Chapter 428
Chapter Title: Welcome to Hell
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428.
“It’s bigger than I thought.”
“So this is Young Master Leo’s family home…!”
Before the mansion on the Flove family estate.
As Lunia muttered while looking at the mansion's main gate, Eiran, who was beside her, wore a nervous expression.
“Eiran, let’s go in.”
“Miss Lunia. Don’t you think this is a bit lacking? Young Master Leo's parents will surely be here. Isn't this gift insufficient?”
“You were the one who said that bringing too extravagant a gift would just make them uncomfortable.”
“Ah! How could I have done something so foolish!”
Overcome with excessive nervousness, Eiran fell into a state of confusion and berated herself.
“Just a moment! Let me go back and get a gift…”
“We’ll be late.”
Lunia grabbed Eiran by the scruff of her neck and started dragging her inside.
“Aah, Miss Lunia! Just a moment!”
“Ugh! Stop it and hurry up!”
Lunia yelled as she forcefully pulled at Eiran, who was clinging to the iron gate and refusing to let go.
Just as the two elves were making a scene in front of someone else’s house.
“It seems you're afraid of going to the training retreat!”
A triumphant voice came from behind.
Lunia turned her head to see Ar, the beastkin, with her hands on her hips and her white tail swishing, snorting with a huff-!
Beside her, Driana stood with her arms crossed.
“You’re here?”
With a defiant expression, Lunia, still holding Eiran’s collar, placed one hand on her hip and tilted her head.
Seeing her characteristically fierce gesture, Driana spoke.
“I always feel this way, but Lunia, you look like a thug no matter how I see you.”
“Huh? She wasn’t a thug?!”
“Who are you calling a thug! You perverted dwarf and stupid cat!”
An incensed Lunia shouted.
Watching Lunia, Eiran muttered quietly.
“You do seem like a thug sometimes.”
“What?”
“Eek?”
Seeing Lunia's eyes glare menacingly, Eiran hugged the mansion's iron gate even tighter.
Lunia tried to pry her off, but Eiran's base physical strength was far greater.
“Hey! Cat, give me a hand with her. She's refusing to go!”
“Blocking the way is a nuisance to others.”
“My point exactly!”
Ar helped Lunia try to pull Eiran from the gate.
*Creeeak!*
With Ar joining in, an ominous sound came from the gate.
Unlike before, Eiran also looked to be struggling more.
“Why is she so stubborn!”
Her competitive spirit ignited, Ar gritted her teeth and pulled even harder.
Just as Driana was watching them with a pathetic look.
“What are you all doing?”
The moment Leo's voice was heard, Eiran let go.
“Kyaa?”
“Ugya?!”
Lunia and Ar, who had been pulling Eiran, couldn't handle the sudden shift in force and tumbled miserably to the ground.
Unlike the two who were now a mess, Eiran stood up neatly, straightened her clothes, and stood before Leo.
“Young Master Leo! Are you having a good break? Thank you so much for inviting me! Here… it's not much, but it's a gift!”
Leo smiled gently as he watched Eiran hand over the gift with a bright smile.
“Thank you. Mother will like it.”
At his words, Eiran blushed, cupped her cheeks, and squirmed, not knowing what to do.
Seeing her, Ar and Lunia pounced without hesitation.
“Why, why are you doing this?”
“You're asking because you don't know?”
“You get some too!”
Eiran fled with a tearful face, avoiding the two who were charging at her with glaring eyes.
Driana watched them with a look of pity.
“To think they're called the future of their races. It truly makes one worry for the future.”
“I don't think you're one to talk.”
Leo shook his head and said, but Driana didn't listen.
***
“What? Graduated seniors are coming as instructors?!”
“That's what I'm saying. I heard it directly from Senior Torua yesterday. Though he disappeared by evening.”
A large number of students had already gathered at the mansion.
It wasn't just Lumerne.
There were students from Seirun, Azonia, and even Demian.
Invitations had already been sent to the top-ranking students from each academy.
Moreover, there were not only second-years but first-years as well.
“Hmph! This feels like an inter-school competition.”
Illiana stroked her chin, her eyes sparkling.
At her mutter, Azonia's 5th-ranked student, Borman, crossed his arms and burst out laughing.
“That sounds interesting. Though of course, Azonia will be the most superior!”
At his cry, the Azonia students cheered.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
Illiana clicked her tongue at the Azonia students and wagged her finger.
