Chapter 187
News of the unprecedented event—a first-year becoming student council president—spread across the globe in an instant.
Leo had already been under the spotlight.
Being the only all-class type ever recorded and showing feats unthinkable for a first-year was more than enough to draw attention.
Not to mention, he had firmly secured his place as the first-year representative among what was being called Lumene’s golden generation.
He was, without exaggeration, a young hero cadet worth watching.
But by ascending to the position of student council president, he had gone from a mere rookie to something else entirely.
His status as the Phoenix’s contractor made him all the more remarkable.
And now he had even gone toe-to-toe with Rhys, the current strongest student.
The recent first-year sparring evaluation had become a global point of fascination.
So many people flocked to Lumeria City—already known as the center of the world—that the streets overflowed just to hear about what was happening at Lumene.
The birth of a new hero always stirred hearts.
And tales of a boy like Leo only made people more excited.
In an age rife with tension and conflict, Leo’s appearance was a ray of sunshine.
People were already reacting as if a new hero had been born.
Naturally, the other first-years—who were already hailed as the golden generation—were pulled into the spotlight with him.
Back in the first semester, their Gigantes subjugation had already created enormous expectations for Lumene’s current first-years.
Now, with the student council president among them, the public’s perception of their entire year had shifted.
While the outside world buzzed over Leo and the first-years—
Inside Lumene…
“H-Holy crap, I’m burnt out…!”
Collapsing over his desk, Carr whimpered with a trembling voice.
“What kind of exam has zero multiple choice questions and is all written answers?!”
Eliana clutched her head.
“This test was brutal…”
Even Chelsea, one of the top students among all first-years, groaned.
Regardless of the world’s excitement, teenagers were still teenagers—barely surviving their exams.
The difficulty level of the written test was incomparable to the previous midterms or finals.
No matter how others saw them from the outside, they were now deep in the misery of exam hell.
Normally, the last day of exams would be a cause for celebration—but the first-years were utterly wiped out.
While everyone was sprawled across their desks in a daze—
Clack—!
The door opened and Professor Harrid entered with Sena.
The students immediately jolted upright at attention.
Step— Step—
Harrid walked calmly to the podium, set the attendance sheet down, and lifted the corners of his lips.
“Looks like you all enjoyed the exam.”
‘As if!’
‘It was ridiculously hard!’
They screamed internally, but no one dared say it aloud.
Without sparing them a glance, Harrid said:
“Well done enduring the exam. Hopefully, you all survived.”
The students blinked in mild surprise.
“If anyone does get advised to drop out… I’ll make sure you see hell before you leave, so maybe hope for that.”
And just like that, their relief plummeted again.
With the room drenched in despair once more, Harrid continued.
“Anyway, since the exams are over, I have an announcement.”
“A-An announcement?”
“What now…?”
Class 5 collectively tensed up.
They had learned well how Lumene operated.
Even after exams, the school never let its students truly relax.
‘N-New practical training?’
‘Or some kind of horrifically difficult assignment?’
Everyone held their breath and focused.
“One month from now… the Lumeiren begins.”
“……”
“……”
Everyone’s eyes turned round like rabbits.
And then—
“Ooooooh!”
“Lumeiren!”
“It’s finally hereeeee!”
Cheers erupted not just from Class 5, but from all classes.
And for good reason.
The Lumeiren was the biggest event of the academic year.
It wasn’t just about showcasing academic or combat prowess—it was the culmination of everything they’d built up through their school life.
Students in clubs held presentations and exhibitions during Lumeiren.
The school also opened its doors wide to visitors from outside.
It was, in every way, a school festival.
Watching the excitement on the students’ faces, Harrid slightly curled his lips.
“Of course… that only applies if you don’t get a dropout recommendation.”
And just like that, the atmosphere plummeted once more.
Then Harrid dropped a bomb.
“This year’s Lumeiren won’t be held at Lumene—it will be hosted by Seiren.”
The Lumeiren alternated annually between Lumene and Seiren.
And this year, it was Seiren’s turn to host.
“As you know, we’ve lost to Seiren the past few years.”
The students’ faces turned sour.
“It’s a disgrace for the school.”
Even Harrid’s normally unreadable face showed hints of irritation.
Which meant he was really annoyed.
“Rest well over the weekend. Starting next week, we’ll begin selecting representatives for each competition. Be ready.”
The Lumeiren was a school-wide event.
But certain contests required selected representatives.
Being chosen was a matter of pride.
Some categories even selected reps based on skills unrelated to academics.
“That’s all.”
Finishing the announcement, Harrid left the room.
Immediately, Class 5 began chattering among themselves.
“Chelsea, you’re in the music club, right? Will you be performing?”
“Yeah. I’m the soprano.”
“A first-year beat out her seniors to take the lead?”
“That’s incredible.”
“You haven’t heard her sing, have you? She’s amazing.”
Chelsea was said to be the ace of the music club.
Even as a first-year, her beautiful voice earned her the lead role.
“Carr, what’s your club doing?”
At Tide’s question, Carr grinned and made a money sign with his fingers.
“The upperclassmen said Lumeiren is a gold mine. So we’re planning a bunch of business ideas.”
“Presentations for any club take a lot of budget, don’t they?”
