Chapter 266
“They’ve made the same request in Seiren as well.”
At Ain’s words, Verga scoffed.
“He belongs to the Knights Department, doesn’t he? In that case, sending him to our Azonia would be better than Seiren.”
“That’s true.”
“Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt, but Leo Plov is in the Summoning Department.”
Yura quickly cut into their conversation.
If Len had been present, it would have turned into a huge uproar, but fortunately this time Mel had come instead of Len.
‘Did the Principal foresee this and deliberately exclude Len from this department schedule?’
While Yura was thinking that, the welcoming banquet grew livelier.
Before long, the awkward atmosphere between the schools had disappeared.
At that moment, Digness stepped out to the center of the hall and cleared his throat.
“Hmm-hmm!”
The festive mood subsided, and everyone’s eyes turned toward Digness.
“I would have liked to begin this talk with Seiren also here, but there’s been no word from them.”
Digness smiled faintly.
“During this exclusive Smith contract period, I wanted our second-years at Damienne to meet the students of Lumene, Azonia, and Seiren all in one place.”
He looked at the students of Lumene and Azonia as he spoke.
“Let me get straight to the point. We want to forge a contract with the best hero candidates. Of course, from your perspective, it might feel as though we’re judging you, and that could be unpleasant.”
Annoyed mutterings rose from the Lumene and Azonia sides.
“But I hope you can understand our stance. The second-years of Damienne are regarded as the greatest assembly of blacksmiths in decades.”
His expression turned serious.
“Before we are hero candidates, we are Smiths. There’s no greater honor than to have our creations wielded by the most outstanding warriors.”
Digness clenched his fist.
“That’s why we want to craft the finest weapons for the finest hero candidates. Lumene, Azonia, and Seiren alike. Since this generation is being called the greatest, we wanted to meet you all and talk as blacksmiths.”
At those words, the Lumene and Azonia students exchanged glances.
“Over the next two weeks, you’ll each choose a partner. But this much I promise! Since we’re the ones choosing you, we’ll craft weapons you can rely on in battle! If we choose the best, then we must repay you with the best work!”
When his speech ended, applause erupted from the Lumene and Azonia students.
Watching the scene, Chen Xia narrowed her eyes.
“Crafty.”
“Hm? What is?” Eliana tilted her head.
“The Damienne second-year representative just smoothed over Lumene’s and Azonia’s resentment with that speech while subtly stoking competition.”
That was why he had emphasized that they were Smiths rather than hero candidates.
“Ho, he’s as sly as Carr.”
Eliana let out a small exclamation.
Meanwhile, Digness spoke again.
“Now then! As a toast to the two weeks ahead, shall the year representatives raise their glasses?”
At that, Leo and Ar rose.
They took their cups and approached Digness.
As they walked, Ar fixed her gaze on Leo.
‘How did Black Rabbit use [Howling]? That’s a beastkin ability. No matter how talented he is, can he really overcome the barrier of race?’
Her mind was tangled.
‘Or was I mistaken?’
While she was lost in thought, her eyes met Leo’s.
Leo smirked at her knowingly.
That smile told Ar all she needed.
‘Black Rabbit definitely used [Howling].’
Ar’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
‘Just how?’
Meanwhile, Digness raised his cup.
“Then, cheers—”
Bang—!
The hall doors flew open.
The students of Seiren entered.
At their head, the Seiren instructor swept his gaze across the hall and muttered softly.
“How vulgar.”
A very quiet murmur.
But not a single person here failed to hear it.
Several Seiren students flinched and looked at him.
Especially Lunia, standing to his right, stared up at him in shock.
Behind him, Eiran’s face went pale.
On his left, Herdeum let out a small sigh as he looked up at the ceiling.
The man’s name was Reber, the head instructor of Seiren’s second-years.
“Don’t make such a face, Lunia El Lunda.”
Reber glanced at her as he spoke.
“As Seiren’s year representative, do not lose your graceful composure.”
“And what does graceful composure mean? Calling Damienne’s welcoming banquet vulgar—is that grace?”
“Herdeum.”
“Yes, Head Instructor Reber.”
