Chapter 281
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Leader
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It was around evening when all the parties were finally formed.
Unlike Leo, who formed his party with relative ease, the other students had a much harder time.
Karl scratched his head as he watched the other parties, already running into trouble from the start.
“Man, it looks like the other parties are going to struggle with teamwork, regardless of the mission's difficulty.”
Surprisingly, the trouble wasn't just between the Seirun students and those from other hero academies.
“I’m telling you! We gather information in the city first!”
“What’s the point of that? Can’t we just search Mount Erdien?”
“Ugh! Seriously! You’re impossible! Just like a simple-minded beastman!”
A female student from Lumerne was arguing with a male student from Azonia.
A male student from Demian stood back with a cynical attitude, watching the situation unfold, while a female student from Seirun was surprisingly the one trying to mediate.
The Seirun student anxiously tried to stop the two, but her efforts were futile.
Karl, who had come to check on the other parties, clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Is there not a single group with a good atmosphere?’
After grasping the situation with the other parties, Karl returned to his own.
‘Still, I’m glad our party’s atmosphere is good, at least.’
Karl headed back to his party with a slightly lighter heart.
‘No matter what, we have Leo to keep us centered!’
Returning with a bright smile, Karl found Lunia and Ar standing face to face, glaring at each other, and promptly collapsed on the spot.
“K-Karl! What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
Eiran rushed over, trying to help him up.
“I just want some peace. *Sob*.”
Eiran was flustered as she watched the despairing Karl.
Karl pushed himself up from his dejected state and spoke.
“What’s with those two?”
“They’re both fighting over who gets to be the leader.”
As soon as she finished, Lunia crossed her arms and said.
“I’m the leader of this party.”
Looking at Lunia, Ar placed her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and scoffed.
“What are you talking about! I’m the leader!”
Listening to them, Karl looked at Leo.
“Leo, aren’t you going to do it?”
“The ones who want it should do it.”
Leo smiled, taking on the role of a bystander.
Seeing this, Karl scratched his head furiously.
‘That guy Leo really doesn’t have any ambition for leadership positions.’
It was the same when he was the first-year class president.
He didn’t particularly want to become the student council president, either.
It just sort of happened naturally.
‘I guess this is what a natural-born leader is. He brings people together so effortlessly.’
Talented people naturally want to become leaders.
Especially in Karl’s view, the top second-years at Lumerne not only had talent but also incredible charisma.
‘They were all born with the qualities of a leader.’
And yet, Leo is acknowledged as the leader of the second-years.
Even the dorm leaders of Noble, who aim to surpass Leo, don’t deny his leadership.
‘That’s how much those prideful blockheads accept it.’
Even now, if Leo had offered to be the party leader, this situation wouldn’t have happened.
‘What exactly is he trying to see?’
If Leo didn’t want the position of party leader, friction was inevitable.
Both Lunia and Ar are strong candidates for the next student council presidents of Seirun and Azonia.
Lunia's situation became a bit ambiguous after she defied a teacher, but she’s still the top honor student at Seirun.
That’s why, out of pride, neither of them could yield the position of party leader.
“Then let’s decide with a vote.”
“You have your friend here! That’s not fair!”
“Such a whiny cat.”
Lunia’s eyes narrowed as the corners of her mouth curled up.
“Then how about we settle this cleanly with a duel?”
“Hoh? For an elf, that’s a good suggestion.”
Ar grinned and cracked her knuckles—*crack, crack*.
“I’ve always been curious just how amazing the Seirun year representative is.”
“I wanted to know the skills of the Azonia year representative, too.”
Fwoooosh—!
A scorching heat emanated from Lunia’s body.
Ar was already radiating a sharp aura, as if she would cut anyone who touched her.
‘He said she has the Beastification ability that the Brave Hero possessed, right? That she’s one step ahead of me.’
Lunia glanced at Leo.
‘I’ll prove that idea wrong.’
Lunia’s red eyes flashed.
Ar, too, swayed her white tail back and forth.
