250
“I was kind of hoping to do some sightseeing while I’m here.”
Leo murmured to himself as he walked through the streets of the exotic landscape.
“It’s not a good idea to miss classes for a long time at the beginning of the semester, though.”
“Would visiting our country again during this summer break be fine? I will guide you through the tourist attractions.”
“If nothing unexpected happens, it might not be that bad to visit.”
At Chen Sia’s suggestion, Leo chuckled slightly and responded.
While walking behind them, Fritz adjusted his glasses.
“Indeed, appreciating this exotic scenery seems worthwhile. I should definitely visit again if I get another chance…”
“Never come back here. Shhh- shhh-”
Fritz’s murmurs were interrupted by Jane as she waved her hand.
“Fritz.”
“Yes, yessir!”
“You should befriend your classmates.”
“This guy is a frien—!”
“Hmm?”
“Uh… I’ll be friendly…”
Jane, who was flaring up, shrank her neck upon encountering Chen Sia’s gentle smile.
At the sight of Jane, Fritz smirked with irritation.
At the sight of Fritz, Jane’s eyes flashed with anger.
‘I’ll crush him into the ground when we get back!’
She tightly clenched her fist and trembled with rage.
During this moment, people’s gazes were drawn toward Leo’s group.
Since all four were wearing Lumeran uniforms, they were inevitably eye-catching.
“By the way, which class was I assigned to?”
“Ah, I see. You don’t know yet.”
Given how long Chen Sia had been away from school, she was not well aware of the current circumstances for the second year.
“There’s no concept of classes right now for the second year.”
“Huh?”
“The second year is divided into three dormitories. It’s a competitive structure between dormitories.”
Upon hearing Leo’s words, Chen Sia’s eyes lit up.
“That sounds fun.”
“Chloe, me, and you are the dormitory leaders.”
“Do I share the dormitory with Lord Leo?”
Chen Sia, who had been smiling happily, paused for a moment.
The moment she heard that she and Chloe would share the dormitory with Leo, she realized.
“What about the other dormitory leaders?”
“Celia, Chelsea, and Warden are the leaders of another dormitory, working alongside Abad, Eliza, and Duran.”
“Are those dorms alright?”
At Chen Sia’s genuinely worried inquiry, Leo smirked.
“Surprisingly, it seems they cooperate well.”
“I see.”
Chen Sia nodded.
By the time all of this was said, it was time for the Lumeran-bound warp gate to activate.
As the four boarded the warp gate, it initiated.
In the Lumeran Principal’s Office.
At the desk, Rina was handling her duties.
“Surprising.”
Sedgen marveled at the sight of Rina.
“What is it?”
“I did recommend you as the headmaster of Lumeran, but I never imagined you’d be this diligent in carrying out the principal’s duties.”
“This b*stard! So you were thinking that sort of thing!”
With a flash in her eyes, Rina picked up a bottle of liquor from a corner of the desk and hurled it at Sedgen.
Clunk-!
Sedgen effortlessly caught the bottle and placed it on a guest chair.
“Still, I’m worried.”
“About Chen Sia?”
“Yes. Student Sia isn’t just among the top-tier performers of the second year. She possesses leadership skills and is an elegant student capable of guiding her peers.”
Sedgen sighed.
“True, others might possess innate leadership skills, but they’re still quite inexperienced.”
“Hmm. So assembling the dormitory leaders this way was to encourage their leaders skills to grow through competition?”
“Exactly.”
Sedgen had played the largest role in selecting the dormitory leaders.
“Dividing Chloe, Sia, and Leo Flove would’ve been the ideal setup. But it could also stifle the growth potential of other students.”
An item that wasn’t made public to the students and didn’t feature in the evaluation scores was the ratings given to each 1st-year class leader when they were in their first year.
The top-ranked was Leo, with Chloe and Chen Sia tying for second place.
The class most challenging for its leader was rated as Class 1.
Class 1 unexpectedly featured the students with the highest academic records.
Moreover, it included Celia and Duran, born from hero families, who were both highly skilled and highly proud.
Students who could lead any class.
If mishandled, Class 1 could have collapsed due to Celia and Duran’s tensions.
But Chloe managed to perfectly mediate between them.
As a result, she was naturally recognized as Class 1’s leader.
Chen Sia wasn’t far behind.
While Class 1 was the hardest to lead, Class 10 was the most challenging.
Class 10 housed many students with fiery and aggressive personalities—students who would resort to violence at the slightest provocation.
It was a class full of so-called delinquents.
In just a week, Chen Sia pacified the unruly Class 10.
The class average placed them third, and naturally, it was the class with the highest second-year advancement rate after Classes 1 and 5.
All of this was possible solely because Chen Sia was there.
“So, what people call older sister leadership, is this it?”
“Something like that.”
Despite her youthful appearance, once you consider Chen Sia, she is actually the eldest in the first year. Her personality is also mature and sophisticated.
Thus, even surprisingly irritable students find themselves unable to act rashly in front of her.
Indeed, some of the Class 10 students refer to Chen Sia as their older sister or big sister.
“In classes like knight training or summoning, she mediated between Celia, Duran, Warden, and Eliza.”
