LHAHS Chapter 430
That evening, the second-years staggered along in exhaustion.
Thud—
Carl collapsed onto the ground. "It's only the first day, and it's already this bad… How am I supposed to survive a whole month?"
"When I get home, I'm throwing out all my stuffed animals."
The battered students were on the verge of panic. As soon as the sun had set, they had been warped to a new location. Now, following the signposts, they were making their way toward what they hoped was their dormitory.
"I'm hungry."
"Of course you are. We didn't get a single proper meal all day."
"What's for dinner?"
"I just want to eat and take a nice warm bath! I'm a mess!"
"I just want to lie down on a bed~"
Hopes and wishes poured out from every direction.
Chelsea prodded the collapsed Carl with her staff. "Carl, stop lying there and get moving."
"I don't wanna."
"Why?"
"The future I see is nothing but darkness. Sob, sob."
Watching Carl weep dramatically, Chelsea frowned. She grabbed him by the back of the neck and dragged him along. "By the way, I don't see Leo around."
"He probably already cleared all the trials we went through and headed back to the dorms to rest."
"Well, it is Leo, after all," Chelsea nodded in understanding.
Finally, they arrived at the place they would be staying for the next month. A few log cabins stood in a large clearing. They weren't as luxurious as some had hoped, but seeing proper shelters in front of them, the students looked satisfied.
"Wow! This is perfect."
"Doesn't it feel like we're on vacation now?"
"Let's eat first!"
"No, we need to wash up first!"
Excited chatter filled the air as the students rushed toward the cabins.
"Where do you think you're going?" Leo, sitting by a bonfire in the clearing, asked with a puzzled look.
"Ah! Leo!"
Chelsea ran over to him with a bright smile, while Carl sighed deeply and slumped down beside him. Lunia approached, folding her arms.
"Why aren't you going in?"
"Going in where?"
"The dorms."
"Our dorms are right here." Leo gestured toward the vast clearing.
"What?" For a moment, Lunia looked confused. Then, as she processed the situation, her face went pale. "W-Wait! You mean we're not being provided with any shelter? We have to sleep outside without any equipment?"
"That's right," Leo replied.
Screams erupted from the students.
Aru, on the other hand, puffed out her chest with pride, crossing her arms. "Hmph! How weak! This is why pampered nobles and spoiled rich kids won't make it!" Wagging her white feline tail, she spread her arms dramatically. "We Azonia students don't mind a little camping…"
"You have to find your own food too."
"That's ridiculous!" Aru's tail bristled in alarm.
"You idiot! If they're not providing shelter, do you think they'd provide food?" Lunia scolded.
"Ugh…!" Aru flinched.
At that moment, the door to one of the log cabins opened, and someone stepped out.
"What's all this commotion?"
A tall, striking woman with black hair tinged with a faint red hue. Her long, slender limbs gave her a commanding presence, but the most distinctive feature were her black rabbit ears—she was a rabbit beastman.
"Senior Vanir!"
It was Vanir, a graduate from last year's Azonia class. The Azonia students immediately flocked to her, their faces lighting up.
"Senior! Have you been well?"
"We've heard of your accomplishments!"
"It's an honor to see you again!"
As they greeted her with loud, enthusiastic voices, Vanir eyed them coldly before speaking. "Too loud. Brats."
Her sharp, chilling tone made all the students from the hero academies flinch.
Only the Azonia second-years snapped to attention and shouted in unison, ""Yes, ma'am!""
Vanir pressed her fingers against her temple as if she had a headache. "So, what's your problem?"
A student from Seiren raised his hand. Vanir motioned with her chin, allowing him to speak.
"I'd like to ask why we aren't being provided with shelter or meals. We came here to improve our skills, and we need to be in top condition for training to be effective."
"You're not under the impression that this is just an extension of your academy curriculum, are you?"
"Pardon? Well, of course…"
"You must think you're special because you received an invitation from the Dragon Queen." Vanir swept her bangs back. "But the Dragon Queen didn't choose you. She's testing you."
Her words sent a visible shiver down the Seiren student's spine. Not just him—many others flinched as well.
"You want to know why you aren't being provided with shelter or food?" Vanir's gaze turned cold. "It's to see how well you can perform even in extreme conditions. If you're going to whine about it, leave. No one will stop you."
Several students clenched their jaws and lowered their heads.
Vanir scoffed before turning on her heel and walking back inside the cabin, shutting the door behind her.
As the atmosphere grew heavy, Chen Xia suggested, "Shall we divide up tasks? Setting up camp and gathering food should be our first priorities."
"You're surprisingly calm about all this."
"I'm used to it." Chen Xia smiled. As a Shadow, situations like these were nothing new to her.
Despite their exhaustion, the students began working on securing food and shelter.
Leo watched them in silence.
"Black Rabbit, what are you thinking about so hard?" Aru asked curiously.
"Nothing much." Leo let out a faint, bitter smile. "I was just… remembering something from the past."
Within the Plov Family's territory stood a vast, dense mountain. A land devoid of monsters. A simple, towering mountain, no different from the many rural peaks scattered across the land, lacking any significant underground resources.
That's precisely why it's the perfect training ground.
Melina had already isolated the mountain from the outside world using magic, and with the Dragon Queen's power, she had transformed it into the ultimate training site.
In the end, not a single student cleared the first stage today.
The first-years and second-years were currently separated. But on the first day of training, not a single person had managed to pass the first stage.
It wasn't because the hero candidates lacked ability. It was simply because Melina's training was that merciless.
They need to pass the first stage before they can begin individual training.
