Chapter 550
Chapter Title: The Essence of a Hero
-----------------------------------------------------------------
550.
The appearance of Lisinas, a being claiming to be a god, drew the eyes of the entire world to Lumerne.
“Whoa… It’s complete chaos.”
Early in the morning.
Leo looked on with a puzzled expression at Iliana, who was sitting in the dormitory lounge reading a newspaper.
“What’s the occasion? You reading a newspaper?”
At his words, Iliana narrowed her eyes and said,
“What’s the occasion?! What’s the occasion?! How rude can you be?”
Folding the newspaper, Iliana straightened her back and spoke seriously.
“We’ll be third-years soon, you know? That means we’ll have new underclassmen joining.”
“And?”
“I have to act like a proper upperclassman.”
Watching Iliana elegantly sweep her hair back, mimicking a young lady, a few male students passing through the lounge secretly pretended to gag.
“How is it? Do I look like a refined young lady?”
“Stop acting so out of character.”
Iliana paid no mind to Leo’s comment.
She simply turned a page of the newspaper with a graceful gesture.
Seeing this, Leo placed one of the two mugs he was holding down in front of Iliana.
“Here’s the coffee you asked for.”
“Thanks. I was always curious what the coffee our class president brews tastes like, since he’s always drinking it while reading the newspaper.”
Iliana leisurely reached for the cup, murmured softly, “Mmm, smells nice,” and took a sip of the coffee.
“Blech?! Ptooey! Ptooey! What is this? Why is it so bitter?!”
“You said you wanted the same as me, didn’t you?”
“Ugh! Why on earth would you drink something this awful?”
“A friend of mine used to enjoy it.”
Leo replied, sipping his coffee.
5,000 years ago.
There were moments of peace, even in Gardsrone.
On such peaceful mornings, Lisinas would often drink this bitter coffee.
“Iliana, I made some cocoa. Want some?”
“Cocoa!”
Iliana eagerly took the cup Chloe offered her.
“Of course! Cocoa is the best on a chilly autumn day!”
“And she was just acting like a refined lady.”
“She’s such a kid.”
Sounds of clicking tongues could be heard from all around.
Of course, Iliana completely ignored them and gracefully opened the newspaper.
“Aren’t you going to say something to them?”
“Chloe, adults don’t concern themselves with what children say.”
Just as Iliana chuckled with a relaxed expression,
“Good morning, everyone.”
“Good morning!”
Chen Xia and Eiran entered the lounge.
Chen Xia, having just finished her morning training, sat in the empty seat next to Iliana.
She then poured tea from the pot on the table into a cup and took a sip.
“I always feel this, but there’s such grace in your every move. You’re just like a princess. Ah, of course, you are a real princess. Hehehe.”
Eiran covered her mouth and burst into laughter.
“Ahem.”
Iliana cleared her throat lightly.
“Eiran, don’t you feel something from me?”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Something like… grace? Or being princess-like?”
“What?”
As Eiran looked on, completely bewildered, sounds of stifled laughter, ‘Pfft!’, came from all around.
“You people! I’ve been letting it slide, but that’s enough!”
“Didn’t you say adults don’t care what kids think?!”
“Just because I’m an adult doesn’t mean I have to put up with everything!”
Iliana shouted shrilly and chased after those who had laughed at her.
“So noisy in the morning. That’s Lumerne for you.”
“Miss Lunia, are you all ready to return to Seirun?”
“Yes.”
Unlike Eiran, who was at Lumerne as an exchange student, Lunia was due to return to Seirun today.
Leo picked up the newspaper Iliana had left behind.
Lunia came and leaned over the back of the sofa where Leo was sitting, looking at the newspaper’s contents.
“It’s been nothing but stories about the god since yesterday.”
“Well, it is the first appearance of a god in 5,000 years.”
“Hmm, and there are plenty of articles about the Heroes of Genesis, too.”
The newspaper was filled with feature articles about the Heroes of Genesis.
Lunia narrowed her eyes as she carefully scanned the contents.
“But there are no articles related to you?”
“Nothing today either?”
Eiran came over to Lunia’s side and peered at the newspaper from behind Leo.
There were countless articles about the god and the Heroes of Genesis, but none about Leo.
“Lord Leo is the hero the god himself acknowledged will face Erebos, so why is there no mention of him?”
“The interests of human society are far more complexly intertwined than you might think, Miss Eiran.”
Chen Xia said, setting down her teacup.
“The god revealed the truth about the Age of Calamity that we never knew. The fact that the Hero of the Beginning was the only one who could defeat Erebos, and…”
Chen Xia glanced at Leo.
“He also revealed that, following the Hero of the Beginning, Young Master Leo is the only one who can defeat Erebos.”
“If that’s the case, shouldn’t they be giving Lord Leo more support? It means he’s the only savior who can save this world.”
“Being a unique, special existence naturally means the public will follow Leo. That itself is immense power. It’s what you’d call authority.”
Lunia sighed and said,
“We’ve already seen it, haven’t we? People who distort the will of their predecessors for their own gain.”
“Ugh! The Pureblood Society…”
Seeing Eiran mutter softly, Chloe shrugged.
“It’s the same wherever people live.”
