Editor : Amethyst00



The day after the schedule for the Festival of Heroes was finalized.

The students of the Hero Academy headed toward the warp gate, receiving a grand send-off from the dragons along Dragonia’s main avenue.

“The Chaser of the Star!”

“Wow… So pretty…”

As expected, the one who drew the most attention was Lunia.

Dragon children gasped in awe every time Lunia passed by.

With her brilliant red hair and beautiful face.

Wearing the perfectly fitted Seiren uniform.

She was, by all appearances, the epitome of a model student from Seiren.

Moreover, along with Leo, she had her name recorded in the Hero Record while still a student—making it not so strange for her to be called a “hero candidate.”

“Don’t you think… I’m getting the most attention for some reason?”

Waving with a smile, Lunia made a confused expression.

Leo had also had his name entered into the Hero Record.

On top of that, he had fought alongside Aaron when the 3rd fragment of Erebos had revived.

Needless to say, he was an unprecedented all-class.

Even in such circumstances, the dragons paid far more attention to Lunia.

“Of course.”

That’s when Hardin adjusted his glasses and spoke.

“Leo Plov clearly surpasses you in every aspect. But people don’t care about such inner merits as much as you’d think.”

“Huh?”

“After coming to Dragonia, I realized—dragons aren’t so different from us.”

Except for the dragons of Wisdom Academy or those who led heroes for the world, most dragons living in Dragonia led ordinary daily lives.

“What the public focuses on is outward fame. And in that sense, Lunia, your name is currently more talked about than any other hero of this age.”

“Because of my title…”

“Exactly.”

Lunia El Lunda, The Chaser of the Star.

The first hero officially recognized as the successor to the Great Hero.

While the Heroes of the Dawn are retrospectively seen as part of the Great Hero’s lineage, Lunia is the first to be explicitly recorded as such in the Hero Record.

Because of that, public attention toward her was especially intense.

“It’s a title far beyond what I deserve…”

Lunia murmured, gazing down at her palms. Hardin chuckled softly.

“Then become someone worthy of it.”

“…Yes.”

“The dragons keep cheering, don’t they? Why not stand next to Leo Plov?”

“…”

At Hardin’s suggestion, Lunia looked at Leo with a conflicted expression.

The man loved by Luna, the Great Hero who saved the world and the Poet of the Star.

The man loved by Lysinas, the Wise Queen.

“Please, keep all of this a secret for now.”

Earlier, as she handed out the vow documents, Melina had pleaded with everyone present.

In the current world, Kyle and Luna were publicly known as lovers.

If it were revealed that Lysinas was also involved, making it a love triangle, the world would be thrown into chaos.

The reputations of all three could be damaged.

“And Lysinas wasn’t even just a lover…”

Lunia’s shoulders quivered slightly as her face flushed.

“Was it two-timing? Did he toy with Lady Luna?”

She had been too overwhelmed earlier to clear up the misunderstanding properly.

As thoughts swirled through her head—

“How about it? Better than Lysinas, right?”

She recalled the moment when Luna grabbed Leo by the collar and kissed him out of nowhere.

“Kyle, I love you.”

Luna’s heartfelt confession.

“So marry me.”

“I…”

“No need to answer.”

She had declared it to the world without waiting for Leo’s reply.

“Oh no. Lady Luna could only confess her feelings after she died…”

She must have had feelings but couldn’t wedge herself between Kyle and Lysinas.

That’s why she could only express her heart after death.

Recalling this sad love story, Lunia wore an expression full of pity.

As misunderstanding piled upon misunderstanding to birth a new misunderstanding, the Hero Academy students arrived at the gate.

“Why do you keep glancing at me like that?”

“Huh? Oh, um…”

Leo asked, clicking his tongue, and Chelsea looked flustered.

She fidgeted with her fingers before speaking carefully.

“Well… I just feel weird knowing you were married, Leo oppa…”

At her words, Leo felt the back of his neck tense.

‘Damn that con-artist lizard… What am I going to do about this?’

He decided he had to clear things up before the misunderstandings multiplied.

Just as he was about to open his mouth—

“Leo, why didn’t you answer Lady Luna’s proposal?”

Lunia approached quietly and asked with a sorrowful voice.

“What are you talking about? Explain in detail.”

Chelsea widened her eyes as she asked, and Lunia explained what had happened.

“Oh my… I can’t believe such a thing happened.”

Chelsea gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

Watching this, Leo grabbed the back of his neck.

‘This is driving me insane.’

He had now become the guy who hadn’t responded to a posthumous love confession that had been hidden while she was alive.

“You two, come here for a sec.”

Leo called the two girls close.

He slung an arm around their shoulders and pulled them near.

Now in close contact with Leo, Lunia and Chelsea opened their mouths in surprise.

“Listen closely. There’s nothing going on between me and Lysinas.”

“What? But Lady Melina said that was a marriage vow.”

Lunia asked in a lowered voice, and Leo clicked his tongue.

“Yeah, that’s what she says. But I didn’t even know it was a marriage vow when I signed it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. That damn lizard conned me.”

Leo ground his teeth.

Chelsea tilted her head at that response.

“Then what about Lady Luna?”

“Nothing going on with her either.”

