Editor : Amethyst00



Class 5’s lodging was an inn in Velkia that they had rented out in its entirety.

When they arrived, most of the students wore expressions of dismay.

“Uh… we’re really supposed to sleep here?”

“There aren’t going to be rats or anything, right?”

“What about laundry? Cleaning?”

“Wait, do we have to cook for ourselves too?”

All of the students from noble families were thrown off by this.

In contrast, commoner-born students like Carl were utterly unfazed.

Carl even teased his friends.

“Pfft. Right now you all look like spoiled little noble ladies, you know that?”

“What was that!?”

“How dare you, Carl—!”

Chelsea and Eliana flared up, and Carl screamed as they pounded on him.

Still, the nobles’ objections weren’t fading.

Until now, at Lumene, students may have been put through brutal training and classes, but there had never been any lack when it came to their food, lodging, or clothing.

At the dorms, attendants had always handled laundry and cleaning, ensuring the students could focus entirely on their studies.

But here, things were different.

They had been excited for a school trip, only to end up in lodgings one would expect for commoners—and on top of that, they had to do everything themselves.

“Couldn’t we have found somewhere better to stay?”

Even Nella, the most mature and eldest in the class, looked troubled.

“Judging by your reaction, I think picking this place was the right call.”

“Huh?”

“Alright! everyone, don’t complain. This is a good experience too. Comfortable beds, someone else doing your laundry, someone else preparing your meals—those conveniences won’t always be waiting for you. As hero candidates, you should be able to handle any situation.”

At Leo’s words, boos and jeers broke out everywhere.

“Teacher’s pet! Total teacher’s pet!”

“Being the honor student only goes so far, you know!”

“We know full well Professor Harrid gave you authority over the lodging!”

“Let’s just pool our money and move somewhere better.”

Leo, listening to the complaints, said casually:

“Originally, Professor Harrid planned to have us sleep outside in tents.”

That silenced everyone.

Even Nella, the vice-rep, had never heard this before. She blinked in surprise.

“I managed to persuade him down to this.”

Every face in the class went pale.

To think Harrid intended to make them camp in tents in the middle of this snowstorm!

'So he really is the most ruthless professor in Lumene…'

“If you hate this so much, I can go tell him you refuse to stay here.”

“Hey! Stop him! Hold him down!”

“Waaah! Don’t you dare, Class Rep!”

Tade and Eliana clung to Leo’s arms in a panic.

And so, the students resigned themselves to staying quietly at the inn for ten days.

“And one more thing—Professor Harrid and Associate Professor Sena won’t be staying here. It’s entirely up to our self-discipline. But they did say: don’t cross the line.”

Leo grinned.

“If anyone’s caught breaking school rules—like boys and girls sleeping in the same room—they promised it’ll end very badly.”

“Ugh, boring.” Eliana grumbled.

“Until tomorrow morning, you’re free. Go explore the city however you want.”

At that, the students scattered to their rooms.

They had complained at first, but the thought of having the whole place to themselves soon lifted the mood.

“Let’s get our rooms in order, change into winter uniforms, and go shopping!”

“I heard there’s a hot spring—I’m going there first.”

“I’m heading to a weapons shop!”

Watching their typical teenage energy return, Leo muttered to himself:

“Kids sure adapt fast.”

“Leo, you know you sound like an old man sometimes?”

“I know. Anyway, I’m going to report to Professor Harrid.”

“Should I go with you too?”

“No, you stay here and keep an eye on things.”

“Okay.”

Harrid and Sena were staying at the Ersar family’s mansion not far away.

Stepping out of the inn, Leo noticed the luxurious hotel across the street.

It was bustling with activity.

He spotted the man who seemed to be the proprietor shaking his head at some elves who wanted to enter.

“Looks like they’ve booked out that place for a group too.”

He soon lost interest and headed toward the Ersar estate.

Upon arriving, Leo gave his report to Harrid in the guest room.

“For now, everyone’s been assigned rooms and is enjoying their free time.”

“They must have been unhappy about the accommodations.”

“Once I mentioned you’d originally planned tents, they quieted down.”

Harrid let out a long sigh.

“Leo Plov.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“I know you’re excellent as class rep.”

“Thank you.”

“But why are you even pinning your own plans on me?”

“Because scary roles are better suited for scary people, aren’t they?”

At Leo’s brazen reply, Harrid gave a wry laugh.

In all his years at Lumene, he had never had a student like this.

To use even the professor whom 4th- and 5th-years feared as a convenient shield…

'Is he fearless, or just bold?'

“Fine. Take some rest too. If you can’t keep up with your own schedule and collapse, that would be ridiculous.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Leo left the room, an elf approached him.

“Leo Plov-nim.”

“Yes?”

A neatly dressed elven woman bowed politely.

