Editor : Amethyst00



Lumene Clocktower Dormitory Central Hall.

It had now become a gathering place where all students came together.

Now familiar with the Clocktower Dormitory, students exchanged information or bartered goods here.

And so, the Lumene students were starting another energetic day.

Juen and Betty were heading to the dining hall with textbooks tucked under their arms, chatting along the way.

"I never want to go somewhere like a mining site again."

"Yeah. This latest exclusive smith contract was truly horrible."

As they were talking, Carl cut into the conversation.

"Was it that bad?"

"Of course! Stuck in a mine swinging pickaxes and shovels! Ugh! A mage is someone who uses their head—why should we be doing manual labor?"

"Hmm. So? Did you find a decent smith?"

"Of course! One of the students you recommended, Carl-sunbae…"

Juen stopped walking and widened her eyes.

Betty also looked surprised, and then the two girls turned their heads simultaneously.

"Carl-sunbae! When did you return?"

"This morning."

Carl tapped his shoulder and let out a deep sigh.

Originally, he had gone to Damien to guide second-year students through their exclusive smith contracts, but he had been drafted to join Leo's party for a Hero Dungeon raid.

Because of that, he returned to Lumene a few days later than the second years.

"Did the Hero Dungeon raid go well?"

"Yeah. I was so busy writing reports in Damien…"

Carl shook his head.

Hero Dungeons came with a lot of follow-up work, even after the raid.

There were reports to write and various paperwork to complete.

Especially since it was the world of Dweno that Leo's party had conquered.

To be precise, it was the recently confirmed existence of the Legion's world.

'On top of that, there was the subjugation of the Giant King, Giath.'

It was such a major event that the reports were even more strenuous than usual.

It hadn't been officially announced yet.

Even Lumene students only knew that Leo's party had officially gone on an exploratory mission to Damien at the academy's request, and that the mission had changed to a Hero Dungeon raid.

"Whose Hero Dungeon was it?"

Juen asked with sparkling eyes, and Carl shrugged.

"That's classified. Right, Leo?"

"Ah! Leo-sunbae!"

"Hello."

Juen and Betty hurriedly greeted him.

"Whoa! It's the student council president!"

"The acting student council president is here too."

Other students noticed Leo and Carl as well and opened their eyes wide in surprise.

Seeing the rest of the party, second-years from various departments rushed over.

"Duran-sunbae! Thank you for your hard work!"

"Thank you for your hard work!"

The second-year students from the Knight Department bowed politely to Duran.

"Wow, it's like the military. Do you discipline your juniors?"

When Chelsea rolled her eyes, Eliana shook her head.

"Not at all. They just naturally respect us. Wanna see?"

Eliana, folding her arms with a smug expression, waved to the second-year Knight students.

"Hey guys, hi~"

"Oh, hello, Eliana sunbae."

"Did you return safely?"

The Knight students smiled warmly at Eliana.

Though she acted friendly, it didn't seem like they were worshiping her.

"There's a difference in how they treat Duran."

"Ugh! That's because Duran always acts so serious! I'm the friendly sunbae! Not just me—Xia and Celia aren't worshiped like Duran either!"

"Ah! Celia sunbae! Xia sunbae!"

"Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning!"

The second-years, seeing Celia and Xia, gave precise, disciplined greetings.

"…"

Eliana fell silent.

"Eliza-sunbae, let me carry your luggage."

"Hmph. No need."

"Shall I massage your shoulders?"

"I said no!"

Eliza frowned at the second-years' excessive hospitality.

"Chelsea-sunbae!"

"A new cookie came out, so I bought some. Please try it!"

"Wow, sunbae, your skin looks so dry!"

The second-year Mage students also gathered around Chelsea, making a fuss.

"…"

Chelsea stared silently at Eliana, who pouted and whined to Leo.

"Class rep! I want to be respected by my juniors too!"

"You're too carefree to be respected—like Carl."

"Don't lump me in with Carl!"

Eliana snapped at Leo's comment, while Carl laughed.

Eliana glared at Carl and said, "Hmph! But even the class rep isn't approached by juniors. So aren't you in the same boat as us?"

"Not quite."

Carl shook his head.

The third-year top students of each department were respected by underclassmen due to their overwhelming skill and charisma.

So normally, second-years treated third-year department tops very respectfully—but not with Leo.

The reason was simple.

'They find him incredibly intimidating.'

Leo's presence was too overwhelming for anyone to casually approach him.

So juniors ended up feeling timid around him.

That's why almost no one approached Leo first.

Even Eliana wasn't unaware of this.

"I don't care. I can't hear you. The class rep is on my side."

She just needed someone on her side.

Carl shook his head at her.

Watching them, Leo said, "Anyway, good work everyone. You're exempt from attending class until today, so don't overdo it and rest."

"Nothing feels better than legally skipping class while everyone else has to go."

Carl chuckled.

Leo smiled slightly and said, "Alright. Disband."

With Leo's words, the party members scattered.

Left alone, Leo was soon joined by Celia and Chen Xia.

"Leo, how was the mission?"

"It was tough."

Leo sighed in response to Celia's question.

"Wow, if even Sir Leo says it was hard, it must have been really bad. Ah, let me carry your bag."

"It's fine."

"Aw, don't be like that."

Chen Xia, smiling sweetly, took Leo's bag.

"Miss Celia, please go ahead and have breakfast. I'll help Sir Leo move his things and catch up later."

"Alright."

