Chapter 522

522

By the time evening meal approached, the rumors about the scandal Kaodin caused at the Department of Knights had spread across all of Lumeran.

Ordinarily, this would be an event to turn Lumeran completely upside down.

After all, it was a serious matter for a Hero to use force against Hero Candidates.

However, despite the gravity of the incident, Lumeran remained eerily quiet.

This was because Kaodin, one of the parties involved, had been carried off to the ward in a pitiful state.

“That said, I was worried that the Class Leader might receive some kind of punishment for this incident since the opponent suffered so severely. Thankfully, that’s not the case.”

“First, the other side started the trouble. Moreover, they’ll probably keep quiet themselves because they’re probably embarrassed. But, I must say, the rumor spread faster than I expected.”

“Yeah. As soon as class ended, Kal already knew.”

Kal was already known as a formidable source of information within Lumeran.

If Kal heard about something, it wouldn’t take long for it to spread throughout the entire academy—and possibly even Rumelia City by now.

“Though, the one who spread the news this time was me.”

Leo smirked at Iliana’s giggling.

At that moment, Kal and Eliza appeared in the dormitory cafeteria.

Iliana, who had been eating a meatball with her fork, narrowed her eyes upon seeing the pair.

“You two are acting suspicious lately.”

While chewing on the meatball, she suspiciously added, “Is it just me, or have you been hanging out together a lot lately? Kal seems to be subtly taking care of Eliza, too.”

“Kal has always subtly been good at looking after others.”

Chloe tilted her head as if there was nothing unusual.

Chen Sia and Eiran, who were also eating with them, nodded in agreement.

In response, Iliana clicked her tongue and wagged her finger.

“That’s why overachievers who only study are no good. I can sense it; there’s a sweet, crisp scent between those two.”

With that remark, the three female students glanced at Kal and Eliza again.

Kal casually exchanged pleasantries with the other students, while Eliza appeared focused solely on her meal, seemingly uninterested.

Then, Kal played a prank on Eliza, who immediately grabbed his collar in response, and Kal quickly begged for mercy.

“But it’s no different from their usual selves, right?”

“What don’t you know? This is the old and classic story of a noblewoman and a man from a lower class falling in love. A cliché with history and tradition.”

“Maybe so in novels, but what does that have to do with those two?”

“Hmph, for Chloe, who doesn’t believe me, this older sister will tell you about a bombshell.”

Iliana lowered her voice.

“Early in the morning not too long ago, with my very own eyes, I saw those two head out together. They both look extremely tired recently, don’t they? It’s obvious they’ve been enjoying clandestine meetings at night!”

“Huh, secret meetings?”

Eiran swallowed nervously.

“Sshh—quiet.”

Iliana glanced around cautiously, and Leo responded.

“There’s nothing like that.”

“How does the Class Leader know?”

“Because I was there, too.”

“Huh?! Could it be—they were all three—”

Zzzzap!

“Cough!”

While Iliana was freaking out, she was nudged in the ribs by Chen Sia, causing her to fall to the floor.

For a moment, the attention of everyone in the cafeteria turned to Iliana, but upon realizing it was her, they disinterestedly went back to their meals.

“Class Leader, She hit me!”

Standing up, Iliana complained to Leo, who responded.

“You were the one making strange noises.”

Chen Sia smiled faintly, causing Iliana to yelp and hide behind Leo.

At her reaction, Leo, who was tearing bread apart to eat, commented:

“Kal was just helping Eliza with her training.”

“That’s no fun at all.”

Grouching, Iliana returned to her seat.

“Anyway, it’s unexpected. That guy doing morning training so seriously? He doesn’t have the image of being diligent.”

Leo looked at the surprised Iliana.

“It’s strange for a Summoner of her caliber not to be diligent. Anyway, stop spreading unnecessary rumors. Eliza won’t let this go easily.”

*

Zzzzap!

That night, in the early morning.

Eliza gritted her teeth tightly as lightning essence enveloped her whole body.

Zzzzzzzzap!

“Ugh!”

The brilliance of the white lightning made her feel as if she were about to lose consciousness.

But Eliza somehow endured.

Whoosh!

As the lightning dissipated, Eliza exhaled sharply.

Using her spiritual power, she confined the lightning essence attempting to escape her body within herself as much as possible.

“Hardly even 30 seconds.”

Eliza clenched her fists tightly.

Her appearance caused Leo to narrow his eyes.

“Your capacity is growing remarkably fast.”

Although Leo had proposed the barbaric training of accepting the lightning essence, Eliza’s rapid growth in capacity within such a short time was beyond his imagination.

Looking at Eliza, Leo said,

“Remarkable.”

“I don’t need hollow flattery.”

“It’s genuine.”

There was no visible progress yet, but Eliza was certainly growing.

Of course, this was possible with Leo’s assistance, but it was another matter entirely that she was able to internalize his help and elevate it with her own power.

“Then, shall we move on to the next level slowly?”

At Leo’s words, Eliza’s expression tensed.

The current training already accompanied excruciating pain.

However, Eliza anticipated that Leo’s training wouldn’t stop here.

‘If merely enduring pain were enough to grow strong, there wouldn’t be anyone who couldn’t grow strong.”

The essence of lightning not only inflicted physical pain but also accompanied mental anguish, a force even pegasi have difficulty bearing.

To accept and endure such power in a human body was evidence of the sturdiness of Eliza’s mental world.

‘Once she grows, she would most likely become immune to common mental attacks. Thinking back, Eliza has the capacity to form contracts with countless familiars.’

Leo glanced at Eliza while raising his spiritual power.

Huuuuum! Zzzzap!

A ripple of spiritual force surged around Leo.

Eliza’s eyes widened upon seeing this.

