Chapter 335
Chapter Title: A Chilly Welcome
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Whoooosh-!
A cold wind was blowing.
Just then, magical energy swirled from the warp gate.
Flash-!
As the bright light faded, Leo appeared.
It was the middle of spring.
But regardless of the season, the frigid land boasted a biting chill.
“Hoo.”
As Leo let out a light breath, the mist from his mouth clouded his vision.
Carrying a bag full of his belongings, he stepped out of the warp gate.
Leo was the only person who had taken the warp gate from Lumerne to Seirun.
‘It’s not time for the conference yet, so Associate Professor Anna will probably arrive closer to the date.’
Thump- Thump-
Walking across the marble floor, Leo looked around.
It was already late.
All of Seirun’s classes for the day were over.
The only people at the warp gate were the mages who operated it.
‘Lunia or Eiran. I thought at least one of them would have come to meet me.’
Leo knew he wouldn't exactly be welcomed at Seirun.
Still, among the students, Lunia and Eiran were close friends, and among the teachers, Herdium had a very high opinion of him.
So he hadn't expected that no one would come to greet him.
Feeling puzzled, Leo approached the elven mage operating the warp gate.
“Excuse me.”
The elven mage glanced at Leo.
It seemed word had already gotten around, as the mage showed no surprise at the sudden arrival of a Lumerne student at Seirun.
“What is it?”
“I’m Leo Flove, an exchange student from Lumerne. Is there anyone here to meet me?”
“No.”
The elven mage shook their head, guided Leo out of the warp gate area, and pointed toward the distant Seirun campus.
“If you go to the entrance of the Seirun campus, a staff member should be waiting for you.”
Hearing this, Leo nodded and left the warp gate.
Watching Leo’s back, the elven mage hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Um… good luck.”
At those words, Leo paused and looked back.
When their eyes met, the elven mage quickly turned away and began sweeping the snow in front of the warp gate.
‘They’re a capable mage, but their mastery of Star Magic isn’t very impressive.’
Star Magic.
It was a unique magic system created by Luna, which had now become the signature magic of the entire elven race, a symbol of their kind.
Any elven mage could use Star Magic.
But just because they could use it didn’t mean everyone could achieve a high level of mastery.
Even if they excelled in other forms of magic, there were certainly elven mages with low proficiency in Star Magic.
‘And I recall hearing that such elves aren’t treated very well, are they?’
That tendency was even stronger at Seirun.
At the hero academy founded by the Comet Mage, Star Magic was considered the most important.
No matter how talented one was in aura or summoning, they couldn't cross the threshold of Seirun Academy without mastering ‘Star Magic’.
That was why all Seirun students who used aura or summons were fundamentally dual-class.
Their pride in Star Magic was as immense as the importance they placed on it.
Stories about Leo were already famous not just among humans, but across the entire world.
The elven mage probably said that because they anticipated how Seirun would treat Leo, the exchange student.
‘Judging by their reaction, could they be reprimanded just for having a private conversation with me?’
And yet, they had still said those words out of concern for Leo, a complete stranger.
‘There are good-willed people everywhere you go.’
Leo smiled faintly as he headed toward Seirun.
Lisinas had said that the very existence of such people made this world worth risking his life for.
Crunch- Crunch-
With every step Leo took, footprints appeared in the snow.
Before long, he arrived at the main gate of Seirun.
And there stood a stern-looking elf.
She adjusted her glasses and spoke.
“A pleasure to meet you, Leo Flove of Lumerne. I am Orlen Azel, in charge of etiquette education for Seirun’s second-year students.”
“I’m Leo Flove. I look forward to my month here.”
Leo bowed politely.
But before he could even finish his greeting, Orlen spun around and started walking.
A short while later, Leo arrived at a castle within the Seirun campus.
Opening the antique castle gates revealed a vast entrance hall.
He didn't encounter a single staff member, let alone a student, until he reached a small room inside the castle.
The spacious castle was as quiet as a tomb.
Upon entering the small room, Orlen finally turned back to Leo and spoke.
“Though your time here is short, as an exchange student, you are expected to follow Seirun’s strict rules.”
Orlen flicked a finger, and a wardrobe on one side of the room opened. A uniform and what looked like textbooks were placed on a table.
“Books and belongings from the outside are not permitted. Leave everything here.”
At her words, Leo nodded and placed his bag on the table.
“One more thing, Leo Flove. You came to Seirun to study, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then I expect you not to draw attention to the fact that you are an exchange student.”
Orlen adjusted her glasses.
“To learn at Seirun, you must look the part. While you are here, I expect you to live as an elf. That includes your appearance. Your presence could cause confusion among the students.”
Leo wore a peculiar expression at her words.
“Don’t the Seirun students already know about the exchange student program?”
“No, they do not.”
Leo tilted his head.
“Even so, I doubt they won’t recognize me just because I’m disguised as an elf.”
“Your self-regard is needlessly high, Leo Flove.”