“So… you didn’t realize either of their feelings in your past life?”

Leo paused at Chelsea’s question.

How should he answer?

If he said that Luna had confessed in an elvish way he didn’t understand, and Lysinas had hinted without ever saying it directly, then…

‘You really are an idiot.’

He heard the voice of that damned elf who had once kicked his butt.

‘She taught you ceremonial customs that no dragon even uses anymore—and you still didn’t get it?’

‘Don’t lie, you moron.’

The voice of that conniving lizard who once smacked his head echoed too.

Thinking of Seiren and Rodia, who’d insulted him to his face despite being younger, Leo ground his teeth.

‘When I see them again, I’m shaving all their hair off.’

“It was a different time. We just pretended not to notice each other’s feelings.”

“Oh…” Chelsea innocently nodded at the lie.

But Lunia narrowed her eyes.

“Really?”

Suspicious, she asked again.

Leo grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her even closer.

“Do these eyes look like they’re lying?”

Their foreheads lightly touched.

Right in front of her were Leo’s deep red eyes.

Lunia’s face grew redder and redder.

“What are you whispering about so secretly?”

“Eek!”

Aru suddenly popped between them.

“Okay, I get it. Break it up now.”

Chelsea pouted and pulled them apart.

Lunia turned her head quickly, coughing in embarrassment.

Meanwhile, the warp gates to the respective schools activated.

Watching this, Leo said, “As I said yesterday, I hope each school will actively cooperate in preparing for the Festival of Heroes.”

“If we’re going to do it, may as well go big.” Marigold nodded.

“No need to worry about that.” Hardin adjusted his glasses.

Hearing that, Dorberman grinned. “Victory will go to Azonia.”

Marigold and Hardin looked at him.

“We’ll let the world know, through this Festival of Heroes, that we have arrived.”

Hardin smirked. “Nice ambition. But sadly, victory belongs to Seiren.”

“You’re all delusional. Damien will win.”

Representing the pride of their respective races, the three Hero Academies clashed with words.

Watching this, Chelsea chimed in,

“Victory will go to Lumene! Right, Leo-oppa?”

“Whoever wins doesn’t matter.”

“Huh?” Chelsea blinked in confusion.

“Let’s all just do our best.”

Smiling gently, Leo gave her an ambiguous reply.

Chelsea felt a twinge of unease.

“What is Leo-oppa plotting…?”

bl

Leo and Chelsea returned straight to Lumene via the warp gate.

“Leo! What happened with the competition?!”

“The schedule wasn’t set yet, right? The other schools couldn’t make it, right?!”

As soon as they entered the student council office, the officers—buried under piles of work—rushed toward them, firing off questions.

Their faces clung to a sliver of desperate hope.

“The date has been set.”

“Noooo!”

“How could that even be possible?!”

At Leo’s words, screams erupted from every corner.

“Oh my? If you all have time to scream, that must mean you have some energy left? In that case, perhaps we can increase today’s workload just a bit…”

“No, thank you!”

“It’s already hard enough!”

“We’re sorry for screaming!”

At Elena’s calm suggestion—Elena, who had recently earned the nickname ‘tyrant’—the student council officers wailed and scattered like the wind, hurrying back to their tasks.

Leo entered the student council president’s office with Elena right after.

Inside, Carl was asleep inside a sleeping bag.

Chelsea walked up to him and gave him a nudge with her foot.

“What are you doing? Why are you sleeping here? Go sleep in the dorm.”

“Uuuuugh—if I get up, I’ll work even harder, I promise. So please… just let me sleep a little longer…” Carl groaned and squirmed in agony.

When Chelsea glanced at Elena, Elena just smiled gently.

“He was finishing every task I gave him without a hitch, so I might’ve pushed him a little too hard. Carl turned out to be more high-performance than expected.”

‘See, this is why you shouldn’t be too competent.’

Watching Carl’s labor being so thoroughly exploited, Chelsea shook her head.

‘Chelsea, about Carl. What do you think about recruiting him into our family after graduation?’

‘Carl? That slacker?’

‘Yeah. I’m convinced now—he’ll be a huge asset to House Lewellin.’

Lumene was also a path to secure a good job in the future.

In the noble houses of heroes, building a network through Lumene was an active strategy for talent acquisition.

‘Carl would probably come running if we just asked him, don’t you think?’

‘I’m not so sure it’ll be that easy. Recently, Duran’s been watching Carl with a very suspicious look. Still, Carl’s your best friend, so…’

Recalling Abad, who had cheerfully said that Carl would most likely join Lewellin since they’d been close since their first year, Chelsea looked at Carl with a hint of pity.

Meanwhile, Leo briefed Elena about the Wisdom students.

“That’s great news. We were short on labour anyway.”

After hearing everything that had happened in Dragonia, Elena was genuinely delighted.

To Elena, the dragons from Wisdom were excellent labour.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“Then that settles everything?”

“Yeah. Now we just have to work hard and prepare.”

bl

Autumn had passed, and winter was approaching.

Bweeeeeep—! Boom! Boom!

Fireworks exploded endlessly in the skies above Lumeria City.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

At last—it was today.

The fireworks signaled the opening of the Festival of Heroes.