Chapter 106
Chapter Title: The City of Azrek
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“An admission recommendation for Azonia?”
“Yeah. I helped Azonia out when I was younger. I was kind of forced to take an admission recommendation back then.”
Reina scratched her head and spoke to the spirit.
“My son is already attending Lumerne, so he can't enroll at Azonia.”
[I see.]
The spirit nodded in understanding.
[After signing the admission notice, please come to Azrek in three days.]
“It’s not listening.”
“It’s a messenger spirit.”
“Right, it'll only deliver the message it was ordered to.”
“By the way, how did they know I turned fifteen and select me as a candidate?”
“When I received the recommendation, I made something like a contract with a spirit. They must have known you turned fifteen because of the blood-sealed contract.”
Leo clicked his tongue as he watched Reina grumble.
“You shouldn't make contracts so carelessly.”
“How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this?”
Leo, who had chuckled at Reina's complaint, examined the letter from Azonia.
Then he stroked his chin.
“So this is a qualification to attend Azonia's entrance ceremony?”
“That's right. Well, we can just ignore it. If you don't register, they'll probably find another recommended candidate.”
Watching Reina shrug, Leo said,
“This could be interesting.”
“What?”
Reina looked at the grinning Leo with surprised eyes.
“What do you mean by that?”
“It's a rare opportunity, isn't it?”
“With your skills as Lumerne's class representative, you'd pass the entrance exam without question.”
“It's still an experience. If I drop out partway through, the admission will be canceled anyway. And I just have to make sure they don't find out I'm Leo Flove.”
“And here I was, thinking I'd finally get to spend the break with my son.”
Reina grumbled.
“I'll go to Azrek in three days.”
At Leo's words, the messenger spirit nodded and vanished on the spot.
Its summoning had been dismissed, and it had returned to its contractor.
‘Azonia, huh? I'm curious to see what the beastkin hero candidates are like.’
***
Azrek, the city of sea and sand located on the continent's southernmost tip, was one of the largest cities on the continent.
This was because all trade between the west and the east passed through here.
Naturally, the city grew wealthy.
It was a metropolis that wielded as much influence as Lumeria City, known as the largest of the human cities.
If there was one difference from Lumeria City, it was that various races resided here.
Leo, having arrived in Azrek via a warp gate, smiled as he walked the city streets.
‘Peaceful.’
For Leo, seeing the scenery of such a bustling metropolis was a joy.
This very vitality was proof that Kyle and his companions had saved the world.
Walking through the streets, Leo arrived at the central square.
A large crowd had gathered there.
They were all offering flowers to the statue of a wolf beastkin in the middle of the square.
Sharp eyes, protruding fangs.
With claws extended and a valiant face caught mid-roar, he was someone all too familiar to Leo.
‘Ar-on.’
The Brave Hero, Ar-on.
The racial hero of the beastkin and one of the Great Heroes who had saved the world in the past.
Leo burst out laughing as he looked at the roaring Ar-on.
“What's with that unfitting pose?”
In this era, Ar-on was recorded as an exceptionally brave man.
Since the gods had called Ar-on the “Brave Hero,” it wasn't surprising.
Leo bought flowers from a nearby merchant and went to his friend's statue.
An inscription dedicated to Ar-on was written at the front of the statue.
In memory of Ar-on, the Brave Hero of indomitable courage.
‘Indomitable courage, my ass. He trembled in fear before every battle.’
Letting out a wry laugh, Leo offered the flowers.
Ar-on, who was more of a coward than anyone, became braver than anyone when it came to his friends, and seeing him gave the other Great Heroes courage.
‘Guys… *cough*. Don't cry. It was my job to protect you. And I'm sorry… for not being able to keep my promise to protect you until the end.’
Recalling Ar-on, who had apologized even in his dying moments, Leo gave a bitter smile.
After laying flowers at his friend's statue, Leo left the central square.
He then made his way to find the lodgings for the Azonia Academy student candidates.
‘The exam starts in three days, right?’
The admission notice had arrived two days ago.
If he didn't register as a candidate by tomorrow, his admission would be voided.
‘Where should I go?’
After some thought, Leo decided to head where the most kids his age were.
Azrek was the examination site. Since the free lectures were held in various beastkin nations, the place where the candidates naturally gathered was the registration site.
As expected, there was a place crowded with what appeared to be Azonia student candidates.
And upon seeing the building, Leo's expression went blank for a moment.
‘The Colosseum?’
The place the students were heading toward was Azrek's Colosseum.
“Move it, half-breed.”
Leo ignored the voice from behind him.
He didn't think it was directed at him.
‘Why the Colosseum of all places?’
*Thump—!*
“I said, move!”
But when someone shoved him irritably in the back, he scowled and looked behind him.
Three wolf beastkin around Leo's age were standing there.
Seeing the thick sneers on their faces, Leo asked,
“What did you just say?”
“I called you a half-breed. Got a problem with that?”
“Derkin, stop it. You'll hurt the half-breed's feelings. Kehehe.”
“You're worse!”
