Chapter 341
Chapter Title: The Hero's Last Request
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341
“The first-year students are all currently in the midst of preparing for midterms. Having adapted to school life under the care of our teachers and seniors since our admission, we will achieve results that meet your expectations. Thank you.”
A clear voice rang out.
As the speech by the first-year representative concluded, the sound of applause filled the air.
The young girl who stepped down from the podium bowed gracefully before straightening her back and descending.
Watching her, Lunia muttered.
“She’s the real deal.”
At Lunia’s murmur, Eiran, who was with her, widened her eyes and tilted her head.
“What do you mean?”
“Just what I said.”
Lunia rested her chin on her hand.
“Meaning, she’s the model student Seirun wants.”
Lunia and Eiran were currently in the Hall of Comets.
It was a place at the center of Seirun where the academy’s collection of Hero Records was stored.
Besides the Hero Records, it was also where countless other things left behind by the Comet Sorcerer lay dormant.
It was, quite literally, the history of Seirun itself.
And this was also where the student representative meetings were held.
A gathering where the representatives of each grade were summoned, centered around the student council president.
It was a place where Seirun’s top students convened to discuss their studies.
And this meeting was concluding with the speech by the first-year top student, Leah.
“Aren’t you an honor student too, Lunia?”
“Nope, I’m a delinquent, remember?”
Lunia chuckled softly.
“Lunia, Eiran. Focus on the meeting.”
Just then, a male student, the third-ranked second-year, pointed it out.
“I’m focusing plenty.”
“Don’t take this lightly. We’re here as the second-year representatives.”
As the male student, Teveson, spoke sternly, Eiran gave an awkward laugh.
“Teveson. The grade representative meeting isn’t such a stiff occasion. It’s a place to build friendships between seniors and juniors, so you don’t have to be so tense.”
Eiran was right.
While it had the grand purpose of discussing academics, that was merely a superficial reason.
In reality, it was a social gathering.
It wasn’t a place that demanded excessive formality.
But despite Eiran’s words, Teveson didn’t relax his stiff posture.
‘He’s practically clawing for the position of grade representative. Well, it’s not like he got it through skill.’
Among the top first-class of the second years, there were many students as skilled as Teveson when it came to grades.
In fact, since becoming second-years, the grade representatives for Lunia’s year had been replaced countless times.
Lunia’s and Eiran’s rankings hadn’t changed.
Only the third-place spot.
Luca’s former position was constantly changing.
Most were on par in terms of skill.
Because of this, it naturally led to a situation where students who catered to the teachers' tastes took the position of grade representative.
After Leah’s presentation came the social gathering.
Teveson approached the grade representatives from the third, fourth, and fifth years, actively introducing himself as the grade representative.
The third, fourth, and fifth years showed a lukewarm reaction to him.
Unlike Teveson, who was trying his best to build connections, the upperclassmen representatives seemed uninterested in having a deep conversation with him.
The reason for their reaction was simple.
‘They’re saying he’s not qualified. Seeing things like this, even our seniors are quite eccentric for elves.’
She didn’t know it as a first-year, but after becoming a second-year, she learned something new.
People who became grade representatives tended to have a screw loose somewhere.
Even Lienia, last year’s graduate and former student council president, was a pervert with slightly sadistic tendencies.
‘I just want to tease our first-years every time I see them. Come, hurry into this big sister’s arms!’
Lunia let out a hollow laugh, recalling Lienia who would rush over to hug them.
‘And then there’s Senior Hadin.’
Lunia looked at Hadin, the top student of the fourth years and the current student council president.
Originally, Lunia hadn’t liked Hadin much.
He was a typical Seirun honor student who had criticized her for every little thing.
But during the second semester of their first year last year.
After they conquered Luna’s world together and she got to know his true feelings, they became close.
He believed that Lunia was the elf best suited to be the next student council president and had told her he would pass the position to her next year when he became a fifth-year.
‘Senior Marven was absent again this time.’
Lunia clicked her tongue at the absence of Marven, the top fifth-year student.
Marven was one of the students who openly expressed dissatisfaction with the current system at Seirun.
Being the top fifth-year meant being the strongest student in the academy.
Even Lienia had tried to pass the student council presidency to him.
But Marven had refused.
The reason was simple.
Marven was a student who didn't fit the current system that emphasized star magic.
In other words, his achievements in star magic were lacking.
He might be the strongest in the school, but there were countless students whose abilities as star mages surpassed his.
However, his external reputation was such that it would have been strange for him not to become the student council president.
