Chapter 421
“The Shadow Codex?!”
“Something like that existed?”
The first day of the summit.
After the meeting ended and its contents were compiled and announced, the students wore expressions of utter shock.
The topic that drew the most attention was the one concerning the Shadow Codex.
In the dormitory cafeteria, amid everyone’s surprise, Chloe asked Chen Xia, who was beside her.
“Xia, did you happen to know about this?”
“Yes.”
As Chen Xia replied with her characteristic smile, Eliana made a fuss.
“Why didn’t you say anything! It’s an incredible discovery! Besides, if people knew that shadows could also have their names recorded in the Hero Record, those clueless jerks wouldn’t have ignored or looked down on you!”
Eliana reacted with excitement.
The students in Glory Dormitory, and those who had been in the same class as Chen Xia during their first year, had treated her without prejudice even after learning she was a shadow.
Chen Xia herself, after shaking off her identity crisis with Leo’s help, had decided to walk her own path without dwelling on being a hero or a shadow.
But as long as she was the princess of Shan, there were bound to be students who viewed her through a biased lens.
Heroes were those who had achieved great deeds worthy of the gods’ recognition.
But no matter how great a hero, being human, they could not be perfect beings.
Some had made grave mistakes, and some, despite their achievements, were not of noble character.
There were even heroes who had committed acts deserving of condemnation.
But because they had received the gods’ acknowledgment, people were quick to forget such facts.
Shadows, however, not having received the gods’ acknowledgment, were held to a stricter standard than heroes.
Even so, there were no second-year students who openly despised Chen Xia.
For one, Celia from the Knight Department, which Chen Xia belonged to, and even Duran, who was more prideful than anyone, considered Chen Xia a rival.
The top students of the Magic Department, like Chloe, Chelsea, and Abad, were also close friends with Chen Xia.
In the Summoning Department, Chen Xia was one of the few people Eliza would yield to.
And Walden wasn’t the type to care about such things in the first place.
Crucially, she was close friends with the student council president, Leo.
There were no fools in Lumene who would willingly complicate their school life by getting on the bad side of the top students of their year.
Still, that couldn’t change the subtle glances.
It was only because Chen Xia let those gazes be that no one stepped in.
As fellow dormitory students, Chloe and Eliana knew this well.
Seeing Eliana clench her fists in frustration, Chloe let out a small sigh.
“Since it was a state secret of Shan, Xia probably couldn’t speak about it carelessly. Besides, even if the existence of the Shadow Codex becomes known, things won’t change drastically right away.”
“Chloe-ssi is right. It’s up to the shadows, including myself, to change how people see us.”
“Hmph. Still, the Dragon Lord even declared that she wouldn’t stand for any discrimination! From now on, if any jerks look at you that way, I’ll pulverize them.”
“Thank you, Eliana-ssi.”
Chen Xia was smiling brightly when it happened.
“Um. Chen Xia-ssi.”
Just then, Eiran timidly approached.
The second-ranked second-year student of the current Seiren generation.
“Yes, Eiran-ssi.”
“Chen Xia-ssi, as the princess of Shan, have you ever seen the Shadow Codex in person?”
“Of course.”
“Then does that mean you’ve seen the records of the Hero of Beggining?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, I’m so jealous!”
Eiran, a lover of hero tales, exclaimed.
“What kinds of stories were there?”
Eiran’s eyes sparkled.
Following her lead, Chloe and Eliana also looked at Chen Xia with curious eyes.
The Hero of Beggining, Kyle.
Until just a year ago, he was a great hero considered nothing more than a fictional being, but since evidence of his existence was discovered, he had been continuously re-evaluated.
However, with almost no records of him remaining, research into his deeds had been sluggish.
In such a situation, it was only natural for hero candidates to be interested in the news that Kyle’s records had been found.
“What are you all talking about that’s so interesting?”
Chelsea, passing by with her tray, tilted her head and asked. Chloe replied.
