Chapter 26

Leo’s special physical training sent Carr running for his life.

On the first day, Chelsea, who trained with Leo, realized that something was very, very wrong.

But it was already too late to turn back.

At first, Celia said she didn’t want to, but she gave up and joined Leo’s training.

Fortunately, having experienced it before, it was a bit more bearable than the first time.

“Is this really effective?”

“It is. Leo’s training may be brutish, but it’s unnecessarily systematic.”

As they returned to the girls’ dormitory, Celia replied to Chelsea’s question with a soulless expression.

Then, she flashed Chelsea a wicked smile.

“Welcome to hell, Chelsea Lewellin.”

Chelsea’s face twisted in fear at that smile.

“If you’re chatting, I guess you’re managing just fine?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! You devil!”

When Leo spoke with a laugh, Celia grabbed Leo by the collar with trembling arms and shook him.

Like that, for someone, it was a sweet weekend.

For someone else, it was a weekend from hell. And so, the second week at Lumene began.

Carr asked Chelsea, who was sprawled across her desk, her limbs twitching.

“Chelsea, are you alive?”

“No… I feel like I’m going to die.”

“Here. I went into Lumeria yesterday and got you the highest-grade pain relief patch.”

“For me?”

“Yeah, we’re classmates, aren’t we?”

Carr handed Chelsea a pain relief patch that was good for muscle recovery.

Chelsea accepted the patch, looking a little touched.

Carr held out his palm to Chelsea’s face.

“What does that mean?”

“For you, I’ll sell it at a special 30% discount. Because we’re friends.”

“Drop dead.”

Chelsea coldly threw the patch at Carr’s face.

With a snicker, Carr placed the patch on Chelsea’s desk.

“Still, hang in there. You have to do this if you want to be a Battle Mage, right?”

“Want to join? I can ask Leo to let you train with us.”

“Ah, no. I’ll pass.”

Carr shook his head awkwardly, then whispered to Leo.

“Couldn’t you go a little easier on her?”

“I was going easy.”

“That was easy?”

Carr vowed never to train with Leo again.

“By the way, I wonder what our homeroom professor is like?”

Carr, sitting in his chair, laced his fingers behind his head.

“I hope she’s a pretty lady professor.”

Creak—

Before he could finish, the classroom door opened and a disheveled-looking middle-aged man entered, carrying an attendance book.

The students, startled by the dark circles under his eyes, hurried back to their seats.

The man stood at the lectern, dropped the attendance book carelessly, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote his name on the blackboard.

Tap— tap tap.

The faces of the Class 5 students went pale when they saw the name written on the blackboard.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Harrid Edmond, your homeroom professor.”

He was the most famous teacher at Lumene.

A teacher who usually handled upper grades, like fourth or fifth years!

His nickname: The Wailing Wall!

The professor who expels more students than anyone else at Lumene!

That was Harrid Edmond.

Noticing the strange reactions of his classmates, Leo quietly asked Carr, who sat in front.

“Is he famous?”

“Famous is an understatement. He’s been a professor at Lumene for nearly 20 years.”

Carr whispered, swallowing hard.

“Many of his students have become heroes, but just as many have been expelled. He usually only handles upper grades, so why is he our first-year homeroom…!”

Harrid opened the attendance book.

“I’ll start roll call now. Carr Thomas.”

“Y-Yes!”

“Eliana Laden.”

“Here.”

Even though it was just homeroom roll call, Class 5 students looked visibly tense.

Leo’s name was the last called among the 45 students.

“Leo Plov.”

“Here.”

Thump—!

Closing the attendance book, Harrid spoke with a tired face.

“Some of you may be wondering why I’m your first-year homeroom professor.”

With a hand shoved carelessly into his jacket pocket, he spoke in a listless tone.

“This year, compared to your seniors, your entrance exam scores were higher on average. That’s why the higher-ups at Lumene have high expectations for you.”

Students were surprised to hear something they hadn’t known at all.

And with the news of those expectations, the classroom atmosphere quickly heated up.

At that moment, a female student raised her hand.

“What is it? Eliana Laden.”

“Are the professors in other classes also not usually in charge of first years?”

“That’s right.”

“Is the homeroom professor assigned at random?”

“No, each chose the class they wanted, and I chose you.”

Harrid Edmond wasn’t just famous for expelling students. He was also known for producing many outstanding students.

Hearing that such a professor had chosen them, Class 5 students couldn’t help but feel excited.

“Is there a special reason you chose our class?”

“Because your class had the lowest average entrance exam score among all ten classes.”

The excited atmosphere instantly deflated.

“Do you know why I expel the most students, Eliana Laden?”

“N-No.”

“Efficiency.”

Professor Harrid gazed at Eliana with emotionless eyes.

“It’s best to weed out the hopeless students early and focus on those with potential. Don’t you think so?”

Eliana, meeting the gaze that even terrified the top fifth years of Lumene, felt tears well up in her eyes.