Notably, Marven had succeeded in retrieving one of Seirun’s Hero Records during the recent Hero Dungeon expedition.
Very few of Seirun’s Hero Records remained.
It was, in a literal sense, an incredible achievement.
In a situation where even the Pureblood Society, the extremist group that now controlled Seirun, had no choice but to entrust him with the presidency, Marven himself had refused.
‘Those Pureblood Society bastards are spouting nonsense about it being Marven’s consideration for future generations.’
But it was inevitable that outsiders would look on with suspicion.
Besides him, most of the grade representatives harbored dissatisfaction with the current system.
‘The first-years are important. From the Pureblood Society’s perspective, we’re already tainted, but those kids are blank slates.’
She turned her gaze to the first-years, who were standing around awkwardly, unused to their first grade representative meeting.
Since it was still the beginning of the semester, they were easy to influence.
‘Especially that Leah Tingel. The Pureblood Society guys must be keeping a close watch on her…’
Rea’s symbolic value was immense.
Not only was she a descendant of Seirun, but she had also recently succeeded in communicating with the Fairy King.
‘If I show a rebellious attitude, they’ll blatantly try to make her the symbol of Seirun, right? Maybe they’ll even make a fuss about her being the first-year student council president or something, conscious of Leo.’
Lunia inwardly clicked her tongue.
In the meantime, the grade representative meeting came to an end.
Just as Lunia and Eiran were about to return to their second-year classroom.
In the hallway, Leah blocked their path.
Lunia tilted her head as she looked at Leah, who was staring at her with a perfectly composed appearance.
“Do you have something to say to us?”
“Yes.”
“What is it, Miss Leah?”
As Eiran asked with a friendly smile, Leah asked with a serious expression.
“What do you think of the current Seirun?”
At the sudden question, Lunia narrowed her eyes, and Eiran looked flustered.
‘What do I think of the current Seirun? Obviously, I think it’s a mess.’
But in this situation.
For Leah, who was receiving attention from the Pureblood Society, to ask such a question, Lunia couldn’t help but have other thoughts.
‘Is she testing me?’
Eiran seemed to think so too, glancing back and forth between Lunia and Leah.
“My opinion isn’t really important, is it? Let’s go, Eiran.”
Lunia swept her hair back and turned away with a flick of her head.
Thump!
But Leah grabbed the hem of Lunia’s uniform skirt.
“Please tell me! It’s homework!”
“Hey, let go of this!”
Lunia raised her voice at Leah, who was tugging at her uniform skirt while whining, her face flushed.
“It’s homework that Senior Flove gave me!”
“What?”
Lunia and Eiran froze.
They looked at each other’s faces.
“Homework from Leo? What do you mean by that?”
“Senior Flove is at Seirun right now.”
Leah puffed out her chest with a harrumph.
“And I am scheduled to become Senior Flove’s top disciple.”
He had only said he would teach her about magic, but Leah was already referring to herself as Leo’s top disciple.
“...Why is Leo at Seirun? Where is he now?”
“Ah! That’s a secret between Senior Flove and me! I can’t tell you!”
Just as Lunia was making a face of disbelief.
“Um… by any chance, did Leo come as an exchange student?”
At those words, Leah’s shoulders flinched, and Lunia crossed her arms and nodded.
“Aha, so that’s what it was.”
Lunia’s eyes narrowed as she smiled faintly.
“Then Leo must be in the first-year dormitory now.”
“Why would Leo come to the first year as an exchange student?”
“Looking at the state of our school right now, it’s obvious, isn’t it?”
At Lunia’s chilly words, Leah spoke.
“A-anyway! Please hurry and tell me what you think of the current Seirun.”
At Leah’s words, Lunia replied.
“I don’t think it’s in a good state.”
“What? Why?”
Leah looked flustered.
Seeing her, Eiran also smiled bitterly.
“Things have gotten strange lately. The discrimination among students has become too severe.”
“That’s right. Compared to last year, Seirun is a complete cesspool of a school now.”
“A c-cesspool?!”
“Lunia.”
Eiran chided her, but Lunia just shrugged.
“I’m just telling the truth.”
“Even so, that kind of word is a bit…”
“Then what should I say?”
“Um… um…”
Eiran pondered for a moment, then said cautiously.
“A failed school?”
“In a way, I think you’re being even harsher.”
Shocked by her two seniors’ words, Leah muttered with a serious face.
“Maybe I should have enrolled at Lumerne after all.”
Hearing that, Lunia looked dumbfounded.
She never dreamed that such a remark would come from the mouth of a direct descendant of the Tingel family.
