Chapter 305
The students of Lumene entered the banquet hall dressed in their finest.
Inside, the second-year students of Damienne were already waiting, lined up neatly in their well-fitted uniforms, just like on the first day.
“That’s the guy?”
“He’s the one who got Master Dweno’s alchemy tome as a conquest reward, right?”
The Damienne students’ eyes gleamed as they stared at Carr.
Carr’s expression instantly soured.
“They’re not going to suddenly jump me or something, are they?”
At his muttered question, Chloe replied with a perfectly serious face,
“They might capture you and try to dissect you.”
“Chloe. Did you just make a joke?”
Seeing her say it so seriously, Carr gave a hollow laugh.
Chloe blinked.
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
“What?”
“You wouldn’t know since you were in the infirmary, but…”
Her gaze sank coldly toward the Damienne students.
“With those people, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.”
Carr swallowed hard.
Chen Xia smiled sweetly beside him.
“Don’t be so nervous, Mr. Carr.”
“R-right? There’s no way they’d actually dissect me or anything…”
“There are some Damienne students skilled enough to open your abdomen, examine what’s inside, and sew you back up perfectly. There’s even a torture technique that allows vivisection without killing the subject—”
“Waaaah!”
Carr screamed, covering his ears.
“I was just joking to help him relax, unlike Miss Chloe. He’s so jumpy.”
“It’s not a joke when it comes out of your mouth.”
Chloe shook her head as Chen Xia shrugged her shoulders innocently.
A few minutes later, the students of Azonia entered the hall next.
The sharp gazes of the Azonia students immediately turned toward Leo.
Chelsea frowned as she noticed.
“What’s with them staring at Leo like that again?”
“Probably because they wanted to spar with him during the Smith contract period but couldn’t, since he was stuck in the infirmary. So now they’re sulking.”
“Hmph, they all need a good beating to learn their place.”
Chelsea snorted.
While the air in the banquet hall grew tense, Leo sat down and stared quietly at his hand.
‘Dweno’s Legacy.’
Through this conquest reward, Leo had obtained ownership of every weapon and artifact Dweno had forged that still existed in the present era.
Now, he could summon them just by picturing them in his mind.
He chuckled as he recalled Melina, who had said she’d go to Damienne’s headmaster to retrieve Dweno’s legacy.
‘From the headmaster’s perspective, it’s basically theft.’
Shaking his head with a faint smile, he turned his gaze toward Driana among the Damienne students.
‘They’ll need repairs before they can be used.’
All Leo could do was temporarily restore the relics to their original form.
Most of them were still damaged, and even weapons forged by Dweno would eventually break if used without proper maintenance.
‘If Driana hones her skills, it’ll be possible.’
She was someone personally acknowledged by Dweno himself.
Leo trusted his friend’s judgment.
‘And then there’s Dweno’s Flame.’
This time, Leo had received two rewards.
One of them was Dweno’s Flame.
When he conquered Luna’s World, he had gained a small ember of divine fire from the power Pibua left behind.
That ember had been on the verge of burning out.
But this time, he had gained a blazing inferno in its place.
‘Unlike my past life, this body is far more compatible with fire.’
Dweno’s Flame was the ultimate shield against Erebos’s attacks.
And during the final battle with Erebos, Kyle had been unable to fully control it.
‘That’s why I couldn’t finish it back then.’
His friends—each time one of them fell, they entrusted him with their power.
Arron’s aura.
Dweno’s flame.
Luna’s magic.
Lysinas’s dragon heart.
He had woven them together to drive Erebos to the brink of annihilation.
But he couldn’t finish it.
Kyle’s body simply couldn’t withstand Erebos’s flames.
‘If I’d been able to handle Dweno’s Flame better back then… Erebos would’ve been destroyed completely.’
Looking down at his hand, Leo clenched his fist.
‘This time, I can handle it.’
“What’s got you so deep in thought?”
Celia, dressed in a beautiful red gown, asked curiously.
“Just thinking about the old days.”
“You sound like an old man.”
