【111】110.
The next morning.
The area in front of the Colosseum was bustling with people who had gathered to watch the Azonia Admission Ceremony.
People were being guided inside in an orderly manner.
At the center of the arena, the admission candidates stood, stretching their bodies with nervous expressions.
From here, the candidates would travel along the track within Azrek before setting out into the Great Desert.
The reason for traveling through the city was to show the candidates to as many people as possible.
The Colosseum’s stands were filled with spectators, all enthusiastically cheering the candidates on.
Leo was standing in the most secluded corner among the candidates.
Uncomfortable with the rabbit ears sticking out from under his beret, Leo fidgeted with them before pulling the hat down low over his head.
Though he had transformed into a beastman and changed his hair color with a Polymorph spell, his appearance was still recognizable enough for anyone who knew him.
‘Besides, it’s better not to draw too much attention.’
“Hey there, boy! Keep it up!”
“Haha! I’m feeling great! I’ll keep cheering you on!”
But even those in the stands enthusiastically cheered for Leo, who stood quietly in the corner.
‘No matter where you go, hero candidates are always welcomed, it seems.’
The Era of Catastrophe had ended and the world had welcomed peace.
Even so, the world still yearns for heroes.
Is it because they accomplished great deeds?
Or because they are transformative figures of history?
‘No, the people are aware.’
Leo’s eyes slightly narrowed.
‘The embers of catastrophe have not been completely extinguished.’
Though Erebus had fragmented into various pieces, he was far from gone.
Tartarus, his army, was still very much intact and scheming for the Rebirth of Catastrophe.
‘True peace will only come after the Era of Heroes has ended.’
An age when many heroes won’t be needed anymore.
That’s the vision the Great Heroes pursued long ago.
Leo was reflecting on an old vow when—
“Black Rabbit!”
Arna approached briskly.
“Didn’t you forget our promise from yesterday? I’m going to earn your respect, no matter what!”
“Sure, sure. But why do you have such big dark circles under your eyes?”
Arna grinned mischievously with an intense gaze.
“I couldn’t sleep a wink out of excitement!”
Watching how confident Arna was, Leo rolled his eyes.
“Are you alright?”
“Of course, I am! So during today’s test, don’t go anywhere—just follow me! Got it?”
“Don’t miss even a small fraction of my amazing performance! Look at me! Me only! And no one else!”
Arna chirped, circling around Leo like a playful kitten.
Just then, other admission candidates noticed Arna and approached her.
“Ar Tune, right? Nice to meet you! My name’s Reved. I hope we do well on this test.”
“Could you recommend me to Professor Berga if we end up being admitted?”
“Are you considering forming a team with me during this ceremony?”
“Huh? What?”
Surrounded by other candidates, Arna looked slightly disoriented.
There were people who didn’t think highly of recommended candidates but many others who respected them.
Arna, after all, was the heir to the hero family Tune.
Naturally, many students wanted to make a good impression before entering.
As the candidates gathered in one spot, the crowd’s attention naturally followed.
Noticing the attention shifting to them, Leo quietly stepped away.
Arna, surrounded by the other candidates, noticed Leo moving away and her eyes widened.
“Where are you going?! Black Rabbit! I told you to stay beside me!”
Arna, embarrassed, apologized to the surrounding candidates before rushing after Leo.
The other candidates watched her leave and frowned.
“Who is that rabbit guy?”
“What makes him so special that Ar Tune would care like that? Just because he’s a recommended candidate?”
Unintentionally, Leo had drawn jealousy from others.
In the stands, Yura examined the list of recommended candidates for this year’s Azonia ceremony.
“Tune, Den, Lual, and Vega. Our kids are top-notch this year, but the lineup for Azonia’s recommended candidates isn’t bad either. Quite impressive.”
“Definitely.”
“But, Kyle? Was it right to write down the Hero of Beginning? It’s strange not even to see his family name, what kind of person is this?”
“You’ll know soon enough.”
Each year, educators from the Hero Academies are invited to attend Azonia’s admission ceremonies to evaluate the competition among the first-year students across the academies.
This year, the department representatives from Lumern’s first-year students attended.
Ren was supposed to come as well but declined, citing preparation for the second semester as his reason.
“Arrogant brat! Everyone else came for the event, but he just sneaked out and avoided it!”
“There’s no need for all of us to attend. Besides, you can’t criticize him too much when he’s so busy preparing lessons.”
“Professor Ain may be lenient at times, but you’re pushing the boundaries. Show some authority, please.”
“Like I need a lecture from you?”
“Professor. To be honest, Professor Ain, you’re the one who argues with Professor Ain the most, despite being his junior professor.”
Yura glanced at her associate professor, Carlo, who spoke cautiously.
Looking over to her associate for a moment, Yura slapped Carlo’s neck hard.
“Choke! Cough! Cough!”
Ignoring the choking Carlo, Yura continued.
