the overly enthusiastic Sedgen.
Then Ain and Len, who had come with him, grabbed Sedgen and dragged him out of the office.
“Ain! Len! Aren’t you who you are today because of my guidance? You’re all young professors with bright futures! There’s definitely much you can learn from me—hey! Let go! Let go! You dogs of Harrid! I said let go!”
Sedgen’s desperate cries echoed, but Ain and Len dragged their own teacher out without hesitation.
“Is that really okay…?”
Just then, the professor from Emeral cautiously asked, and Yura, who had come with Harrid, smiled.
“It’s a daily thing. You’ll get used to it.”
Despite the commotion, the other professors working in the office didn’t even bat an eye.
As the temporary instructors looked amazed, Professor Harrid sat down in the chair Sedgen had been in.
“Now, I will announce the department schedule.”
“Uh… shouldn’t we introduce ourselves?”
The female professor sitting farthest to the left raised her hand and spoke cautiously, and Harrid’s chilly gaze turned to her.
“Why would you need to do that?”
“Eek!”
Overwhelmed by Harrid, she looked terrified.
Taking his gaze off her, Harrid began to recite the schedule.
One of the professors from Scaun, looking flustered, hurriedly raised a hand.
“P-Professor! Could we get some time to take notes…!”
“I heard you’re all young and capable professors.”
Harrid replied indifferently.
“You should be able to remember this much at once, right?”
With that, Harrid resumed going over the schedule.
The nine professors did their best to memorize every word.
Finishing quickly, Harrid narrowed his eyes.
“Any questions?”
The temporary instructors couldn’t say a word.
They were too busy trying to organize everything in their heads.
“As expected of outstanding professors. To understand everything at once.”
With a smirk, Harrid jerked his chin.
“Then, you may go.”
With that, Harrid returned to his seat.
The temporary instructors, on the verge of tears, looked at Yura.
Receiving their gazes, Yura smiled.
“It’s a daily thing. You’ll get used to it.”
Hearing Yura repeat the exact same phrase from before, the temporary instructors looked dumbfounded.
“Professors from Scaun, please follow me. After lunch, you’ll be attending the summoning department’s class.”
At Yura’s words, the professors from Scaun followed her out of the office.
Ain and Len, having escorted Sedgen out, also left with the professors from Ecorte and Emeral to prepare for class.
Professor Harrid narrowed his eyes as he sat at his desk.
‘Could there be a spy among them?’
Throughout the semester, Tartarus had pulled many schemes in Lumene.
Tartarus was always behind the major incidents.
Even now, the upper echelons of Lumene still hadn’t found the trail of Tartarus within the academy.
And in such circumstances, they were admitting hundreds of outsiders.
There’s no telling if Tartarus will try something again.
‘Their goal is probably to shake up Lumene slowly but surely.’
Because of incidents during the first semester, Lumene’s position had wavered.
The result of that is this joint class.
Of course, Lumene’s reputation and influence still remained unscathed.
But…
‘A small tremor can one day create a tiny crack, and a tiny crack can become a huge rift.’
In such circumstances, focusing internally and severing exchanges with outsiders would be one of the best choices.
But Lumene admitted outside students.
‘This must be the principal’s way of saying, “Bring it on.”’
The greatest hero of this era.
The hero who defeated the legion commander of Tartarus.
Sword Star Kalian Beidian.
Kalian held this joint class as a way to announce his continued strength.
It was a declaration that, if anything happened, he would stand at the front lines.
‘I have to support him well.’
With a deep sigh, Harrid spread out the student roster.
In practice, Sedgen was in charge of managing the students from other academies, but the background checks were Harrid’s responsibility.
That’s why the highest-ranking people in Lumene were now assigned to Harrid.
Sedgen suddenly being put in charge of the professors was partly to lighten Harrid’s burden.
With a sharp gaze, Harrid began going through the student roster.
—
Lunch break.
Leo strolled leisurely through Lumene’s grand library.
There were many students from other academies in the library besides Leo.
They wandered around the grand library in awe.
After lunch, Chen Xia, who was taking the summoning class with Leo, approached with a smile.
“The Hall of Heroes is packed with people.”
The Hall of Heroes, also called the relic vault.
It was where countless legendary weapons, once wielded by active heroes, lay at rest.
And now, Sword Star Kalian’s sword was on display in the Hall of Heroes.
Even for Lumene students, seeing Kalian was rare despite him being the principal.
So, students from other academies flocked to the library, hoping to see the legendary sword that accompanied the greatest hero of this era.