“Yeah. The music club’s spending way more than usual on stage setup and rehearsal.”
“For business clubs, you need your proposal approved to participate in Lumeiren.”
“Isn’t that usually managed by the student council?”
Everyone’s attention turned toward one side of the classroom.
Leo was quietly reading a book, uninterested in clubs.
“What?”
In front of them sat the highest authority among the students.
True, administrative work was left to Vice President Hark, and Leo’s real duties would begin next year.
But did that mean Leo had no power now?
Not at all.
“Class rep! Hey, class rep!”
Eliana scurried over and squatted in front of Leo, eyes sparkling.
“With just a tiny bit of budget, our Magic Swordsman Club could make an amazing enchanted sword to present!”
The club’s exhibition was centered on enchanted sword crafting.
Magic swordsmen who combined swordplay and magic specialized in this area.
Some even crafted better swords than alchemists.
Following Eliana, the rest of Class 5 rushed over to Leo.
“Leo! A wyvern fang just arrived in Lumeria City! I want to study summoning with it, but we don’t have the budget!”
“Rep! Listen to this—!”
As his classmates gathered around him, Leo nodded and pulled out a notepad.
“Tell me everything.”
“Ooooooh!”
“Big spender! Class rep!”
“Having the student council president in our class rocks!”
Cheers broke out.
Chelsea and Carr clicked their tongues.
Watching the chaos, the always-drowsy but pretty Nella asked them,
“Aren’t you two going to ask Leo for anything?”
“No.”
“You guys still don’t know what he’s like after half a year?”
After jotting down every request, Leo stood and walked to the front of the room.
“As the student council president, my first task is punishing my classmates for corrupt requests. This breaks my heart. Should I investigate all your clubs as well?”
“Hey! Grab him!”
“Stop him!”
“Aaaagh! Rep, nooo!”
“We’re sorry!”
Class 5 students clung to Leo’s legs, wailing.
—
With exams over, Leo headed for the student council room in the Hero’s Tower.
Even though Hark was handling the transition, as president, Leo still needed to show his face.
Upon entering, he found the student council members bustling with work.
“Leo’s here.”
“Welcome, Leo!”
The fifth-years greeted him with warm smiles.
To the soon-to-graduate seniors, Leo was a beloved junior.
“Looks busy.”
“Yeah, because of Lumeiren.”
“Take it easy. Here, have some snacks.”
“Huh? You brought these for us?”
“As expected of the next president—he even takes care of the council!”
“Perfect timing, I was craving something sweet.”
“You’re already sugar-crashing? I guess five years really does age you.”
“You wanna die?”
The fifth-years bickered while shooting death glares at each other.
In truth, the snacks were expensive bribes passed on by Class 5 students trying to keep Leo quiet.
Since Leo didn’t like sweets, the council officers ended up with the goods.
Leaving the fifth-years behind, Leo entered the president’s office.
Inside, Hark was receiving the transition briefing from Rhys, looking utterly dead inside.
“You really are the Riguard heir. There’s barely anything I need to teach you.”
Rhys chuckled, patting Hark on the shoulder.
Hark rubbed his sleep-deprived, dark-circled eyes.
“Wouldn’t it be better if I inherited from Torua-senior and that guy took your place?”
He pointed to Elena, who was receiving the vice president briefing from Torua.
At his words, Elena smiled sweetly.
“I’m just a third-year. There’s no way I could outrank you, Hark-senior.”
“You little—weren’t you the one throwing a fit about wanting to be president all through the first semester?”
“Oops~ Elena doesn’t remember that, Hark~”
“Don’t call me that kiddy nickname from back then. It’s creepy.”
Hark’s face scrunched up in disgust.
Normally known for their terrible relationship, it was currently a one-sided tantrum from Hark.
And Elena? She was thoroughly enjoying the sight of him suffering.
Then Rhys spotted Leo.
“You’re here?”
“Yes.”
Nodding, Leo moved to the window and looked outside.
“Having the heirs of Zeron and Riguard—two of Lumene’s three Heroic Houses—helping with student council work on behalf of someone like me… I’m honored.”
“You… I swear I’ll challenge you to a duel the moment you’re a second-year and shove all the work on you!”
“Go ahead.”
At Leo’s calm reply, Hark clutched his neck. Elena giggled.
“I hear you’re busy with Lumeiren prep. Is there anything I can help with?”
At Leo’s question, Rhys answered.
“Then could you do some club inspections?”
“Club inspections?”
“Yeah. Around this time, everyone’s busy preparing for Lumeiren—budget requests, supply needs, all that. Can you help handle those? That’s part of the job, too.”
“Understood.”
Leo nodded.
“You’ll need help, so I’ll assign a secretary.”
With that, a familiar black-haired first-year girl entered the room.
“Nice to see you, Sir Leo.”
It was none other than Chen Xia.
Seeing her smile, Leo tilted his head.
“Right… You’re part of the council.”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go.”
Rhys sent the two first-years off on their inspection.
Watching them leave, Torua tilted her head.
“Is it okay to send just two first-years?”
Rhys leaned his chin on his hand and pointed to Hark.
“Considering this guy? I think we’re fine.”
Leo taking control of someone as lazy as Hark the moment he became president—he was no ordinary first-year.
Torua nodded.
“Good point.”