Sedgen smiled faintly.
“Indeed. If a first-year has that level of leadership, naturally, they’ll end up leading their peers.”
Celia, Chelsea, Warden, Abad, Eliza, Duran—these six students are ones Lumeran holds in high regard.
Sedgen intended to help these six students actively develop their leadership abilities.
“Certainly, even if they’re bitter rivals when placed together, they can synergize in a positive way.”
“True. But you seem to avoid mentioning Leo Flove?”
Rina tilted her head.
At that, Sedgen’s expression turned grim.
“Leo Flove… Leo is on a different level.”
Class 5, the bottom-ranked class, was proudly elevated to second place by the end of the first year without a single student withdrawing.
While most attribute this to Halind’s strict educational methods, in reality, it was more due to Leo’s influence.
“He’s different from the others, isn’t he? But specifically, how?”
“Yes, Leo stimulates his peers around him.”
“Stimulates?”
Sedgen narrowed his eyes.
“Whenever he is out in front. Before you know it, he’s taken another step forward.”
He sighed deeply.
“In the position of chasing, it’s not strange to feel an unbridgeable despair.”
“Indeed.”
“However, Leo’s overwhelming prowess leads his peers to admire him.”
“Admire?”
“Yes. His figure not only stimulates but also reassures. There are times when it feels like he’s saying, ‘You can do it too.'”
“Why is that?”
“Perhaps because he challenges what seems impossible every time.”
“Hmm.”
Rina marveled.
“Leo always challenges limits. And he surpasses these limits as though it’s the most natural thing.”
“Indeed.”
Rina nodded.
Such a person is someone you can’t help but admire.
Having the chance to witness someone like that in the same generation is a tremendous blessing.
“But why do you dislike Leo?”
“Try teaching a class with him! It’s unbearable. Especially because he’s so elegant—it makes him even more irksome!”
It was at this moment of Sedgen venting his frustration when a knock came at the door.
Knock-knock.
“Come in.”
The office door opened, and a professor entered.
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s Leo, a second-year student who has just returned along with Fritz and Jane, first-year students who went to assist him.”
“Already?”
Upon hearing the message that they had completed the mission in just a day, Rina’s eyes widened.
“So? Where’s Chen Sia?”
“Chen Sia has also returned.”
“Seriously? They managed to convince that thick-headed person?”
Rina let out a hollow laugh.
At the news, Sedgen crossed his arms.
He then wore a dull expression and muttered,
“As expected, he’s elegant.”
“Si-a! Welcome back! We were really worried about you!”
Cloé warmly grabbed the hands of Chen Sia as she came back to the dormitory.
It wasn’t just Cloé.
Every student in the dormitory lounge was there to welcome Chen Sia’s return.
“Everyone was surprised when I heard you suddenly received a mission.”
“Wow, wow! What mission? For the freshmen to come along, it must be something special!”
“It’s a private matter about Chen Sia’s family background, and it needs to remain secret.”
“Pfff! Don’t be such a spoilsport and just tell us!”
Even as Iliana pestered with her whining, Leo merely remained silent seated on the sofa.
Upon seeing the impassive Leo, Iliana sighed irritably and approached Chen Sia.
“Sia! Why did you come back so late after the break is over?”
Everyone looked at Iliana.
It was something they shouldn’t really ask, given they all knew her family situation, but it was something everyone was curious about. Hence, they eagerly listened to Chen Sia’s response.
“At home, they asked me to withdraw from Lumeran.”
“Huh-huhh-what?”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Everyone’s faces showed shock at the unexpected remark.
“Apparently, it was one of the conditions. If I didn’t achieve the top spot by the end of the first year, I had to withdraw.”
At this statement, everyone alternated their gazes between Leo and Chen Sia.
Everyone knew Chen Sia’s capabilities.
And the only student capable of defeating her was Leo.
“Even so! Lumeran is so hard to get into; how could they demand she withdraw if she’s not first?”
A tall male student from Class 10 exclaimed in anger.
“From the Shan Royal Family?”
“Ah… The Shan Royal Family, you say?”
Everyone’s faces were filled with astonishment.
Chen Sia smiled faintly and nodded affirmatively.
“Cloé! You’re… from the Royal Family of Shan.”
“Yes. Initially, I was to become the heir.”
The revelation of such an unimaginable identity caused everyone’s jaws to drop.
They thought it was a joke.
Everyone looked at Leo.
Under the peer’s gaze, Leo nonchalantly nodded.
“Wow… so she was the shadow.”
“A Lumeran student should be a Hero Candidate.”
“Shh. Stop with the shadow or hero talk.”
A ripple of confusion spread among the students.
There was no other way—it had been thousands of years since anyone from the Shan royal family had been the shadow.
If Chen Sia was next in line to be the emperor, it made sense that she was pressured to withdraw.
Given that this was a sensitive issue for Chen Sia, everyone was mindful.
At that moment, Cloé stepped forward.
“Is everything with your family resolved?”
“Yes.”
“Thank goodness.”
Cloé smiled warmly.
Looking at Cloé’s comforting smile, Chen Sia brightened.
