Chapter 078
Chapter Title: A Noisy Return
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【79】78.
The next day.
Having enjoyed their given free time, Class 5 regretfully boarded the teleport gate as evening fell.
“Still, it was a fun field trip!”
“Yeah. It was rewarding.”
As Iliana stretched and spoke, Nella agreed with her characteristic languid smile.
“I bet no other class had a field trip as packed as ours.”
“Right, right. Who else gets to have a joint class with Seirun students?”
Karl chuckled in agreement with Dade’s words.
“It was fun, wasn’t it, Leo?”
Leo nodded at Chelsea, who asked with a giggle.
“Yeah.”
Just as all of Class 5 had stepped onto the teleport gate.
The Seirun students appeared at the gate.
They, too, were planning to return to Seirun via the teleport gate.
“Everyone from Lumerne, please have a safe trip back. I look forward to the day we meet again.”
As Herdium spoke with a broad smile, Class 5 smiled back brightly.
“See you again, Professor Herdium!”
“The class was fun!”
Besides Herdium, other Seirun students they had befriended came to say their goodbyes.
Leo smiled and waved at Lunia, who had returned to her top-student persona, and Eiran, who stood beside her.
Eiran smiled back and waved, while Lunia scoffed and sharply turned her head away.
Even so, she peeked at Leo before giving him a wave.
“Everyone, you haven’t forgotten anything, have you? We’re leaving now.”
“Yes!”
The students of Class 5 answered Sera’s call with vigor.
Vwoom-!
The teleport gate activated, enveloping them in a brilliant light.
***
As night fell, Lumerne's first-year dormitory buzzed with students.
“Hey! How was your trip?”
“Ours? Heh! Prepare to be amazed! We actually went on a monster subjugation!”
“Wow, we just did some volunteer work.”
They were busy swapping stories about their field trips with students from other classes they were friendly with.
Karl burst out laughing on his way to the men's dormitory bathhouse.
“Heh. How amusing. No other class could’ve had a field trip as eventful as ours.”
He rinsed off in the public bath and soaked his body in a large tub.
“Ahhh. I missed this heat.”
During the field trip, they could only take showers at best, so Karl savored the luxurious dormitory bathhouse.
Leo was also soaking in the tub.
“Move it, Woreden Tiden. I’m using this tub.”
“You don’t know your place, Duran Moira.”
“What did you say?”
“I merely stated a fact. If my words bother you, prove me wrong with your skills.”
“Interesting. I was just thinking I needed to take you down anyway.”
One side of the bathroom grew noisy.
“Yikes. Looks like those two are finally going at it.”
Karl clicked his tongue.
The men’s dormitory was large enough to accommodate many people, so the bathhouse was extremely spacious.
And there were many tubs available.
Among them was one tub that was particularly lavishly decorated, though it was smaller than the others.
It was large enough for four or five people, but from a noble's perspective, it was the perfect size for a personal bath.
However, hardly any students used that tub.
It was because it was someone's designated spot.
Specifically, it belonged to Duran Moira of Class 1 and Woreden Tiden, the president of Class 7.
The two strongest first-years used this spot as if it were their own private reserved seat.
“Those two never ran into each other before because their bathing schedules were different.”
As Karl said, their different schedules meant they never crossed paths in the bathhouse.
But with the simultaneous return from the field trip, the baths were crowded, and they had finally met.
The male students cautiously watched the two, who were radiating a menacing aura.
Duran and Woreden.
They were counted among the most skilled first-years and were also famous for their rough personalities.
As an ominous current flowed between the two.
Splash.
“Why don’t you just wash up together peacefully?”
Everyone's gaze turned to Leo.
Leaning back in his own tub, Leo was looking at the two with his head tilted all the way back.
“Why are you fighting over a bathtub? You’re not kids.”
“Are you interfering to mediate the dispute as the grade representative, Leo Flove?”
At Duran’s question, Leo made an indifferent face.
“You think it’s for some grand reason like that? I’m just telling you not to cause trouble.”
“If you don’t want that to happen, then you can challenge me too.”
Duran smiled belligerently.
“Wow! Our prince sure knows how to hear what he wants to hear!”
Karl exclaimed in admiration, and Duran’s murderous gaze turned to him.
“Yikes.”
Karl nonchalantly turned his head away.
The explosive atmosphere continued.
Click-
“Huh? Why the tense mood?”
The bathroom door opened and someone entered.
It was none other than Abad Llewellyn.
As the top four male students of the first year gathered in one place, the other boys nervously swallowed dryly.
Splash-
“……”
“……”
Abad entered the very spot Duran and Woreden had been fighting over.
Abad also used this place as his designated spot.
Of course, he never gave other students the stink eye to keep them away like Duran and Woreden did.
It was more that the other students were reluctant to share a bath with Abad.
After all, nobles were disinclined to bathe with others.
Everyone stared blankly at Abad.
“What?”
Seeing Abad ask with his usual smiling face, Duran and Woreden’s faces contorted.
“Heh heh!”
Leo let out a low chuckle.
At his laugh, Duran and Woreden’s faces grew even more menacing.
‘Hey! Don’t laugh!’
All the male students screamed inwardly.
And so, the storm-brewing incident in the bathhouse came to an anticlimactic end.
***
[Wings! Wings! Yahoo! I got my wings back!]
Whoosh-!
When Leo returned to his room after washing up, Kiruan was flying in circles above him.
