Editor : Amethyst00



The hills behind Deang, the capital of Davienne, gripped by a cold wave.

There lay a large hot spring, usually open to commoners.

Under normal circumstances, the place would have been bustling with families on short trips or vacations.

But with the outbreak of civil war and the sudden cold snap freezing the springs into ice water, people stopped coming.

It was there that students from Lumene and Seiren, who had been dispatched to Davienne, had taken residence.

Leo was gazing out the window from his room.

Outside, students gathered in the outer garden were each focused on their training.

Besides training, the students from Lumene and Seiren were actively engaging in conversation.

Was it because human culture was trending in Elven society?

Seiren, in particular, was earnest in their interactions with Lumene students.

There were far more Seiren students than Lumene students, most being first- and second-years.

It was a contrast to Lumene, which had selected only elites, excluding first-years.

'Well, we came to find Erebos's fragment, after all.'

Unlike Lumene, which was prepared for contingencies, Seiren seemed to treat the civil war involvement as a kind of field trip.

'In a way, this might be what Luna wanted too.'

To interact with various races and learn about the world—

It's a virtue more important to a mage than anyone.

Considering the Elves' reclusive tendencies, the popularity of human culture wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

'Though the lack of moderation is definitely a problem.'

Thinking so, Leo glanced at the group of Seiren female students.

There, Abad was speaking with the Elven students, wearing his characteristic troubled smile.

He was still considered a top contender for the title of Lumene's most handsome student.

Even during previous exchange events like the Lumeiren Competition, Seiren students had often blushed in his presence.

Back then, Elven pride had prevented them from approaching him directly, but now they openly showed interest.

Not just Seiren.

Abad was always popular during inter-school exchanges.

"Lucky guy, being so popular."

Leo chuckled.

Knock knock—

"Come in."

As Leo spoke, the door gently opened.

Peeking in was Eiran.

"E-Excuse me."

She carefully entered, followed by Chen Xia and Chloe.

They were the group that often hung out when Eiran first came to Lumene as an exchange student and stayed in the same dorm.

"What's up? Why all together?"

"Eiran lost something and thought you might be able to help."

Leo looked puzzled at Chloe's explanation.

"What did you lose?"

"I haven't heard yet. Eiran, what did you lose?"

At Chloe's question, Eiran fidgeted and spoke.

"Um… it's a really important book… so…"

"Important book? Is it a magic tome?"

Hearing "book," Chloe's blue eyes sparkled with her signature intellectual curiosity.

In contrast, Chen Xia's black eyes were filled with suspicion.

"Miss Eiran. You're not asking him to find some favorite novel, are you?"

"N-No! It is a novel, but…! A-Anyway, I wouldn't ask Leo to find something like that!"

Eiran cried out in alarm, flustered.

"A novel? What kind of novel?"

Chloe asked, confused, and Chen Xia answered.

"An erotic novel."

"What?"

Chloe was stunned, and Eiran, now tearful, tried to cover Chen Xia's mouth.

But unless it was someone like Lunia, who was physically weaker than Eiran, stopping Chen Xia was difficult.

Instead, Eiran was pinned down by her wrist.

"His rough palm caressed my soft belly—"

"Aaah! Aaah! Aaah!"

Eiran screamed, practically shrieking, to drown out Chen Xia's voice.

'Velkia and Bihar used to tease each other like that too. Though Velkia was usually the one getting teased.'

"Chen Xia. That's enough."

"Yes~"

Responding obediently to Leo's words, Chen Xia released Eiran's hand.

Eiran trembled, blushing up to her ears.

"So? What exactly do you want me to find?"

"Um… I've done a bit of creative writing… and the novel I was writing disappeared."

"Disappeared? How?"

"Well… I guess you could say it was confiscated…"

Watching Eiran glance around nervously, Leo figured out who had confiscated it.

"That woman?"

"…Yes."

The "woman" Leo referred to was Lysinas.

"Why did she confiscate it?"

"…"

"I need to know to help you."

At Leo's words, Eiran fidgeted and then squeezed her eyes shut.

"It was… a story about Lord Kyle and Lady Luna…"

"What? Eiran! You didn't write a weird story about Lord Kyle and Lady Luna, did you?!"

"If you only chase your own desires, divine punishment will come."

Chloe looked shocked, and Chen Xia said seriously, making Eiran tear up.

"It's not like that! It wasn't weird! It was just a romance story!"

Leo clicked his tongue as he watched.

'No matter how odd Eiran's reading tastes are, she wouldn't write something weird.'

So it must've just been an ordinary romance novel.

'But why did she care about something like that?'

Bzzzt—! Bzzzt—!

At that moment, the magic communication orb in the corner of the room started vibrating.

Leo approached and touched the orb, and the face of a middle-aged man appeared.

[It's been a while. Have you been well, Your Majesty?]

"It's been a while."

[I am now your subject. Please refrain from honorifics.]

