Chapter 024
Chapter Title: An Unprecedented Application
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The professors in charge of the first-year classes had gathered in the faculty lounge of the Hall of Beginnings.
It was a social gathering for the professors to build camaraderie before the semester began in earnest.
“This year’s freshmen seem to be excellent overall.”
“Ah, yes. Speaking of which, doesn’t the Knight Department have three top students?”
At Professor Ain’s words, Professor Ren smiled brightly.
“I’m quite envious. The Magic Department only has two top students.”
“Are you mocking the Summoning Department, Ren?”
Professor Yura scowled.
“Haha, of course not!”
“We won’t know which department will have the upper hand until the semester starts. Being the top student at admission doesn't guarantee they'll remain the best, does it? And…”
Professor Ain paused, gently swirling the wine in his glass.
“Isn’t it true that none of this year’s top students is the class representative?”
The other professors nodded in agreement.
Professor Ain tossed back his wine.
“Well, the class representative is aiming for the Knight Department anyway.”
‘This year, the Knight Department is undisputedly the best.’
Professor Ain looked at the other two professors with an air of condescension.
“My, my. For someone who said you never know what will happen, you seem awfully confident, Professor.”
‘Delusion is a freedom, I suppose, Professor Ain. That student, Leo, is coming to our Magic Department.’
Professor Ren let out a hearty laugh on the outside, but inwardly, he wore a knowing smile.
“I know, right? He’s starting to get a little obnoxious.”
‘That’s hilarious. Leo Flove is joining the Summoning Department. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they see his application.’
Professor Yura scoffed on the outside, but sneered inwardly.
Just then, teaching assistants arrived with the department application forms.
“Professors, we’ve brought the department applications. We’ll sort them over the weekend.”
“Good work. Have some of this.”
The professors offered the assistants food and drinks.
Amidst the chatter, Professors Ain, Yura, and Ren all made their way toward the applications for Class 5.
‘Why are they following me to the Class 5 applications?’
‘Are they interested in a student there?’
‘What are they doing?’
The three professors exchanged puzzled glances before spotting Leo’s photo at the very top of the Class 5 application pile.
They couldn’t believe their eyes.
Name: Leo Flove.
Class: 5.
Requested Major(s): Knight Studies, Magic Studies, Summoning Studies.
The three professors had the same thought simultaneously.
‘What on earth is this?’
***
“You’re crazy! Crazy! Crazy!”
Smack— Smack— Smack—
“Why are you hitting me?”
In the park in front of the dorms, Celia had grabbed Leo and was smacking him on the back.
“You’re the talk of the girls’ dorm right now! All-Class this! Whatever that is! They said you were spouting nonsense, didn’t they?”
“Why is it nonsense? I bought all the major textbooks and attended all the major classes during the provisional period.”
“You bought those to use as major textbooks, not just as reference books?”
“Of course.”
“Aargh! You systematically insane bastard!”
Celia grabbed her hair and stomped her feet.
“All-Class? Does that even make any sense? If you treat your department application like a joke, what professor is going to look at you favorably?”
At Lumerne, a professor’s authority was immense.
Getting on the wrong side of a professor from another department was a sure way to make your school life a living hell.
If your own major professor had it out for you, expulsion was practically a given.
Besides, professors were fiercely proud of their respective fields.
Joking around during the sacred process of choosing a major, when you should be trying to make a good impression?
He wouldn’t have a leg to stand on if every professor had it in for him.
After all the effort to get into Lumerne and even become the class representative, he had caused a massive incident within a week. Celia’s stomach was in knots.
But the person responsible was acting as if there was no problem, which only made her blood boil.
“You! Get to the faculty office right now, apologize to the professors, and come back!”
“No. I’m going to take every major.”
“What is wrong with you? Is All-Class even possible?”
In response to the agitated Celia, Leo held up his left palm.
Aura began to flow from it, and then, as if igniting, mana erupted over it.
Celia’s eyes went wide.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
Finally, spiritual power swirled around Leo’s hand.
“You… you… you?”
“My mother and father don’t even know yet.”
Leo retracted his power and shrugged.
Celia’s mouth hung open, her expression one of utter disbelief.
“The professors have all confirmed my abilities. They’ll know it’s not a joke.”
“What in the world are you?”
“What do you mean, what am I?”
Leo grinned.
“I’m your cousin.”
***
“It’s unprecedented. Not just in Lumerne’s history since its founding, but I’d wager it’s a first for any hero academy.”
All-Class.
It wasn’t that such a hero had never existed in the long history of the world.
But that hero was now considered a fictional figure in an age where the Hero Record, a history of heroes, existed.
‘The Fifth Great Hero, Kyle.’
And now, an All-Class hero, who had previously existed only in fiction, had appeared.
Professors Ain, Yura, and Ren had already come to meet with Kalian.
The topic of their meeting was that Leo needed to have a definite primary major.
The three professors passionately explained just how incredible Leo’s talent was.
“What should we do, Headmaster?”
“In this case, it’s right to do as the student wishes.”
Kalian smiled brightly at his secretary Elena’s question.
“Isn’t it the school’s job to provide the education the students desire?”
***
Weekends at Lumerne were generally leisurely.
As the weekday curriculum was intense, weekends were strictly for rest.
Students could go to Lumeria to have fun during their free time, and they could even apply for overnight leave if they wished.