“The Head of the House requests your presence.”

“By Head, you mean Rune Ersar-nim?”

“Yes.”

Leo followed her, still looking puzzled.

Soon, they reached the central office of the mansion. She knocked respectfully.

“Come in.”

With that voice, she opened the door and bowed.

Inside, Leo saw Rune at his desk, still working.

“Welcome, Leo. Sorry to call you like this—I’m busy with work, so could you wait a bit? If you’re bored, feel free to look around the office.”

Still scribbling with his quill, Rune smiled faintly.

“No problem. I’ll just look around while you work.”

So Leo wandered the spacious office.

The Ersars were among the oldest and most prestigious elven families.

As such, the walls were lined with relics and treasures.

Elven artisans or works of dwarf artisans.

Leo's slowly admired them one by one, until Leo’s gaze stopped on an old, worn dagger.

It was a strange design. The blade length suited a dagger, but the hilt was long, almost like a longsword’s.

The ratio between blade and hilt was nearly one-to-one.

“Erquint?”

Hearing the murmur, Rune raised his head.

“You know of Erquint? Its history is only passed down to the heads of House Ersar.”

“I once read about it in Lumene’s Grand Archive—in a book on vanished legendary weapons. I never imagined I’d see it actually exist…”

Leo hurried to cover himself.

Erquint was a famed blade forged by Dweno using starstone, a rare holy light ore imbued with starlight power.

It had originally been given to Luna as a self-defense weapon for close combat, but she later entrusted it to her disciple, Velkia.

Then, just before Kyle and his comrades set out on their final expedition…

The weapon was lost in the last battle against Tartarus.

A legendary blade—yet most people didn’t even know it existed.

'This is not the real one, then.'

The faint star mana it emitted was different from real one.

It somehow felt like only a shell remained.

“There’s such a book? Well, Lumene is a hero academy. This piece was gained by one of our ancestors when they conquered Velkia’s Hero's World. Since it belonged to Velkia herself, we treasure it.”

'So that’s why it feels hollow. Relics from Hero's World can’t be wielded by anyone but the conqueror.

While Leo nodded, Rune finished his work and walked over, inviting him to sit on the guest sofa.

Once they sat, Rune personally poured tea.

“I've heard from Harrid that you’re the All-Class student?”

“Yes.”

“And also ranked first among Lumene’s first-years?”

“That’s correct.”

“Hmm.”

Rune nodded, then his expression grew serious.

“This may be rude, asking this of you upon first meeting…”

“What sort of request?”

“Would you meet my granddaughter?”

Leo blinked.

“What do you mean?”

“I want you to give her a spark.”

Rune sighed deeply.

“My granddaughter is a first-year at Seiren. It may sound like bragging, but she’s a talented girl. She was admitted with excellent grades.”

Leo nodded.

“But right after enrolling, she hit a wall.”

“A wall?”

“Yes. She knew she was gifted, always the best among her peers.”

Much like most Lumene entrants.

“But the world is vast. At Seiren, she immediately met students with better results than her.”

“Ah.”

Leo understood at once.

“She is diligent, if a bit gloomy, so her grades rose quickly. But there was one person she could never surpass. After that, she completely lost the will to study at Seiren.”

“I understand the situation. But how could I meet her when she's at Seiren?”

“If she were still at Seiren, I wouldn’t be asking you.”

Rune covered his face with one hand.

“Despite the semester still ongoing, she’s returned home and shut herself in her room.”

Leo’s expression turned incredulous.

“No matter what I say, she refuses to return to class.”

“…”

“That’s why I ask you, the representative of Lumene’s first-years. Could you be the spark she needs?”

bl

At Seiren Academy, students were sorted each year by performance.

Classes were broadly divided into advanced, middle, and lower.

With the large number of first-years, each tier had multiple sections.

Naturally, even within the advanced classes, there were differences in ability.

The very best of the first-years were gathered into Advanced Class 1.

In that class, the homeroom teacher addressed the students.

“There is an announcement today.”

The students stood neatly and looked at him.

“From today, the Advanced classes will be sent on mission practicums.”

The students stirred.

Mission practice?

That was supposed to be scheduled in the second semester at the earliest.

“Don’t be nervous. This only means the academy’s higher-ups have recognized your excellence.”

The elven teacher smiled warmly. Pride filled the students’ faces.

To be in this class was the honor of their houses.

Meanwhile—

The class president, Lunia, who should have been brimming with excitement, only stared blankly at the ceiling, as if her soul had left her body.

Her head was filled with one name.

'Leo Plov. Who the hell are you? What kind of thief steals my contractor? I’ll never forgive you… never!'

Her eyes began to blaze with fury.

“Therefore, the destination for Advanced Class 1 is…”

The teacher turned and wrote on the board.

“El-Salvekia’s capital, Velkia.”