Chapter 487
Chapter Title: An Exchange Student's Arrival
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487.
Leo headed to the Tower of Heroes after being summoned by the principal, Reina.
“Oh? It's the student council president!”
“Senior Leo!”
A few first-year students, on their way to class, looked surprised when they spotted Leo.
“Pay attention in class.”
Leo gave the first-years a light wave.
Even such a simple greeting was enough to elicit an enthusiastic response from the first-years.
It was understandable; even during the first semester, Leo had been an object of admiration for the first-years.
But now, having ascended to the rank of Hero before the start of the second semester, many students regarded him with not just admiration, but overwhelming respect.
Leaving the fervently reacting first-years behind, Leo arrived at the Tower of Heroes.
He soon made his way to the principal's office at the very top of the tower.
*Knock, knock—*
“Come in.”
When he opened the door and entered the principal's office, he saw a student in a white uniform talking with Reina.
“Eiran?”
“Lord Leo!”
Eiran's face lit up.
Seeing Leo, Reina spoke.
“Welcome, Mr. President. I heard you did great things in the northeast.”
Reina, who had been in a meeting with Eiran, said with a faint smile.
“That's all I have to say. Leo Flove will give you a tour of the dorms and school facilities.”
“Yes!”
Eiran smiled and nodded.
“Why is Eiran here?”
“Student Eiran Ersar has come here as an exchange student. Just like you went to Seirun as an exchange student in the first semester. Seirun sent one of their own this time.”
“Ah.”
Eiran had wanted to come to Lumerne as an exchange student since last year.
In the first semester, Leo had gone from Lumerne as an exchange student.
It seemed that, just like then, Seirun had sent Eiran as their exchange student this time.
As Leo nodded, Reina, who had her chin resting on her clasped hands, spoke.
“Student Eiran. I've already ordered your uniform from 'Blessrigger,' the uniform shop on Courage Street in Lumeria City.”
“Yes!”
“Leo Flove. The second-years don't have classes today, so you're free, right?”
“Yes.”
“I'd like you to be her guide for the day.”
“Understood.”
Nodding, Leo walked over to Eiran and picked up the large bag beside her.
“Let's go.”
“Ah! Lord Leo. I can carry it.”
“It's fine.”
Stopping a flustered Eiran from trying to take the bag, Leo left the principal's office.
“Student Eiran, I hope you have a wonderful time.”
“Ah, yes! Goodbye, Principal!”
Eiran bowed politely and followed Leo.
Leo also gave Reina a slight nod before closing the office door.
As they left the Tower of Heroes, many eyes turned toward the two of them.
“Huh? A Seirun student?”
“The one next to her is the student council president.”
“Why is a Seirun student at Lumerne?”
The upperclassmen watched Leo and Eiran with puzzled eyes.
“Leo. Why is a Seirun student here?”
“She's here as an exchange student.”
“Really?”
When a fourth-year from the Knight Department asked with a curious expression, Leo answered calmly.
The surrounding students looked surprised by his answer.
As curious gazes fixed on Eiran.
They arrived at the second-year dormitory area, which was quiet since all the students were out on missions.
“By the way, which dormitory building did the principal say you'd be staying in?”
“Glory. It's the same dorm as you, Lord Leo.”
Nodding, Leo headed for the dormitory.
“Come in.”
“Excuse me.”
Eiran, who had carefully followed Leo into the Glory Dormitory, was impressed.
“It's certainly different from Seirun.”
The interior of the dorm was entirely the students' domain.
Especially for the second-years, there were Harmony, Glory, and Noble.
They were divided into these three dormitories, and students with similar dispositions tended to gather when choosing one.
As a result, not only the individual rooms but also the common areas were heavily influenced by the students' tastes.
Compared to Seirun, with its strict dormitory rules, the atmosphere was incredibly free.
Leo chuckled at the impressed Eiran and set her bag down in a corner of the dorm.
“Let's go to the docks.”
“Yes!”
***
Leo and Eiran took a boat and entered Lumeria City.
Eiran marveled as she looked around the streets.
“The people in the city don't seem to pay us much mind, do they?”
