Editor : Amethyst00



“It's a freedom!”

Stretching her arms wide, Lunia shouted as she stepped outside the city limits.

“I seriously thought I was going to die from the suffocation!”

“I thought you didn’t put on an act when you were just around students?”

“An act? Your choice of words is weird.”

“Then what would you call it?”

Lunia gave a graceful, elegant smile.

“Consideration for not shattering people’s illusions.”

Leo shook his head.

“Anyway, you were teasing me earlier, weren’t you?”

Lunia narrowed her eyes, but Leo didn’t even blink as he asked,

“You have to play the good honor-student role in front of your upperclassmen?”

At that, Lunia made a sullen face.

“Most of the seniors don’t really know what I’m like.”

“Most?”

“Yeah. Some do. Remember that glasses-wearing senior who was leading the group? He knows my real personality.”

Lunia scratched her head roughly.

“I thought I was only coming with him, so I came comfortably. But then those other second- and third-year seniors joined too, and it was exhausting.”

“If acting’s your daily routine, shouldn’t you be used to it?”

“It’s fine if they just leave me alone!”

Crossing her arms, Lunia scrunched up her face.

“But they kept hitting on me.”

“Hitting on you?”

“Yeah. That second-year guy kept trying to ask me out, all sneaky-like!”

“You could’ve just turned him down.”

“He never gave me a clean chance to! He just kept circling around it with vague words! It was so annoying!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Lunia kicked the nearby trees in frustration, clearly venting built-up stress.

“And they’re all so full of elitist arrogance! Ugh! Even the way they talk is unbearable!”

Lunia, the first-year representative of Seiren, had been famous since enrollment—born to a prestigious family, beautiful, and though her real personality was like this, she’d flawlessly kept up her top-student act. Because of that, she had the full admiration of teachers and upperclassmen alike.

There were a few exceptions—like the traitor Rauta—but they were rare. Most of the upperclassmen had a favorable view of her.

“So what exactly rubbed you the wrong way?”

“They kept badmouthing you! Saying you just got lucky decoding the Poet’s spell, that your interpretation was wrong! If they think so, they should bring their own damn interpretation! If they can’t, they should just shut their mouths and keep their thoughts in their heads! Why do they have to come to me and talk trash about you? Argh, I’m so pissed off!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Thinking about it made Lunia furious again, and she resumed kicking trees.

Leo chuckled at the sight.

“So you got mad on my behalf because they were insulting me?”

Flinch—

Lunia stopped mid-kick.

She glanced sidelong at him and scoffed.

“Hmph! I just didn’t like idiots talking down my rival when they don’t even know what they’re talking about!”

“Sure, sure.”

Leo nodded, watching her tilt her chin in mock pride.

“How’s Eiran?”

“Great! She’s fully adjusted to school now! Nobody dares look down on her anymore!”

Smiling brightly, Lunia chatted about what had happened since the field trip.

They had exchanged letters, but talking face to face was always better.

‘Funny how I actually get along with this guy,’ Lunia thought as they talked.

Even though they were different races, there was something oddly familiar and comfortable about Leo.

Then Leo asked casually,

“So, you came here to investigate a Hero’s Dungeon, and you’re tagging along with me to hunt bandits?”

“Yeah. We’re only investigating anyway. It’s not like you’ll leave me and go inside the Hero Dungeon… huh!”

Realizing what she’d just said, Lunia clamped a hand over her mouth.

“Really?”

“W-what do you mean? Hero’s Dungeon? Hahaha.”

She tried to play dumb, but Leo spoke up,

“It’s nothing serious, right? Then you wouldn’t mind if I contact Lumene right now and tell them there are Seiren students here.”

He pulled out the crystal orb used for mission communication and waved it.

Lunia rolled her eyes and sighed deeply.

“Fine! The vice principal said there might be a Hero’s Dungeon around here! Happy now?!”

Leo nodded, unsurprised. He’d already guessed as much—the moment Seiren students showed up, the possibility of a dungeon became clear.

Realizing there was no point hiding it, Lunia confessed and pouted slightly.

“Let’s go.”

Ignoring the topic, Leo pulled out his map.