“What is this…?”

“Come here.”

A storm of pure white lightning erupted.

Together with that, a summoning circle formed, and within it stood a woman with pure white hair, Arti, with her arms folded nonchalantly.

“Pegasuses.”

Eliza exclaimed upon seeing her.

Arti, who looked at her expressionlessly, was exactly what Eliza imagined as the ideal image of a pegasus.

The summoned Arti briefly glanced at Leo.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, she suddenly clung to Leo’s legs.

“Master, when will you imbue me with the white lightning? It’s unfair to let such a novice enjoy it alone!”

Zzzzap!

In that instant, Eliza thought she heard a crackling sound as if something precious in her mind had broken.

Thinking it might have been a mistake, she rubbed her eyes several times.

However, the noble familiar, the pegasus, was still clinging to Leo’s feet, pouting.

“Get off.”

Leo, looking irritated, swung his foot to shake Arti off.

But even while being dragged across the floor in a messy state, Arti only said things like “Ah! How cruel of you, Master!” in a nonsense voice that actually made her happy.

Kal, who hadn’t anticipated this kind of behavior from Arti, gawked.

“Th-th-this can’t be… a lie… it can’t possibly be true. A noble familiar like Pegasuses wouldn’t behave that way.”

Eliza, clutching her head, squatted down, her spirit lost, and murmured.

“Kal Thomas, is this a dream? It must be!”

“…It seems real, though.”

“No, it’s definitely a dream. Please slap me to wake me up.”

“I’ll get angry.”

“It’s fine since it’s a dream anyway.”

With this, Kal hesitated for a moment and then lightly slapped Eliza’s cheek.

“…”

After stroking her cheek a few times, Eliza donned a fierce expression.

“My cheek! I’ve never been hit even by my parents! How dare you?”

“You admitted it wasn’t a dream! You said you wouldn’t be mad!”

Just as Kal panicked and tried to escape from Eliza,

“Eliza.”

Uuuuum!

Leo approached Eliza and extended his palm.

On it, a small, pure white contract circle was spread out.

Seeing it, Eliza widened her eyes.

“Could it be…? You’ve modified the contract circle with the Pegasus?”

“That’s right. It’s a temporary contract. Try to control this one in that state.”

Eliza stared blankly at Leo.

‘With an incredible understanding of summoning, it’s possible to change the contract circle like this, but…’

“Though it’s impressive, you don’t seem to understand. No matter how it is, would a pegasus with strong pride enter even a temporary contract with someone unqualified at the summoner’s command? Absolutely not…”

“Wh-wh-Wait! Are you trying to hand me over to another summoner?”

Before Eliza finished speaking, Arti shouted.

“Hmph.”

Eliza sighed and Arti said loudly,

“Leaving Master’s hand and being handed over to another summoner…and to a completely unqualified novice’s hand… It feels defiling! Fantastic! Hey, novice, try to summon me!”

“….”

Eliza felt something precious inside her completely collapse and held her face, sobbing quietly.

“Just so you know, he’s strange. Other pegasi are fine.”

Leo sighed softly as he tried to console the heartbroken Eliza.

Then, suddenly, a dazzling light shot up from the ground into the sky.

Leo, Eliza, and Kal immediately looked toward the source.

“Wait. That’s definitely where the Hero’s Dungeon appeared.”

Kal exclaimed with a baffled expression.

A sudden appearance of a Hero’s Dungeon in Lumeran.

Investigations into this mysterious Hero’s Dungeon were conducted earnestly by professionals at Lumeran to find out the cause and which Hero’s World it came from.

However, the sudden release of powerful aura indicated something.

“Something has definitely gone wrong.”

Eliza said resolutely.

Whoosh-! Kaaaaaaammmmmmm!

A powerful aura suddenly soared up into the sky from the ground.

Leo and Eliza’s gaze turned to the source of the aura.

“Hold on. That’s definitely where a Hero’s Dungeon appeared!”

Kal exclaimed with a bewildered expression.

A Hero’s Dungeon that had suddenly appeared in Lumeran. They were investigating what kind of Hero’s World it was and why it had appeared.

But now that a powerful aura had burst forth from there…

“Something must have gone wrong.”

Eliza spoke with a stiff tone.

Zzzzzzap!

Arti was bathed in white lightning.

Leo grabbed the wrists of Eliza and Kal and mounted the now fully manifested Arti.

Leo instructed Kal, sitting behind him,

“Kal, hold on tight.”

“Alright! Eliza!”

Holding Leo’s waist, Kal spoke, to which Eliza sitting at the very back smirked.

“I’m a summoner. Don’t worry about me; worry about yourself!”

At those words, Leo grabbed the reins.

Flash!

Turning into a streak of light, Arti streaked across the night sky.

In the blink of an eye, reaching the place where the Hero’s Dungeon had appeared, Leo looked down at the ground.

The surrounding area looked like it had been ravaged.

Professors of Lumeran and visiting heroes from different worlds stood in standoff against a single dwarf.

From the situation, it was clear that the culprit of this incident was this dwarf.

“Hey, hold on.”

At that moment, Kal exclaimed in shock.

Eliza also widened her eyes.

“That person…”

Leo, too, narrowed his eyes recognizing the familiar face.

Though it was the first time seeing a dwarf that day, he was one Leo had seen many times in books.

3000 years ago.

During the Rebirth of Catastrophe, there was a man who endured countless battles.

A man who, even by himself, tried his best to stop the advance of Erebus and Tartarus.

But even his efforts had limits. He experienced defeat after defeat.

Even though it would have been understandable to feel despair and break,

This dwarf always went back to the battlefield.

He always stood resolutely at the forefront of everyone.

Because of that, the world called him this:

“The Unyielding Demian.”