Chapter 32
“Hi.”
“Good morning, Leo!”
“Did you have a good weekend?”
The morning after the weekend ended.
As Leo entered the classroom, his classmates greeted him.
“Leo, I heard you met the student council president over the weekend!”
As he was about to take his seat, Tide from his class approached and asked in an excited tone.
“You seemed close with Celia Zerdinger from Class 1, and now you’ve met the student council president too?”
Eliana, who walked over with her arms crossed, looked surprised as well.
Only Carr and Chelsea knew that Leo and Celia were cousins.
“You’re really interested in the student council president, huh?”
“Of course! He’s the strongest at the top of the Lumene ranks!”
Tide said, unable to hide his excitement.
“Good family, great skills, top grades. And he’s handsome, too. Leo, did the student council invite you?”
Eliana asked with curiosity in her voice.
Leo was a talent drawing attention in Lumene.
At first, many wondered why Leo, who wasn’t the top scorer, became the freshman representative, but now it was different.
As an unprecedented All-Class, all the professors from every major wanted him.
Leo shook his head at Eliana’s question.
“I wasn’t invited to anything like that. Even if I was, I’m not interested in the student council.”
At that, Tide and Eliana’s eyes sparkled.
“Leo, do you want to join the Summoning Materials Research Club with me?”
Tide actively tried to recruit him.
“You’re still a bit weak in practical summoning, right? I’m sure it’ll help!”
“Move! Did you forget Leo’s an All-Class? Leo! Join the Magic Sword Club with me! You’d be welcome for sure!”
Tide and Eliana started bickering.
Both of them had already joined their desired clubs temporarily, even before the official club activity period for first-years began.
As they quarreled, Carr clicked his tongue as he walked over.
“You’re both late. Leo’s already chosen his club activity.”
“What? Which one?”
“He said he’s starting a club himself.”
“Starting a club?”
“As a first-year?”
Tide and Eliana blinked.
“What kind of club is it?”
Nella, sitting farther away, showed her interest in her characteristic lazy voice.
“The Hero Research Club, apparently.”
“But isn’t that already thoroughly studied in Hero Studies?”
Eliana made a sour face.
“He said himself he’d be researching forgotten heroes. For example, Kyle.”
Hearing that, Tide and Eliana both made faces that said, ‘Why would you do that?’
But Nella nodded.
“Even if it’s a fictional hero, Kyle’s the only All-Class hero, so it makes sense you’re interested.”
Nella nodded.
‘I need to find my Hero Record page quickly, or something.’
Unless the Hero Record was found, there was no way to prove his existence.
At that moment, a male student from Class 8, Elig Tuna, entered Class 5.
He walked over to Leo and asked,
“Hey, Class 5. Who’s your class president?”
“We don’t have one, but for now, I’m acting as the class president.”
“It hasn’t been decided yet, but just talk to me if you need something.”
“Huh? What’s up?”
Tide, Eliana, and even Chelsea, who was reading a magic book nearby, all looked up and responded.
“Um… so, who’s the class president?”
Elig glanced between the three.
Their gazes tangled in midair.
“Obviously me. I’ve been assisting Professor Harrid up to now.”
Tide spoke with his arms crossed.
“What are you talking about? I’ve helped Professor Harrid plenty too. And as someone from the famous Laden family, shouldn’t I be class president?”
Eliana snorted and puffed out her chest.
“You’re bringing up family in front of Lewellin? That’s ridiculous. Not that I care about family status, but the class president should be the most outstanding student, right? Who’s the best in our class?”
Chelsea laughed as she stood up.
As the three started arguing over who should be class president, Elig walked over to Leo.
“Leo Plov. Here, take this.”
He handed Leo a document.
“What’s this?”
“It’s about the adjustment to today’s Hero Studies class. After homeroom, everyone’s to gather in the main auditorium. Professor Artianne decided to hold a joint class for all ten classes this time.”
For core subjects like Combat Studies, each homeroom teacher was responsible.
The reason was that they needed to guide students in a way that made the best use of their strengths.
But Hero Studies had a specialized professor.
And for first years, the Hero Studies professor was the homeroom teacher of Class 8, Professor Artianne, who had left a strong impression on the first day.
“You can give this to your homeroom teacher at this morning’s homeroom. See you.”
Elig left the classroom.
“Let’s see.”
Carr took the document from Leo.
“Oh! So this is it! The research about the Hero Record page that was recovered.”
“Really?”
Nella also checked the document.
“Which hero could it be? Leo, did you hear anything from the student council president yesterday?”
Carr asked, and Leo propped up his chin.
“He said there was a page so damaged it was impossible to recreate the hero’s world. Maybe that’s it.”
“Ugh! Deduction class is the hardest!”
Carr grabbed his head.
“I told you, I’m the class president!”
“No! I am!”
“This is going nowhere! Let’s decide by skill! Both of you, come at me!”
“You think we’ll back down?”
“We’ll show our results in a month!”
Even then, the three were noisily arguing about who should be class president.
Seeing that, Nella made an awkward face.
“If Professor Harrid comes in like this…”
“We’re dead.”
Carr shook his head.
—
“A joint class? Understood.”
Homeroom.
Harrid accepted the document from Leo and nodded.
“Not only Professor Artianne but all the first-year homeroom teachers will be observing this joint class.”
He tossed the document onto the lectern with an indifferent expression.
“Since this is your first joint class, make sure to show your best.”
“Yes.”
“If you act as foolishly as these three in front of the other classes, it won’t end with just this.”
The students’ eyes turned to the three who were kneeling on their desks, each holding their chair overhead.
Chelsea, Tide, and Eliana hung their heads in shame.
