Editor : Amethyst00



“Did you call me here just to confirm whether I’m Kyle or not?”

“The thought that you might be the Hero of Beginning only crossed my mind a few minutes ago. When I first met you.”

Melina answered politely.

“The moment I faced you, Lord Leo, Lysinas’s mana slipped from my control.”

“I see.”

The Dragon Lord.

Though called the Dragon Queen, her demeanor was extremely courteous.

Even if outwardly Leo looked like a fifteen-year-old hero candidate, in truth he was once the great hero who had saved the world.

The last hero, who alone struck down Erebos.

No matter how exalted the Dragon Queen was, she couldn’t be compared to Kyle.

“I still can’t believe it. To think I would be speaking with a great hero not in the world of heroes, but in reality itself.”

With a voice full of emotion, Melina asked Leo many questions.

Most of them concerned the great hero.

True to her dragon nature, thirsting for knowledge, Melina hung on every word Leo spoke.

“Ahh. If only I could keep listening to your stories forever, Lord Leo.”

Melina let out a regretful sigh.

She longed to keep talking with him.

To hear, not from records, but directly from a living legend of the distant past?

‘For one who craves knowledge, what greater joy could there be?’

But she couldn’t keep Leo here too long.

This meeting had been arranged abruptly.

‘I can’t make things difficult for him just to satisfy my own desires.’

With a wry smile, Melina spoke.

“I’ll explain the reason I brought you here, Lord Leo.”

“All right.”

“As you know, agents of Tartaros have infiltrated the Hero Academy. Among them are traitors.”

Melina let out a deep sigh.

“We are pursuing them, but it isn’t easy.”

‘No surprise there.’

Leo, ever since sensing the presence of Tartaros in Lumene, had been carefully watching everyone.

But the infiltrators had hidden themselves perfectly.

‘Not even a suspicious aura, not even a faint trace.’

From his days as Kyle, Leo had fought countless Tartaros demons. None were more sensitive than he to their tainted presence.

And yet even he had found nothing.

It was no wonder Lumene had failed to catch any traitors.

“But their purpose is clear.”

“To cut down any buds with the potential to grow into heroes.”

“Yes. That is why I wished to ask you, Lord Leo, to act as bait in drawing out the traitors.”

To Tartaros, Leo’s very existence must already be a thorn in the eye.

Another All-Class, like Kyle.

And on top of that, his every move reeked of danger to them.

No doubt they considered him a threat to be eliminated at all costs.

“Bait, hm? Not a bad idea.”

Leo chuckled, and Melina looked at him with a guilty expression.

“Is it right of me to even make such a request of you, Lord Leo?”

“It’s fine. Honestly, I wanted to root them out myself, but being a student has kept me from acting freely.”

Leo let out a small laugh.

His status as a student naturally restricted what he could do.

On top of that, he had to conceal that he was Kyle reincarnated.

Lumene housed plenty of powerful figures.

If Leo were the only one to catch the traitors, suspicion would naturally fall on him instead.

‘I’ve no intention of being mistaken for a spy planted in Lumene.’

And so, the Dragon Queen’s approach was a welcome stroke of fortune.

Rivein must have judged Leo as someone trustworthy, and arranged this meeting.

‘Though thanks to that, my identity got exposed unintentionally.’

Leo glanced at Melina.

When their eyes met, she smiled gently.

“I’ll play the bait. But I’ll ask just one thing.”

“That you not reveal your true identity to anyone else?”

“Exactly.”

Melina, too, understood why Leo had hidden who he was.

‘The more people who know a secret, the more dangerous it becomes.’

And Leo’s secret was one no one could hope to bear.

‘He’s still fighting.’

There were easier paths he could have taken.

After all, this was now an age of peace.

He could have turned away, enjoyed life, and no one would have blamed him.

And yet the reincarnated hero had chosen struggle again.

Melina absently touched the corner of her left eye.

Long ago, she had once fought against Erebos.

‘Not the real one. A false shade.’

The Hero’s World had gone unconquered for thousands of years.

‘The Return of the Calamity.’

Inheriting Lysinas’s power, Melina and her comrades had boldly challenged it.

And they had failed.

Most of her much-praised companions were killed or crippled beyond recovery.

She alone had escaped relatively intact, and with time had healed. But since then, she had never dared challenge it again.

Her comrades were gone.

She was left alone, unrecognized by anyone.

Yet Leo, in the same position, stood ready to fight alone.

‘So this is what it means to be a Great Hero.’

The man chosen by the great Wise Queen.

“Lord Leo.”

“Yes?”

“Please don’t use the word request. I live in the age of peace you created. Had I not known your identity, it would be different. But now that I know, I will serve you.”

Melina bowed her head deeply.

“As Dragon Queen, successor to the Wise Queen’s will, I am ready to give my life at any time. So whenever you need me, command me. It is destiny.”

Her voice was solemn.

“Destiny, huh. That feels like a burden.”

“Pardon?”

“I didn’t save the world for any grand reason. Lysinas just dragged me into it.”

Leo gave a small laugh.

“And now, I’m not fighting for any lofty cause either. I just want to. That’s all.”

Leo flicked her forehead—tok!

“So you too, just live however you want. That’s enough.”

Melina looked up at him, eyes wide.

Then she smiled faintly.

“Then I’ll do just that.”

“Good.”

The great hero she saw before her was nothing like she had imagined.

‘But he is still truly great.’

It was precisely because of this kind of man that the world could be saved.

And so the Dragon Queen made a vow.

‘Even a little—I’ll help shoulder his burden.’

bl

After Leo returned to Lumeria, Melina sat once more on her throne.

“My Lord, what did you think of Leo Plov?”

“He’s an extraordinary boy. Just as you said. A person worthy of being called a great hero.”