“Does it make sense to come to the training grounds on a beautiful weekend like this?”
Karl grumbled, and Chelsea replied.
“I’m supposed to get swordsmanship instruction from Leo today.”
Chelsea was dressed in comfortable activewear.
Battle Mage.
As the name implied, it referred to a mage who could fight on the front lines.
It was different from the dual-class Magic Swordsman.
While a Magic Swordsman used both aura and mana, a Battle Mage used only mana.
They enhanced their physical abilities with support magic and specialized in interpersonal magic centered on high-speed and multi-casting.
If a typical mage was responsible for firepower from the rear, a Battle Mage’s role was to infiltrate the heart of the enemy lines in emergencies and disrupt their formation.
A skilled Battle Mage would dive into the chaos of battle without hesitation, creating countless variables.
Chelsea had been deeply impressed by Leo, who had stopped the Talatunia during the entrance exam without even using aura.
Moreover, Chelsea was even more excited for Leo’s tutelage.
‘To think Leo was a mage, too.’
She thought that since Magic Swordsmen and Battle Mages had many similarities, receiving guidance from a Magic Swordsman would be more helpful than from a pure knight.
Celia, who had come along after hearing Leo would be training Chelsea, wore an indifferent expression.
“If you came here with a casual mindset, I recommend you quit now.”
“I’m serious, you know.”
“Oh? Is that so? Leo’s training won’t be easy, you know.”
Just the thought of Chelsea, her rival since childhood, suffering brought a smile to her face.
“By the way, Celia. What’s the relationship between you and Leo that you’re so close?”
Karl asked with a curious look.
Chelsea, who was still unaware of their relationship, also perked up her ears.
“Don’t go spreading this around. Leo and I are cousins.”
“What?”
“Huh? Leo was a Jerdinger?”
“Not exactly a Jerdinger. The details are a family matter, so please don’t ask.”
Celia said with a smile.
Knowing that noble families often had complicated affairs, Chelsea and Karl decided not to pry any further.
Leo spoke to Karl.
“Karl. You want to join us?”
“I’m interested, but what a shame! I have to head to Lumeria in a bit!”
“Going out for fun?”
“Nope! I’m going to buy potion ingredients! The fatigue recovery potions are selling better than I expected! Hahahaha!”
At his words, Celia tilted her head.
“I thought you were from an alchemist family, but you’re a total merchant.”
“Alchemy requires a lot of money, you see!”
Karl made a circle with his fingers and grinned.
“How about it? I could make you a cool magic sword or a magic staff.”
“Can you make something cooler than my family’s heirloom?”
“My apologies, I didn’t realize who I was talking to.”
To discuss swords and staves in front of a renowned hero family.
He had barked up the wrong tree, and then some.
Celia chuckled under her breath.
“Leo, what should we start with?”
“Are you used to physical activity?”
“Of course. I have great stamina! And my body is super flexible, see!”
Chelsea lifted her leg straight up in a perfect split, like a ballerina.
It was a move impossible without flexibility and a good sense of balance.
Beyond that, Chelsea hopped and skipped around, showing Leo her nimble movements.
With such a solid foundation, it was clear that once she became proficient as a Battle Mage, few students from the Knight Department would be a match for her in close combat.
‘She definitely has a reason for wanting to be a Battle Mage.’
“I know someone who’s a Battle Mage.”
“Really?”
Chelsea’s eyes sparkled.
‘Well, not exactly a Battle Mage. The concept didn’t exist back then.’
Luna, who could move at high speeds and multi-cast even in the chaos of battle, could be considered the progenitor of Battle Mages in a way.
‘Well, she could be called the origin of not just Battle Mages, but all modern mages.’
Leo crossed his arms.
“Chelsea, what do you think is the most important thing for a Battle Mage?”
“Huh? Hmm… let’s see… high-speed casting, multi-casting, and martial arts skills?”
As Chelsea listed the things that differentiated them from ordinary mages, Leo said.
“No. The most important thing for a Battle Mage is…”
“The most important thing is?”
“Stamina.”
Celia, who had been watching from a bench, quietly stood up.
“Karl, let’s go.”
“Huh? Where?”
“You said you were going to Lumeria.”
“I still have time. And weren’t you not going?”
“Something urgent came up, so I think I have to go…”
“Celia. You’re going to do stamina training with me every weekend from now on too.”
“No way!”
“I already wrote a letter to Uncle Jis. He said I absolutely should.”
“Why would you do something so unnecessary!”
Celia rushed at Leo, grabbing him by the collar and shaking him violently.
“Listen carefully, Chelsea.”
“Okay.”
“A Battle Mage must be able to move endlessly. To do that, you need the stamina of steel that never tires. Buff magic has its limits, so that won’t do.”
‘He sounds just like the Battle Mages in my family.’
For the Battle Mages of the Llewellyn family, stamina training was a daily routine.
“Besides, it’s Celia’s destiny to train with me.”
“I hate that kind of destiny!”
Celia cried out, but Leo paid her no mind.
“The moment you said you would train with me, I decided I would make you a hero, no matter what it takes.”
“Okay! Leo! Let’s work hard together to become heroes!”
Chelsea, taking Leo’s words as simple encouragement to work hard together, clenched her fists and replied.
“So, you’ll be training with me from now on, right?”
“Yes!”
In the future, Chelsea would think back to this moment.
She should have run.