Chapter 403

“What? That Ar girl is having special training with Lumene’s student council president?!”

Borman, the tiger beastman, shouted in excitement.

“She’s making us all mess around while she gets to train alone?! How cheap…!”

Watching Borman clench his fists in frustration, Lewen—sitting on his own tail while grooming his fur—spoke calmly.

“Well, I don’t know. They called it special training, but it didn’t look like it.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It looked more like she was being waterboarded.”

“You mean the training is so brutal it looks like torture? That Ar… she’s incredible.”

Lewen shook his head as Borman interpreted it however he pleased.

It was impossible to have a conversation with him.

Meanwhile, Lewen walked over to a group of female Azonia students huddled together, watching the Lumene students.

“What are you all looking at?”

“Lewen, Lewen. Look over there.”

The spot the wolf beastman girl pointed to was where Abad Lewellin and Duran Moira were lying on sunbeds under a parasol.

Abad was reading a grimoire with his usual laid-back expression, and Duran was also reading quietly.

“What is it? Are you suddenly itching for a fight with those two? It’s a shame, but hold back.”

Azonia students, by nature, were full of fighting spirit and always hungry to challenge the strong.

That was why Lewen assumed his classmates were staring at Abad and Duran—two of the most prominent powerhouses from Lumene’s Knight and Magic Departments—because they wanted to spar.

“No. Not at all.”

“We just want to hang out with them.”

“They’ve got a different charm compared to our muscle-headed idiots.”

At that, Lewen glanced at Abad and Duran again.

They really were a type of student you wouldn’t find in Azonia.

A moment later, a few of the female Azonia students approached Abad and Duran and struck up a conversation.

Besides them, plenty of Lumene and Azonia students were mingling and having fun together.

Among them were first-year Lumene students peppering the Azonia students with questions.

‘As expected, Lumene students have an outstanding passion for learning.’

Lewen nodded, then narrowed his eyes.

‘Compared to them, these idiots…’

“Are they doing underwater combat training with toys like that?”

“Hmm. It doesn’t look very effective.”

It was then, as Lewen shook his head at the Azonia students mistaking the Lumene students’ water play—with toys bought from Carr—for combat training.

Fwoosh-!

A jet of water blasted up from the distance.

Every student’s gaze snapped toward it.

“Why are you suddenly attacking us?!”

“Right! And that’s cheating!”

Celia Zerdinger and Chelsea Lewellin—who had been growling at each other in a chase just moments ago—protested at Eliza Hergin, who was now pursuing them with a terrifying aura, gripping Carr’s special Water Cannon.

“Shut up. I’m going to drown you both today!”

Eliza growled lowly as she fired the Water Cannon at the two without restraint.

“Uwaaah!”

“Dodge!”

“Glug, glug, glug!”

Anyone unlucky enough to get swept up in the three’s pursuit ended up in a miserable state.

Seeing that, Borman clenched his fists.

“As expected of Lumene’s powerhouses— even their fun is like real combat training!”

Borman shouted, completely thrilled.

“I’ll join the fray too!”

Lewen clicked his tongue as he watched Borman charge off after the three, as if he’d made up his mind on his own.

‘What a mess.’

—

“The second-years are doing a better job as mentors than I expected.”

One of the professors dispatched to Aleham to supervise the first-years, Melina, spoke as she organized the reports submitted by the second-years.

At her words, Harrid Edmond—the head professor for the first-years—replied,

“I wouldn’t have entrusted them with being mentors if they couldn’t handle even this much.”

He answered like it was nothing, but his voice carried quiet trust in the second-years.

Knowing that, Melina simply smiled.

“Professor Harrid, when the current second-years were first-years, which student did you pay the most attention to?”

She asked lightly, as if it were casual.

Harrid gave an unexpected answer.

“Carr Thomas. For better or for worse.”

Melina’s eyes widened.

“Is that surprising?”

“Yes. I thought you’d say Leo.”

“That would be the normal answer.”

Harrid glanced down at the documents and replied indifferently.

“But personally, I’m not even sure Leo Plov should be categorized as a student. No matter how amazing someone is, it’s normally impossible to grow the way he has.”

Harrid narrowed his eyes.

“One conclusion I came to after being his homeroom teacher for a year was this—he isn’t growing. He’s regaining his power.”

‘Sharp.’

Melina smiled to herself.