When Rivein had first introduced Leo, he had called him hero material.

‘You seem pleased, my Lord.’

Rivein smiled faintly as he saw Melina swinging her legs and humming cheerfully.

“Sir Rivein.”

“Yes.”

“I leave the first-years of Lumene to you.”

“……”

“They will surely grow into outstanding heroes.”

“You need not worry. I have already resolved myself.”

Rivein smiled.

“I will stake the future on them. I’ll do everything in my power.”

Looking at the old dragon grinning with passion, Melina gave a bittersweet smile.

“I’m counting on you, Sir Rivein.”

bl

Leaving the clock tower, Leo stepped into Courage Street, the main street of Lumeria City.

The atmosphere was a little different from usual.

Here and there, kids his own age filled the streets.

‘Students from other academies.’

Seeing them touring the city in their uniforms, Leo looked amused.

Noticing him, students from the Three Great Class Academies began whispering.

“A Lumene uniform?”

“Is that a Lumene student? Doesn’t look like much.”

“What’s his class? Knight? Mage? Or Summoner?”

“Strange. I heard Lumene students wear emblems.”

Curious gazes turned toward Leo.

‘Still some time until the gathering.’

Checking the time, Leo stroked his chin.

‘Where are the others?’

“Hey there. You’re from Lumene Academy, right?”

Turning his head, he saw girls standing there—white short-sleeved blouses with frills, black skirts, capes, and pointed hats.

Anyone could tell they were mages.

They were students of the mage academy, Emerald.

“By the way.”

“Do you take mage classes?”

“I do.”

“Perfect! I knew it! You’ve got that strong mage vibe all over you!”

One girl clapped her hands with a bright smile.

“My name’s Sheila. First-year at Emerald.”

“My name is…”

“No need for introductions! Just come with me a sec?”

Cutting him off with a sweet smile, Sheila pulled Leo into a nearby café.

Leo paused as he entered.

The café was completely occupied by Emerald students.

“Our students can’t really contain their zeal for study. Once a debate starts, we can’t rest until it’s resolved.”

Sheila shrugged with a grin and pointed at a portable blackboard in the corner.

“Right now we’re debating a magic formula. And then, what do you know, a Lumene student walks by! So naturally, we wanted to hear your opinion. Sorry for dragging you in.”

Laughing lightly, Sheila asked Leo,

“What do you think of this formula? It’s been all the rage at our school lately.”

Leo glanced at it.

‘An incomplete formula.’

At a glance, he could see it would never activate.

Overly complicated, too.

‘This is less a formula than a headache trap.’

Casting a sidelong look at Sheila, Leo noticed the other Emerald students in the café.

They wore serious expressions, but kept sneaking glances at his face.

Sheila as well.

It didn’t take much for Leo to realize what was going on.

‘So they want to embarrass me.’

It was well known that while students from the Three Great Academies admired Lumene, they also deeply envied them.

‘Should I just play along a bit?’

Leo sighed quietly and was about to speak—

When he sensed movement by the café entrance.

Turning, he saw Yura and Len standing there.

‘They came to check in.’

The Emerald students hadn’t noticed them yet.

Yura, seeing the inside, sighed and moved to enter.

But Len stopped her.

He looked at Leo, smiled, pointed at the Emerald students, and made a throat-slitting gesture before dragging Yura back out.

‘Smash them, huh?’

Leo gave a short laugh and decided to obey.

“Interesting magic. With a few tweaks, it could actually activate.”

“Oh? Really?”

Sheila’s eyes gleamed, like a snake spotting prey.

“Yeah.”

Nodding casually, Leo stepped up to the blackboard.

The Emerald students stifled their laughter.

‘As if! That thing is impossible to activate.’

‘You’d have to rewrite it from scratch.’

‘So the famous Lumene students fall for such a simple trap, huh.’

Leo spun the board slightly with his hand.

“My interpretation is this.”

bl

“Hey! If something like that happens, you should’ve stopped it! Emerald Academy’s your responsibility!”

Smack! Yura’s fist thudded against Len’s back.

“Go stop it! You really want to crush their confidence before joint classes?”

“Yes. I’ll crush them.”

‘What the hell. Just earlier this lunatic was talking about encouraging the Emerald kids, and now this?’

“Why?”

“Heh heh heh. Yura-sunbae, how can you be so dull?”

“I don’t know if I’m dull, but I do know you must have a death wish.”

Veins bulged on Yura’s forehead as she reached to grab Len’s neck.

Blocking her hand, Len said,

“The Emerald students need to learn. They must realize Leo is on a different level than them!”

Len chuckled darkly.

“And since they are mages too, they should savor his brilliance! To witness his genius and be awestruck, to revere him! I don’t mean to trample them, I mean to broaden their horizons! There’s a saying, isn’t there? To break out of the egg, you must first shatter the shell!”

“……”

Yura blinked.

She tried, briefly, to understand his words.

But for the life of her, she couldn’t.

“What the hell are you babbling about, you lunatic.”

“Hah. As expected, narrow-minded Yura-senpai cannot grasp my grand vision. Very well, I shall put it in terms even you can understand.”

“…So what you’re saying is, you want me to kill you now. If that’s your wish, I’ll grant it.”

Yura pulled a whip from her waist and looped it around Ren’s neck.

Even then, Len went on with his speech about Leo’s genius.

As she choked him, Yura thought,

‘Out of all people, they had to mess with Leo. And their supervising professor is this lunatic. Poor kids.’

With pity in her eyes, she thought of the Emerald students.

Meanwhile, as his throat tightened, Len thought,

‘The Skarn students are the pitiful ones. To think their professor is this muscle-brained Yura-sunbae.’

Two professors, thinking the exact same thing about each other.