Chapter 105

【105】104.

The day after the final exams.

Lumeran immediately held the closing ceremony.

Of course, not all the students were gathered.

The ceremony was conducted under the supervision of each class professor.

And the students of Class 5 were all anxiously looking at Halind, who stood in front of the class.

Because the announcement of grades would take place during the closing ceremony.

With his usual dry, emotionless voice, Professor Halind looked at the students and said,

“Alright, let’s announce the grades you’ve been waiting for.”

The atmosphere in the class darkened at his words.

Grade announcement.

Everyone managed to survive the midterms, but there was no guarantee the finals would be the same.

“Before that, there are no students in our class receiving withdrawal recommendations.”

“YES!”

“OOOOOOOOOH!”

“We survived!”

The lower-ranking students, who had been on pins and needles, burst out of their seats and cheered.

Seeing this, Halind spoke.

“Students who shouted now. Immediately kneel down and lower your heads.”

The students who shouted paled.

They lowered their heads and muttered anxiously.

“Seena, distribute the grade sheets to the students.”

“Yes.”

Seena smiled and handed out the printouts to the students.

The students checked their individual scores tensely.

“This time, the Department of Magic ranking dropped to third place. Is this expected?”

Chelsea scratched her head while saying this.

The practical exams part of the finals, which were supposed to substitute as the interdepartmental competition, was unfortunately halted due to an accident. Consequently, this final exam had higher emphasis on the written test.

Naturally, Chloe and Abad had an advantage in the written exam.

“How about your ranking in the Department of Magic, Leo-nii?”

“8th place.”

“High.”

Since Leo was still unfamiliar with modern magical theory, he didn’t perform well in the written exam.

Nevertheless, ranking 8th was an impressive accomplishment.

Leo placed within the top 10 in all his written exams as well.

Of course, the practical test scores ranked first.

“Overall score is first place. I will be the representative of the first grade in the second semester, too.”

“Congratulations, Leo-nii!”

“Class representative again? Well, it is natural considering your performance.”

As the students in Class 5 were talking about their grades, the classroom door opened, and Professor Sedgen came in.

“Hahahaha! Halind! You’ve seen the class rankings, right? Our sophisticated Class 1 ranked first again! Class 5 is second! Hahahahahaha! In the end, we won for the first semester! Hahahaha!”

Sedgen, who had a strong sense of rivalry with Halind, burst in to announce the class rankings.

Of course, everyone in Class 5 just shrugged it off.

Sedgen had been doing this for quite some time.

Halind continued to ignore him as usual and only relayed announcements to the students.

‘He used to make me mad, but now he just looks pitiful.’

‘Poor Professor Sedgen.’

While Class 5 sent him sympathetic glances, Leo raised his hand.

“Professor Sedgen, then how about you treat us to something delicious?”

Sedgen frowned at his words.

“I declared victory – why should I buy you a meal?”

“It’s customary that victors also know how to be generous to the loser, right?”

“Hmm! That’s not entirely wrong either! Alright! In the spirit of generosity, I will buy each of the Class 5 students a drinks….”

“I heard Class 1 was going to one of the top restaurants in Rumelia City for an after-party. Take us along!”

“Whoa! You are truly Professor Sedgen. That’s so generous!”

“Definitely lives up to being the homeroom teacher of the best first-year class!”

The students of Class 5 quickly caught on and began scheming to take advantage of Sedgen.

‘Hmph, I thought you could fool me with such a petty tactic?’

Of course, Sedgen gave a condescending smile.

At that moment, Seena nudged Halind’s ribs.

Though Halind made a face of annoyance, noticing the earnest looks from his students, he heaved a sigh and said,

“Sedgen, your teaching ability really is incredible.”

“What did you say? Halind?”

“I said your teaching ability is impressive.”

“Hahahaha!”

Sedgen laughed heartily, knowing fully well that Halind, an old colleague, was not one to make such empty compliments.

Of course, Halind’s praise had been empty.

“Phah, whatever! Alright! I’ll take Class 5 along for the after-party!”

“WAHHH!”

Class 5 erupted in cheers.

Sedgen, in a better mood, returned to Class 1, laughing heartily.

“When will that guy ever grow up?”

“That means he really respects you, Professor Halind, doesn’t it?”

Seena smiled, and Halind shot a cold look at the students.

“To think you’d use me just to fill your stomachs!”

The whole class flinched at that.

Halind, glaring at the class with piercing eyes, smirked and said,

“Prepare to bankrupt him with your appetite.”

“Understood!”

“Don’t worry, Professor Halind!”

The mood of the entire class skyrocketed.

Seeing the excited students, Halind continued the announcements.

“As you can see on the parental notification slip on your grade sheets, the professors intend to conduct home visits during the semester. The schedule is also mentioned in the notification, so be at home accordingly. If you have any issues, contact the school through the communication magic beforehand.”

“Understood.”

“And… During the holidays, I assume there aren’t any fools here who will get into trouble or tarnish the school’s reputation. …However, those who do should look forward to the first day of the second semester. That said, finally.”

