Chapter 342
Chapter Title: A Secret Lesson
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Seirun's first-year lower class.
They all agreed to learn [Introduction to Star Magic] without hesitation.
Normally, no one would have dared to take such a dangerous class, one treated as a banned book by the school and punishable by expulsion, the worst possible outcome.
But the lower-class students' desire to improve their grades was so desperate that they were willing to resort to such risky measures to enhance their skills.
Leo, too, was a little surprised, not having expected all of them to agree to learn [Introduction to Star Magic] despite the risks.
*'Then again, even when Seirun was in a normal state, students used dishonest methods to climb the ranks.'*
Leo let out a small sigh as he recalled the school trip around this time last year.
Lauta Algra.
Last year, he was in Seirun's second-year advanced class 2.
He was a student who had originally come from a lower class but had entered the advanced class after a rapid improvement in his skills.
However, the source of his improved skills was the power of a demonic artifact given to him by the Necro King, and he was eventually subjugated by Lunia.
It was an incident where the longing to be a hero twisted into a warped desire.
Leo had heard there was an internal investigation at Seirun afterward, but he had no way of knowing the detailed circumstances.
The important thing was that students were heading down the wrong path due to greed driven by grades.
That wasn't a problem unique to Seirun.
Whether it was Lumerne, Azonia, or Demian.
It was a situation that could easily occur at any hero training academy.
*'Especially since Hell Kaiser is the type to exploit those weaknesses.'*
Leo clicked his tongue, thinking of the legion commander who was still active even after thousands of years.
Fanning the flames to make things rot from the inside was the Necro King's specialty.
*'The growing influence of the racial supremacists at Seirun this time might also be his handiwork.'*
Leo's eyes narrowed as he thought of the Necro King.
*'Anyway, it's a smooth start.'*
Laura had read the [Introduction to Star Magic] Leo gave her and couldn't stop marveling at it.
Laura had been sincere when she said this book should be actively taught at Seirun.
*'Luna would have been happier than anyone to read this thesis.'*
Luna had wanted the star magic she created to be passed down to future generations for a long time.
*'Isn't it obvious? If people keep learning and mastering my magic, it means I'll be remembered forever. Hmph, it means people will praise the great Luna for all eternity.'*
Leo smiled bitterly, recalling how Luna had painstakingly reinterpreted her own magical formulas so that others could learn them.
*'Back then, I just thought she was an arrogant girl... but looking back now, she never once doubted that we would save the world.'*
Luna had been steadily preparing the things she would leave behind for posterity.
*'Now, she's become a true Great Hero who can never be forgotten.'*
But Luna ran out of time, and the task of reinterpreting her formulas so that many could learn star magic was postponed for future generations.
2,000 years later, Seirun accomplished it, and after another 3,000 years, Ren and Anna succeeded.
*'Professor Ren and Assistant Professor Anna's thesis was created simply in pursuit of possibilities.'*
But for Leo, it was the moment he witnessed his friend's wish come true.
And as a result of the class based on the thesis, the lower-class students were astonished.
The students, who were skeptical at first, instantly recognized the value of the thesis.
*'In the first place, being admitted to Seirun means you have exceptional talent.'*
It was just that their aptitude for star magic was low by Seirun's standards.
The potential is there for everyone.
Judging first-years based solely on their results at the beginning of the semester is ridiculous.
*'Those elven supremacists mistakenly think that aptitude for star magic is a matter of talent... but star magic isn't about talent. It's simply a matter of whether it suits one's mana affinity or not.'*
It was a misconception born from treating star magic as something overly special.
*'As expected, some students started to stand out from the very first day of class.'*
The most prominent was Anr.
An aspiring magic knight who was skilled in both spearmanship and aura skills.
On top of that, his general magic skills were also excellent.
*'Well, since his main focus is spearmanship, it's not as good as his aura skills.'*
In any case, Anr showed a dramatic change in just one day.
He himself seemed surprised by his own achievement.
*'If the lower-class kids show their skills in the midterms, they'll naturally investigate what's been happening in the lower class.'*
Then, they would naturally find out about the [Introduction to Star Magic], which had been designated a banned book.
*'It'll cause a stir in Seirun's identity. Well, the supremacists' influence is strong, so they might all get expelled.'*
Leo made an indifferent face.
*'If that happens, I'll just have Mel transfer them to Lumerne.'*
Normally, that would be next to impossible, but Leo could do it.
*'Mel wouldn't complain if I told her to do it.'*
He would probably use any means necessary to make the transfers happen.
Mel even had a record of tearing out Dweno's entire treasury from Demian.
*'She's a bit of a punk herself, isn't she?'*
Just as Leo let out a small laugh.
*Tap! Tap! Tap!*
A knocking sound came from the window.
With a curious expression, Leo got up and opened the window curtains.
