Chapter 261
Chapter Title: The Black Rabbit Hunt
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261
“We have to be the first to find the Black Rabbit.”
“Who is the Black Rabbit?”
As Ar muttered while walking through the streets of Dweronia, a female wolf beastkin student walking beside her tilted her head.
“Who else? The Lumerne student council president.”
“Ooh!”
“That's our boss for you!”
At Ar's words, the Azonia students following her burst out in admiration.
“Such ambition! Boss!”
“Truly the number one student of Azonia's second year!”
“You're planning to be the first to fight Leo Flove, right!”
“I am going to fight him, but...”
Ar adjusted the beret of her Azonia uniform.
“Before those idiots cause trouble, I have to stop any pointless fights...”
“Boss Ar is after Leo Flove's head! Find him!”
“Listen to me, you idiots!”
Ar yelled at the students following her before she could even finish her sentence.
‘The Black Rabbit teases me, calling me a simple-minded, ignorant fool of a cat, but he needs to see these guys!’
A vein popped on Ar's forehead as she clenched her fist tightly.
‘He needs to see who the real simple-minded, ignorant fools are!’
The ones currently following Ar were none other than the students of her faction.
It wasn't that Ar had created the faction herself.
The factions had formed due to Azonia's school culture.
Hero academies, no matter where, were fundamentally based on meritocracy.
Lumerne, following its culture, taught all students equally.
Those who couldn't keep up in the process had to leave the academy.
Seirun thoroughly divided students into advanced, intermediate, and basic classes, educating them according to their class level.
And then there was Azonia.
Azonia's educational philosophy was singular.
Survival of the fittest.
Unlike Lumerne or Seirun, Azonia had no semesterly exams to evaluate academic performance.
Every moment was a test.
Duels occurred daily within each grade, determining the rankings.
The weak could challenge the strong at any time to seize their position.
And the preferential treatment for the strong was absolute.
Lower-ranked students had to obey the words of higher-ranked students.
Of course, it wasn't an absolute command.
Only the top five students in each grade held absolute command authority.
And their statuses were equal.
As a result, students gathered under the top-ranked students according to their own inclinations, forming factions.
They couldn't issue commands to students from other factions.
Thus, the formation of factions was a very natural occurrence at Azonia.
Ar buried her face in her hands and let out a deep sigh as she watched the students in front of her wagging their tails like puppies.
The number one student of Azonia's second year.
Ar Tune.
The students of her faction were particularly famous for their high loyalty.
There was no other reason.
It was because Ar was strong.
From the moment she enrolled, Ar had been pestered by challengers aiming for her position.
After the factions formed, other factions even conspired to systematically dethrone her.
But Ar broke through it all with her strength alone.
Now, no one dared to easily covet Ar's position.
Overwhelming strength.
Beastkin admire the strong as much as they admire strength itself.
Yet, she never wielded the privileges granted to her as the number one.
In Ar's faction, everyone was equal.
In Azonia, where it was natural for the strong to wield their privileges, Ar's actions were exceptionally unconventional.
Naturally, the lower-ranked students flocked to Ar's faction.
Other factions would mock Ar's faction behind their backs, calling it the 'gathering of the weak.'
Whenever Ar heard such talk, she didn't let the offenders go.
This was why the students of her faction were so loyal to her.
“Boss! I have a great idea!”
Just then, a large male bear beastkin student spoke up confidently.
Beneath her beret, her cat ears twitched.
‘He's definitely going to say something weird.’
Duran Tig.
Within Ar's faction, he was second to none when it came to thoughtlessly starting trouble.
“What is it?”
‘Still, I should at least hear him out.’
“This is a plan I overheard from Wern.”
“That oaf of a bear?”
‘Now I'm even more worried.’
Wern Damun.
He was a student famous for being the smartest among the second-year bear beastkin.
Of course, that was only when compared to other 'bear beastkin.'
Even among beastkin, bears were famous for being the strongest.
As such, they were also the race with the strongest tendency to solve everything with brute force.
Not all bear beastkin were like that, but in any case, Wern Damun was a student who, despite being smart, had the typical disposition of a bear beastkin.
In other words, he was good at scheming, but he never considered the consequences of his schemes.
“We find a student who's close to Leo Flove and then bring that student to our den.”
“Rejected!”
“Why?”
“Are you suggesting we kidnap a Lumerne student?!”
Duran shook his head at Ar's outburst.
“No, Boss. Kidnapping would make things complicated. Even I know that much! We just have to escort them politely and treat them politely!”
“What if the Black Rabbit's friend refuses to come?”
“Um... we use a little force...”
“That's kidnapping, you moron!”
After kicking Duran in the solar plexus, Ar flinched.
“Wait. The fact that you came up with such a stupid plan... doesn't that mean you've already put it into action?”
“Probably?”
Ar grabbed the back of her neck.
‘Hey, Principal! Why would you offer something like that as a prize!’
The reason Azonia's students were so fired up to defeat Leo.
It wasn't just because of Leo's fame.
Azonia's principal, Zephia, had put a prize on Leo's head this time.
‘To the one who defeats Leo Flove in a martial arts duel and raises the prestige of Azonia, I shall grant the opportunity to challenge Lord Ar-on's Hero Record!’
The Brave Hero Ar-on was an object of admiration for all beastkin.
And the students of Azonia yearned to become the strongest martial artist, just like him.
