Chapter 047
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Watching Leo talk with the others from a distance, Alia thought to herself.
*'He's like my brother.'*
Their personalities and auras were different, but the feeling they gave off was remarkably similar.
"Isn't this a little strange?"
The spear-wielding boy, Teyad, narrowed his eyes.
"What is?"
"They said they were a rescue team, right? But it's just the two of them?"
"That is strange, now that you mention it."
"You don't think it's some kind of trap by Tartaros?"
The other party members, the magic swordsman Dina and the summoner Luis, agreed with Teyad.
But Bellac, from the knight department, shook his head.
"If they were enemies, they wouldn't have joined forces with us to fight the demons."
"That's right. They aren't enemies."
As Alia spoke with a tone of conviction, Teyad asked sullenly.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Don't you get a really familiar feeling from him? Besides…"
"Besides?"
"He's kind of handsome, too."
Teyad was flustered to see Alia blushing slightly.
"Handsome? Hey! Hey! Alia! Snap out of it! You haven't given a single guy a second glance since we enrolled!"
"It's understandable. Who in our year is even worthy of Alia? Besides, being Albi's younger sister, her standards must be high."
"Hey, still, what's so handsome about a guy like that!"
"He's definitely handsome, though?"
"Dina? You too!"
Teyad clutched his head.
While they were bickering, Leo, having finished his conversation with Chloe, approached them.
"A noisy bunch."
"Ah! I'm sorry! For getting needlessly excited during an emergency!"
"I'm not scolding you. Just thinking that first-years are always a noisy bunch, no matter the year."
"No matter the year? Are you perhaps a student at our academy?"
Chloe was the one who answered Alia, whose eyes were sparkling.
"Yes. Though not anymore."
"Ah!"
Alia, mistakenly thinking the two had dropped out, was taken aback.
"I'm sorry! I said something unnecessary…"
"It's alright."
"First, let me explain the current situation."
"Is an explanation necessary? The situation is that demons have appeared in this forest."
Teyad replied curtly to Leo's words.
"If it were just a simple demon appearance, there'd be no need to explain. But right now, there's a demon in this forest that is beyond your ability to handle."
"Just how strong is this demon that you're making such a fuss?"
"He's a Level 3."
"What!"
"A-a Level 3?"
"That's not a rank first-years can handle!"
Dina asked urgently.
"What about the others? Are the other parties besides us safe?"
"They're safe. All you have to do is get out of this forest. So from now on, I'd like you to follow my instructions."
As Dina let out a sigh of relief, Teyad asked.
"Do you have the power to defeat a Level 3 demon?"
A Level 3 demon.
A high-level threat with enough power to annihilate an entire regiment.
"With my current strength, I can't guarantee that I can defeat a Level 3 demon."
"Then is there any reason we should follow your instructions?"
"Of course, there is."
But Leo wore a relaxed smile.
"And what reason is that?"
"Because I have the skill to get you all out of here safely."
"What's with that baseless confidence…"
"Yes, I understand. We'll follow your instructions."
"Hey, Alia!"
Teyad wore a look of bewilderment.
"You saw him fight earlier, too. Besides, he has a much better grasp of the situation than we do."
Alia persuaded her party members.
"A Level 3 demon is definitely beyond our current abilities. So right now, as the party leader, I believe it's right to follow the more experienced rescue team rather than acting rashly."
At Alia's persuasion, the party members looked at each other and nodded.
"If Alia says so."
"Listening to you has never led to anything bad so far."
"Hah! Seriously!"
Teyad scratched his head vigorously and glared at Leo.
"But! If I find you even the slightest bit untrustworthy, I won't follow your orders! Just so you know!"
"Don't worry, I'll be sure to meet your expectations."
***
"Find any cases of a Hero Record turning into a Hero Dungeon!"
In the Tower of Heroes, where Lumerne Academy's administrative affairs were managed, professors and assistants were rushing about.
It was a sensitive time, following the appearance of demonic beasts during the summoning practical exam.
In such a situation, the unprecedented event of a Hero Record turning into a Hero Dungeon had thrown Lumerne into a state of emergency.
Amidst the chaos, in the principal's office on the top floor of the Tower of Heroes, Kalian was pressing his temples as if his head ached.
A Hero Record was spread open before him.
"The fact that we still can't enter must be seen as a positive sign, I suppose?"
"Yes."
Albi replied, looking down at his own rampaging Hero Record.
A Hero Dungeon prevents additional entries if someone is already inside.
In other words, it meant Leo and Chloe were still alive.
"It's already been three hours since those two students entered the Hero Dungeon. It must be night in the World of Heroes by now. Albi, when was it that you defeated Chubarn thirty years ago?"
"It was around midnight."
"So we have no choice but to entrust everything to your past self."
Kalian let out a deep sigh.
Just then, Kalian's secretary, Elena, entered the principal's office.
"Principal, we've found the person who sold the demonic beast summoning catalyst to student Liu."
"Who is it?"
Albi's eyes flashed.
Elena, who had come to report, turned pale.
The blood vessels in his left eye flared, and a bizarre magic circle materialized in his pupil.
It was the magic of the fairies.
Thirty years ago.
Albi, who had lost his younger sister to demons, was a man who harbored a stronger hatred for Tartaros than anyone else.
"Calm down, Albi."
At Kalian's words, Albi's eyes returned to normal.
"I'm going to go cool my head."
With those words, he left the principal's office.