“Sorry, but you can never beat us! And why is that!”
Illiana proudly raised her head, covered her mouth with her hand, and burst into laughter.
“Because we have Leo Flove! Hohoho! I'll show you all the bitter taste of defeat.”
“Kuh?!”
Borman gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
Watching Illiana, Chelsea wore a pathetic expression.
“Why is she acting so high and mighty when she's not the one winning?”
“It's embarrassing, someone stop her.”
Teid said, covering his face with his hands.
Duran, who was sitting to one side with his eyes closed and arms crossed, spoke.
“Chen Xia, drag her away.”
“Me?”
“Should I drag her away?”
*Crackle-!*
Small sparks flew from Duran's body.
Seeing this, Chen Xia approached Illiana with a troubled smile.
“Miss Illiana, please stop and come here.”
“Why? I need to crush the spirits of these other school kids in advance… Mmph? Mmph?”
Chen Xia covered the nose and mouth of Illiana, who was ignoring her and trying to provoke the other students again, with a white cloth.
Illiana, who had been struggling against the sudden situation, soon rolled her eyes back and went limp.
“One of our students was being rude.”
Seeing Chen Xia's bright smile, the students from the other schools all looked terrified for a moment.
“She's not dead, is she?”
“She's not moving at all.”
“The upperclassmen at Lumerne are scary.”
While the first-years from the other schools were whispering.
Celia arrived.
“It's so crowded with all these people.”
Chelsea greeted Celia, who was shaking her head and brushing her hair back.
“Welcome, Celia.”
At Chelsea's words, Celia paused for a moment and then frowned.
“What's with you? This is creepy.”
For Chelsea to be smiling so kindly was so out of character that Celia couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Despite Celia's words, Chelsea didn't drop her kind smile.
“You know, I found something interesting.”
Chelsea rummaged around and pulled a photo from her clothes.
“Ta-da!”
Celia, who had been looking at Chelsea suspiciously, turned pale.
“You-you-you-you-you! Where did you get that picture!”
“Hmm? Where could I have gotten it?”
“Agh!”
With a flushed face, Celia rushed at Chelsea, tore the photo to shreds, and then burned it with her flame aura.
Then she ran to Leo.
“Hey! Leo! How could you do this!”
Leo, who was talking with Chloe and Abad, shrugged his shoulders.
Chloe gave a troubled smile, and Abad wore his characteristic gentle smile.
“It suited you quite well.”
“Erase it from your mind while I'm asking nicely! You flirt!”
Celia, reacting almost convulsively to Abad's words, grabbed Leo by the collar and shook him.
“You promised to keep it a secret! A secret!”
“I didn't show her. Mother did.”
“Auntie?”
Celia's face fell.
If Reina had shown it, there was nothing she could say.
“Grabbing the collar of the young master she serves. What an ill-mannered maid.”
“I agree. Miss Celia. Such violent behavior is not the proper mindset for a maid.”
Eliza, who was watching, scoffed openly, and Chen Xia, who had subdued Illiana, also spoke with a sweet smile.
Enraged, Celia rushed at the two and started choking them.
“Let go, Celia Jerdinger!”
“Don't be angry, Miss Celia.”
Eliza struggled while Chen Xia spoke calmly.
Just as a commotion was breaking out.
“It's good to see everyone looking so energetic.”
A clear, laughing voice was heard.
The voice rang vividly in the students' ears.
Everyone's gaze turned toward the second floor of the mansion.
And there, they discovered a small girl wearing a veil, and their eyes widened.
“The Dragon Lord.”
The Dragon Lord they had seen at the last summit was standing there.
Everyone had already seen her once.
But even so, this was the first time they had seen her this close.
While everyone was tense.
Melina hung a banner on the second-floor railing.
*Flap-!*
“To everyone here, I sincerely welcome you to the training retreat.”
Melina, smiling brightly and clapping her small hands.
But the students who saw the banner just froze.
“Welcome to Hell?”
Chelsea muttered in a bewildered voice.
Seeing it, Karl muttered with a world-weary expression.
“As expected.”
Why are sad premonitions never wrong?
Karl muttered inwardly and gave a sad smile.
Just as everyone swallowed dryly.
And then…
*Creeeeeak-! Thud-!*
The open doors slammed shut with a heavy sound.
“Now then, everyone.”
“Hey, hey, something feels off about this atmosphere.”
“What's going on?”
Just as the students started murmuring.
