Editor : Amethyst00



At Verga’s question, Leo’s expression froze for a moment.

‘Does he… know my mother?’

After a brief hesitation, Leo decided to answer honestly.

“Do you know my mother?”

“As I thought! You really are Reina’s son!”

Verga burst into hearty laughter.

“I am an old friend of your mother’s. Reina’s son! Back in the day, she and I—Verga Tune—often clashed as the grade representatives of Lumene and Azonia. I’m sure you’ve heard about me from her, yes?”

“No. She’s never mentioned you once.”

“Th–that can’t be! Reina and I were the closest of friends!”

“My mother didn’t talk much about her school days.”

Verga paused at that, then let out a long sigh.

“I see… perhaps that makes sense.”

Then, with a distant look in his eyes, he murmured softly,

“She was like a single blooming flower—strong and proud beyond words… You must not know what your mother was truly like.”

“……”

Hearing him murmur that, Leo’s expression turned slightly awkward.

‘Verga… He’s a well-known hero among the beastkin, isn’t he?’

Leo had at least heard the name before. Among the beastkin who revered strength, Verga was famous for his unrestrained strength and prowess.

Even earlier, every student candidate had looked up at him with shining eyes—except for Leo, of course.

‘Does he have something wrong in the head?’

Leo couldn’t help but worry for him.

A single blooming flower?

‘That doesn’t suit my mother at all.’

According to Uncle Zeiss, Reina’s nickname in her prime was “the Witch of Flames.”

If she had been called a “witch” despite not even being a mage, one could easily imagine what kind of person she had been.

“If it hadn’t been for that fool, Ellen…!”

The veins on Verga’s hand bulged as he clenched his fist tight.

Watching him grind his teeth, Leo spoke quietly.

“She never told me much about the past, but… Mother said she didn’t regret her choices.”

“……!”

Verga’s eyes wavered at those words.

“Haha… yes. That’s exactly like Reina Zerdinger! Hahahahahaha!”

And then he suddenly broke into loud laughter.

Leo began to genuinely worry about the man who claimed to be his mother’s dear friend.

“Yes! There’s no need to cling to the past! I saw your strength during the Beast Carnival! You reminded me of Reina in her student days—fierce and unstoppable! I’ll be expecting great things at the entrance ceremony tomorrow, Reina’s son!”

“I do have a name, you know. It’s Kyle.”

At that, Verga gave a small, amused laugh.

“Then I shall call you that—once you pass the entrance ceremony tomorrow.”

Leo gave a nod and left the waiting room.

‘Reina… Even if you’ve lost your flame, I’m sure you remain just as beautiful and proud as ever.’

Looking out the window with a faint smile, Verga fell deep into memory.

‘I tried to become the man worthy of you… but by the time I did, you had already vanished—your flame gone, leaving only silence.’

Clenching his fist with a bittersweet expression, he made a silent vow.

‘Even if our paths diverged, Reina—do not worry! I will make your son into the greatest hero of all!’

Thus, for the woman he had once loved, Verga renewed his determination.

‘If my daughter and your son stand together, they’ll form a generation greater than even Lumene’s current first years! Watch over us, Reina!’

Completely unaware that Leo was actually Lumene’s class representative, Verga raised his fist high and shouted inwardly for the downfall of Lumene.

bl

After being assigned a room, Leo immediately headed to the shower attached to his quarters.

He couldn’t stand the sticky feeling of monster blood and flesh still clinging to him.

“Well, at least the room’s nice.”

Since the colosseum was originally built for gladiatorial use, it was designed to provide maximum comfort for those participating.

‘If I recall correctly, beastkin can gain great fame as gladiators in their lands.’

There were five official colosseums recognized by the beastkin, and the champions reigning over them enjoyed power rivaling that of kings.

Naturally, those champions were all heroes—or ones close to it.

It was even said that participating in colosseum matches was part of Azonia’s academic curriculum.

‘A race that’s loved battle since ancient times, huh.’

Ssshhh—! Click! Creak!

Leo turned off the hot water and reached for a towel.

As he dried his hair, the rabbit ears brushing against his hand made him chuckle wryly.

‘Still not used to these.’

Even though he was currently disguised as a rabbit beastkin, those twitching ears were something he just couldn’t get accustomed to.

‘Anyway, I should take a closer look at that transformation earlier.’

He hadn’t overcome the side effects from aura reinforcement yet, but if he could feel the transformation through his body again, maybe he could find a clue to improving [Brave’s Breath].

Just as he began to circulate his aura—

“Hmm?”

He sensed someone’s presence and turned toward the window.

Then—

Click!

“Black Rabbit! I’ve come to uncover your secret—wha, why are you half-naked?!”

“What do you mean half-naked? I just don’t have my shirt on.”

“Still!”

