Editor : Amethyst00



Aliah watched Leo talking in the distance and thought to herself.

“He looks like my brother.”

Their personalities and aura were different, but the feeling he gave off was strangely similar.

“Don’t you think it’s a little weird?”

The boy holding a spear, Teyad, furrowed his brow.

“What is?”

“They said they’re the rescue team, right? But there’s only two of them?”

“That is kind of strange.”

“Could it be some kind of Tartaros trap?”

Their party members, the magic swordswoman Dina and the summoner Louis, agreed with Teyad’s words.

But Velrac from the knight department shook his head.

“If they were enemies, there’s no way they’d fight alongside us against demons.”

“Yeah. They’re not the enemy.”

Aliah spoke with a tone of certainty, and Teyad asked sullenly:

“How can you be so sure?”

“Doesn’t it feel oddly familiar? And besides…”

“Besides?”

“They’re kind of cool.”

Aliah’s cheeks flushed slightly. Teyad panicked when he saw her.

“Cool? Hey! Hey! Aliah! Get a grip! You’ve never once looked at a guy since you enrolled!”

“Well, can you blame her? Among our classmates, is there even anyone suitable for Aliah? And she’s Albi-senpai’s little sister, so of course her standards are high.”

“Yeah, but what’s so cool about him?!”

“He’s definitely cool.”

“Dina? Not you too!”

Teyad clutched his head in frustration.

While they were bickering, Leo, who had finished talking with Chloe, walked over.

“You’re noisy.”

“Ah! Sorry! We got all excited uselessly in an emergency situation!”

“I’m not scolding you. Just thinking first-years are always noisy, no matter the year.”

“No matter the year? Wait… are you also a student at our academy?”

Bright-eyed Ilia asked, and Chloe answered for him.

“Yes. Well, not anymore.”

“Ah!”

Ilia, mistaking them for seniors who had dropped out, became flustered.

“I’m sorry! I said something unnecessary…”

“It’s fine.”

“I’ll explain the situation first.”

“Do we really need an explanation? Right now, demons have appeared in this forest, haven’t they?”

At Leo’s words, Teyad responded curtly.

“If it were just a simple demon appearance, there’d be no need for explanation. But right now, there’s a demon here far beyond what you can handle.”

“How strong are we talking for you to make such a fuss?”

“Level 3.”

“What?!”

“L–Level 3?”

“That’s not something first-years can deal with at all!”

Dina hurriedly asked:

“What about the others? Are the other parties safe?”

“They’re safe. As long as you get out of this forest, that's enough. That’s why I want you to follow my instructions from here on.”

As Dina sighed in relief, Teyad pressed.

“Do you have the strength to defeat a Level 3 demon?”

A Level 3 demon.

A threat strong enough to wipe out an entire battalion.

“I can’t say for sure that I can defeat a Level 3 demon with my current strength.”

“Then why should we follow your instructions?”

“There’s every reason to.”

But Leo only smiled calmly.

“And what reason would that be?”

“Because I do have the ability to get you all out safely.”

“What kind of baseless confidence is that—”

“No, I understand. I’ll follow your lead.”

“Aliah!”

Teyad looked shocked.

“You saw him fight earlier too. And he understands the situation much better than we do.”

Aliah persuaded her party.

“A Level 3 demon is something we can’t handle at our current level. So rather than acting clumsily, I think as party leader it’s right to follow the rescue team that has more experience.”

At Aliah’s persuasion, the party members looked at one another and then nodded.

“If Aliah says so, then okay.”

“We’ve never gone wrong listening to you before.”

“Haah! Seriously!”

Teyad scratched his head furiously and glared at Leo.

“Instead! If you seem even a little unreliable, we won’t follow your orders at all, so keep that in mind!”

“I’ll meet your expectations, so don’t worry.”

bl

“Search for every case of a Hero Record turning into a Hero Dungeon!”

At the Tower of Heroes, which handled the practical administration of Lumene Academy, professors and assistants bustled about.

With the recent demon outbreak during the summoning exam still fresh, the academy was already on edge.

Now, with the unprecedented event of a Hero Record turning into a Hero Dungeon, Lumene had no choice but to declare a state of emergency.

At the very top floor, in the principal’s office, Kalian pressed his temples as if to ease a headache.

Before him lay the open Hero Record.

“The fact that we still can’t enter… should we take it as a good sign?”

“Yes.”

Albi answered, staring down at his own Hero Record gone berserk.

A Hero Dungeon does not allow multiple entries.

In other words, Leo and Chloe were still alive.

“It’s already been three hours since those two entered. Inside the Hero World, it must already be night. Albi, when was it you defeated Chubarn thirty years ago?”

“It was around midnight.”

“Then all we can do is trust the you from the past…”

Kalian let out a deep sigh.

At that moment, his secretary, Erena, entered the office.

“Headmaster, we’ve identified the one who sold the beast summoning catalyst to student Liu.”

“Who?”

Albi’s eyes flashed sharply.

Erena, who had come to report, went pale.

Bloodshot veins spread across his left eye, and a warped magic circle surfaced in his pupil.

It was fairy magic.

Thirty years ago.

Having lost his sister to demons, Albi was a man who bore a hatred for Tartaros stronger than anyone.

