Chapter 434
Chapter Title: The Second Morning
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434.
“That special instructor, his name was Akan, right? Didn’t his face look familiar?”
Chelsea said, handing Leo a wooden bowl.
“He looked like Ar-on, didn’t he?”
“*Cough, cough.*”
At Leo’s words, Karl, who was drinking water beside him, started coughing violently as if he’d choked.
The students around them shuffled away from Karl.
“Oh! Now that you mention it, he did.”
Chelsea exclaimed in admiration.
Leo ladled stew from a stone pot created with alchemy magic and handed it to Chelsea.
“Wow! This looks delicious!”
Chelsea cheered at the aroma wafting from the stew.
Today’s breakfast duty fell to none other than Leo.
In his past life, mealtime during expeditions was one of the few moments they could enjoy some peace and quiet.
As such, the Great Heroes wanted to eat the most delicious food possible during those times.
They took turns preparing meals, but the most popular rotations belonged to Kyle and Luna.
Kyle, being a mercenary, was accustomed to camping and outdoor life, while Luna applied her experience in potion-making to create wonderful dishes.
‘Lisinas was hopeless at cooking, and Ar-on was happy as long as you just grilled him some meat.’
Still, when those two were on cooking duty, the results were at least edible.
The problem was the dwarf.
‘Cooking is also an art! I have prepared an original dish for you all!’
Despite being more skilled in alchemy than Luna, he would whip up something horrendous in the name of art.
Whenever he stood before the campfire and started doing something suspicious, Luna would run over and kick him away.
“Mmm~!”
After taking a bite of the stew, Chelsea held the spoon in her mouth, cupped her cheeks, and smiled blissfully.
The way she tilted her head from side to side suggested it was incredibly delicious.
“Is it any good?”
“Yeah! It’s delicious! So delicious! I’ve been thinking this for a while, but you’re a great cook too, Leo! Is there anything you can’t do?”
At Chelsea’s bright smile, the students lined up in front of Leo gulped nervously.
“Leo! Hurry up and give me some!”
“I need something tasty if I’m going to survive another round of yesterday’s horrible training!”
The hungry teenagers, in the midst of their growth spurts, urged Leo on.
Once they received their stew from Leo, the students began their meal with a boisterous clamor.
“I’m saved. Thank god I’m in the same group as Leo!”
Dade cried, shoveling stew into his mouth.
After last night’s meager meal had left them mentally exhausted, Leo’s cooking was like rain in a drought.
“Make sure Chelsea never touches the cooking. Anything she makes is poison.”
As Karl ate his stew and issued a warning, a miffed Chelsea, sitting in front of him, pressed her foot firmly against his back.
Even as he was pushed, Karl remained resolute.
“What she makes could probably kill a demon.”
As breakfast began in earnest, boisterous cheers erupted from all over.
“Here, everyone, eat up.”
Chen Xia smiled brightly as she handed bowls to Chloe and Celia.
The other students in Chen Xia’s meal group also received their bowls.
And a peculiar expression dawned on all their faces.
“...The stew is green?”
As Chloe asked with a slightly stiff face, Chen Xia replied.
“I added an herb that’s good for fatigue recovery. Plus, it tastes great when prepared properly. It might look a little strange, but it’s delicious.”
Celia bravely took a sip.
“Mm. It’s good. Xia wouldn’t give us anything weird, would she?”
At her words, the other students put Chen Xia’s stew into their mouths.
“Wow, this is actually really good.”
“I feel like my fatigue is melting away.”
“The visuals are a bit off, but it’s excellent!”
“But what on earth did you put in it to make it green?”
“I carefully prepared and added Atrophy grass.”
“Ooh, Atrophy? So this is what it tastes like. I never knew.”
The students, who had been nodding in admiration, suddenly froze.
“Wait, isn’t Atrophy a poisonous herb?”
“And not just any poisonous herb, but one famous for its potent venom?”
