Editor : Amethyst00



The morning of the day they were leaving for Lumeria City.

A guest came to the Plov household.

“Yaaawn. Leo-oppa, good morning.”

“What the— Chelsea, why are you here?”

“Huh?”

Chelsea, who had been yawning lazily, blinked wide awake.

Then, spotting Celia talking with Leo, she folded her arms.

“Of course I came to hang out at Leo oppa’s house!”

“Leo, how long has she been here?”

“About a month?”

“A whole month? That’s shameless.”

“What’s it to you? Bleh—!”

“You little—!”

Watching the two girls bicker the instant they met, Leo clicked his tongue.

“When are you two ever going to grow up?”

Though the two of them often hung out because of Leo, they were still sworn rivals.

“Oh my, Celia, you’re here.”

“Ah! Aunty!”

Celia ran up to Reina and bowed her head.

“Hello! Have you been well?”

“Yes. But what brings you here so early in the morning?”

“I’m going to Lumeria City with Leo.”

“I see. Did you have breakfast?”

“Not yet.”

“Then let’s eat first.”

“Yes!”

During breakfast, Celia chatted with Reina for the first time in a while, and as she noticed Chelsea joining the conversation so familiarly, she squinted her eyes.

Then she poked Leo in the side.

“What?”

“Your mother and Chelsea seem awfully close.”

“Chelsea’s always been sociable. She’s good at getting along with adults too. My mother’s always wanted a daughter, so she finds Chelsea adorable.”

“Hmph. That sly girl.”

Celia glared at Chelsea.

“You said you’d come visit during vacation, but you never did.”

“I was busy with family matters. It’s something related to you too, so I’ll explain later.”

“Alright.”

After breakfast, Leo carried his luggage to the entrance.

He greeted Reina and Dade, who had come to see him off.

“I’ll be back.”

“Alright, take care.”

“Stay healthy, alright? And study hard.”

“Yes.”

When Leo finished saying his goodbyes, Chelsea bowed her head.

“Marquis Plov, Lady Reina. Thank you for letting me stay for a month. I really had a great time!”

“Hohoho. We enjoyed it too, dear. Come visit again.”

“Yes! I’ll come during the winter break!”

“Aunty, I’ll come too during the holidays.”

“Alright. Give my regards to your brother and Zeiss, and tell Rhys to finish his graduation well.”

“Yes.”

After the farewells, the three of them left the mansion and boarded the same carriage.

On their way to Delad’s Warp Gate, Celia asked,

“By the way, Leo, did you finish all your vacation homework?”

“Of course.”

“With swordsmanship, magic, and summoning to do, that must’ve been rough, huh?”

“It wasn’t too bad.”

“Well, I guess that’s no problem for you.”

“What about you?”

“Of course I did. Though I did struggle a bit with the special activity assignment.”

“That one was tricky for me too.”

Chelsea grumbled.

The “special activity assignment.”

As the name suggested, it required having a unique experience during vacation and writing a report about it.

“Leo oppa, you won’t have any trouble with that.”

“Oh yeah? What did you do over the break?”

“He attended the Azonia entrance ceremony.”

“What?”

Celia’s eyes widened.

“During this year’s Azonia entrance ceremony, the Page of Aaron was conquered—it was a huge deal, remember? You actually saw that in person?”

Not just saw it—he had been the one to conquer it, but since that wasn’t something he could reveal, he simply nodded.

“How did you even attend the ceremony?”

“My mother had an old Azonia recommendation letter. Thanks to that, I was able to attend. Though midway through, I got caught by Professor Ain and Professor Yura, so I had to leave before it was over.”

“That's sounds fun.”

Celia looked envious.

All Azonia students were skilled warriors.

She envied Leo for having fought alongside Azonia’s entrance candidates.

“There were a lot of strong ones, huh?”

“Yeah. Among them, Aru was a bit special.”

“Aru Tune—the one who took first place at this year’s Azonia entrance ceremony?”

Celia’s eyes sparkled.

“I’d love to have a match with her sometime.”

Watching Celia’s red eyes blaze with fighting spirit, Leo rested his chin on his hand and thought of Aru.

‘I wonder how she’s doing.’

As they talked, their carriage arrived at the Warp Gate.

The staff working there looked surprised when they saw the three of them.

“Wait, aren’t those Lumene uniforms?”

“The boy looks like Leo Plov, but who are the girls?”

“Gasp—wait, aren’t those Celia Zerdinger and Chelsea Lewellin?”

Since Celia and Chelsea had attended the entrance ceremony in Delad half a year ago, many still remembered their faces.

After completing the usage procedures, they approached the attendant, who looked visibly tense.

The Lumene class representative and daughters of two hero families—

It was only natural to be nervous in front of such famed hero candidates who had already shaken the world’s attention.

“I’ll need to confirm your names. Leo Plov, Celia Zerdinger, and Chelsea Lewellin, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you. Please step onto the Warp Gate. We’ll activate it now.”

The three stepped onto the Warp Gate headed for Lumeria City.

Flash—!

With a bright burst of light, the scenery before them instantly changed.

As Leo stepped out of the gate building, bustling with travelers, he saw the vast Lumeria lakeside spread out before him.

“Even though it’s only been two months, it feels like forever.”

Celia brushed back her hair as the breeze blew past and let out a small laugh.

“Miss Chelsea.”

Just then, a young man wearing a magician’s robe approached Chelsea.

“Sir Lwen.”

“Did you have a pleasant vacation?”

“Of course.”

Lwen, the Lewellin family’s mage, politely greeted Chelsea, then bowed slightly to Leo and Celia as well.

