LHAHS Chapter 338
Seiren, lunchtime.
Leo was walking down the hallway of the first-year Tower of Beginnings.
Step— Step—
At the far end of the long corridor…
Slide—
A girl with gray hair peeked her head out from behind the corner of the wall.
That's Leo Plov, right? I'm sure of it? It's not just someone who looks like him?
Seeing Leo leave the dining hall, Lea hurriedly finished her meal and followed him.
She was certain it was Leo, but she still couldn't quite understand the situation. It made no sense for Lumene's student council president to be posing as a Seiren student.
And in the first-year lower class, no less?
The situation was so bizarre that she had to confirm whether the person was really Leo.
Step—
Just then, Leo stopped walking. Startled, Lea instinctively hid behind a suit of armor decoration on the wall.
Wait, why am I hiding? I can just ask him directly, can't I?
She had done nothing wrong, yet she found herself hiding and feeling foolish for it.
"What are you doing?"
"Kyaaah?!"
A voice suddenly spoke from behind her, and Lea let out a shriek, clinging to the suit of armor.
Wobble—!
The armor couldn't withstand her weight and began to tip over.
Thud—! Whoosh—!
Leo reached out and grabbed her just in time. Using wind magic, he restored the armor to its original position.
Seeing Leo's face up close, Lea became certain.
It really is Leo Plov!
"Are you okay?"
Leo helped her regain her balance.
Lea, who had been staring at him blankly, suddenly snapped back to her senses. She hurriedly put some distance between them and turned around.
It's Leo Plov! It's really Leo Plov!
She hastily straightened her clothes, cleared her throat, and turned back to face him. Looking up at the boy who was taller than her, she gave a polite bow.
"It's nice to meet you. My name is Lea Tingel."
Lifting the hem of her uniform skirt slightly in a proper greeting, she maintained formal etiquette. Leo gave her a puzzled look.
The first-year top student?
Professor Tina had mentioned her—the first-year representative of Seiren, the honor student who had successfully communicated with Sylord.
Well, we're both first-years, so it's not strange that we'd meet, but why is she acting so formal?
She was treating him as if he were an upperclassman, despite both of them being first-years. Not only that, he was in the lower class.
Leo's confusion was quickly cleared up by Lea's next words.
"You're Leo Plov, right? Why were you in the Seiren first-year dining hall? And in the lower class?"
So she recognized me.
"Co-Could it be?! Did Aunt Tina send you to Seiren? Is that it? Huh? Huh?"
"Why are you making such a fuss?"
"Because I like you!"
"……"
Leo's face twisted oddly at the sudden declaration from a girl he had just met.
Lea, unable to contain her excitement, kept talking.
"Ever since I was little, I've loved the storybooks about the Hero of the Beginning, Kyle! His story is just so… tragic, isn't it? It really tugs at the heartstrings! I think he was a true Great Hero! And you're from the same all-class as Kyle! On top of that, you played a huge role in proving that Kyle was a real historical figure! Ahhh! Every time I hear stories about your achievements, my heart races!"
Leo stared at her in disbelief as she rattled on at an astonishing speed.
To be fair, there were quite a few Lumene students who fanatically revered the Great Heroes. It wasn't just Lumene—this was a trait of all hero academies. Aspiring heroes idolized heroes.
It was only natural that they would hold the greatest hero in history, the one who had saved the world, in deep reverence.
And there was no rule that said one had to revere a hero of their own race.
An elf might admire Aaron, who was known for his unparalleled courage. Or they could favor Lysinas, the wise leader who guided many.
Each person had their own preferences when it came to the Great Heroes.
But…
She likes me the most?
Now that Kyle had been proven to be real, it wasn't as strange. But for thousands of years, Kyle had been regarded as a fictional character. Calling him their favorite Great Hero was definitely unusual.
Among the Great Heroes, Kyle was a particularly obscure one.
The only ones who had ever liked his story were Chelsea, Eiran, and Luke. And even they didn't name Kyle as their favorite or most respected hero.
Yet here was someone from another race, an elf no less—an elf, whose people took immense pride in their own heroes—claiming that Kyle was the greatest hero of all.
"So! I wanted to enroll in Lumene and take the entrance exam! But my family was completely against it!"
Lea, still chattering excitedly, clasped her hands together.
"But why are you in Seiren?"
"I'm here as an exchange student."
"An exchange student! Oh! That makes sense! But…"
Lea's face clouded with confusion.
"Then… why are you in the first-year lower class?"
Seiren didn't have an exchange program.
But as a direct descendant of the Tingel family, Lea knew just how powerful her family's influence was.
Tina might not be able to publicize her name, but if she made a request, it wouldn't be difficult to create an exception.
Lea had assumed that having Leo at Seiren would be a huge benefit.
She had never met him before, nor did she know him personally. But based on his achievements as a hero candidate, it was obvious he was exceptional.