The corners of Orlen’s mouth curled up.
“This is Seirun, not Lumerne. This is elven society, not human society. I don’t know how famous you are in Lumerne and the human world, but it would be a mistake to think your fame holds any weight here.”
Orlen scoffed and said coldly.
“Change into the uniform and wear the necklace that comes with it. Here is a map of the campus; you are to find your lodgings there.”
With that, Orlen left the room.
‘What is she talking about? All the second-year students at Seirun already know my face, don’t they?’
With a look of disbelief, Leo was about to change into the Seirun uniform when his gaze fell on the textbooks, and he paused.
After looking at the textbooks, he let out a short laugh.
“So that’s what she meant.”
He now understood Orlen’s intentions.
The textbooks Orlen had given him were none other than those for Seirun’s first-year students.
‘I see. She must really dislike me.’
It seemed she didn’t want him attending classes with the second-years.
Furthermore, she seemed intent on preventing him from meeting Lunia and Eiran.
‘Does she think I’m a bad influence on them?’
Back during the exclusive contract with Smith.
Lunia had fallen out of favor with Seirun’s head teacher.
From Seirun’s perspective, Lunia had become a delinquent student, and her prestige had plummeted.
In fact, they had even threatened to exclude Lunia, a candidate for the next student council president, in front of everyone.
‘But things must have changed after Lunia conquered Dweno’s world.’
She had obtained a divine artifact that Dweno had crafted for her himself.
Not only that, but she had also inherited the flames of the Phoenix King, a line that had been lost since the Age of Calamity.
It was literally unprecedented.
Lunia’s value had become too great to simply cast her aside.
That’s why they would want to mold Lunia to their liking, one way or another.
“…How do they learn all the bad habits so well without anyone teaching them?”
Recalling the ways of the high elves from 5,000 years ago, Leo let out a hollow laugh.
After changing into the Seirun uniform, Leo put on the necklace Orlen had mentioned.
It was a necklace enchanted with Star Magic, an illusion spell.
He went to the mirror.
Dressed in the white Seirun uniform, he saw that his ears had transformed into elven ears.
He looked exactly like a Seirun student.
“Looks like I’ll be playing the part of a Seirun first-year, something I never expected.”
Leo chuckled at his reflection in the mirror.
“This should be interesting.”
After all, Leo hadn't come here to study.
He had come to Seirun at Tina’s request, who hoped he would have a positive influence on the academy in exchange for Kiruan’s wings.
She had also asked him to teach magic to her niece, who had enrolled this year, if possible.
‘This is a good chance to see for myself what level the Seirun first-years are at.’
Grabbing the textbooks, Leo left the room.
***
Following the map Orlen had left, Leo headed for his dormitory room.
She had essentially left him to fend for himself.
But Leo had no trouble following the map toward the dormitory area.
A short while later.
Leo easily reached the dormitory area.
When he arrived, he found two people sitting on a sofa in the common room, chatting despite the late hour.
“Did you hear about that?”
A male student sitting in the middle of the common room crossed his arms and spoke.
“During Lumerne’s midterms, their student council president.”
“You mean Leo Flove?”
A female student tilted her head, sipping her tea.
“Yeah. They say he summoned a fairy during the exam.”
“Pfft! You actually believe that?”
Hearing the male student, the female student burst out laughing.
“Isn’t he already contracted to a phoenix? And now a fairy, out of nowhere? Does that even make sense?”
Other students nearby also snickered.
“That’s not all. They say he summoned a pegasus too.”
The male student who had first brought up Leo’s story still wore a serious expression as he spoke.
“Hey! That makes even less sense! Do you really think a mere second-year, no matter how amazing, could form contracts with all three legendary beasts?”
Tsk, tsk- The female student clicked her tongue at the male student.
Looking at her, the male student said seriously.
“No matter how absurd the story sounds, we need to pay attention. We have to prepare for the upcoming Serun-Lumerne match. We don’t get much information about Lumerne, so we have to gather even the smallest details and prepare.”
He seemed to have a cautious personality.
Seeing the male student continue to speak cautiously about Leo, the female student chuckled.
“Well, I get that Leo Flove is amazing. But among the Lumerne first-years, our actual rivals, there aren’t any kids with big reputations, are there? At most, there’s the Sword Saint’s great-granddaughter, who was already famous.”
Sipping her tea, the female student smiled knowingly.
“Besides, who do you think is number one in our year? It’s Lea Tingel.”
Grinning, the female student wore a confident smile.
“We have Lea, who succeeded in summoning the Fairy King for the first time in thousands of years. Why should we stress over Lumerne? We also have seniors Lunia and Eiran, so victory in this year’s match is ours for the taking!”
“Sorry to interrupt.”
“Gah!”
Startled by the voice that suddenly came from behind, the female student whipped her head around.
Leaning over the sofa, Leo smiled and asked.
“Who summoned what now?”
In this world.
Leo couldn't help but take a keen interest in the story of the only friend who had shared the same time as him.