Chapter 103
Chapter Title: Light's Blessing
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Leo took a map from his coat.
The recoil from the Brave Hero's Breath had turned the area around Leo's left arm to ash.
Thanks to that, the map was also burned and difficult to read.
‘The power is immense, but it needs to be adjusted quickly.’
Leo sighed lightly as he walked through the long-abandoned castle ruins.
By the time his classmates' cheers had faded into the distance, nearly inaudible.
Leo arrived at a lakeside corner of the ruins.
And dipped his fingertips into the lake.
*Ripple—!*
Ripples spread across the entire surface of the lake.
“……”
Straightening up, Leo used Aura Steps to walk to the center of the lake.
*Crunch—!*
Then, he bit his right thumb, drawing blood, and let a drop fall into the lake.
The drop of blood, infused with Leo's spiritual power, fell into the lake.
But the droplet didn't disperse; instead, it formed a small, perfect circle.
And upon it, a complex pattern was etched.
It was the symbol of Luminous, the Spirit of Radiance.
*Hummm—!*
With a soft hum, a small orb of light appeared before Leo.
*Fwoosh—!*
A moment later, the orb burst, revealing a palm-sized, white-haired spirit.
The spirit's eyes, holding a light that seemed ready to flicker out at any moment, trembled and then opened.
“It’s been a while, Luminous.”
Luminous, meeting Leo's gaze, wore a perplexed expression.
[Who... are you? How did you awaken me?]
“It’s me. Kyle.”
[Kyle? You?]
Luminous stared intently at Leo.
[Indeed, the wavelength of this spiritual power is unmistakably yours, Kyle.]
Even having lost her power and on the verge of dying, a Great Spirit was still a Great Spirit.
Having acknowledged that Leo was Kyle, Luminous asked.
[I don't know why you look like this, but where is Lisinas?]
“Lisinas… is dead.”
At those words, Luminous looked up at the sky.
A blue sky.
Tears welled in Luminous's eyes as she gazed at the beautiful sky, something unimaginable during the Age of Calamity.
A sky that was nothing special in this era.
But to those who had lived through the Age of Calamity, it was the blue sky they had longed to see more than anything else.
[That child kept her promise to me.]
Luminous spoke, recalling the image of her contractor who had vowed to bring light back to the world.
[Could you tell me what happened after I fell asleep?]
The story of meeting his comrades, forming the subjugation party, and defeating Erebos after many sacrifices.
He couldn't go into detail, but he told Luminous the story of the Great Heroes.
After hearing the entire story, Luminous spoke.
[I'm glad I didn't wake from my 5,000-year slumber.]
“Why?”
[Because it allows me to say this to you.]
The Spirit of Radiance, once called the greatest of all spirits, bowed her head respectfully.
[For bringing light back to this world. For fulfilling that child's wish. For saving this world. Thank you so much, Kyle.]
Luminous raised her head and said.
[Even if the world has forgotten you, the fact that you achieved such a great feat will never change. Truly… thank you.]
A gratitude that only one who had lived through that era could convey.
Leo burst out laughing.
“This is the first time anyone has ever thanked me.”
At his words, Luminous smiled brightly.
Then, Luminous's body began to glow faintly.
She was Luminous, who had been sealed to prevent her from fading away.
The moment the seal was broken, her time was short.
“Leo! Where are you!”
Just then, a voice calling for Leo could be heard from the distance.
[Those children?]
“They are the seeds of new heroes who will carry on to the next generation.”
[I see.]
Luminous gave a bittersweet smile.
As long as Erebos had not been completely eradicated.
The embers of calamity still remained in this land.
[Will you fight again this time?]
“Of course. I can't lose this peace again.”
At his words, Luminous held out her hand.
A necklace adorned with a jewel containing a white light appeared in her palm.
[This is the Orb of Light, passed down through generations of Great Spirits of Light. It was supposed to be passed on to my successor... but I was unable to. Please, take it.]
“Am I really allowed to accept something like this?”
[Yes. It doesn't hold any special power, but its symbolic value is immense. If you show this to any spirit of light, you will be treated as a Great Spirit.]
In that case, it was an incredible item.
[Now, it is time to say farewell.]
“Yes.”
[May the blessing of light be with you.]
“May you rest in peace.”
At Kyle's respectful farewell, Luminous vanished with a radiant smile.
Leo tucked the necklace away inside his coat.
Just then, Celia appeared at the lakeside.
“Leo, what are you doing here?”
“I just had something to take care of.”
“Hurry up and go to Nella to get your wounds treated!”
“Alright.”
***
Not long after the first-years defeated the Gigantes, Lumerne's rescue team broke the Curse of Severance and entered the area.
There were several demonic beast attacks in the process, but fortunately, there were no major dangers, and the first-years were rescued safely.
Afterward, the incident at the Departmental Competition caused a massive stir.
Two issues became the most prominent.
Lumerne was put on the chopping block.
To any observer, it was clear that the attack during the competition was orchestrated by Tartaros, targeting Lumerne.
Pressure was applied from external powers, citing Lumerne's inadequate response.
But an even hotter topic was the first-years who had defeated the Gigantes.
The raid on the Gigantes was a monumental achievement, worthy of being called a great feat.
As all eyes turned to Lumerne.
“*Sob*. I totally bombed the exam.”
Karl was crying mournfully, his head on his desk.
The entire first year was suffering through their written exams.
As the Departmental Competition schedule had overlapped with the exam period, this year's exams were particularly difficult.
