Chapter 260
5,000 years ago—
After the Age of Calamity ended, the various races scattered to establish new homes.
The Elves headed north. The Beastkin moved south.
Humans spread across the world.
And lastly, the Dwarves.
They settled in the rugged Drakin Mountains of the east—
And built the world’s largest mining kingdom.
The Lumene students arrived via warp gate at the heart of the Drakin range:
The Dwarven capital, Dwernonia.
The city was named after Dweno, the legendary blacksmith hailed as the God’s Blacksmith, and its history spanned over 5,000 years.
It was the oldest city in the world.
The students’ eyes widened as they stepped out of the warp gate.
Even the warp gate itself was dazzlingly ornate.
The walls were plated entirely in gold and adorned with countless beautiful gemstones.
“This is insane…”
“So this is the richest city in the world…”
Voices of awe rang out from all around.
Even for Lumene students—many of whom were nobles—the opulence of Dwernonia was something they had never seen before.
“Man, how much do you think all that’s worth?”
“Look at the ceiling.”
“Those are the Great Heroes, right?”
“It’s a masterpiece…”
The ceiling above was covered in glittering gemstones arranged into mosaic portraits of the Four Great Heroes.
Only the original four, of course.
Kyle—recently confirmed to have actually existed—was not yet included.
The students exited into a plaza.
There, Professor Sedgen addressed them.
“You’ll be allowed into Damienne only once evening falls.”
He gestured to the massive mountain beside Dwernonia.
It housed a giant open mine.
And carved into that chasm was a towering fortress.
This was Damienne, the Hero Academy of the Dwarves.
“Until then, you’re free to explore the city.”
“Woohoo!”
The students cheered.
After roll call and a quick briefing, the students were left on their own.
Naturally, they began grouping with their close friends.
“Let’s stick with our usual crews for sightseeing.”
“Yeah, sounds good!”
“Chloe! Let’s get the 1st class girls back together!”
Four girls from Class 1 of their first year ran up to Chloe.
Class 1 had been, along with Class 5, one of the few classes where not a single student was recommended for expulsion—so their camaraderie was strong.
Chloe smiled and nodded at the invitation.
“Sounds good. But don’t get too carried away. We’re not here just to have fun. Let’s set a check-in time…”
“Class rep is still the same.”
“Well, that’s part of her charm.”
The girls giggled.
“Should we invite Celia too?”
“Yeah! I’ll go get her—”
Just as one of them was about to leave—
“You lot. You’re from Lumene, aren’t you?”
A group blocked their path.
The Class 1 girls blinked in surprise.
“Azonia?”
They were right.
Ten students in Azonia uniforms stood before them.
At the front stood a male student towering over 190 cm.
A bear Beastkin with wild brown hair and eyes, his entire body brimming with powerful muscles.
His wild expression made the girls instinctively tense up.
Chloe stepped forward.
“What do Azonia students want with us?”
The wolf Beastkin beside him spoke.
“My name is Wern Damoon.”
“Wern Damoon?”
“He’s ranked 8th among the second-years in Azonia, right?”
The girls nodded.
Wern Damoon.
Ranked 8th among Azonia’s second-years.
Meaning, the eighth most powerful student in their year.
He was also the largest and physically strongest among Azonia students.
The girls looked on with curiosity at the sudden appearance of such a big shot.
“I’m Chloe Mueller.”
“Never heard of you.”
Wern’s reply made the girls bristle.
“What? How can you not know Chloe?!”
“Yeah! She’s one of the top two students in our Magic Department!”
Chloe was a globally renowned hero candidate.
For a student of another academy to dismiss her like that was infuriating.
Yet Wern only scoffed.
“I don’t care about mages or summoners.”
“Excuse me?! What’s with that attitude?”
“If you don’t care about mages or summoners, why talk to us in the first place?!”
“Yeah! Get lost! None of us are in the Knights Department!”
Initially startled by Wern’s imposing frame, the girls now glared at him defiantly.
They had survived a year in Lumene—through hell and high water.
A bit of size and numbers wasn’t going to make them flinch.
Especially not when their fields of study were being disrespected.
Yet Wern remained unmoved.
“Are any of you close to Leo Plov?”
At that, Chloe answered.
“He’s my friend.”
“Good. Then come with me.”
He reached out to grab Chloe’s wrist.
Crack—!
A wall of ice shot up between them.
Wern flinched back, and the other Beastkin grew wary.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Chloe’s voice turned cold as ice.
Wern narrowed his eyes.
‘So it’s true she’s one of Lumene’s top mages.’
Beastkin revered strength.
But to them, strength meant physical prowess.
5,000 years ago—
The Hero Aron, worshipped by all Beastkin, had reached the pinnacle of power using nothing but his body.
Thus, Azonia raised its students to become the ultimate warriors.
In a way, their philosophy was similar to Seiren’s.
Just as only those who learned Star Magic could enter Seiren—
Only physically strong individuals were admitted into Azonia.