“My name is Lwen Framt.”

“It’s been a while, Sir Framt.”

“Likewise, Lady Celia.”

Lwen Framt was a renowned magician in the Empire, so Celia was familiar with him.

“The vice-head has ordered me to escort you, my lady.”

“Got it. I should head to the dorm first anyway.”

“Alright. If we don’t meet before then, see you on the first day of class.”

“Okay! See you!”

“Hurry along now, shoo, shoo.”

“Hmph!”

Celia waved her hands dismissively, and Chelsea stuck out her tongue before leaving with Lwen.

“She gets more annoying by the day.”

“She’s cute, though.”

“She’s not cute at all.”

Rolling her eyes, Celia started walking toward Courage Street in Lumeria City.

“Let’s head to the dorm too. Uncle Zeiss will be visiting tonight—he’s got something to tell you.”

“Something to tell me?”

“Yeah. There’s been a lot of talk about your position in the family during the summer break.”

Though Leo was Reina’s son and had mastered the Phoenix Breath, his name was not officially registered in the Zerdinger family’s lineage.

But since his remarkable performance during his first semester, the family’s attitude had changed significantly.

“Most of the family members have agreed to officially announce that you’re my cousin.”

During the first semester, Leo had already proven his worth.

As various nations and powers began watching him closely, the Zerdinger family also had to act quickly.

No matter how prestigious the Zerdinger name was, letting go of a talent like Leo would be a loss.

“But one issue’s still being debated.”

“What issue?”

“Your succession rights.”

Celia’s voice turned serious, and Leo looked startled.

“Succession rights?”

“Yeah.”

Currently, the first heir to the Zerdinger family was, without question, Rhys.

The second heir was Celia.

Beyond that, there were no official successors.

And now, Leo was being mentioned as the third heir.

That meant more than just being acknowledged as a blood relative—it meant real power within the family.

“Well, there’s a lot of opposition, so who knows what’ll happen.”

Celia shrugged and gave Leo a teasing smile.

“What’s wrong? Excited at the thought you might get succession rights?”

“As if that’d happen so easily. And even if I did, it’s not like I could surpass Rhys or you.”

“Even if you don’t become head of the house, it’s still good to have authority in Zerdinger, isn’t it?”

“Not interested.”

Seeing Leo’s indifferent expression, Celia let out a dry laugh.

At the beginning of the year, she would’ve been dumbfounded to hear someone say that.

But since it was Leo saying it, she could understand.

‘Can’t tell if he’s broad-minded or just completely devoid of ambition.’

Shaking her head, Celia said,

“Anyway, let’s rest at the dorm until Uncle Zeiss arrives. We can start preparing for the new semester tomorrow.”

Though there were still several days left before classes began, they had come to Lumeria City early to buy what they’d need for the second semester.

“The list of supplies got way longer than last time. Feels like our real life at Lumene is about to begin.”

Muttering as she checked the supply list, Celia looked at Leo.

“You’ll be busy, right? You have to prepare for both magic and summoning.”

“It’s not that bad.”

Leo replied as he went through the checklist.

Once they arrived at the dorm, the two unpacked immediately.

As Leo lay down on his bed, Elsie appeared.

[Leo! What is this magnificent city?]

“Lumeria City. One of the biggest cities in the world.”

[Wow! Incredible!]

Elsie pressed her face against the window, marveling at the bustling streets.

“Wanna take a look around?”

[Um… shouldn’t we rest?]

“We used the Warp Gate, no need to rest.”

Leo chuckled and stood up.

After telling Celia he was going out for a bit, he headed into the streets.

Perched on Leo’s shoulder, Elsie gazed with joy at the lively city so different from the world five thousand years ago.

Leo smiled as he watched her and strolled leisurely through Lumeria City.

“What? We’re Lumene students!”

“Yeah! Hero candidates! So why won’t you let us in?”

A commotion was happening down the street.

Several people in Lumene uniforms were arguing.

It was in front of a café called Hero’s Rest.

Outwardly, it looked like any other café, but only Lumene students and staff were allowed inside—

A special rest area reserved exclusively for Lumene within Lumeria City.

“So please, present your student ID.”

“I left it behind! I won’t stay long anyway! Just let us in for a moment! You know who I am!”

Watching the heated students, Leo clicked his tongue.

‘Those were the ones who were advised to withdraw after finals.’

Up until a few months ago, they had been Lumene students—but no longer.

So, of course, they couldn’t enter Hero’s Rest.

People nearby sighed, used to scenes like this.

“Looks like they came to beg the professors for another chance.”

“Not the first time that’s happened.”

“But no one’s ever been re-enrolled before, right?”

The crowd murmured.

Just as Leo shook his head—

“If you won’t move, I’ll force my way through!”

The boy who seemed to be their leader flared his aura.

People gasped in surprise.

“So noisy.”

A low, lazy voice came from somewhere.

Leo turned toward it—and his eyes widened.

A man with black hair and black eyes stood there.

“Lumene doesn’t give expelled students a second chance. Give it up and walk your own path. Becoming a hero isn’t limited to attending Lumene.”

“And who are you supposed to be?”

“We’re not expelled yet!”

The former students flared up angrily.

The man raised his hand.

Fwoosh—!

“Gasp!”

In an instant, the expelled students were sucked into the ground—

No, into shadows.

As everyone around widened their eyes in shock, the man grumbled lazily,

“What a bother. They say this year’s first-years are amazing, but seeing dropouts like this, I’m not so sure… Why did Kalian even call me here?”

Hearing that languid voice, Leo narrowed his eyes.

It didn’t take him long to recognize the man’s identity.

‘A dragon.’