Chapter 698
Chapter 698
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 698
Chapter Title: Department War
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698.
The central hall of the Lumerne Clock Tower Dormitory.
It had become a meeting square where the entire student body gathered.
Students, now accustomed to the Clock Tower Dormitory, would exchange information or trade goods here.
Thus, the students of Lumerne were beginning another vibrant day.
Juen and Betty were chatting as they headed to the dining hall, textbooks tucked under their arms.
“I never want to go to a place like that coal mine again.”
“Yeah. That exclusive blacksmith contract was just awful.”
Karl cut into their conversation.
“Was it that bad?”
“Of course! Stuck in a mine, swinging pickaxes and shovels! Ugh! Mages are supposed to use their heads, so why were we doing manual labor?”
“Hmm. So? Did you find a decent smith?”
“Of course! We made a deal with one of the students you recommended, Senior Karl...”
Juen stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening.
Betty looked surprised too, and then both girls whipped their heads around.
“Senior Karl! When did you get back?”
“This morning.”
Karl sighed heavily, patting his own shoulder.
He had originally gone to Demian to supervise the second-years' blacksmith contracts but had been drafted into Leo's party to conquer a Hero Dungeon.
As a result, he had returned to Lumerne a few days later than the other second-years.
“Did the Hero Dungeon conquest go well?”
“Yeah. I was so busy writing reports back in Demian.”
Karl shook his head.
There's a lot of cleanup to do even after conquering a Hero Dungeon.
Things like writing reports and various other paperwork remain.
Especially since this was the world of Dweno that Leo's party had conquered.
To be precise, a world of the Legion whose existence had only recently been confirmed.
‘On top of that, we even subjugated the Giant King Gias.’
Given it was such a major event, writing the reports was even more difficult than usual.
No official announcement had been made yet.
The Lumerne students only knew that Leo's party had been dispatched on an exploratory mission at Demian's official request, which then changed to a Hero Dungeon conquest.
“Whose Hero Dungeon was it?”
Juen asked, her eyes sparkling, and Karl shrugged.
“It's classified. Right, Leo?”
“Ah! Senior Leo.”
“Hello.”
Juen and Betty hurriedly bowed.
“Oh! It's the student council president!”
“The acting president is with him too.”
Other students also noticed Leo and Karl, their eyes widening.
When they spotted the other party members as well, second-years from every department rushed over.
“Senior Duran! You've worked hard!”
“You've worked hard!”
The second-year Knight Department students bowed respectfully to Duran.
“Wow, it's like an army. Do you rule over your juniors with an iron fist?”
Chelsea shot her a look, but Iliana shook her head.
“Not at all. The kids just naturally respect us. Wanna see?”
Iliana, crossing her arms with a triumphant look, waved to the second-year Knight students.
“Hey, everyone. Hello.”
“Ah. Hello, Senior Iliana.”
“Welcome back.”
The second-year Knight students looked happy to see Iliana.
They were friendly, but... it wasn't a feeling of reverence.
“There's a clear difference in temperature compared to how they treat Duran.”
“Ugh! That's just because Duran acts unnecessarily serious all the time! I, Iliana, am a friendly senior! And it's not just me! Xia and Celia aren't revered like Duran either!”
“Ah! Senior Celia! Senior Xia!”
“Good morning!”
“Good morning!”
The second-years spotted Celia and Xia and greeted them with sharp, disciplined bows.
“...”
Iliana fell silent.
“Senior Eliza. Let me carry your bags.”
“Hmph. I don't need you to.”
“Should I massage your shoulders?”
“I said I don't need it.”
Eliza frowned at the second-years' excessive goodwill.
“Senior Chelsea!”
“A new kind of cookie came out, so I bought some. Please try one!”
“Wow, senior. Your skin looks a little tired.”
The second-year Mage Department students also gathered around Chelsea, making a fuss.
“...”
Chelsea stared intently at Iliana, who, on the verge of tears, complained to Leo.
“Class Rep! I want to be respected by my juniors too!”
“You're so endlessly flippant, respect is the last thing you'd get. Just like Karl.”
“Don't put me on the same level as Karl!”
