Chapter 079
Chapter Title: The Major Competition Begins
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The day after the school trip, with the excitement and fatigue yet to fade.
Classes at Lumerne proceeded as usual.
Most first-years, still struggling to adjust to the atmosphere, attended their classes in a daze.
As the final class before lunch was drawing to a close,
“Everyone, your attention. I have an announcement.”
Professor Dragon, the history professor, captured the students' attention.
Once he had their focus, Professor Dragon began to speak.
“This afternoon’s schedule has been changed. There will be a joint major class, so everyone is to gather in the grand auditorium of the Hero's Tower after lunch. No exceptions.”
After Professor Dragon left, the students began to murmur amongst themselves.
“A joint major class? We've never had one of those before, have we?”
Karl stroked his chin.
“Doesn't this just smell like a new school event?”
Leo remarked, looking at the grinning Karl.
“Probably. This academy never lets its students rest, does it?”
“Leo! Let's have lunch at a café near the Hero's Tower today!”
“Sounds good.”
“Chelsea! Abad is here looking for you.”
“Hm?”
Hearing the voice from the back of the classroom, Chelsea went over to Abad.
She returned a moment later, looking apologetic.
“Sorry, it looks like I’ll have to eat with my brother.”
“Alright. You two have a nice time together.”
“Enjoy your lunch.”
As Chelsea left with Abad for lunch, Karl spoke up.
“Well then, shall we head over to the Hero's Tower? It’s a bit intimidating with all the upperclassmen around, though.”
The two of them left the classroom building and headed for the Hero's Tower.
The Lumerne campus was lined with not only the student cafeteria but also a variety of cafés, snack bars, and restaurants.
Of course, unlike the student cafeteria, you had to pay, but none of them served bad food, and the wide array of cuisines made them popular spots for students.
“I heard the competition to open a shop on campus is fierce.”
Karl said, looking at the restaurants around the Hero's Tower.
“Leo, how about some southern cuisine today?”
“Let’s.”
“Great! I’ve been wanting to try this amazing southern restaurant I heard about near the Hero's Tower!”
Leo followed Karl to the famous eatery.
Just as Karl had said, it was packed with customers.
As luck would have it, one table was free, and Leo and Karl started to head for it.
“Excuse me.”
“Huh?”
Just then, a group of students cut in front of them and quickly took the seats.
“Excuse me. We were about to sit there.”
“Hm?”
At Leo’s words, the students’ eyes widened before they burst into laughter.
“What’s this first-year muttering about?”
“Trying to pick a fight with us? How cute.”
“Wait, white hair and red eyes… Isn’t this guy Leo Flove?”
The ones who had cut in were none other than second-years from the Summoning major.
The Summoning major had a stricter hierarchy between year levels than other departments, and these second-years had taken a disliking to Leo, who never bothered to show his face to his upperclassmen during summoning classes.
Of course, Leo wasn’t the type to bat an eye at what his seniors thought of him.
“Just as arrogant as the rumors say.”
“What? You think being the class representative makes you special?”
Facing the hostile second-years, Karl gave an awkward laugh.
“Haha. Not at all. We’ll just go eat somewhere else. Let’s go, Leo.”
“This is why you can’t trust country bumpkins and commoners. They have no manners. None at all.”
“Haha.”
Karl put on a good-natured smile.
“Leo, let’s just go. There’s no point in starting trouble with upperclassmen…”
Thud-!
“Ugh?”
Crash-!
A second-year from the Summoning major tripped Karl.
Having clearly tripped him on purpose, the student then picked up a water pitcher from the table and poured it over Karl’s head.
“You’d better watch yourself, too. Or you might end up like your friend.”
“Hey, that was too far. He’s from a different major.”
“You think the Magic majors care about some no-name commoner? He’ll probably be advised to drop out before the first semester is even over.”
They snickered amongst themselves.
“Excuse me.”
Leo gave an apologetic smile to the hesitant waiter who had stopped serving, then took the bowl of soup from the waiter’s tray.
Smash-!
“Gah?!”
And without a moment’s hesitation, he slammed the bowl of hot soup into the face of the second-year who had tripped Karl.
“Oh, I’m sorry. My hand slipped.”
Leo said with a completely unapologetic expression, grinding the bowl against the second-year’s face.
“Aaaargh!”
The second-year, now covered in hot soup, clutched his face and let out a scream.
“Are you crazy?!”
“How dare a first-year challenge his seniors?”
Sparks flew in the other second-years’ eyes.
“Challenging my seniors isn’t exactly against school rules, is it?”
Leo said with a chilling smile.
For a moment, the second-years flinched, overwhelmed by Leo’s presence.
But soon, their pride stung, their faces flushed red.
“You, follow us outside. We’ll make you pay dearly for picking a fight with second-years!”
Just as the atmosphere turned vicious,
“That’s enough.”
All eyes turned to a corner of the restaurant.
The second-year students who had been confronting Leo hastily stood at attention.
“S-Senior Ulta!”
He was a fifth-year male student with fair skin and light blond hair.
After dabbing his mouth with a napkin, he looked at the second-years and spoke.
“You were the ones who started it, weren’t you? If you cause any more of a disturbance, I can’t just stand by as your senior. So, could you please stop now?”