“The people of Lumeria City are used to Lumerne students. Since students from other academies occasionally visit as well, they won't make a fuss even seeing a Seirun student like you.”
“Come to think of it, I did hear that some of the upperclassmen go to Lumeria City for missions or personal errands.”
As a city at the center of the world, Lumeria City was a strategic point in its own right.
Moreover, being adjacent to Lumerne made it famous as a tourist destination.
Where people gather, so does commerce.
As such, Lumeria City was also a place where all sorts of rare magical artifacts were gathered.
Leo and Eiran entered Courage Street.
And, as if it were a familiar place, he entered Lumerne's uniform shop, 'Blessrigger'.
“Welco— Oh my. Lord Leo Flove.”
The shopkeeper looked slightly surprised to see Leo, then quickly smiled warmly and bowed her head.
“It's been a while. Thank you for visiting our establishment. What can I do for you today?”
“I heard the principal ordered a uniform for an exchange student.”
“Ah, you must be referring to the uniform for Miss Eiran Ersar, the exchange student from Seirun? We have everything ready for production.”
The shopkeeper, with a kind smile, then greeted Eiran, who was standing beside Leo.
“Hello, you must be Miss Eiran Ersar? Thank you for visiting our shop.”
“Yes.”
“At the request of Lumerne's principal, all preparations for the summer uniform are complete. We can begin production as soon as we take your measurements, Miss Ersar. Would you please come this way?”
Nodding, Eiran went where she was guided.
Female employees then gathered around her, taking out measuring tapes to take her measurements.
“Um, I understand that Lumerne has different uniforms for each season.”
“Yes, that's correct.”
“Would it be possible to have those made as well?”
“Yes.”
The shopkeeper smiled and nodded without asking why.
“Why the spring and autumn uniforms?”
“Since I'm here, I'd like to have them as a souvenir.”
Eiran replied to Leo's question with a shy smile.
“You can return to our establishment in two hours.”
The shopkeeper said after they finished taking the measurements.
“Shall we relax for the next two hours then? Eiran, is there anywhere you'd like to go?”
“Um. First, I'd like to go to a famous restaurant in Lumeria City.”
Eiran took a memo out from her pocket.
And showed the list of restaurants to Leo.
“I looked it up in Seirun, and they say the food here is delicious!”
“Are you here as an exchange student to study, or to be a tourist?”
“Ah, no! I plan to study hard too! Th-this is just... Hau!”
Flustered by Leo's words, a frantic Eiran covered her face with both hands and answered in a barely audible voice.
“I-I'm sorry. I was thinking more about having fun than studying.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. It's natural to want to have fun at your age.”
“I'm embarrassed.”
Leo chuckled at Eiran, whose shoulders trembled in shame, her ears drooping.
“Nothing to be embarrassed about. That Verkia fellow was always desperate to skip training and run off whenever he had the chance.”
“Lord Verkia?”
Eiran's eyes widened as she looked up at Leo.
“Why? Want to hear stories about Verkia?”
“Yes!”
Looking at Eiran, whose eyes were sparkling, Leo said.
“It might shatter a lot of your illusions.”
“If it's about my ancestor's true self, I already saw it in Lord Dweno's world, you know? And I came to like that side of Lord Verkia even more.”
“True.”
Leo recalled the Verkia he had met in Dweno's world.
“Which story should I tell you first?”
“The story of when you first met!”
“When we first met, huh. Shall we talk over lunch?”
“Let's go! Hurry! Hurry!”
*'Master! Let's go! Hurry! Hurry!'*
An extremely excited Eiran grabbed Leo's hand with both of hers and pulled him along.
The sight reminded him of the past.
“But do you even know the way?”
“Oops!”
Eiran, who had been walking along in her excitement, was startled by Leo's words.
Watching her, Leo gave a soft smile.
“You're so alike.”
Their appearances were different, and so were their personalities.
But he could definitely see a glimpse of his disciple in Eiran.
“Huh?”
Patting the head of the puzzled Eiran, Leo said.
“Just that you're definitely Verkia's descendant.”
***
After getting her Lumerne uniform fitted in Lumeria City, Eiran hummed a tune as she returned to the Glory Dormitory.