Iliana snapped back at Leo's words, and Karl burst out laughing.
Iliana glared at him with a sullen face and said,
“Hmph! But the juniors don't approach you either, Class Rep! Doesn't that put you in the same boat as us?”
“No. That's a bit different.”
Karl shook his head.
The third-year department heads are well-regarded by their juniors for their overwhelming skill and charisma.
The second-years always treat the third-year department heads with respect, but they don't do the same with Leo.
The reason was simple.
‘They're incredibly intimidated by him.’
Leo's presence is too overwhelming to approach rashly.
As a result, they shrink in front of him.
That's why almost no junior ever approaches Leo first.
Even Iliana wasn't unaware of that.
“I don't know, I don't know. I can't hear you. The Class Rep is on my side.”
She just needed an ally.
Karl shook his head, looking at Iliana.
Watching this, Leo said,
“Alright, everyone, you've all worked hard. You won't be marked absent if you miss class today, so don't push yourselves and get some rest.”
“There's nothing quite as special as legally skipping class while everyone else has to attend.”
Karl chuckled.
Leo smirked at Karl and said,
“Alright. Dismissed.”
At Leo's words, the party members dispersed.
Celia and Chen Xia approached Leo, who was now alone.
“Leo. How was the mission?”
“It was tough.”
Leo answered Celia's question with a sigh.
“Wow, if the Young Master says it was tough, it must have been truly difficult. Ah, let me take your bag.”
“It's fine.”
“Oh, come on. Don't be like that.”
Chen Xia, smiling brightly, took Leo's bag.
“Miss Celia, please go have breakfast first. I'll help the Young Master with his luggage and be right there.”
“Okay. Got it.”
Accustomed to Chen Xia taking care of Leo in one way or another, Celia nodded and headed to the dining hall first.
Walking down a hallway in the Clock Tower Dormitory, Leo checked that no one was around and opened a random door.
It naturally connected to the top floor of the clock tower.
“The president's privilege is certainly convenient.”
Chen Xia smiled as she followed Leo into the room.
“Thanks for carrying that. I feel bad making you do it.”
“I'm doing it because I want to.”
Shaking her head at Leo's words, Chen Xia placed his luggage in a corner of the room.
Leo sat on the sofa in the center of the room and loosened his school uniform tie.
Then he leaned his head back, sinking deep into the sofa.
Watching him, Chen Xia walked over to a cupboard in the corner of the room.
A moment later, the fragrant aroma of tea filled the air.
With a soft clink, she poured the tea.
Placing a teacup in front of Leo, Chen Xia asked carefully,
“Did you meet one of the Great Heroes?”
“You're quick on the uptake.”
Leo said with a smirk, and Chen Xia replied,
“Your aura is different than usual. You look very tired.”
She had seen Leo exude this kind of atmosphere before.
It was when he met Ar-on and Luna, and his disciples, Berkia and Bihar.
For others, it would have been an overwhelming honor, but for Leo, it was not.
“I met Dweno.”
Chen Xia, who knew Leo's true identity, wore a slightly worried expression.
In response, Leo lifted his teacup and said,
“It's not something a little kid like you needs to worry about.”
“I'm not a little kid, I'm a proper young lady.”
“Saying things like that is proof you're still a kid. The tea smells nice. Thanks.”
“How about you take the day off and get a full rest?”
“That's the plan.”
“Will you wash up first? Or eat? Or perhaps?”
Leo set down his teacup and patted the spot next to him on the sofa.
Chen Xia went and sat beside Leo.
Leo reached out a hand toward her.
“Young Master Leo, that hurts.”
“It's supposed to hurt.”
Leo clicked his tongue as he pinched and shook Chen Xia's cheek.
Rubbing her reddened cheek, Chen Xia muttered under her breath,
“Stubborn old man.”
*Pinch—*
“I was wrong.”
This time, with both her cheeks pinched, Chen Xia spoke with a deadpan expression.
Leo let go of Chen Xia and asked,
“So? Did anything happen among the students while I was gone?”
“It's still the adjustment period, so nothing major happened.”
“How are the first-years?”
