Chapter 201
[Leo Plov! You’ve crossed the finish line in first place!]
Cheira, who was in charge of commentary, shouted in an excited tone as she watched Leo cross the finish line first.
Afterward, Duran and Eliza also crossed, so the riders from the Human Hero Academy, Lumene, took first, second, and third place.
Seiren’s rider, Eiran, was eliminated by Leo, and the other riders, including Chloe and Chen Xia, were also eliminated.
Even in the elimination points, Lumene was ahead overall, so the first-year team event ended in a decisive victory for Lumene.
It was the first time since the current fifth years that the first-year team event had been won.
Because of that, the Lumene crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
“Leo! Duran! Eliza!”
The first-years cheered the three.
While Lumene was celebrating, a voice suddenly rang out.
“Whoa! It’s Lunia El Lunda!”
“Run!”
When Lunia approached, the first-years from Lumene scattered in a panic.
This was because they had seen Lunia’s fierce attacks on Leo during the obstacle race.
While everyone swallowed nervously, Lunia gave the first-years from Lumene a gentle, bright smile.
The Lumene first-years, who had been frightened by the sight of Lunia attacking Leo so relentlessly, hesitated.
On second thought, it was only natural for the rivalry between schools to lead to such fierce attacks.
As Lunia put on the act of a perfect honors student, the Lumene first-years glanced at each other and whispered.
“She’s not scary at all.”
“She’s actually really pretty.”
“She’s the perfect honors student.”
Not knowing the details, the Lumene first-years were instantly smitten.
In truth, only classmates or a few upperclassmen in Seiren really knew Lunia’s true nature.
In the midst of all this, Lunia reached Leo and spoke.
“Leo, let’s talk.”
“Shall we?”
Leo, who had been resting in his seat, got up with a grunt.
The two moved to a place where they could talk alone.
“What is it?”
“Go cheer Eiran up. She’s really down because of you.”
With a sigh, Lunia pointed toward Eiran, who was sitting with Seiren.
Eiran, who had been chosen as a rider to represent her grade, had been defeated by Leo in the most straightforward way and was now completely downcast.
At that, Leo scratched his cheek and walked over to Eiran.
Other students were trying to console Eiran, who sat with slumped shoulders.
Until the first semester, Eiran had struggled to adapt to school, but now it was different.
After meeting Leo, she got her act together and participated in department life.
As the students of Advanced Class 1 had also changed a lot, she adapted well to the new environment.
Because of that, she was now clearly recognized as the second-ranked first-year in Seiren.
As Leo approached, some Seiren students glared at him.
‘What? Why’s this guy coming over here?’
A few of the male students in particular looked at him with unfriendly eyes.
Because of her shy but kind personality and how she looked after others, Eiran had become quite popular in Seiren.
“Eiran.”
“Leo?”
At Leo’s call, Eiran flinched and looked up, then drooped her ears.
Seeing Eiran looking even more deflated than before, the Seiren students’ hostility toward Leo grew.
“You’ve really grown, you know?”
“Huh?”
“I heard you dodged Duran and Eliza’s attacks. That’s impressive.”
Leo smiled and praised her.
At his words, Eiran’s ears perked up.
Her eyes widened as she looked up at Leo, and her cheeks turned a bit red.
“R-Really?”
“Yeah.”
Seeing Leo’s warm smile, Eiran also smiled brightly.
“You were amazing too, Leo!”
Having regained her spirits, Eiran stood up and began chattering energetically.
The Seiren students watched with complicated expressions.
Especially the boys, whose faces twisted in annoyance.
Watching all this, Lunia let out a small sigh.
‘Eiran’s too soft when it comes to Leo.’
Thinking about the upcoming Lumeiren event, Lunia felt worried.
—
The first-year team competition, which could be called the opening match of Lumeiren, was over.
After that, various events unfolded.
Students from both Lumene and Seiren showcased their talents and specialties to make an impression on the public.
Though it was an event for interspecies harmony and school pride, more than anything, it was a chance to show the excellence of the hero cadets.
After all, hero cadets were the very symbols of future peace.
The first day’s events came to an end.
By late evening on the third day, most students had already fallen asleep from the exhaustion of Lumeiren.
Leo, too, was about to lie down in bed and sleep.
