Chapter 013
Chapter Title: Welcome Aboard
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【14】
Two days later, in the morning.
Leo and Celia headed for the docks of Lake Lumeria.
Dressed in their Lumerne uniforms, the two drew the gazes of the people around them.
“Oh? They're new students from Lumerne.”
“My, how fresh-faced they are.”
The people on the street smiled and cheered them on.
Just then, a fruit vendor tossed them two apples.
Catching them, Leo smiled and offered his thanks.
“Thank you!”
“Of course! Good luck, and study hard!”
*Crunch!* Biting into an apple, he offered the other to Celia, who shook her head.
“I'm fine.”
“Lumerne must be a big deal. Look at how much people like the students.”
“We're the future.”
Heroes were incredibly popular with the public.
And the students of Lumerne were hero candidates.
They were the ones who followed in the footsteps of past heroes, preparing for the day the world would face a new threat.
People cheered for these hero candidates.
“Tartaros has been quiet lately, but we never know when they'll become a threat again. And…”
Celia stopped walking and lifted her chin.
“We can't keep losing to Seirun forever!”
Humans and elves did not get along.
As a result, the elven hero academy, Seirun, and Lumerne often held friendly exchange matches to promote harmony between the races.
It started with student-like activities such as quiz bowls and sports.
And went all the way to mock battles to test their martial prowess.
They competed in various ways in what was called the Lu-Se Games, a historic exchange with hundreds of years of history.
The Lu-Se Games had a positive effect, succeeding in easing the relationship between the two races to some extent.
However, with the pride of their respective races on the line, the students often treated the exchange as if their lives depended on it.
For the past several years, Lumerne had been losing to Seirun.
“Just you watch. I'll be the one to knock Seirun down a peg!”
“Yeah, yeah. Good luck.”
Leo offered a half-hearted cheer as he watched Celia clench her fists, her eyes burning with determination, before taking another *crunch* from his apple.
As they neared the docks, other new students came into view.
Some flew through the sky on staves or rode summoned creatures as if it were nothing.
There was even a student armed to the teeth with a wide array of weapons.
“They're all dying to stand out.”
Celia shook her head at the sight.
Just then, a boy with light orange hair blocked their path.
“Hold on! You two, the good-looking guy and girl! Can I have a word?”
“Who are you?”
“The name's Karl Thomas. From the Moira Kingdom!”
“And?”
“It's nothing much.”
With a grin, Karl pulled a business card from his pocket and skillfully handed one to both Leo and Celia.
“From weapons to potions! It's Karl's Shop! If you need anything during your school life, feel free to stop by anytime!”
With a wink, he let out a cheerful “Ahahaha!” and ran off toward another student.
“It really takes all sorts, doesn't it?”
Celia tucked the card away with a look of disbelief.
“I'm going to go meet some of the new students from my country.”
The Rodren Empire was a major power in the western part of the continent.
As such, quite a few of the students from the west were from the empire.
“Go ahead. I'll just look around.”
“Okay. I'll see you at the docks later.”
After Celia left, Leo strolled leisurely, watching the people.
The docks were filled not just with new students but also with their families, who had come to see them off.
The sight of people from various cultures bustling about was enough to stir a sense of nostalgia in Leo.
*'It's like Gardsrone.'*
The city known as the final line of defense during the Age of Calamity.
It was also the city where, led by Lisinas, Kyle had fired the first shot in the counterattack against Erebos.
Leo was lost in his memories when…
*Thump!*
“Oof?”
A blonde-haired girl, walking while reading a book, failed to see Leo and bumped her head right into his back.
“Ah, sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going.”
“Don't worry about it.”
After apologizing to Leo, she refocused on her book and started walking again.
*'She's going to bump into someone else if she keeps that up… Huh?'*
He spotted a card on the ground.
It was a student ID with a picture of the girl from a moment ago. The name read Chloe Müller.
He scanned the area, but Chloe had already vanished into the crowd.
*'I'll give it back to her when I see her later.'*
They were both new students, so they were bound to run into each other eventually.
“Karl's Shop! Please, take a card!”
Karl, the boy from before, was handing out business cards to other new students.
