LHAHS Chapter 368
A flash of light burst forth from the warp gate.
"It's hot," Leo muttered as he stepped out, immediately feeling the oppressive heat of the desert. He had arrived at the oasis city of Wargella, one of Aleham's largest cities.
Walking through the warp gate, Luke followed closely behind, already drenched in sweat. "It's really hot," he groaned.
The central continent was already in the height of summer, so they had long since switched to lighter uniforms. But even those offered little relief from the desert's intense heat.
Luke glanced at Leo, who wasn't sweating in the slightest, and clicked his tongue in disbelief.
As they continued forward, more Lumene students appeared through the warp gate. Since Wargella was such a massive city, many teams had chosen it as their primary investigation site.
The sudden influx of students, all clad in Lumene's distinctive uniforms, quickly caught the attention of the locals.
"Lumene?"
"Why are they here…?"
Murmurs of surprise spread through the crowd.
The first-years reacted in different ways—some puffed up with pride, while others fidgeted, embarrassed by the attention. Meanwhile, the second-years remained indifferent, long accustomed to being in the public eye.
Leo kept walking, his expression unreadable. Then, as he stepped outside, his eyes narrowed.
Luke, following behind, gasped at the sight before him.
The streets were dazzling. Glowing mana lamps lined the roads, casting a brilliant glow over the entire city. People bustled through the streets, their faces bright with laughter and lively conversation. Merchants called out from their stalls, selling everything from fresh fruits and sizzling food to vibrant bouquets of flowers.
The entire scene felt like a festival.
"This… isn't what I expected," Leo murmured.
"Same here," Luke agreed, nodding.
The city was nearly as extravagant as Lordren's capital.
Leo recalled visiting Lordren with Celia. It was one of the wealthiest nations in the world, yet the streets of Wargella appeared just as prosperous.
This didn't match anything he had read about Aleham.
Before departing, they had thoroughly studied Aleham's political and economic status. It was known as the poorest nation on the continent, yet nothing about these streets looked impoverished.
While Leo was deep in thought, more students emerged from the warp gate, their eyes widening in awe.
"Whoa! This is insane!"
"It's almost as fancy as Lumeria City!"
Excitement spread among the students, especially the girls, who hummed happily as they admired the cityscape. Many had worried about the quality of their accommodations, but seeing this, those concerns quickly faded.
"I was stressing about lodgings for nothing."
"Let's find an inn first!"
"Yeah! The school gave us plenty of money, so we should stay somewhere nice!"
Eagerly, the students poured out of the warp gate.
"Should we find a place to stay first?" Luke asked.
"Yeah. Can you handle it?" Leo replied.
"…Me?"
Leo nodded and opened his palm.
Fwoosh!
A small burst of flame flickered in the air before vanishing, leaving behind a tiny red chick.
"Pii!"
It was none other than Fiora.
Leo handed Fiora to Luke. "Once you find a place, use her to send me the location."
"Understood," Luke replied.
"After that, I want you to start looking into any strange occurrences in the city."
"…On my own?"
Leo gave him a knowing look. "You can handle it, right?"
"…Of course!" Luke responded with determination.
"Pii! Pii!" Fiora flapped her tiny wings and perched herself atop Luke's head. She tilted her head, pecked at his silvery hair a few times, then settled in as if she had found the perfect nest.
"Please take good care of me," Luke said.
"Pii," Fiora chirped with a nod.
Leo watched them for a moment before adding, "Don't buy her everything she asks for."
"…Got it."
With that, Luke turned and dashed off to secure a place to stay.
As Leo observed him disappear into the crowd, Elsie, who had been perched on his shoulder, spoke. [Why did you send him off alone?]
Leo shifted his gaze slightly. "He's from the countryside. He lacks experience."
He turned and began walking.
"I want him to experience as much as possible. And I want him to understand that he's more capable than he thinks."
[What do you mean by that?] Elsie tilted her head in curiosity.
Leo's voice was calm. "Lately, Luke has been losing confidence."
It was true. The other students had been improving at an incredible rate, but Luke, thanks to the restrictors Leo had placed on him, had barely progressed.
The first-years, unaware of the reason, had started mocking him.
Despite being lucky enough to enter Lumene and become the student council president's mentee, they saw him as talentless—someone who would never amount to anything.
Leo knew it all too well.
[That must be difficult for him.]
"It is."
There was nothing more frustrating than working hard and seeing no results. If that wasn't bad enough, in a competitive environment like Lumene, the feeling of being left behind could be suffocating.
"He probably has no confidence in himself and feels like he's walking an invisible path."
[And yet, Luke hasn't stopped trying.]
Luke kept running forward, holding onto his trust in Leo's words. Even though he could easily overpower most students the moment the restrictions were lifted, he endured it.
