Chapter 268

The next morning.

The second-year students of Lumeran gathered in the cafeteria attached to the dormitory building assigned by Demian. They ate breakfast while exchanging stories.

“No matter how I think about it, didn’t the Seirun kids seem to be glaring at us incredibly yesterday?”

“The second-year head teacher looked like he was about to sh**t lasers from his eyes.”

“What’s going on with them?”

Most of their conversation revolved around the attitudes of Seirun from the night before. The Lumeran and Azonia students were mostly enjoying the banquet prepared by Demian. Of course, some noble students found the casual atmosphere of the sort you’d find in a tavern distasteful. However, they were few in number and, if anything, didn’t show it outwardly.

In such a situation, when Seirun arrived late and disrupted the banquet, naturally, the students from Demian, Lumeran, and Azonia weren’t about to regard them favorably.

To add to that, Seirun also displayed a strong animosity toward the Lumeran students. This was baffling for the second-year students who had previously encountered Seirun through the Ruse Tournament. The atmosphere was completely different from before. Some were irritated by the sudden change after just a few months, and others were perplexed.

“Could it be because of Professor Ren?”

“Professor Ren? What does Professor Ren have to do with anything? He isn’t even here this time.”

“Perhaps the elves were upset by the magical theory published by Professor Ren this time.”

The magical theory, mentioned by a student from the Department of Magic, left the students from other departments looking confused.

“Professor Ren published a magical theory?”

“Isn’t it the magical theory related to the Magic of the Stars?”

“What about it?”

“Sigh, do I have to explain?”

At the start of the first semester for second-year students in the Department of Magic, Professor Ren had unveiled his latest magical theory to his students.

[Introduction to the Magic of the Stars].

It was a revolutionary magical theory allowing anyone knowledgeable in magic—not just elves—to enter the domain of star magic.

During the first class, Chloe, one of the top students in the second-year Department of Magic, successfully entered the domain of star magic with this theory.

It was a magical theory that could literally shake the magical landscape.

Indeed, when Professor Ren’s paper was published, the magical world was set ablaze with excitement. But at the heart of elven magic, in Seirun, the reaction was one of unrest for an entirely different reason.

If there is one group in the magical world known for being conservative, it’s the elves. The Magic of the Stars is esteemed as an exclusive skill of the elves — a great legacy left by the progenitor, Luna of the star cloud — which until now has been treated as belonging solely to them.

Occasionally, a few exceptionally talented magicians from other races have managed to learn this art, but they are few and far between.

Indeed, before Professor Ren published the Introduction to the Magic of the Stars, only Leo from among the second-year magicians had successfully entered the domain of star magic.

Considering that only a select few could master this magic, the elves had not paid much attention to the other races.

However, with the introduction of the Introduction to the Magic of the Stars, countless magicians could now learn this form of magic. The star magic that was thought to have belonged exclusively to the elves for thousands of years was no longer their sole domain.

Star magic is an important reason why elves call themselves “the magical race.” They viewed the Introduction to the Magic of the Stars as an infringement and threat to their traditions.

Listening to the Department of Magic student’s explanation, a student from the Department of Knights folded their arms.

“So, that’s why?”

“You wouldn’t understand, muscle-head.”

“What? Are you done talking?”

The morning chatter grew rowdy.

Meanwhile,

“Chloe, is something the matter?”

Selia cautiously asked Chloe. Chloe seemed to be lost in thought, absentmindedly eating her soup with her fork.

As Selia observed Chloe for a moment, she turned and asked the nearby Chen Sia.

“Sia, did something happen?”

“No, nothing’s wrong.”

“Are you sure?”

“I said it’s fine.”

“Hmm…”

Selia looked at Chen Sia with a slightly uneasy face.

‘Best not to touch this.’

Though Chen Sia continued smiling like usual, there was an unusual tension in the atmosphere.

While Selia was observing Chen Sia, a voice of frustration was heard.

“What’s with those annoying glares?”

A grouchy voice arose. Turning around, Chelsea was seen walking with her meal tray, glaring at Kal.

“Ah, just … I shouldn’t say, but I’m curious to see how you’d react when you find out.”

Smirking and teasing Chelsea, Kal noticed the group of female students and greeted them.

“Oh! Good morning!”

“Kal, would you like to sit here with us?”

“Sure~”

Chelsea glanced at Selia and said coyly.

“I’ll go to my brother.”

“Hey, just sit here. Abad’s hanging out with Duran anyway.”

With a pout, Chelsea eyed Selia, who was elegantly eating her salad, and decided to sit as far away as possible from her.

“Anyway.”

Kal grinned mischievously as he looked at Chloe and Chen Sia.

“Misses, why do you look so sleep-deprived?”

“I slept well, Kal.”

“Really?”

Kal chuckled in amusement.

Chen Sia, smiling faintly at Kal, asked casually:

“By the way, Lord Leo?”

“He said he’s going to sleep in more. He seems tired.”

“Did he stay up late last night?”

“Yeah, really late.”

“Wow, that’s strange. Lord Leo usually doesn’t sleep late.”

“That’s what I said. He has monstrous stamina, so it’s unusual for him to sleep in.”

Neither Selia nor Chelsea, unaware that Leo had left the dormitory without permission the night before, were showing puzzled expressions.

“Well, maybe he was doing something so hard he got tired. I wouldn’t know though.”

“What could it be?”

“If you shared a room with him, you’d know what he was doing, wouldn’t you?”

“Ask him. They might know.”

Kal giggled and took a bite of his bread.

Crack.

‘Crack!’

Upon hearing an unusual sound from the bread, Kal removed it from his mouth.

The bread was so cold it felt like it would hurt the hand holding it—it was frozen solid.