“About the Shadow Codex and the Hero of Beggining.”
“I’m interested in that story too!”
Chelsea’s eyes sparkled as she quickly sat down and spoke to Abad, who was with her.
“Brother, sit here!”
Abad, bursting into laughter at her words, sat down next to Chelsea.
“I’m also curious about what kind of magic the Hero of Beggining used. Was he really an All-Class?”
“Yes.”
Watching the boisterous atmosphere, Lunia, who was eating at a distance, rested her chin on her hand.
“There’s never a quiet day at Lumene.”
Lunia shook her head slightly.
Just then, Carr, Ar, and Driana, who had been sitting with her, stood up from their seats.
“Where are you going?”
“They’re talking about the Hero of Beggining! Aren’t you curious?”
As Ar spoke with sparkling eyes, Lunia shook her head.
“Not really.”
“Leave this pointy-ear alone. She’s the type to act stubborn out of useless pride even if she wants to listen.”
“That’s right. If we leave her alone, she’ll come on her own, won’t she?”
Driana and Carr snickered and went with Ar toward where Chen Xia was.
“I’m really not that curious.”
Lunia wore an indifferent expression.
But every time a boisterous story reached her, her ears twitched again and again.
“Ah, seriously!”
A moment later, as if she couldn’t stand it anymore, she ran toward the noisy group.
—
“Through this summit, we plan to break down the boundary between heroes and shadows to strengthen our cooperation.”
In Melina’s office.
Melina spoke with a serious expression.
“And we also intend to strengthen harmony between the races.”
The world was fraught with distrust between nations due to various conflicting interests.
And distrust between races had continued.
Melina wanted to mend all such discord during her time and unite their strengths as much as possible.
Especially since the collapse of Era of Genesis’s Hero Record was not far off.
It was no exaggeration to say that the threat of Erebos was right around the corner.
“Fortunately, thanks to you Leo-nim, Lady Rodia has gained new power, so we’ve bought more time, but…”
“That, too, is merely a stalling tactic.”
Leo said, lifting the teacup Melina had brought him.
“What do you think of the heroes of this era?”
Melina asked.
The heroes who had their names recorded in the Hero Record in this era.
They would surely become the strength to fight against Erebos and Tartarus in the distant future.
“They were all excellent.”
“Do you have any advice for them?”
“Well.”
Leo’s red eyes curved.
“No matter what anyone says, they are the ones who have achieved deeds worthy of the gods’ recognition and have had their names recorded in the Hero Record.”
Leo took a sip of tea and then set the cup down.
“It would be ridiculous to give pointers to those who are already on stage and properly doing their part.”
“In that case…”
“I’m still more interested in the hero candidates who will lead the next generation. That’s why I’ve made a plan for this summer vacation.”
“A plan?”
Melina tilted her head.
Leo took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Melina.
After receiving and reading it, Melina said.
“Hmm… a training schedule. You plan to do this?”
“That’s right. A sort of training camp, shall we say? I plan to hold it on the Plov family’s estate.”
At Leo’s words, Melina gave a pitying smile.
‘These children are going to experience hell during their summer vacation.’
“I’d like to invite the people listed there as instructors. Could I ask you to handle that?”
“Yes. I will make the preparations.”
Nodding, Melina tucked the plan into her pocket and asked.
“There’s something I want to ask you, Leo.”
“What is it?”
“How long do you plan to hide the fact that you are the reincarnation of the Hero of Beggining?”
At that question, Leo crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling in thought.
“Do you plan to hide it forever?”
“I don’t think so. The day will come when I must reveal my identity myself.”
Leo, who had been lost in thought, shook his head.
“But not now. It would be best to reveal it when I’ve gained enough power that I won’t be overshadowed by my past self.”
Although Leo was rapidly regaining his past strength and accumulating power through the rewards from conquering the Hero Record, he had not yet fully recovered the power of his prime.