‘The Black Rabbit has been hanging out with this elf a lot these past few days.’
Ar’s lake-blue eyes sparkled.
‘I want to hang out with the Black Rabbit too!’
Ar bared her fangs and extended her claws.
She looked exactly like a cat about to pounce.
Seeing this, Karl covered his face, and Eiran didn’t know what to do.
“Hmm. The atmosphere is not good.”
Driana calmly maintained her bystander attitude.
*Jingle—*
The sound of a bell was heard.
With it, a fluffy ball with a bell attached rolled in front of Ar.
*Smack—!*
Ar instinctively stomped on it with her foot.
“……”
After a moment of silence, Ar’s eyes shot wide open and she lunged at Leo.
“Stop messing with meeee!”
With an enraged face, Ar grabbed Leo’s clothes and shook him.
“That’s because you’re acting like a cat.”
“It’s instinct!”
Watching Ar scream her head off, Lunia sighed.
“What a letdown.”
Looking at Lunia, Leo spoke.
“I have someone I’d like to recommend as party leader.”
At Leo’s words, Lunia and Ar flinched.
Driana looked as if she didn’t care who it was, and Karl looked relieved that things were finally getting sorted out.
“If it’s a leader you recommend, Leo, I’ll follow them!”
Eiran beamed with a bright smile.
In truth, Eiran didn’t care who the party leader was either.
Only Lunia and Ar looked tense.
‘The person Leo recommends here…’
‘…is the one he thinks is the best, right?’
The two girls glanced at each other before sharply turning their heads away.
They acted uninterested, but Lunia’s pointed ears and Ar’s cat ears were twitching nonstop.
More than anyone, the two were hanging on Leo’s every word.
Just as Lunia and Ar were burning with anticipation…
“Karl. I’d like you to be the leader.”
“Huh? Me?”
Karl wore a dumbfounded expression.
Eiran smiled brightly.
“I agree.”
“No, think carefully. You’d agree even if Leo brought a stray dog and called it our party leader.”
“Th-That’s not true?!”
Eiran protested, her face flushing slightly at Karl’s words.
“Hmm. So, Despair Man is to be the party leader? That’s not so bad, I suppose.”
“What’s with ‘Despair Man’?”
“It is a name I have bestowed upon you, for your despairing visage is a masterpiece. Do you like it?”
“This weird-talking pervert dwarf…”
A vein popped on Karl’s forehead as he looked at Driana, who was calling him by a strange nickname.
But Karl couldn’t afford to bicker with Driana any longer.
‘They’re glaring at me, they’re glaring daggers at me.’
Because Lunia and Ar were now staring intently at him.
Their gazes were like predators stalking their prey.
Karl broke into a cold sweat and avoided their eyes.
He laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.
“Hey, Leo. That’s a bit much for a joke. With you and the year representatives from Seirun and Azonia here, isn’t it a little weird for me to be the party leader?”
“Exactly! Exactly!”
“Mhm! Mhm! That’s right!”
Lunia and Ar nodded in satisfaction.
“I think you’re more than qualified to lead this party.”
At Leo’s words, Lunia crossed her arms.
“Leo, I’m sure you have your reasons for choosing him as party leader. But I’m finding it a bit hard to accept.”
“I agree with her.”
Ar narrowed her eyes.
“The party leader should be the most capable person. Black Rabbit. If you were the leader, I’d have no complaints. I’m not trying to disrespect your friend, but I don’t think he has what it takes to be leader over me or the Seirun representative.”
“Well said.”
Even Karl nodded meekly.
“Of course, you both are more than qualified to be leaders of a group.”
Leo said, looking at Lunia and Ar.
“But for this party, right now, Karl is a better fit than either of you. This party doesn’t need a leader who pulls from the front, but one who pushes the members forward from behind.”
Leo hadn’t recruited Karl first simply because he specialized as a supporter.
From the moment the party was first discussed, he had intended to gather these specific members.
Each and every one of them could be called the best without exaggeration, and Lunia and Ar lead the second-years of Seirun and Azonia.