And he let out a dry laugh at the sight of three girls squatting in front of the window.
"Hey! Open the door! I'm freezing to death!"
Lunia said, shivering with her arms crossed.
"Leo, please open the door. It's so cold."
Eiran pleaded pitifully, while Leah, noticing Leo's attire, exclaimed happily, "Pajamas!"
When Leo opened the door, the three girls rushed into his room.
"Ugh! It's cold!"
Lunia brushed the snow off her body.
Eiran shivered uncontrollably.
Leah raised her hand high and spoke clearly.
"Senior Flove! I've completed the homework you assigned!"
"Oh? And what was your conclusion?"
"Seirun is a failed, crappy school! I think I need to seriously consider transferring to Lumerne!"
"..."
Leo narrowed his eyes at Lunia and Eiran.
"What did you two teach this kid? Don't you have any school pride?"
"We just told her the truth about Seirun, okay? She's the one who interpreted it her own way and came to that conclusion! Hey! And you're a direct descendant of the Tingel family! How can you evaluate the school founded by Lady Seirun like that!"
"Wh-?!"
Lunia's eyes widened as she put Leah in a headlock.
Leah frantically slapped at Lunia's arm wrapped around her neck and shouted.
"I, I surrender. Surrender!"
Watching the affectionate physical conversation between the top first-year and the top second-year, Leo gestured with his chin.
"Warm yourselves up first."
Seeing Leo point to the bed, Lunia and Eiran were taken aback.
"Huh? In, in your bed, Leo?"
"Yeah. Aren't you cold?"
"Senior Flove's bed!"
Leah dove into Leo's bed without a second thought.
Eiran hesitated for a moment, then, blushing, she crawled under the covers and muttered softly, "Leo's scent."
"I'm fine."
"Why?"
"My father told me not to carelessly lie in a strange man's bed."
"That doesn't sound like something the most reckless one of the three would say."
"What did you say?"
"Besides, around this time last year, we were lying in the same bed, hugging..."
"You wanna die?! That was unavoidable! I told you I'd kill you if you ever mentioned that in front of anyone else!"
Lunia, her face flushed, grabbed Leo by the collar and yelled.
Of course, Leo didn't even bat an eye.
"Senior Eiran."
"Yes, Leah."
"Is Senior Lunia always that violent?"
"Yes."
"You two, I swear!"
*Squeeeeze-!*
"I, I surrender! Surrender!"
"Lunia, I can't breathe."
She leaped onto the bed and wrapped her arms around Leah's and Eiran's necks, choking them.
Leah struggled as if in pain, but Eiran, who was overwhelmingly stronger physically than Lunia, remained unfazed.
"*Gasp! Gasp!*"
"*Pant- pant-*"
After another round of commotion, Lunia and Leah lay sprawled on the bed, gasping for breath.
And looking at Eiran, who was quietly wrapped up in the blanket, Leo muttered to himself.
*'Watching them is never boring, I'll give them that.'*
"Leah."
"Yes, Senior Flove."
"You don't seem particularly attached to this school, do you?"
Leah smiled brightly at Leo's question.
"It's not that I'm not attached. I truly respect my ancestor. It's just that I've wanted to enroll in Lumerne since last year."
"Wanting to enroll in Lumerne. That's quite unusual."
"I suppose so."
Lunia and Eiran had also told Leah that Seirun was a crappy, failed school, but they held a deep affection for it.
"Whether I'm at Seirun or Lumerne, I'm still me, right? I'm confident I can be the best anywhere. If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to be the junior of someone I personally admire? 'Believe in yourself.' Just as my ancestor said, I just need to believe in the path I'm taking."
Smiling brightly, Leah revealed her firm conviction.
Leo nodded in response.
"Anyway, why did you all sneak over to see me at this hour?"
Leo asked, looking at Lunia.
"You're plotting something at Seirun, aren't you?"
Lunia asked with her arms crossed, and Leo nodded.
"Yes."
"What are you planning to do?"
"I plan to drastically raise the grades of the lower-class kids in the midterms."
"What?"
"And through that, I intend to show that Seirun's current methods are wrong."
Lunia pondered Leo's words.
After thinking for a moment, her ears twitching a few times, Lunia finally nodded.
"It's true that if the lower-class juniors' grades improve drastically, the influence of those Pure-Blood Society guys will diminish. But do you have a way?"
"[Introduction to Star Magic]."
"Ah."
Lunia exclaimed in understanding.
Eiran also clapped her hands.
"Right, there was the Introduction to Star Magic written by the Lumerne professor!"
Lunia and Eiran had also seen the thesis when they were learning magic from Leo during the exclusive smith contract negotiation.
For students like Lunia and Eiran, who already possessed overwhelming skill in star magic, it wouldn't have any effect on improving their abilities, but for the lower-class students, it was sure to be effective.
