Editor : Amethyst00



As the noble assembly drew to a close—

News of the newly formed Heroic Alliance had already spread like wildfire across Lumene.

The candidate chosen as the alliance's leader: Leo Plov, the so-called "King of Beginnings," and a man backed by the bloodlines of the greatest heroic houses.

The notion that he had risen to a position powerful enough to shift the balance of world power sent waves of unrest rippling across the globe.

Journalists from every major press outlet gathered urgently in Lumeria City, desperate to break the story before anyone else.

"If I could get a direct interview with Leo Plov, that'd be headline gold."

"Yeah, right. As if it were that easy. Even interviewing students close to him would be a huge win."

With that in mind, reporters began approaching Lumene students coming into the city over the weekend, hoping to gather statements.

"What do you think about Leo Plov, the King of Beginnings, becoming the leader of the Heroic Alliance?"

"Well, that's only natural, isn't it?"

"Huh? You're not surprised?"

"Why would I be?"

"Er… what?"

"He's the student council president. What's so shocking about it?"

"…?"

The fifth-year student from Lumene gave the reporter a puzzled look.

And they weren't the only one.

Every student at Lumene seemed to treat the global bombshell—that Leo Plov had become the lord of the Heroic Alliance—as a completely normal development.

Though the rest of the world was in uproar, Lumene's students reacted with detached indifference.

"I mean, we can't even get a long interview out of them."

One journalist looked flustered after several brief and fruitless attempts.

They could get the students to talk—but never for long.

"Ahem."

Someone cleared their throat nearby.

The reporter turned and saw a girl who looked to be a third-year student.

"Who are you…?"

"Have you ever heard of the Lightning Blade?"

"You mean Eliana Raden from Lumene?"

"That's me."

"Oh!"

"I'm the King of Beginnings' closest friend since our first year, his right hand on the student council, and—!"

"And?"

"A beautiful girl, obviously!"

"…"

The reporter fell silent as Eliana struck a proud pose.

'I mean, she's not wrong, but… who says that about themselves?'

Still, the reporter let it slide.

Eliana Raden was undoubtedly one of the top students in Lumene's famed "Golden Generation."

And it was true she was one of Leo Plov's closest companions.

"So, what do you think about Leo Plov being appointed as the leader of the Heroic Alliance?"

"Hmmm! Well, he is the president—so I'd say it's only natural?"

In contrast to her flashy self-introduction, Eliana now answered seriously.

'So far, this is the best interview today.'

"And lastly—you mentioned you're the King of Beginnings' right hand. Does that mean he relies on you that much?"

"Yes. You could say we're like soulmates."

"Gasp! So then… is it true you and the Hero of Beginnings are a couple—?"

"Fufu! No comment—ow ow ow!"

"No comment, my foot."

"You shouldn't lie like that."

Chloe and Chen Xia appeared behind Eliana, each tugging on an ear.

"W-What do you mean lie?! I was only telling the tru—OW!"

"'No comment' is the kind of phrase that causes misunderstandings, Eliana," said Chen Xia, all smiles as she dragged her away.

"W-Wait! Aren't you Chloe Müeller of the Northern Magic Tower?! And—Chen Xia, the Princess of Xian?!"

The reporter's eyes widened.

A chance interview with Chloe—hailed as a future Archmage—and Chen Xia, the next empress of Xian?

This was practically a jackpot.

Not to mention, both had ties to Leo Plov.

"Chloe! What are your thoughts on the Heroic Alliance? And Lady Chen Xia—will Xian have a say in—?"

"We've been instructed by the academy not to give detailed interviews on this matter," Chloe said coolly.

And just like that, the reporter understood why none of the students had been talking.

'Was I just lucky to catch Eliana Raden when I did…?'

It was clear that Chloe and Chen Xia wouldn't say a word more.

"Eliana! Just one more quote—!"

"Sure, I can—mmph!"

"You'll get scolded by the professors again, Eliana."

Chen Xia clamped a hand over her mouth, while Chloe stepped in front of the reporter and gave a gentle—but icy—smile.

