Chapter 364

Now

“It’s summer now.”

Kal looked up at the blazing hot Training Ground under the scorching sun and muttered under his breath.

The first semester of the second year was about halfway through.

Before anyone knew it, summer had arrived in Lumeran as well.

Kal, who had been staring blankly up at the sky, chuckled softly.

“In this sweltering summer heat…”

Whoosh!

“Why must I fight against that massive fiery inferno?”

“Be prepared! Department of Magic!”

With flames of aura swirling around her entire body, Celia shouted.

Tighten!

Sinews and veins, uncharacteristic for such a delicate-looking girl, bulged out of Celia’s hands.

Upon seeing this, Kal gasped and attempted to flee.

From outside the battlefield, Chelsea shouted:

“Don’t run!”

“What?”

“Don’t run! Stand and fight!”

“Hey! If I get hit by that brute force attack, I’ll be out in one hit!”

As Kal shouted, Celia swung her arm with all her might and yelled.

The ball filled with aura flames rushed toward the students of the Department of Magic like a blazing sun.

“Aaaaaah!”

“There’s no place to escape!”

Screams echoed all around.

Kooh-whoosh! Flam!

The fiery orb plunged down, turning the area into a sea of fire.

At this sight, Chelsea crossed her arms and mumbled softly.

“What a sorry sight.”

Celia, observing the instant annihilation of the Department of Magic students, chuckled and flicked her hair back.

Right now, the Combat Studies class with participation from all grades was underway.

Today’s Combat Studies class was the Interdepartmental Competition: Bastera.

After the beginning of the second year, most classes had been dormitory vs dormitory battles, so there was a strong sense of motivation among everyone due to the rare occurrence of an interdepartmental competition.

The teams and turn order were decided randomly.

And Kal’s team was honorably tasked with the role of their department’s vanguard.

However, coincidentally, while the opposing team contained Celia, the final boss level of the Department of Knights, Kal’s team did not have any members who could stand up to Celia.

The results were obvious.

A miserable slaughter.

“Wonderful, Celia.”

“Thank you, Professor Ain.”

Celia smiled as Ain grinned in satisfaction while praising her.

As the students from the Department of Knights basked in their sweet victory,

“Urgh! Your sacrifices will not be in vain.”

“I will definitely avenge you… Rest easy from there!”

The students from the Department of Magic were tasting the bitterness of defeat.

Other students from the Department of Magic looked at their classmates, including Kal, who couldn’t even move as they lay on the ground, with a look of frustration.

“d*mn you guys.”

“We aren’t dead, you know…”

In pain, the team members of Kal groaned softly.

Chelsea, who had used a levitation spell to collect Kal’s team, sighed and asked Ren.

“What should we do?”

“Chelsea student, our Department of Magic has one thing that we no longer need, do you know what it is?”

“Losers?”

“No.”

Ren, sitting in his chair with his legs crossed and chin rested on his hand, spoke in a cold tone.

“It’s those who have fallen to the Department of Knights. Throw them away in the infirmary.”

With that, Chelsea nodded and sent the students to the infirmary attached to the Training Ground.

“Nella-oppa! We’ve brought the kids.”

“Yeah, lay them down here.”

Nella was waiting in the infirmary.

Nella, one of the top students in the Department of Knights, because of her specialized healing aura characteristics, often acted as a healer during these interdepartmental combat study sessions.

“Nella-oppa.”

“Please heal us.”

The male students from the Department of Magic smiled awkwardly as they said this.

“Are you guys enjoying losing?”

As Chelsea said this with a look of contempt, one of the male students chuckled.

“Being healed by Nella, one of the top beauties of our grade, feels like our hearts are being healed as well!”

“So losing to Celia Zerdinger without doing anything is something to boast about, huh? Hm?”

“Ow! It hurts! It hurts!”

As Chelsea poked the burn wounds with her magic staff, the male students screamed.

“Chelsea, if you keep tormenting the patients, they’ll be useless.”

“Okay.”

During the first year’s Class 5, there were two people who Chelsea listened to well — one was Leo, and the other was Nella.

After delivering the injured to the infirmary, Chelsea returned to the training grounds.

She then approached Leo, who was watching the students’ matches.

“Who’s up next?”

Sitting next to Leo, Chelsea asked.

“Cloris and Eliza’s teams.”

“Cloris, go get ’em! Crush Eliza completely!”

Chelsea loudly cheered for Cloris.

Seeing this, Cloris smiled and entered the arena with her magic staff.

“Which department is Leo-oppa joining?”

“This time, I’ll be joining from the Department of Summoning.”

The Department of Summoning had relatively fewer people.

Due to this, during these department schedules, Leo often joined from the Department of Summoning to make up the numbers.

Of course, since revealing full power would disrupt the balance, Leo didn’t summon the Three Great Familiars.

“Will you be our enemy again? I wanted to be on the same side for once.”

As Chelsea pouted and looked glum, Leo smiled.

“We can team up next time.”

“But I wanted to show off the improved skills from the past month.”

Leo reached out and ruffled Chelsea’s hair.

“I know.”

Chelsea looked at Leo with wide eyes.

“How much you’ve improved in these past month.”

While Leo was in Seirun,

The second years had all tackled the Hero’s World.

Through it, all students stepped forward one step.

Among them, some had advanced several steps.

And Chelsea was one of such students.

Chelsea smiled, then rubbed her head against Leo’s hand.

“It’s not just Chelsea.”

During the midterm exams.

Leo had selected the Hero Candidates who would advance into the future.

He showed a near-despairing gap.

But none of the ones Leo chose had given up.

