Chapter 381
Chapter Title: The Pride of Azonia
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381.
The streets of Dobella.
A place where mercenaries from countless races all over the world gathered, it was also a place where fights never ceased.
But right now, the streets of Dobella were dead silent.
"...You know, from the rumors, I heard this was a much rougher and dirtier town."
"Rough and dirty? The streets are unbelievably clean."
Chelsea shrugged at Karl's dumbfounded mumble.
The streets, which should have been littered with liquor bottles, passed-out drunks, and all sorts of filth, were so clean they felt barren.
Not only were there no common drunks, but you couldn't even hear the sound of people drinking and shouting inside the pubs.
"I think I know why."
Chloe muttered quietly as she surveyed the street.
"Why is that?"
Chloe's mentee, Betty, asked, her eyes sparkling.
She genuinely respected Chloe and wanted to learn everything from her mentor.
In response to Betty's question, Chloe pointed to several buildings.
There were marks that looked like they'd been scorched by lightning.
On closer inspection, the building walls and the ground were covered in similar marks.
"The prince's handiwork."
"Definitely. With Duran's personality, he would've cleaned up these streets the moment he saw them."
Juen looked puzzled at Karl and Leo's words.
"Why would Senior Duran do something so troublesome?"
At that question, Leo shrugged and looked at Karl.
Karl was already putting on a deadpan expression, his mouth twisting slightly.
Seeing it, Juen grimaced and stepped back.
"What's with that weird face?"
"I know that one. It's someone's arrogant and self-righteous expression."
As Chelsea snickered, Karl began to imitate Duran's way of speaking.
"What a filthy street. You'd do well to remove this filth from my sight at once. Otherwise... Crackle—!"
Watching Karl make lightning effects with his hands while vocally mimicking the sound of Duran's lightning aura, the first-years covered their mouths to stifle their involuntary laughter.
Iliana and Chelsea were openly clutching their stomachs and howling with laughter, while Chloe just held her head and sighed.
"Didn't I tell you to stop with that ridiculous Duran impression?"
"Why? It's a special talent I developed after thoroughly analyzing and researching our country's prince."
"Why did you thoroughly analyze and research Senior Duran?"
"Back when we were first-years, our class was rivals with Class 1, which Duran was in."
Chelsea giggled.
"One day, Karl started doing that, saying if he analyzed the behavioral patterns of Class 1's key figures, he could predict what they were thinking. His Celia Jerdinger version is hilarious too."
At Chelsea's words, Karl straightened his back, adopted Celia's signature hair-flip pose, and said.
"Duran, do not cause damage to the streets for such trivial reasons."
"Hmph. Do not command me, Celia Jerdinger."
Seeing Karl now performing a one-man, two-role play, the first-years could no longer hold back their laughter and burst out laughing.
Karl's impressions had a strange realism to them; they were similar enough yet created a huge sense of disconnect, which was more than enough to make everyone erupt in laughter.
Karl could have done a three-role play by adding Chloe, but he refrained, having once been trapped in ice for doing it in front of her.
Austin, a member of the Jerdinger Family and a knight, gave a bitter smile, while Luke, who revered all his seniors as gods, didn't know what to do.
"Ah! That's hilarious! Ahahaha!"
"You find that amusing, Iliana Raden?"
"Of course... Eek?!"
Iliana flinched at the icy voice that came from behind her.
The other students who had been roaring with laughter also fell silent.
Only Chelsea was still clutching her stomach, giggling.
"Hmph? It seems the first-year mages think their seniors from the knight department are pushovers."
Celia, appearing from behind Duran, smiled as she swept her hair back.
At that, Juen and Betty's faces turned deathly pale.
Even if their departments were different, a senior was a senior.
Moreover, Celia and Duran were among the top three students in the second-year knight department.
If they got on their bad side, their school life could become a real nightmare.
"Um... well, this is... um..."
Karl, the guilty party, broke out in a cold sweat, trying to find an excuse.
"Hehe. Please be generous."
Chen Xia, who was beside Leo, covered her mouth and let out a small laugh.
At her words, Celia and Duran looked at Chen Xia.
"Karl was just joking around to lighten the mood, wasn't he? I don't think you two are the kind of people who can't let something like that slide."
She calmed Celia and Duran with a mature smile.
"That's right. You're their seniors. Be generous and let it go."
When Leo chimed in, Celia swept her hair back.
"Leo, if you're going to say so."
Duran shot a cold glance at Karl before snorting.
"I-I'm saved..."
"See? I told you not to do it."
Chloe gave the relieved Karl a pathetic look.
Meanwhile, Leo approached Celia and Duran.
"I heard there's an unusual situation in the Forest of Monsters."
"Hmph, you're well-informed."
Duran's lips curled into a smirk.
Celia said.
"This is perfect timing. We were just about to ask the top students of our year to come to Dobella."
"Celia. Did you really find traces of a Hero Dungeon in the Forest of Monsters?"
Celia nodded at Chloe's question.
"Yes. And while I can't say for sure yet, I don't think it's just one Hero Dungeon."
"What?"
"Let's head to the base we've secured. We'll share the information we've gathered."
***
"Making the lord's castle your base? Whose idea was that?"
"It was my idea."
"Of course."
"Any complaints, Karl Thomas?"
"Nah, not really."
Karl replied to Duran, lacing his fingers behind his head.
Duran snorted at Karl and gestured with his chin.