"Alright, we'll help too. We just need to teach the lower-class kids, right?"
Lunia grinned, crossing her arms.
Seirun would have no reason to stop them from helping their juniors.
"No, if you help, the effect will be halved."
"What?"
"The improvement of the lower class's grades will only be meaningful if it's achieved solely through their own efforts."
Leo grinned at Lunia.
"Even if you are a delinquent, you're still Seirun's top student academically, right?"
"Well, yeah, but... calling me a delinquent kinda hurts, you know? At any other school, I'd be an honor student."
As Lunia squinted her eyes, Leo stated flatly.
"Even at another school, you'd just be a smart thug."
An incensed Lunia threw a punch at Leo, but of course, it didn't land.
Leo, who had annoyingly dodged the punch, said.
"I appreciate the offer, but for now, just watch over your juniors as they do their best."
"Can't be helped, then."
Lunia let out a small sigh and grinned.
Eiran also clasped her hands together and cheered for Leo.
"We should probably get going now."
Lunia checked the time and was about to leave through the window.
But Eiran and Leah seemed to want to stay a little longer, ignoring Lunia.
Lunia was about to grab her friend and junior by the scruff of their necks and leave the room.
"Leah. You stay for a bit."
"Yes!"
"What are you going to do with her?"
Lunia asked with a slightly flustered expression, and Leo replied as if it were nothing.
"There's just something I need to do."
"Alright."
Lunia nodded and slipped out the window.
Eiran, who came out with her, cupped her reddened cheeks.
"L-late at night... a senior and a junior, all alone in a small dorm room... Haa...!"
"Eiran, you've got a serious case. Leo's kind of like an old man; he's not interested in kids."
"If he's an old man, doesn't that mean he's an adult, making him even more dangerous?"
"..."
Lunia paused, looking at Eiran who was making a strangely valid point.
Then, she glanced at Leo's door for a moment and said.
"Let me correct myself. He's more like a grandfather."
*
Leah looked at Leo with strangely nervous eyes.
*'Late at night, a dorm room. A man and a woman who shouldn't be together.'*
She didn't really think anything would happen, but it was still a situation where it would be strange not to be nervous.
Meanwhile, Leo took something out from his clothes and squatted on the floor.
And asked.
"Why do you like Kyle?"
Looking at Leo who asked in a light tone, Leah said.
"The Tingel family has one of Lady Seirun's journals passed down."
"Seirun's journal?"
"Yes. It's Lady Seirun's journal that only direct descendants of the Tingel family can see... it's forbidden from being shown to the public. Lady Seirun left instructions not to reveal it."
"Is it okay for you to tell me that?"
"I feel like you wouldn't tell anyone, Senior Flove. And people probably wouldn't believe the contents of the journal anyway."
Leah laughed.
*'...Is it about Erebos?'*
Leo's expression hardened slightly.
Leo, who knew well the final fate of the Heroes of the Beginning, became curious about the contents related to Erebos.
"What's it about?"
"A love story."
"..."
For a moment, Leo's expression turned strange.
"Love?"
"Yes."
Leah said excitedly, her eyes sparkling.
"The desperate and heart-wrenching love story of the Hero of the Beginning and the Progenitor of the Nebula! It's a record Lady Seirun wrote based on her own conquest of the World of Heroes, so it's definitely true."
"Did Luna like Kyle or something?"
"No! It says Kyle passionately loved Luna!"
Leo felt his mind going blank.
And something flashed through his mind.
There are female students among his Lumerne classmates who enjoy writing.
A kind of fiction, where they imagine stories about their favorite heroes.
A normal person wouldn't dare imagine that one of the Heroes of the Beginning would write something like that.
But from Leo's perspective, he was someone who had witnessed all sorts of disgraceful and unsightly behavior from the Great Heroes firsthand.
It was easy for him to imagine Seirun writing such things out of her own one-sided affection.
*'What is this damn elf talking about? I liked Luna? She's the one who liked me, damn it!'*
Just as Leo was grinding his teeth at Seirun for leaving such a false rumor for her descendants.
"It seems she wasn't able to complete the journal... but on the last page, she wrote that Kyle was an idiot who was clumsy at love. It's the only harsh expression in the journal, so I guess Lady Seirun was frustrated with him."
"..."
Leo's face contorted at the scathing evaluation from a distant junior he had never even met.
"It's pretty unbelievable, right?"
Leo stood up, giving a wry smile to the brightly laughing Leah.
"Anyway, why did you ask me to stay?"
Looking at Leah, who asked with a slightly tense face, Leo said.
"You said you failed the summoning because you only heard the voice of the Fairy King, Silroad, right?"
"Yes."
At Leah's answer, Leo grinned.
"The summoning, want to give it another try?"
What Leo had drawn on the floor was none other than the summoning circle needed for the ritual.