Chapter 433
Early morning.
As the sun began to rise, the second-year students sluggishly woke from their sleep.
“I want to wash up.”
“Ugh… I’m hungry.”
“I didn’t sleep well at all.”
Groans and complaints spilled out from all over.
The Hero Candidates, who had attended the training retreat with hearts full of excitement after receiving an invitation from the Dragon Lord-nim, had been reduced to the state of beggars in just a single day.
“Well, this is no different from a refugee camp.”
“I doubt even refugees have it this bad. This is just a den of beggars, a complete den of beggars.”
Having gotten a short but comfortable bit of sleep, Carr’s face looked even more refreshed than before.
Letting out a long yawn, Carr grumbled.
In truth, they hadn’t looked this pathetic when they went to sleep last night.
Each Hero Academy conducts training on how to survive in the wild.
By the time they become second-years at a Hero Academy, they learn the skills to survive even if thrown into the middle of a desert or the open sea.
There was only one culprit for why these students, who were specially selected for being exceptionally outstanding, had ended up in this state at this training retreat.
It was because of Melina’s bizarre legion of Guardians.
To make matters worse, it wasn’t just the Guardians who were vulnerable to physical force that had tormented the mage students yesterday; Guardians with formidable physical defense had also appeared.
After a grueling day of training, they hadn’t had a proper meal, and on top of that, they had slept poorly, so it was only natural they’d end up looking like this.
While Leo was clicking his tongue—
Flutter~
“Huh? What’s this?”
A single piece of paper fluttered toward Leo and Carr.
When Carr unfolded the paper, a short message was written in small, neat, pretty handwriting.
“Student Carr, please come to the west side of the forest, avoiding the gazes of the other students. The Dragon Lord?”
Gasp-! Carr sucked in a breath.
Leo’s note had the same message.
“Leo, is yours the same?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow, what in the world is going on?”
“Let’s go find out.”
Leo, who knew what was happening, calmly went with the excited Carr to the place Melina had summoned them.
After slipping away from the other students and approaching the western bushes, they found Lunia, Eiran, Ar, and Driana were already there.
“Gasp?! L-Leo-nim?”
Eiran, spotting Leo, freaked out and hurriedly hid behind Lunia.
“What’s wrong?”
When Lunia asked with a puzzled look, Eiran replied.
“I-It’s embarrassing to show Leo-nim myself in this state.”
“You’ve already shown Leo everything there is to see, good and bad.”
“When have I ever shown such an unseemly side to Leo-nim?”
“Like that time your strange delusions ran wild.”
“D-Don’t say that!”
Eiran, on the verge of tears, tried to cover Lunia’s mouth.
“Were you all also called here by the Dragon Lord-nim?”
“Yeah. Looking at us now, we’re the complete Dweno-nim world conquest team, aren’t we?”
Carr tilted his head.
At that, Ar—who was trying her best to fix her messy hair with her hands—spoke.
“I wonder if she’s planning to give us some special training separately?”
Ar frowned as her hair wouldn’t cooperate.
“Whatever it is, I just want to wash up quickly.”
Cat Beastkin were famous among the Beastkin tribes for their cleanliness.
Watching Ar, Carr said, “You’re a cat, so you can just give yourself a cat wash.”
“Are you teasing me right now? Do you think I, the heir to the Tune family, would just dab some water on my face and be done with it? And whether it’s a cat wash or whatever, I’d still need water, wouldn’t I?”
“No, not washing with water. You know, what’s it called? Grooming? You clean your fur with your spit. Gack?!”
A fist from Ar slammed into the side of Carr, who was speaking with a chuckle.
It was a simple punch, but it felt like he’d been hit by one of Chelsea’s dropkicks.
Just as Ar snorted at the sight of Carr rolling on the ground—
“Everyone, did you all sleep well last night?”
At the voice coming from behind them, everyone except Leo tensed up.
Rustle- Rustle-
Carr’s jaw dropped as he saw Melina appear with a gentle smile.
Though a veil covered her face, Melina’s presence was overwhelming.
“This is the first time I’m speaking with Eiran-ssi and Carr-ssi like this, isn’t it? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Dragon Lord Melina.”
“Ah, hello. O great Lord of the noble Dragon race. I am Eiran Ersar.”