“The training retreat… will now begin.”
With that, the scenery changed.
The students, suddenly thrown into the middle of a mountain valley, stared blankly up at Melina.
Melina was looking down at the students from the top of a cliff, waving her hand.
“Have a good trip.”
*Kyaaaaaaaaaaak!*
*Uwaaaaaaaaaaak!*
By the laws of gravity, the students plummeted down the cliff.
***
*Whoooooosh!*
Falling down the endless cliff, Ar maintained a calm expression.
‘No need to panic. Use aura.’
Ar, about to summon her aura, suddenly looked flustered.
The aura in her body responded much more weakly than usual.
She couldn't draw out her usual power.
But her panic was brief.
Ar quickly reinforced her hands with aura.
And she dug her claws into the cliff face.
*Kwagagagagagagang-!*
Ar used the friction to forcibly slow her descent.
Just as Ar was about to smile triumphantly.
*Woooong-!*
“Huh?”
Her body became incredibly heavy.
*Thwip-!*
The strength in her hands couldn't bear the weight, and she slipped.
*Kwagagang-! Thud! Crack! Crash!*
Ar, having crashed to the ground, cried out and groaned in pain.
She wasn't seriously injured, but it hurt immensely.
Ar wasn't the only one who had fallen nearby.
Eiran, Celia, and Duran had fallen with her.
“O-ow, that hurts.”
Eiran stood up with difficulty, her face pained.
Celia also gritted her teeth and endured the pain.
Duran calmly got to his feet, but his movements were sluggish from the pain.
Ar also got up.
Fifteen second-year students from each academy had been invited.
Among them, Ar had fallen with these three.
“Looks like we've all been scattered.”
To Celia's mumble, Ar replied.
“Did we fall here randomly? Or were we arranged into a team beforehand?”
“Hmph. It's highly likely we were put into a team.”
Duran snorted.
“Aren't the four of us here all front-liners?”
“That's right. Our role is to block enemies on the front lines.”
Just as Eiran also nodded.
“That's a little different.”
A voice came from above.
The four of them looked up simultaneously.
The two with superior kinetic vision spotted Leo sitting on the edge of the cliff, looking down at them.
“In battle, your role isn't to block enemies, but to annihilate them, right?”
Despite possessing outstanding physical abilities and stamina, you also have overwhelming firepower.
“Just like the Brave Hero Ar-on.”
“Young Master Leo!”
“What the, Black Rabbit! Why are you the only one comfortably up on the cliff! Get down here!”
“Are you not participating in the training retreat?”
Eiran smiled brightly and waved, while Ar pouted.
As Celia asked with a puzzled face, Duran crossed his arms.
“No, that guy has just already climbed up the cliff.”
“That's right, Duran.”
Leo smiled and nodded.
“I cleared this challenge the moment it started.”
“So, you're going to wait for us, is that it?”
Leo chuckled at Duran's words.
“I'm always waiting for you.”
“What did you say?”
At the sudden remark, not just Duran but the others also looked puzzled.
“So?”
Leo opened his mouth.
“How long are you going to make me wait?”
Looking at Leo peering down at them from the dizzying height, Ar snorted.
“We'll be there soon. Just wait.”
“Yeah?”
Leo smiled and stood up.
“Then I'll be waiting.”
Leaving those words behind, Leo left the cliff without a second glance.
Melina then asked Leo.
“You seem to be looking forward to it, the day those children catch up.”
“I am.”
Leo chuckled.
“Do you think those children can replace the Great Heroes?”
“They can't replace them. Neither can you, and neither can the Heroes of Genesis.”
“…I suppose it can't be helped. We don't dare compare ourselves to the Great Heroes. We could never replace them.”
Melina shrugged her shoulders apologetically.
Leo reached out a hand toward her.
“That's not what I meant.”
“Huh?”
“You are you.”
Leo said, ruffling Melina's hair.
“Just as you can't replace them, they can't replace you either.”
Leo chuckled.
“Do you think we saved the world with our strength alone? We just happened to have more power than others. So anyone with the will to risk their life to save the world is a reliable and precious comrade.”
Leo took his hand from Melina's head and trudged away.
“Hurry up and get on the stage. I'm waiting with bated breath.”
Watching Leo's retreating back, Melina looked down at the bottom of the cliff and spoke.
“Everyone, it looks like you'll have to try your best. The Hero of the Beginning is waiting for you.”