“Still, Carr is surprising, isn’t he? In the same class, there’s Chelsea, right? It’s strange that you paid the most attention to Carr—who’s closest to the failing mark—when the second-years are called the greatest golden generation in history.”

“Didn’t I say? For better and for worse.”

Harrid sighed.

“In a bad sense, Carr is a guy with clear limits. He can never stand on the same stage as a hero. In fact, Carr himself doesn’t believe for a second that he’ll become a hero. In that sense, as a hero candidate, he’s disqualified.”

“That’s certainly true.”

“But despite that, he survived. Even while those more talented than him were being expelled. And once he entered his second year, he even managed to conquer the world of the Divine Blacksmith.”

Harrid narrowed his eyes.

“He’s a completely different type of student from the typical Lumene student. From the moment they enter Lumene, there are almost no students who aspire to be supporters.”

“I do think he’s very good at objective self-assessment.”

“Right. Since he entered Lumene, you can’t say he has no talent, but compared to the Lumene average, Carr’s talent might as well be nonexistent. And yet, many students rely on Carr Thomas in one way or another. It’s the same this time.”

Not only had he supported the first-years, but this time, Carr had taken command against an enemy using unknown Dragon Speech Magic.

It had been the same during the midterm exams.

“On the battlefield, he supports other students from behind, helping them draw out power beyond their limits. That’s a very special ability.”

“Do you mean he’s a leader?”

“He can’t be a leader. But.”

The corners of Harrid’s mouth curled up.

“He can be the pillar that supports the leaders.”

At Harrid’s words, Melina recalled what Leo had said.

‘Even the greatest hero can’t do everything alone. As you know, there are times when even heroes struggle and suffer. Carr is the one who will become a source of strength for heroes when they’re struggling and suffering.’

Nodding as she remembered that, Melina asked,

“Among the current first-years, which student are you paying the most attention to?”

“There are two. For better or for worse.”

“One of them is obviously Aina Beidna, right?”

Harrid nodded.

The current first-years were no pushovers, even when compared to the second-years—one of the most prominent golden generations in Lumene’s history.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a bountiful year.

With Aina at the forefront, there was Haviden from the same Knight Department.

Juen from the Magic Department.

And Sasha from the Summoning Department.

It was rare for such a lineup of brilliant talents to be gathered in a single year.

It was a solid class—comparable to the year of Rhys, Torua, Ulta, and Jamua, who graduated last year.

Among them, Aina, as the great-granddaughter of the Sword Saint, was showing overwhelming talent and an incredible growth rate.

‘She’s on a completely different level from her peers.’

Harrid narrowed his eyes.

But there was a major problem.

“What Aina wants isn’t to be a hero. It’s revenge.”

The Sword Saint, Kalian Beidian.

Melina also knew Kalian well.

If Melina were to challenge the Genesis Hero Record once more, he was the mighty hero she would have recruited first.

A great hero—flawless enough to shoulder an entire era.

But his family life had not been a happy one.

Following in Kalian’s footsteps, everyone in his family fought Tartarus.

Kalian’s son, great-grandson, and even his granddaughter-in-law.

All were Lumene graduates, and all lived lives that did not shame the Sword Saint’s name.

But for Kalian, it was a cruel thing.

Because they all died fighting Tartarus.

And Kalian himself eventually met his end in battle against Tartarus.

From Aina’s perspective, she had lost every blood relative to Tartarus.

Of course, in the long history of the struggle against Tartarus, tragedies like hers were common.

The problem was her talent.

Her overwhelming sword talent—enough to be called the second coming of the Sword Saint—gave Aina the power to fight Tartarus.

And so she had been sharpening the blade of her revenge.

“It seems her obsession with Leo is also tied to that revenge.”

The fact that she needed Leo’s acknowledgment to inherit the full legacy of the Sword Saint was a secret no one else knew yet.

At Melina’s words, Harrid spoke.

“Vengeance alone will hit a limit in this school sooner rather than later.”

“That’s true. Then who’s the other one?”

“Luke Elda.”

“Student Luke. He’s certainly sincere and a model student. Kind, too, with a strong desire to learn… though his grades don’t quite keep up.”

Melina smiled.

“Yes. But that’s part of it, too.”

Harrid knew why Luke wasn’t growing.

And he had a vague grasp of Luke’s potential.

The same was true for Melina.