As Melina contemplated the month-long schedule ahead, she suddenly said, "What is it?"
"Your majesty, I am here to make a report."
A golden-haired man knelt behind her, bowing his head. It was Akatis, Melina's trusted aide. He was responsible for searching for the Hero Records of the Great Heroes and the Heroes of Dawn across the western continent.
The fact that he had come to her directly meant something had happened.
"A Hero Dungeon has appeared in Dellan, the capital of the Kingdom of Dellad."
"If you came to me in person, then it must be a Hero Record of the Great Heroes or the Heroes of Dawn, correct?" Melina shot up from her seat, her voice sharp.
"We have yet to confirm it fully, but…"
"But?"
"There has been a report of black flames erupting in Dellan."
"Black flames…!" Melina's expression hardened. "Where exactly?"
"The royal palace's magic research institute."
"You take the dragons ahead and stand by. I'll finish up here and come soon."
"Understood."
Akatis vanished.
Taking a deep breath, Melina called out, "Leo, there's a problem!"
The tragedy that started it all was the death of every child in the orphanage. Aaron's master, once called the Guardian of the Azure Sky, had dismissed it as an accident.
Aaron had wanted to hear the full story, but his master refused to tell him.
"Aaron. You were born into a world where you've never once seen a clear sky."
Agon, his master, had forced a weary smile onto his devastated face.
"I don't want to tell you the truth. Forgive me. As the Guardian of the Azure Sky… it's my selfishness. I want to protect your pure heart more than anything else. Forget about your siblings."
"Yes, Master."
Aaron had depended on his master since childhood. Despite his lingering doubts, he obeyed.
But after the tragedy, he couldn't help but wonder, if I had just been a little braver, could I have saved them?
He never learned the full truth. Despite the immense power he possessed, he had always been consumed by fear.
However, if he had just been a little braver, he believed his master would not have been driven to despair, and his siblings would not have died before him.
The tragedy had happened during the half-year Aaron had run away from home, too afraid to fight.
Then, one day, three people who sought to change the world came to recruit the Guardian of the Azure Sky, Agon.
"Guardian of the Azure Sky, Agon. Your power is needed."
"Lysinas, was it?" Agon spoke in a broken voice. "I'm sorry… but I can no longer fight for the world. I can't take up arms for the people anymore. My will… has long since shattered."
With polite regret, Agon declined the offer of the dragon known as the Fool.
"Instead… take my disciple. This boy is far stronger than I am. He is different from me. He does not hate people as I do, nor does he loathe the world. His heart is as pure as the azure sky."
Agon looked at Aaron and smiled. "He is someone who will charge forward without hesitation to protect others."
"This timid-looking kid?" An elf perked her ears and leaned in close to Aaron, studying him curiously.
Caught off guard by the overwhelming beauty in front of him, Aaron instinctively blushed.
She's… so pretty.
"Oh my, how innocent. He's blushing! How cute!"
"Stop interrupting."
"Owowow! Let go! Let go! I said, let go! Argh—!"
"Argh! You damn pointy-eared brat!"
Of course, his admiration lasted less than three seconds before she bit the hand of the human pulling on her ear.
Watching the chaotic scene unfold, Aaron shrank back. These people were terrifying.
That was when the dragon, the one called the Fool, approached him.
"Aaron, why don't you come with us?" Lysinas smiled gently. "If you were born with such great power… then there must be a reason for it."
"The reason… I was born?"
"That's right. What do you want to do?"
"…I want to create a world where children can laugh in peace under a blue sky."
Lysinas widened her eyes for a moment, then smiled brightly. "Then why don't you come with us? We're trying to take back the blue sky, too."
Despite the hardships that surely awaited, despite having suffered more despair than anyone else, she smiled with hope.
And that smile… captivated him.
Fueled by that warmth, Aaron took the greatest leap of courage in his life and stepped forward into the world.
Later, a strange dwarf, Dweno, would join them.
There were many times he had been too scared to fight. But his companions—his friends—believed in him.
And in order to live up to their trust, Aaron squeezed out every last bit of courage.
That was how the world reclaimed its hope.
And on the final night before they set off on their last journey, in the city of Godthrone…
"Kyle, is there anything you want to do? Something you want to achieve?"
"Not really." Kyle chuckled and took a sip of his drink. "What about you? Do you have something you want?"
"I want to create a world where children can laugh."
"Not that."
"Huh?"
"Luna wants her name to be remembered by future generations, and Dweno wants to leave behind great works of art. Those are dreams they have for themselves."
"And Lysinas only wants to save the world."
"That's because she's an idiot." Kyle scoffed. "You don't have to dedicate yourself to the world like she does."
Kyle stared at Aaron. "Find something you want."
Then, they set off on their final journey.
As they climbed the mountain, Aaron looked up at the sky. Beyond this peak… was the one responsible for the world's suffering. They had encountered him many times, but never had they fought him head-on.
Tremble—
Aaron's hands shook. It was the same as always. The fear that made him want to run away.
At that moment, Aaron's Hyper Perception activated. A power that was closer to foresight than mere heightened senses.
Aaron's face turned as pale as a sheet.
We're going to lose this fight.
"Lysinas!"
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"This battle! We should…"
As he rushed to speak, his damned Hyper Perception whispered the one thing he never wanted to know.
No matter what happens, we'll lose.
His gaze landed on Kyle and Luna.
But if I don't run—Kyle and Luna will live.
Aaron took a deep breath and smiled at Lysinas. A hopeful smile—just like the one she had once given him.
"I'm sure we can win."
Then, Aaron took the lead. His fear faded, replaced by peace.
As long as it's just me, it's fine.