Chapter 305

The Lumene students entered the banquet hall, all dressed impeccably. Inside, the Damien second-years were already waiting in their neatly pressed uniforms, just as they had been on the first day.

"Is that him?"

"He's the one who received Dweno's alchemy manuscript as a conquest reward, right?"

The Damien students' eyes gleamed as they stared at Carl.

Carl sighed, looking exhausted. "They're not going to suddenly jump me, are they?"

Hearing his muttered concern, Chloe responded seriously. "They might try to capture and dissect you."

"Chloe. You joke now?" Carl let out a dry laugh as he saw the genuine expression on Chloe's face.

Chloe blinked at him. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

"What?"

"You were in the infirmary, so you didn't get to see it." Chloe's gaze darkened as she looked at the Damien students. "But after watching them, I wouldn't put it past them."

Carl swallowed dryly.

Chen Xia, smiling, added, "Don't be too scared, Carl."

"R-Right? I mean, no matter how extreme they are, they wouldn't actually try dissection…"

"There's probably a Damien student skilled enough to neatly open up your stomach, take a quick look inside, and stitch you back up. There are even torture techniques that involve dissection without killing…"

"Aaaahhhhhh!" Carl clamped his hands over his ears and screamed at Chen Xia's words.

"I was just joking to lighten the mood, unlike Chloe, but he's really terrified."

"It doesn't sound like a joke when you say it," Chloe shook her head at Chen Xia, who merely shrugged.

A little after the Lumene students arrived at the banquet, the Azonia students entered.

All eyes among them immediately locked onto Leo.

Chelsea furrowed her brows. "Why are they staring at Leo like that?"

"They probably wanted to fight Leo during the Exclusive Smith Contract Workshop period, but since he was in the infirmary the whole time, they never got the chance. That's probably why."

"Hmph. Some of them really need a reality check." Chelsea scoffed.

As the banquet hall filled with a tense atmosphere, Leo sat at his seat, looking down at his hands in thought.

Dweno's Legacy.

With this conquest reward, Leo had gained ownership over all of Dweno's weapons that had survived into the present era. Now, he could summon them just by recalling their forms.

Leo smirked, thinking about Melina, who had said she would retrieve Dweno's legacy from the principal of Damien.

From the principal's perspective, it's practically robbery.

Shaking his head at the thought of Melina's cheerful smile, Leo turned his gaze toward Drianna among the Damien students.

I'll need repairs before I can use them.

All Leo could do was temporarily restore the weapons to their past state. But that didn't change the fact that most of them were already broken. Even weapons crafted by Dweno wouldn't last long if they hadn't been maintained.

If Drianna hones her skills, she'll be able to do it.

Dweno had recognized her talent. Leo trusted his friend's judgment.

And then, there's Dweno's Flame.

Leo had received two conquest rewards this time. One of them was Dweno's Flame.

Previously, after conquering Luna's world, he had gained a small ember through Pivua's divine power. That ember had been a mere flicker, barely holding on before extinguishing. But this time, the reward he received was not a dying ember. It was a roaring fire.

Unlike in my past life, my current body is more suited for flame.

Dweno's Flame was the ultimate shield against Erebos's attacks. And during the final battle against Erebos…

Kyle had never been able to fully wield Dweno's Flame.

That's why I couldn't finish it.

One by one, his friends had fallen before him. Each of them entrusted their power to Kyle before they left.

Aaron's aura, Dweno's flame, Luna's mana, and Lysinas's dragon heart.

He had woven them together into a single force and pushed Erebos to the brink of annihilation. But in the end, he had failed to deliver the final blow. Because Kyle's body had been unable to withstand Erebos's flames.

If only Leo had been able to control Dweno's Flame a little better back then…

Erebos would have been completely destroyed.

This time, I can endure it.

Clenching his fist, Leo looked down at his hand.

"What's on your mind?"

Celia, dressed in a beautiful red gown, tilted her head curiously.

"Just reminiscing a little."

"You sound like an old man." Celia, wearing white gloves, rested her chin on her hand.

