Chapter 188

Leo and Chen Sia immediately headed towards the club building.

“Come to think of it, didn’t Lord Leo mention creating a hero studies club?”

Chen Sia, who suddenly seemed to recall something, tilted her head while nibbling on her finger. Observing this, Leo wore an indifferent expression.

“I did. But I became the student council president before I could create it.”

“That’s disappointing. I was considering joining the club you were going to make.”

“You seem to have a great interest in heroes?”

“Is there anyone who dislikes tales of heroes?”

Indeed, as Chen Sia said, with the era being called the ‘Era of Heroes’, many people admire heroes. Hence, the stories of heroes are objects of admiration for many. Ask any student at Lumeran, and they would all have a favorite hero tale.

“Right?”

“Yes.”

Chen Sia nodded and replied with a faint smile.

“They’re so cool.”

Her muttered words seemed to be gazing at some distant ideal. Leo raised a questioning eyebrow upon hearing her.

“It sounds like you’re speaking as if it’s impossible for you to achieve.”

Chen Sia widened her eyes and stared at Leo.

“Didn’t you enroll in Lumeran with dreams of becoming a hero?”

While walking past with a casual remark, Leo watched his retreating figure, causing Chen Sia to burst into laughter.

“Did you know, Lord Leo sometimes really sounds like an uncle?”

“Is that so?”

“See? You’re not even denying it.”

Chen Sia came closer to Leo and leaned forward, looking up at him.

“Is it so hard for the real uncle?”

‘Reincarnation is indeed a thing.’

Thinking to himself that she was surprisingly sharp, Leo smirked slightly.

While conversing this way, the two reached the club building and promptly began the student council work.

“Where should we start?”

“Hmm. The gardening club isn’t far. Shall we go there first?”

“Agreed.”

Leo nodded and along with Chen Sia, headed towards the location of the gardening club.

Upon seeing the surroundings of the gardening club, Leo made a rather perplexed expression.

‘Is this almost like a jungle?’

It was nearing autumn, and the students were wearing autumn uniforms. Despite that, the gardening club’s vicinity was maintained as a warm climate through magical means, creating an atmosphere that wouldn’t be out of place in a small jungle.

Entering the gardening club, Leo was met with a sight of countless plants.

The sight changed his face somewhat.

“Are there also plants from the summoning series mixed in?”

“Yes. This is Lumeran’s gardening club, after all. There’s no way they’d cultivate ordinary plants.”

Chen Sia shrugged her shoulders while saying this. Listening to her, Leo remarked:

“From what I know, the art and music clubs do relatively normal activities.”

“True. But among Lumeran’s club activities, there are quite a few dangerous ones.”

As a member of the student council, Chen Sia had a good grasp of things happening across the school.

“And we also have these normal fruit trees, too.”

As she passed by, Chen Sia reached out and plucked an apple, biting into it with a crunch.

Leo watched the tree she had reached out for. On it were various fruits besides apples.

‘Almost like a chimera.’

Certainly, there must be someone knowledgeable about magical engineering within the gardening club.

Leo and Chen Sia moved toward the area where the club facilities were located.

No sooner had they done so, a few large floral buds opened their mouths wide and lunged toward Leo and Chen Sia.

A situation that would have left a common person shocked, but Leo and Chen Sia didn’t bat an eye.

It wasn’t that they were the top students of the first year; any reaction at this level would make it impossible to survive at Lumeran.

Leo dodged the attacking flower bud, grabbing its stem to subdue it, while Chen Sia flicked her finger to deliver a slap on the flower bud.

PAK!

The plant, struck by her finger, was thrown far away.

CHIIEEK!

At that moment, a sharp horn sound rang out.

As it did, the previously unruly carnivorous plants immediately quieted down.

“Who’s here? Visitors to the gardening club are quite rare otherwise.”

A female student emerged, parting through the bushes.

Wearing a fourth-year’s badge and the emblem of the Department of Magic, she had ashy green hair and green eyes.

To this girl, Chen Sia said:

“We’re from the student council.”

“WHAT? Aren’t you Chen Sia? Did you come here for the Ruse Tournament? Moreover… Leo Flove?”

The fourth-year gardening club member stiffened upon seeing Leo.

“Is…is this an inspection…”

“Ah! President of the Student Council! Why have you graced such a humble place with your presence!”