It was Sith Zidma, commander of the Tuzen Order who had effectively governed the Lezentan region—formerly the royal knights of the now-vanished Tonkan Kingdom.

During last winter break, when Leo inherited the Lezentan region, Sith naturally came to serve Leo, a royal descendant of Tonkan.

Leo nodded at Sith's request to drop formalities.

"How's the coronation preparation coming?"

[It's proceeding steadily. When summer break at Lumene ends and you come here, Your Majesty will be the rightful ruler of Lezentan.]

"That's fast."

[Fast?]

Sith frowned.

[You should have ascended to the throne and declared the new Arhi Kingdom last winter! It's already quite late!]

Watching Sith genuinely frustrated, Leo clicked his tongue.

Chen Xia, listening to their conversation, asked, "Wow, so after summer break, we have to start calling Leo 'Your Majesty'?"

"Hmm… 'king,' huh. Sounds awkward."

"That's amazing! Lord Leo! Umm… becoming king won't make you hard to approach, right?"

Chloe tilted her head, and Eiran looked uneasy.

Watching them, Leo gave a deadpan look.

"Not something to say when one's the next empress of Xian, another the future Tower Master of the North, and the other the next Speaker of El-Salvekia's council."

The Lezentan region was certainly a good land.

But compared to Xian of the east, one of the five magic towers in the world, and the powerful Elven region of El-Salvekia, the newly founded Arhi Kingdom was still relatively small.

Seeing the three girls through the orb, Sith smiled brightly.

[Oh! Your Majesty's companions.]

"Nice to meet you, Sir Crimson Wave, Sir Sith. It's an honor."

Chloe greeted on behalf of the group.

A famous knight from the western continent, leader of the Tuzen Order, and one of the heroes recorded in the Hero Record.

"I've heard a lot about Sir Sith as well. It's an honor to meet you."

Eiran bowed deeply.

Though he looked middle-aged thanks to his aura, Sith was old enough to be called an elder.

The Tonkan Kingdom fell due to the war with Tartaros.

Even as the country perished, Sith defended the Lezentan region, earning him considerable acclaim.

His deeds deserved respect across all races.

[The honor is mine. To be able to converse with such lovely and promising hero candidates.]

Sith beamed.

[This meeting is a great relief to me.]

"Relief?"

Chen Xia looked puzzled.

It was hard to understand why a hero would feel relieved seeing them.

"Why?"

When Chen Xia asked, Sith smiled gently.

[Your Majesty will soon ascend the throne of the Arhi Kingdom.]

"Correct."

[To solidify a new kingdom, the matter of an heir is crucial.]

Leo clicked his tongue.

The three girls' faces subtly changed.

[I humbly offered a few suitable candidates to serve as consorts of Arhi… but His Majesty showed no interest. I even consulted with Her Highness Princess Reina, Your Majesty's mother, but she only smiled and said he'd do fine. It may be an old man's useless concern, but I can't help but worry about heirs.]

Sith smiled brightly.

[But seeing Your Majesty has such beautiful friends puts my heart at ease!]

"Let's keep embarrassing talk between us."

[Ah, my apologies! How inappropriate of me before the ladies.]

"…"

"…"

Chen Xia and Chloe's eyes were visibly shaking.

"Um… uh…"

Then Eiran cautiously asked, "Can a half-blood… become an heir?"

Leo gave her a stunned look, while Chen Xia and Chloe quickly turned their heads.

[Oh! If the heir of Ersar bears the heir of His Majesty, it would be an immense blessing for our kingdom!]

"N-No! I was just curious! Just curious! I don't know human culture well, that's all! I wasn't saying I'd do it!"

"Get her out."

"Sir Leo! Please don't misunderstand! It was just curiosity! I didn't think anything weird!"

"Stop making it worse and get out!"

"I told you to stop reading those weird novels!"

Dragged out by Chloe and Chen Xia holding both arms, Eiran screamed.

Leo scratched his head.

[I suppose my worries were indeed unnecessary. Well, it's the age of youth and passion after all…]

"Enough of that. Just tell me why you contacted me."

At Leo's words, Sith became serious.

[Recently, abnormal incidents are occurring all over Letin.]

"Abnormal incidents?"

[Yes. The hot springs are cooling.]

Letin.

The most developed city in the Lezentan region, formerly Tonkan's capital, and the future capital of Arhi.

It's known as a tourist destination famous for hot springs.

"…"

Hearing that the hot springs were cooling, Leo's face turned grave.

"They're not freezing or anything? No sudden cold waves?"

The Lezentan region, being close to the northern continent, is a cold region.

[No major weather changes. But mages report that geothermal heat deep underground is cooling rapidly.]

At Sith's report, Leo fell deep into thought.

The phrase "geothermal heat rapidly cooling" reminded him of something.

"I'll come soon."

[What? You don't have to come during your studies, Your Majesty. I just reported it because it seemed unusual…]

"No."

Leo rose from his seat.

"I think I need to check it myself."