Knock, knock.
There was a tapping sound at the window.
Rising from his bed, Leo went over to the window.
And when he saw the bird outside, he made a puzzled face.
‘A snowbird?’
It was a low-grade Summoned Beast that lived in cold regions.
When Leo opened the window, the snowbird flew in and dropped a rolled-up envelope from its foot, then flew off with a flutter.
Despite the strong wind, it was unfazed—just as one would expect of a Summoned Beast.
Leo opened the envelope with a puzzled look.
“An invitation?”
The sender was none other than Seiren’s vice principal.
‘To the Star Archive at Seiren’s main campus?’
During Lumeiren, Seiren opened its facilities to Lumene’s students.
The Star Archive was no exception, but it had limited hours of use.
The Star Archive.
For 5,000 years, all the data on star magic collected by elves had been stored here—the very heart of Seiren.
Being invited to such a place after hours was enough to make Leo curious.
‘No way I can ignore this, right?’
Scratching his head, Leo quickly changed and headed for the Star Archive.
Normally, he would have been stopped by a supervisor, but apparently word had already been passed along, as Leo reached the archive without any trouble.
Creak—
Leo opened the huge door of the Star Archive and stepped inside.
Faint magical lights illuminated the interior, making it dim.
Still, Leo walked through the archive with little difficulty.
“Welcome, Leo Plov.”
A clear voice sounded after a moment.
Flash!
The inside of the Star Archive lit up brightly.
And there, sitting in the center of the archive, was an elven woman with silver hair and golden eyes.
Standing next to her was a tall elven man.
Leo could immediately tell that the one speaking to him was a dragon.
“Hello.”
When Leo gave a slight bow in greeting, the elven man’s eyes twitched.
“Show more respect, Leo Plov. Do you know who this is?”
“Vice Principal Nerzia of Seiren, right?”
“And knowing that, you dare to show such disrespect?”
“Birias, I don’t think you need to be so strict,” Nerzia said, narrowing her eyes.
Birias, as he was called, responded with unconcealed displeasure.
“Vice Principal Nerzia, I still don’t understand. Why should we accept a human at Seiren?”
He turned his gaze to Leo.
“He’s just a human who happened to get lucky and deciphered the Founder’s magic. Is that enough to make him one of Seiren’s own?”
Birias Zerkyn.
He had graduated from Seiren five years ago and was now at the forefront of Hero Dungeon raids.
Leo narrowed his eyes at Birias.
‘I’ve seen those eyes before.’
They were similar to how some Seiren students had looked at him in the first semester.
They were sure they were a step above Lumene students.
‘No, at the root, this is different.’
Birias’s gaze was even more blatant.
Leo recognized those eyes exactly.
The look of someone intoxicated with a sense of racial superiority.
‘Just like the High Elves.’
“Birias, I think I allowed you to accompany me on the condition that you wouldn’t bring that up,” Nerzia said, rubbing her temples.
“I apologize, Vice Principal Nerzia.”
“I don’t want to hear excuses. Just leave.”
With a bow, Birias left the archive, but he continued to glare at Leo until the end.
‘I can’t believe I’d meet another elf like that in this life.’
Compared to him, Seiren’s students, with their excessive school pride, seemed cute.
“Ugh, his mind is completely stuck in that way,” Nerzia said, cradling her head in her hands before letting out a deep breath and smiling.
“In any case, welcome, Leo Plov.”
“Why did you want to see me?”
“Didn’t that bother you?” Nerzia asked, looking slightly surprised as Leo remained calm.
“I’m used to things like that. I just think of it as a dog barking.”
Nerzia gave a low whistle at Leo’s dry smile.
‘He really is something else.’
Resting her chin on her hand, Nerzia spoke.
“The reason I wanted to see you is simple. That longsword made from dragon bone you received—I was the one who sent it.”
“I’m making good use of it.”
“Good. So why do you think I sent you such a gift?”
She crossed her arms with a meaningful expression.
“It’s because I want you to come to Seiren!”
“Are you saying you want me to transfer?”
“That’s right.”
Nerzia grinned.
“I’ll be honest, Leo Plov. I’m interested in your talent. You’ll be one of the next generation of heroes who’ll lead this era.”
She got up and approached Leo.