Halind flicked his finger lightly.

BOOM!

A pile of heavy books fell onto every student’s desk.

The whole class froze stiff.

“Vacation homework.”

“Uh, is all this it?”

Illiana asked, clearly horrified.

“If you don’t want to do it, that’s fine. But of course, you’d have to take responsibility for the consequences afterward.”

The students grimaced as Halind smiled inscrutably.

“The closing ceremony is over. Everyone, thank you for all your hard work this semester.”

With that, Lumeran’s brief closing ceremony concluded.

*

After happily finishing the after-party and by the time evening approached,

“It’s almost time for the warp gate to close.”

Kal looked at the warp gate with a reluctant expression.

The warp gate had different exits for each region.

“Phew! There were so many words and so many problems!”

Teid stretched out and said.

“Still, it’s something that we all survived, right? This time, I really thought Kal was dangerous.”

Illiana giggled.

“Anyway, enjoy your vacation everyone. Don’t forget the homework.”

Nella laughed while reminding them.

“See you again in the second semester! Keep writing!”

Chelsea waved to Nella.

As Leo watched his friends leave, he took in the sight of the setting sun over Lumeria Lake through the warp gate.

“It’s been a hectic semester.”

“Yeah, but it was fun!”

Chelsea, walking with Leo because they were from the same region, giggled.

“Will you be home during the vacation, Leo-nii?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I visit?”

“Visiting is fine, but I don’t know how my mom will react.”

“Huh? Leo-nii’s mom… Oh!”

Chelsea gasped as she remembered that Leo’s maternal side was from the Zerdinger family.

“But maybe your mom will like me regardless? I am cute after all!”

“Do you not feel embarrassed saying that out loud?”

“Because it’s true!”

Leo chuckled at Chelsea’s self-assured statement and headed toward the warp gate.

There, Celia and Abad were waiting.

“Finally, you’re here.”

Celia brushed her hair back.

“Students from the Empire are all waiting. Chelsea, you’re the last one.”

“Got it. Sorry about that.”

Chelsea quickly ran toward Abad.

Celia looked at Leo and said,

“Why don’t you drop by my place?”

“I should go home first.”

“Hmm.”

Celia smiled, seemingly disappointed.

“I’ll come by in a few days, then.”

“Okay.”

As cousins, Celia could visit the Flove household freely anytime.

Abad smiled at Leo.

“Have a good vacation.”

“You too, Abad.”

After saying goodbye, the three headed toward Rodren Empire’s warp gate.

And Leo boarded the warp gate to Delrad Kingdom alone.

“It’s been a while since I’ve gone home.”

After parting ways with his friends, the vacation finally felt real.

-Attention. For guests headed to the Delrad Kingdom. Please board the warp gate immediately.

“Starting next semester, I’ll get to dive deeper into the Hero Record.”

While thinking about the second semester, the warp gate activated.

Flash!

Arriving in Delan, the capital of the Delrad Kingdom, Leo stepped out of the warp gate immediately.

In front of the warp gate, a large crowd waited.

“Whaaaa!”

“It’s Leo Flove!”

“The representative from the first year at Lumeran!”

“The future of Delrad Kingdom!”

Seeing the cheering crowd, Leo’s face soured.

“Uh… I expected it, but… this is over the top, isn’t it?”

Delrad Kingdom was a small peripheral nation.

It was rare for them to produce someone talented enough to attend Lumeran.

However, Leo had achieved an unprecedented record by ranking in every class and being Lumeran’s grade representative.

Combined with the fame from the interdepartmental competition incident, Leo became quite famous.

Especially given the historical fact that Delrad had never produced heroes, it was no surprise that the kingdom was thrilled.

Sighing, Leo found his family’s carriage and made his way towards it.

However, people from various families approached him, offering party invitations.

“Mr. Leo! Lady Zelma invites you to an evening banquet…”

“I’m from the Dorben Dukedom! The Duchess insists on inviting Mr. Leo…”

“Sorry, I’d like to go home and rest.”

Leo managed to get into the carriage after declining their invitations.

“Should I be thankful that no one from the royal family showed up?”

It would be awkward to reject an invitation from the royal family.

As Leo sighed in the carriage, a soft chuckling sound could be heard.

“Are you thinking right now that you’re glad no one from the royal family came?”

“Good to see you, Mother.”

“Yo! Is this how you greet your long-missed mother so formally?”

Reina, who was already in the carriage, pinched Leo’s nose lightly.

Leo chuckled and rubbed his nose.

“Still, I thought someone from the royal family might come, but no one did?”

“I asked Uncle Giese to write a letter to the King on my behalf.”

“I should thank Uncle Giese.”

“Yes, please do next time.”

Reina smiled and hugged Leo tightly.

“Anyway, welcome home, Leo.”

Seeing her son and hugging him with a smile, Leo couldn’t help but smile hollowly.

Upon reflection, this was the first time in this life he’d been away from his parents.

“I’ve come back, Mom.”

The carriage set off towards the Flove family estate.

Leo’s vacation had truly begun.