Celia, used to Xia taking care of Leo, nodded and headed to the dining hall.

Walking through the Clocktower Dormitory hallway, Leo made sure no one was around and randomly opened a door.

It naturally led to the top floor of the Clocktower.

"The president's privileges really are convenient."

Chen Xia smiled as she followed Leo into the room.

"Thanks for carrying it. I feel kind of bad."

"I'm doing it because I want to."

Chen Xia shook her head and placed Leo's bag in a corner.

Leo sat on the sofa in the center of the room, loosened his uniform tie, tilted his head back, and sank into the cushions.

Chen Xia walked over to the cabinet on one side.

Soon, the room filled with the fragrant scent of tea.

Clink

Chen Xia placed a teacup in front of Leo and asked carefully,

"Did you meet one of the Great Heroes?"

"Sharp of you."

Leo chuckled as he replied, and Chen Xia continued.

"You seem different than usual. You look very tired."

She had seen this side of Leo before.

When he met Aaron, Luna, and his disciples Velkia and Bihar.

It would have been an honor for most, but not for Leo.

"I met Dweno."

Knowing Leo's true identity, Chen Xia looked a bit worried.

Leo, seeing her expression, lifted the teacup and said, "It's not something a kid like you needs to worry about."

"I'm not a kid—I'm a proper lady."

"Saying that proves you're still a kid. Nice scent. Thanks."

"Why don't you rest for the day?"

"That's the plan."

"Would you like to wash first? Or eat? Or maybe—?"

Leo put the teacup down and patted the space beside him.

Chen Xia sat next to him.

Leo reached out to her.

"Sir Leo, that hurts."

"It's supposed to hurt."

He pinched and shook her cheek. Clicking his tongue, Leo let go.

Chen Xia rubbed her reddened cheek and muttered, "Such a stubborn old man…"

Squeeze—

"I'm sorry."

This time, he grabbed both cheeks. She apologized expressionlessly.

Letting her go, Leo asked, "So? Anything happen with the students while I was away?"

"It was the adjustment period, so nothing big happened."

"How are the first-years?"

"Excellent. No major problems adjusting."

"What's the atmosphere like between dorms?"

Chen Xia smiled brightly at his question.

"Intense."

"Intense?"

"Yes."

Chen Xia nodded.

"You said nothing happened with the students."

"Right. Among the students, nothing happened."

"The professors then."

"Correct. Their competitiveness has ramped up."

"Well, considering the school is heavily promoting inter-department competition…"

To professors with strong departmental pride, it was a matter of ego.

Many of them were Lumene alumni.

Naturally, they maintained strong ties and pride in their departments after graduating.

That competitiveness seemed to be spreading to the students.

Hearing this, Leo smirked.

Chen Xia narrowed her eyes.

"What are you thinking?"

"Something fun."

With that ominous reply, Chen Xia sighed softly.

bl

Not long after Chen Xia left for class…

Melina came to Leo's room.

"Lord Leo, thank you for your hard work in conquering the Legion's world."

"What's that in your hand?"

"Oh, this?"

Melina lifted a small box with a smile and placed it in front of Leo, opening the lid.

"A crown?"

"Your coronation is being prepared, right? As the king of a nation, a crown is essential. Of course, no crown could perfectly suit you, but still, we did our best…"

"Can't we just throw something together? Or not wear one at all?"

"No way. You're ascending as a world king, like Lady Lysinas, the Wise Queen. This is a historic event."

"Who said that?"

"Lord Rian did."

Leo clicked his tongue, imagining a certain god behaving like a fanatical cultist.

After a bit of small talk, Leo told her what happened in Dweno's world.

"So all members of the Arhi party obtained divine relics?"

"Yes. Aru and Duran received restored relics from Dweno."

Weapons once used by Aaron—the greatsword imbued with Brave and Lightning Storm—were restored to their original form.

"Plus, Drianna inherited Dweno's Flame as a reward… That's huge."

"It is."

They also received smithing techniques and flame control training from Dweno, even if briefly.

"With the right medium, divine relics can now be restored."

Leo glanced toward the pitch-black cloak hanging in the room.

Duran's sword had come from that cloak.

While Drianna couldn't yet forge divine-level items from nothing, anything that came from the cloak could be restored.

'Well, it's not like I can pull things out whenever I want.'

Though the exact principle was unclear, the cloak seemed to produce weapons suited to heroes or hero candidates.

Melina was shocked by the next piece of news.

"Lady Lysinas's spirit?"

"Yeah. 100% sure."

According to Carl, when Dweno went berserk, Lysinas momentarily appeared by possessing Artienne's body.

"Ahh. Lady Lysinas…"

As Melina looked flustered, Leo smirked.

"That damned lizard. Trying to pull a marriage scam on me? If I see her spirit, I won't let it slide."

"I think that might've been your fault—"

"What?"

"Nothing at all."

Melina shook her head.

"The subjugation of Giant King Giath—that's massive."

"It is."

"The world will be shaken."

"Make sure we prepare properly before making it public."

After wrapping up the mission report, Leo leaned back.

"Oh, and about the midterms at our academy…"

"Yes?"

"I can design the dorm-specific department exams, right?"

"Yes."

Despite being a student, Leo had near-professor-level authority this semester.

Especially with the dormitory system—its operation was entrusted to the student council president.

"You have something in mind?"

"Yeah."

"What is it?"

Leo grinned at Melina's question.

"Departmental war."