“Thank you for your concern, Cloé.”
She then said,
“As you all have guessed, I was the shadow. But I wanted to become a hero, so I entered Lumeran. So, I hope you’ll treat me as Chen Sia, the student of Lumeran that you’ve all known.”
At these words, the students looked at each other and responded,
“Sure. Chen Sia is Chen Sia.”
“What’s the harm in being a shadow? You’ve helped us so much, Sia.”
“Besides, if you’re not here, we’d lose the competition with the other dorms!”
“We don’t care about your status!”
“Thank you.”
Chen Sia smiled brightly.
‘Opted for a straight approach, huh.’
Watching her actions, Leo smirked internally.
It seemed she had shaken off her concerns about her identity.
At that moment, Leo and Chen Sia’s eyes met.
‘Yeah, that’s enough.’
As Leo nodded, Chen Sia’s smile grew even brighter.
“By the way, is there a personal alchemy workshop in the dormitory where I can practice?”
“Of course.”
“There’s nothing the dorm doesn’t have! It’s in the basement. Let me show you!”
Iliana eagerly extended a thumbs-up.
Then, she tilted her head.
“Speaking of which, Sia, do you even know magic?”
“No.”
“Then why do you need an alchemy workshop?”
“I want to create poisons, and it’s better to do so with safety-verified equipment.”
“Creating poison… yeah, an alchemy workshop is safer for making poison… but what exactly are you planning to make?”
Iliana stared at Chen Sia with a surprised expression.
Chen Sia smiled faintly.
“I didn’t use it when I was hiding my identity, but now that it’s revealed, my aura-based skills with poison might come in handy.”
Everyone swallowed dryly.
“Besides, there are also shadow techniques where poison can be used.”
Everyone instinctively stepped back from Chen Sia.
‘From now on, I must never anger Chen Sia.’
This thought was shared among all present.
Leo covered his face with his hand.
‘Even if this is the case, being that honest is a bit too much.’
“Hey, Jane. So you’ve already been on a mission?”
“Not just that, but you went with the Student Council President!”
“Fritz! Explain it to us! What was the mission?”
In the Lecture Hall of the First-Year Classrooms,
Among the gathered ten classes, the center of attention was none other than Fritz and Jane.
The fact that they went on a mission so soon after enrollment with none other than Leo, the Student Council President, was enough to capture the attention of the entire first-year group.
“It’s not that big of a deal.”
Jane smiled at her peers.
“If it wasn’t important, just focus on your studies.”
Fritz, too, responded with his signature stoic face.
“Pfft. You’re just being secretive because it wasn’t a big deal.”
A few students murmured with youthful jealousy.
This was around the time when first-year students competed fiercely against each other.
Then, Jane and Fritz, who were seated some distance apart, made eye contact.
They simultaneously snorted.
“Wow… they’re enviable.”
“Actually, I don’t envy them at all.”
This went on as the Lecture Hall grew restless over Fritz and Jane’s story.
Thud-
Someone appeared on the stage.
The first-year students were still busy chatting.
“You’ll all be expelled within ten seconds if you don’t quiet down.”
At this ominous voice, the first-years flinched.
They then noticed Halind standing on the stage and paled.
“Hey! Professor Halind’s here!”
“Be quiet!”
Students who hadn’t caught on to the situation were forcibly silenced by others.
“Last year’s second-years were generally perceptive, quieting down just by my presence.”
Halind muttered in a bored tone.
On hearing this, the first-years shivered slightly.
Seeing the dejected first-years, Halind clicked his tongue.
“Pitiful. Are you all going to wilt just because of a simple comparison?”
“Bu-but, Professor Halind! Last year’s second-years were the Golden Generation!”
“You’re far too fearful of the second-years.”
There was a reason for this.
The first-years had been mercilessly hunted during the entrance exam. It was only natural for them to feel intimidated.
“The so-called Golden Generation is just as much a bunch of yellow chicks in my eyes.”
‘Even though there are monsters like him.’
Thinking of Leo from the previous year, Halind continued.
“Conveniently, I’ll give you an opportunity to get closer to the second-years, whom you supposedly admire so much.”
The first-years looked confused upon hearing Halind’s words.
“I will announce the first-semester final exam assignment.”
Shocked expressions spread across their faces at this unexpected revelation so early in the semester.
“Of course, this isn’t your exam assignment but rather the second-years’ assignment.”
“Huh?”
Why are the second-years’ exam assignments being announced here?
“Starting tomorrow, the second-years will be your mentors.”
“Mentors?”
“What are those?”
“Are the second-years going to teach us?”
“You won’t face expulsion recommendations based on your exam scores until the end of your first semester.”
Everyone’s eyes widened.
“However.”
Halind gave a chilling smile.
“Those who don’t meet the cutoff after the first-semester final exams will be dismissed. And furthermore…”
At the same time.
Second-year classrooms.
“If the first-years under your supervision receive expulsion recommendations, you’ll be expelled alongside them.”
“Whaat?”
At Sedgen’s sudden bombshell, all second-years went into panic mode.
![[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1743806812-5548-TS-The-Protagonist-is-Conquered.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered")