"Karl Thomas. Bring Chloe, Leo Flove, Chen Xia, and Chelsea Llewellyn to the meeting room."
"Yessir, yessir. As you command. What about Iliana?"
"Hmph. I suppose Iliana Raden is qualified enough."
With that, Duran turned and left.
Watching him go, Juen pouted.
"Senior Karl. Senior Duran is treating you like a total servant. Why do you just accept it?"
"What can I do? That's just his personality. He acts like that with everyone, not just me. He's a prince, can't be helped."
"Still! You're the one who conquered Lord Dweno's Hero Record, Senior Karl. Shouldn't he show you more respect?"
As Juen sulked, Duran's mentee, Habiden, who was passing by, spoke up.
"It's only natural that even someone like Senior Karl has to defer to Senior Duran, isn't it?"
"What do you mean, defer?!"
"He's not wrong."
Juen flared up when Karl agreed with Habiden.
"I won't accept that!"
Juen, the top first-year mage, and Habiden, the second-ranked first-year knight, were famous for growling at each other whenever they met.
As rivals from traditionally opposing departments, and both skilled enough to compete for second place among all first-years, neither would back down even in a minor war of nerves.
"There they go again. Austin, you're friends with both of them. Can't you stop them?"
Martina, a fellow member of Leo's knight order, said to Austin with a troubled expression.
"It's no use."
Austin sighed.
Watching them, Karl muttered like an old man reminiscing about the past.
"So young. The springtime of youth. Ah, youth."
"What's the age difference between us and them for you to be talking like that?"
"I was just imitating you."
Leo, opening the door to his room in the lord's castle, asked with a dry laugh, and Karl answered with a grin.
"Perfect timing. Duran said to gather everyone and come to the meeting room."
"Alright, you guys go on ahead."
"And you?"
"Ar said she'd be here soon with the students from Azonia."
Leo said calmly.
"We're going to need the cooperation of the Azonia students for this."
***
An hour after leaving the lord's castle, Leo met with the students from Azonia.
After Leo explained the situation in front of the warp gate, the Azonia representatives who had come to Dobella wore grave expressions.
"Leo Flove, are you saying there might be multiple Hero Dungeons?"
Rwen, a fox beastkin and the third-ranked second-year from Azonia, asked with narrowed eyes.
"Yes."
"A great battle awaits! My heart is pounding!"
"All you can think about is rampaging, can't you? Idiot."
"This damn fox...!"
Just as Rwen smirked at her rival, the fifth-ranked Borman...
"Save the fighting for later."
Dion, a wolf beastkin and the second-ranked student, said coldly.
Rwen and Borman both snorted.
"But this is worrying. To think we have to reveal Azonia's shame to Lumerne."
At Tabon's words, Rwen and Borman froze.
Dion also let out a low sigh.
Looking at the four of them, Ar spoke.
"Like I said, the Black Rabbit already knows."
The shame of Azonia that Tabon mentioned.
It was deeply connected to the reason the Azonia students had come to Ellehem.
The ultimate purpose for the second-years of Azonia coming to Ellehem.
It was none other than to pursue the Hero Hunters discovered in Ellehem.
Azonia had been conducting a large-scale pursuit of Hero Hunters since the beginning of the year.
The target that Azonia, one of the great pillars of the world alongside Lumerne, was pursuing with all its might was a Hero Hunter with the ability of 'Beastification'.
From Azonia's perspective, they were a disgrace whose very existence they wished to erase from the world.
Five thousand years had passed since the dawn of the Age of Heroes.
The beastkin had always revered the great Brave Hero Ar-on and claimed to be his descendants.
But in all that long history, not a single beastkin, aside from Ar, had been able to freely use 'Beastification' without a full moon like Ar-on.
Even 'Azonia', the founder of Azonia, had been incapable of it.
And yet, these 'Hero Hunters' could freely use Beastification even without a full moon.
It was a fact that Azonia wanted to hide at all costs.
The four students here had also been immensely shocked when they first heard the story.
In such a situation, if they were to cooperate with Lumerne, that fact would inevitably become known.
"There's a big difference between a few people knowing and many people knowing."
Rwen said with downcast eyes.
"This matter... I believe finishing it ourselves is the only way to protect Azonia's glory."
"But if we cooperate, we can definitely catch them..."
"Ar, you can only say that because it's you."
"What?"
Rwen looked straight into Ar's blue eyes.
"You, who can use Beastification just like Lord Ar-on, could never understand how we feel, could you?"
Ar looked flustered.
Leo watched the Azonia students in silence.
Except for Ar, all the other students from Azonia were dispirited.
It was different from the Azonia students Leo knew.
Normally, the students of Azonia were full of confidence.
They genuinely revered Ar-on and spared no effort to become like the legendary hero they knew.
But now was different.
*'It seems they've hit a wall because of Ar.'*
That's why they were dispirited.
*'No, it's more than just being dispirited. It looks like they've completely lost their will to fight.'*
The last time he saw them, these same students were making a fuss about how they would defeat Ar.
But now, he could feel that their will was completely broken.
Leo burst out laughing.
"What's so funny, Leo Flove?"
Tabon asked, narrowing his brow, and Leo answered.
"No, it's just that you all look so similar."
"Similar? To whom?"
"Who else could it be?"
At the sudden remark, the Azonia representatives looked completely baffled, while Ar's face was a picture of horror.
"H-Hey, Black Rabbit! Wait!"
"Being dispirited like cowards... you're exactly the same as Ar-on."