“If you prepare Atrophy grass properly, it helps with fatigue and tastes great. You didn’t know? I have plenty, so everyone eat up and get your strength back.”
Watching Chen Xia cheer them on with a bright voice, the students continued their meal with great difficulty.
They knew how much effort she had put in, gathering ingredients and making the stew since early morning, so they couldn’t bring themselves to refuse.
But their situation was far better than some.
“What is this?”
“Stew.”
As Eliza’s eye twitched at the unidentifiable object in her bowl, Iliana declared confidently.
“It looks like this, but it’s delicious. Probably.”
“Probably? Probably?! You didn’t even taste it?”
“Still, it’ll be much better than what you made yesterday!”
“Are you trying to pick a fight with me first thing in the morning?!”
“Duran, where are you going?”
“To find something to eat.”
“I’m coming with you.”
The area where Iliana was in charge of the meal was already in chaos.
It wasn’t just Lumerne; commotion was breaking out among students from other academies as well.
Just then.
“Black Rabbit!”
Ar, who had been sent tumbling to the ground by Rienia first thing in the morning, ran up and shook Leo violently.
“This is all your fault! Why do I have to suffer like this so early in the morning? Aaargh!”
As Ar vented her fury, Leo said.
“Who told you to act up?”
“I wasn’t acting up!”
“You were about to, weren’t you?”
When Karl chimed in from the side, Ar’s eyes narrowed.
“That’s not…! Mmph?!”
Leo spoon-fed stew into Ar’s screaming mouth.
Ar’s eyes, initially wide with surprise, soon turned sharp.
Her ears and tail stood on end, and she sharpened her claws as if to say, ‘What do you think you’re doing!’
Ar was about to throw a tantrum like an angry cat.
But as soon as she tasted the stew, she began to meekly chew the contents in her mouth.
When Leo passed his own bowl to her, she ate the stew quietly, looking happy.
Watching this, Nela smiled cryptically.
“I feel this every time I see her, but Azonia’s representative seems so happy. Should I say she forgets misfortunes quickly? She’s very positive.”
“*Kekek*—It’s because she’s simple. Simpleminded. Oof!”
Karl, who had been chuckling at Nela’s words, was kicked in the side by Ar.
“Why’d you give her your portion, Leo?”
Chelsea sighed deeply, then scooped up some stew and offered it to Leo, saying, “Ah-!”
“I’m fine. I’ve already cleared that training.”
At Leo’s words, Chelsea made a disappointed face and popped the stew into her own mouth.
“By the way, I wonder how long we have to do yesterday’s training?”
“Probably until we clear it.”
As Dade muttered as if he was sick of it, Leo chuckled and replied.
“We have to pass that to receive proper training from the instructors.”
“Huh?!”
Ar, who had been happily eating her stew, shot her eyes open and scarfed down the rest at an incredible speed.
Then she jumped to her feet, swallowed the stew, and shouted.
“Then we have to beat that training right away!”
The Lumerne students looked at the suddenly motivated Ar with puzzled expressions.
“Black Rabbit! I’m going to get ready for training!”
As Ar dashed off, Chelsea wore a bewildered expression.
“What’s gotten into her all of a sudden?”
“She must have her reasons.”
Karl replied with a spoon in his mouth, then whispered quietly to Leo.
“You’re 100% sure it’s him, right?”
“Seems like it.”
“What on earth happened?”
“Something must have happened when we weren’t looking. Since I already passed the first day’s training, I’ll ask him if I see him.”
Karl nodded at Leo’s words.
“How come not a single person suspects him?”
“His impression is so completely different that they probably just think he’s a look-alike. There are actually many beastmen who imitate the Brave Hero’s style. They can’t even imagine it’s really him.”
“True.”
Even though Luna and Seirun had revealed themselves in the present day, it wasn’t a miracle that could happen over and over again.
“What are you two whispering about?”
Chelsea narrowed her eyes and leaned in close.
