Chapter 156
Chapter Title: The Dragon Lord's Pledge and a Magical Challenge
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“Did you call me here to confirm whether or not I was Kyle?”
“The thought that you might be the Hero of the Beginning only crossed my mind a few minutes ago. It was when I first saw you.”
Melina answered politely.
“The moment I met you, Lord Lisinas's mana slipped from my control.”
“I see.”
The Dragon Lord.
Known as the Queen of Dragons, her demeanor was exceedingly respectful.
Although he appeared to be a fifteen-year-old hero-in-training, Leo was the Great Hero who had once saved the world.
Among them, he was the final hero, a great figure who had subjugated Erebos single-handedly.
No matter how incredible the Dragon Lord was, she could not compare to Kyle.
“I still can't believe it. To think I would be speaking with a Great Hero in the real world, not the World of Heroes.”
Speaking in a voice filled with emotion, Melina asked Leo several questions.
Most of them were about the Great Heroes.
Like a dragon thirsting for knowledge, Melina hung on his every word.
“Ah. I wish I could continue listening to your stories forever.”
Melina let out a regretful sigh.
She wanted to keep talking with Leo.
To hear the stories directly from a legend of the distant past, not from records?
*‘For one who craves knowledge, could there be any greater joy?’*
But she couldn't keep Leo for long.
Today's meeting had been arranged on a whim.
*‘I can't trouble him just for my own selfish desires.’*
Melina said with a wry smile.
“I will now explain why I brought you here.”
“Go on.”
“As you may already know, minions of Tartaros have infiltrated the hero academies. Among them are traitors.”
Melina sighed deeply.
“We are pursuing them, but it's not easy.”
*‘Of course.’*
Ever since noticing Tartaros's presence within Lumerne, Leo too had been carefully observing everyone.
But they had hidden themselves perfectly.
*‘I can't sense any suspicious aura, not even the slightest hint of anything unusual.’*
From his time as Kyle, Leo had subjugated countless demons of Tartaros, making him more sensitive to their presence than anyone else.
Even he hadn't found any clues.
It was no wonder they couldn't catch the traitors at Lumerne.
“But Tartaros's objective is clear.”
“To nip any potential heroes in the bud.”
“Yes. That's why I wanted to ask you to act as bait to draw out the traitors.”
To Tartaros, Leo's current existence was surely a thorn in their side.
An All-Class, just like Kyle.
On top of that, his continued and unusual progress.
To them, he was a dangerous element that had to be eliminated, no matter the cost.
“Bait, huh? Not a bad idea.”
Seeing Leo smirk as he spoke, Melina looked humbled.
“Dare I ask such a thing of you?”
“It's fine. To be honest, I wanted to find them myself, but my status as a student has been holding me back.”
Leo let out a chuckle.
As a student, his actions were inevitably restricted in many ways.
On top of that, Leo had to hide the fact that he was Kyle's reincarnation.
Lumerne was full of renowned and talented individuals.
If Leo were to find the traitors that even they couldn't, it might actually arouse suspicion.
*‘I'd rather not be treated like a spy sent to infiltrate Lumerne.’*
It was in this situation that Melina, the Dragon Lord, had contacted him.
Liven must have arranged this meeting because he judged Leo to be a 'trustworthy person'.
*‘Thanks to that, my identity was unintentionally revealed, though.’*
Leo glanced at Melina.
When their eyes met, Melina smiled gently.
“I'll play the part of the bait. But I have one request.”
“That I not tell anyone your true identity, correct?”
“Right.”
Melina, too, could guess why Leo had been hiding his identity.
*‘A secret is no good if too many people know it.’*
Even if they were trustworthy, the secret Leo held was one that no one could handle.
*‘He's still fighting.’*
There were plenty of easier paths.
This was an age of peace, after all.
So even if he closed his eyes, looked away, and enjoyed his life, no one would point fingers.
And yet, the reincarnated Great Hero chose to struggle.
Melina fiddled with the area around her left eye.
Long ago, Melina had fought Erebos.
*‘Not the real one, but a fake.’*
The World of Heroes, unconquered for thousands of years.