In such a situation, entrusting the leadership to one of them could easily create a rift in the party.
‘It wouldn’t matter if I took on the role of leader… but this is a rare opportunity, and it would be a waste.’
Human, elf, beastman, dwarf.
This party is a gathering of the greatest young talents of these four races from the same generation.
This, too, is an opportunity for growth.
That was why Leo chose Karl as the leader.
‘He’s friendly. He’s observant. He reads the flow of the party well.’
Karl is not a leader in the traditional sense.
But he has more than enough ability to harmonize party members who have strong leadership qualities.
That is why Leo chose Karl to be the core of this party.
“You’ll find there’s a lot to learn from Karl.”
At Leo’s words, Lunia and Ar stared at Karl.
“If you’re going that far, Leo, I’ll give him a chance.”
“Me too. There must be a reason the Black Rabbit is saying all this.”
Lunia smiled faintly.
But her eyes were intently observing Karl.
Ar watched Karl like a cat wary of a stranger, her tail swaying.
Their gazes seemed to say they would be watching Karl, this person Leo had acknowledged to such an extent.
‘Why do I have to be the sole target of these scary girls’ jealousy?’
Having become the target of the Seirun and Azonia year representatives, Karl wanted to cry.
***
Once the party leader was decided, the group immediately headed to Tarkam via a warp gate.
After arriving in Tarkam, they immediately looked for a place to stay.
In that situation, Karl spoke up.
“How about we grab a quick dinner at a tavern for now?”
“Why do we have to go to a noisy tavern?”
“Let’s eat somewhere quiet.”
Lunia and Ar shook their heads.
Eiran tilted her head.
“Why are we eating at a tavern?”
When Eiran asked with a voice full of pure curiosity, Karl shrugged.
“It’s easy to gather information.”
“Ooh.”
Eiran let out a sound of admiration.
From one of the most prestigious elven families.
Eiran, the heir to the Ersar family, was decidedly naive about the ways of the world.
“I read about it in a book! So it’s true! It’s to make contact with the information guild hiding in the tavern!”
“…No, it’s just to overhear the rumors people are talking about. It’s not like you can just run into an information guild.”
“What? But in the book, it said…”
“Books aren’t the absolute truth of the world.”
Eiran looked shocked.
Just as they decided on a tavern to gather information and were about to enter, Leo stopped.
He stared into the alley next to the tavern and said.
“I’m going to step out for a bit.”
At his words, Ar spoke up.
“Where? I’ll go with you.”
“To the bathroom.”
“Oh… right. Be right back.”
Ar stealthily turned her head, feigning indifference out of embarrassment.
After separating from his party members, Leo entered the back alley.
When he stopped, Mel appeared before him.
“Greetings, Lord Leo.”
Mel said, bowing respectfully.
“I have a matter to report concerning Lord Dweno’s legacy, which is why I called for you…”
“Mel. Before that, there’s something I want to ask about the recent rumors in Tarkam.”
“Are you referring to the giant monster that appeared in Tarkam? Isn’t that just a rumor?”
Mel tilted his head.
Seeing that, Leo sighed.
“To think that even you, a Dragon Lord, would treat it as a baseless rumor. It seems that bastard really has been thoroughly concealing his existence for the last 5,000 years.”
“...Could it be?”
Mel’s face paled slightly.
“Yes.”
Leo spoke with a tone full of conviction.
“There’s a high probability that the Giant King Gias has made a move. He’s the only creature in this world massive enough to cover half of Mount Erdien.”
Hearing Leo’s words, Mel looked bewildered.
“If the Giant King has made a move, why so suddenly? Could it be because the Monster Queen was subjugated?”
“I wonder. Back during the Age of Calamity, he was ruthlessly cautious. He’s not the type to make a move just because an ally died.”
Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘The eyes I saw when I came to Mount Erdien through the World of Heroes during the first-years’ entrance exam. That was definitely Erebos.’
Leo’s expression turned grim.
‘Just what is on that mountain?’