Chapter 202
Editor : Amethyst00
“There's one thing’s for sure.”
Carl spoke with a meaningful smile.
“What is it?”
When Chelsea looked at Carl with a puzzled face, Carl gave her a thumbs-up.
“The desserts sold in Seiren taste worse than those in Lumene.”
At those words, the students of Class 5 nodded in agreement.
“That’s true.”
“It’s not that they’re bad… but compared to our school, they fall short.”
Nod– nod–
Eliana nodded, and Nella showed her characteristic languid smile.
It had already been a week since the Lumeiren Competition began.
The students of Lumene had somewhat grown accustomed to the bitter cold of Seiren.
But there was something they still couldn’t get used to is the desserts served in Seiren.
And desserts were a very important matter for students, especially for the female ones.
“I wonder why there’s such a difference in quality?”
Carl spoke as he watched Chelsea tilt her head and pick up a cookie to eat.
“In Lumene, cafes and bakeries start competing from the moment they open, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And even after opening, they have to keep competing. So naturally, they pay more and more attention to new menus and taste. Seiren might have top chefs too, but since they don’t have to compete here, the difference is inevitable.”
When Carl explained with market logic, the female students nodded with “hooh–! hooh–!” sounds of admiration.
“Thanks to that, not only Seiren students but even the elf spectators are buying up all the desserts we brought.”
Carl smiled in satisfaction, jingling his money pouch— jingle~ jingle~.
“Lumene students, I envy you for being able to eat something this delicious every day.”
Eiran, who had come to meet Leo, was eating a cookie with a happy face, her ears fluttering like wings.
“I thought so before, but I have to admit it.”
Lunia cupped her cheeks and nodded.
“So, what brings you here?”
Chelsea asked with a puzzled face, and Lunia asked back,
“The chess player representing Lumene this time is a first-year, right?”
This match’s category was Battle Chess.
As all the spectators focused their attention—
Kugugugung—
a small tower began to rise on the arena.
At the top of the tower were a desk, a chair, and chess pieces.
The Lumeiren Competition was a place to test both strength and wisdom between the two schools.
Chess could be said to be the ultimate game of intellect.
For a first-year to represent them in such a match naturally piqued Lunia’s curiosity.
“Was her name Chloe Müeller?”
At Lunia’s question, Carl nodded.
“That’s right.”
“How good must she be to beat Torua Yan, a fifth-year? Chess had always been a close category, but a first-year appeared? Or maybe a generational shift in preparation for the future?”
Seeing Lunia’s curiosity, Carl said,
“According to Leo, she’s really good.”
“Leo said that? Leo’s good at chess?”
“In the chess representative selection matches, Leo beat Torua-sunbae.”
Lunia’s eyes widened.
“And Chloe beat that Leo.”
“Wow.”
Lunia clicked her tongue.
“Just how good is she?”
“Leo said she plays as well as someone he knows.”
“And who’s that?”
“He didn’t say.”
Carl shook his head.
“By the way, where did Leo go?”
Lunia asked with a puzzled face, and Carl shook his head.
“No idea. He said he’d watch from the very back row of the stands.”
“Why would he go all the way there when there are good seats here?”
Lunia made a face that said she didn’t understand.
“Please take care of me.”
“To think my opponent would be a first-year. I was expecting Torua Yan, this will be boring.”
Seeing Chloe bow her head, Seiren’s fifth-year representative, Markia, sighed and took her seat.
Chloe sat across from her.
Moments later, with a bright light, chess pieces appeared on the board’s floor.
Wuuuung–!
At the same time, the arena below the tower began to shine.
A huge square formed, creating a checkered chessboard.
“Oooohhh.”
“It’s finally starting.”
The battlefield was twice the size of a normal chessboard, and there were more types of pieces.
Chloe calmly began arranging the white pieces, as if familiar.
“You seem used to Elven-style chess.”
“I’m from the North.”
“Hooh?”
Chess rules varied subtly by race.
Among them, Elven chess was known for being the most complex.
But if she was from the North, the elves’ territory, she would naturally be familiar with it.
“Then this won’t be as boring as I thought.”
Markia smiled in satisfaction.
Step– step–
Students from both Lumene and Seiren walked to the center of the arena.
Wearing helmets and holding weapons symbolizing chess pieces, they each took their positions.
This was Seiren’s Battle Chess.
Moreover, Elven-style chess was known for its varied terrains.
Depending on the terrain, the relationships between pieces would change.
And pieces might not even die from a single attack—
It was, in every sense, a strategic game incomparable to ordinary chess.
The students assigned as pieces lined up.
After exchanging greetings, they moved to their positions on the wide board, and the match began in earnest.
Thump– taak!–
Chloe, holding black, made the first move.
Following that, a Lumene student moved on the giant chessboard.