“The bandits are holed up in the ruins at the eastern edge of Garan region.”

Lunia nodded.

“Good. Let’s go wipe them out quickly.”

Crack-crack—

She flexed her fingers, smiling fiercely.

“Evil scum who harm innocent people must be punished.”

As a hero candidate, Lunia’s sense of justice was strong.

“Then.”

Leo crouched in front of her, showing his back.

“…What’s this?”

“Get on.”

“What? Why would I?”

Her cheeks flushed slightly as Leo said calmly,

“We need to get to the bandits fast.”

“I can fly with magic, you know!”

“Even then, I’ll get there faster carrying you.”

Even though she was loud and blunt, she was still a noble lady at heart—being told to hop on a boy’s back made her hesitate.

But after a sigh, she climbed on.

“If you get any weird ideas, you’re dead.”

“What weird ideas?”

“You… never mind. I won’t even bother. Ugh.”

Lunia sighed and wrapped her arms around Leo’s neck.

Leo bent his knees, then—

Whoosh!

He launched forward with incredible force.

The wind howled past them, and Lunia instinctively shut her eyes.

When she opened them again, she could see the world rushing by at breakneck speed.

‘He’s really fast.’

She pouted slightly.

Then she rested her chin on his left shoulder and thought,

‘Come to think of it, did he get taller?’

Realizing that the boy who used to be about her height had shot up, Lunia felt something strange stir inside her as she tightened her hold around his neck.

bl

“So we’ll be conducting ecological surveys in this region for a while.”

“Y-yes! Of course! Please stay as long as you need! We’ll make sure you’re comfortable!”

Hardin’s tone was polite, and the lord of Garan rubbed his hands together eagerly.

Watching from a distance, a second-year Seiren girl sneered.

“Pathetic. Then again, that’s humans for you.”

Elves were notoriously proud of their culture among all races—and Seiren students, believing themselves chosen, were especially arrogant.

Not all were like that, but upperclassmen often carried that air of superiority.

This group of five consisted of two third-years, two second-years, and one first-year.

The leader, Hardin, was an active dungeon raider, while the others were trainee explorers.

Their current mission was both fieldwork and a practical exam to gauge their competency as dungeon explorers.

“Still, for Lunia to abandon her assignment and go hunt bandits… even if she’s talented, she’s still immature, isn’t she?”

The female second-year asked, glancing at her companions.

The male second-year shrugged.

“She’s just full of justice, that’s all.”

He’d been openly interested in Lunia since the start of the mission.

“But if she wanted to fight bandits, she could’ve just gone with us. Why’d she go with that Lumene guy?”

As he grumbled, a third-year replied,

“I heard Lunia considers Leo Plov her rival.”

It was well known that Seiren and Lumene’s first-years had once done a joint class.

During that, the elite instructor Herdium had lavishly praised the Lumene students—something Seiren had never forgotten.

Given Herdium’s reputation, Seiren students had taken that slight personally.

“Well, after the Gigantes incident, I’ll admit he’s impressive. But still, our first-years could do just as well.”

The second-year girl said coldly.

“Exactly. There’s no way a mere Lumene student could outdo a Seiren one.”

The boy’s expression darkened with jealousy.

“It’s obvious Seiren will win this year’s Lumeiren Competition anyway. The current second-years at Lumene are pathetic, and their third-years weren’t much better against ours.”

The third-year frowned slightly.

“Not exactly. There’s a monster among Lumene’s third-years.”

“A monster?”

“You mean Elena Zeron?”

The second-years tilted their heads, and the senior nodded.

The younger students laughed.

“So what? It’s just one person. The rest of their third-years are trash.”

“Yeah, this year we’ll crush them easily. Their second-years are nobodies.”

Indeed, last year’s first-year match—Lumene’s current second-years—had lost badly to Seiren.

“Still, don’t underestimate them. Last year’s first-year rep was strong.”

“Oh, that weird-talking girl? Lyl, or whatever? She was only impressive among weaklings.”

“Right? If someone like her’s their class rep, Lumene’s gone downhill.”

“My, my. What’s wrong with my cute little Lyl?”