"Sir Albi is as dangerous as ever, isn't he?"
"Albi is a man who rose to the rank of hero through hatred."
Thirty years ago.
Faced with the death of his sister, who left behind not even a body, let alone a memento, he dropped out of Lumerne that very day and dedicated himself to hunting demons. As a result, he became a hero acknowledged by the gods.
But his thorough destruction of everything related to Tartaros caused considerable collateral damage.
Thanks to that, among the public, Albi was an object of fear, not praise.
"I still can't believe Sir Albi accepted a teaching position."
"Still, Albi tends to listen to me."
Kalian's bitter smile vanished, his expression changing completely.
"So, who is this person?"
"A fence who set up shop in the back alleys of Lumeria City this year. He's not well-known among the upperclassmen, but he seems to be quite famous among the first-years. Several of them bought items from this merchant. Among those items was a demonic beast summoning catalyst."
"You mean a spy from Tartaros has infiltrated Lumeria City?"
"We investigated, but he isn't affiliated with Tartaros. However, it's clear that Tartaros funneled a few items his way."
"...I don't understand. Why would they do such a thing?"
"I couldn't determine the reason for that either. This is the fence's transaction ledger."
Kalian took the ledger and flipped through the pages.
*Flip-! Flip-!*
Kalian's hand paused as he turned the pages.
'Chloe Müller: Black Grimoire.'
Staring at the entry, Kalian spoke.
"Elena. Please summon Professor Sedzen and Professor Ren to my office immediately. Tell them I have something to ask regarding student Chloe."
"Have you figured something out?"
"No. But I have a hunch."
"A hunch? You're going to act on a hunch?"
Kalian smiled gently at the bewildered Elena.
"Elena, I am old. My fame as the Sword Saint is now nothing more than a hollow echo of past glory. But, you see."
The eyes of the former Sword Saint glinted.
"I pride myself on the fact that my intuition, honed by crossing the line between life and death countless times, is still as sharp as ever."
***
The sun had completely set, and darkness had fallen.
The group, having just finished a battle, were all breathing heavily.
"Let's rest for a moment."
At Leo's words, groans erupted from here and there.
*'Everyone's at their physical limit. Has it been about three hours since we entered the World of Heroes?'*
Considering the other teams had cleared it in about an hour, it had taken them three times as long.
But it couldn't be helped.
The other teams only needed to rescue the party in danger to meet the clear condition, but it was different for Leo and Chloe.
Chloe had predicted that the [Ensure Safety] condition for Alia's party meant completely escaping the threat of Chubarn.
That was why they were taking the shortest route out of the forest.
Unlike before, when Leo and Chloe could use their mobility to avoid combat, battles were now unavoidable and frequent.
*'Still, we're almost there.'*
As he sighed, Leo felt a throbbing in his head and his vision blurred.
*'Dammit, have I been using Super Sense for too long?'*
Super Sense, which maximized his senses, was a skill that forced his brain to process more than double the usual amount of information from his surroundings.
As such, mental fatigue accumulated quickly.
*'Just a little longer.'*
Leo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Watching him, Alia's party clicked their tongues in amazement.
"How is he not showing any signs of fatigue?"
"His skills must be incredible."
"Pfft! And Teyad asked a guy like that, 'Is there any reason we should follow your instructions?' I'd be too embarrassed to even show my face!"
"Shut up!"
As his party members teased him, Teyad's face turned beet red and he shouted.
Meanwhile, Chloe, sitting under a tree, took out the black grimoire from her pocket and looked down at it.
Just then, Alia approached her.
"Chloe. Can we talk for a bit?"
"About what?"
"About Leo."
Alia sat down next to Chloe with a grin.
"What's your relationship with Leo?"
"My relationship?"
"Are you, perhaps, a couple?"
"Of course not?!"
Flustered, Chloe frantically shook her head.
"Seeing your reaction, I guess you're definitely not!"
Chloe let out a hollow laugh.
*'Even a top student from thirty years ago is still a first-year at heart.'*
It felt like she was talking with the girls from her class.
Most of the girls in her class were interested in romance.
"Why do you ask? Are you interested in Leo?"
"I am. My heart pounds when I look at him."
"Looks like it was love at first sight."
*Even a top student from thirty years ago is no different,* Chloe thought, letting out another dry laugh.
"I don't know if it's love. My heart pounds, yes. But that heart-pounding feeling is very similar to someone else I know."
"Who?"
"My older brother."
"Your brother... you mean Albi Jer-on?"
"Yes. Of course, if you compare my brother to Leo, Leo is much cooler. My brother is rather clumsy and makes a lot of mistakes."
For a moment, Chloe couldn't believe her ears.
*'Clumsy and makes a lot of mistakes? Who? The Sorcerer of the Evil Eye?'*
Those were not descriptors that fit the only hero the public feared, the Sorcerer of the Evil Eye.
"But he's like a hero from a fairy tale. A person who challenges things that seem impossible without hesitation and eventually achieves them. That's why I admire my brother."
"Challenging the impossible without hesitation... that certainly sounds like Leo."
Chloe's eyes grew somber.
"Leo is amazing. He's always good at leading people. His grades are good, and he handles things that seem impossible with ease. It's just as you said, Alia. Leo is like a hero."
Chloe let out a bitter laugh.
"My relationship with Leo, you ask? At first, I thought of him as a friend and a rival. But now…"
"Now?"
"I'm jealous."