Chapter 368
Chapter Title: The City of Pleasure
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Flash-!
The warp gate shimmered with light.
“It’s hot.”
Leo muttered as he stepped out of the warp gate, feeling the desert heat.
He had arrived in the oasis city of Uargela.
It was one of the largest metropolises in El-lehem.
Leo walked through the warp gate’s interior.
Following behind him, Luke spoke.
“Whoa, it’s incredibly hot, isn’t it?”
Already feeling the sweltering heat, Luke was sweating profusely.
The central continent was also in the midst of a scorching summer, so they had switched to their summer uniforms long ago.
But the desert weather was so hot it rendered even those uniforms useless.
Luke stared in amazement at Leo, who hadn't shed a single drop of sweat.
Meanwhile, other students began to emerge from the warp gate.
Since Uargela was a massive city, many teams had come to investigate it.
As the Lumerne students appeared through the warp gate, the people coming and going began to murmur amongst themselves.
“Lumerne?”
“Why are they here…?”
The first-year students reacted in various ways to the surprised expressions of the onlookers.
Some puffed up with pride, while others felt shy.
The second-years, for the most part, were indifferent, having long grown accustomed to such attention.
Leo continued his walk outside.
He narrowed his eyes at the scene that unfolded before him.
Luke’s eyes went wide as he took in the view outside the warp gate.
The city streets were dazzling.
The entire city sparkled, bathed in the light of the mana stone lamps that lined the streets.
The faces of the people walking by were all bright and cheerful.
They chatted happily with one another.
Street vendors sold all sorts of goods.
Every kind of fresh fruit and food, even bouquets of flowers.
The scene was reminiscent of a festival.
“This is a little different from what I imagined.”
“I agree.”
Luke nodded in response to Leo’s murmur.
‘It’s almost as splendid as the capital of Rodren.’
Leo recalled the capital of Rodren, which he had visited with his cousin, Celia.
Rodren was one of the wealthiest nations in the world.
To think there was so little difference between the streets of their major cities.
Since this was the location of their mission, he had already completed his preliminary research on El-lehem.
He was aware of its situation as one of the world’s poorest nations.
But the street before him was a far cry from that of an impoverished country.
While Leo was lost in thought.
The other students also exited the warp gate, their eyes widening at the sight of Uargela’s streets.
“Wow! This is amazing!”
“It’s almost on the level of Lumeria City, isn’t it?”
The other students, too, were buzzing with excitement, the scene before them completely different from what they had imagined.
The female students, in particular, were humming happily.
They had been worried about having to stay in subpar accommodations, but the sight of the streets dispelled those concerns.
“I was so worried about the lodging, but it looks like I worried for nothing.”
“Let’s find a place to stay first!”
“Yeah! The school gave us plenty of support funds, so we might as well stay somewhere nice!”
The students rushed out of the warp gate in a group.
“Should we find a place to stay first, too?”
“Yes, could you find one?”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Leo held out his palm.
Whoosh-!
With a small flicker of flame, a tiny red chick appeared.
Chirp-
It was none other than Piora.
Leo handed Piora to Luke and said.
“Once you find a place, use this little one to tell me the location.”
“Yes, sir.”
“After you’ve secured lodging, I want you to investigate the unusual situation in this city on your own.”
“By myself?”
“You can do it, right?”
“Yes!”
Luke replied, full of motivation.
Chirp- Chirp-
Piora hopped onto the top of Luke’s head.
After tilting its head and pecking a few times, it seemed to take a liking to Luke’s pretty silver hair, elegantly flapping its wings once before settling down.
It looked just like a bird settling into its nest.
“I’m counting on you.”
Chirp-
Piora nodded in response to Luke’s words.
Watching them, Leo added.
“Don’t buy her everything she asks for.”
“Understood.”
After replying, Luke ran off to find lodging.
As Leo watched him go, Elsie, perched on his shoulder, spoke.
-Is there a reason you sent him off alone?
“He’s from the countryside, so he lacks experience.”
Leo turned around.
“I want him to have as many diverse experiences as possible. And I also want to show him that he’s more than capable.”
-What do you mean, show him that he’s capable?
As Elsie tilted her head, Leo answered calmly.
“Luke has lost a lot of confidence recently.”
Leo was right.
The other students were improving their skills at a rapid pace.
But Luke, due to the restriction Leo had placed on him, was constantly stuck in place.
The first-years, unaware of this fact, would often mock and ridicule him.
They sneered that he was just a talentless kid who got lucky enough to get into the academy and become the student council president’s mentee.
Most of the first-years treated Luke as someone who was simply fortunate.
Leo was aware of this as well.
Hearing Leo’s story, Elsie murmured.
-That must be very difficult for him.
“It is.”
There is nothing more agonizing than not being rewarded for your efforts.
The thought of being the only one left behind, especially in a school where competition with others was constant, was more than enough to cause immense stress.
“He probably has no self-confidence and feels like he’s walking down an unseen path.”
-And yet, Luke hasn’t stopped trying.
Trusting Leo’s words, Luke was running forward with all his might.
He endured, even though he could have lifted the restriction at any moment and displayed skills that would overwhelm most students.
‘Senior, can I really defeat Miss Aina?’
