Chapter 254
Chapter Title: Heroes of a Bygone Era
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254
“Hey, did you pick a mentee?”
“Yeah. Yesterday.”
In the main lecture hall of the second-year building.
Today was the day for the joint Heroics class.
Before class, the second-years gathered in their groups, chatting with friends.
For the past few days, the main topic of conversation was, of course, the newly introduced mentee system.
And now, less than a day remained to decide on mentees and mentors.
Most of the second-years who were interested in taking on a mentee had already accepted first-year juniors.
“What about you? Didn’t you say yours was arrogant?”
“I did! But listen! I thought they were arrogant at first! But after talking with them a bit yesterday, the way their eyes sparkled was actually pretty cute, you know?”
The second-years were engrossed in talking about the juniors they had taken on as mentees.
Watching them chat happily, Chelsea remarked with a sense of wonder.
“The response is surprisingly positive.”
“It’s only natural.”
“Huh? What do you mean, Leo?”
“Think back to when we were freshmen.”
Karl, who was with them, crossed his arms.
“Were you even brave enough to make eye contact with the upperclassmen?”
“Huh? I wasn’t scared at all. They were actually really nice.”
“This is why kids from famous hero families…”
Karl made a devastated expression.
Chelsea, who had been pondering with a finger to her lips, nodded.
“Now that you mention it, the kids in our class were definitely scared of the upperclassmen.”
The Summoning Department has the strictest hierarchy between years.
But even if not to that extent, students in other departments often couldn't dare to speak to their seniors at the beginning of the semester.
“As freshmen, you're so busy adjusting to school life and watching out for the upperclassmen. And the second-years don't see a reason to get close to first-years who could drop out at any moment.”
Karl rested his chin on his hand.
“Because of that, besides your own classmates, you don't really get close to the people you'll be seeing the longest. In the worst cases, the relationship between year groups sours. Just look at the fourth and fifth-year seniors, right? We're not on the best of terms with the third-year seniors either.”
At Lumerne, it was common for relations between adjacent year groups to be extremely poor.
The current fifth-years, led by Elena, known as the Queen of Lumerne, are on bad terms with the fourth-years who threaten their position.
The same was true for the current second and third-years.
While the year representatives, Leo and Ril, weren't on bad terms, the current third-years saw the so-called "golden generation" of second-years as a thorn in their side.
As first-years, they had trembled in fear of their seniors, but now as second-years, many students held considerable resentment toward the third-years.
“So we got a chance to get close to the first-years before it came to that.”
At the very least, they wouldn't part ways until the end of the first semester.
Because of this, it was easier for the second-years to grow attached to the first-years.
“Kids have a soft spot for being called 'senior' and want to take care of their juniors.”
As Leo said this with a smirk, Karl looked at him incredulously.
“Aren't you a kid too?”
“Sometimes, the way you talk, Leo, you sound like an old man.”
Chelsea shrugged as well.
“Class Rep! You can't get friendly with kids from other dorms! They might be trying to steal our dorm's information!”
Just then, Iliana came running over.
Seeing Iliana, Chelsea and Karl looked unimpressed.
“How would anyone get information out of Leo?”
“Yeah, maybe from an idiot like you, but not him.”
“Class Rep! They called me an idiot!”
Iliana whined to Leo, on the verge of tears.
“It's true, though.”
“Dade! You too?!”
“Still, it's always so lively when we're all together.”
Dade approached, making a sharp comment, while Nella, who came with him, wore her characteristic languid smile.
The six core members of the former Class 1-5 were gathered together for the first time in a while.
“Anyway, has everyone chosen a mentee?”
Dade asked, crossing his arms, and Iliana puffed up with pride.
“Of course! I chose a kid named Austin!”
“Austin? Never heard of him.”
“Knight department or magic department?”
Nella and Dade tilted their heads.
As a top-ranking second-year student, Iliana could have had her pick of any famous first-year.
So it was puzzling that she had taken on an unknown first-year as her mentee.
“He's a magic swordsman. Hah! Prepare to be amazed! He's a former Jerdinger trainee and a member of the Class Rep's knight order!”
