Editor : Amethyst00



Chen Xia, having returned to the Knight Department dormitory, unpacked her belongings.

Celia, who came to the front of Chen Xia's dorm room, asked,

"What in the world happened?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"The bulletin board says that you subjugated a fragment of Erebos."

"Ah."

"Is it true?"

"Yes."

At Chen Xia's answer, Celia looked slightly flustered.

"There weren't any particular signs, though?"

Celia herself had also experienced a fragment of Erebos.

That's why she knew very well what happens when a fragment of Erebos resurrects.

There was the official notice, and Chen Xia wasn't lying.

But even so, it was hard to believe that a fragment of Erebos had revived without any signs.

"Does that mean from now on they'll revive without warning? That would be serious…"

As Celia muttered worriedly, Chen Xia gave a soft smile.

"This time was a special case. You don't need to worry about that."

"Really?"

Celia let out a small sigh of relief.

"Well, setting that aside…"

"Yes?"

"What's this about having your name recorded in the Hero Record?"

"Ah, that…"

Bang—!

"Chen Xia!"

"Hey, hey! Duran! Entering the girls' area is a violation of the school rules!"

"Calm down, will you!"

The dormitory is divided into three main areas.

The common lounge, the girls' section, and the boys' section.

Naturally, aside from the common area, entering the opposite gender's area was strictly forbidden.

And yet, someone was boldly attempting to invade the girls' section.

That someone was Duran.

The male students from the Knight Department were panicking as they tried to drag Duran back.

Even with four male students, all bigger than him, pulling on him, Duran continued pushing forward.

The girls who were resting in the lounge of the girls' section looked at Duran with amused expressions.

Some even screamed in delight and waved at him in welcome.

Since he wasn't sneaking in but rather attempting such a bold entry, it felt more like an amusing event.

On top of that, they had a rough idea of why he was acting that way.

While the male students struggled to hold Duran back—

"That idiot."

Leaning on the railing of the third floor hallway, the third-year section, Celia shook her head with her hand on her forehead as she watched the scene.

Chen Xia, who had come out of her room, also looked down over the railing and laughed.

"Fufu, Duran is always so full of energy."

"This is nothing to laugh about. That guy really doesn't know moderation."

"Please take care of it. I'll head out right after I finish unpacking."

"Got it."

Clicking her tongue, Celia jumped over the railing and landed on the first floor.

Tap—!

She landed lightly on the ground and approached Duran.

"Don't make a scene and just wait. Xia said she'd come out after she's done unpacking."

"Aww~ Celia, just tell Duran to come in and wait."

"Yeah, yeah. Wouldn't it be nicer to talk here comfortably?"

To the words of the fourth- and fifth-years, Celia replied firmly,

"No. That's a rule violation."

"Boring~"

Sighing as she watched the seniors grumble, Celia crossed her arms and looked at the somewhat calmed Duran.

"If you make any more of a scene, it'll really be a violation of the rules."

"Tch."

Clicking his tongue, Duran finally retreated from the entrance and plopped down on a sofa in the lounge.

Watching him, Celia shook her head and closed the door.

"What a mess, and it's only the first day back."

Celia let out a deep sigh and glanced toward the third floor.

At some point, Chen Xia had already gone back into her room.

Though she acted calm on the outside, Celia also felt anxious inside.

Already, among their peers, there were students like Leo and Carl who had their names recorded in the Hero Record.

But even so, having Chen Xia, whom she saw as a rival, get ahead was not something she could happily accept.

'I can't afford to fall behind either.'

Celia's competitive spirit ignited.

And then, she suddenly recalled something.

'What if not just Chen Xia, but also Chelsea had their names recorded in the Hero Record?'

That thought made Celia's face go pale.

And in a panic, she rushed up to the third floor and banged on Chen Xia's door.

"Xia! Come out quick and tell me what happened!"

Bang bang—!

The knocking, more like pounding, made Chen Xia, who was in the middle of changing, give a troubled smile.

"This is… a bit awkward."

bl

The top floor of the clock tower dormitory.

Leo arrived at the student council room, casually tossed his luggage aside, and slumped down on the sofa.

Then, pulling on his necktie to loosen it, he leaned his head back.

Glancing out the window, he saw the sky dyed in sunset.

'Maybe I should just skip dinner and sleep?'

Feeling tired, Leo let out a deep sigh.

Just as he had that thought—

Bang—!

The door burst open.

There are very few people who can enter Leo's room within the dorm.

And among them, only two could come in without making a sound.

One of them was currently writing a reflection paper in their professor's office.

"O mighty king of the great world! Your humble librarian of the pitiful Hero Record, Rian, greets you!"

With his forehead nearly touching the floor, Rian entered as usual, exaggerating his praise for Leo.

Watching that fanatic display, Leo sat up and rested his chin on his hand.

"You came at a good time."

"I thought you might need me, so I was on standby!"

Rian scurried across the floor at incredible speed to reach Leo's feet.