Swallowing hard, Kal glanced around. If anyone was capable of such a thing, it’d be…

“…”

Turning his gaze toward Chloe, he saw her glaring at him with bright red cheeks and her shoulders quivering.

“Kal.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Do you know I’m your senior, even though we’re friends?”

“Absolutely, sister.”

“And I’m trained in shadow techniques. I’ve learned various methods of torture.”

Chen Sia, her hands crossed and her chin resting on them, maintained her usual composed posture.

But behind Kal, beads of cold sweat started to pour like rain from his back.

“Would you like me to continue teasing you? Is it okay?”

“Absolutely not! I apologize! I’ll never do it again!”

Kal responded with perfect decorum.

As Kal apologized, Chen Sia smiled faintly.

“… What’s going on?”

“How should I know?”

As Chelsea asked with a puzzled expression, Selia also wore a look of not understanding the situation.

“Good morning.”

Leo yawned while carrying his tray and sat down. Upon seeing him, Chloe slightly flinched. Chen Sia also relaxed her posture and glanced at Leo.

“It’s strange to see you sleeping in so late.”

“There were some things last night.”

“What things?”

To Selia’s question, Leo responded unperturbed:

“I had to meet with Professor Mel late at night.”

“Hmph!”

Chelsea, who was drinking water, accidentally spat it out.

“You left the dorm without permission to meet Professor Mel?”

Selia frowned and asked sharply.

“Why?”

What could there possibly be to see a professor late at night? Moreover, Mel was a young, attractive professor.

Chloe looked off to the side, with a slightly flushed face as her ears perked up. Chelsea looked troubled, fidgeting, and while Chen Sia continued to smile, her eyes were slightly rigid.

“Maybe it was something about warning us not to get involved with the Seirun kids and to pay attention to the elves.”

Leo replied calmly.

“Also, Professor Ren couldn’t come this time, so it seems she came in his place to avoid provoking Seirun.”

“Ah.”

Selia nodded understandingly.

“Come to think of it, in the magical theory that Professor Ren published this time, Lord Leo’s name was listed as a co-author, wasn’t it?”

Hearing this, Chelsea laughed her usual “hee hee” laugh.

Chloe returned to her usual expression, and Chen Sia smiled faintly.

Looking at them, Kal smirked:

“You guys have such wild imaginations~ Exactly what did you think… Whoops! Chloe! I won’t do it again!”

As all the food on the tray began to freeze, Kal yelled out, begging for mercy.

“What did you possibly imagine?”

With a faint smile, Chen Sia replied to Leo’s question:

“Since you said you met the young and beautiful Professor Mel last night… Well, I was worried about what might have happened.”

“You thought a male student and a female teacher were on a date at night?”

Leo clicked his tongue.

“Kids these days have unhealthy imaginations.”

“You’re one of the kids too, so what nonsense is that?”

“Lord Leo, you sounded incredibly old a moment ago, didn’t you?”

As Selia and Chen Sia looked at him with expressions suggesting he was ridiculous, Leo thought to himself:

‘They consider Mel an adult, and she refers to me as an uncle. What can I do?’

*

After breakfast was finished,

The students from Lumeran, Azonia, and Seirun gathered in one place.

Inside the main auditorium where the second-year students of Demian attended class, students from each school had formed separate groups.

“Is there anyone in Seirun who looks like they’d make for a fun fight?”

“Doesn’t seem like there’s anyone like that. Lumeran kids might be more interesting to fight.”

“I’d like to clash with Leo Flove soon.”

Azonia, sitting between Lumeran and Seirun, was looking at both schools with sparkling eyes.

“Hmph, all you guys think about is fighting.”

“As expected, nothing different from what we heard about them.”

The Seirun students snorted disdainfully at the Azonia students.

“Why don’t these guys seem threatening?”

“Beasts and elves are natural rivals. Maybe we should’ve been seated in the middle.”

As Kal clicked his tongue in apparent concern and Chelsea sighed,

Creeeak! Boom!

The big auditorium door opened, and the second-year students of Demian rushed in.

Unlike yesterday, they weren’t dressed in formal uniforms but in their own work clothes, taking seats in the front rows of the lecture hall.

Thud… Thud…

An imposing dwarf climbed the stage.

“Nice to meet you again, students of Hero Academy.”

Standing on the stage was the supervisor of the second years, Smith Depeto of Demian.

“I’ve gathered you all here today because our Demian blacksmiths are here to enter exclusive contracts with each of you.”

Depeto looked around the group.

“Fifty thousand years ago, the God’s Blacksmith Dwenno himself was in charge of crafting the weapons for his fellow Great Heroes. Following that tradition, our dwarves have been crafting weapons for heroes generation after generation.”

Depeto wore a meaningful expression.

“And today, the blacksmith students of Demian will be evaluating all of you as part of this tradition.”

At this, Ylliana from Lumeran raised her hand swiftly.

“Hey, you look like such a sweet girl. What’s your question?”

“Oh dear, you think I look sweet?”

Ylliana Laden, twirling her body, blushed adorably.

“Clunk!”

“Ugh, I feel nauseous.”

Of course, the reactions from her peers were merciless.

After kicking the male students mocking her, Ylliana asked,

“I’m Ylliana Laden from Lumeran! You said you’d evaluate us. I’m curious about how it will be conducted.”

“It’s pretty simple. Just propose weapon orders to our Demian students.”

At that, every Hero Academy student hesitated.

“The materials you intend to use, the strength required, the mana output, or additional enhancements. The specific features of the weapon, its advantages and disadvantages.”

Depeto looked around the students.

“Specify the detailed specification of your equipment in full, and the Demian students will select you based on that.”