While all of Class 5 except Leo held their breath and watched Harrid’s mood, salvation came for Eliana in the form of a bespectacled woman in her mid-twenties entering the classroom.

“Oh, come on! Professor Harrid, you can’t scare the students on the first day!”

Sighing deeply, she stood next to Professor Harrid.

“Hello, everyone in Class 5! I’m Sena Tillia, your assistant homeroom professor.”

With her light brown hair and bright personality, Professor Sena was the complete opposite of the homeroom teacher.

“Everyone! You don’t have to be so afraid of Professor Harrid! Even though he talks like that, he actually really cares about his students—”

“Sena Tillia. Step outside with me.”

Professor Sena, who was trying to reassure the students, was called outside.

“You haven’t changed since you were a student. How many times have I told you to fix that overly cheerful personality?”

“I’m sorry! I’ll fix it! It won’t happen again!”

Through the slightly open classroom door, Sena could be seen bowing her head frantically, her face pale.

“I like the assistant professor.”

“Me too. Even as an assistant, it’s easier to breathe with someone like that around.”

Chelsea said with a smile, and Carr nodded in agreement.

It seemed the other students felt the same, as the mood lightened a little.

Soon, the two professors returned to the front of the classroom.

“A moment ago, I said I became your homeroom professor because your entrance exam average was the lowest, right?”

“Y-Yes…”

The students answered in subdued voices, and Professor Harrid wore an indifferent expression.

“At Lumene, entrance exam scores are meaningless after three months.”

The students’ eyes widened.

“No matter what education you received before entering Lumene, this academy will teach you beyond that. That’s why first-year students’ grades at Lumene fluctuate wildly. It’s common for top students to hit rock bottom, and the reverse happens as well.”

Professor Harrid struck the lectern with a bang.

“At the midterm, any one of you could be ranked number one in your grade.”

The whole class stirred.

“But keep this in mind. Conquering the world of heroes is certainly a privilege of Hero Academy cadets, but it’s also a duty. Does anyone know why it’s a duty?”

Chelsea raised her hand.

“Chelsea Lewellin, answer.”

“Because you could lose your life.”

“Correct.”

Professor Harrid replied coldly.

“In my twenty years at Lumene, I’ve presided over many students’ funerals.”

There were the sounds of dry swallowing all around.

“As long as you’re students of Lumene, you cannot refuse to challenge the world of heroes. It’s a matter of risking your life. I only want to send students who have the ability to survive. Those who can’t—”

Professor Harrid spoke forcefully.

“—will be expelled before they die a meaningless death. That’s why I took charge of the class with the lowest average score.”

With that, Professor Harrid handed the attendance book to Sena.

“That’s all I have to say. From now, we’ll begin Combat Studies. Change into your gym clothes and assemble at the training ground.”

Professor Harrid strode out of the classroom.

“See you all at the training ground!”

Sena smiled at the students, then left the room.

The students grabbed their gym clothes from the lockers at the back of the classroom and headed for the changing rooms.

“He doesn’t seem like just a scary person.”

Carr spoke up as he entered the boys’ changing room.

“Yeah. If you think about it, Professor Harrid is one of the most respected professors at Lumene.”

A classmate walking beside him agreed.

‘His name was Tide, right?’

As Leo recalled the name, Tide continued.

“He has the lowest student fatality rate.”

Every year, quite a few students die at Lumene.

It’s not because the academy sends them into danger.

On the contrary, Lumene puts student safety above all else.

But still, there are deaths, because the path the students pursue is that of a hero.

A hero is someone who leaps into trials to save others.

Conquering the world of heroes and the Hero Dungeons.

Resolving incidents that occur all over the world.

Life at Lumene Academy is inevitably fraught with danger.

“Professor Harrid probably scared us at the start to remind us of that fact. So, let’s all do our best from now on.”

As everyone nodded seriously at Tide’s words—

“Oh? So you look skinny when you put that on?”

A soprano voice called out through the open window.

Kyaak-! The girls’ lively voices could be heard.

Come to think of it, the girls’ changing room was right next to the boys’.

Hearing voices from outside the window, the boys put on solemn expressions.

Then they gathered in the middle of the changing room and lowered their voices.

“Who do you think she meant by ‘looks skinny when you put that on’?”

“Eliana?”

“No, that was Eliana’s voice just now.”

They began a debate with a seriousness unmatched by earlier.

“It might be Nella.”

Then Carr mentioned Nella Carven, the beautiful girl with a slender figure, and the boys let out admiring exclamations.

“That makes sense!”

“Yeah! Nella really does seem like she’d have that hidden charm.”

Leo shook his head at this utterly pointless but strangely earnest conversation among the adolescent boys.

‘So these guys really are Hero Academy cadets.’

Anyone else would wonder if this is what hero candidates should be doing.

But Leo knew someone who would discuss such topics seriously, even with their life on the line.

A hero.

Not just any hero, but a Great Hero.

[The Divine Blacksmith] Dweno.

‘Why is someone like that still respected and remembered, while I’ve been forgotten?’

Once again, Leo felt wronged.