Then, he caught Leo's eye, grinned, and walked over.
“We meet again.”
“How's the promotion going?”
“So-so. But the high-and-mighty young masters and ladies from noble families won't even give me the time of day.”
“Most Lumerne students are from noble families, not commoners. Wouldn't most of them ignore you?”
“That's right. Hehehe.”
Karl shrugged and laughed cheerfully.
“Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Karl Thomas. Fifteen years old!”
“I'm Leo Flove. From the Delard Kingdom, and the same age as you.”
“You're a noble, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow, you don't seem to care that I'm a commoner.”
Leo smiled at Karl's surprised tone.
“By the way, the Delard Kingdom means you took the western exam, right? I heard that test was insane. It's amazing you passed!”
“It wasn't easy.”
After that, Leo and Karl chatted.
Thanks to Karl's friendly nature, they hit it off immediately.
“What are you going to major in? My family has been alchemists for generations! So I'm aiming for the Magic Department.”
“I plan on taking classes in the Magic Department too.”
“Really? Then let's be good friends from now on, Leo!”
Karl beamed, delighted.
Of course, Leo planned to study not only magic but also knighthood and summoning.
As they were talking, a massive ship emerged from the thick fog blanketing Lake Lumeria.
It was the vessel that traveled between Lumerne and Lumeria.
“Whoa! It's huge!”
Karl exclaimed in awe.
A moment later, a silver-haired man in a uniform disembarked from the docked ship.
“All new students, assemble!”
After saying goodbye to their families, the new students gathered before the man.
“Check the roster.”
People waiting behind the man began checking the students' IDs using magical devices.
As Leo took out his ID, he noticed a female student frantically patting herself down, searching for something.
“Just a second.”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
Karl followed after him.
Chloe, who looked flustered, wore a puzzled expression as Leo approached her.
“Here.”
“Huh?”
“You dropped this earlier.”
“Ah, thank you!”
Chloe's face lit up as she took the student ID from Leo.
“I owe you one! My name is Chloe Müller!”
“Chloe Müller?”
Karl looked surprised.
“As in Chloe Müller, the top student from the northern exam?”
“Yep. And you two are?”
“I'm Leo Flove, and this guy is…”
“Karl Thomas! From weapons to potions! I handle all the necessities for school life! Here, take my card!”
Karl swiftly handed Chloe a business card, making his sales pitch.
Taking it, Chloe spoke with interest.
“A shop? Looks like you're planning to be a supporter, then?”
“Haha, the top student is on another level, huh? Figured it out right away.”
“I've heard a few things from the upperclassmen at the Mage Tower.”
All Lumerne students were called hero candidates, each possessing outstanding talent.
But even among them, differences were bound to exist.
There were those who, over the course of their school life, would come to feel they lacked talent.
Such students would transition into becoming supporters who aided heroes.
From combat support to supplying provisions and more.
While they were literally essential for heroes, most students had little interest in becoming supporters.
Having enrolled in Lumerne, their only goal was to become a hero.
But it seemed Karl had chosen the path of a supporter early on.
“Well, I barely scraped by on the entrance exam anyway.”
“If your goods are decent, I'll be a regular customer.”
“Ooh! I've already made a connection with one of the top students! My luck is turning up!”
Karl burst out laughing, “Puhaha!”
“This must be fate, so let's get along! We're all in the Magic Department, after all!”
“Magic Department?”
Chloe tilted her head.
“I can see him being in it, but you're in the Magic Department too?”
“Yeah.”
“Not the Knight Department?”
As befitting someone who took the top spot, Chloe had seen at a glance that Leo possessed Aura.
“I'm hoping to double major.”
“What! You're a magic swordsman? That's amazing!”
Karl made a fuss.
Though rare, those with talent in two different abilities were called Dual Classes.
In fact, Lumerne had a considerable number of Dual Class students.
At Leo's words, Chloe simply nodded as if it were to be expected.
While they were talking, a staff member came over and checked the three students' IDs.
Once the staff finished the roll call and stepped back, the silver-haired man in the uniform stepped forward.
“I am Ain Elandu, a professor at Lumerne.”
