Chapter 57
Class 5 rented out an entire inn in Velkia for their lodging.
Most of the students were visibly bewildered when they arrived at the inn.
“Do we really have to sleep here?”
“Are there going to be mice or anything?”
“What about laundry? Cleaning?”
“Do we even have to cook our own meals?”
All the students from noble families looked flustered.
Meanwhile, students like Carr, who were commoners, were completely unfazed.
Carr even teased his friends.
“Pfft. You know, you all look like a bunch of clueless noble girls right now.”
“What did you say?”
“How dare Carr talk back like that!”
Chelsea and Eliana snapped back at him.
Carr screamed as he was hit by the two.
But the noble-born students’ reluctance did not fade easily.
Up until now, even if Lumene put students through harsh training and lessons, when it came to food, clothing, and shelter, nothing was ever lacking.
In fact, at the Lumene dormitories, there were attendants to help with laundry and cleaning so students could focus solely on their studies.
But this time was different.
They had all been looking forward to the school trip, only to end up in an inn where only commoners would stay.
And they had to do everything themselves.
“Couldn’t we have picked a nicer place to stay?”
Nella, the oldest and most mature in the class, also looked troubled.
“Judging by your reaction, I think it was a good idea to pick this place for lodging.”
“Huh?”
“Alright! No complaints, everyone. This is a good experience. Comfortable beds, someone else doing your laundry, someone else preparing your meals—these conveniences won’t always be there. As hero candidates, you have to be able to cope in any situation.”
At Leo’s words, boos rang out here and there.
“Teacher’s pet! You’re a teacher’s pet!”
“Enough with the model student act!”
“We all know Professor Harrid gave you the authority to pick the lodging!”
“Let’s just all chip in and go somewhere else.”
Leo replied to their complaints.
“Actually, Professor Harrid originally wanted us to camp outside in tents.”
Everyone froze at those words.
Even Nella, the vice president, was hearing this for the first time and looked surprised.
“I managed to talk him into letting us stay here instead.”
The entire class looked shocked.
In this snowstorm, they were supposed to set up tents and sleep outside!
‘As expected of Lumene’s most ruthless professor!’
“If you hate it here so much, I’ll go tell them we can’t stay.”
“Hey! Stop him! Hold him back!”
“Ahhh! Stop, president!”
Terrified, Tide and Eliana clung to Leo’s arms.
In the end, the students quietly decided to stay at the inn for the next ten days.
“And one more thing—Professor Harrid and Assistant Professor Sena won’t be staying here. We’re entirely on our own. But we were told to follow the rules.”
Leo grinned.
“If anyone is caught sharing a room with the opposite sex or breaking school rules, you’ll be in for a terrible time.”
“Ugh, so boring,” Eliana grumbled.
“You have free time until tomorrow morning. Go explore the city as much as you want.”
With Leo’s words, everyone went up to their rooms.
At first, they were unhappy, but the idea of being on their own eventually got them excited.
“Let’s tidy up our room, change into our winter uniforms, and go shopping!”
“I heard there’s a hot spring, so I’m going there first!”
“I want to check out the weapons shop!”
Watching his lively friends return to their usual teenage selves, Leo muttered,
“Kids sure adapt quickly.”
“Leo, you know you sound like an old man sometimes?”
“I know. I’m going to report to Professor Harrid.”
“Want me to come with you?”
“No, stay here and check if anything unusual happens.”
“Okay.”
Harrid and Sena were staying at the Ersar family’s mansion, not far from here.
Leaving the inn, Leo noticed a luxury hotel across the street.
There was a lot of activity, and the owner, who seemed to be in charge, was shaking his head at the elves trying to get in.
‘Looks like they’ve got a group booking, too.’
Losing interest, Leo headed for the Ersar family mansion.
Upon arrival, Leo reported to Professor Harrid, who was staying in the guest room.
“Everyone’s been assigned their rooms and is enjoying their free time.”
“I bet there were complaints about the lodging.”
“Once I told them you planned to have us sleep in tents, everyone went quiet.”
Professor Harrid let out a deep sigh.
“Leo Plov.”
“Yes, Professor.”
“I know you’re excellent as class president.”
“Thank you.”
“But why do you blame your plans on me?”
“Isn’t it better for the scary person to play the villain?”
At Leo’s bold response, Professor Harrid let out a laugh.
He had worked at Lumene for a long time, but Leo was the first student like this.
Even fourth and fifth years were terrified of him, and here Leo was using that to his advantage.
‘Is he fearless, or just bold?’
“Fine. Get some rest. It’d be funny if you couldn’t keep up with your own schedule.”
“Yes.”
Leo bowed his head.
As he was leaving, an elf approached.
“Leo Plov.”
“Yes?”
An elf woman in a neat suit bowed politely.
“The head of the family wishes to see you.”