“First, I need to meet Leo.”
“What? But I don’t think it will be easy to meet him.”
“We’ll have to meet in secret.”
Lunia said with a faint smile.
“How, in secret?”
“We’ll go to Leo’s room at night.”
“A-at night…”
Eiran’s face immediately turned bright red.
“...You’re having weird thoughts again, aren’t you?”
“N-no, I’m not!”
Eiran retorted defensively.
Watching them, Leah said.
“Seniors, I want to go too.”
“...And why are you coming?”
“I’m curious about what Senior Flove looks like in his pajamas.”
Lunia sighed as she looked at Leah, who answered with a serious expression.
‘She’s the type to come even if I tell her not to.’
Seeing the persistence in Leah’s eyes, Lunia told her the time to meet at dawn and sent her away.
“She’s an energetic junior.”
Eiran smiled brightly.
“This confirms it.”
Lunia said, crossing her arms.
“All the Seirun grade representatives are weirdos.”
“What? I’m not a weird person.”
“I know all about your hobby of reading those embarrassing novels, you know? What was the title of the book you’re reading now? *The Younger Man Who Holds My Leash*… Mmph?”
Eiran covered Lunia’s mouth, her face on the verge of tears.
After the commotion, as they walked back to the classroom, Eiran wore a worried expression.
“Anyway, it looks like we’ll have to break the school rules.”
“Is it the first or second time we’ve broken the rules?”
At Lunia’s shrug, Eiran thought for a moment, then smiled brightly.
“That’s true.”
Unbeknownst to her, Eiran was steadily being corrupted into a delinquent student.
***
The top floor of the Hall of Comets.
It was the highest point in Seirun.
There, stood the Plaza of Stars, used only for important meetings or conferences at Seirun.
There, Seirun’s Acting Headmaster.
Rhagen was speaking with someone.
“This is a joyous occasion. Not long after the Progenitor of the Nebula returned to this land, Lord Seirun’s Hero Record has returned to us.”
Rhagen said in a voice filled with emotion.
At Rhagen’s words, Tion, who had just arrived at Seirun, let out a deep sigh.
“Lord Rhagen. That Hero Record… are you certain it is Lord Seirun’s?”
“Yes, Lord Tion.”
“...Did you call me because you need an item that can serve as a ‘key’ to the Hero Record?”
The Tingel family was the family of the Comet Sorcerer, Seirun.
As such, it was certain they possessed an heirloom that could open Seirun’s Hero Record.
“Yes. Very few of Lord Seirun’s Hero Records remain. The ones that do are stored in Dragonia. But finally, one of Lord Seirun’s Hero Records has officially returned to our Seirun. This means our students can now inherit Lord Seirun’s power.”
Rhagen smiled faintly.
“This is an opportunity. The elven hero can be called the most superior of all heroes…”
“Lord Rhagen. A hero is by no means a superior being.”
Tion stated flatly.
“A hero is someone who moves forward with those around them. They are merely a little special.”
“...I have always felt that your view of heroes does not align with mine, Lord Tion. Discussing that part will only hurt our feelings.”
Rhagen replied curtly, his smile never leaving his face.
“What is important now is the fact that the Comet Sorcerer’s Hero Record has returned to our Seirun.”
Tion nodded his head.
“Then, the key that can open Lord Seirun’s World of Heroes…”
“Before that, Lord Rhagen. Do you know why so few of Lord Seirun’s Hero Records remain?”
“...I only know that they were lost during the process of distributing the Hero Records 3,000 years ago.”
“Since then, we have succeeded in recovering numerous Hero Records of Lord Seirun. Not just Lord Seirun’s. The same goes for the Hero Records of the other Heroes of the Beginning.”
Rhagen’s eyes widened.
This was a fact that even he did not know.
“Then why do none remain? Did those greedy dragons take them back?”
Looking at the enraged Rhagen, Tion spoke.
“This is the last letter Lord Seirun left for the academy.”
Tion took out a worn envelope from his pocket.
“Oh… The last letter left by Lord Seirun…!”
Rhagen’s face was colored with emotion.
After receiving the envelope with a reverent attitude, Rhagen checked the letter with a trembling heart.
And his eyes shot open at what was written.
[To the elves of the future. The moment you discover my Hero Record, destroy it without a trace. Seirun.]
“What… is this…”
“In accordance with this last will, all the Hero Records of the Heroes of the Beginning, including Lord Seirun’s, were destroyed immediately upon discovery. That is why the Hero Records of the Heroes of the Beginning do not remain.”