As Leo listened to his friends’ conversation and flipped through the newspaper, his eyes landed on an article.
It was an article titled [Rebellion in the Eastern Rodren Empire].
“Hmm.”
As someone whose maternal family was the Jerdingers, a renowned heroic house of the Rodren Empire, the article was bound to catch his eye.
‘It doesn’t seem to be a major incident for now.’
Leo closed the newspaper after checking the article’s contents.
‘I should ask the kids from the Rodren Empire about it later.’
***
“A god has once again appeared in the world! And because of that, we have been reminded of what we must do! Student Karl! Tell us what that is!”
Professor Sedzen said passionately.
Called upon by Professor Sedzen, Karl answered with a serious face.
“That even if the world undergoes a cataclysmic change, a student cannot escape the tragic fate of having to study in a classroom.”
His answer was met with bursts of laughter from all around.
“Ahem! A very Karl-like answer indeed! Student Celia!”
“I’m counting on you.”
Karl winked at Celia beside him, giving her a thumbs-up.
At his cheeky display, Chelsea, who was sitting right behind Karl and listening to the lecture with her chin in her hand, clicked her tongue.
“You idiot, Professor Sedzen called on Celia Jerdinger to punish you.”
“Huh? Keuk!”
Celia’s fist dug into Karl’s side.
Celia scoffed as she watched Karl clutch his side and roll miserably on the floor.
“Just like Student Karl. Befitting a student who barely avoids a failing grade. How about we have Student Tade from the Summoning Department answer instead of Student Karl?”
Tade gave his friend rolling on the floor a pitying look before answering.
“To subjugate the Flames of Calamity.”
“That is correct.”
Sedzen nodded with a serious expression.
“For us, the complete subjugation of the Flames of Calamity has been a long-cherished wish. A wish that even the great Great Heroes could not achieve. But at the same time, many of you probably thought it wasn’t your problem.”
The students couldn’t refute Sedzen’s words.
Because he was right.
“Most people know full well that the demons of Tartaros are dangerous.”
Sedzen said in a solemn voice.
Though Sedzen usually had a lighthearted demeanor, when he was serious, his charisma was immense, befitting a professor who stood as Halind’s equal at Lumerne.
“They also know that Erebos will one day be revived, bringing forth a calamity. But few consider it an imminent crisis. Does anyone know why?”
The students fell silent at his question.
They, too, were aware of the things Sedzen had mentioned.
But none of them could pinpoint exactly why those things constituted a crisis.
Because they had never once thought deeply about it.
“It has been 5,000 years since the Age of Calamity ended. The return of the calamity was also 2,000 years ago.”
Sedzen hadn’t expected an answer, so he continued right away.
“We all know of the horrors of that time through countless records and the Hero Records. But unfortunately, humans are creatures of adaptation. No matter how well you know the danger, no matter how much you know a calamity will strike again someday, if it’s not right in front of you, you grow numb to it—even if it’s a despairing future.”
Sedzen scanned the students.
“And that fact won’t change even if a god reappears and the world learns that the Heroes of Genesis are continuing their desperate struggle. Because unless it’s right at your doorstep, you’re bound to grow numb.”
The students remained silent at his cold words.
“That is why, at times like these, your role is crucial.”
Sedzen said seriously.
“All of you enrolled in Lumerne for your own reasons. You’ve all hoped to become heroes, dreaming different dreams.”
Sedzen took a pocket watch from his coat, checked the time, and then spoke.
“But from today, as hero candidates, I want you to think once more about what the essence of a hero truly is. That is all for today’s class.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the bell signaling the end of class rang right on cue.
Sedzen lightly gathered his teaching materials and left.
The students stood up from their seats and began to talk.
“Man, today’s class really makes you think.”
“Hmm… All I ever thought about was becoming the greatest knight hero in my kingdom to restore my family’s name to its former glory. The essence of a hero, huh.”
“Isn’t a hero someone who, so to speak, transforms the era and leads the people?”
The students talked amongst themselves seriously.
Watching them, Karl asked Leo,
“Leo, what do you think a hero is?”
“The one who suffers the most.”
Karl chuckled at his answer.
“Wanna go get lunch?”
“No, I have a student council meeting today.”
“Oh, right.”
“So, about that, Karl.”
“Yeah?”
“Could you find out which second-years, not in the student council but active in clubs, might be interested in student council work?”
“Not a problem. Leave it to me.”
Karl gave a thumbs-up, and Leo clapped him on the shoulder with a smile.
“Thanks.”
With that, Leo left the classroom.
“Karl! Let’s go eat! Leo went to the student council, right? Let’s just the three of us eat today.”
Just then, Chelsea approached with Eiran.
Karl looked at Chelsea with pity.
“What? What’s with that look?”
“Nothing, it just looks like Leo is planning out next year’s student council members.”
“Really? I guess the fifth-year seniors are graduating soon.”
Chelsea nodded.
Karl looked at Chelsea with a pitying expression.
“I’m asking you, what’s with that look?”
“Nothing, just that your school life is about to get a little complicated.”
Chelsea scrunched up her face, giving Karl a look that said, ‘What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?’
‘All the top students are probably candidates for slavery.’
Karl shook his head from side to side.