“Hee-hee, you don’t have to be so nervous.”
Eiran’s face flushed slightly at Melina’s gentle smile.
Eiran, a lover of heroic tales, knew all about the exploits of the Silent Dragon.
It was only natural for her to be nervous, standing before a hero considered the greatest of the current era.
“I am Carr Thomas, Lord-nim.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Carr-ssi.”
Beneath the veil, Melina’s lips drew a soft curve.
Seeing that, the tense Carr paused, then asked cautiously.
“Lord-nim… have we perhaps met somewhere before?”
“Hee-hee. Are you hitting on me right now?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Carr, who had asked without thinking due to a strange sense of familiarity, wore a flustered expression.
After playfully greeting Carr, Melina spoke.
“I have called you all here because there is something I wish to ask of you.”
“Something you wish to ask?”
“Yes. In a moment, I will be introducing the instructors who will be training you for this retreat. At that time, you must absolutely, under no circumstances, get excited. Understood?”
“What’s there to get excited about?”
“Understood, Miss Ar?”
Melina brought her smiling face close to the puzzled Ar and spoke emphatically.
“Yes.”
Seeing Ar nod with a flinching expression, Melina nodded her head.
“Good. Then you may now return to where your friends are. I will see you all in a little while.”
At Melina’s words, the group—wearing expressions that said, ‘Is that it?’—returned to the campsite.
—Why did you have to phrase it so indirectly?
Leo asked, using magic so that only Melina could hear.
—Surprise events are always fun, aren’t they?
Leo let out a hollow laugh at Melina’s bright-voiced reply.
“How could you even think of trying to make a move on the Dragon Lord-nim?”
“No, I really just asked because it felt like I’d met her somewhere.”
Lunia spoke to Carr as if she was dumbfounded, and Carr, with his arms crossed, replied in a serious tone.
“Leo! You felt like you’ve seen her before too, right?”
“I don’t know.”
Leo chuckled inwardly and shook his head.
‘He’s sharp, that one.’
If nothing else, Carr’s powers of observation were superior to anyone else’s.
They returned to the campsite with unsettled expressions.
There, the students were lining up by school.
In front of them were some familiar faces.
“Wow, not only Rhys-sunbae-nim, but Ulta-sunbae-nim and Li Jamua-sunbae-nim are here too.”
Carr marveled at the sight of the seniors from Lumene’s graduating class of last year, who were showing the most outstanding performance.
“Lunia-yang! Riennia-sunbae-nim is here too!”
“There’s no way that sunbae would miss an event like this. Ugh, but what on earth is with that outfit? Sunglasses and a cap pulled down low?”
Unlike the purely delighted Eiran, Lunia was both happy to see last year’s student council president, Riennia, yet not entirely pleased.
She was famous for her unpredictable behavior.
During last year’s Lumeiren, she had provoked Leo with the championship trophy, only to be provoked by Polium in return.
This time, too, her strange attire and the way she stood with her arms crossed and head bowed low seemed ominous.
Besides them, the faces of Seiren graduates could also be seen.
On the Azonia side, as expected, there were graduates led by last year’s student council president, Vanir.
“What in the world are we not supposed to get excited about?”
Ar swished her cat tail, her expression one of complete confusion.
Driana also tilted her head as she looked at the graduates.
“Just as you said, there’s nothing particularly special.”
It was then, as the students were assembling—
“Look at your movements, your movements. What is everyone dawdling for!”
Riennia suddenly lifted her head and roared.
The students flinched at the sudden outburst.
“Start running, now!”
At the sudden scolding, the students began to move in a flurry.
“Line up properly! Is this all you so-called Hero Candidates can do!”
A female Seiren student, watching Riennia shout with the veins on her neck bulging, said with a whimper.
“S-Sunbae-nim. You’re scaring me. Why are you being like this?”
She seemed frightened by the murderous demeanor of the former student council president, who, though eccentric, had always been kind.
“Who are you calling sunbae! I am an instructor who has come to train you trainees. From now on, you will address us as Instructor-nim. Understood?”
“S-Sunbae-nim.”
At Riennia’s voice, colder than Seiren’s northern winds, the female Seiren student’s eyes welled up.
“Trainee Sena Tillia. Step forward.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Step forward.”
Sena Tillia hesitantly stepped forward.