“Anyway, this Ren fellow is useless! Whether he works hard on class prep or not, Leo’s going to choose the Department of Summoning, so…”
“What are you saying? Leo Flove’s clearly in the Department of Knights!”
Ignoring the correction, Yura continued confidently.
“Oh well, Senior, didn’t you and Berga from Azonia used to be close? Aren’t you going to meet him?”
“Not really. He’s too irritating—he compares our first-years to his candidates every time.”
“Ah, I see.”
Nodding, Yura looked up at the sky and frowned.
Even though the stands were shaded, it was sweltering.
‘That’s why I didn’t want to come.’
Yura, who detested the heat, was about to take a sip of a drink when something in the arena caught her eye.
“Gasp! Choke! Huff! Huff!”
“Seems like you’ve spotted something interesting again?”
Ain glanced down at Yura with amusement.
Yura, who was coughing violently, suddenly grabbed Ain’s head.
“This is uncalled for…”
CRACK!
She twisted his head violently. A worrying sound came from Ain’s neck, making Carlo pale with fright.
“Looks like you were right, Professor Ain—about being too lenient with the juniors.”
TAP, TAP — AIN FLEXED HIS FINGERS.
Prepared to lash out at Yura, Ain hesitated as Yura suddenly shouted in a rush.
“Wait! Professor! Look there! That… There’s Leo!”
“What nonsense…”
Frowning, Ain’s gaze turned to the arena where a rabbit beastman had caught his attention.
“Alright, stop this foolish behavior.”
Shaking off Yura’s grip, Ain rubbed his eyes, staring again at the rabbit beastman.
The resemblance to Leo was uncanny, except for the hair color and the beast transformation.
“Wait… what is he doing here?”
Face grimacing, Ain stood from his seat.
“I’m going to pay Berga a quick visit.”
“Everyone form up!”
At the shout from the lecturer on the podium, the candidates swiftly lined up.
Once in place, the lecturer continued.
“Recommended candidates, step forward.”
At this command, five applicants moved to stand before the podium.
“You will represent the candidates by reading out the Declaration. Follow the sequence given here.”
The lecturer distributed scrolls to the students.
As others prepared to read their declarations, Leo questioned.
“Do we just read it aloud?”
“Yeah, as successors of Lady Aron, we solemnly place our hands on her Hero Record and declare our intentions as heroes.”
‘Lady Aron’s Hero Record? To see this sort of thing…’
Surprisingly, Leo felt a twinge of awe as he looked over the declaration.
Having finished their reviews, the recommended candidates gathered as the lecturer checked his watch and raised his voice into an amplifier enchanted with Magic.
“The swearing-in ceremony of the recommended candidates will now commence. Please step forward.”
The crowd’s gaze shifted immediately to the five chosen representatives.
Another official stepped forth and delicately placed the page of Aron upon a silk cushion in front of the podium.
The audience murmured in anticipation.
“This is Lady Aron’s Hero Record.”
“Wow…”
The page of the world’s first hero drew emotions, with some in the crowd offering prayers.
This record was the tangible proof of a legendary Great Hero who once saved the world.
“Begin the declaration.”
As the instructor’s voice rang solemnly, the candidate farthest to the left, Leo, stepped forward.
Thud—he stood before the ancient record.
The page, labeled <Prologue>, was worn and faded almost beyond recognition.
Yet, there was a palpable sense of divine energy emanating from it.
‘Thank goodness it’s still intact.’
Recalling the barely recognizable and tattered fragments of Kyle’s records, Leo sighed in relief.
“Hurry up, what are you doing? Place your hand and begin.”
At the instructor’s prompt, Leo placed his hand on the page.
“One, in the name of the brave Hero, I vow not to act in cowardice.”
Whoosh!
A sudden reaction emanated from the page, startling Leo.
‘What was that?’
Whooosh – !
‘This…!’
Upon detecting the reaction from Aron’s page, Leo urgently turned to Ar.
“Two, in the name of the great Hero, I will act without shame…”
“Stop! Take your hand off!”
“Eh? What’s wrong?”
Leo tried to push Ar away, but instinctively she dodged.
Just then.
Whooosh!
A brilliant light erupted from Aron’s page.
“What’s happening?”
The lecturer’s expression turned to alarm.
“Hero Record Open.”
“Eh?”
“Hold on!”
The message that floated before them made Arna’s eyes widen in shock.
[Aron World. Chapter: Prologue – The Beginning]
The intense light blinded the scene.
Leo and Ar instinctively closed their eyes.
And when they opened them…
They were standing in a desolate street.
“That was definitely the ‘Hero Record Open’ message… right?”
As Ar stood disoriented, Leo looked up at the sky.
Following his gaze, Ar did the same.
Her face tightened as she asked in confusion.
“What on earth is that? Why is the sky like this?”
To someone who had only known the era of peace, this sky was unimaginably alien.
To Leo, however, it was all too familiar—monotonous gray clouds foretelling the world’s imminent demise.
Leo’s face hardened.
‘The Era of Catastrophe.’
——————==
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