*‘The Return of the Great Catastrophe.’*
Melina, who had inherited Lisinas's power, had boldly challenged the Return of the Great Catastrophe with her comrades.
And they had failed.
Her comrades, once lauded as great, had mostly died or were left unable to recover.
Melina, who was relatively unscathed, managed to recover, but she hadn't dared to challenge it again since.
Her comrades were gone.
She was left alone, unrecognized.
Despite being in a similar situation, Leo was preparing to fight alone.
*‘So this is what it means to be a Great Hero.’*
The man chosen by the great King of Wisdom.
“Leo.”
“Hm?”
“Please do not use the word 'request.' I am a being who lives in the era of peace you brought about. Had I not known who you are, it would be one thing. But now that I know your identity, I will serve you.”
Melina bowed her head respectfully.
“As the Dragon Lord, as the one who carries on the will of the King of Wisdom, I am prepared to offer my life at any time. So please, command me whenever you need. It is my destiny.”
Melina said solemnly.
“All this talk of destiny is a bit much.”
“Pardon?”
“I didn't save the world for some grand reason. I was just dragged into it by Lisinas.”
Leo chuckled.
“So I'm not trying to fight for some grand reason now, either. I'm fighting because I want to.”
Leo gently tapped Melina on the forehead.
“So you should live the way you want to. That's all that matters.”
Melina looked up at Leo, her eyes wide.
Then, a faint smile spread across her face.
“Then I'll do as I wish.”
“Good.”
The Great Hero she heard from directly was different from what she had imagined.
*‘But that doesn't change the fact that he's a great person.’*
It must be because he's this kind of person that he was able to save the world.
And so, the Dragon Lord made a vow.
*‘I will lighten his burden, even if only by a little.’*
***
After Leo returned to Lumeria, Melina sat on her throne once more.
“My Lord. How was Leo Flove?”
“He was a remarkable boy. Just as you said. He is a person worthy of being a Great Hero.”
Liven had first introduced Leo to Melina as someone with the potential to be a Great Hero.
*‘She seems to be in a good mood.’*
Seeing the Lord tapping her foot and humming a tune, Liven smiled faintly.
“Sir Liven.”
“Yes.”
“I'm leaving Lumerne's first-years in your care.”
“...”
“They will surely grow into magnificent heroes.”
“You need not worry. I have already made up my mind.”
Liven smiled.
“To bet the future on them. Therefore, I will do my duty.”
Watching the old dragon smile with passion, Melina gave a bitter smile.
“I'm counting on you, Sir Liven.”
***
Leaving the clock tower, Leo entered Courège, the main street of Lumeria City.
The atmosphere on Courège Street was a little different than usual.
He could see people his age all over the street.
*‘Students from other academies.’*
Watching them explore the street in their uniforms, Leo wore an interested expression.
Seeing him, the students from the three major class academies began to whisper among themselves.
“Is that a Lumerne uniform?”
“That's a Lumerne Academy student? He doesn't look like much.”
“What's his class? Knight? Mage? Or Summoner?”
“I know, right? I heard Lumerne students wear emblems.”
Curious gazes fell upon Leo.
*‘There's still some time before the meeting.’*
Leo checked the time and stroked his chin.
*‘Where are the others?’*
“Hi! You're a Lumerne Academy student, right?”
Someone called out to him.
When he turned his head, he saw a group of girls wearing frilled, white short-sleeved blouses, black skirts, capes, and pointed mage hats.
The girls, dressed in outfits that screamed 'I am a mage' to anyone who looked, were female students from the magic academy, Emeral.
“I am.”
“Do you happen to take magic classes?”
“I do.”
“Perfect! I knew I was right! You were giving off major mage vibes!”
The girl beamed and clapped her hands.
“My name is Sila. I'm a first-year at Emeral.”
“My name is—”
“Introductions can wait! Could you come over here for a second?”
Cutting Leo off, Sila flashed a sweet, friendly smile and led him into a nearby cafe.
As he stepped into the cafe, Leo paused.
The entire cafe was occupied by students from Emeral Academy.
“Our students can be a little... overzealous with their studies. Once a debate starts, they have to see it through to the end.”
