LHAHS Chapter 306
The first-year dormitory's large public bath.
The massive central bath was always the most frequented area, but at the moment, only two people occupied it—the two most powerful figures among Lumene students.
For the first-years, it was a nightmare.
The Lumene student council.
At other schools, it might be dismissed as just another governing body, but at a hero academy, the power of the student council was immense. They were the leaders of the hero candidates who would shape the future of the world.
For the newly enrolled first-years, it was an overwhelming presence.
"Really?"
"I'm telling you! The professor told me—huh? Why's the atmosphere so tense? What's going on—ugh?"
"What's wrong? What—gah?!"
The students entering the bathhouse froze in terror at the sight of Leo and Hark.
"Just ignore us and wash up," Leo said with a smile.
The trembling freshmen hesitantly began bathing while stealing wary glances. Watching them, Leo remarked, "Is there really a need to intimidate the first-years?"
"I'm not intimidating anyone," Hark shot back, giving Leo a sidelong glance. "They're scared on their own."
Snorting, Hark leaned back and let out a long yawn before asking, "I heard something interesting happened at Damien?"
By now, the story of Leo and his party conquering Dweno's Hero Record had spread throughout Lumene. At Hark's words, the eavesdropping first-years perked up and focused on Leo.
"How was it? The Great Heroes?"
"They were just as you'd imagine, Senior Hark."
"Just as I imagined, huh."
Hark had conquered many Hero Worlds as a Lumene Hero Dungeon raider, but even he had never experienced a Great Hero World.
"Jealous," he muttered honestly, then stood up.
Swoosh-!
"I'm heading out. I don't like how the first-years keep sneaking glances at me."
With a scoff, he turned to Leo, his eyes narrowing. "You. If you're the student council president, act like one. Stop dumping all your duties on me and actually show up at the council."
Leaving behind a smiling Leo, Hark walked away.
I suppose I should start paying more attention to school affairs while preparing for midterms.
"Young Master!"
"Congratulations on conquering Dweno's Hero World!"
"As expected of you, Young Master Leo!"
Just as no first-year had dared approach Leo, three figures strode toward him—Austin, Valeri, and Julian, members of the Slayer Knight Order under Leo's command. Having trained under Leo since the Zerdinger household, the three could approach him comfortably.
"Oooooh! Senior Leo!"
At that moment, another person rushed forward.
"Congratulations, Senior Leo! But really, if not someone like you, who else could have conquered Dweno's Hero Record…!" Fritz, a first-year from the magic department and a Shadow, exclaimed excitedly. Unlike the knights, he was the fanatical devotee type, approaching Leo without hesitation.
"You've arrived, Senior Leo," Haviden greeted.
Receiving his juniors' polite greetings, Leo furrowed his brow. "I don't see Luke."
"If you mean Luke Eldar, he's probably training at the dueling hall right now," Fritz replied.
"At this hour?"
"Yes, he's been training tirelessly."
After his bath, Leo headed to the dueling hall behind the first-year dormitory.
At this late hour, there was only one person present.
Luke was silently running laps. Sweat dripped from his entire body, and his arms and legs trembled violently.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
After a while, Luke collapsed to the ground, clutching his mouth and dry heaving.
"Haaah! Haaah! Huff!"
Gasping for air, his breath ragged, Luke looked up as Leo approached.
"You're working hard," Leo remarked.
Startled, Luke lifted his head. "Senior Leo! You're back!"
Trying to stand, he wobbled and collapsed back down. His legs were trembling uncontrollably. Luke had long since surpassed his physical limits.
On his wrists and ankles, magical bracelets glowed faintly—artifacts crafted by Leo himself. Well, technically, Luna designed them.
They were originally made by Luna at Kyle's request to aid in Velkia and Bihar's training. After enrolling at Lumene, Leo had used them to train Celia, Chelsea, and his knights as well. Their effect was simple—a type of seal that suppressed the Brave Hero's physical abilities. Not just their body, but their mana as well.
