LHAHS Chapter 334
The elves' territory lay in the coldest place in the northern continent.
Among the elven lands, one city was considered the most important: Langen.
In the distant past, it was the birthplace of the Comet Mage, Seiren Tingel, who carried on the legacy of the Nebula Pioneer.
The Nebula Pioneer, the Fairy Knight, and the Comet Mage.
Among the three greatest figures in elven history, Luna and Velkia lived five thousand years ago, and their places of birth were unknown, but the Comet Mage had a clearly known homeland.
Thus, Langen was considered a holy land among the elves.
As one of the heroes who was hailed as the reincarnation of their progenitor and saved the world from crisis once again, Seiren's birthplace was worthy of being called sacred.
At the center of Langen stood a massive castle. In the highest chamber of that castle, an elf gazed upon the frozen landscape of Langen before shifting his eyes to the letter in his hand.
"A recommendation to allow Leo Plov to study at Seiren as an exchange student?"
The current head of the Tingel family, Tion Tingel, folded the letter his younger sibling had delivered and frowned.
"She went to Lumene as a visiting professor, and now she's making this kind of request?"
Placing the letter on the table, Tion walked over to his office chair and sat down, picking up a quill.
The Tingel family had long been regarded as the most prestigious elven lineage, yet they had refrained from political involvement. Since Seiren, the hero academy founded by the Comet Mage, had become the center of the elven power structure, the Tingel family could even have ruled as elven royalty.
Among all races, elves were known for their unparalleled unity. As the most unified race, the Tingel family could have claimed the title of the elves' sole rulers. However, one statement left behind by Seiren made it impossible for the Tingel to become royalty.
"Elves do not need a king."
No one knew why Seiren left those words behind, but because the great Comet Mage had declared it, the Tingel naturally distanced themselves from the Elven Council.
Yet, their influence remained overwhelming.
Right now, Seiren had no system for exchange students, but if the head of the Tingel family willed it, they could create such a system on the spot.
Even if the one coming as an exchange student was the Leo Plov who had recently become the hottest topic in elven society.
Finishing the letter addressed to Seiren Academy's acting principal, Tion sent it using a spirit beast, then reached for the newspaper on his desk.
"An All-Class student like the Hero of the Beginning, huh."
Reading the recent reports of Leo's accomplishments, Tion smirked.
"I wonder what kind of spectacle he'll put on at Seiren."
"You're going to Seiren as an exchange student?!"
A week after the exchange student incident had erupted, having received Seiren's official approval through Tina, Leo shared the news with Celia.
Celia, who had been eating with him, jumped in shock.
The lively Lumene second-year cafeteria fell silent for a brief moment as everyone turned their attention toward them.
"Is it really that surprising?" Leo stirred his soup with a spoon and smiled.
Celia downed her milk in one go. Wiping her lips, she gasped, "Of course it's surprising! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wasn't sure if I was going or not. It was only confirmed this morning."
"You…!" Celia looked at him, exasperated.
"Exchange student? What are you talking about?" Eliana, who had been eating nearby, rushed over with sparkling eyes and sat down beside Leo.
Other friends soon gathered around him.
Leo, tearing off a piece of bread and treating it as nothing special, explained, "Professor Tina suggested that I go to Seiren as an exchange student. I figured it wouldn't be a bad experience, so I decided to go."
Chelsea tilted her head. "Is it just you going, Leo?"
"Yeah."
"Is Seiren sending anyone over here?"
"Apparently, they don't plan to."
"Ehh, that's boring." Chelsea pouted in disappointment.
Carl crossed his arms and asked, "When are you leaving, and when are you coming back?"
"I'm leaving today and coming back in a month."
"A month?" Carl's face twisted in disbelief.
The other students also looked surprised at the unexpectedly long duration.
"Oho! Then you're going to Seiren to conquer it too?!" Eliana shouted with gleaming eyes.
"I'm just going to see how Seiren operates and what kind of students they have." Leo smiled faintly.
Nah, there's no way Leo will just quietly study and come back.
He's definitely going to get caught up in some incident.
With Leo, something huge is bound to happen.
Even as his friends stared at him with absolute certainty, Leo continued eating his meal as if nothing was amiss.
That evening, Leo packed his belongings for Seiren.
Before departing, he took a moment to visit the training grounds behind the first-year boys' dormitory.
There, Luke was staggering as he ran laps around the field.
Luke's daily routine as Leo's mentee was simple. He woke up earlier than anyone else in the first year to train his body at the training grounds. After attending classes, he stayed behind to train later than anyone else. He always wore magical weights around his wrists and ankles to increase the strain on his body.
"Ugh!" Luke, still pushing himself to run, suddenly clutched his mouth.
His stamina had been drained long ago, and the only thing keeping him moving was sheer grit and willpower.
Forcing himself forward, Luke used the last of his energy to complete his goal before finally collapsing onto the ground.
Step— Step—
"You don't have to push yourself this hard," Leo said, approached the fallen Luke.
"S-Senior Leo…." Luke hurriedly straightened himself.