“What are you so happy about?”
“You promised to tell me old stories tonight until I get tired of them, Lord Leo! Be prepared, because you're not sleeping tonight until I'm satisfied!”
“You should stop reading those weird books. From what I can see, you're worse than Verkia.”
“Huh? What is?”
Blinking her large eyes, Eiran tilted her head, looking utterly clueless.
Leo clicked his tongue at her innocent expression.
They ate dinner in the dormitory lounge with food they'd bought in Lumeria City.
Leo assigned Eiran to one of the empty rooms in the girls' wing.
By the time they had washed up and gotten ready for bed, the early evening had passed.
When he went to the lounge, Eiran, dressed in pajamas, was placing what looked like a bottle of liquor on the table.
“Why the alcohol?”
“It's a liquor made from a recipe left by Lord Verkia, passed down through the Ersar family for generations. I brought it as a gift.”
“If it's a drink Verkia knew how to make, it must be that Luna fellow's recipe.”
“Huh?”
Luna, who loved to drink, also made her own liquor.
Hearing Leo's words, Eiran's eyes went wide.
Leo poured a glass and muttered in fascination.
“It really is Luna's drink.”
“R-really?”
Eiran's eyes widened in astonishment.
“Yes.”
Leo chuckled.
At the mention of it being Luna's drink, even Eiran, who usually had no interest in alcohol, took a small sip.
“Ack!”
Eiran's face scrunched up at the strong taste of the liquor.
Just as one would expect from the heavy drinker Luna, the liquor she made was also incredibly potent.
*'How strange.'*
Leo drank the liquor Eiran had brought, reminiscing about the past.
Afterwards, he began telling Eiran old stories.
As the stories went on, Eiran asked curiously.
“Besides Lord Verkia, did you have any other disciples, Lord Leo?”
“I did. The ancestor of the Shan Empire was another disciple of mine.”
“Wow. Come to think of it, wasn't Miss Chen Xia the princess of the Shan Empire?”
“That's right.”
“Then we have a strange connection, too.”
Eiran smiled brightly.
Eiran, who loved stories, listened to Leo with sparkling eyes.
*Chirp— Chirp— Chirp—*
And then, at some point.
Eiran, who had been lying on the sofa, shot up.
*'Huh, when did I fall asleep?'*
It was dawn, just before the sun rose.
It seemed she had fallen asleep without realizing it while listening to stories until dawn.
A blanket was draped over her body.
*'I fell asleep first.'*
Eiran felt sorry toward Leo and got up.
On another sofa, Leo was asleep.
The smell of alcohol filled the air, as they had finished an entire bottle while telling old stories.
As Eiran was about to place the blanket she'd been using over Leo, she suddenly paused.
*'How hard must it be for Lord Leo.'*
As the Hero of the Beginning, he had fought Tartaros for 5,000 years and continued to do so even now after being reincarnated.
The old tales Leo had told throughout the dawn certainly included stories of the Great Heroes.
She hadn't paid it much mind at the time, but she now recalled that Leo had drunk particularly heavily whenever he spoke of his old friends.
*'I'm sorry, Lord Leo.'*
Eiran berated herself and apologized to Leo in her mind.
*'And thank you.'*
As a person living in the present era, she offered her small, due gratitude. It was then, as Eiran was covering Leo with the blanket.
*Creek—!*
“Eek?”
The lounge door suddenly burst open.
Eiran, who was also an exceptional magic swordswoman, was incredibly startled by the person who had opened the door without her sensing them.
In her shock, she lost her balance and fell toward Leo.
Naturally, Leo woke up.
“What the?”
Eiran, who had unwittingly ended up in the arms of the lying-down Leo, freaked out and tried to get up.
“S-sorry! Ack?!”
So startled that she tried to get up too quickly, Eiran got tangled in the blanket she was holding and accidentally ended up sitting astride Leo.
“I'm sorry! Lord Leo! I'm sorry!”
“……What exactly is this situation?”
Chen Xia, who had entered the lounge, stared blankly at Leo and Eiran in their peculiar position and asked.