Editor : Amethyst00



The spotlight poured down on Leo.

“Congratulations!”

But the mood was strange.

Class 5 was overall in a celebratory mood, but students from other classes didn’t seem convinced.

Emio Luchan from Class 2, who had taken 3rd place in the Magic Department, raised his hand.

“Hold on! I have an objection! How can Leo Plov, who didn’t even place in the top three of any department, become the grade representative?”

“That’s right! It doesn’t make sense!”

“Please explain why!”

“We can’t accept this!”

Complaints erupted from all directions.

Artienne, flustered by the uproar, was about to respond when—

“I’ll explain the score selection process.”

Harrid opened his mouth.

“First. Dual-class students’ scores are not reflected in the department rankings. That’s because their nature make direct competition impossible.”

Take a magic swordsman, for example—pure aura ability is weaker than a knight’s, and pure magic ability is weaker than a mage’s.

But when those two abilities combine, the synergy is enormous.

“Second. Leo Plov’s score in the Hero Studies & Combat Studies Joint Practical Exam was the highest among all first-years.”

“What? But other students got the top score in that exam too, didn’t they?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Leo Plov overachieved the Hero’s World.”

The students who hadn’t known that fact widened their eyes and turned to look at Leo.

“In the process, he defeated Chubarne. Now, does Leo Plov’s score make sense to you?”

No one could refute it.

Complaining about giving first place to a student who had achieved the impossible would have been ridiculous.

“He defeated Chubarne? With just the two of them? Are you insane?”

“Professor Harrid said anyone who fought Chubarne would be expelled on the spot, no matter the reason! Do you have no fear?”

Tade and Eliana asked urgently, and Leo calmly sipped his drink before answering.

“There was no other way to escape the Hero Dungeon.”

“Wow! You lunatic. Seriously, you’re insane! I knew it before, but you’re definitely not right in the head.”

Eliana clicked her tongue, and Leo grinned at her.

Meanwhile, the assistants unveiled the bulletin boards showing the full rankings.

Students rushed forward in a crowd.

“Ah…! Higher than I thought!”

“N-no way! My score’s that low?”

Reactions of joy and despair rang out across the hall.

Watching this, Chelsea spoke.

“Professor Harrid was right. A lot of the lower-ranked students really climbed up, and quite a few of the upper-ranked ones fell down.”

It was exactly as Harrid had warned at the start of the semester.

Of course, among the very top, the only one whose ranking had shifted was Chloe—because of the midterm incident.

Still, no one dared look down on Chloe; her real ability marked her as one of the best among the first-years.

“Originally, kids always grow fast. If you let your guard down, you never know when kids below you might catch up.”

“Hmph. That’ll never happen. But Leo-oppa, you sound like such an old man when you talk. You’re our age too, remember?”

At Chelsea’s teasing remark, Leo gave a faint smile—just as Carl approached.

“I went to check how the other classes were reacting. They’re in an uproar over you, Leo.”

“Of course they are.”

“Mhm.” Chelsea nodded firmly.

After that, the party truly began.

Leo enjoyed himself while choosing from the buffet.

Since students came from all over, the dishes were wonderfully diverse.

“Eastern food really is delicious!”

Carl piled fried pork onto his plate with a big grin.

“Yeah, it is.”

Professor Len, watching the two enjoy themselves from the faculty section, swirled his wine with a bored expression.

“Professor Len, you don’t seem too happy,” said his Associate Professor, Anna, curiously.

Len clicked his tongue.

“Associate Professor Anna. How could I possibly enjoy this party?”

“Your favorite student Leo just became grade representative. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Of course I’m happy. But to enjoy that happiness fully, Leo should have been a Magic Department student.”

“Yes, that is a shame.”

Anna licked her lips and looked toward Leo.

It had already been half a semester since the first-years enrolled.

There were many promising mages, but the three who stood out most were Abad, Chloe, and Leo.

‘Abad and Chloe have boundless potential.’

In all his life as a mage, Len had never seen such talent.

From a teacher’s perspective, it was pure joy.

Every lesson, they absorbed knowledge instantly and made it their own.

‘It’s like refining raw gemstones.’

As an educator, there was nothing more satisfying.

‘Leo, on the other hand…’

Anna shivered slightly.

‘If Abad and Chloe are raw gems full of potential… then Leo has no visible end. He’s too deep.’

When Leo learned something in class, he didn’t just absorb it.

He reinterpreted it, reshaping it to fit himself perfectly.

The Magic Department professors praised it as talent.

But to Anna, it didn’t feel like polishing raw ore.

‘It feels like he’s taking a flawless jewel and making it shine even brighter.’

Sometimes, the sheer depth of his hidden power made her shiver.

Not that she wished he hadn’t chosen magic.

On the contrary, she hoped he would commit to the Magic Department soon.

With that terrifying potential, if he focused solely on magic, the results would be unimaginable.

“Sniff, sniff! Why, oh why did heaven give Leo swordsmanship and summoning as useless extra talents! Boohoohoo! Professor Anna! What should we do!”

‘He’s drunk again, isn’t he?’

Anna groaned inwardly.

Len had a low alcohol tolerance, and when drunk, his emotions swung wildly.

Worse, he’d casually say things that would cause an uproar if other professors overheard.

‘This is why geniuses never care about appearances.’

Now clutching the wine bottle and weeping, Len made Anna think she had to stop him quickly.

“Perhaps he’ll choose the Magic Department soon.”

“And why’s that?”

“Think about his closest classmates. It's Chelsea and Carl, right?.”

“…!”

Len’s head snapped up.

“Anna! You’re a genius! That’s it! We’ll get those two to persuade him!”