“Get on the ground, face down.”
“What? But this is the bare ground—”
“I won’t say it a third time. Get down.”
Hic-! Sena Tillia dropped to the ground.
“Roll to the left. Roll to the right.”
The trainee named Sena Tillia rolled on the ground without knowing why.
At the sight, students from all the schools wore horrified expressions.
“Where do you think you are, showing tears! Get your head in the game!”
Riennia shrieked, her face even more furious.
“I’m sorry!”
Sena Tillia, tormented by Riennia, hastily wiped her tears and shouted.
Torua, who was watching, asked a Seiren graduate she knew.
“Why is she so worked up all by herself?”
“I don’t know. She’s been reading a bunch of weird books for the past few days, and then she was all happy, saying she’d become the perfect instructor-nim?”
Riennia’s classmate answered with a dumbfounded look.
“Hmm? Should we be doing that too? It looks kind of fun.”
Torua’s eyes sparkled.
In the meantime, Riennia—having hazed her hubae to her heart’s content—stood before the students and spoke.
“This instructor is not a bad person. Depending on your actions, this training retreat can become either hell or heaven. Understood?!”
“Yes!”
“Your voices are too quiet!”
“YES, INSTRUCTOR-NIM!”
At Riennia’s murderous display, Lunia let out a deep sigh.
“I knew it.”
“Your sunbae is scary.”
“I don’t know anyone like that.”
At Ar’s words, Lunia flatly pretended not to know her.
Leo, too, let out a hollow laugh, finding Riennia’s behavior absurd.
‘I felt it before, but she’s a very peculiar kid.’
Just as a grim atmosphere settled over the campsite—
“Hello, everyone.”
Melina revealed herself.
At the appearance of the Dragon Lord-nim, the entire second year let out a collective “Ooooh!” of awe, but they quickly snapped to attention under Riennia’s murderous aura.
Melina, tilting her head at the sight, began her customary address.
“Seeing all you Hero Candidates with such bright futures ahead of you makes me very happy. I hope you all gain a lot from this training retreat.”
After the unremarkable, yawn-inducing speech ended, Melina spoke.
“Before we begin the training in earnest, I have invited a special instructor.”
At Melina’s words, the graduates wore puzzled expressions.
The students’ eyes sparkled at the mention of a special instructor.
Step- Step-
And all eyes fell on a young Beastman who came into view.
“This is Instructor Arkan, whom I’ve specially invited.”
“N-Nice to meet you all.”
Carr, who had been suppressing a yawn that was about to slip out, froze as he saw the special instructor who had appeared.
“Keuk?”
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
As Carr let out a sharp breath, Tide, who was in front of him, asked with a puzzled look.
Lunia and Eiran’s jaws also dropped.
Driana rubbed her eyes several times.
The young Beastman walked cautiously toward Melina’s side, his movements somehow stiff and timid.
Everyone wore puzzled expressions.
“Doesn’t he seem to lack a lot of spirit?”
“If he’s an instructor invited by the Dragon Lord-nim, he must be something amazing.”
Amid the confused expressions—
“Huff- Huff-!”
Ar let out ragged breaths.
Her ears were pricked up, and her eyes had gone round like a cat’s.
The muscles all over her body tensed as if she were about to pounce at any moment.
Just as Ar’s tail began to swish back and forth—
Yank-!
“Yowwwl?!”
Leo had already moved behind Ar and yanked her tail hard.
“What do you think you’re doing! Black Rabbit!”
Ar glared daggers and shouted at Leo, who had quickly returned to his spot after pulling her tail.
Along with that, Riennia’s fiery reprimand fell.
“Who was that! While the Lord-nim is speaking!”
“I-It was the Black Rabbit!”
Ar protested as if she’d been wronged, but Riennia was firm.
“Step out here!”
“Just you wait! Black Rabbit!”
As she was dragged away by Riennia, Ar shouted in a voice filled with resentment.
Arron watched the dragged-away Ar with a slightly terrified expression.
Leo, who was playing innocent, clicked his tongue as he watched Ar—now caught by Riennia—rolling on the ground.
‘He has a lot to learn from Arron.’
But the one who was supposed to be teaching, Arron, was scared of Ar.
‘We have a long way to go.’
Letting out a hollow laugh, Leo shook his head.