“Calm yourself, Albi.”

At Kalian’s words, Albi’s eyes returned to normal.

“I’ll go clear my head.”

He left the principal’s office without another word.

“Albi is dangerous, as always.”

“He’s a man who rose to the position of Hero driven by hatred.”

Thirty years ago.

When he was forced to face his sister’s death—without even a body or keepsake left behind—he withdrew from Lumene and devoted himself to demon hunting.

As a result, he became a hero recognized by the gods.

But because he thoroughly destroyed everything related to Tartaros, the collateral damage he caused was not small.

For that reason, Albi was not adored by the public, but feared.

“I still can’t believe Albi accepted a professor’s position.”

“Well, he at least listens to me.”

Kalian gave a bitter smile, then his expression hardened.

“So, who was it?”

“A fence who settled in the backstreets of Lumeria City this year. Not well-known among upperclassmen, but apparently rather popular among the first-years. Several bought items from him. Among them was a beast summoning catalyst.”

“A Tartaros spy infiltrated Lumeria City?”

“Upon investigation, he wasn’t directly connected to Tartaros. But it’s certain Tartaros slipped some items through him.”

“…I can’t understand it. Why would they do that?”

“I couldn’t find the reason either. Here’s the fence’s transaction ledger.”

Kalian flipped through the pages.

Flip—flip—!

Then his hand froze.

“Chloe Müeller: Black Grimoire.”

Staring at that entry, Kalian spoke.

“Erena, bring Professors Sedgen and Len to my office immediately. Tell them I have questions concerning student Chloe.”

“Have you discovered something?”

“No. Just… I have a feeling.”

“A feeling? You intend to act on a hunch?”

Seeing Erena’s bewilderment, Kalian gave a gentle smile.

“Erena, I’m old. The title of Sword Saint is nothing but hollow glory of the past now. But you see—”

The old Sword Saint’s eyes gleamed.

“My instincts, honed through countless brushes with death, are still sharp.”

bl

The sun had fully set, and darkness blanketed the forest.

The group, having just finished a battle, were all panting heavily.

“Let’s rest for a bit.”

At Leo’s words, groans of exhaustion came from all around.

‘They’re almost at their physical limits. Has it been about three hours since we entered the Hero World?’

Considering the other groups cleared it in about an hour, this had taken them three times as long.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Other groups only needed to rescue a party in danger to fulfill their clear conditions. Leo and Chloe’s situation was different.

Chloe had guessed that Aliah’s party’s [Safety Guarantee] condition meant escaping entirely from Chubarne’s threat.

So they were taking the shortest route out of the forest.

Unlike earlier, when Leo and Chloe could use mobility to avoid fights, now frequent battles were unavoidable.

‘Still, we’re almost there.’

Just as Leo sighed, a sharp pain stabbed his head and his vision blurred.

‘Damn, did I overuse Hypersense?’

Hypersense amplified perception, forcing his brain to process several times the usual amount of information.

That meant the mental fatigue built up quickly.

‘Just a little longer.’

Leo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Aliah’s party watched, tongues clicking.

“How does he not look tired at all?”

“He really must be incredible.”

“Pfft! Teyad, you actually asked a guy like that, ‘Why should we follow your instructions?’? If it were me, I’d be too embarrassed to even show my face!”

“Shut up!”

Teyad’s face went bright red as his comrades teased him.

Meanwhile, sitting under a tree, Chloe took out the Black Grimoire from her cloak and stared down at it.

That’s when Aliah approached.

“Chloe, could we talk for a bit?”

“About what?”

“About Leo.”

Aliah sat down beside her with a smile.

“What’s your relationship with Leo?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Are you two lovers?”

“N–No, we’re not!”

Flustered, Chloe shook her head furiously.

“Judging from your reaction, I guess not then!”

Chloe let out a dry laugh.

‘Even a senior from thirty years ago is still just a first-year…’

It felt like chatting with classmates again.

Most of the girls in her class were always curious about romance.

“Why are you asking? Are you interested in him?”

“Of course. He makes my heart race whenever I see him.”

“Sounds like love at first sight.”

Chloe chuckled, thinking that even model students from thirty years ago weren’t immune.

“I don’t know if it’s love. My heart does pound, but… it’s because he reminds me a lot of someone else.”

“Who?”

“My brother.”

“Your brother… Albi Zeron?”

“Yes. Of course, if I compare Leo to my brother, Leo is way cooler. My brother’s clumsy and makes mistakes all the time.”

For a moment, Chloe doubted her ears.

‘Clumsy and full of mistakes? Him? The Sorcerer of the Mystic Eye?’

That description didn’t fit the one and only hero feared by the masses.

“But he’s like a storybook hero. Someone who challenges the impossible without hesitation and eventually achieves it. That’s why I look up to him.”

“Challenging the impossible without hesitation… Yeah, that really does sound like Leo.”

Chloe’s gaze sank low.

“Leo’s amazing. He always leads people well. His grades are excellent, and he pulls off things that seem impossible with ease. Just like you said, Aliah, he’s like a hero.”

Chloe gave a bitter laugh.

“You asked what my relationship with Leo is? At first, I thought of him as a friend and rival. But now…”

“Now?”

“I’m jealous of him.”