The fourth-year showed absolutely no disdain for Leo being from the first year, approaching with incredible speed and wiping his hands.

“You’ve suffered much in this heat, haven’t you? You should have informed us of your visit earlier! Come, come, inside!”

Her respect was so pronounced that one might question whether this was how a fourth-year should behave toward a first-year.

‘Unquestionably, it’s because budgets are tied in, making her sensitive.’

The heads of clubs aren’t just upperclassmen. The club activities at Lumeran aren’t mere activities but have depth that could significantly aid them once they graduate into society. Notably, beyond club level, research is sometimes conducted even in relevant fields.

And the most important aspect of research is, of course, funding.

Thus, club heads are always hungry for research funds to conduct their desired investigations.

‘First year? So what? He’s the Student Council President! The money source!’

Ninya, the head of the gardening club, was confident she could bow to Goblins if need be.

This Ninya, guiding Leo and Chen Sia to the club room, kicked open the door and announced:

“Bow your heads and kneel! Mm… No, the heir to the Student Council’s chair has arrived!”

“Hm?”

“Student Council President?”

The gardening club members were startled out of their chairs and crowded around Leo and Chen Sia.

“Welcome!”

“Your visit is sincerely appreciated!”

“Placard! Placard!”

All the students gave an enthusiastic welcome. They were either from the Department of Magic or the Department of Summoning.

“Hmph. What an esteemed visitor has come to such a humble place.”

At that moment, from the farthest corner of the club room, a first-year, Eliza, spoke while trimming her nails.

“Gardening Club?”

“Yes. I like flowers.”

HUFF! Eliza blew on her nails and got up from the sofa.

“Rather strange there aren’t any flowers outside for someone who claims to love flowers.”

“Th- That! Because the older members of the gardening club have peculiar tastes…!”

“Strange? Why would someone like Miss Eliza remain in such a strange place?”

Ninya taunted, and Eliza sneered.

“Hmph! Once I become the head of the gardening club, I’ll eliminate all these strange plants and create a beautiful flower garden!”

“Noooooo!”

Ninya wailed and clung to Eliza.

“No! Don’t do that! These are the children I’ve diligently raised for four years! They’re like my own kids! Eliza! Don’t do it! Huhuuuuu!”

It was evident that Eliza, an elite, would eventually become the head of the gardening club when time passed. Picturing all the plants she had nurtured being destroyed, Ninya genuinely cried.

“Ah, understood! I won’t do it, so… KYAAAAAAAAA?! Stop pulling my skirt!”

Eliza panicked and tried to shake off Ninya’s grip.

As a senior by grade and as the head of the club, there was not a trace of dignity.

However, Eliza, known for her sharpness, wasn’t wielding any power against Ninya whatsoever.

‘She’s his arch-enemy.’

While Leo mused inside, Eliza finally managed to calm Ninya down.

She then cleared her throat.

“Hmm! In any case, since there is a Student Council matter, it must be for inspection and budget evaluation, right?”

Eliza’s eyes turned sharp.

“Then, shall we discuss this?”

To this, Leo glanced sharply at Ninya.

“Isn’t the head of the club someone else?”

“I’m the vice-president. And I’ve been handling all the budget matters.”

Eliza’s words caused Leo to look at Ninya.

“Yeah. Things improved a lot after Eliza joined.”

“The president tends to purchase whatever plant she likes by depleting the supplementary budget.”

“What an irresponsible person in this world…!”

“Senior!”

“Anyway, Eliza, take a lot of the budget for the upcoming Ruse Tournament….”

“Since it doesn’t help, take her away.”

Eliza coldly said, and third-year gardening club members grabbed Ninya by the arms and dragged her away.

“This is insubordination! Hey! Arrgh! Listen to a first-year! You have no pride as seniors… Uh! Uh! Uh!!”

“That’s not something seniors should say.”

“Quietly follow. Additional budgets should be delegated to Eliza.”

Seeing this, Chen Sia quietly chuckled and pulled out a memo from her coat.

Eliza directed Leo and Chen Sia to sit on a sofa and table in one corner of the facility and sat in front of them. Clapping her hands gracefully, one of the first-year students brought out tea and snacks.

“Such an expensive tea.”

Chen Sia sipped the tea in admiration, and Eliza, holding the teacup, smiled.

“Given it’s the gardening club, right? We’re also conducting a tealeaf business in collaboration with commercial clubs.”