“Come to think of it, Leo, you’ve spoken with the principal several times, haven’t you?”
Chen Xia’s eyes sparkled.
“What kind of person is he?”
“He’s just like a grandpa from next door.”
“I think you’re the only one in the world who’d call Sword Star a grandpa next door.”
Chen Xia giggled as she pulled a book from the shelf.
It was a book about Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings.
“Here it is. Lately, books about the Hero of Beginnings are so popular it’s hard to find a copy.”
“Are you interested in him too?”
“Of course. By the way, Leo, didn’t you say you were starting a club about the Hero of Beginnings?”
“Yeah. Once I get a few members, it’ll get approved.”
While going through the department schedule, Leo had been preparing the club.
“Well, everyone’s already joined a club, so none of my close friends can join.”
At that, Chen Xia hesitated, then smiled.
“I’m not in any club. Should I join yours?”
“Oh? You’d do that?”
“On one condition.”
Chen Xia smiled, tilting her head slightly.
“Call me ‘big sis’ once.”
“…Do I really have to?”
“Of course. You always treat me like I’m younger, but I’m two years older than you, you know. I’m definitely your senior.”
Lifting her chin, Chen Xia slowly brushed her hair back.
Then, with a strangely deep look, she said,
“Don’t I seem like an adult?”
“You look like a kid pretending to be a grown-up.”
Chen Xia pouted.
Just then—
Murmur—murmur—
The library grew noisy.
Leo and Chen Xia looked toward the entrance in confusion.
There, a peculiar scene was unfolding.
A blonde girl in Scaun’s uniform entered the library, accompanied by Lumene students.
What’s more, the Lumene students trailing behind her were from different grades.
‘Who is she that she has all those people following her? Wait, hold on. I recognize some of those faces.’
Leo noticed several familiar faces in the group.
They were peers and upperclassmen who had taken the western entrance exam with him.
The common denominator: they were all nobles of the Lordren Empire.
As Leo looked at the group curiously, the girl who had been scanning the library met Leo’s eyes.
She smiled and walked over to him.
“You’re Leo Plov, right?”
The girl, about Chelsea’s age, asked Leo in a graceful voice.
“Yeah, but who are you?”
“Don’t you know who I am?”
The girl sounded a bit surprised.
“This is my first time seeing you, so of course not. Are you famous or something?”
Leo’s indifferent tone made the first-year students beside him look flustered, as if they wanted to explain something.
But before they could, a second-year, Varden—of the Zerdinger cadet branch—scowled and barked,
“Don’t be rude, Leo Plov. This is the Crown Princess of the Lordren Empire, Shasha Sienne Lordren.”
At Varden’s introduction, Leo made an “oh” face.
The Lordren Empire’s two great heroic houses:
Zerdinger and Lewellin.
They had supported Lordren for generations as sworn vassals.
The royal family was the Lordrens.
The Lordren royal family had granted their vassals tremendous power, and those bonds remained unbroken even now.
That was because the Lordren royal family was itself a house of heroes, having produced countless heroes.
If Zerdinger and Lewellin were knights and mages, Lordren was the ‘summoner.’
When the empire faced a crisis,
It was always the Lordren emperor who stood as the nation’s final hero.
Because of this, the next emperor of Lordren was always decided purely by merit.
And this year, at age fourteen, Shasha had already surpassed her siblings and become the crown princess four years ago.
Leo, too, had heard about Shasha from Celia and Chelsea.
“What brings the princess to me?”
“I came to meet my future vassal.”
At Shasha’s words, the entire library buzzed.
The three major class academies had many children of the world’s most powerful figures.
Shasha was one of them.
And now, in front of everyone, she had essentially declared Leo would become a future asset of the empire.
Everyone held their breath and watched Leo and Shasha.
Even the students from the Lordren Empire looked shocked.
“In that sense, Leo Plov—no, since I’ll be a Lumene student next year, I’ll call you ‘senior.’ Leo, senior.”
Shasha gracefully extended her hand to Leo.
“Would you escort me to the next summoning class?”
Even though ability took priority in Lumene, she was the Lordren Empire’s princess.
And not just any princess—the crown princess.
On top of that, she’d be a Lumene student next year.
Everyone watched to see what Leo would do.
‘It’d be hard to refuse her here.’
‘Besides, she’s basically warning off other factions interested in Leo Plov.’
‘Smart move.’
As the students admired her, Leo said in a bored voice,
“What’s this brat talking about?” (T/N: Savage as usual hahahaha!)