Chapter 51

【51】50

After successfully overcoming the Hero’s World and returning, Leo and Chloe were immediately transferred to the ward.

Leo had suffered a fractured left arm, full-body burns, and cracks in various bones throughout his body.

Chloe, on the other hand, was dealing with extreme exhaustion due to severe mana depletion.

The prescription from the ward was absolute rest.

As a result, the two of them had to be hospitalized.

The next morning.

After oversleeping, Chloe looked at the mana replenishment IV that had been placed on her left wrist by the healer the previous night and commented,

“It doesn’t seem like it’s serious enough to forbid visitation, does it?”

The two of them were in a situation where visitation was prohibited.

“It’s not just due to our injuries.”

Leo, who had a treatment patch on his face, sat on the sofa in the spacious two-person room and spoke.

“Really?”

Chloe’s expression darkened.

While Leo didn’t know, Chloe was still under investigation at Lumeran for what had happened.

‘If I get expelled, how will I explain it to my family?’

The Mueller family, under the Northern Magic Tower, had never held much sway.

They didn’t have a long history, nor had they ever produced an outstanding wizard.

They were merely another ordinary wizarding family.

However, Chloe being admitted as the top student had put them in the spotlight at the Northern Magic Tower.

If she were to be expelled in disgrace, their standing would undoubtedly deteriorate further.

And even if she wasn’t expelled, there would still be problems.

The Mueller family was poor.

She had planned to continue her schooling on a scholarship.

‘But if it’s my fault, I have to take responsibility for it!’

‘He’s thinking about something, isn’t he?’

While observing Chloe clench her fists and seemingly resolve herself, Leo leaned his cheek on his hand and smiled faintly.

‘These kids grow up so quickly at his age.’

While thinking this, Leo also recalled the events of yesterday.

‘They said that in all recorded history, there has never been an incident where the pages of the Hero Record went berserk.’

But yesterday, a great anomaly occurred.

Even Leo couldn’t figure out why.

‘The Hero Record didn’t exist in the era I used to live in.’

However, he could make some assumptions.

‘If the magic book Chloe had was influencing the Hero Record…’

Erebus was, after all, a god-like existence.

‘If the Demon Tool influenced the Hero Record, could it be related to the disappearance of my Hero Record?’

The Demon race still remembered and hated Leo.

It wasn’t inconceivable that they were secretly influencing the Hero Record in such a way.

‘The destruction of the Hero Record might also be related to Tartarus.’

With a light sigh, Leo noticed a chess set in the drawer of the table.

‘Let’s clear my mind for a bit.’

“Chloe. Do you know how to play chess? I’m kind of bored; let’s play a game?”

“Sure, okay.”

With a soft rustle, Chloe got down from her bed and sat in front of Leo.

As the chess game began, the pieces started to move along with the two of them.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

With his moves blocked, Leo crossed his arms and clicked his tongue.

‘This is well-played.’

The rules were slightly different from this era compared to his past life, but chess had indeed existed back then.

It was the game that Lissinas had loved the most, and they often played together.

“Checkmate.”

In response to Chloe’s declaration, Leo moved the king.

Chloe laughed as she pursued the king.

‘It’s been such a long time since I’ve played like this.’

Since the beginning of the semester, Chloe had been entirely focused on studying to catch up with Leo, hardly distinguishing between day and night.

‘While I’m in the hospital, I might as well play my fill with Leo.’

Realizing this, Chloe hesitated for a moment.

‘Wait. Now that I think about it, I’m sharing a room with Leo, aren’t I?’

When they were admitted, she hadn’t noticed due to how busy she was, but now her face heated up upon remembering.

“Don’t you want to continue?”

“Huh? Uh? Yeah!”

Taken aback, Chloe’s voice raised higher as she quickly moved the knight.

After a little while, Leo got checkmated, bringing the game to an end.

“Aah! That was fun!”

Stretching, Chloe grinned widely, but then her stomach let out a growl—her belly clock chimed.

“Ahh, no! That’s because I’m hungry!”

“Now that you mention it, I don’t think you’ve eaten anything since yesterday. It’s a bit much for kids in their growth phase, don’t you think?”

With a beet-red face, Chloe tried to explain hastily, but Leo grumbled in response.

It had already turned into lunchtime.

Knock-knock!

The door opened at a timely moment, and upon seeing the visitor, Chloe straightened up with a start.