Celia rested her chin on her gloved hand.
Her radiant appearance drew the attention of several male students nearby.
“Celia, want to dance later?”
“No, with me!”
Used to such attention, Celia straightened her posture and smiled gracefully.
“Sorry, but I’m not dancing tonight.”
The disappointed boys drifted away.
Then, the doors to the banquet hall opened again—the Seiren students entered.
Though only about half their number had returned, they attended the final night’s banquet with Herdium at the lead.
They mingled easily with students from other academies, chatting and laughing.
While Leo’s party had been conquering Dweno’s World, there had been a massive attack by Gigantes under Gias’s army.
According to Celia, many students had grown close by joining forces to fight them off.
“Though… there were a few parties that got wiped out from infighting.”
Celia sighed softly.
Just then, a group of beastkin students approached Leo.
Her eyes narrowed.
“What is it, Dion?”
“I came to ask Leo Plov something, Celia.”
Dion, who had been in the same party as her, spoke in a composed tone.
But seeing her in her gown, he flushed slightly and cleared his throat.
“You look beautiful, Celia.”
“Thank you.”
She smiled warmly.
“So, what did you want to ask me?”
The Azonia students who had come with Dion were the top of their year—second-year leaders of each faction, the best among the five strongest of Azonia.
All of them wanted to test themselves against Leo someday.
“Leo Plov.”
Dion frowned slightly.
“What kind of person was Lord Arron?”
“You could just ask Ar, couldn’t you?”
“That idiot cat only talks about Lord Arron’s feats.”
The fox beastkin, Ruewen, furrowed her brow delicately.
“We already know Lord Arron was great. What we want to know is what kind of person he ‘really’ was—what he liked, how he lived day to day!”
Despite her sly personality, her respect for Arron was genuine.
“But that stupid cat—she acts all cool and says things like, ‘You’re not ready yet,’ like she’s some master! It’s infuriating. Especially when she drinks milk out of a wine glass while doing it! So we came to ask you instead.”
Leo glanced toward Azonia’s side.
Ar was surrounded by people, holding court like a celebrity.
Resting his chin on his hand, Leo chuckled.
“Arron, huh…”
He let out a small laugh.
“She did spend quite a lot of time with him.”
“Damn it! Lucky cat!”
Borman clenched his fists in envy, and the others looked at Ar with jealous admiration.
“Did Lord Arron really treat Ar like his disciple?”
Ruewen asked eagerly.
Leo shook his head.
“No.”
“Hah, I knew it was just boasting.”
‘He treated her like a younger sister.’
Arron had always loved children—his dream had been a world where they could laugh freely in peace.
“To be honest, Arron was more ‘afraid’ of Ar than anything.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Why would Lord Arron be afraid of her?”
“Ar was right—you’re not ready.”
Leo chuckled quietly.
Even when the Azonia students kept pressing for details about Arron, Leo never mentioned that his friend was actually a coward.
‘No need to shatter their ideal. They wouldn’t believe me anyway.’
For the same reason, he also protected Dweno’s honor.
‘You all really had good friends.’
Remembering them, Leo smiled.
As the night went on, the banquet grew livelier.
Students from every academy laughed, sang, and danced together without formality.
They celebrated the bonds forged in hardship and victory.
For most, it was an awkward experience.
But for Leo, it was a familiar kind of nostalgia.
‘Take care of the future.’
Dweno’s last words echoed in his mind, and Leo smiled faintly.
‘Don’t worry.’
—
“We’re back!”
“Haah! Home sweet home!”
“Technically, this isn’t home.”
“Oh, come on. It’s close enough.”
The returning Lumene students shouted happily as they arrived at their dorms.
The dorm matron and professor, Sena, greeted them with a warm smile.
“Welcome back, everyone! I heard there was some trouble, but I’m so glad you’re all safe!”
“Professor Sena! How have you been?”
“We brought you gifts!”
The students greeted her cheerfully.
“Oh my, thank you.”
Accepting their presents with a bright smile, Sena said,
“Now, I have good news—and bad news.”