“P-persuade him? Professor Len, wait!”

“Hahaha! Why didn’t I think of such an easy method before?”

“Coercing a student into a department is against school rules! A professor won’t just get a slap on the wrist for that!”

“Let’s summon those two right away—”

“Hey! You idiot! Listen to me!”

Anna lunged to cover Len’s mouth.

“Why stop me? This is the perfect chance to keep Leo from wasting time!”

“What do you mean, ‘wasting time’?”

Anna’s face went white.

The last person she wanted to overhear had arrived.

“Ah, Professor Ain. You’re here.”

“Good to see you, Ain-sunbae.”

“I just heard something amusing.” Ain smirked.

“Leo’s been getting along well with Magic Department students. Isn’t that proof enough he’ll choose us?” Len said.

“You’d decide his department based on mere friendships? How childish. As educators, our duty is to place a student where their talent shines best. Leo Plov is a perfect fit for the Knight Department.”

“I understand why you want him. But be objective. A mage’s strength lies in perceiving things clearly. Oops—my mistake. Ain-sunbae’s head is filled with muscle, so seeing clearly must be hard. No matter. With my mage’s insight, I’ll explain step by step why Leo belongs in the Magic Department.”

“A guy who claims insight as a magician but speaks so politely must not expect that I won’t hit him.”

Anna rolled her eyes to the ceiling.

‘We’re doomed.’

Ain smiled coldly and grabbed Len by the collar.

Len, however, kept spouting his logic.

“What are you two doing? Aren’t you embarrassed in front of the students?”

Professor Yura, watching in disbelief, spoke up.

“We’re discussing Leo Plov’s department.” Ain replied.

“Leo?”

‘These fools are dreaming again. Leo’s in the Summoning Department.’

Yura looked at them with pity.

‘A kid who summoned a Phoenix obviously belongs in Summoning.’

Clicking her tongue with a condescending look, she made Ain and Len frown.

Of the three, Yura was the most ambitious when it came to departments.

‘Why is she looking at me like that?’

‘Yura-sunbae must be plotting something again.’

Both men thought grimly.

Meanwhile, the other professors shook their heads, muttering, “There they go again.”

Just then, Professor Sedgen elegantly tapped a spoon against his wine glass, drawing the students’ attention.

“Everyone, may I have your attention? Enjoying the party?”

“Yes!”

“Excellent! Then as promised, I’ll announce details regarding the school trip.”

Students’ eyes lit up.

“Of course, the school trip isn’t just a vacation. It’s about broadening your horizons in places you normally couldn’t go.”

With a flourish, Sedgen gestured beside him.

An assistant brought forward a board covered with a cloth.

Sedgen snapped his fingers.

Clink—! Flutter—!

At the cue, the assistant whipped off the cloth.

A large continental map was revealed.

“Did he really need to make it that flashy?”

“Professor Sedgen loves that sort of thing.”

Carl muttered, and Leo chuckled in agreement.

“Each class will decide on the region they want to visit.”

At that, chatter broke out class by class.

“East! Let’s go East!”

“What? No way. Did you forget I’m from the East?”

“How about the South? I wanna see the desert.”

“Ugh, it’s just hot! Let’s go North instead—it’s nice and cool!”

Voices clashed instantly, students bickering.

Duran raised his hand.

“Oh! Duran, you have a question?”

“You said it is to broaden our knowledge, Professor. But I think that among the first-years, depending on circumstances, there are also students who have already been to various regions. Is this school trip simply for consideration of students who lack such experience?”

He was right.

While there were students like Leo who had not left their country, there were also quite a few who had been to many countries and cultures. There were even quite a few who had been to multiple regions.

As a considerable number of students nodded to that question, Professor Sedgen chuckled.

“A fine question, Duran.”

He spread his arms wide.

“Indeed, some of you may have visited every region since childhood! For such students, broadening horizons would be meaningless! Lumene Academy would never offer such a trivial experience!”

The students murmured excitedly.

If it wasn’t just visiting other regions, then what?

Sedgen strode up to the map and smacked the northern lands.

“Your destination will not be human territory!”

Gasps spread through the hall.

“Then… could it be!”

“Yes! Another race’s land! The territory of the elves!”

Cheers exploded.

“Wooooah!”

“Unbelievable!”

“Lumene is the best! We’re actually going to elf territory!”

Even Duran’s lips curled upward, though he looked a bit dazed.

Watching, Leo blinked.

‘Times really have changed.’

In the past, there had been no walls between races, but this era was different.

Though races interacted, free travel through each other’s territories was impossible.

‘There were even wars between races long ago, weren’t there?’

Humans and elves, in particular, had bad blood.

In the era Leo once lived in as Kyle, such restrictions would have been unimaginable.

‘Well, I guess for this era, the past is what’s unimaginable.’

“Hey, Chelsea! You ever been to elf territory?”

“As if I could have?”

“I’m excited! Which country should we pick?”

“Leo! Which one do you want to go to?” Carl asked.

Leo pointed at the map.

“There.”

“Hm?”

“I want to go to El-Salvekia.”

El-Salvekia.

One of the smaller elf nations.

But it held something special.

[The Fairy Forest].

Now it was nothing more than an old name.

Despite the name, fairies no longer lived there.

After the Age of Calamity ended, it was said they had left.

But until then, the forest had been their sanctuary.

‘Didn’t think I’d get the chance to go so soon.’

Leo clenched his fist.

As a summoner, Leo held a pledge.

The Pledge of the Fairy King.

‘I doubt the fairies abandoned their sanctuary so easily. And even if they truly did…’

His eyes gleamed.

‘There’s a high chance they left behind something connected to the Fairy King.’