"Senior, do you really think I can beat Aina?"
"What do you think?"
"How could I ever beat Aina?"
Luke denied his own potential.
Still… if Leo-senpai says it's possible, then I'll try.
Still, even though he couldn't believe in himself, but he could believe in Leo.
"In that sense, he reminds me of Velkia and Bihar," Leo murmured, recalling his students from his past life.
They had constantly doubted themselves, always thinking they weren't good enough, yet they never stopped striving forward. And in the end, after the Age of Calamity, they had played a major role in rebuilding the world.
"As he goes through this investigation while being treated as a Lumene student, he'll regain some confidence."
After all, getting into Lumene was an achievement Luke had earned. Among Lumene students, that fact might not seem all that impressive, but from an outsider's perspective, it was a remarkable feat.
"Besides… the place I'm heading to now might be a bit intense for a kid."
Elsie tilted her head at Leo's words.
Leo disappeared into an alleyway.
He's gone, right?
Not far away, a girl lowered the newspaper she had been reading, her eyes flicking toward the alley Leo had entered.
"Senior."
"Mm? What is it, junior?"
Austin hesitated before addressing his mentor. "Why exactly are we secretly following Young Master?"
Eliana smiled cryptically. "You don't get it, do you? The class president is really good at this kind of mission." She elegantly folded her newspaper. "So if we just follow him during this mission, we can coast along effortlessly."
Austin looked at her in disbelief. "You had me ask Luke about his destination just so you could follow Young Master, didn't you?"
"Of course!" Eliana's eyes sparkled.
Austin let out a deep sigh. "Can't we just do our own investigation?"
"It's not that we can't…" Eliana shook her purse, jingling the support funds inside. "But since we've got a nice budget, wouldn't it be better to take it easy?"
"As a knight of Zerdinger, I cannot condone this. The virtues of a Zerdinger knight are, first, diligence; second, morality; third…"
"Ugh! Shut up! The Lauden family's motto is 'go with the flow!'"
"Even so, to slack off during an official mission…"
Austin was desperately trying to reason with her, but Eliana only beamed.
"Austin, do you know what your Young Master said to Vice President Hark when he became student council president last year?"
"What did he say?"
"Do as you're told."
"……" Austin lowered his head in defeat.
Eliana wasn't a bad mentor—far from it. She taught well and guided him properly. But when she got like this, reasoning with her was impossible.
"Alright, let's go!"
Springing to her feet, Eliana led Austin in pursuit of Leo.
"Still, why was he making such a middle-aged man's expression?"
Eliana recalled Leo's serious face and tilted her head in curiosity.
As they entered the alley, they kept their distance, tracking Leo's movements. Whenever they reached a crossroads, they asked passing locals which way he had gone, smoothly continuing their pursuit.
Then, a short while later…
"A gate?"
At the end of the alley stood what appeared to be an entrance, separated by heavy curtains as if marking a restricted area.
Just as they were about to step inside…
"Heheheh. This isn't a place for little brats with milk still on their lips." An old woman standing at the entrance cackled.
Eliana crossed her arms. "Just now, a guy dressed like us passed through here, didn't he?"
"The young master? Yeah, he went in."
"We're following him." Eliana lifted her chin. "If he went inside, then we can go in too, right?"
"That's true. We don't turn people away here. But…" The old woman's sharp gaze swept over Eliana and Austin. "It might be a bit… intense for kids like you."
She chuckled darkly.
Eliana scoffed. "Granny, I'll have you know—I'm all grown up. I'm far from innocent. Hah! No matter how intense it is, it's nothing I can't handle."
Confidently, she swept aside the curtain and strode inside. Austin started to follow…
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" A piercing scream echoed from within.
"Senior!"
Startled, Austin instinctively reached for his sword, rushing toward the entrance.
Whoosh!
Eliana bolted back out at full speed, nearly crashing into him. Her entire face, from her cheeks to her neck, was flushed crimson. Staggering backward, she stammered incomprehensibly.
"A-a-a man and a-a woman! R-right there in the middle of the street—!"
Seeing her completely rattled, the old woman clicked her tongue. "Looks like you walked in on some drugged-up lovers. Bad timing, huh?"
"What the hell is this place?!" Eliana, still red-faced, demanded an explanation.
The old woman grinned. "Welcome to the Pleasure District." She cackled. "It's a filthy paradise, child. A place where neither ladies nor noble young masters belong. Not that it stopped your young master. That boy strolled in without a care in the world."
Austin's face tensed.
Eliana, still dazed, murmured.
"So that's why he looked like such an old man earlier…!"
"Senior," Austin interjected. "The Young Master is obviously here for investigative purposes."
But Eliana wasn't listening.