“Pr, Principal!”

“Ho ho! Pleasure to see you! Leo student! Chloe student! Did you rest well last night?”

With a pleasant smile, Kalyan approached the two.

“Ah, it’s truly an honor to meet you! I’m Chloe Mueller from the first year, class one!”

“Ho ho! There’s no need to be so tense. I’ve just come to ask a few questions!”

‘This is the Sword Saint, isn’t it—one of the greatest heroes of our time.’

Leo’s eyes gleamed.

Sitting in front of Kalyan, both Leo and Chloe prepared to listen.

“First of all, I’d like to apologize to the two of you. It was an unforeseeable situation, but having put you in danger because of the emergence of the Hero Dungeon, as your principal, I feel truly sorry.”

After speaking, Kalyan bowed his head.

Flustered, Chloe quickly waved her hands.

“It’s alright, Principal. There wasn’t much the school could have done back then, right?”

“I deeply appreciate your understanding. Now, let’s move on to the main subject.”

Kalyan lifted his head with a solemn expression, and Chloe instinctively shut her mouth.

“First, Chloe student, there’s something I would like to ask you. Could you show me the magic book you purchased from a backstreet in Rumelia City? I heard from Professor Sedgen and Professor Ren that you’ve carried that book around for a few months.”

Chloe took a breath.

Leo, who had been sitting beside her, asked,

“Why do you wish to see it?”

“Since there’s no need to hide it from you, Leo student, the place where Riu student bought his summoning catalyst was the same place where Chloe student bought her magic book.”

“So, the source was indeed the same, huh.”

“Why? What does that mean?”

“That magic book you carried was, in fact, a Demon Tool.”

Kalyan’s face turned serious.

“Could you elaborate on what transpired in the Hero’s World?”

Leo began to speak, recounting everything.

After listening to the details, Kalyan narrowed his eyes.

“So, you’re saying the Demon Tool affected the Hero’s World?”

“Once the Demon Tool was eliminated, the Hero Dungeon quickly returned to normal. So, it’s highly probable that it was related, right?”

Kalyan stroked his beard.

“Then, the second question. It’s about the items that you brought back from the Hero Dungeon yesterday.”

“Items retrieved from the Hero Dungeon? Wasn’t it supposed to be impossible to bring anything back apart from the quest rewards?”

Chloe asked with a look of confusion.

After all, the Hero’s World, even if it felt real, was ultimately not real. Any gained items would vanish upon returning to reality.

“It seems that you were unaware, Chloe student. Yesterday, Leo student handed over five items. They were the mementos of the members of the Alia party.”

Upon hearing Kalyan’s words, Leo was lost in thought.

‘I’m the one who keeps getting the quest reward?’

This was Leo’s second successful run in the Hero’s World.

Bizarrely, both times, the rules stating that ‘the Hero’s World that exists for the living does not offer rewards’ and ‘there would be no reward related to the master of the Hero’s World’ had been broken.

He had hoped that this time, since it was the Hero Dungeon, Chloe might also receive rewards, but she didn’t.

‘I don’t know why the rules keep bending for me, but it wouldn’t be good if this became known.’

If it became known that you could acquire rewards in any world, it would undoubtedly lead to complications.

“That was part of the quest reward.”

“The quest reward? You shouldn’t be able to receive a reward in the Hero’s World for the living?”

“Yes. However, the Hero’s World yesterday was a Hero Dungeon, wasn’t it? Perhaps it was tied to the unusual circumstances?”

Leo decided to use yesterday’s incident to smooth things over.

“Chloe didn’t receive the reward?”

“It’s probably because you contributed the most to successfully clearing the dungeon, isn’t it?”

Chloe said.

The reward indeed depended on the individual’s contribution to the dungeon raid.

“I see.”

Kalyan nodded.

“Alright. Lastly, I have just one thing to say.”

Kalyan adopted a serious expression.

“Keep what concerns Demon Tools to yourself.”

“Ah?”

“Miss Chloe. I’ll separately discuss this with Professor Sedgen, who handles your case, and Professor Ren of the Department of Magic. Necessary measures will likely be taken. But beyond that, it’s imperative that you stay silent.”

“Er, why?”

“You kids might not fully understand it yet.”

With a gentle smile, Kalyan stood up.

“Our enemies aren’t just external.”

With those words, Kalyan walked towards the door.