The look alone made the journalist flinch and retreat.

Later, in a quiet alley away from the crowds, Chloe let out a sigh as she crossed her arms.

"You specifically got a warning from the professors."

"I just wanted the world to know more about our president!"

Eliana protested with a pout.

"He's doing everything he can to fight Tartaros. Why should someone like him be slandered by those greedy old houses?!"

Watching Eliana get genuinely upset over Leo, Chloe gave a small sigh.

"I get it. It makes me mad too."

"Don't worry. I've memorized the names of every house that badmouthed him."

Chen Xia smiled sweetly, causing Chloe to narrow her eyes and Eliana to panic.

"Xia!"

"D-Don't do anything!"

"I'm kidding."

Her voice was cheerful—but it didn't feel like a joke.

"In any case, I only did the interview because I wanted to improve his image a little."

"And calling yourself his right hand?"

"A tiny bit of selfishness?"

Eliana stuck out her tongue and winked playfully.

Chen Xia gently patted her head.

"Since it's for dear Leo's sake, I won't say more."

"Yay."

"But you're still getting demerits."

Chloe coolly pulled a notebook from her pocket and started checking off boxes.

Eliana clung to her, wailing in protest—but rules were rules, and Chloe made no exceptions.

bl

After the noble houses' assembly concluded, classes at Lumene resumed once more.

Though the campus still buzzed with talk of the Heroic Alliance and the recent high-stakes meetings, there was no time to be distracted.

Final exam season had arrived in the blink of an eye.

The second semester was now fast approaching its end.

"In first and second year, the end of term was always such chaos. But third year's kinda laid-back," Tade murmured.

Hearing this, Carl—sitting beside him—burst out with a dark, hollow laugh.

"Laid-back? Laid-back, you say?"

He turned his bleary, dark-circle-ridden eyes toward Tade with a deadpan expression.

Tade shrugged as he replied, "Well, for regular students it is."

"Hoooh~ You said it. In that case, how about helping out with some student council work?"

"Back off."

Tade shoved Carl away with a straight face.

The student council had been swamped.

With the fifth-years having all stepped down from active duty, the work they left behind had to be passed down to others.

On top of that, they were simultaneously juggling preparations for the graduation ceremony and the upcoming Lumeiren Exchange Festival.

In short, things were hectic.

As one of the key figures in the student council, Carl inevitably found himself buried under a mountain of tasks.

"Morning."

Just then, Leo took a seat in front of Carl and Tade, coffee in hand.

Watching him calmly sip from his cup, Tade spoke.

"You look pretty chill, Leo."

"That's thanks to Chloe and Carl holding down the fort."

"So Chloe really did become vice president, huh? I bet Lyl-sunbae must've been disappointed."

"Lyl-sunbae's position is the acting president now."

"Acting? Then Carl is…?"

"I'm acting vice president. Though, my workload hasn't exactly changed."

Given that Lyl was in her final year and arguably the strongest student in Lumene besides Leo, it would've been strange for her not to take on a major role.

Leo let out a soft chuckle, thinking back to how excited Lyl had been when she got the position of acting president.

"Still, it's hard to believe we're about to be fourth-years already," Tade mused.

It felt like just yesterday they'd been clueless first-years—and now their senior year was right around the corner.

"By the way, what about the schedule for the Lumeiren Exchange Festival? The cultural festival?"

"Yeah. That's all finalized. All that's left is prepping the events."

This year, at Seiren's suggestion, the usual Lumeiren competition had been restructured into a cultural exchange festival instead.

"Carl, just hang in there a little longer. Once finals are over, we'll finally get some breathing room."

"Yeah. I really need to take a proper rest during winter break…"

With tired eyes blinking slowly, Carl rose to his feet.

"You should study too, you know? If you need remedial classes again, there goes your break," Tade said with a snicker.

Carl looked ready to cry.

"Thanks. Seriously. That heartfelt concern's got me all choked up."

bl

Whoooosh—

In the northern reaches of the continent lay the Elves' domain, known as the land of bitter cold.

And the only reason the Elves were able to survive in this desolate, frozen region was simple—

They were a race of magic.