“You were responsible for Lunia this past year, were you not?”
“Yes.”
“Seems your teaching was flawed. For her to utter such disrespect to the head instructor.”
“My apologies.”
“Hmph. And they called you an excellent teacher. How disappointing.”
At his sneer, Lunia clenched her fist, veins bulging on her hand.
‘Damn parachute from the Grand Council!’
Originally, the position of second-year head instructor was meant for Herdeum.
But when former Principal Benette stepped down and Luhagen became acting Principal, that plan was scrapped.
‘Should I just deck him?’
Since the start of term, Reber had exalted the supremacy of elves.
Lunia took pride in being an elf of noble heritage. She revered the Founder of the Nebula.
But she despised fanatical racial supremacists.
They even loathed fellow elves who didn’t share their ideology, and their disdain for other races was worse.
‘And he looks down on Leo without knowing a thing about him.’
From the very beginning, Reber had openly disparaged Leo.
That attitude was steadily eroding Lunia’s restraint.
Her red eyes flickered dangerously—
Grab—!
A small hand caught hers from behind.
Turning her head, Lunia’s eyes met Eiran’s.
Terrified, she shook her head slightly.
Seeing her, Lunia forced a bitter smile and nodded.
“A shame Seiren has abolished corporal punishment. Otherwise, even a year representative would be disciplined to set an example.”
‘This lunatic. Talking about corporal punishment abolished five hundred years ago!’
Holding back her outrage, Lunia took a deep breath.
“Instructor Reber. Our hosts went to great effort to prepare this reception for Seiren. I hope you’ll attend.”
Depeto, who had guided the Seiren students in, smiled as he spoke.
But his eyes were ice-cold.
“To ignore such courtesy would be unworthy of Seiren.”
Reber curled his lips in a sneer and strode to the front with the other Seiren instructors, taking seats among the faculty.
As he passed, his eyes locked with Leo’s.
“Hmph, a fraud sullying the Founder’s name.”
He muttered just loud enough to be heard.
“What? What’s that bastard saying?”
Ar growled.
“Let it be.”
Leo’s tone was calm.
‘These zealots are worse than I thought.’
They reminded him of the High Elves he had encountered while conquering Luna’s World.
Putting on his usual cheer, Digness approached Lunia.
“You’re Lunia El Lunda, right?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“We were just about to toast to the gathering of our four schools. Will you join us as year representative?”
“Sure, I—”
“As Seiren’s year representative, I cannot allow you to lower yourself by touching such base liquor.”
Once again, the hall turned icy.
All eyes fixed on Reber.
“Sorry. I’d like to ignore that bastard, but he’ll just ruin the mood further.”
Lunia’s expression was apologetic. Digness shook his head.
“Don’t worry about it. You’ve got it rough.”
“Sorry for spoiling the atmosphere.”
Her expression was genuinely regretful.
The awkward silence deepened.
“Hmph!”
Ar drained her beer in one gulp.
“Tastes fine to me.”
Then she snorted loudly for all to hear.
“Hey, what about the rest of us?”
“Oh, crap!”
She clutched her head with a flustered look.
The sight made students from Lumene, Azonia, and Damienne chuckle.
Leo glanced sidelong at Reber, clinked his glass, and returned to his seat.
But the chill in the air lingered.
Not long after, the Seiren instructors and students left the hall.
Some students looked apologetic, but others, like Reber, acted as if it was beneath them to stay.
“That was harsh. These two weeks are going to be rough.”
Carr clicked his tongue.
Despite the tension, the banquet went on.
But the earlier liveliness never returned.
Just then—
“Leo.”
Someone addressed him.
It was Mel.
“Professor Mel.”
“Here.”
She pulled a letter from her robes and handed it to him, giving him a playful smile before walking away.
“Oh? What’s that?”
Carr’s eyes lit up with curiosity.
“Nothing. Just something I asked for earlier. Looks like it arrived.”
Leo lied casually, tucking the letter away.
“Heh-heh, you sure it’s not a love letter you’re trying to cover up?”
“Pfft!”
“Cough, cough!”