He's just like the Great Heroes.
So why was someone like that in the first-year class instead of second-year?
Maybe he wanted to inspire the younger students, which would make sense.
Lea had even considered enrolling in Lumene because of Leo. Studying together with him would be an honor.
But… the lower class?
She couldn't understand it.
Leo glanced at Lea's bewildered expression and spoke.
"Lea Tingel."
"Ah! Please, just call me Lea, Senior Plov!"
"Senior? I'm not a Seiren student."
"Even if it's a different hero academy, you enrolled a year before me, so as a fellow hero candidate, of course you're my senior! Senior Plov… Ah! What a wonderful ring that has!"
Watching Lea get all excited by herself, Leo let out a small chuckle.
"Alright, Lea. What do you think of the lower class?"
"The lower class? The teachers say those students don't put in effort."
Lea responded innocently.
Leo clicked his tongue.
So that's how they've been teaching them.
It seemed that Seiren was actively educating its students to view the lower-class students as lazy failures.
So Seiren's current direction is clear.
A school founded by the Comet Mage, meant to follow in the footsteps of the Nebula Pioneer.
The faction currently in control of Seiren was trying to shape it into a place that nurtured only the most exceptional Stellar Magic users.
A school for the elite, by the elite.
…Would the Comet Mage have wanted this?
Even now, the heroes of the dawn were fighting against the fragments of Erebos in the Hero Record.
And among them was Seiren.
…If Seiren had sought to conquer Luna's Hero World…
Leo's gaze darkened.
If she had truly inherited Luna's will, would she have wanted a school meant only for Stellar Magic users?
What Luna had longed for was a world where flowers could bloom in full. Holding onto that peaceful vision, she had risked everything to stand against Erebos.
Seiren Tingel was a distant predecessor from two thousand years ago, someone Leo had never met. But the determination to sacrifice oneself for the world, to fight against Erebos—surely, that resolve was no different from what he and his friends had felt five thousand years ago.
Seiren wouldn't have wanted a school solely for Stellar Magic users. She wouldn't have sought someone to carry on Luna's legacy. Even less so would she have wanted them to create her own successor.
She had simply wanted to pass on the will to protect this world—the world that Luna had risked their life to defend, the world that generations before them had rebuilt with everything they had.
If we were in the same situation as the heroes of the dawn, we would have done the same.
Seiren had gone astray, and there had to be students among the upper years who felt the same.
I was planning to ignore it, whether the school fell apart or not…
Leo let out a small chuckle, then turned to the odd elf girl who claimed the Hero of the Beginning as her favorite.
"Lea Tingel."
"Oh, come on, just call me Lea…"
"If I give you an assignment, do you think you can handle it?"
"What kind of assignment? If it's about Stellar Magic theory, I can have it done by tomorrow…"
"Ask your seniors what they think about the current Seiren."
"You want me to ask them about Seiren? Which seniors?"
"Lunia and Eiran."
Hearing the names of the second-year top and second-ranked students, the very ones at the center of attention in the school, Lea's eyes widened.
"If they don't want to talk about it, just tell them I sent you."
"Alright! But if I do this, will you grant me one request?"
"What request?"
"Treat me as your junior and teach me magic, Senior Plov."
Lea straightened her back and puffed out her chest proudly. Leo let out an amused chuckle.
"Fine."
"Yay!"
Watching Lea celebrate in pure joy, Leo continued.
"And keep the fact that I'm here as an exchange student a secret from our classmates."
"A secret between you and me, Senior Plov! Got it!"
Grinning ear to ear, Lea dashed down the hallway. She was clearly heading straight for Lunia and Eiran.
Leo watched her run off and chuckled softly.
I wonder if I just turned that kid into a troublemaker.
The thought crossed his mind for a brief moment, but then his gaze shifted to the view outside the hallway window—the Tower of Beginnings.
…Maybe it's time to tear it all down and rebuild it properly.
Spring in the northern continent was harsh.
In this cold, unforgiving land, that was simply the way of things.
Yet despite the chill, the faces of those working were filled with life. The elves watching the near-completion of the Tower of Beginnings wore bright expressions.
They had no doubt—this place was the beacon of a new hope, a new future.
"Your school is almost finished."
"Yeah."
An elven woman smiled as she replied to the only human among them. "And how's your school, Lumene?"
Lumene replied, "The new students are adorable."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Don't make that face, Seiren." Lumene smiled at the friend whose expression had darkened. "Someday, I'm sure heroes who will save the world will be born from there."
"Yeah. That's what hero academies are for." Seiren nodded brightly.
As Lumene turned away, Seiren lifted her gaze.
And then, it appeared.
Perhaps she was the only one here who could see it.
The true disaster.
The black flames.
When they had established the hero academies, they had believed in it without question. That one day, a hero who would protect the world would be born.
Even so, it's already been 2,900 years. Can we really last until then?