“We were talking about today’s training. Asking if there were any secret tips.”
“Hmm?”
Chelsea looked slightly suspicious at Karl’s nonchalant reply but eventually nodded.
It was then.
“Hurry up and finish your meal! How long are you going to dawdle!”
Rienia shouted sharply.
“I really don’t want to get on her bad side.”
Karl shivered as he looked at Rienia.
Leo clicked his tongue as he watched Karl.
‘Come to think of it, Rienia is in charge of Karl, isn’t she?’
Leo considered telling his friend about his future but quickly shook his head.
And so, the morning of the training retreat’s second day dawned.
***
“Hyaaaaaah!”
Ar’s eyes widened as she began to scale the cliff at a tremendous speed.
“What’s gotten into her all of a sudden?”
Celia wore a flustered expression at the sight of Ar climbing the cliff with incredible momentum.
But before she could reach the top, her strength gave out, and she slid back down.
“Are you alright, Miss Ar?”
As Eiran cautiously asked Ar, who was sprawled on the ground, Ar shot back up.
“I’m going to climb this damned cliff and get to the next stage quickly!”
With her face covered in dirt, Ar began to climb the cliff once again.
“I’ll get to the top before Azonia’s representative.”
“There you go again with your pointless competitiveness.”
As Duran scoffed, Celia shook her head.
“Hmph. Just you wait, Celia Jerdinger. I’ll be looking down on you from the summit.”
“What was that?”
Celia’s eyes sharpened. After growling at Duran for a moment, she too started climbing the cliff.
“E-everyone. Please take it easy.”
Eiran pleaded with the three of them with a tearful face, but they didn’t listen.
“I felt this earlier, but the kids these days are amazing.”
Ar-on, who was watching the cliff from a great distance with a hand shielding his eyes, muttered.
“Can you see those children with your naked eye without using magic?”
“Yeah.”
When Melina asked with a surprised look, Ar-on nodded nonchalantly.
As Melina marveled at the physical abilities of a Great Hero, which far surpassed mortal limits.
Leo spoke.
“What do you think?”
“They all possess strength that belies their age. Especially that child, Ar. She’s become incomparably stronger than when I last saw her. Didn’t you say it’s only been about a year since then?”
Ar-on looked at Celia and Duran with admiration.
“That human boy and girl are amazing too. The breathing they use… it seems a bit similar to my own.”
“It’s something people in later generations created based on your breathing technique.”
“Aha. I see, so it can be applied in that way. I never would have thought of that.”
Ar-on was impressed.
Then, he tilted his head.
“If that breathing method is applied, would it be possible for other children to learn Supersense?”
Supersense.
The sensory technique used by Ar-on.
It was a signature skill of his, one that even Leo could only imitate.
“If that’s possible, it would be a great source of strength for the beastmen.”
Melina said, her face slightly flushed.
“I’m glad it would be helpful.”
Ar-on said with a happy expression.
“But that elf girl looks like Berkia. Though her vibe is completely different.”
Ar-on sniffed the air and tilted his head.
“She smells similar, too.”
“Ah, that child is a descendant of Lord Berkia.”
“What?”
Ar-on’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.
“I see. So she left behind descendants too.”
At the mention of his disciple’s descendant, Ar-on couldn’t hide his joyful smile.
“I don’t know, it just makes me happy. It’s a clear sign that our efforts weren’t in vain.”
Ar-on said, his tail wagging slightly.
Watching Ar-on lick his lips, Leo said.
“Among them, keep a close eye on the one named Ar.”
“She’s a little scary… is there a reason?”
As Ar-on asked, shrinking back slightly, Leo replied.
“She’s a child who possesses the power to induce Beastification in other beastmen with her Howling.”
“What?”
Hearing that she possessed the ability he had so desperately wanted, Ar-on’s eyes widened as he stared at Ar.
“Now that’s something to look forward to.”
Ar-on’s eyes gleamed as he smiled.