As Carr jabbed Leo’s side, Chelsea and Chloe both choked on their food.
“Aha~ a romance with an older professor!”
“It’s nothing like that.”
Leo laughed it off, but Carr pouted.
“Boring. You’re popular enough, yet you never even date.”
“When would Leo even have time for romance? He’s always the honors student.”
“Exactly. Stop putting weird ideas in his head.”
Chelsea and Chloe scolded Carr.
Seeing their reactions, Carr put on a mischievous grin.
‘They sure have fun.’
Leo mused to himself as he watched them.
—
When the banquet ended, Damienne’s students guided the Lumene and Azonia students to their lodgings.
“Two to a room, huh.”
Carr whistled as he unpacked.
“Kinda exciting. Feels like real dorm life, doesn’t it?”
“Isn’t that exactly what we’ve been doing?”
“Yeah, but we’ve all had our own rooms.”
Carr chuckled.
“Having a roommate feels more like proper dorm life. Of course, plenty of nobles at our school would hate the idea. Heave-ho!”
He flopped onto his bed.
Meanwhile, Leo pulled out the letter.
It was written in Dragon Speech Magic.
“Hm. Carr.”
“What?”
“I think I need to step out.”
Carr sat bolt upright.
“No way, you’re really sneaking off to meet Professor Mel?!”
“It’s not that.”
“What else breaks curfew at this hour besides a date?!”
Damienne had strict curfews. Students weren’t supposed to leave late at night.
Leo opened the window.
“I won’t be long. Cover for me.”
“Got it!” Carr winked.
Leo slipped out.
A short while later—
Knock, knock.
The door opened.
“Who is it?”
“Carr, is Leo in? I wanted his advice about a magic staff I’m commissioning.”
“I just came along for fun.”
Chloe and Chen Xia stood outside.
“Uh, sure, come in.”
Carr scratched his cheek and let them in.
They looked puzzled when they saw the room empty.
“Where’s Leo?”
“Uh…”
‘Should I make something up?’
If they decided to wait, that’d be trouble. And if they found out later he’d lied, it’d be worse.
‘Well, Chloe and Xia aren’t the gossiping type anyway.’
He figured it was safe to tell them. Besides, he was curious about their reaction.
With a sly grin, Carr said:
“He snuck out to meet Professor Mel.”
“At this hour?” Chen Xia frowned.
“Yeah. Probably spending a hot night together.”
He added teasingly, glancing at Chloe.
She looked at him with her usual calm expression.
When he realized she wasn’t reacting, Carr tilted his head.
Thunk—!
“Argh!”
Chloe dropped her heavy book—right onto his foot.
Carr yelped and rolled on the floor clutching his toes.
—
“What’s this about, this late at night?”
Arriving at the meeting place, Leo wore a puzzled look.
Mel, sitting on a bench and swinging her legs, smiled brightly.
“A late-night date with you, Leo.”
“Didn’t you call me an old man before?”
“Did I?”
She just smiled innocently and stood.
“Actually, there’s something I want to show you.”
She stepped closer.
“The truth is, where we’re going is strictly off-limits to outsiders.”
“Then how are we getting in?”
“Fufu. Call it a lord’s privilege? I got the key from Damienne’s Vice Principal.”
‘Judging from the vibe, she probably swiped it.’
Leo sighed.
Mel giggled, then pointed to the top of Damienne Castle.
“What’s up there might as well be yours.”
She pulled out the key and pressed it into the air.
A doorway appeared.
‘A warp gate usable anywhere within Damienne?’
While Leo stared in curiosity, Mel opened the door and gestured.
“After you, Leo.”
He stepped through.
Inside was an armory, lined with countless weapons.
All of them were aged and rusted.
Leo’s gaze settled on one in particular.
A blade hanging on the wall—
Its edge half-eaten by rust, little more than a fragment of a sword.
Hardly worthy of the name.
But for Leo, it was unforgettable.
“My sword…”
The sword Dweno had left behind for Kyle.
Every weapon in this place was one Dweno had forged.
“All of these arms are the legacy of Master Dweno, gathered by the dwarves over five thousand years.”