By constantly forcing them into extreme exhaustion, the artifact helped expand their vessel. Luna and Aaron were hopeless when it came to growing their disciples' vessels.
Luna and Aaron were both born with overwhelming mana and physical prowess. As such, while they excelled at teaching magic and combat, they struggled with training others to expand their capacity.
"Have you ever released the seal?"
"No. You told me, Senior Leo, that if I released it even once, its effectiveness would decrease."
Once activated, Luna's seal made the body feel as if it were submerged in the deep sea—heavy and sluggish. Both physical and mana movements became dulled.
Living under such extreme conditions naturally helped one's vessel expand. And this method was particularly effective for Luke.
Luke had learned everything on his own, which meant he had never properly assessed his own abilities. Other first-years had arrived at Lumene with pre-established vessels, simply refining what they already had. But Luke was filling an entirely empty vessel.
That's why he doesn't understand himself yet.
A completely empty vessel. Because he had been sealed from the beginning, he had no idea how much he had grown. He couldn't gauge his own limits. His growth was certain, but Luke himself couldn't feel it.
If he were to release the seal now… he would realize just how much stronger he had become, as well as his true limits. And once he resealed himself? Having already recognized his limitations, his body would instinctively resist further growth.
The moment he perceived the seal as a restriction, its effectiveness would plummet.
Because then it would feel unnatural.
"Is it hard?"
"I was prepared for this."
"It must feel like you're the only one stuck in place."
Luke clenched his fists. Then, taking a deep breath, he said, "It's frustrating."
Luke's eyes darkened. "Everyone else is moving ahead, and I'm the only one stuck."
To be honest, he wasn't confident, but… "You said I could do it, Senior Leo. So I will."
Leo nodded. "Alright. Then after class tomorrow, come to the second-year classroom."
"Huh?"
"I told you, I'd teach you magic after returning from Damien."
Luke's eyes widened. "R-Really?"
"Yeah. But…" Leo smiled mischievously. "Keep it a secret."
"Huh? Why?"
"Nothing beats a trump card for catching your opponent off guard."
The next day, as soon as his first-year classes ended, Luke hurriedly packed his school bag.
"He's probably running off to train by himself again."
"How did a guy like that become the student council president's mentee? No, seriously! How did he even get into Lumene?"
"Poor Senior Leo. He might get expelled alongside him."
Luke could hear his classmates whispering. He let out a deep sigh. He had heard these kinds of remarks countless times over the past two weeks, but he just couldn't get used to them.
I might have to listen to this for half a year.
Just as Luke slumped his shoulders…
"Do you all know something?"
A commanding voice cut through the air.
"There is nothing more pathetic than badmouthing someone behind their back. And just now… were you mocking Senior Leo?"
"W-Wait, Sasha?"
"N-No, we didn't mean it like that!"
The voice belonged to Sasha, the class president of Class 1. She fixed a cold gaze on the students who had been sneering at Luke. As the top first-year student and, more importantly, a princess of the Lordren Empire, Sasha carried an overwhelming presence.
Her classmates turned pale under her piercing glare.
"Hmph."
Sasha scoffed before turning to Luke. "Luke, where are you rushing off to?"
"I'm going to meet Senior Leo."
"Senior Leo? May I come along?" Sasha asked, elegantly fanning herself.
She was a class president who treated everyone kindly. Despite her age, Luke thought she had a charisma that rivaled the next emperor's. She had helped him countless times, so for a moment, he considered bringing her along.
"Keep it a secret that you're learning magic."
But remembering Leo's words, he scratched his head. "Sorry. I think I have to go alone."
"What a shame. I wanted to hear about Senior Leo's Hero World conquest."
Sasha lightly waved her fan before gathering her belongings.
Luke quickly left the classroom and headed toward the second-year wing. Standing before the building, he felt his nerves tighten. Shortly after, the second-year students poured out as their classes ended.
"Let's go eat! I'm starving!"
"I heard the Tower of Heroes restaurant has a new menu!"
"Let's hurry before the place gets packed!"
