Chapter 281
The party was finally assembled by evening.
Unlike Leo, who formed his party relatively smoothly, the other students faced many twists and turns.
Watching other parties start off with trouble, Carr scratched his head.
“This isn’t even about mission difficulty. Looks like the real struggle will be getting along with their party members.”
Surprisingly, the conflicts weren’t limited to students from Seiren and the other Hero Academies.
“That’s why! We need to start by gathering information in the city!”
“What’s the point? We can just search Mount Erdean instead!”
“Ugh! You’re impossible! Figures you’re a brainless beastkin!”
A female student from Lumene and a male student from Azonia were clashing.
A male student from Damienne watched the scene with a cynical expression, taking a step back. Unexpectedly, it was a female student from Seiren who tried to mediate.
She was doing her best to stop the two, but it was clearly too much for her.
Carr, who had come to check the vibe of the other parties, clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Is there no party with a good atmosphere?’
After grasping the situation, Carr returned to his own party.
‘Well, at least our party gets along. That’s a relief.’
With that lighter feeling, Carr headed back.
‘All thanks to Leo holding everything together!’
Wearing a bright smile, Carr returned—only to find Lunia and Ar standing face-to-face, glaring at each other.
He dropped into a seat.
“C-Carr? Are you okay? Are you feeling sick?”
Eiran hurried over to support him.
“I just want peace. Sob sob sob.”
Seeing Carr so defeated, Eiran panicked.
Carr then stood up and asked,
“What’s wrong with them?”
“They’re fighting over who gets to be the leader.”
The moment she finished her sentence, Lunia crossed her arms and declared,
“I’m the party leader.”
Ar scoffed, placing her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest.
“What are you talking about? I’m the leader!”
Carr looked at Leo.
“Leo, aren’t you going to do it?”
“Let the ones who want to do it, do it.”
Leo smiled, maintaining a bystander stance.
Carr scratched his head at the sight.
‘Leo really doesn’t care about being in charge.’
It was the same back when he became the class rep in their first year.
Even when he became student council president, it wasn’t because he wanted to.
It just happened naturally.
‘Guess that’s what it means to be a born leader. He naturally draws people in.’
Those with exceptional talent often want to lead.
Especially the top students in Lumene’s second year—Carr felt they all had not just talent but charisma too.
‘They were all born with leadership qualities.’
And yet Leo is still recognized as the second-year leader.
Even the dorm heads from Noble, who are aiming to dethrone him, don’t deny his leadership.
‘If even those prideful jerks accept it, that says everything.’
Had Leo declared himself the party leader, none of this chaos would be happening.
‘What is he trying to see?’
If Leo doesn’t want to lead, conflict is inevitable.
Lunia and Ar are both the next student council candidates for Seiren and Azonia.
Lunia’s path became uncertain after rebelling against a teacher, but she’s still Seiren’s top student.
Which is why neither of them could back down from being party leader.
“Then let’s decide with a vote.”
“You have a friend here! That’s unfair!”
“What a whiny cat.”
Lunia narrowed her eyes and raised a corner of her lips.
“Then how about we settle this cleanly with a duel?”
“Oh? That’s a good idea for an elf.”
Ar grinned and cracked her knuckles.
“I’ve always wondered just how great Seiren’s second-year rep is.”
“I’ve also wanted to see what Azonia’s second-year rep is capable of.”
Vwoooom—!
Heat radiated from Lunia’s body.
Ar emitted a sharp aura that looked like it could cut someone if touched.
‘She inherited the [Phoenix Breath] ability of a Hero, didn’t she? So she’s a step ahead of me.’
Lunia glanced sideways at Leo.
‘I’ll prove that’s wrong.’
Her red eyes gleamed.
Ar swayed her white tail lightly.
‘That black rabbit’s been playing with that elf a lot these days.’
Her deep blue eyes sparkled.
‘I want to play with him too!’
Ar bared her fangs and flexed her claws.
She looked exactly like a cat about to pounce.
Carr covered his face, and Eiran stood frozen.
“Hm. This isn’t looking good.”
Driana, still calm, was taking the observer’s role.
‘Jingle—’
A bell rang.
A furball with a bell rolled in front of Ar.
Smack—!
Ar instinctively stomped on it.
“……”
After a moment of silence, Ar’s eyes shot open and she lunged at Leo.
“Don’t play with people like thaaaat!”
She furiously shook Leo by his collar.
“You act like a cat, what do you expect?”
“This is instinct!”
Ar shouted, practically screaming. Lunia let out a sigh.
“That killed the mood.”
Leo looked at Lunia and said,
“I have someone I want to recommend as party leader.”
At those words, Lunia and Ar flinched.
Driana looked indifferent, and Carr looked like things might finally settle down.
“If Leo recommends them, I’ll follow!”
Eiran smiled brightly.
In truth, she didn’t care who the leader was.
Only Lunia and Ar looked visibly tense.
‘Whoever Leo picks—’
‘He’s saying they’re the best, right?’
The two girls glanced at each other before quickly turning away.
They acted uninterested, but Lunia’s pointed ears and Ar’s cat ears twitched nonstop.
They were more focused on Leo’s words than anyone else.
Just as they were burning with anticipation—
“Carr. I want you to be the leader.”
“Huh? Me?”