To such beastkin, the reward of conquering the Brave Hero's Hero Record was a treasure that couldn't be exchanged for anything.
With such a prize on the line, it was no wonder the entire second year was going crazy.
“First, find that Dion guy.”
“Why Dion?”
Dion Den.
Ar's childhood friend and the unshakable number two of Azonia's second year.
A student regarded as Ar's greatest rival.
And Wern was in Dion's faction.
“An idiot from his own faction is about to cause trouble, so he should stop him...”
“Ar Tune!”
Just then, an urgent voice called out from a distance.
Ar turned her head.
The fifth-ranked student of Azonia's second year.
He was a student belonging to the faction of Borman, the tiger beastkin.
“We're in big trouble! Lumerne students just stormed the place our school is using as a base! Th-they're saying we kidnapped one of their students...”
Ar looked up at the sky and lamented.
‘That damn bear oaf. I'm going to find him and beat him to a pulp.’
***
Leo was leisurely sightseeing in Dweronia by himself.
Statues of Dweno were erected throughout the city.
And befitting its reputation as the world's wealthiest city, all the statues were made of gold.
They were beautiful statues, so much so that it would be no exaggeration to call them works of art.
They looked so real it was as if they might come to life at any moment.
Seeing them, Leo couldn't help but smile.
‘This city truly reveres Dweno.’
Even its name was derived from Dweno.
As such, it was clear the city was built to honor Dweno.
‘I wonder how Dweno would have reacted if he saw this city?’
Leo chuckled at the thought.
Indeed, his friends were often recorded very differently from how they truly were.
The dragons spoke of Lisinas with the image of a wise, just, and great sage.
While it was true she had that side to her, she also had just as much of a swindler's disposition.
‘She told a lot of lies, too.’
The ones she deceived the most were Luna and Ar-on.
When Luna fumed about Lisinas being a swindler, Ar-on would timidly agree beside her.
‘She also gave people false hope with her lies. Well, most of that hope became real, so it's hard to call them lies now.’
He recalled the image of Lisinas giving people hope by deceiving them with white lies.
In any case, she wasn't as righteous a dragon as the dragons remembered her to be.
‘And then there's Luna.’
The gentle and benevolent progenitor.
‘Bullshit. She was a tomboyish, fierce thug.’
How bad must it have been for Dweno to comment that she was a divine work of art, 'if only she kept her mouth shut'?
‘And Ar-on...’
A brave and strong man.
In reality, he was a timid coward, weak beyond measure.
That's why the entire subjugation party was always surprised during major battles.
‘How that coward could muster such courage is still a mystery.’
Leo gave a wry smile as he thought of Ar-on.
Lastly, Dweno.
‘Dweno was recorded exactly as he was in real life.’
It was true that as the eldest of the party, he became their mental pillar of support.
His firm will and steadfast personality.
And with an unwavering, iron-like spirit, he never hesitated to offer advice.
If Lisinas was the leader who guided the subjugation party, Dweno was the pillar that supported it.
‘After Ar-on died... if it weren't for Dweno, everyone would have collapsed.’
The one who suffered the most shock and guilt from Ar-on's death was none other than Dweno.
But even in that situation, Dweno took care of the other party members.
‘Get a grip, Lisinas! What are you going to do if you, the leader, waver!’
After they had barely managed to repel Erebos, Dweno had gotten angry.
‘Luna! Stop with the tears! We made a choice! Ar-on was prepared for it! Cast aside your sorrow! Forget Ar-on's death! Think of only one thing!’
He spoke particularly harshly to Luna, who was the most shaken.
Hearing those words, Luna had been genuinely furious with Dweno.
But Dweno willingly took on the role of the villain.
‘Kyle.’
He recalled Dweno's resolute eyes.
‘It's because the weapon I made was inadequate, not your fault.’
He shouldered the responsibility for Ar-on's death all by himself.
After composing himself, right before the next battle, Dweno had looked down at his hands and muttered.
‘Now I see... Luna. You were right. My hands... are ugly.’
Dweno had always been proud of his hands.
He'd claimed these very hands were the ones that created beauty.
He boasted they were the prettiest hands in the group.
Whenever he did, Luna would tease him, calling them ugly dwarf hands.
At Dweno's words, Luna had been flustered.
‘N-no. Your hands are actually kind of cute!’
Dweno had burst out laughing at that, and only then were the two able to reconcile.
That was the last conversation between Dweno and Luna.
‘Come to think of it, that's the kind of person he was.’
He always accepted everything like an adult.
That was why, among the personalities recorded in history, Dweno's was the closest to the truth.
A big brother figure.
‘Well, except for the part about him being a pervert.’
Leo burst out laughing.
If Dweno saw this city, he probably would have cursed.
Dweno pursued beauty, but he absolutely detested extravagant luxury.
He would have undoubtedly crushed his own golden statues with those hands of his that were like pot lids.
Leo was lost in memories of the past, thinking of Dweno.
“You.”
Someone spoke to Leo.
Turning around, he saw a woman with a small frame standing there.
She was short, only coming up to Leo's waist.
Anyone could tell she was a dwarf.
But overall, something about her didn't seem very dwarven.
For starters, her fashion was extremely flamboyant.
“You're a man, but you possess a beauty different from the typical male form.”
She scanned Leo up and down before asking seriously.
“Have you ever considered becoming a nude model?”
‘What's with this female Dweno.’