“Take care of yourselves during the exam period and rest well. Discharge can happen after that.”

With a hearty laugh, Kalyan reached for the door but briefly paused before speaking again.

“Ah, by the way, I forgot to tell you the results of the practical test scores.”

Turning to the two, Kalyan grinned.

“Congratulations! You two have become the first freshmen in Lumeran’s history to exceed the success rate of the Hero’s World assignment.”

Chloe widened her eyes in disbelief, and Leo chuckled with his arms crossed.

“Looking forward to your future accomplishments.”

Creeak! Thud.

“Leo! Overachieving in the assignment! We’ve made history by being the first!”

With her name inscribed in Lumeran’s history, Chloe cheered loudly in delight.

Watching her, Leo smiled.

*

“Why do we have to take classes immediately after the exam period? This school lacks humanity! Humanity!”

Kal complained bitterly as if disgusted.

“Are you that averse to having classes?”

“Hey! Chelsea! Who would want classes right after the exams, seriously!”

“You hate taking classes regardless of the exams.”

As the two argued while heading towards the magic building, they were suddenly interrupted.

“Did you hear about Chloe?”

“Yeah. I heard her announced Talent Technique wasn’t actually hers?”

“Yeah. She came clean herself. Due to that, her practical exam was marked as a fail, making her the lowest rank in the magic department.”

“Kick kick! She used to act so smug, didn’t she.”

A group of magic department students giggled and walked by.

Seeing this group, Kal frowned.

“Annoying brats. After mooching off Chloe all the time, these guys are now pretending they never did so. Turning their backs!”

“Typical low-grade students.”

“Still, I’m kind of worried about Chloe. She’s secretly quite mentally delicate.”

Kal furiously scratched his head.

Right then, someone’s foot extended from a bench near the garden of the magic building.

A leading member of the group talking behind Chloe’s back tripped over it and fell.

“Kk! Who’s there! Do you want to… d*e..?”

“Oh, sorry. Was I in the way? You should watch your step better.”

“Leo Flove?”

As the individual who rose to his feet smiled nonchalantly, Leo asked coolly.

“Are you provoking us?”

“Why, so what if we talk behind someone’s back? But if you’re trying to pick a fight, what are you going to do about it?”

At the provocation, Leo smirked mockingly.

“If you’re upset, let’s duel!”

“Huh?!?”

Until the midterm exams, Leo was perceived primarily as a theory-focused type.

However, after the midterms, the truth that he was among the top-tier students of the school spread.

Knighthood, Magic, Summoning—he would be hard to defeat in a duel, regardless of the discipline.

“If you cause more trouble, I’ll report you to Professor Ren!”

Still, the person who spoke too much shouted back.

However, Leo grinned leisurely.

“Good timing. Professor Ren seems to be looking for you guys.”

“Huh? Wha?”

“He mentioned something about a question regarding your assignments, I believe. Hurry and go.”

Their faces paled.

Since they had mooched off Chloe’s work for their assignments, this could lead to trouble.

“d*mn it! You scumbag!”

“Just wait.”

Muttering curses, the group quickly fled toward the magic building.

Watching their retreating backs, Leo smirked.

“They’re still causing trouble.”

“Leo-bro! I heard you’ve been discharged!”

Chelsea approached with a beaming smile.

Kal grinned, his arms crossed behind his head.

“That’s great! Now that Leo’s been discharged, we can skip today’s class, right? You know they’re just revising theory anyway…Ah, ow, ow, ow, ow!”

“Should someone who ranked second-last in this semester’s magic department exam try to skip class? Really? What kind of audacity is that?”

“Cl, Chloe?”

Chloe grabbed Kal’s ear.

“There’s no way. Starting today, you’ll sit with me right at the front during class.”

“Front row? No way! I don’t want to go through that torture from the beginning of the semester again!”

Watching Kal’s scream, Chelsea giggled and then turned towards Leo with a bright smile.

“Leo-bro, congratulation on your discharge!”

Hearing that, Leo smiled and affectionately patted Chelsea’s head.

Seeing this, Chloe muttered softly,

‘I’ll work harder. I don’t want to be embarrassed in front of Leo, who gave me courage back then.’

Kal, who was still screaming, looked at Chloe and asked,

“You seem more relaxed now. Are you okay?”

“Thanks to you. Thank you for worrying, Kal.”