Even among the northern lands called the "Frozen Wastes," the westernmost tip was the harshest of all—so cold that even the sea itself would freeze in midwinter.

And now, students wearing Seiren's school uniform were walking atop that very sea.

"Is it really true? That a human was spotted out here?"

Leah Tingel, a second-year of Seiren, asked with a puzzled expression.

Eiran, who had come with the second-years as leader of the expedition, nodded calmly.

"That's what we're here to verify."

In these frozen lands, if a human were discovered, it could mean only one of two things.

First—

They had illegally trespassed into Elven territory.

Though elven society had recently become far more open and curious about humanity, that hadn't always been the case. In the past, the Elves had looked down on humans and their crude culture. But ever since Luna and Seiren appeared in the present world, the entire perspective of the elven race had begun to shift.

A rapid change—so rapid, it would have been impossible for most other races.

But Elves, being an extreme and single-minded race, treated the words of those two legendary heroes as if they were divine revelations.

Especially Luna's open confession to the Hero of Beginnings, Kyle—that alone had triggered a monumental shift.

Now the Elves found themselves full of curiosity toward the human race.

And naturally, human culture began to flow quickly into their own.

For a society that had long pursued stillness and order, some aspects of human culture were downright shocking.

However, no matter how fascinated they had become, the ancient treaty forbidding humans from entering deep Elven lands still stood.

If a human had wandered this far into the Elves' inner territories—a region even most Elves avoided—they were almost certainly a criminal.

The second possibility…

"An out-of-control Hero Dungeon."

Whatever the case, it was Seiren's duty to investigate. That was why Eiran had taken command and come here with the students.

But after hours of searching, they had found neither humans nor even Elves.

The students eventually left the frozen sea and returned to the snow-covered shoreline, gathering around a small fire they kindled with magic.

Eiran sat silently before the flames, lost in thought.

"Should I expand the search radius…?"

As she pondered, her ears suddenly twitched.

Then—glance—her gaze darted toward the distant forest brushing against the snowy shore.

"Was that… a gaze?"

"Eiran-sunbae?"

Leah tilted her head as Eiran suddenly rose to her feet.

"There's something suspicious. I'm going to check it out."

"We'll come with—"

"You're all exhausted. Take this time to rest."

Though moving alone was dangerous, Eiran chose not to drag along her tired juniors.

Despite their protests, they were eventually forced to stay behind.

"My heightened senses didn't pick up any major danger, at least…"

Eiran followed the trace of presence.

After a while, she caught sight of a faint silhouette up ahead.

Through the drifting snow, she made out a figure—female, with hair as white as snow.

"Ah! Excuse me—!"

Eiran quickly called out.

In that moment, the girl turned to look back.

The snowstorm howled, obscuring her face—but through the swirling flurry, Eiran caught a glimpse of vivid crimson eyes.

Their eyes met.

Fwoosh—!

The girl vanished into the blizzard in an instant.

"Ah…"

Eiran frowned, realizing she had lost her.

"There's no doubt. That presence—she was human."

bl

Back at the camp, the second-years remained behind.

Watching over them, Leah said, "I'm sure Eiran-sunbae will be fine, but… just in case something happens, let's be ready to move at a moment's notice."

The Seiren students nodded, readying themselves for any emergency.

And then—

Crack, crackle…!

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the frozen sea, which hadn't stirred in the slightest, began to fracture.

As the unexpected situation unfolded, the students quickly assumed combat stances.

CRACK—THUD!

With a sharp shatter, a massive chunk of ice burst up from beneath the surface.

Leah, startled but composed, cautiously approached the block—sensing a presence within it.

Inside the person-sized ice crystal were two Elves.

One appeared to be a girl around Leah's own age, cradled protectively in another's arms—her face obscured.

But the beautiful woman holding her, shielding her like a guardian—

"Ah…?"

Leah's eyes widened in horror.

She could barely believe what she was seeing.

"Ancestor…?"

The one sealed within the ice was none other than the legendary Comet Mage—

Seiren Tingel.