Sila shrugged with a grin, then pointed to a portable chalkboard on one side of the cafe.
“We were just debating a magic formula. And what do you know, you, a Lumerne student, happened to be passing by! So we wanted to hear your opinion, as someone who takes magic classes at Lumerne, and brought you here without asking! Sorry, sorry.”
Sila apologized with a hearty laugh and asked Leo.
“What do you think of this formula? It's all the rage at our academy right now.”
Leo looked at the formula.
*‘It's an incomplete formula.’*
He could tell at a glance that it wouldn't activate.
Moreover, it was needlessly complex.
*‘What is this? Forget an opinion, this formula was designed to give anyone who looks at it a headache.’*
Glancing at Sila, Leo scanned the Emeral students seated around the cafe.
They all seemed to be wearing serious expressions, but he could see them sneaking glances at his face.
Sila was no different.
Leo easily understood the situation.
*‘Looks like they're trying to humiliate me.’*
It was a well-known fact that while students from the three great academies admired Lumerne, they were also jealous of its students.
*‘Should I just play along?’*
Just as Leo sighed softly and was about to open his mouth,
he sensed a presence near the cafe entrance.
Turning his head, he saw Yura and Ren standing at the entrance.
*‘They must be here for the joint classes.’*
The Emeral students hadn't yet noticed their arrival.
Yura also looked inside, sighed softly, and was about to enter.
But Ren, who was beside her, stopped her.
Ren looked at Leo, grinned, pointed a finger at the Emeral students, made a throat-slitting gesture, and then led Yura away.
*‘He wants me to crush them?’*
Leo let out a dry laugh and decided to follow Ren's command.
“An interesting spell. I think it might work with just a few corrections.”
“Oh? Really?”
Sila's eyes sparkled.
It was the look of a snake eyeing its prey.
“Yeah.”
Leo nodded nonchalantly and approached the chalkboard.
Seeing this, the Emeral students stifled their laughter.
*‘What a joke. That formula is impossible to activate.’*
*‘It's impossible unless you rewrite the whole thing from scratch.’*
*‘To fall for such a simple flawed-formula trap. Lumerne kids are nothing special.’*
Leo spun the piece of chalk in his hand and said.
“Here's my interpretation.”
***
“Hey! You should have stopped them! Emeral Academy is your responsibility, isn't it?”
Yura slammed her fist into Ren's back.
“Go stop them! Is there any reason to crush their spirits before the joint classes?”
“Yes. We will crush their spirits.”
*‘This lunatic. Just a moment ago, he was talking as if he'd take good care of the Emeral kids, so what's with the sudden change?’*
“Why?”
“Hehehe. Senior Yura. How can you be so dense?”
“I don't know if I'm dense, but I do know you've got a death wish.”
A vein popping on her forehead, Yura tried to grab Ren by the throat.
Ren blocked her hand and said,
“The students of Emeral must learn. That student Leo is on a completely different level from them!”
Ren let out a 'Hehehe' laugh.
“And if they are mages, they must savor student Leo's greatness! They will see his genius, be struck with admiration, and praise him! I am not trying to trample them! I am trying to broaden their horizons! Isn't there a saying that you must first break the shell to hatch from the egg?”
“...”
Yura blinked.
She tried for a moment to understand Ren's words.
But she found it utterly incomprehensible.
“What is this lunatic talking about?”
“Hehe. As expected, Senior Yura, with your pitifully narrow view, has failed to grasp my grand design. I shall make a special effort to explain it simply, so that even someone at your level can understand.”
“...So you're saying you want to die by my hand? If that's your wish, I'll grant it.”
Yura pulled a whip from her coat and wrapped it around Ren's neck.
Even so, Ren didn't stop his speech about Leo's genius.
As she tightened the whip around Ren's neck, Yura thought,
*‘Of all the people the Emeral kids could have picked a fight with, they had to choose Leo. And to think this guy is their supervising professor. Those poor kids.’*
She pictured the Emeral students with a pitying expression.
Meanwhile, as he was being choked, Ren thought,
*‘The Skoun students are pitiful as well. To have the ignorant Senior Yura as their supervising professor.’*
The two professors were thinking the exact same thing about each other.