“They're excellent. No major issues with adjusting, either.”
“What's the atmosphere like between the dorms?”
At Leo's words, Chen Xia smiled.
“It's intense.”
“Intense?”
“Yes.”
Chen Xia nodded.
“Didn't you say nothing was happening among the students?”
“Yes. Nothing was happening *among the students*.”
“The professors, then.”
“That's right. Their competitive spirit has grown quite strong.”
“Well, the school is pushing for large-scale competition between departments.”
For the professors, who have strong departmental pride, it's a matter of ego.
Besides, most of the professors are Lumerne alumni.
As such, many of them are bound by a strong sense of pride in their departments, even after graduation.
It seemed that competitive spirit from the professors was spreading to the students.
Hearing Chen Xia's words, the corner of Leo's mouth curled up.
Seeing his expression, Chen Xia narrowed her eyes.
“What are you thinking?”
“An interesting thought.”
At those ominous words, Chen Xia let out a small sigh.
***
Not long after Chen Xia left for class,
Melina came to Leo's room.
“Lord Leo. Congratulations on conquering the world of the Legion.”
“What's that in your hand?”
“Ah, this?”
Melina smiled, holding up a small box in her hand. She placed it in front of Leo and opened the lid.
“A crown?”
“Your coronation is being prepared, isn't it? A crown befitting your new status as the king of a nation is essential. Of course, no crown could ever perfectly suit you, Lord Leo, but we did our best to...”
“Couldn't you just make a simple one? Or I could just not wear one.”
“You can't. No matter what anyone says, you are ascending to become a king of the world, just like Lord Lisinas, the King of Wisdom. This is a monumental event in world history.”
“Who said that?”
“Lord Lian.”
Leo clicked his tongue, thinking of a certain god who, despite being a deity, acted like a cult follower.
After some brief small talk,
he told Melina about what had happened in Dweno's world.
“So, your party members all acquired divine artifacts this time.”
“That's right. Though Ar and Duran were gifted their existing divine artifacts, which Dweno restored.”
The weapon Ar-on used.
The greatsword containing the power of Brave and lightning was an existing item, but it has now been fully restored to its original form.
“And on top of that, Miss Driana inherited Lord Dweno's flame as a conquest reward... This is huge.”
“It is.”
In addition, she spent a short time learning smithing techniques and how to use the flame from Dweno.
“If she has a medium, she should be able to restore manifested divine artifacts.”
Leo glanced over at the Ebon Cloak hanging in a corner of the room.
Duran's greatsword, for example, came from the Ebon Cloak.
While it would be impossible for Driana to create a divine-grade item from scratch right now, she should be able to restore items that came from the Ebon Cloak.
‘Well, it's not like I can just pull things out whenever I want.’
He didn't know the exact principle, but the Ebon Cloak seemed to produce weapons suited for heroes or hero candidates.
Melina, who had been discussing the conquest rewards, was startled by what he said next.
“Lord Lisinas's spirit?”
“Yeah. It's there, 100%.”
Leo narrowed his eyes.
According to Karl, it borrowed Artian's body and made a brief appearance when Dweno was rampaging.
“Ahh. Lord Lisinas.”
Seeing Melina's overwhelmed expression, Leo grinned.
“That damn lizard. Trying to trick me into a marriage proposal? When I meet his spirit, I won't let him off easy.”
“I think that was your fault, Lord Leo...”
“What?”
“It's nothing.”
Melina, who had been about to take Lisinas's side, shook her head.
“The subjugation of the Giant King Gias. This is truly enormous.”
“It is.”
“The world will surely be turned upside down.”
“Make sure you're fully prepared before you announce it.”
Having roughly finished discussing the mission, Leo leaned back on the sofa and said,
“Ah, and about our school's midterms.”
“Yes.”
“I'm allowed to create the inter-dormitory departmental exams, right?”
“Yes.”
Although he's a student, Leo's authority this semester is comparable to a professor's.
In particular, the authority to manage the dormitories was given to the student council president.
“Do you have something in mind?”
“Yeah.”
“What is it?”
At Melina's question, Leo smiled.
“Department War.”