A sweet voice suddenly interrupted them, making the Seiren students flinch and turn.

A stunning girl stood there, smiling.

The Seiren senior’s expression stiffened.

“Elena Zeron? Why are you here?!”

“Hello, Seiren students.”

Elena twirled a strand of her hair around her finger.

“You know, I really like people who try their best.”

The sudden remark left them confused.

“My adorable Lyl always works so hard. She’s kind too. Last year, she held back to help her classmates. Since then, she’s been training tirelessly to restore Lumene’s honor.”

Thinking fondly of her favorite junior, Elena smiled sweetly.

“I don’t mind if you talk behind our backs when we’re not around.”

Smile—

“But you see, I heard you. And that hurt my feelings. So, I’ll give you a chance to apologize. Kneel politely, bow your heads, and I’ll forgive you.”

The Seiren boy scoffed, speaking sharply,

“All we did was speak the truth. Hardly worth kneeling over.”

“Yeah! If you don’t like our evaluation, prove us wrong with your skills!”

“I told you why I was upset and even gave you a chance to make it right.”

A dangerous glint appeared in Elena’s eyes—the infamous Queen of Lumene.

“You’re the ones who threw that chance away.”

The moment she finished—

BOOM!

The lord’s manor exploded in blinding light.

Hearing the blast, Hardin and the lord ran in a panic toward the scene.

And when Hardin saw the familiar face of the girl with her heel pressing down on his junior’s head, his expression hardened.

“My, my. Doesn’t seem like you’re in any position to mock our school, are you?”

Crunch—

Elena was cruel to others, yes—but she never tolerated anyone insulting Lumene.

She was the academy director’s daughter. The next director of Lumene Academy.

And she would never forgive a slight to her school.

“Elena… Zeron.”

“Hello, Hardin.”

Elena smiled radiantly at Seiren’s third-year representative, her rival for three years.

“I think your juniors could use some discipline, don’t you?”

bl

“R-run! It’s the witch!”

“Witch? You ever seen a witch this delicate and pure-looking?!”

“She’s not exactly pure-looking and delicate, though…”

“What? You wanna die first?!”

Lunia glared at Leo before turning back to the bandits.

Meanwhile, her spells struck true.

A roaring wave of fire surged forward, swallowing the bandits.

Screams echoed as they fled in terror, and Lunia laughed gleefully as she chased after them.

“Evil scum who torment innocent people! I’ll send you straight to hell!”

‘Judging by that expression, “witch” isn’t too far off.’

Leo chuckled, shaking his head.

‘That part of her reminds me of Luna.’

If Lunia had heard that, she’d have been delighted—if Luna had, she’d have been furious.

Leo’s gaze shifted to the ruined fortress ahead.

‘Completely collapsed.’

The entrance had long lost its former strength.

Following Lunia inside, Leo saw her using magic to finish off the remaining bandits.

As expected of Seiren’s first-year representative—her power was overwhelming.

Even if the bandits had numbers, they were no match.

“G-get a hostage! Grab the hostage!”

Spotting Leo, the bandits rushed toward him.

“Isn’t that backwards?”

With a faint laugh, Leo raised his hand.

Flash—!

A completed spell burst forth instantly, and a flaming whirlwind engulfed the attackers.

“AAAAARGH!”

Their screams filled the air as they scattered, utterly annihilated.

“Hmph! Pathetic trash.”

Dusting off her hands, Lunia turned toward Leo.

‘What’s he doing?’

Puzzled, she approached him.

Leo was kneeling, brushing dirt off the ground.

‘…Looks like the fortress itself is buried underground.’

Even after millennia, the last bastion of the world should have left traces. The fact that it hadn’t was suspicious.

But standing here, among faint remnants of ancient walls, Leo understood.

‘This is the upper part of Godthrone’s outer wall.’

Godthrone’s walls—once unimaginably tall and thick—had defended against the forces of Tartaros. It had been a city far beyond anything that could exist now.

As he brushed the ground, Leo felt a faint pulse from beneath.

‘Black magic… so that’s it.’s

His eyes narrowed.

‘Tartaros buried Godthrone.’