“I see.”
(T/N : Here you go guysss from our discord channel! There’s been a discussion over there about when will Leo reveal everything, I guess this answers a part of it. )
—
The summit held in Lumene.
And the news that followed shook the world.
On the first day alone, stories of the Hero Record, the appearance of the Shadow Codex, and the final journeys of great heroes previously unknown had emerged.
The next day, Melina continued to astonish the world by revealing the Hero Records of the heroes who had been active during the Jormungandr subjugation, which she had received from Leo.
While such surprising events continued to unfold, the first-year final exam tournament carried on.
And before long, it was the semifinals.
“Wow, the class rep’s mentee… is amazing, isn’t he?”
Eliana clicked her tongue in amazement.
“The last-place student of the year made it to the final four? And his opponent is none other than the year’s representative!”
Seeing Eliana’s sparkling eyes, Carr rested his chin on his hand.
“You look like you’re having fun.”
“Of course! Austin is in the safe zone!”
Eliana’s mentee and a member of Leo’s knight order, Austin, had achieved a score that put him in the safe zone.
With her worries about his expulsion gone, Eliana began to purely enjoy the first-years’ duels.
“Plus, thanks to betting on the class rep’s mentee, I hit the jackpot on the underdog odds several times!”
Eliana’s eyes twinkled as she shook a pouch of money.
“I almost had my allowance cut off because I bombed the written exam! Thanks to this, I don’t have to worry about my allowance for the second semester!”
Watching Eliana, Eiran, who was beside her, exclaimed in admiration.
“That’s amazing.”
“Huhu-! Call me Eliana of the Beast’s Heart.”
“That sounds so cool!”
“Don’t think it’s cool, Eiran Unni. That’s not a beast’s heart, it’s a beast’s brain.”
Chelsea, who was watching Eiran clap her hands in admiration, said coolly.
“Huhu. Anyway, shall I try to make this money grow? Carr. I want to buy a betting slip!”
“Yes, yes. For Luke?”
“What are you talking about? For Aina, of course!”
“Haven’t you been ‘Luke only’ this whole time?”
“Hah! A true gambler doesn’t take risks! Securing money on a sure win, even with low odds, is the mark of a true pro!”
That wasn’t something the person who had just been talking about a “beast’s heart” should say.
“So how much are you betting?”
“Everything.”
(T/N : I have a bad feeling about this… lol)
Seeing Eliana’s eyes glint with greed, Carr sold her a betting slip without hesitation.
“Make this unni rich! My cute hubae.”
Just as Eliana’s eyes were sparkling.
“I’ll try that, too.”
Someone approached Carr.
It was none other than Leah.
Although her spirit had been crushed after being captured by Harrid, she had barely managed to recover over the past few days.
“On whom?”
“This much on Aina Beidna.”
Leah handed a wad of cash to Carr.
Seeing Leah’s eyes burning with an emotion different from greed, Carr sold her a betting slip without another word.
‘It’s not my money.’
Carr put the wad of cash into his Subspace.
“I should get ready to open up shop.”
—
“Hoo.”
Before entering the arena, Luke took a deep breath.
Leo wasn’t there.
In fact, Leo hadn’t visited Luke even once after his first match.
He was disappointed, but at the same time, a thought occurred to him.
‘This must be Sunbae’s way of saying I can do it on my own now.’
Thinking that, he slapped his cheeks.
He calmed his trembling heart.
All through the first semester.
The person he had only watched from afar, whom he could only think of as amazing, was waiting for him.
‘How well can I do?’
The other students he had faced to get here were certainly amazing, but.
His current opponent was on a different level.
Literally the strongest first-year.
A sense of anxiety washed over him, and his heart pounded.
But he soon took a deep breath and started walking.
‘Let’s go, Luke.’
He shook off his own anxiety.
‘I’m going to test the results of my training against the strongest first-year.’