359
Early morning.
“Haaaam.”
Kal yawned lazily and made his way out of the dormitory lounge.
Kal wakes up early in the morning. Being a diligent person, he gets up at dawn to prepare for the day. Though most of his early mornings are spent brainstorming business ideas through alchemy rather than studying academics or practicing magic, he’s still the second student to wake up in the Noble Dormitory.
Kal scratched his stomach as he walked outside the dormitory. There, he saw Duran running at full speed from the crack of dawn and shook his head in amazement.
‘He truly is a training machine.’
The earliest riser in the Noble Dormitory was none other than Duran. Duran starts his physical training in the morning. His relentless nature shows in his willingness to undergo any effort to become stronger, which is why he ranks as one of the top students alongside Abad in the Noble Dormitory.
Of course, Eliza also ranks academically highly but often receives disapproving looks from professors due to her lackadaisical attitude towards classes.
‘An excellent student with poor behavior.’
With a sigh, Kal headed towards the mailbox at the entrance of the dormitory.
Every morning, the students’ dorm rooms receive a copy of the Lumeran School Newspaper.
Though it appears to be an ordinary school paper covering daily life at school, its quality changes once you subscribe personally.
Not only does it cover essential information within the school, but it also provides details on dining events and even predicts school schedules. Subscribers can gain even more information depending on their subscription level.
‘The Merchant’s Club seems fine, but the Newspaper Club may not have been bad either.’
Considering himself well-informed among the second-year students, Kal thought about how joining the newspaper club wouldn’t have been such a bad idea as he lifted the thick envelope addressed to him.
‘I wonder how much I’m being charged monthly?’
With a mental sigh, he unfolded the newspaper. His eyes widened as he read the bold headline.
[The Return of the Progenitor Followed by a Miracle! The Rebirth of the Comet Wizard!]
“Whoa? What is this? Jackpot!”
Normally, Kal might not have easily believed such extravagant headlines. However, last winter, he witnessed the appearance of the Hero of the Beginning and the Progenitor of the Nebula with his own eyes.
“How much more secrets and power can be hidden in the Hero Record?”
Following the Great Hero, the Hero of the Cataclysm has also appeared. The situation in which the greatest heroes in world history are manifesting is nothing short of astonishing.
‘Still, Leow keeps getting involved in situations everywhere he goes, doesn’t he?’
When Leow announced that he would be going to Seirun as an exchange student, most students expected him to get into another incident. And as predicted, that was exactly what happened.
Kal eagerly flipped through the first page of the paper. Being from the Department of Magic, he couldn’t help but feel excited to hear about the legendary Seirun appearing in the present world.
After uncapping his morning milk with a ‘Plop’, Kal continued on to the second page of the paper, when suddenly, he spat the milk out dramatically.
“Gag! Gag! Kheh!”
As Kal began coughing violently, Duran approached, having just finished his physical training.
“What’s got you so worked up now?”
As Duran watched Kal in amusement, Kal showed him the paper.
Upon reading, a rare look of surprise flickered across Duran’s face.
[The Successor of Seirun, Leo Flove.]
Through the miracles of the Hero Record, a hero candidate inheriting Cometes from the Comet’s Wizard has appeared in the present era. This hero is none other than Leo Flove…(Continued)
As Duran read the article, he muttered under his breath.
“Hmph. This kid is getting more and more worth chasing after.”
Duran then curled his lips into a grin, tossed the newspaper back to Kal, and charged off for another round of full-speed sprints.
‘Is that not obsession but rather full-blown fanaticism?’
As Kal watched Duran leave in disbelief, he turned his gaze back to the newspaper.
‘He’s not just involved in incidents anymore. He’s at the center of them.’
“Is he really some kind of cursed being?”
Watching his friend constantly become the center of attention left Kal nothing but to shake his head.
In the center of Lumeran, near the Hero’s Tower, was a bustling food district frequented by the students of Lumeran. It featured dining establishments from different cultural backgrounds, and even included cuisines from other races.
This area was also a popular spot when visitors came to Lumeran, making it one of the school’s landmarks.
During every lunchtime, the food area buzzed with the activity of numerous students. As many students gathered, a wide variety of stories circulated about academic-related topics and recent global issues.
Today, however, the discussion was on one particular topic.
“Big Brother Leo really is at the center of attention wherever he goes.”
After the morning magic classes ended, Chelsea, with her group of friends, settled onto the seats at the food district with bright eyes.
Responding to this, Iliana, who had stuffed her mouth with a pizza slice, said in between chews:
“Does our Class Leader have no limits?”
Watching Iliana question this, Chelsea reached for the last slice of pizza.
In a hurry, Iliana shoved the piece into her mouth, securing the pizza quickly.
“Hey! Iliana!”
“What?!”
“A ten-year-old boy wouldn’t get so childish over a single slice of pizza!”
Kal let out a sigh.
“Hey, aren’t those my brilliant disciples?”
A familiar voice called out from behind them.
Ren, newspaper in hand, looked at them with a wise smile.
The trio stood up to greet him.
“Professor Ren, nice to see you. Are you out for lunch too?”
“Yes. I’ve agreed to treat Ains and Yura to lunch, which is why I’m here.”
Ren gestured behind.
There, Ains and Yura had already taken their seats.
“So, what story were you three laughing about? By any chance…”
Ren raised his voice dramatically,
“Could it be about our esteemed student from the Department of Magic, Leo?”
Ren’s loud proclamation made Kal and Chelsea laugh awkwardly, while Iliana nervously glanced at Ains.
Iliana, a martial magician, had her feet in both the Department of Knights and the Department of Magic. With excellent marks in both, she now needed to choose her main department. Being the sneaky negotiator she is, she needs to keep both Ren’s and Ains’ views in mind.