Every time he did, tiny shining particles scattered around.
“You’re making me dizzy. How long are you going to keep that up?”
[Leo! Look! They’re wings! My wings!]
Kiruan flew in front of Leo, showed him his back, and flapped his wings as if to show them off.
“I’ve seen them enough already. And it’s just one pair out of three.”
Leo’s reaction was lukewarm.
[The great Fairy Prince has regained his power! You should be more amazed!]
Fairies were such powerful summoned beasts that summoners typically treated them with the utmost reverence.
But to expect such a thing from Leo was to bark up the wrong tree.
[Alright, Leo, perhaps you haven’t yet experienced my power! Fine! Then I shall grant you a special demonstration of my strength!]
“How are you going to show me?”
As Leo asked indifferently, Kiruan performed a stylish turn in mid-air and then flew over to Piora, who was eating chocolate on one side of the room, looking completely uninterested.
Chirp?
[Here we have an arrogant little red chick!]
Kiruan pointed at Piora with an exaggerated motion, like a magician performing a trick.
Chirp-
[Gah!]
Piora pecked Kiruan right on the crown of his head.
Then, she stomped on Kiruan, who was clutching his head and rolling on the floor.
[Get your foot off me! I’m going to show you something cool!]
Chirp?
Kiruan, who had barely managed to get up, conjured his magic.
He raised his hand and sprinkled glittering powder over Piora’s head.
Piora’s body began to glow with a soft, silvery light.
“Polymorph?”
Polymorph.
A spell used by beings with higher consciousness to summon their other selves.
The race that famously enjoyed using this magic was the dragons.
However, fairies rarely learned it.
This was because top-tier summoned beasts of the fairy class could call upon their other selves using their power without needing magic.
Piora was still too young to do it on her own, but with the help of Polymorph, she could summon her other self.
“Why did you learn this?”
[To mess around.]
‘Right, this guy was banished by Silroad for causing trouble.’
While Leo clicked his tongue, the light faded.
What was revealed was a cute girl who looked to be about five years old, wearing a red dress.
Fiery crimson hair and eyes that looked like they could burst into flame at any moment.
A doll-like face with delicate features that were breathtakingly cute.
[Hmph-! How about that! The power of yours truly!]
Ignoring the preening Kiruan, Leo rested his chin on his hand.
Piora, whose eyes widened at her new height, walked over to a mirror.
Seemingly pleased with her appearance, she even did a little turn in front of the mirror.
Then she walked over to Leo.
“It is the first time I greet you thus.”
She seemed to be trying her best to look dignified and stern, but unfortunately, combined with her appearance, she only came across as adorable.
“Your contra—”
Flap, flap-
[How do you like it! This amazing power of mine!]
As Piora tried to greet him, Kiruan flew distractingly in front of her face.
“Don’t interrupt.”
[Hmph, what clumsy movements.]
She reached out with her small hands to catch Kiruan, but he vexingly dodged her.
Furious, Piora forgot about greeting Leo and started chasing Kiruan.
Then, she snapped back to her senses, returned to Leo, elegantly lifted the hem of her dress slightly, and curtsied.
“I am your contractor, Piora.”
She looked like a child mimicking an adult, which made Leo burst out laughing.
“You’re so polite.”
“Mother told me to be polite to my contractor.”
[Ooh~ What a good little kid.]
Kiruan, who had landed on Piora’s head, slapped her forehead with his palm. Slap- slap-
Piora, with eyes blazing, tried to grab Kiruan again.
But Kiruan smoothly slipped away.
“Stay right there!”
Piora, who was chasing him angrily, seemed unused to her human body and soon tripped and fell flat on her face.
[Hahaha! You think you can catch me with those stubby little arms and legs!]
Kiruan flew right in front of Piora’s face and taunted her relentlessly.
Piora clenched both her fists and puffed out her cheeks.
Like a child throwing a tantrum, tears welled up at the corners of her large eyes, and her body trembled with rage.
[Bwahahahaha! Go peck some more feed and come back... Gack-!]
The obnoxiously taunting Kiruan was stomped on by Leo.
Piora didn’t miss the opportunity and slapped Kiruan with her palms.
Piora, wearing a look of satisfaction after her successful revenge, said.
“Leo. I want to show this form to Mother, too. Please open the way.”
“Alright. Take this one with you while you’re at it.”
He picked up the twitching Kiruan from the floor and gave him to Piora.
If he left this fairy in the dormitory, there was no telling what kind of trouble he would cause.
‘For now, I’ll have him stay in Pirina’s domain.’
“And tell her he seems to be in need of some etiquette lessons.”
“Yes.”
Piora nodded and passed through the summoning circle Leo had opened.
‘Finally, some quiet.’
With the chattering fairy who had been flying and talking nonstop finally gone, Leo dried his hair with a towel.
Now he could finally gather his thoughts.
‘My Hero Record and the dagger found in Verchia are in Seirun’s care for now.’
Leo looked out the window.
In Lumerne, the Demon Queen Silatuna.
In Seirun, the Necrolord Hell Kaiser.
The threat of Tartaros continued in unseen places.
Leo narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the Lumerne scenery outside the window.
‘Seirun had a direct traitor named Lauta.’
There was no guarantee that Lumerne didn’t have a similar traitor.
‘First, I suppose I should prioritize eradicating the Tartaros forces that have infiltrated Lumerne.’