A group of second-year girls chattered as they rushed out. Then, noticing Luke, they hesitated.
"A first-year? What's he doing here?"
"Bold of him. But he's kinda cute."
"Isn't he Senior Leo's mentee?"
As the second-years turned their attention to him, Luke instinctively shrank back.
"You must be Luke Eldar?"
"Y-Yes? Yes!"
At the cold voice addressing him, Luke stiffened and answered in a tense tone. Then, he turned to see who had spoken—and flinched in shock.
S-Senior Duran?!
Duran stood before him, his signature arrogant expression paired with an icy gaze. Seeing Luke's face stiffen even further, Duran smirked. "Hmph. Haviden is the better one, after all."
Luke cautiously responded to the oddly satisfied-looking Duran. "Well… I mean, Haviden is one of the top first-year knights."
"So you acknowledge it? You have good eyes."
Duran looked even more pleased.
At that moment…
"How ridiculous. You act so proud, even though Haviden chose you only because you were Senior Leo's second pick."
A sharp voice rang out.
E-Eliza Senior?!
Among the first-years, Duran and Eliza were known as the scariest second-years. Seeing the two of them together made Luke tremble even more.
"Quite bold for someone who wasn't even chosen by a first-year."
Duran sneered, mocking Eliza.
"Hmph. A mentee? Having one is just a hassle. I wouldn't have accepted anyone, no matter who it was."
Eliza scoffed.
Beside her, Carl casually remarked as he passed by, "Who was it that threw a tantrum after getting rejected by Sasha… ugh!"
"Why are you bringing that up now?"
Eliza whipped Carl's neck mercilessly. Watching the brutal scene, Luke gulped, his fear intensifying.
"Hey, what are you doing? Come here."
Leo called out to Luke.
"Yes! Seniors, I'll be going now!"
Luke politely bowed before quickly following Leo.
As they watched him leave, Duran muttered, "I should give Haviden some mentoring today."
"Juen has been begging me to tell him some stories, too."
Carl, who had finally been released from Eliza's whip, scratched his head. The other second-years also seemed to be heading off to meet their mentees.
Left alone, Eliza scoffed and started walking toward the dorms.
Carl turned to her and asked, "Eliza, want to come along?"
"I'm not in the summoning department. Why should I join you and your mentee from the magic department?"
Carl grinned. "Juen asked me to talk about the Phoenix Queen, so I thought I might."
"Hmph. That's worth listening to."
Eliza folded her arms and followed Carl.
"Senior Leo, are you going to teach me magic?"
"My knowledge of magic is too outdated. I figured I'd ask someone more familiar with modern magic trends. They'd probably be interested in you, too."
At Luke's eager question, Leo responded matter-of-factly. Their destination was the second-year magic department building.
Leo walked in and headed straight for Professor Len's office.
Knock, knock.
"Professor Len, it's Leo Plov. May I come in?"
Normally, Len would have greeted him with open arms. But today, the office was silent.
Leo frowned slightly and was about to knock again when…
"Leo, you're here."
A weary voice approached him. It was Assistant Professor Anna.
"Assistant Professor Anna. Is Professor Len not in?" Leo asked.
Anna let out a deep sigh, staring up at the ceiling. She had heavy dark circles under her eyes, her face utterly exhausted.
"See for yourself," she said, opening the door.
Leo's expression turned sour at the sight inside. The desk, usually covered with magic research, was now littered with empty liquor bottles. And slumped over it was Len himself. The usually pristine professor looked like a complete wreck.
"What happened this time?" Leo sighed.
"Listen to his drunken ramblings." Anna folded her arms, looking ready to smack Len across the back of the head.
Leo walked up to the professor.
"I'm finished… I'm going to lose all my students to that first-year newbie professor… sniff…"
"……"
"He's been like this ever since Professor Mel took the second-years to Damien," Anna explained exasperatedly.
Leo let out a long sigh.
Sometimes, Professor Len has an absurdly strong will… and other times, he's as fragile as glass.