“Hmph, so confident.”

A sneering voice came from behind.

“Should those already ahead be allowed to have such leisure?”

Turning around, Leo saw Duran seated there.

Meeting Duran’s gaze, Leo looked back toward the arena.

“It’s not really leisure.”

Leo said.

“Whether it’s Chelsea or you, I just think that one day you might walk the same path as me. That’s why I wish for you to become stronger.”

Duran’s eyes twitched.

The same path.

Duran remembered Leo’s goal from his first year.

‘The extermination of Erebus.’

It sounded absurd.

No one sets such a thing as a goal.

But once in a while,

Someone dreams of such a thing.

‘Could that qualification talk from the last midterms…have meant this?’

“Will you wait at the end of that path?”

“Yeah. So if you want to stand on the same stage as me, come anytime.”

Sitting with his back turned to Duran, Leo spoke.

“I’ll be waiting at the top.”

“…Arrogant.”

Duran frowned.

But the fighting spirit in his eyes intensified.

‘Leo Flove.’

Duran gripped his fists and smirked.

‘Fine, I’ll chase you.’

*

After the combat studies session, it was Mel’s special Hero Studies class.

Mel’s Hero Studies was also a class that all second years eagerly looked forward to.

Though she was a newcomer professor this year, Mel had quickly established herself as Lumern’s most popular professor.

The special Hero Studies session covered the Knight of Dusk and classes related to Lumern.

The content was well-received among students regardless of the year.

Not only was the class enjoyable, but it also provided attentive listening to students’ troubles.

Additionally, it was a class one could comfortably attend even within the harsh environment of Lumern.

It was unsurprising that it was popular without discrimination.

“Apparently, male students have even formed a fan club.”

On their way to class, Leo met up with Kal, who chuckled.

“A beautiful older sister professor, it’s like a dream.”

Even Teid, who had eaten lunch together with Kal, crossed his arms and nodded in agreement.

“She’s an old lady.”

“Leo you b*stard!”

“Did you really call Professor Mel an old lady!”

“Professor Mel’s class is the oasis of our hearts! Oasis!”

Kal and Teid’s faces turned beet red.

Seeing this, Leo spoke.

“Still, aren’t you late?”

“Ah! Professor Mel understands and has a forgiving heart!”

“That’s right!”

“Professor Mel’s class is all about healing!”

“Exactly! Exactly!”

As Kal shouted and opened the lecture hall door, Teid agreed.

“You’ve got some guts planning to be late.”

The door Kal opened was not heaven’s door but the door of hell.

The cold voice coming from the inside froze Kal and Teid’s faces.

Confirming the time, Halind spoke.

“Ten minutes late. I suggest you have a good excuse for being late to such a sacred class period. For the sake of the other second-year students.”

The intimidating gazes of the other second-year students targeted the group.

Halind, known as the Wall of Lamentations at Lumern.

His dislike of tardiness was well-known.

And one of the most dreaded things about Halind was the collective punishment system.

There was no particular reason for the system — it was merely Halind’s unique method for efficiently punishing latecomers.

Naturally, latecomers get bullied by other students.

Some other latecomers were already bowing heads at the entrance of the lecture hall.

As Kal and Teid’s faces turned ashen,

“There was a student council meeting during lunch.”

Leo, who had raised his hand, answered matter-of-factly.

“Accepted.”

Halind’s gaze shifted toward Kal and Teid.

Without a word, they joined the other students bowing.

“I would like to educate all of you, but since this is not my class, I will let it slide this one time.”

At Halind’s words, the entire second year let out a sigh.

“Latecomers, stand up from your seats.”

At his statement, the latecomers jumped up.

Showing expressions of relief, they were met with Halind’s words.

“You will go on stage, bow your heads beside me.”

At that, the latecomers moved to Halind’s side with dejected expressions and began bowing.

“I imagine some of you are wondering why I’ve come to this second-year class. The reason is that today’s session is a combined 1st and 2nd year lecture.”

The second-year students widened their eyes.

Whispering started to spread across the great lecture hall.

Soon after, the door opened, and Mel entered with the first-year students.

“Alright, everyone, please go to your respective mentors.”

Smiling warmly, Mel instructed as the first-year students headed toward their mentors.

“Ah… Professor Halind, can we go to our seats as well?”

“Is there any need to?”

Kal, awkwardly smiling, questioned as Halind gave an icy smile and called out the mentees of the latecomers.

He then asked them to stand beside their mentors.

“Are they not excellent mentors? They showcase what happens when you’re late.”

At Halind’s words, the second-year students wore gloomy expressions.

“Still, Kal senior lives up to expectations, doesn’t he?”

“Does he really deserve any praise for that?”

“I’m not praising him!”

In response to Juen, Kal made a smirking comeback.

Thus, the mentors and mentees settled into their seats.

Raising her hand, Chloe inquired.

“Professor Halind, Professor Mel, what will be today’s lecture topic?”

Smiling faintly at Chloe’s question, Mel responded.

“There’s an announcement before the lecture begins.”

Mel looked toward Halind, who nodded.

After clearing her throat, Mel continued.

“I am announcing the details about the Practical Mission Training for the 1st and 2nd years.”

“Mission training?”

“Are we also going on mission training?”

The first-year students wore shocked expressions.

Mission training was supposed to start only after the second semester of the first year.

“Yes. More accurately, it’s joint mission training with the second years.”

Mel smiled.

To follow up Mel’s statement, Halind elaborated.

“This mission training will be done in mentor-mentee pairs.”

The first-year students let out exclamations at Halind’s words.

“The mission will be to explore the Hero’s Dungeon.”