Iliana looked smug.
“He's the Class Rep's subordinate. If he's about to be advised to withdraw, won't the Class Rep grab him by the scruff of his neck and train him himself?”
“How is she usually such an idiot, but so sharp when it comes to things like this?”
Karl marveled, and Iliana flared up.
“Hey! I'm smart, you know! I'm an honor student, for crying out loud!”
“So what? You're still a simpleton.”
“Says you, Karl!”
Iliana lunged at Karl in a huff but was held back by Nella.
Watching them, Leo spoke up.
“Let me warn you, I'm not going to give any special treatment just because he's in my knight order.”
“Huh?!”
Iliana froze stiff, as if turned to stone.
“I might give some advice, but their training is up to them. Austin would want to survive at Lumerne on his own strength anyway.”
“Noooooo!”
Iliana clutched her head and screamed.
Ignoring her, the others continued their conversation.
“Nella, what about you?”
“I took on two juniors from the Knight Department. Dade?”
“One from the beast summoner track.”
Dade looked at the other three.
“You guys don't have anyone yet, right? Karl, I bet no one wants you as a mentor.”
“Don't say it. It hurts.”
Karl looked glum.
“Come to think of it, the dorm heads surprisingly haven't taken any mentees either, have they?”
Nella looked curious.
“Well, for us, the Class Rep is the center of the commotion. Chloe said she'd pick from the students who submitted their book reports today. I heard Chen Xia took on quite a few, though.”
At Iliana's answer, Nella tilted her head.
“Chen Xia is a surprise. I thought she wouldn't have any, since it was revealed she's from the Shadows, but I guess not.”
“Yeah.”
*Though most of them are Shadow candidates too.*
Leo muttered to himself.
“Chelsea, what about your group?”
“I never planned on taking one, and Celia is choosing carefully. As for Woreden…”
Chelsea crossed her arms.
“There's a huge line of kids who want to be his mentee. Of course, Woreden doesn't seem to care much.”
Woreden's spirit arts, which used spirits to activate magical formulas, were revolutionary.
Of course, it was a result of his own talent and sense, but it was a realm impossible to reach without a deep understanding of spirit arts.
As such, there were many first-year spirit arts majors who wanted his guidance.
“What about Abad?”
“My brother already took one.”
“Abad did? Who?”
It was Karl who answered Iliana's question.
“A kid named Fritz.”
“Never heard of him. Why'd he take him? Is he that skilled?”
“His skill is one thing, but the reason Abad took him as a mentee is because of his magic.”
Karl explained.
“The kid uses blood as a medium for his magic.”
“Blood? That's a really rare trait.”
“Yeah. That's why my brother offered to mentor him, saying he wanted to study it.”
*‘Your trait is interesting. I'd like to do some research on it. Would you be my mentee?’*
*‘Sure.’*
The story goes that as Abad made the offer with his signature gentle smile, Fritz adjusted his glasses with his usual expressionless face and simply agreed.
“Hoo-hoo. How unusual! What about Duran and Eliza?”
Karl shrugged.
“Our prince gets tons of mentor requests. But you know his personality. If no one meets his standards, he won't even give them a second look. And as for Eliza…”
Karl trailed off, covering his mouth with a snort.
“Not a single first-year asked her to be their mentor?”
“Not a single one? She's not rejecting them?”
Everyone looked shocked.
“It's only natural. Her personality is infamous, isn't it?”
“But Duran's personality is just as bad, isn't it?”
As Chelsea tilted her head, unable to understand, Karl cackled.
“Duran at least has a reputation for being an honor student, right? But Eliza, she just has good grades; she's a total delinquent. Who would want to be her mentee? They're probably afraid of being treated like her servant if they did. They won't even go near her. Puhahahahaha! She's in the same boat as me—”
*Swish! Crack!*
“You… Gack!!”
A whip suddenly flew out and wrapped around Karl's neck.
Everyone's eyes turned to the person holding the whip.
There stood Eliza, her face flushed red, shoulders trembling with rage.
“Come with me.”
“H-help me!”
With narrowed eyes, Eliza dragged the pale-faced Karl away.