‘What do you think?’
‘How could I possibly beat Miss Aina?’
Luke had denied his own potential.
But…
‘Still, since you said it’s possible, Senior Leo, I’ll try.’
He didn’t believe in his own potential, but he believed in Leo’s words.
“In that respect, he reminds me of Verkia and Bihar.”
Leo thought of his disciples from his past life.
Disciples who never stopped trying, even while constantly thinking they were lacking.
That was likely why they were able to accomplish the great task of rebuilding the world after the Age of Calamity had ended.
“He’ll regain some confidence when he’s treated as a Lumerne student during the investigation.”
Whatever the case, getting into Lumerne was an achievement Luke had earned himself.
When surrounded only by other Lumerne students, it might not seem like a big deal, but to outsiders, it was a truly great accomplishment.
“Besides… the place I’m heading now might be a bit too stimulating for a kid.”
At those words, Elsie tilted her head.
With that, Leo disappeared into an alley.
Swoosh-
“He’s gone?”
A girl sitting not far away lowered the newspaper she was reading and glanced toward the alley Leo had vanished into.
“Senior.”
“Yes, what is it, junior?”
Austin cautiously called out to his mentor.
“Why exactly are we secretly watching the Young Master?”
At Austin’s question, Iliana gave a meaningful smile.
“You just don’t get it. The class president, you see, is incredibly good at these kinds of missions.”
Iliana elegantly folded her newspaper and spoke.
“So, if we just stick close to him during this mission practicum, we can coast through it.”
Austin stared at Iliana with a dumbfounded expression.
“Was ordering me to ask Luke for his destination also part of your plan to follow the Young Master?”
“Of course!”
Iliana’s eyes sparkled.
Seeing her, Austin let out a deep sigh.
“Can’t we just conduct the investigation on our own?”
“It’s not that we can’t, but.”
Iliana shook the wallet containing their support funds.
“Since we’ve been given a hefty sum of money, wouldn’t it be nice to have a relaxing mission practicum?”
“As a knight of the Jerdinger family, I cannot condone this. The first virtue of a Jerdinger knight is diligence. The second is morality. The third…”
“Ah! Quiet! The virtue of the Raden family is that what’s good is good!”
“Even so, this is a mission practicum. To be thinking about playing around is…”
Austin tried his best to persuade Iliana.
Iliana looked at him and smiled brightly.
“Austin. Do you know what your young master said to the current vice president, Sir Hark, when he became president last year?”
“What did he say?”
“‘Do as you’re told.’”
“……”
Austin hung his head low.
It wasn’t that Iliana was a poor mentor.
On the contrary, she was quite excellent.
She taught well and provided good guidance.
But when she went off the rails like this, there was no reasoning with her.
“Alright, let’s follow him!”
Iliana stood up and, with Austin, began to trail Leo.
“By the way, why does he have such an old man’s expression on his face?”
Iliana tilted her head, recalling Leo’s expression.
And so, Iliana and Austin entered the alley and followed Leo.
Whenever they came to a fork, they would ask a passerby which way Leo had gone and proceeded smoothly.
A short while later.
“An entrance?”
Something that looked like an entrance appeared in the back alley.
Iliana tilted her head, looking at the entrance, which was covered by a curtain as if to divide the area.
Just as she was about to enter.
“Hehehe. This is no place for little brats like you who still have milk on your lips.”
An old woman standing at the entrance spoke with a wicked laugh.
At her words, Iliana crossed her arms.
“A boy in an outfit similar to ours just passed through here, right?”
“That young master did pass through, yes.”
“We’re following him.”
Iliana lifted her chin.
“If he could go in, then we can too, right?”
“That’s true. This place doesn’t discriminate. However…”
The old woman’s gaze swept over Iliana and Austin.
“It might be a bit too stimulating for little ones.”
Watching the cackling old woman, Iliana scoffed.
“Grandma. For your information, I’m a grown lady. I’m far from innocent. Hmph! How stimulating could it possibly be?”
Iliana confidently pushed aside the entrance curtain and stepped inside.
Austin was about to follow her when.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaah-!”
Iliana’s scream echoed through the air.
“Senior!”
Startled, Austin urgently drew his sword and was about to enter.
Whoosh-!
Iliana came running out from behind the curtain at full speed.
Her face red all the way to her neck, she stammered, “B-b-b-b-buh-,” and collapsed to the ground.
“Senior! What happened!”
“A-a man and! A w-w-w-woman! In the middle of the streeeeeeet!”
Seeing Iliana babbling incoherently, as if in culture shock, the old woman clicked her tongue.
“Looks like some junkies happened to be right by the entrance.”
“What in the world is this place!”
Iliana asked, her face flushed, and the old woman replied.
“This is the Street of Pleasure, home to the Castle of Debauchery.”
Hehehe, the old woman laughed.
“The world’s filthiest paradise. This is no place for young ladies and masters like yourselves. Though, that young master walked through without batting an eye.”
Austin’s expression tensed.
Iliana muttered to herself.
“Could the reason the class president had an old man’s expression be…!”
“Senior. The Young Master must have come here simply for the investigation.”
Austin defended Leo, but Iliana wasn’t listening.