‘Still, not losing heart while everyone around you moves forward and you stay stuck in place… that takes something special.’

It wasn’t an ordinary mindset.

“Besides grades, is there anything about Luke that’s concerning in a bad way?”

“He’s dangerous in a lot of ways.”

Harrid clicked his tongue.

“He’s the type who throws himself to the limit without hesitation for what he believes in. According to Chloe, he did some insane things this time too. Of course, that’s also the driving force behind his growth, and in some ways it’s a virtue of a hero, but…”

Harrid didn’t bother to finish.

A virtue of a hero.

And something that could lead to death the moment you misstepped.

It was also the kind of student Harrid disliked most.

“But either way, the fact that he’ll grow immensely doesn’t change. This year’s final exams will be something to see.”

At Harrid’s words, Melina nodded.

“Indeed. It’ll be good stimulation for Aina.”

At that, the corners of Harrid’s mouth curled up.

“Luke Elda has always been someone who ‘stimulates’ Aina Beidna.”

‘From the moment Leo accepted Luke as his mentee… no, maybe since the entrance exam.’

“She’s doing her best to ignore it, but with this incident as a catalyst, Luke will become even more of a stimulus for Aina.”

—

That evening, a party was held at the lodgings where the Lumene students were staying.

A self-congratulatory celebration for successfully completing their mission practicum before returning to school.

The Azonia students were invited as well, and they mingled freely.

A short distance away from the party, Leo stood with his arms crossed, watching the students laugh and chat.

“What are you doing out here all alone?”

Melina approached and asked.

“Just thinking about the old days a little.”

Leo answered with a faint smile.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you reminiscing about the old days, Leo-nim.”

“It can’t be helped. I just met Lysinas.”

For Melina—busy with her duties—this was the first she’d heard of it.

“Lysinas-nim?”

“I met Rodia too.”

“What on earth happened?”

Leo told the astonished Melina what had happened.

“To enter a Hero Record from within another Hero Record…”

Leo chuckled at Melina’s dazed expression, then looked back toward the party.

“Back then, after something big happened, we always held a banquet to shake it off and move forward.”

“Whose idea was that?”

“Lysinas’s.”

Melina nodded.

Then she tilted her head, curiosity surfacing.

“What was it like? The day you and Lysinas-nim met.”

“What was it like…”

Leo’s smile turned bitter as he recalled the past.

“Even back then, the two of us held a banquet that wasn’t quite a banquet. It was a new beginning, after all.”

—

After the great Tartarus invasion, at the tavern run by the elf Tilla, Kyle and Lysinas sat facing each other.

Lysinas, who had been writing her memoirs upstairs, closed her book and stood.

She took a deep breath, faced the mirror, and tidied her appearance.

‘This is the beginning.’

Her first companion.

He was incredibly cynical, but he was the start of everything.

Leaving the room, Lysinas went down to the first floor.

The tavern was empty—no customers at all.

She approached the table where two rustic beer mugs sat, took her seat, and said,

“Sorry, sorry. I was doing something for a moment.”

Kyle’s expression remained indifferent.

“Today is the historic day we founded our subjugation party, so drink as much as you want. If it were up to me, I’d buy a round for everyone here. But with you and you together, no customers dare come near this tavern.”

“The Surviving Hero is a symbol of misfortune, and the foolish one is an object of avoidance for spreading useless hope.”

“That’s how it is now. But soon, the way they look at us will change. This city will change too.”

Lysinas raised her glass, conviction in her eyes.

“Now then—before we get into the serious talk. This is the beginning. A toast, to bless our future and the hope of the world.”

Kyle sighed, clinked his mug against hers as if reluctantly, and drank.

All the while, Lysinas kept staring at Kyle’s face.

Kyle felt uncomfortable under the dragon’s unwavering gaze.

He found it absurd that he was taking part in this ridiculous journey, and a sigh slipped out as he thought about the daunting road ahead.

But more burdensome than anything was Lysinas, who still wouldn’t take her eyes off him.

“What is it?”

“What?”

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

At Kyle’s blunt question, Lysinas took a sip and shook her head.

“It’s nothing.”

Kyle expected her gaze to ease.

But Lysinas still didn’t look away.

“Seriously. Why are you staring at me like that?”

When Kyle asked again, unable to endure it, Lysinas propped her chin on her hand.

“Just because.”

Then she gave a slight smile—barely perceptible.

“Because I like you.”