Chapter 258
“Two weeks in Damienne, huh.”
“Now that I think about it, the third-years also disappeared around this time, didn’t they?”
“An exclusive smith contract? I can’t wait!”
Weekend.
The second-years boarding the regular line to Lumeria City were abuzz with the announcement from the day before.
A notice had arrived stating that starting next week, all second-years would be heading to Damienne for two weeks.
Now that the long-awaited moment was approaching, the students couldn’t hide their excitement.
The reason for the second-years’ trip to Damienne was simple.
An exclusive smith contract.
In other words, it was time to form a contract with the blacksmith who would be responsible for their weapons and equipment for the remainder of their school life.
Damienne differed slightly from typical hero academies.
The Dwarves of Damienne were powerful hero candidates and, at the same time, great heroes in their own right.
Like Dweno, they were also exceptional blacksmiths.
As such, Dwarven heroes often took on the responsibility of crafting gear for other heroes.
In that sense, this marked the beginning of a lifelong bond—making it one of the most important events in the second-year academic calendar.
Unable to contain their excitement, the second-years headed to Lumeria City to prepare for their journey to Damienne.
—
Chatter— Chatter— Chatter—
Lumeria City on weekends was one of the most vibrant places in the world.
It was the center of the world.
But what made Lumeria City special wasn’t just its geographical location.
It was directly connected to Lumene.
Naturally, many people flocked there to catch a glimpse of the future hero candidates.
This was something unique to Lumene.
Seiren was located in the deep northern central part of the continent.
A land of bitter cold that froze to the bone.
Moreover, non-elves were forbidden from wandering freely in elven territory.
And unless on a mission, Seiren students rarely left campus.
That made them the most mysterious and elusive among the four major hero academies.
Azonia wasn’t much different.
While non-beastkin could travel in the region, and Azonia’s free-spirited students often ventured off campus, they were still rarely seen.
This was due to Azonia Academy’s location—right in the heart of a desert surrounded by hordes of monsters.
Azonia deliberately avoided large-scale monster exterminations to foster student growth.
Lastly, the Damienne Academy.
It was located in a massive mining region in the east.
And perhaps due to racial characteristics, most Dwarves preferred staying holed up in workshops, deeply focused on their crafts, making them hard to encounter.
In contrast to those three, Lumene’s position in Lumeria City made it easily accessible.
And since many students came out on weekends, it wasn’t hard to run into them.
As a result, people often visited just to see the hero candidates, generating considerable tourism revenue.
Today, more students than usual had come to Lumeria City.
Most of them were first- and second-years.
The second-years brought their mentees with them to strengthen their bonds before heading to Damienne.
“First, let’s get you a new uniform.”
Celia, who had come with Leo and Luke, looked at Luke and said.
“Huh? Uniform?”
Luke looked puzzled.
“Yeah. You’re wearing a hand-me-down from a graduate, right?”
Luke scratched his head awkwardly.
“Lumene uniforms are expensive…”
“I know. That’s why I’m getting you a new one.”
“Why?”
“You’re Leo Plov’s mentee. Leo is my cousin and a direct member of the Zerdinger family. That basically means you’re connected to the Zerdingers too.”
Celia pulled out a card from her coat bearing the Zerdinger emblem.
It gleamed between her index and middle fingers.
“You need to look the part.”
Luke scratched his head with a shy laugh.
“I appreciate it, but I think I’m good. I wouldn’t mind financial help, but I don’t think I deserve it yet.”
Celia blinked at his polite response.
“Well, if that’s how you feel.”
Swish—!
She returned the card to her coat and smiled.
“Self-reliance isn’t a bad trait. Though, in the case of my mentees…”
Celia squinted slightly.
“They’re so independent, it’s kind of frustrating.”
Her gaze landed on two girls.
Aina and Martina.
They weren’t quite at Leo’s level, but they had become Celia’s mentees after a grueling test.
‘That girl seems to have another motive, though.’
Celia narrowed her eyes at Aina, who was staring blankly at Luke.
On the last day of mentor assignments, Aina had suddenly appeared and asked to be her mentee.
It had caught Celia off guard.
‘She had the skills, so I accepted her…’
But Celia knew well that Aina had no intention of learning from her.
‘She seems overly obsessed with Leo. How am I supposed to handle that?’
While Celia was pondering—
Chelsea returned from a street stall, munching on chocolate-coated pretzel sticks.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t it kind of lame how Celia Zerdinger brags about being rich?”
“No, not really.”
“Oh? Respecting your senior—what a good attitude. But sometimes, you should be honest. I’ve got your back.”
Chelsea grinned.
“It’s kind of annoying, right?”
“Why are you picking a fight?”
Celia frowned, and Chelsea stuck her tongue out.
“Don’t mind Leo’s mentee. Focus on your own!”
“Like you should talk. You don’t even have a mentee! Go away!”
As the two bickered, Luke was flustered while Martina calmly tried to intervene.
Aina stared at the two upperclassmen with a blank expression.
“Leo! Why did you bring this damned Lewellin woman?!”
“I need a favor.”
“A favor? What kind? I’ll do it—just get rid of her!”
“It’s about magic.”
“Urgh?!”
Celia’s face twisted.
If it was magic-related, there was nothing she could do.
She shot Chelsea a glare and left with Aina and Martina.
Chelsea smiled smugly at Celia’s retreating figure, then looked puzzled.
“Still… Leo asking me for magic help? That’s new.”
At the beginning of their first year, Leo had often asked Chelsea for help with magic.
He wasn’t familiar with modern trends or techniques, so Chelsea’s theoretical knowledge had been a big help.