Leo smiled at him. "The training I assigned you is already pushing your body to the limit."
Physical conditioning to strengthen his body, mana awakening training to use magic, and studying on top of all that.
For Luke, the schedule was excruciatingly difficult, yet he was forcing himself even harder.
Grinding his teeth, Luke bowed his head and muttered, "… If I fail, then you'll be expelled too."
The harsh penalty that expelled a mentor if their first-year mentee dropped out during the first semester weighed heavily on Luke.
The voices of other first-years also made him uneasy.
Leo was an All-Class student seen as the Hero of the Beginning, Kyle's successor, the unprecedented first-year student council president, and the one evaluated as potentially the strongest student in Lumene's history.
Meanwhile, his mentee, Luke, was mocked as the worst failure in Lumene's history.
Leo chuckled, "Even if that happens, it wouldn't be because of you. It was my decision to choose you as my mentee. You don't need to feel guilty. I'm responsible for my own choices…and I believe in my own judgment."
In Leo's crimson eyes, Luke was reflected.
"You can become a hero," he added.
A hero didn't need talent or grand achievements. They didn't require people's praise or even the recognition of gods.
Back when there was no Hero Record, things were much simpler.
Leo smirked as he recalled his friend's words.
A hero, huh.
Lysinas had smiled and said, "A hero is just someone who never gives up."
Remembering those words, Leo advised, "You need to have more confidence in yourself."
"Confidence?"
"Yeah. If you can't believe in yourself, then believe in me, the one who chose you."
Luke's eyes widened. Taking a deep breath, he stood up. "I'll run a little more."
"Alright."
"Oh! And you're going to Seiren as an exchange student, right? I'll do my best while you're gone!"
Seeing Luke's eyes shine with determination, Leo nodded.
Leaving Luke behind as he resumed running, Leo headed for the warp gate.
Leo and Luke's mentor-mentee relationship was unusual. Other second-years taught their mentees academic strategies, exam tips, or combat techniques, but Leo did none of that.
He simply set a training schedule and gave it to Luke.
Everything a hero needs can be learned at Lumene.
The hero academy was a place optimized for nurturing heroes, and Leo was merely shaping the vessel to hold that knowledge.
He never reached out a hand or offered help. He simply watched.
When Luke seemed on the verge of falling, he caught him—only to push him forward again.
Strength only has value when one seizes it with their own hands.
Leo glanced at Luke. The only one who could change how others saw him was Luke himself.
And Luke was putting in several times the effort of others.
"I'm looking forward to the final exams."
"I refuse to accept this!"
Inside Seiren's second-year conference room, Revr, the second-year supervisor, reacted as if he were having a seizure.
"Leo Plov! That arrogant delinquent from Lumene… You're telling me that we're accepting him as an exchange student?!"
Bang—!
Revr slammed the table violently, his eyes burning with consternation.
Leo Plov.
In the Smith contract dispute, Revr had suffered what he considered a humiliation at Leo's hands.
During a confrontation with Lunia, who had turned into a full-fledged delinquent, Leo had made a mockery of Revr.
Even now, he could vividly recall Leo smirking as he waved the Polyum, a reward from Luna's world, right in front of his face.
With veins bulging on his forehead, Revr shouted, "On top of that! Lunia is finally being reformed and becoming the exemplary Seiren student she was meant to be!"
Herdium let out a deep sigh. "Professor Revr, I have a question… Do those thought reform classes actually work?"
As someone who had mentored Lunia since her first year, Herdium knew her better than anyone. From his perspective, Lunia didn't need thought reform classes or correction.
Sure, she has a tendency toward bold words and reckless actions… but Lunia is fully capable of self-control and has the leadership skills to take care of those around her.
No student was the perfect model that adults desire, and after mentoring many students, Herdium knew very well that the ideal student envisioned by adults was not necessarily a good thing.
Revr's idea of a model student was one shaped to fit the elves' supremacist standards.
And those so-called remedial lessons being imposed on her…
Herdium sighed internally.
"*What utter nonsense.*"
Lunia's voice echoed like a hallucination in his mind.
"They work," Orlen, the professor in charge of Lunia's remedial lessons, smiled.
Herdium's expression turned grim.
She hasn't changed at all, then.
The only difference was whether she pretended to conform or not.
Both Revr and Orlen had only recently been appointed to Seiren. Even taking that into account, their competence as educators was abysmally low.
Still, Herdium didn't point it out. Saying such things would only make life harder for the students.
This is a rare opportunity. Leo will definitely have some impact on the students of Seiren.
Herdium also believed that Seiren needed to change. He had only seen Leo a few times, but from his perspective, Leo was someone who could bring about change, for better or for worse.
Things are already at their worst. They can't possibly get any worse than this.
Herdium steeled himself.
Orlen suggested, "Professor Revr, I have a good idea."
Lifting a teacup with an elegant motion, Orlen took a sip before smiling meaningfully.
"If Leo Plov is the problem, then we simply need to ensure that he doesn't have a negative influence on Lunia."