“Iliana, isn’t it about the time you chose your department? If what you consulted with me earlier was about your career path, it seems you’re probably leaning towards the Department of Magic over the Department of Knights, yes?”
‘Aaaaaaahhh!’
Iliana mentally screamed in agony. She glanced nervously at Ains, who gave an icy smile and said, ‘Hooh,’ under his breath.
At that point, Chelsea and Kal exchanged a knowing glance.
“Right, Professor Ren. Iliana did consult us about choosing her department. Right, Kal?”
“Sure thing. She said it’d be great to continue in Magic with us.”
“Ho ho ho! I knew it! It seems, Iliana, that you are leaning towards the path of a wizard! Excellent, absolutely excellent!”
With a satisfied look, Ren turned around.
“If my school life gets messed up, it’s all because of you.”
“If so, who told you to double-cross?”
“Yeah, yeah. That’s not right.”
Iliana made a face as if her soul might escape her body from frustration, while Chelsea and Kal giggled.
Meanwhile, Yura commented wryly,
“Really, you act like Leo belongs to the Department of Magic.”
“Let him enjoy.”
“Sir Ains,” Yura said with a wry smile, “how can you afford to relax so much? Leo is the Vow Keeper to the Three Great Familiars! Do you think he’d choose the Department of Knights?”
“Ho ho. You’re holding onto a hope that is clearly futile.”
Ren suddenly appeared with an elegant smile.
“Would the successor to Seirun choose the Department of Summoning? Truly, how absurd.”
“Hey…” Yura said emphatically, “He’s the Vow Keeper of the Three Great Familiars! That’s unprecedented! That’s unprecedented!”
“I agree entirely! Unprecedented! A wizard who made a pact with the Three Great Familiars!”
“Communication is impossible.”
“Indeed, a conversation between a rational person founded on reason and an irrational person driven by emotion is bound to be futile.”
“So, you’re saying you want me dead?”
As Yura grabbed Ren’s collar, Ren shook his head.
“To resort to violence since words won’t work—how barbaric.”
“d*e!”
“Professors! Violence is not allowed in the establishment!”
Employees rushed out to restrain the two as they argued loudly.
“Let’s bet on the lunch bill. I choose Yura winning.”
“I choose Professor Ren.”
“Me, Yura.”
The battle was interrupted as they were subdued by Ains.
In the calm that followed, an unfamiliar type of familiar flew into the restaurant and approached Ren.
“What’s that?”
“A Deputy Professor Anna has urgently sent me correspondence regarding the publication.”
Ren grinned proudly as he opened the envelope.
Inside were notes regarding the presentation on [The Introduction to the Magic of the Stars].
“Ah, the Elvs gave very positive feedback on my work,” he bragged. “Certainly, with a mind in place, how dare one disdain the wisdom contained in my writings?”
With a triumphant smirk, Ren read the letter further. But just then,
Flap.
A photo tucked in the envelope fell to the floor.
Ren picked it up curiously, but his face froze.
His shoulders began to quiver.
“Right this moment… I must go to Seirun! Right this moment!”
With a hardened expression, Ren abruptly stood and left the restaurant.
“Hey! Pay first!”
Yura called after him with a scowl.
Ains narrowed his eyes and reached for the photo Ren had been looking at.
“Professor Ains, Professor Yura, is something wrong? Why did Professor Ren rush off like that?”
Curious, Chelsea, Kal, and Iliana, who were about to leave after finishing their meal, approached.
“Ains and Yura Professors, what’s going on? Professor Ren left abruptly.”
Sighing, Ains handed the photo to the trio.
In the photo, there was a group of students from Seirun. Among them stood Leo, dressed in the Seirun uniform.
“Just because he wore a Seirun uniform, does that mean Leo will transfer schools? He’s the Student Council President here. Ren’s gone crazy,” Yura remarked.
“Looks like we won’t get our magic lessons right this afternoon,” Chelsea muttered.
“Great!”
“Self-study!”
Kal and Iliana cheered gleefully.
By the time school ended that afternoon,
Lumeran was abuzz with a new issue.
“Come to think of it, he was chosen as the successor of Seirun. Would Seirun let someone like Leo go?”
“Nah, Seirun wouldn’t accept a human like Leo as a student, even if it happened.”
“You never know. Leo is quite remarkable at the Magic of the Stars.”
As Kal walked out of the Department of Magic building, he glanced briefly at Ren, who was shuffling back to his office like a spirit departed.
Seeing Ren’s distracted expression, Chloe sighed.
“Once Leo returns, we can have proper classes again.”
“Why? I actually quite enjoyed our afternoon lesson.”
“Do you like studying?”
“Absolutely!”
Chloe rolled her eyes while Kal chuckled when suddenly Duran and Eliza came by.
“Hmph. It wouldn’t be a bad idea if Leo Flove transferred to Seirun.”
“That’s right. If Seirun were to be here, it would become an opponent to demolish entirely instead of a tepid relationship within the same school. It might not be completely bad for competition’s sake.”
Upon hearing these two, Chloe and Kal glanced at Ren simultaneously, who was by then holding a staff, pointing it at them.
“Professor Ren! We had a question!”
Chloe hurriedly ran towards Ren.
“Why are you two walking in front of the Department of Magic’s building?”
Kal, his face pale white, pushed the two out of Ren’s view.
“How dare you push people around like that? Aren’t you worried about what’ll happen?”
“You’ve lost all sense of fear, Kal Thomas!”
“You don’t know fear! You!”
At that moment,
“You two get along well.”
A familiar voice chimed in.
Kal’s eyes widened as he turned his head.
There stood Leo and Anna with a travel bag in hand.
“Leo, when did you arrive?”
Kal asked, startled. Leo smiled faintly in response.
“Just now.”
![[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")