“Ain Elandu? The Knight of the Glacial Sea?”
“To think it's *the* Ain Elandu.”
“I want his autograph!”
“Silence!”
Ain quieted the excited students.
“We will now depart for Lumerne. Everyone, board the ship.”
“Yes, sir!”
***
Before the entrance ceremony, the new students were busy admiring the scenery from the deck.
As expected of a ship run by Lumerne Academy, the deck was the very definition of luxury.
The deck had the atmosphere of a social party.
Traditional dishes from various countries, prepared by a first-class chef, delighted the new students' palates and senses.
Even Professor Ain was sitting on the deck, leisurely enjoying a glass of wine.
Neatly dressed servants bustled about the deck, waiting on the students, while the noble students, satisfied with the treatment, were busy laughing and socializing.
“As expected, Lumerne Academy is on another level.”
“I'm looking forward to my time here.”
The new students let their imaginations run wild about the school life that lay ahead.
Seeing this, Leo narrowed his eyes.
“Something's not right.”
“What is?”
Karl asked with a puzzled look, his plate piled high with food.
“For a so-called hero academy, this feels more like a social party.”
“Well, it is before the entrance ceremony. More importantly, Leo! I got some intel.”
“Intel?”
“Yeah! Look over there!”
Karl grinned and pointed to a large, light-brown-skinned male student eating quietly on one side of the deck.
“Woreden Tiden! Top of the southern exam, and I hear his major is Summoning!”
“A spiritmancer.”
“That's right. You did some research beforehand too, huh?”
It was less research and more that he could tell at a glance, but he didn't bother to correct him.
“And over there is the top student from the eastern exam, Chen Xia!”
A small girl with an exotic appearance, black hair, and black eyes was tasting foods from other countries with a curious expression.
“Her major is Knighthood, and I heard she beat all her competitors with her bare fists during the exam.”
Clicking his tongue in amazement, Karl then pointed to the opposite side.
“And that's the top student from the central exam. The third prince of my kingdom, Duran Moira. Knighthood major.”
A light-blonde male student was gently swirling a wine glass.
He was surrounded by a crowd of students familiar with him.
With a look of distaste, Karl pointed next to Leo.
“And the top of the north.”
Chloe was munching on cake while reading her book.
“There are two top students from the west, the famous Celia Jerdinger and Abad Llewellyn.”
“Leo, there you are.”
Just then, Celia walked over.
“Welcome back, Celia.”
“Celia? Gasp! Don't tell me you're Celia Jerdinger?”
“That's right.”
“The girl you're friends with was Celia Jerdinger? This is huge!”
Karl grinned and extended a hand to Celia.
“I introduced myself earlier, but I'm Karl Thomas!”
“Hmm? Looks like you two got friendly. I'm Celia Jerdinger.”
Shaking Karl's hand, Celia glanced toward Chloe.
“And you are?”
“I'm Chloe Müller.”
“Chloe Müller, as in the top student from the north?”
“That's right.”
Chloe smiled confidently.
After watching her with interest for a moment, Celia asked Leo.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“Nothing. It's just that the academy's image is different from what I expected.”
Lumerne was a place that selected the best talent and trained them to be heroes.
As such, school life was notoriously difficult, and the dropout rate was incredibly high.
So it was strange for such a place to be treating them to a luxurious cruise.
“Even for Lumerne, would they really put students through the wringer before the entrance ceremony?”
“Right. You're overthinking it.”
Just as Celia agreed with Karl's words…
*KUUUNG—!*
The ship lurched violently.
“Looks like that's not the case.”
“Wh-what was that?”
As Leo muttered, something shot up from the lake.
*CHWAAAAK!*
“Kyaaaaaaah! What is this?!”
“D-don't tell me it's a kraken?”
“A kraken, out of nowhere! What in the world is going on?!”
A giant squid tentacle slammed onto the deck, instantly throwing the party into chaos and sending the students into a panic.
“P-Professor Ain! Please help us!”
A female student urgently ran to Ain and pleaded for help.
In response, Professor Ain furrowed his brow.
“Help you? Why should I do that?”