Her beauty drew the attention of the male students in her dormitory, who quickly approached.

"Celia, want to dance later?"

"No, dance with me instead!"

Celia, accustomed to such reactions, straightened her posture and smiled. "Sorry, I don't feel like dancing tonight."

The students groaned in disappointment and backed away.

Just then, the banquet hall doors opened, and the Seiren students entered.

Only about half of them had come, but with Herdium leading the group, Seiren was attending the final night's banquet. Those who had arrived exchanged friendly conversations with students from other schools they were familiar with.

While Leo's party had been conquering Dweno's world, Giath's army had launched a large-scale attack with his gigantes forces. According to Celia, many of the students had grown closer while fighting together to repel them.

"Of course, some parties just self-destructed and caused trouble instead," Celia let out a small sigh.

At that moment, a group of beastman students approached Leo. Celia narrowed her eyes. "What do you want, Dion?"

"I have a question for Leo Plov, Celia."

Dion had been in the same party as Celia during this incident. His usually composed voice wavered slightly as he saw Celia in her gown, and he coughed. "You look beautiful, Celia."

"Thanks." Celia smiled gracefully.

"So, what do you want to ask me?" Leo said.

The Azonia students who had approached Leo included Dion and the other second-year faction leaders. In other words, they were among the top five students in Azonia's second year. All of them had wanted to face Leo in battle at least once.

"Leo Plov." Dion's expression twisted. "What kind of person was Aaron?"

"You could just ask Aru."

"That dumb cat won't shut up about Aaron's feats," the fox beastman, Ruwen, furrowed her brows slightly.

"We know Aaron was great. What we want to know is what kind of person he really was. What he liked. How he lived his daily life."

Despite her scheming nature, Ruwen's respect for Aaron was genuine. She scowled. "But that dumb cat… She keeps acting all high and mighty, saying, You're not ready yet. And it's pissing me off. Especially since she says that while sipping milk from a wine glass. I couldn't take it anymore, so we came to ask you instead."

Leo glanced toward the Azonia students. Aru was surrounded by people.

Resting his chin on his hand, Leo smirked. "Aaron, huh." He chuckled. "He did spend a lot of time with Aru."

"Ugh! Damn that Aru! I'm jealous!" Borman clenched his fists. The others also looked at Aru with envy.

"Did Aaron really treat Aru like a disciple?" Ruwen asked.

Leo shook his head. "No."

"Hah! I knew it was an exaggeration."

He treated her like a little sister.

Aaron had always loved children. His dream had been a world where children could laugh in peace.

"He was too scared of Aru to treat her like a disciple."

"Don't lie. Why would Aaron be afraid of Aru?"

"Aru was right. You're not ready yet."

Leo chuckled. Even as the Azonia students pressed him for more, Leo never revealed the truth about Aaron's cowardice.

No need to shatter their illusions. They wouldn't believe me anyway.

For the same reason, he also protected Dweno's dignity.

You guys had really great friends.

Thinking of them, Leo laughed.

As the banquet reached its peak, students from all schools laughed, sang, and danced together without barriers. After overcoming hardships, they enjoyed their time as comrades.

It was an unfamiliar feeling for most. But for Leo, it was a familiar longing.

Take care of the future.

Remembering Dweno's words, Leo smiled.

Don't worry.

sep

"They're back!"

"Whoa! Home really is the best!"

"Technically, this isn't home."

"Eh, close enough."

The students who had returned to Lumene let out joyful shouts.

The dormitory supervisor, Professor Sena, welcomed them with a smile, "Did everyone have a good trip? I heard there was a big incident, but I'm glad you all made it back safely!"

"Professor Sena! Have you been well?"

"We brought you a souvenir!"

The students greeted Sena cheerfully.

"Oh my, thank you." Smiling, Sena accepted the gifts and said, "I have both good news and bad news for all of you who just returned."

The students' expressions stiffened.

Good news and bad news?

They weren't expecting much from the good news, but the bad news alone was enough to make them anxious.

Eliana swallowed nervously. "What happened?"

Sena smiled. "Which one do you want to hear first?"