“I deeply respect Lysinas, the Wise King. I want to foster a great hero who will conquer the flames of disaster and Tartarus, just like Lysinas did.”
Nerzia’s golden eyes gleamed.
“Do you know why Lumene has been falling behind Seiren lately?”
“Because Seiren’s students study harder?”
“It’s because of me.”
She shrugged.
“As Seiren’s vice principal, I’ve been supporting the students as much as I can. Now, Seiren isn’t just ahead of Lumene—it’s miles ahead of Azonia and Damienne, too. In other words, we’re the best of the best!”
Nerzia smiled meaningfully and extended her hand.
“If you study here, you can reach even greater heights, Leo Plov. To be the best, you have to study in the best place. I, and Seiren, will make you a hero whose name will go down in history.”
Looking at Nerzia radiating confidence, Leo replied.
“I like my school.”
“I figured you’d say that. Then I’ll tell you something special.”
Nerzia grinned.
“I’m a dragon.”
“……”
“Not just me. The vice principals of all the hero academies are dragons. Right now, Vice Principal Lieven at Lumene isn’t very interested in supporting students. He’s an old dragon, almost at retirement age. He’s experienced, but he’s not as full of youthful drive as I am. You’ve been chosen by a dragon. So, don’t you want to come to Seiren even more?”
“Melina told me it was a top-secret that the vice principals are all dragons. Isn’t it a big deal to say that out loud?”
“Ah, well, it would be if Lord found out… Wait, what did you just say?”
Nerzia’s eyes widened.
“You know Lord?”
“Yes. I’ve met her several times.”
Leo replied as Nerzia opened and closed her mouth in surprise.
“If you’ve said everything you needed, can I go to bed now?”
Leo had no reason to continue the conversation, as he had no thoughts of transferring.
“Wait! Hold on!”
Nerzia called out urgently.
“You don’t think I’d ask you to transfer to Seiren for nothing, do you?”
With a triumphant look, she pulled a small case from her pocket.
She handed it to Leo.
Leo took it with a puzzled look.
“Open it.”
When Leo opened the case, he found a small, worn scrap of paper inside.
“It’s a fragment of the Founder of the Nebula’s Hero Record. It can manifest the Hero’s World.”
Leo’s eyes widened.
“Is this a relic left behind by Luna?”
“Yeah. Well, not exactly something physical, though.”
Nerzia smiled.
“It’s a fact that’s only come to light very recently. Only someone who has mastered a ‘particular’ star magic can manifest the Hero’s World with this Hero Record.”
Nerzia approached Leo and, putting an arm around his shoulders, whispered softly.
“If you come to Seiren, I’ll give you the chance to conquer the Hero’s World of a great hero.”
Nerzia took out the Hero Record fragment and placed it in Leo’s hand.
Leo hastily stepped back.
Based on previous cases, the Hero’s World could suddenly activate at any moment.
“What’s wrong? Why are you so startled?”
Nerzia looked at Leo in surprise.
“It’s nothing.”
Leo managed to regain his composure and asked calmly.
“What’s the star magic needed to activate it?”
“That’s a secret.”
Nerzia replied with a confident smile.
“Well? Interested?”
Leo gave a lukewarm look.
“No.”
“W-Why not?”
“School life would be too hard. Just look at that elf from earlier.”
At Leo’s words, Nerzia looked flustered.
Certainly, Seiren had its fair share of students with a sense of racial superiority.
“If you’re finished, I’ll be going now.”
Leo bowed his head.
And then he left the Star Archive.
‘My hand touched it, but Luna’s World didn’t activate. That’s a relief, but… Could it be that it’s not Luna’s World? But she did say it was Luna’s Hero Record.’
As he left the archive, Leo fell into thought.
Watching him go, Nerzia placed the Hero Record back in the deepest part of the Star Archive, looking regretful.
‘That little one’s got a stubborn streak. Is it that he really loves his school? Well! It’s only worth persuading someone with that much integrity!’
With renewed determination, Nerzia closed the door to the innermost part of the Star Archive.
Creak—! Thud—!
Darkness fell over the innermost chamber of the Star Archive where the Hero Record was kept.
Crackle—
Suddenly, gray sparks flickered over Luna’s Hero Record.