A moment later, a desperate scream echoed through the hall.
“Leo, are you not going to take any mentees?”
“Chelsea. Aren't you worried about Karl?”
Dade asked with a look of disbelief, but Chelsea just smiled sweetly.
“Karl is tough as a cockroach. He'll be back in one piece in a little bit.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Chelsea's words.
“The Class Rep's popularity has died down a lot, hasn't it?”
At first, almost every first-year had rushed to become Leo's mentee.
But by now, only a few students were still trying for the position.
They had given up, concluding it was impossible to land a clean hit on Leo.
“The only persistent ones are those five from back then. If you're going to take a mentee, why not just accept them now?”
To Iliana's suggestion, Leo replied.
“I don't need a mentee. They're the ones who need me. What you need, you have to earn for yourself.”
“Right, right.”
Just as Chelsea nodded in agreement with Leo's words…
*Creeak—*
The lecture hall door opened, and someone walked in.
The students quickly took their seats.
And turned their heads.
A professor they had never seen before was entering.
“Who's that professor?”
“Is she a new professor?”
First of all, she was stunningly beautiful.
Rare silver hair and eyes.
She had a warm overall impression and an aura that put one at ease.
But what stood out the most was the eyepatch over her left eye.
“Isn't that Professor Mel? Why is she here?”
Karl, who had just been trampled by Eliza, widened his eyes.
At that, Eliza paused and asked.
“Do you know her?”
“Yeah. Oof.”
Karl said, pushing himself up and dusting off his clothes.
“I know her as a professor for the first-year Magic Department, but why is she here for a second-year Heroics class?”
Mel stood before the lectern and smiled warmly.
“It's a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Mel, and I'll be teaching first-year Magic Theory as well as a special lecture on Heroics for all year levels.”
*Clap, clap, clap, clap—*
The second-years clapped at Mel's introduction, looking intrigued.
Usually, Lumerne professors only taught a single subject.
But to be a first-year Magic Theory professor and also be in charge of a special Heroics class for all years?
*Just how deep is her knowledge of Heroics?*
Everyone looked at Mel with curious eyes.
Heroics.
In this age where the Hero Record exists, it was the most important field of study.
And the holy ground for Heroics was, of course, the Hero Academies.
To be specially invited to Lumerne, one of those very academies, she must possess incredible knowledge.
Mel smiled warmly and opened a subspace.
Then, she placed a plate of cookies on the lectern.
The savory aroma of cookies filled the entire lecture hall.
The female students' eyes sparkled as they focused on the cookie plate Mel had brought out.
Their senses, honed by Lumerne's desserts, were telling them.
*Those cookies… must be amazing.*
Mel pulled up a chair, sat down, and swung her leg.
“Are there any students who have questions about me?”
At her question, several students raised their hands at once.
“Yes, student Duran Moira.”
Mel, who had already memorized the faces and names of all the second-years, smiled warmly and gave the first question to Duran, who had raised his hand first.
“You mentioned a special lecture on Heroics… Which heroes will you be lecturing on?”
“I plan to lecture on the heroes who were active during the Age of Revelation.”
Mel said calmly.
But all the second-years were shocked.
The Age of Revelation.
The era after the Great Heroes defeated Erebos is called the Age of Heroes.
But even the Age of Heroes is divided into an early and a late period.
And in between.
There was a very short period called the Revelation.
The era when the existence of the World of Heroes, the true power of the Hero Record, became known.
“W-wait a minute! If you're lecturing on the Age of Revelation, then does that mean…!”
Countless heroes were born during the Age of Heroes.
But among them, there were five very special heroes.
The heroes born in the Age of Revelation.
Known as the Heroes of Revelation, there were only five of them, just like the Great Heroes.
“That's right.”
Mel smiled warmly.
“The heroes I will be lecturing on are the Dragon of Revelation, the Twilight Knight, the Comet Sorcerer, the Great Warrior, and the Indomitable.”
The second-years swallowed nervously.
*Crunch—*
Mel continued after taking a bite of her cookie.
“For our first class, it would be best to start with the founder of this very school you attend. The Twilight Knight, Lumerne, don't you think?”