Everyone turned their eyes to the dormitory heads—Leo, Chloe, and Chen Xia.

"Please tell us the bad news first," Leo said.

Sena nodded. "Alright. The bad news is that the dormitory's magical plumbing system is currently broken. If you want to wash up, you'll have to use the first-year dorms."

Sighs of relief echoed throughout the group.

Oh, that's all?

It's a little inconvenient, but it's not a big deal.

The tense atmosphere lightened.

"Then what's the good news?" Eliana asked casaully.

Sena grinned. "The midterm exam schedule has been set."

Every student's face froze.

"How is that good news?" Eliana asked, looking as if she were about to cry.

Sena nodded confidently and optimistically. "Of course it's good news! The midterms are scheduled earlier than usual. That means you'll have more time to prepare for the final exams, right? More time to prepare for finals!"

This semester, neither first-years nor second-years would receive expulsion recommendations until the very end, so the biggest factor in determining whether students could stay or be forced to leave was the final exams. The longer they had to prepare for them, the better.

Sena was being almost excessively positive, but to the students, exams were never good news.

Everyone could only groan in despair.

sep

"Aaaaah! Midterms?!" Eliana clutched her head in frustration.

Leo, watching her, said, "It's better to get them over with quickly."

"There it is! The luxury of a top student!" Eliana pouted.

"Are exams really that terrible?" Chloe asked.

"Of course! And you, Chloe, the perfect model student, probably have nothing to worry about, huh?"

"I'm more curious about what the practical exam will be," Chen Xia said, tilting her head thoughtfully.

"Ah! It's Senior Leo!"

"Where? Where?"

The first-years reacted with excitement.

Leo was currently heading toward the first-year dormitory to wash up.

"The dorm leader is even popular among the juniors," Eliana said, nudging Leo in the ribs with a sly smirk.

Before he could respond, the first-years swarmed him.

"Senior! Is it true that you conquered Dweno's Hero World?"

"We heard you met Aaron too!"

"What was it like?"

"Tell us!"

The excited first-years eagerly surrounded Leo, their enthusiasm for his Hero World conquest evident.

Leo scratched his head, looking a bit troubled.

"Move."

A cold voice cut through the commotion.

"Hey, back of the line!"

A male student in the back turned around, annoyed. But as soon as he saw the person behind him, his face turned pale.

"V-V-V-Vice President!"

"Move."

Hark's icy tone made the first-years part like the Red Sea.

Leo looked at Hark with a welcoming smile. "It's been a while, Senior Hark."

"…A while?"

"Hey, Leo. Hold on a second. Did you just say it's been a while?"

Chloe and Eliana turned pale.

Hark walked up to Leo with a terrifying smile.

"'It's been a while, Senior Hark?' That's what you have to say?"

The veins on Hark's forehead bulged. "The student council president dumped all his work on the vice president and then disappeared without a trace! Do you seriously think that makes sense?!"

At Hark's enraged outburst, Leo calmly replied, "There's nothing for me to do even if I go to the student council."

"Ugh?"

Hark clutched the back of his neck, his eyes bloodshot. "Fight me."

Hark glared at Leo, his voice low and menacing. "I'll beat you to a pulp and take your student council president position! And then…" His sharp smile widened as he growled, "I'll make you vice president and force you to suffer the same hell I did!"

The sheer menace radiating from Hark made everyone swallow nervously. The strongest fifth-year. That meant he was the strongest student in all of Lumene.

"You said if someone had a problem with you, they should beat you in a fight, right?" Hark's eyes gleamed dangerously. "I have a lot of problems with you. So fight me."

The sheer hostility in his voice was palpable.

As everyone nervously watched the tense stand-off between the student council president and vice president…

"I never said I'd fight everyone who challenged me," Leo smiled as he spoke.

Hark's eyes widened.

"I refuse your duel request."

Leo ended the situation in an instant.

Hark lowered his head.

A moment later…

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Hark screamed in rage and thrashed violently.

Startled, the second-years desperately clung to his arms and legs.

"S-Senior! Please calm down!"