“And this is my room, isn’t it? I can do whatever I want here.”

At Leo’s calm words, Aru covered her eyes, flustered.

Letting out a sigh, Leo put on his shirt.

“There. I’m dressed. You can open your eyes now.”

Aru cautiously peeked through her fingers.

The sun had nearly set, and the evening glow that streamed through the window made her blue eyes glimmer faintly.

“So? What’s this about you uncovering my secret?”

Since she mentioned a “secret,” Leo had reason to be wary.

If she was aiming to get into Azonia, she might have done research on Lumene—and it wouldn’t be hard to notice that Lumene’s grade representative, Leo, and Azonia’s recommended candidate, Kyle, looked awfully similar.

‘And she’s been watching me for a while now. Said she had something to ask, too.’

As Leo tensed slightly, Aru suddenly pointed at him.

“I saw it during the Beast Carnival! You—you can transform at will, can’t you?!”

Seeing her point so dramatically, Leo actually felt a little relieved.

‘Father and daughter, both out to startle me today.’

Clicking his tongue at the thought of Verga, Leo sat down on the chair by the desk.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“It’s true?!”

Her eyes widened in disbelief at how readily he admitted it.

“In all of history, the only beastkin who could transform freely was the Brave Aaron!”

“You’re the one who asked, so why are you acting shocked?”

Leo looked at her, exasperated.

“C–could you… show me?”

Seeing her ask so cautiously, Leo activated his aura.

The first thing to change was his eyes—the human pupils narrowed into vertical slits.

Soft fur spread like gloves over his hands, and his teeth grew sharper.

As the transformation completed, Leo flexed his fingers lightly.

“Incredible… it’s real.”

Eyes shining with awe, Aru stepped closer. Her tail lifted halfway and swayed back and forth as she circled him curiously.

Like a kitten exploring something new, she reached out and brushed the back of his hand.

“Oooh…”

Letting out a small sound of wonder, she watched him dissolve the transformation again.

“Can’t keep it up for long?”

“It’s not that I can’t. It’s just… exhausting.”

In truth, maintaining it brought muscle pain from the aftereffects.

Leo answered indifferently, twirling a quill from the desk in his fingers.

“So? Now that you know I can transform, what do you plan to do?”

“……”

“Hey?”

“Mm?”

Aru blinked as she watched the spinning quill.

“Why ask about my transformation? Want me to teach you?”

“No.”

Aru shook her head firmly.

“Asking for something like that would be rude. It might be a unique ability of yours—or a family trait. I just wanted to prove something.”

“Prove?”

“Yes! That there can be another beastkin capable of transforming freely like Aaron!”

Her catlike eyes followed the spinning quill.

“People only know of Aaron’s power through old records, so many have come to doubt it.”

When Leo flicked the quill again, Aru’s hand twitched unconsciously.

“But thanks to you, I’ve proven it’s possible! Don’t worry—I’ll keep your ability secret. If word got out, you’d be hounded endlessly, right?”

Her innocent excitement made Leo smile faintly as he twirled the quill once more.

Without realizing it, Aru reached for it like a cat pawing at a toy.

A brief silence followed.

When Leo wiggled the quill teasingly, Aru let out a small, “Hey!” and leapt forward—

“Don’t treat me like a pet cat!”

Whish!

“I got it!”

She slapped her hand down to catch it—only to yelp in pain and fling the quill away.

Watching her antics, Leo chuckled quietly.

‘Aaron once wanted to pass his breathing technique to the beastkin.’

But in the end, only Kyle had mastered it.

‘Not just anyone can learn it. But… someone has to carry on his legacy.’

Someone had to inherit the Hero’s path.

‘When the battle with Tartaros comes, we’ll need every bit of strength we can gather.’

If he found someone worthy, Leo planned to pass on his companions’ techniques to each race.

‘Maybe… that’s why I was brought back to this era.’

Even if he couldn’t finish it himself, perhaps the world’s will was for him to leave behind successors.

That was why he’d come to Azonia’s entrance ceremony—to find such talent.

And Aru seemed to have potential.

‘Not a bad personality either.’

“Want me to teach you?”

“Eh?”

Aru blinked in surprise.

“The way to transform. Want me to teach you?”

Her eyes went wide.

“Y–you’d really teach me?”

“There’s no reason I can’t. But there’s a condition.”

“A condition? What is it?”

Her ears perked up.

“Prove it.”

“Prove… what?”

The smile on Leo’s face sent a strange shiver down Aru’s spine.

It was a primal instinct—the wild sense of a beast recognizing something higher.

‘This guy…’

She swallowed dryly, feeling the fur on her tail bristle.

‘He’s looking down at me.’

“To prove whether you’re truly someone worthy of becoming a hero.”

‘From so far above…’

“I’ll be watching, Aru Tune.”