Carr looked dumbfounded.
Eiran beamed.
“I agree!”
“Hey, think it through. You’d say yes even if Leo made a stray dog the party leader.”
“T-That’s not true!”
Eiran protested with a slightly flushed face.
“Hm. So the despair man is the leader? Not a bad idea.”
“Despair man? What now?”
“I named you that because your despair face is a masterpiece. Do you like it?”
“You weird perverted dwarf…”
Carr’s forehead twitched as he glared at Driana for giving him such a weird nickname.
But he couldn’t keep arguing with her.
‘They’re staring. Really staring hard.’
Lunia and Ar were glaring at him now.
Like predators eyeing their prey.
Carr broke into a cold sweat and looked away.
He scratched his head awkwardly with a forced smile.
“Leo. Come on. That’s a bit much. You’re here, and so are the second-year reps of Seiren and Azonia. Isn’t it weird for me to lead?”
“Exactly!”
“Yup! Totally!”
Lunia and Ar nodded in agreement, looking pleased.
“But I believe you have what it takes to lead this party.”
Leo’s words made Lunia cross her arms.
“Leo, I’m sure you have your reasons for picking him. But I still find it hard to accept.”
“I feel the same.”
Ar narrowed her eyes.
“A party leader should be the strongest one. Black Rabbit, if it were you, I’d have no complaints. I’m not saying your friend’s worthless, but I don’t think he surpasses me or Seiren’s rep.”
“Well said.”
Carr nodded readily.
“Of course, both of you are perfectly qualified leaders.”
Leo looked at Lunia and Ar.
“But for this party, Carr is the most suitable. What we need right now isn’t a leader who charges forward, but one who supports the team from behind.”
Leo didn’t pick Carr just because he was aiming to be a professional support.
He’d planned on forming this team from the start.
Each member was elite in their own right. Lunia and Ar led their respective second-year classes.
Putting one of them in charge could easily cause division.
‘If I led, there wouldn’t be a problem… but this is too good an opportunity to pass up.’
Human, elf, beastkin, dwarf.
The top talents of this generation from each race had gathered.
That in itself was a rare opportunity for growth.
That’s why Leo chose Carr.
‘He’s friendly. Observant. Good at reading the team’s dynamic.’
Carr isn’t the typical leader type.
But he has the ability to bring together strong, headstrong personalities.
That’s why Leo made him the core of this party.
“You’ll learn a lot from Carr.”
At Leo’s words, Lunia and Ar stared intently at Carr.
“If you say so, Leo, I’ll give him a shot.”
“Me too. If Black Rabbit’s going this far, there must be a reason.”
Lunia smiled softly.
But her eyes kept analyzing Carr.
Ar eyed him like a cat sizing up a stranger, her tail twitching.
As if saying, ‘Let’s see what makes Leo recognize you like this.’
‘Why am I the one getting all this jealousy from scary girls?’
Now the target of the Seiren and Azonia second-year reps, Carr wanted to cry.
—
Once the leader was decided, the party immediately headed to Tarkam via warp gate.
Upon arrival, they looked for a place to stay.
That’s when Carr spoke.
“Let’s just grab dinner at a tavern?”
“Why a noisy tavern?”
“Let’s eat somewhere quiet.”
Lunia and Ar shook their heads.
Eiran tilted her head.
“Why are we eating at a tavern?”
She asked with innocent curiosity, and Carr shrugged.
“It’s easier to gather intel.”
“Ooh!”
Eiran let out a small gasp of admiration.
She was the heir of the prestigious Ersar family, one of the noblest among elves, and clearly lacked worldly experience.
“I read that in a book! So it’s true! You go to taverns to contact information guilds!”
“…No, it’s just to hear local gossip. It’s not that easy to meet information guilds.”
“Huh? But the book said—”
“Books aren’t always the truth.”
Eiran looked shocked.
After deciding on the tavern for information gathering and heading in that direction, Leo suddenly stopped.
He stared down the alley next to the tavern and said,
“I’ll be back in a bit.”
Ar asked,
“Where to? I’ll go with you.”
“The bathroom.”
“U-uh… okay, see you soon.”
Looking embarrassed, Ar quickly looked away.
Leo separated from the group and entered the back alley.
There, Mel appeared in front of him.
“Hello, Leo.”
She bowed politely.
“I called you because I have a report regarding Master Dweno’s legacy—”
“Mel. Before that, I want to ask you something about the rumors in Tarkam.”
“Are you talking about the giant creature sighting? Isn’t that just a baseless rumor?”
Mel tilted her head.
Leo sighed.
“If even you, a Dragon Lord, think it’s nonsense… that bastard really must’ve hidden himself for 5,000 years.”
“…No way.”
Mel’s face turned pale.
“Yeah.”
Leo replied with certainty.
“There’s a high chance the Giant King Gias has started moving. In this world, he’s the only one big enough to cover half of Mount Erdean.”
Mel looked troubled.
“If he really moved, why now? Because the Monster Queen was defeated?”
“No idea. He was insanely cautious even during the Era of Genesis. He wouldn’t move just because a comrade died.”
Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘Back during the first-year entrance exam, when we visited Mount Erdean through the Hero’s World… those eyes I saw then—those were Erebos’s.’
Leo’s expression turned grim.
‘What on earth is hidden in that mountain?’