At the words of the boy in the middle, the wolf beastkin boy and girl on either side of him snickered.
Seeing this, Leo went to clean his ear with his pinky but paused.
His ears weren't where they were supposed to be.
A pair of ‘rabbit ears’ was perched a little higher on his head.
Leo was currently perfectly disguised as a mixed-blood beastkin.
He had polymorphed into one with Kiruan's help.
In the process, his white hair had turned black.
If you were to ask why a rabbit of all things, the reason was simple.
It was Reina's preference.
Thinking of his mother, Leo sighed and said,
“How about you watch your mouth?”
“Oh?”
Seeing the completely unafraid Leo, the large wolf beastkin boy on the left twitched an eye.
“A cowardly half-breed rabbit has some nerve, huh? But you picked the wrong guy to defy!”
*Grab—!*
“We're attending the Azonia entrance ceremony, you hear!”
The large beastkin boy grabbed the rabbit ear on Leo's head and glared.
Admission to Azonia. This alone was a huge deal among beastkin.
It meant they had overcome the grueling, hellish free lectures to earn their qualification.
“So?”
But Leo's reaction was indifferent.
To Lumerne's class representative, the status of an Azonia candidate was neither impressive nor threatening.
“What?”
“So what if you're attending the entrance ceremony? Does that make you Azonia students?”
The boy was flustered by Leo's question.
“You're not even Azonia students yet, so what's all this bragging about?”
“This bastard…! Ugh!”
Furious at Leo's words, the boy raised his fist.
Of course, before the fist could fly, Leo's foot slammed into the boy's stomach.
The large beastkin boy's body bent into an 'L' shape.
Leo brought his elbow down on the bent-over boy's back.
Having easily taken down the wolf boy, Leo muttered,
“If this is the skill level of an Azonia candidate, I'm a little disappointed.”
“You damn half-breed!”
The atmosphere grew tense.
The two students, who had identified themselves as Azonia candidates, flared their auras.
Curious about the commotion, interested gazes from the surroundings focused on them.
“What do you think you're doing?”
Just then, a clear girlish voice rang out.
A girl with white cat ears and a tail hurriedly stepped between Leo and the wolf beastkin.
At that, the girl among the wolf beastkin shouted,
“Who are you!”
“My name is—!”
“Isn't that Ar Tune?”
“From the Tune family? Now that you mention it, her appearance matches.”
“I heard she's a recommended candidate this time.”
As the surrounding beastkin murmured, Ar, who had been about to introduce herself, stopped and twitched her ears.
With a cat-like expression, Ar seemed pleased that people recognized her and swayed her tail.
But that was only for a moment.
Looking at the three wolf beastkin, she raised her white tail as if displeased.
“Three against one, don't you think that's cowardly?”
“No, this half-breed attacked my friend first—”
“I saw you start it. And besides.”
Ar's eyes turned cold.
“You call your own kind 'half-breed'?”
Contempt flickered in Ar's eyes.
Startled by this, Derkin hesitated for a moment before shouting, “Uh, I just remembered something urgent!” and quickly fled.
“W-Wait for me!”
The girl, her face pale with fear, dragged the fallen brute along as she followed.
Scoffs erupted from the crowd.
Seeing this, Ar snorted.
“I don't know how they managed to pass the free lectures.”
As the crowd that had gathered for the fight dispersed, Ar approached Leo.
“You're an admission candidate too, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmph-hmph-hmph! You've got some spirit! Not even backing down from three of them!”
As if pleased, Ar puffed out her chest, placed her hands on her hips, and nodded.
“Is there any reason I should have backed down?”
Even if Ar hadn't helped, he could have easily beaten the three of them.
“I was worried it'd be nothing but boring kids, but this is great! You'll pass the entrance ceremony! Black Rabbit!”
Ar, who had been smiling like a cat, suddenly had her eyes change into cat-like pupils.
Her gaze fixed on a desert butterfly fluttering by.
Ar instinctively swiped her left hand, trying to catch the butterfly.
But the desert butterfly evaded her grasp.
With her tail held high, Ar chased after the butterfly and said,
“Well then, I'm off!”
Leo chuckled, watching her chase the butterfly like a cat.
“They're still a race true to their instincts.”
Other races might have found Ar's behavior frivolous, but the other beastkin watched her with very serious eyes.
The candidates' gazes were a mixture of two main things.
Awe and a competitive spirit.
‘It's different from Lumerne or Seirun.’
To humans, Lumerne students were objects of envy, admiration, and support.
To elves, Seirun students were to be respected as those who carry on the will of their great founder.
And the beastkin…
‘Are objects of worship.’
Heroes were not just beings who brought about change; they were also individuals who possessed great and powerful strength.
As such, the beastkin's attitude toward hero candidates was also largely divided into two.
A fighting spirit that sought to defeat the strong, and a reverence that paid respects to the strong.
‘Definitely unique.’
Leo folded his arms, his eyes shining.
The atmosphere was completely different from Lumerne's.
‘I'm glad I came.’
With a faint smile, Leo headed for the student candidates' lodging building to register for the entrance ceremony.