Editor : Amethyst00



"What is this? Is this a manual labor site?"

Eliana frowned as she looked down at the mining village below.

The second-year students from Lumene and Damien were gathered tightly at the entrance of the mine.

It looked like they had just finished their work, their faces covered in soot.

Without even thinking about washing or wiping it off, they were holding their trays, desperately waiting for dinner.

"In just two days, the kids have turned into beggars."

Eliana muttered with a pitying look toward her juniors, prompting a sigh from Chelsea.

"We're not exactly in great shape either, you know?"

The Leo party had just completed two days of exploration in the Tartaros territory.

They had come to this mine located on the border with Tartaros to rest.

A safe base is essential for exploring Tartaros territory.

This place, where second years from Lumene and Damien were gathered for exclusive contracts with Smith, was very safe.

"I never imagined we wouldn't even be able to wash for two days."

Aru sniffed her forearm.

"What are you doing?"

"Yikes?!"

Aru jumped in surprise when Leo approached her.

"Black Rabbit, don't come near me right now. I smell."

When Aru backed away with a shuffle, Leo chuckled.

"I'm sure we all smell the same right now."

They had fought non-stop for two days.

The mixture of sweat and blood on their bodies was inevitable.

"Really?"

Aru crossed her arms and tilted her head as she stood next to Leo.

"But anyway."

"Yeah?"

"You've gotten a lot better at using beast transformation and hypersenses."

At Leo's words, Aru's ears perked up.

"If Aaron had seen you, he would've been happy."

Aru scratched the back of her head and gave a sheepish grin at Leo's compliment.

"No, no. I've still got a long way to go!"

"No, really. I was surprised."

"Hehehe."

"On that note, want to get some special tutoring from me?"

"Sure……"

Aru, whose face had loosened up, suddenly widened the distance between them at an incredible speed and made a wary expression like a cat hissing.

"What kind of torture are you planning again?!"

"Torture, you say?"

Having previously experienced training from Leo that was close to torture, Aru couldn't help but recoil.

Watching this unfold, Chelsea muttered quietly.

"Leo has definitely left a trail of victims."

"Right? It doesn't seem like a good thing to catch the class president's eye. In that sense, I'm really lucky."

"But if you train under Leo, even if it's tough, your skills improve really fast."

At Chelsea's words, Eliana giggled.

"That's not for me at all! My life goal is to get just famous enough to enjoy life based on that fame!"

"…Is that something a noble family successor should say?"

"Of course!"

Looking at Eliana, who said it proudly, Chelsea made a disapproving face.

"By the way, I heard Leo-oppa's going to start training you soon too."

"Huh?!"

"He said he'd turn you into a real Lightspeed Swiftblade."

"Why!"

“Because you go around talking about ‘lightspeed swiftblade’ so much, he said he felt like making you one.”

"Eeeeek!"

Eliana clutched her head and screamed.

Chelsea laughed gleefully at her reaction.

"Oh! Leo! You're here?"

Just then, Carl spotted the Leo party approaching the dorm and greeted them with a cheerful face.

"Wow, you guys look seriously worn out."

Since it had already been mentioned that they'd use this place as a base camp, Carl wasn't surprised by their arrival.

"What's that, Carl?"

"This? Dinner for the kids. If you haven't eaten yet, join us."

Carl pushed the food cart toward where Leo's group and the second-years were.

"Ooh! Food!"

"Food! Food!"

Cheers erupted all around.

"Guess we don't matter anymore."

Feeling that their presence had been overshadowed by the food, Chelsea’s expression turned slightly sour.

"Ah, everyone, welcome. How was the exploration?"

Artienne greeted them with a bright smile.

Leo replied as he looked at Artienne.

"I have something to report you about that."

"Yes?"

Artienne tilted his head slightly at Leo's words.

bl

"After exploring the outer Tartaros region for two days, it seems certain that a Hero Dungeon exists."

"If you encountered demons from the Age of Calamity, then that confirms it."

Demons from a long-forgotten past.

There's only one way they could appear in the present world.

Through a Hero Dungeon.

"After our battle with the demons, we ventured deeper and found hordes of Gigantes waiting."

They too were creatures that had appeared during the Age of Calamity.

"You could tell by their weapons."

Recalling the weapons the Gigantes used, Leo looked down at his palm.

"We'll need to devise tactics specifically for fighting Gigantes."

"Yes."

Since this mission involved infiltration into the deeper Tartaros region, they needed to extract as much current information from the outer zone as possible.

That's why they had spent the last two days exploring.

"But one thing puzzles me."

Artienne wore a grave expression.