Of course, there were students who were unfazed.
“Karl, this first semester has been fun.”
Chelsea, smiling kindly for once, patted Karl on the shoulder.
“You said that during midterms, too, didn't you?”
“Yes. But I don't think there will be a miracle like last time.”
“*Sob*. You're so mean.”
The top students were relaxed, regardless of the departmental schedule.
Watching them, Leo said.
“You worked hard, so you'll do fine. I heard you were amazing during the Departmental Competition.”
“Leo, you’re the only one who gets me!”
The three of them were chatting as usual after the magic exam had ended.
“Student Leo.”
“Assistant Professor Anna. What is it?”
“Professor Ren is looking for you.”
At her words, Leo looked puzzled.
“I'll be back.”
“Okay, Leo. We'll head to class first.”
“See you later.”
Chelsea and Karl stood up and headed for Classroom 5.
“Why is the professor looking for me?”
“You'll have to hear it from the professor himself.”
Anna replied to Leo's question with a smile.
A short while later, Anna arrived at Professor Ren's office, knocked, and opened the door for him.
*Creek—*
When the door opened, Professor Ren was inside, staring at a chalkboard that took up an entire wall of his office.
The board was covered with all sorts of complex magical formula equations.
“Ah. You're here, Student Leo.”
Ren noticed Leo and offered him a seat.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“No, thank you.”
“Very well.”
Ren sat down in front of Leo with a cup of coffee that gave off a rich aroma.
He then used magic to heat the cold coffee before speaking seriously.
“I'll get straight to the point, Student Leo.”
“Yes.”
“Choose the Magic Department as your major starting next semester.”
“Isn't forcing a student to choose a department a violation of school rules?”
“Of course, it is.”
*Clink—!*
Ren set his coffee cup down.
“But Student Leo! Your talent is too precious to waste! To use Star Magic at your age and solve the magical formula left by the progenitor of the Nebula! You possess a talent that appears once in a millennium!”
“I still wish to take classes in both Knightsmanship and Summoning. I appreciate you thinking so highly of me, but I plan to continue taking all three courses in the second semester.”
With that, Leo gave a slight bow.
“Well then, Professor. Thank you for your hard work this semester.”
Leaving those words behind, Leo left Ren's office.
After Leo left, Anna entered the office and sighed.
“See? I told you it wouldn't work.”
“It seems I'll have to prepare several events for the second semester to ensure Student Leo walks the path of magic.”
“Events?”
“I must create lectures that no mage could possibly resist. As a mage himself, Student Leo will surely be tempted!”
Anna smiled as she watched the passionate Ren.
‘He can be a nuisance when he gets carried away, but he's truly at his most impressive when he's burning with passion for magic.’
“I'll be cheering for you, Professor Ren.”
“Good. In that case, Assistant Professor Anna, you will join me during the break to prepare for the next semester.”
Anna's eye twitched.
“With… you?”
“As my most trusted assistant professor, you will stay at the academy with me over the break and prepare for the next semester!”
“But I submitted a leave request to visit my hometown.”
“Ah, that request? I've already canceled it!”
“Hey! You bastard! At the beginning of the semester, you told me to go visit my hometown since it had been a while!”
Enraged, Anna lunged at Ren and grabbed him by the collar.
It was an act of insubordination for an assistant professor to grab a full professor by the collar, but Ren simply laughed cheerfully.
Once again, Anna was the victim of Ren's runaway enthusiasm.
***
While Kalian was looking down at the school from the principal's office, the door opened and two professors entered.
They were none other than Halind and a man named Sedzen.
As Lumerne's most senior professors, the two held considerable influence within the academy.
A professorship at Lumerne was not something one could keep just by wanting it.
Only those who passed the rigorous qualification exam held each year could become a Lumerne professor.
As such, the two men who had served Lumerne for so long were among the principal's most trusted confidants.
“I apologize for asking this of you during the first-years' exam period.”
Kalian had entrusted the two professors with handling the aftermath of the Departmental Competition incident.
“Not at all. We have more time on our hands than when we were in charge of the fourth and fifth-years, so it's fine.”
Handling the fourth and fifth-years, who were nearing graduation, certainly required an immense amount of work.
Having been in charge of those upperclassmen, it was only natural for them to have more free time now that they were overseeing the first-years.
“So, have you narrowed down the list of suspects?”
In response to the principal's question, Sedzen placed a sheet of paper on his desk.
Kalian clicked his tongue upon seeing it.
“We've listed everyone with suspicious circumstances.”
“Quite a few individuals recommended by the board of directors.”
Kalian's expression turned serious as he looked down at the paper.
“I'll speak with them about this matter going forward.”
“Understood.”
“Halind. What about your side of things?”
“For now, every nation is taking a rather firm stance.”
Lumerne, which possesses the Hero Record, cultivates numerous talented individuals.
The debate over whether they could trust the academy with their nation's talents had become a global issue.
Of course, the underlying reason was to find a pretext to diminish Lumerne's influence.
Many nations had long been dissatisfied with Lumerne's monopoly on the Hero Record.
“And so?”
“Their demand is that we accept their recommended candidates as professors.”
“They intend to increase their influence within Lumerne by adding professors from their own factions, I see.”
“That is correct.”
“We've been short-staffed recently due to various incidents, so accepting them as temporary professors doesn't sound like a bad idea. Halind, you'll be in charge of that.”
“Understood.”
“And.”
Kalian's expression grew serious.
“Starting the second semester, we'll need to bring back the vice-principal.”