Because of that, many Azonia students simply disregarded top students from Lumene’s Magic or Summoning Departments.
Chloe knew about that tendency.
So she hadn’t been particularly offended when Wern claimed not to know her.
But—
‘Trying to drag me off like that…’
Wern’s actions were infuriating.
“No ill intent.”
“Trying to drag me off says otherwise.”
“You just need to be bait to lure Leo Plov.”
“Bait?”
Chloe’s eyes narrowed.
“Yes.”
Wern curled his lips.
“I know all about Leo Plov’s reputation. I know he’s considered Lumene’s strongest warrior.”
“And?”
“But I can’t accept that he’s stronger than Azonia’s best.”
“So? You’re going to set a trap for him?”
“Hmph! Do you think I’d use such cowardly tricks?”
Wern scoffed.
“I intend to challenge him to a Warrior’s Rite!”
The Warrior’s Rite.
While most Lumene students didn’t know what it meant—Chloe, being knowledgeable, did.
‘A traditional Azonian duel of pure martial arts.’
A fight using only the body—no Aura, no magic.
The loser must obey the winner’s command.
“And what do you gain from that? Leo’s not even an Azonia student.”
“Hmph. I just want to prove that the strongest warrior is in Azonia—not Lumene.”
Chloe crossed her arms.
‘So that’s why he called me bait.’
It made sense.
And also—
‘How annoying.’
Her expression turned frosty.
‘So I’m just bait to him?’
The method already irked her—but the intent was even worse.
Even knowing Azonia’s disregard for mages and summoners—
‘He really looks down on me.’
Chloe smiled.
It was the kind of smile that would’ve made Celia or Duran flinch.
“Alright. I’ll go with you.”
“C-Chloe!”
“It doesn’t seem like they intend harm. And if I refuse, this could escalate. That wouldn’t be good for school image on the first day.”
“B-but…”
“Don’t worry.”
“Yes. I will treat her with respect—as bait.”
‘Still calling me bait, huh?’
Chloe smiled sweetly.
If the other girls had seen that expression, they’d have turned pale and stopped her.
Unfortunately, all they saw was her back.
Rumble—!
The Azonia students surrounded Chloe.
“Let’s go. With this, I now have the first chance to defeat Leo Plov. The reward will be mine as well.”
Wern grinned in satisfaction and left.
Chloe followed him, thinking—
‘I’ll freeze them all and escape.’
Chloe was usually calm and composed.
But once her patience snapped, she became the most reckless student in her year.
Unaware of her current state, the girls turned pale and ran for help.
“C-Celia! We’ve got a problem!”
They spotted Celia and Duran and shouted.
“What is it?”
Celia blinked in surprise.
“It’s Chloe! She’s been kidnapped by Azonia students!”
“What?”
Celia’s face went rigid.
“Who got kidnapped?”
A cold voice came from behind.
The girls looked back and brightened.
It was their fellow Class 1 students—Duran and Haul.
Haul’s face was twisted with rage, and even Duran’s perpetually blank expression showed a twitching brow.
“Explain.”
Celia ordered.
The girls quickly recounted what had happened.
After hearing them out, Celia’s face hardened.
“I’ll report this to the professors right away.”
“Disappointing. Celia Zerdinger.”
“What?”
“Azonia’s intent is obvious.”
Duran cracked his knuckles.
“They used Chloe Mueller—our class rep—as bait to lure Leo Plov. This is a direct provocation.”
“So?”
“Reporting it to the professors would mean backing down.”
“You want an inter-academy war or something?”
“Not a bad idea.”
“Chloe went along to avoid escalating things. We need to prevent this from becoming a bigger issue.”
“Disappointing, Celia Zerdinger.”
“What?”
“This isn’t just about school pride. They touched Chloe Mueller—someone you and I both acknowledged as a class rep.”
Duran stared her down.
“If we go to the professors, we won’t be able to beat them up.”
The girls murmured.
“So basically… ‘You laid a finger on my friend? You’re dead!’ is what he’s saying?”
“Yeah, I think that’s it.”
“Duran acts cold, but he always looks out for us…”
“Shut up.”
Duran muttered without changing expression.
Celia crossed her arms in thought—
Then nodded.
“You’re right.”
“Finally, you get it.”
Duran looked pleased.
“Count me in.”
Someone leapt down from a rooftop—Chen Xia.
“This is a Class 1 matter, Chen Xia.”
“But Miss Chloe is my friend. And she’s also our dorm head. I’d say I’m involved.”
“Hmph. Then I won’t stop you.”
Duran crossed his arms.
Haul asked,
“What’s the plan?”
“Find the Azonia students first.”
Duran replied.
“And then?”
“Beat them up and ask where this ‘Wern’ guy is.”
Chen Xia smiled brightly.
“And if they say they don’t know?”
“Then we find another Azonia student and repeat the process.”
As Celia brushed back her hair and answered, Haul thought to himself—
‘Of all people to mess with… poor bastard.’
(T/N: This is going to be a veryyyyy fun arc haha.)