“Hup! Y-Yes, sir! Of course!”
“Understood!”
“Our apologies. We’ll stop.”
Changing their tune completely, the second-years from the Summoning major quickly apologized and scurried out of the restaurant.
Ulta walked over to Karl and helped him to his feet.
“On behalf of the Summoning major, I apologize. I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
Karl shook his head with an embarrassed laugh.
Finally, Ulta looked at Leo.
“Sorry for interfering. As pathetic as they are, it would have pained me to see my juniors get beaten to a pulp by a first-year, so I stepped in.”
With a meaningful smile, Ulta left the restaurant.
“Who was that?”
“You don’t know Ulta Legdition? He’s the salutatorian of the fifth-years! The man who’s been Lis Jerdinger’s rival for five straight years! I heard he was away on a mission, when did he get back?”
Karl said in an excited tone.
Hearing this, Leo smirked.
‘I see. It makes sense for the fifth-year salutatorian to be the contractor of Pegasus.’
Ulta was the contractor of Pegasus, one of the three great phantom beasts, alongside the Phoenix and the Fae.
***
As Leo was heading to the grand auditorium of the Hero's Tower after lunch, Celia approached him.
“Leo.”
“Hey, Celia. Did you have a good school trip?”
“Of course.”
At Leo's question, Celia swept her hair back and let out a chuckle.
“We wiped out a bunch of bandits who were causing trouble in elven territory.”
Celia, who had been speaking proudly with her chest puffed out, narrowed her eyes.
“Well, it was pretty minor compared to what your Class 5 did.”
The news that Class 5 had a joint lesson with Seirun during the trip had made them the envy of all the first-years.
“I heard you met Seirun’s first-year representative, too. What was she like?”
Knowing that Seirun’s first-year representative, Lunia, was from the Lundua family that wielded the power of the Phoenix, Celia was extremely curious.
“She was brutish.”
Karl snickered beside him as he answered.
“A brutish elf? I can’t even picture that.”
Celia wore a fascinated expression.
They were in the middle of talking about the school trip.
Teaching assistants entered the grand auditorium.
“Alright, everyone! Please assemble by major.”
At the assistants' words, the students looked puzzled.
“We’re grouping by major, not by class?”
“Yes. Starting today, preparations for the Major Competition will begin.”
“...!”
“...!”
The first-years' expressions changed instantly.
The Major Competition!
Every year at Lumerne, the best major for each grade level was chosen.
With the pride of each major on the line, the Major Competition was always a fierce battle, regardless of the year.
“Leo! Over here!”
Celia grabbed Leo’s hand and pulled.
“Hey! Hold on! Where do you think you’re taking Leo?”
Karl hurriedly grabbed onto Leo.
“What do you mean? Leo’s in the Knight major.”
“Why is he a Knight? Strictly speaking, he’s closer to a Magic major! You heard he deciphered the magic of the Progenitor of Nebula on the school trip, didn’t you?”
“Who cares?”
Just then, Chelsea rushed over.
“Why are you trying to drag Leo away?!”
“You know where Leo’s maternal family comes from, right?”
“That doesn’t make him a Jerdinger, does it?”
Sparks flew between Celia and Chelsea for the first time in a while.
Meanwhile, all eyes were focused on Leo.
‘Leo Flove…’
‘A powerhouse who displays top-tier skills in the Knight, Magic, and Summoning majors…’
‘We have to get him on our side!’
A war of nerves was breaking out between the majors over Leo’s allegiance.
“Young Master Leo is clearly a Knight major, isn’t he?”
“That’s just the Knight major’s opinion.”
As Chen Xia spoke with a smile, Chloe shook her head.
“Leo Flove. If you are my rival, then act like it and join the Knight major.”
“Since when was Leo your rival?”
Duran spoke in an authoritative voice, to which Chelsea scoffed.
“None of that matters. Leo is in the same major as me.”
“The Knight major already has three top-ranking freshmen, including you, Chen Xia, and Duran. Adding the class representative on top of that seems unfair, don’t you think?”
“That’s rich coming from the Magic major, which has two top-ranking freshmen of its own. Woreden! Say something!”
Celia snapped, looking at Woreden, who was watching idly alongside Abad and Eliza as if he had no interest.
“Leo! You choose! Which major will you join?!”
In the end, Celia left the decision to Leo.
He spoke, unconcerned.
“The solution is simple.”
***
The first-years finished assembling by major.
Amid the commotion in the grand auditorium, three figures appeared on the stage.
“Wait, isn’t that Senior Torua?”
“Is that Senior Jamua?”
“Aah! It’s Senior Ulta!”
The top students from each of the fifth-year majors.
They were the true hero candidates, the ones closest to becoming heroes themselves.
The appearance of these giants, rarely seen in person, sent a wave of excitement through the entire first-year class.
Amidst it all, Torua noticed something.
The first-years were currently divided into four main sections.
The Knight major, the Magic major, the Summoning major, and… one person occupying a large, empty area all by himself.
“Hey, Leo. Why are you being ostracized over there all alone?”
“Allow me to correct you, Senior Torua.”
Leo let out a smirk.
“I’m the one ostracizing the entire grade.”