The students’ faces froze instantly.
Good news and bad news?
No one expected much from the good news, but the phrase “bad news” alone was enough to make them anxious.
“What happened?”
Eliana swallowed hard.
Sena smiled.
“Which one would you like to hear first?”
Everyone turned to Leo, Chloe, and Chen Xia, the dorm leaders.
“Tell us the bad news first.”
Leo said calmly.
“Alright. The bad news is that the dorm’s magic water system broke. You’ll have to use the first-year dorm baths for now.”
Sighs of relief broke out everywhere.
‘That’s it? That’s the bad news?’
‘A little inconvenient, but not that bad.’
The tension melted away.
“So what’s the good news?”
Eliana asked brightly.
Sena smiled sweetly.
“The midterm exam schedule has been set.”
Every student froze solid.
“That’s the ‘good’ news?”
Eliana asked in despair.
“Of course it is! The exams are scheduled earlier than usual. That means you’ll have ‘more’ time to prepare for finals!”
Sena said cheerfully, still smiling.
“More time for finals preparation!”
This semester, no first- or second-year student would be forced to withdraw before the end of term.
And since the final exam had the greatest impact on who stayed or left, having extra time to prepare should’ve been good news.
But to the students, tests were never good news—and so, everyone could only groan.
—
“Uwaaaah! Midterms already?!”
Eliana scratched her head furiously.
Watching her, Leo said,
“It’s better to take them early and get them over with.”
“There it is! The model student’s confidence!”
She pouted.
“Are exams really that dreadful?”
“Yes! But Miss Perfect Chloe doesn’t have to worry, huh?”
“I’m more curious about what the practical portion will cover this time.”
Chen Xia tilted her head.
“Ah! It’s Leo!”
“Where? Where?!”
The first-years suddenly got excited.
Leo was on his way to the first-year dorms to wash up.
“The dorm leader’s popular even among the juniors.”
Eliana nudged Leo with a mischievous grin.
The first-years swarmed around him.
“Senior! Is it true you conquered Master Dweno’s Hero’s World?”
“They said you met Lord Arron too!”
“What was it like?!”
“Please tell us!”
The excited first-years crowded around, begging for stories.
Leo scratched his head awkwardly.
“Move.”
A cold voice cut through the noise.
“Hey! Get in line!”
The boy at the back turned irritably—then froze as he saw who it was.
“V-v-v-vice president!”
“Move.”
Hark’s icy tone sent the first-years scattering instantly.
Leo greeted him with a smile.
“It’s been a while, Vice President Hark.”
“…A while?”
“Wait, Leo. Did you just say ‘it’s been a while’?”
Chloe and Eliana both paled.
Hark strode forward, his smile razor-sharp.
“It’s been a while, huh? That’s what you have to say?”
A vein bulged on his forehead.
“How dare the student council president dump all his work on the vice president and then not show up for weeks?!”
Leo answered calmly,
“It’s not like I have anything to do at the council anyway.”
“What?!”
Hark clutched the back of his neck, trembling with fury.
“Fine. Fight me.”
He glared at Leo.
“I’m going to beat you down, take your position as president, and then…”
With a savage grin, he growled,
“I’ll make ‘you’ my vice president so you can suffer exactly like I did!”
The murderous aura radiating from him made everyone swallow hard.
Fifth-year strongest—that title meant the pinnacle of all Lumene students.
“You said if someone’s unhappy with you, they can fight you, right?”
Hark’s eyes glinted.
“Well, I’ve got plenty of complaints. So let’s fight.”
The sheer intensity of his presence made the air heavy.
Everyone watched tensely as the two student leaders faced each other.
“I never said I’d accept ‘every’ challenge.” (T/N: What a scammer LOL.)
Leo smiled.
“I refuse your duel request.”
With that simple statement, he ended it.
Hark hung his head.
A moment later—
“Gaaaaaah!”
He roared, lunging forward in fury, and several second-years screamed as they clung to his arms and legs.
“Vice President, please calm down!”
“You’ll hurt the first-years if you go berserk here!”