“Professor! Why haven’t we chosen a class president yet?”
Carr raised his hand and asked.
Even after a month since the academic schedule started, Class 5 was the only one that hadn’t elected a class president.
“I figured you would choose one on your own without me needing to step in. It would be inefficient for me to waste time interfering.”
In other classes, choosing a class president had taken up entire Combat Studies lessons.
In Class 1, because there were three top scorers, it took even longer than the other classes.
Harrid considered it a waste of time and left it up to the students’ autonomy.
But the students in Class 5 had actually been waiting for Harrid to bring it up.
“If you want me to get involved, I’ll do it my way. Leo, Nella.”
Harrid called to Leo in the far back and Nella in the very front.
“Leo is the class president. Nella is the vice president.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
“W-wait a minute, Professor! Shouldn’t we have a vote or something? This isn’t fair!”
“I agree!”
Eliana protested, and Tide joined in.
Harrid responded indifferently.
“Is there anyone in this class more suited to lead than Leo Plov?”
At that, Eliana and Tide closed their mouths.
There was certainly no one in Class 5 who could match the leadership Leo showed in Combat Studies.
“And Nella has the calmest personality in our class. I think she’s perfect as vice president to assist the president.”
There was nothing to argue with.
Neither of them was particularly greedy for the class president or vice president positions.
Once Harrid pointed to the two, there was nothing more to say.
“Does anyone object?”
“No.”
“Good. Then everyone, get ready for class and head to the main auditorium.”
* * *
The great migration of the first-years began.
Since students normally had no chance to take classes together outside of regular subjects, everyone was in high spirits.
“Hey, Leo?”
“Leo! Want to have lunch together after class?”
A few girls giggled and spoke to Leo.
Since he took every major subject, Leo knew quite a few students.
“Whew! Leo, you sure are popular. Well, you do have the looks for it.”
Carr nudged Leo in the ribs and joked.
As a school celebrity and a boy who could be called handsome, Leo was certainly popular.
“Anyone among your friends you could introduce me to?”
“You have plenty of female friends yourself, so why are you asking me?”
“In my case, they’re all just acquaintances.”
Carr grumbled, resting his hands behind his head.
“Carr.”
“Yeah?”
Someone called Carr from behind.
Carr turned and made a strange face.
“Chloe, you look exhausted.”
At Carr’s question, Chloe glanced briefly at Leo and shook her head.
“Not really. Do you have any spare fatigue recovery potions? Sell me all you have.”
Carr pulled some fatigue recovery potions from his subspace.
Chloe grabbed a few, popped them open, and downed them right there.
“It’s only the start of the semester. Aren’t you overdoing it?”
Leo asked, but Chloe shook her head.
“I’m fine.”
With that, she walked on ahead.
“Wow, she’s tough. Seriously. To work herself that hard even as the top scorer on the written exam.”
Right now, Chloe was number one in the theory exams for the magic department.
Abad was second, Chelsea was third, and Leo was fourth.
Then Chelsea suddenly joined the conversation.
“Of course Chloe is anxious.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Carr, sometimes I wonder if you’re really in the magic department.”
“I study just hard enough not to get expelled!”
Carr answered proudly with a thumbs-up.
“Sigh. Anyway, Chloe’s anxious because if Leo gets used to the latest magic trends, he could catch up in theory scores right away.”
It was just as Chelsea said.
Leo was less familiar with the latest magic trends than any other mage at Lumene.
And all the classes were focused on the latest trends.
But when it came to magic analysis skills, which the Lumene professors emphasized, no student could keep up with Leo.
“Tsk. Is being top in theory that important?”
“As a mage of the Tower, it’s a matter of pride. She can’t help it.”
Chelsea shrugged.
If magicians from famous bloodlines passed down by heritage tended to focus on ‘combat,’ then mages from the Tower focused on ‘inquiry and research.’
A hero’s family mage like Chelsea might be strong in battle, but they rarely led the latest trends in magic.
On the other hand, new discoveries and spells almost always came from the Tower.
To Chloe, Leo was a threat in a field she absolutely could not lose.
‘Well. Working hard is fine, but…’
Leo scratched his cheek and looked at Chloe walking ahead.
‘If she overdoes it, she’ll hurt herself.’
A former great hero who saved the world, and now a young sprout just starting out.
They started from different places—there was nothing to be done about it.
‘I should find time to talk with her.’
—
“So, Rhys.”
Rhys was reporting on the results of his mission to Kalian in the principal’s office.
“Is it true that this Hero page reacted?”
Kalian carefully picked up the small fragment of the Hero Record page.
“Yes.”
“Interesting. A piece of this size shouldn’t contain any power.”
A fragment so damaged it was barely a page shouldn’t have any power left at all.
“Has there been any reaction since?”
“No, there hasn’t.”
“Hmm… Did it react because it got close to the Hero Record?”
Kalian set the fragment down.
“At any rate, thank you for your hard work, Rhys.”
“Yes.”
After seeing Rhys out, Kalian spoke to his secretary, Erena.
“Take this to the Grand Auditorium of the Crown of the Beginning.”
“Yes, Headmaster.”
At Kalian’s words, Erena stared for a moment at the Hero Record fragment he handed her.
“Erena?”
“Oh, yes. I’ll take it right away.”
As Erena left the office, Kalian, now alone, stroked his chin.
He knew the Hero Record better than anyone, having conquered countless hero worlds.
‘Now that I think about it, there have been times when a fragment that small has reacted.’
Shaking his head, Kalian dismissed the thought as impossible.
‘If the very person recorded in the Hero Record were to appear, then it would react.’