“Do you mean Lune Ersar?”
“Yes.”
Though Leo looked puzzled, he followed after the elf woman.
Soon, they reached the office in the center of the mansion. The elf woman knocked politely.
“Come in.”
As she opened the door, she bowed deeply.
Leo entered and saw Lune at his desk.
“Welcome, Leo. Sorry to call you, but I’m busy at the moment. Please wait a little. Feel free to look around the office if you get bored.”
Leo nodded as Lune continued writing with his quill.
“That’s fine. I’ll have a look around.”
Leo looked around the spacious office.
The Ersars were the oldest among the elf families.
So, the walls were lined with all sorts of treasures.
Elf artisans.
Or items made by Dwarven master smiths. Leo slowly looked at them, stopping at one old, worn dagger.
It was a strangely shaped dagger.
The blade was short, fitting the description of a dagger, but the hilt was as long as a longsword.
The ratio between blade and hilt was almost one to one.
“Erquint?”
Even Lune, busy with his paperwork, looked up.
“How do you know about Erquint? Only heads of the Ersar family are supposed to know about that weapon’s story.”
“I read about it in a book on lost weapons and legends in Lumene’s great library. I never thought it really existed…”
Leo quickly explained.
Erquint was a famous sword made by Dweno, using a rare starlight ore called Holy Light Ore.
Originally, it was given to Luna for self-defense in battle, but she gave it to her disciple, Velkia.
Right before Kyle and his companions left on their final expedition.
It was lost during the last battle with Tartarus.
It was a legendary sword, but most people didn’t even know it existed.
‘It’s not the real thing.’
The faint starlight mana he felt was different from the genuine article.
It felt hollow, somehow like a shell.
“There’s a book like that? Well, Lumene is a hero academy. Long ago, one of our ancestors won it as a reward for clearing Velkia’s Hero Record. Since Velkia used it, we treasure it.”
‘So that’s why it feels like only the shell is left.’
Any relics obtained from the Hero Record can’t be used by anyone except the one who cleared it.
While Leo nodded, Lune finished his work and invited Leo to a guest sofa.
As Leo sat down, Lune personally made tea.
“I’ve heard about you from Harrid. You’re an all-class student?”
“Yes.”
“And the overall top first-year at Lumene?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm.”
Lune nodded.
Then his expression turned serious.
“I know it’s rude to ask a favor when we just met.”
“What kind of favor?”
“Would you meet my granddaughter?”
Leo’s eyes widened at the unexpected request.
“What do you mean?”
“I want you to inspire her.”
Lune sighed deeply.
“My granddaughter is a first-year at Seiren. It might sound like bragging, but she’s talented—she entered Seiren with excellent grades.”
Leo nodded.
“But right after entering, she hit a wall.”
“A wall?”
“Yes. She always knew she was gifted. Always the best among her peers.”
Most new Lumene students are the same.
“But the world is a big place. As soon as she entered Seiren, she had to face students with better grades than hers.”
“Oh.”
Leo understood right away.
“She’s got a gloomy side, but she’s diligent, so her grades went up quickly. But there was one student she just couldn’t surpass. After that, she lost all motivation to study at Seiren.”
“I understand the story. But how am I supposed to meet your granddaughter at Seiren?”
“If she were still at Seiren, I wouldn’t be asking you.”
Lune rubbed his face.
“Right now, she’s at home, refusing to go to school even though it’s the middle of the semester.”
Leo looked incredulous.
“No matter what we say, she keeps refusing to attend.”
“…….”
“That’s why I’m asking you, the first-year representative of Lumene. Could you inspire her?”
—
At Seiren Academy, students are divided by grade based on their academic performance.
Classes are divided into upper, middle, and lower.
Since there are so many first-years, there are multiple classes for each level.
Of course, even within the upper classes, there are differences in skill.
Among them, the very best first-years are gathered in the upper first class.
In the upper first class, the homeroom teacher looked over the students and said,
“There’s an announcement today.”
The students stood attentively, facing the teacher.
“From today, the upper class will be sent out for field missions.”
The students of the upper first class stirred at those words.
Field missions?
Usually, field missions were for the second semester.
“Don’t be nervous. It just means the school board recognizes the excellence of the upper class.”
With the elf teacher’s gentle smile, the students in Class 1 wore proud expressions.
Being here was an honor for their families.
Meanwhile,
The class president of Class 1, Lunia, should have been excited, but was instead staring blankly at the ceiling.
Her head was filled with just one name.
‘Leo Plov? What kind of person is he? What kind of thief steals away my contracted partner? Unforgivable… unforgivable.’
Fwoosh!
Lunia’s eyes began to burn fiercely.
“So, the place our upper first class will be going is…”
The elf teacher started writing the destination on the board.
“Elsalbekia’s Velkia.”