“it’s somewhat entertaining seeing them bash each other like that.”
Sitting at the highest seat of the stands, Leo gave a dry laugh as he watched the huge chessboard.
Surely, a chess match like this would be quite a spectacle.
But Leo couldn’t focus on the game.
‘Why didn’t Luna’s World respond to me?’
The incident from a few days ago still lingered in his mind.
Even though there were many spectators at the Lumeiren Competition, the back seats were quite empty.
Thanks to that, he could quietly sink into thought alone.
Leo glanced down at the bracelet resting on his arm.
‘Could that Luna’s Page also be broken? But according to the Seiren vice principal, it was a Hero’s World that had just been conquered recently…’
“What are you doing, not watching the match, Leo Plov.”
Someone spoke to Leo.
Turning his head, Leo saw Rivein sitting beside him, and his face showed surprise.
“Why are you here instead of in the VIP section?”
“I wanted to talk to you.”
Unlike Leo, Rivein was looking at the Lumene students.
“I heard Nergia called for you.”
“Yes. She asked me to transfer to Seiren.”
“As expected.”
Rivein chuckled.
“So? What did you say?”
“I said no.”
“Why? Nergia is a greedy one. I’m sure she promised you the best support.”
“I didn’t see any reason to go.”
“You really are an unusual one.”
Rivein smiled and shook his head.
“Nergia said it too, but the reason Lumene has been considered behind Seiren in recent years is largely because of my own negligence.”
Rivein let out a deep breath.
“I told you when we first met, didn’t I? That I was disappointed in the students.”
Rivein had been disappointed in students who couldn’t dream beyond being heroes.
“But meeting you made me realize that I was disappointed on my own terms.”
Unlike before, Rivein now looked at the Lumene students with warm eyes.
Seeing that, Leo smiled faintly.
“Your face has changed a lot.”
“Has it?”
“Yes. Just now, you looked like the Wise Queen.”
Lysinas used to look at children with the same eyes.
“I’ve been wondering for a while, Leo Plov.”
“Yes.”
“Are you truly an ordinary boy?”
Just as Leo smiled—
Pazijik–
Suddenly, gray sparks flickered from Leo’s body.
“……!”
“……?”
Both Leo and Rivein looked shocked.
[Hero Record Open.]
A familiar message appeared before Leo’s eyes.
“What?”
Leo’s expression twisted in shock.
[Luna’s World. Chapter: Battle of Zodiac.]
Hwaak–!
“……!”
In an instant, Leo’s form vanished, and Rivein’s eyes widened.
“What the…!”
Waaaaaaah–!
Rivein’s exclamation was drowned out by the thunderous cheers filling the arena.
Rising from his seat, Rivein looked around.
‘Teleportation? No. There was no magical wave. That light… it resembled the one when entering a Hero’s World!’
Rivein’s face was clouded with confusion.
‘But there’s no Hero Record in this place…’
Kugugugugu–!
The dragon’s keen senses felt the tremor shaking the ground.
Rivein’s expression hardened.
‘What is this?’
The audience hadn’t noticed yet.
But the heroes, professors, and several students dispatched across the arena for security noticed the anomaly.
Tuk– tututuk–
Then, from the sky, drops of water began to fall.
Tudududuk–! Shwaaaaa–!
Everyone froze at the sudden downpour.
Rivein’s face showed shock.
“Rain…?”
This was the northernmost land of the continent.
A place where rain should never fall.
Yet now, rain was pouring down.
As everyone stood in disbelief—
Kwagagagang–!
Lightning struck the sky.
At the same time, dark clouds began to gather.
Wuuung–!
Faces went pale as people looked up at the enormous blood-red sigil forming in the sky.
Every hero candidates knew what that symbol meant.
The Monster Queen, Sillatna.
That terrifying monster was now revealing herself in this place.
“That Hell Kaiser, really.”
Sillatna brushed back her hair as she emerged through the clouds.
“He went on and on like he’d handle it himself.”
Though her appearance was that of a beautiful woman, within her lurked the cruel and dreadful commander of Tartaros’s legion.
A terrifying archdemon that had existed since before the Age of Calamity.
“He was saying that the plan’s gone off track and now he's dumping it on me? That rude fool’s behavior isn’t new, but it’s really annoying.”
At Sillatna’s irritated tone, the man beside her spoke.
“My Queen, in that case, you could just ignore the insolent Lich King’s words.”
“I could. But…”
Sillatna licked her lips as she looked down upon Seiren.
“My desire to crush those insects is far greater.”
The belligerent Sillatna had long wanted to attack the Hero Academy.
But she had been restrained by the Lich King and the Giant King.
This time, however, the Lich King hadn’t stopped her.
Sillatna had no reason to hold back any longer.
“My legion, show those insolent insects…”
Sillatna smiled cruelly.
“…what true despair is.”