"Why is this area near the border so peaceful, despite so many Gigantes appearing through the Hero Dungeon?"

The very reason Damien had formed the exploration team in the first place was because of an abnormality sensed at the border area.

After the exploration team sent by Damien disappeared, and Leo’s party began exploring the Tartarus perimeter again, not much time had passed.

And according to the previous exploration team’s report, no such abnormalities had occurred before in the outer Tartarus region.

'It means the situation rapidly deteriorated over the past few days.'

With that many Gigantes appearing, it wouldn't be strange if they had invaded the dwarves' territory beyond the border.

It was a powder keg waiting to explode.

Yet this area remained peaceful.

Of course, being a border area, it wasn't completely calm.

Monsters still crossed over from Tartaros.

Even this mine had been attacked several times.

If not for the students from Lumene and Damien, operations would've been impossible.

But that was it.

Given the severity of the Hero Dungeon's incursion into the present, this area was oddly peaceful.

"We'll need to go even deeper to find out more."

Leo's words made Artienne nod.

Leo's mission was not only to confirm the existence of the Hero Dungeon.

They also needed to determine which era and which hero it belonged to.

'From the current signs, it's probably a piece of a Great Hero's Hero Record, but…'

Discovering a Great Hero's Hero Record is an incredible find.

But if that Hero Record had turned into a Hero Dungeon, it was a different story.

That meant the monsters emerging from it were those of the Age of Calamity.

'Even high-ranking demons from that era have appeared.'

After thinking that far, Artienne spoke seriously.

"As a professor at Lumene, I'm speaking to you, Leo, as the leader of the Arhi party."

Leo straightened up at his words.

A Lumene professor isn't just an educator.

They have the authority to command students in emergencies.

Even if Leo was student council president and on a mission, he would have to comply if Artienne exercised that authority.

"I think your party needs reinforcement. Carl."

"Yes."

"You will join Leo's party."

"…What?"

"And by my authority as a professor, I'll also assign second-years Luke, Aina, and Haviden from the knight department to the party. I will be joining as well."

Chelsea's eyes widened.

"Then… will you be the party leader, Professor?"

"No. Leo remains the leader. I'm only enhancing the party's strength. Leo is more suited for leadership than I am."

Luke, Aina, and Haviden.

The knight department's top three second years were chosen to match Leo's fast-paced party style.

Shasha, from the summoning department, was quick too, but might struggle to keep up with the fastest third years.

"What about the second years' Smith contracts?"

"Proceed as planned. Damien's professors are there to oversee them."

Carl sighed at Artienne's decision.

"Ah… so I'm being dragged into death zone again."

He muttered miserably with his face in his hands.

"But how am I supposed to keep up with you monsters? I'm delicate."

"Don't worry about that."

Eliana grinned and handed him a rope.

"It's your special rope you use for tying up you cargo."

"…You're not thinking of tying me up with this, are you?"

"Exactly!"

Eliana gave him a thumbs-up.

"Tie it around your waist. I'll drag you."

"Do you want to see someone's waist snap?!"

Frowning, Carl looked around at the group.

‘No matter who it is, except for one person, I’m doomed to motion sickness.’

It was obvious they would be moving at terrifying speed, and none of them would show him mercy.

So Carl sidled up to Eliza, who seemed the most comfortable to ride with.

"Young Miss Eliza."

"No."

"Oh come on. Please? Huh? Huh?"

"Kneel and beg."

"Oh? Really? That's all it takes? I'll kneel and beg all you want!"

Eliza frowned at Carl's cheerful face.

"Gross."

With the party reinforced, Leo said, "Let's rest for a day and depart tomorrow morning. I'll inform the second-years who are joining. Dismissed."

The members dispersed to rest.

As he stood, Leo looked down at his hand.

'…Whose world is it?'

He tried not to think about it, but knowing it was a former comrade's Hero Record made his gaze waver.

Would they meet again?

'Are they also thinking about the past?'

Now, the companions from the hero world all knew his identity.

As Leo's thoughts stirred—

"Um… Leo?"

"Yes, Professor Artienne?"

After everyone had left, Artienne cautiously approached Leo.

"Would you mind staying behind for a moment? I have something to ask."

"Sure."

Leo sat back down.

Assuming it was about the upcoming mission, the others had already left.

Only Leo and Artienne remained in the room.

Artienne hesitated, then spoke.

"Leo… I've been meaning to ask you this."

"Yes?"

"Have you… ever had a lover?"

"…Pardon?"

Leo rarely looked so startled by a sudden question.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because… I sense the presence of a lingering heroic spirit around you."