But aside from that—
Leo’s magical understanding was on another level.
Even the best mages in the world wouldn’t be enough to keep up.
Once Leo got used to modern magic, he rarely needed help.
‘And now he’s asking me?’
Chelsea’s eyes sparkled.
While the curiosity grew, a hum escaped her lips.
“I want to buy some grimoires and magical items.”
“Oh! Then let’s go to Kuraju’s Magic Street!”
Kuraju, the busiest district in Lumeria City.
Its magic quarter, known as Magic Street, specialized in magic items.
Grimoires, catalysts, anything you could need for magic research—it was all there.
Leo had rarely visited.
‘Leo’s all about practical magic, after all.’
Though he was an incredible mage, he wasn’t the research-driven type.
Magic’s essence is exploration and study.
But Leo’s magic was focused on [combat].
Not that there was anything wrong with that.
Combat-specialized magic didn’t mean it lacked depth.
Take his [Original Magic] or [Star Magic] for instance—
‘Leo’s magical theories are on a level most mages couldn’t even comprehend.’
Chelsea leaned more toward Leo’s type too.
But unlike Leo, she was also interested in non-combat magical research.
‘Leo would be amazing at magical theory too.’
Chelsea smacked her lips.
Given his focus, it made sense he hadn’t explored Magic Street much.
Everything Leo needed for magic was already available at Lumene.
And back in first year, whenever Chelsea, Carr, or Chloe tried to drag Leo to Magic Street—
Celia would swoop in and block them.
‘Tch. She was probably afraid he’d fall in love with magic.’
Chelsea snorted at the memory.
But this time was different.
‘Maybe he’s finally getting into non-combat magical studies. He did restore Luna’s flower magic, after all! He must’ve been interested in it all along, just too busy during first year! Now that he’s in second year, he has time for research!’
Chelsea decided to take the optimistic view.
Of course, if he were really getting into theory, Chloe—his dormmate and expert—would be the logical choice to ask.
But Chelsea didn’t think that far.
Humming a tune, the three arrived at Magic Street.
Luke’s eyes widened at the magical scenery.
“Wow…”
Brooms swept the ground on their own.
Mages levitated objects with spells.
It was magic in every direction.
Everything was done through magic.
At Lumene, everyday use of magic was restricted by school rules, so such sights were rare.
This kind of scenery simply didn’t exist there.
“This is amazing.”
“Huh? This is pretty normal.”
Chelsea shrugged at Luke’s awe.
To her, someone from the prestigious Lewellin family, it was nothing special.
“Oh! Chelsea!”
The owner of an ice cream stall at the entrance of Magic Street waved with a big smile.
“Hello, sir. How’ve you been?”
“Great! I’m testing a new product—want to try?”
“Three, please!”
Chelsea held up three fingers.
The shopkeeper laughed heartily and sent over triple-scoop cones using telekinesis.
“Uh, I—”
“As your senior, I can treat you to this much. No pressure.”
Chelsea winked, and Luke bowed gratefully before taking a bite.
“Mmm! Mmm! This is really good! It’ll sell well!”
“Oho, your opinions are usually right on. I’ll expect good sales then.”
The shopkeeper laughed again.
As they walked, Chelsea greeted several other shop owners.
“You’re pretty well-known.”
“I’m kind of a big deal.”
Chelsea laughed confidently.
“So, what kind of help do you need?”
“I was hoping for a good beginner’s guide to magic. I learned everything on my own, so I know almost nothing about magic foundations.”
Even in his past life, Leo had learned magic on his own.
He picked up techniques just by observing others.
That’s why he knew next to nothing about formal magical foundations.
‘I basically taught Austin by winging it.’
He’d shown Austin the spells he needed, but as a mage, Austin was severely lacking in fundamentals.
‘I’m sure Eliana will take care of that part.’
“A beginner’s book? Who are you teaching?”
“Yeah.”
“Who? Does someone in your squad have magical talent?”
Chelsea looked puzzled, and Leo shook his head.
“No.”
“Then who?”
In response, Leo pointed to the side.
Luke, mid-lick, blinked his large eyes and glanced sideways.
No one was there.
“Uh… me?”
Luke asked hesitantly.
“Yeah.”
“But I can’t use magic.”
“You haven’t learned it. But you have talent.”
“Me? Really?”
Luke asked, baffled.
“Yeah. So you’ll be training in magic too from now on.”
Luke felt his heart thump with excitement.
“Also, don’t tell anyone you’re learning magic until finals.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Well, obviously—”
Chelsea cut in.
“Because it’ll be your trump card.”
“Exactly.”
Leo smiled.
“The more jokers, the better.”
Especially since Luke’s mana trait was more suited to [Magic Power] than [Aura].
Emotion-fueled mana amplification.
While other mages struggled to boost their magic’s power, Luke was born with the gift to do so naturally.
“Yeah, if he learns magic too… his survival rate in first semester will go way up!”
“Exactly.”
Chelsea smiled beside him—
“Survival? What are you talking about?”
“Huh?”
“Hmm?”
Chelsea and Luke looked at Leo in confusion.
“Your first semester goal is to be the top of your year.”
“…What?”
“Leo, come on. That’s… there’s no way…”
“There is.”
Leo smiled gently.
“Because I’m going to make it possible.”
Luke was so stunned he couldn’t even process what was happening.
Thump—!
Chelsea placed a sorrowful hand on his shoulder.
“Good luck staying alive.”
Luke gulped hard.
“What kind of school life am I in for…?”
To that, Chelsea smiled.
“No one knows. But one thing’s certain—your school life is going to be hell.”