With such crawling skill, he really was like a cockroach.

"Give your command, Lord Leo."

Looking at the twinkling eyes of Rian, Leo said,

"There's something I want to say about the recent Erebos subjugation."

"It is an infinite honor! To hear directly from Lord Leo about the defeat of that vile fragment!"

Genuinely delighted, Rian listened as Leo explained the full story behind the third Erebos fragment subjugation.

Despite his usual flamboyance, Rian listened intently with a serious expression.

Once Leo's explanation ended, Rian spoke.

"You mean the issue is whether to bestow the title of Hero to the candidates involved, correct?"

"Yeah."

Leo was the owner of the Hero Record.

He had the authority to write and delete entries, so it would be easy for him to inscribe their names.

But Leo refrained from hastily recording the names of the hero candidates who had fought alongside him.

The reason was simple.

His standards and the gods' standards were different.

For the past 5,000 years, it had been Rian who recorded the Hero Record.

But that was never done arbitrarily.

The entries were made only after countless discussions among the gods on whether the candidates truly had the qualifications.

Of course, not all who were recorded ended up acting heroically.

Depending on the gods' personalities,

And their individual interests or amusements, some unworthy individuals also had their names written in the Hero Record.

But even so, it was a fact that transcendent beings had reached a consensus over a long period of deliberation.

Leo didn't particularly trust the gods.

But he didn't deny their abilities either.

'In the end, if I decide on Hero Record entries based on my own judgment, it might cause confusion.'

"You're planning to have those god fragments decide whether they're worthy of having their names entered in the Hero Record."

"Exactly."

Seeing Leo speak seriously, Rian nodded.

"Then I'll convene a divine assembly."

"There'll probably be a bunch who won't show up just because they're lazy."

"No way. They've got nothing better to do. They'll definitely come. I'll inform you once the final decision is made, Lord Leo."

"Thanks."

"It's not a problem."

Rian smiled and left Leo's room.

Left alone, Leo stood up.

"Guess I'll go eat."

'Come to think of it, I also need to approve student council work.'

Though it may seem like Elena and Carl handled most of the council work, the final decision always rested with Leo.

So naturally, Leo had to shoulder a considerable amount of the workload.

Especially at the beginning of a semester—when the student council president is busiest.

Which meant nearly two weeks' worth of work had piled up.

Feeling the weight of exhaustion, Leo opened the door.

As he stepped out of the room, he shook off his fatigue and leisurely walked toward the cafeteria.

bl

"So you saw the future?"

Chloe's eyes widened like saucers as she asked.

"Yep."

Chelsea poked a sausage with her fork and took a bite.

Then she smiled.

"Food outside is nice, but school meals are still the best. Perfect nutritional balance."

"I guess you didn't grow much in the future, huh? Seeing you still care about nutritional balance."

Eliana, eating with them, snickered and teased Chelsea.

"Hmph."

But Chelsea just gave her a condescending smile.

That smile made Eliana tilt her head.

"What's with that smug look?"

"Nothing. It's just… You teasing me about height makes you seem like such a child."

"I wasn't talking about your height."

"Huh?"

"I was talking about your flat figure."

Chelsea's eye twitched.

Seeing that, Eliana gave her a sympathetic look.

"Oh dear. No hope even in the future, huh?"

Just as Chelsea was about to pounce like a fierce kitten—

"What's the fun talk about?"

Leo sat down next to Chloe with a tray and asked.

Eliana grinned brightly in response.

"Chelsea's chest."

"Don't talk about such vulgar things in front of Leo!"

"Why not? The book said all guys like that stuff. Ah, maybe not you, since you're so flat?"

Eliana burst out laughing, and Chelsea's fork bent in her hand.

Seeing that, Eliana quickly grabbed her tray and fled.

"You're dead!"

Chelsea's eyes flared as she chased after Eliana.

Watching it all, Leo chuckled.

"Seeing that, it really feels like I'm back at Lumene."

"Leo."

"Hm?"

"I didn't talk about anything indecent."

Chloe, looking a little embarrassed, turned red as she denied it.

Leo calmly replied.

"I know you're not the type to care about that stuff."

"Right."

"You don't even need to worry about it, do you?"

At that, Chloe narrowed her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Remember when we were at the hot springs…"

Chloe's face turned crimson as she kicked Leo's foot under the table.

Leo laughed as he dipped his bread into the soup.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Elena-sunbae around."

"Oh, Elena-sunbae left the school on a mission about a week ago."

"Really? Then the student council work must've piled up like crazy?"

Just as Leo felt a bit dizzy from that thought—

"I handled it."

"What?"

"I'm not as perfect as Elena-sunbae or Carl, but I managed."

Chloe shrugged.

Leo stared at her for a moment and then said,

"Chloe."

"Yeah?"

"Wanna come to my room after curfew?"

"Huh?"

Chloe stared at Leo, her face blank with surprise.