“I think Kal mentioned something like that.”

In Lumeran clubs, members can engage in economic activities if they have capability. Of course, part of the profit must be paid to Lumeran, but the worth of the Lumeran brand is so extraordinary, that it doesn’t bother anyone much.

“Do you know that economic performance also heavily impacts the budget allocation?”

“I am aware. Yet, with this much profit, it seems like you don’t need additional funding, right?”

“It’s the Ruse Tournament, you know. We have a lot of preparations.”

“How much do you need?”

“The entire annual budget of the gardening club.”

At this, Leo looked at Chen Sia.

Chen Sia shook her head, indicating it was excessive.

“Reduce it to a quarter.”

“There’s no middle ground. We have already prepared solid justification for withdrawing the budget.”

Eliza, as the heir of the Hergin Family—a renowned hero lineage in the northern continent—had trained extensively as the successor to the clan leader, not just as a summoner.

Therefore, she was exceedingly proficient in document handling and budget-related issues.

“Hmm.”

As Leo scrutinized the documents, Eliza subtly curled her lips.

‘If reasonable data is provided, the amount, regardless of how significant, shouldn’t be an issue.’

Eliza elegantly crossed her legs.

‘Leo Flove. You may have seized the position of student council president through sheer skill, but is your administrative ability on par?’

Eliza had already seen through the fact that Leo’s current inspection visit as the student council president was a test orchestrated by the Student Council.

Thus, she planned to fully engage with him accordingly.

‘I’ll let you pull as much as you can.’

“The materials are reliable.”

Chen Sia, who had been adequately involved in the Student Council’s affairs, slightly expressed a look of difficulty.

Chen Sia’s capability in this area fell short compared to Eliza’s.

“What are you planning for the Ruse Tournament?”

Eliza’s eyes trembled slightly.

“T-that is…”

“We are going to fight the carnivorous plants of the Seirun gardening club! We’ve been victorious for the past four years….”

“Seniors!”

Eliza sharply shouted, causing other gardening club members to again drag Ninya away.

Rubbing her temples, Eliza said:

“Anywa… Anyway! Isn’t defeating Seirun important? We desperately need the budget!”

Actually, that much funding wasn’t necessary. She requested an increase purely to make future club activities more comfortable.

‘You should take the budget when you can!’

Eliza lifted her chin.

“We are entitled to our legitimate rights.”

If Leo and Chen Sia were elder members of the Student Council, they might have been fully aware of club activities and could find discrepancies. However, the two were rather naïve about club activities.

‘How to approach it?’

Just as Chen Sia started stroking her cheek, Leo raised his palm.

WHISHH!

CHIIEEK?

Fiora materialized through the summoning circle.

Seeing this, Eliza was startled.

‘P-Phoenix?’

“Fiora.”

CHIIEEK?

Leo handed the document for the approval of the quarter of the budget requested by Eliza to Fiora’s beak.

“Go get a signature from that person.”

BIIIP!

Thinking it was a useless errand, Fiora spat out the document.

Upon witnessing this, Leo said:

“It’s something only you can do.”

With that, Fiora momentarily hesitated, then proudly raised her head and nodded firmly.

She then ran up to Eliza with the document.

BIIIP BIIIP!

“Umm…!”

Eliza began looking flustered with her reddened face. Since words wouldn’t work, she realized she couldn’t win.

DRECK!

“Let’s go. That will manage to get the signature on its own.”

Leo dragged Chen Sia and exited the gardening club, leaving them behind.

Seeing this, Chen Sia raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Is that okay?”

“She’ll get the signature.”

“Miss Eliza seemed quite firm.”

“A summoner who uses a Phoenix can intimidate them.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Sia pondered for a moment and then burst into a chuckle, evidently understanding.

“But it felt a little excessive.”

“If negotiations seem disadvantageous, you should target their weaknesses and relentlessly exploit them,” a friend of mine once said.”

“Hmm? Was there such a friend? That doesn’t seem quite heroic.”

Surprised by Chen Sia, Leo internally thought:

‘The words of Lissinas, hailed as the Hero of Heroes.’

Recalling the infamous King of Wisdom sometimes called a con artist, Leo looked at Chen Sia.

Among the first years, Chen Sia was the most adult-like, but it seemed she still retained some innocence.

‘Or is it that, except for Aron, the rest of us are corrupt?’