Chapter 433

Early in the morning, as the sun began to rise, the second-years sluggishly woke from their sleep.

"I want to wash up…"

"Ugh… I'm starving."

"I didn't sleep properly."

Groans of misery echoed from all around. The hero candidates who had arrived at the training camp full of excitement after receiving an invitation from the Dragon Queen had been reduced to a pack of beggars in just a single day.

"This looks more like a refugee camp."

"Even refugees wouldn't be in such a pitiful state. This is just a total slum, a complete slum," Carl grumbled, yawning.

At least, since he had managed to catch a bit of sleep, he looked far more refreshed than before.

To be fair, they hadn't looked this terrible when they first went to sleep. All hero academies provided survival training in the wild. By the time they reached their second year, students were trained to survive even if they were thrown into the middle of the desert or stranded in the middle of the ocean. And only the most exceptional students had been selected for this training camp.

The sole reason they had ended up in such a state was none other than Melina's bizarre army of guardians, and it wasn't just the ones that had terrorized the mages the night before with their physical weakness.

Last night, guardians with overwhelming physical defense had also appeared. After enduring grueling training all day, with no proper meals and little sleep, it was only natural that they now looked like this.

While Leo clicked his tongue…

Flutter~

"Huh? What's this?"

A piece of paper fluttered down in front of Leo and Carl.

Carl picked it up and unfolded it, revealing a short, neatly written message in small, elegant handwriting.

[Student Carl, please come to the western forest while avoiding the other students' eyes. –The Dragon Queen]

Carl gasped and looked toward Leo. "Leo, did you get the same message?"

"Yeah."

"Whoa, what the hell is this about?"

"Let's just go."

Knowing exactly what it was about, Leo calmly followed the excited Carl to the location Melina had specified.

As they slipped away from the students and approached the western thicket, they found Lunia, Eiran, Aru, and Drianna already there.

"H-Huh?! L-Leo?" Eiran flinched at the sight of Leo and quickly hid behind Lunia.

"What's wrong?" Lunia looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"I… I look too horrible to let Leo see me like this."

"You've already shown him plenty of embarrassing sides of yourself."

"When did I ever disgrace myself in front of Leo?"

"Like when your weird delusions spiraled out of control."

"D-Don't bring that up!" Eiran pouted and tried to cover Lunia's mouth.

"Did the Dragon Queen call you all here too?"

"Yeah. Looking at us all together like this, it's basically the same lineup as when we tackled Dweno's world, huh?" Carl tilted his head.

As he spoke, Aru, who was trying to fix her disheveled hair as much as possible, muttered, "Are they planning on giving us special training or something?" She frowned in frustration as her hair refused to settle properly. "Whatever it is, I just want to wash up first."

Cat beastmen were known for being the cleanest among beastmen.

Watching Aru, Carl remarked, "You're a cat, so can't you just do a cat wash?"

"Are you mocking me? Do you think someone from the Tune family would just splash some water on their face and call it a day? And even if I wanted to, where the hell am I supposed to find water?"

"I don't mean with water. You know, that thing? Grooming? You guys lick your fur, don't you—ugh?!"

Carl, laughing as he spoke, was abruptly cut off by Aru's fist slamming into his side. It was a simple punch, but it felt like he had taken a dropkick from Chelsea.

As Carl rolled on the ground, Aru scoffed.

"Did you all sleep well last night?"

At the voice from behind them, everyone except Leo stiffened.

Rustle—rustle—

Carl's jaw dropped as Melina appeared, smiling sweetly. Even with her face hidden behind a veil, her presence was overwhelming.

"This is the first time I've spoken privately with you, Eiran and Carl, isn't it? It's a pleasure to meet you. I am the Dragon Queen, Melina."

"A-Ah, greetings to you, great lord of the dragons. I am Eiran Ersar."

"Fufu, no need to be so tense."

Eiran's face turned slightly red at Melina's gentle smile. As someone who adored heroes, Eiran was well-versed in the Silent Dragon's exploits. It was only natural that she would be nervous in front of one of the most highly regarded heroes of the current era.

"I'm Carl Thomas, your majesty."

"Nice to meet you, Carl." Beneath the veil, Melina's lips curved into a soft smile.

Seeing that, Carl hesitated, then carefully asked, "Your Majesty… have we met somewhere before?"

"Fufu. Are you trying to flirt with me?"

"No, that's not it."

Caught off guard by his own words, Carl wore a flustered expression.

Smiling playfully at Carl, Melina then spoke. "The reason I called you all here is that I have something important to ask of you."

"Something important?"

"Yes. Soon, we'll be introducing the instructors who will be training you during this camp. When that happens, please, please don't overreact. Understood?"

"What's there to overreact about?"

"Understood, Aru?" Melina leaned in with a smiling face and emphasized her words.

"…Yes." Aru, looking slightly guilty, nodded.

"Good. Then return to the others. I'll see you all shortly."

Though the group exchanged 'That's it?' expressions, they obediently headed back to camp.

[Why did you phrase it so vaguely?]

Leo used magic to direct his voice only to Melina.

[Surprise events are always fun, aren't they?]

Hearing Melina's cheerful response, Leo let out a dry chuckle.

"How could you even think of trying to flirt with the Dragon Queen?"

"No, I just had a feeling I'd seen her somewhere before."

Lunia looked at Carl in disbelief, while Carl crossed his arms and spoke seriously. "Leo! You felt like you'd seen her before too, right?"

"Not really." Leo shook his head, laughing internally.

Carl sure is sharp.

If there was one thing Carl excelled at, it was his keen observation skills.

Still frowning, Carl returned to camp, where the students had already lined up by school.

In front of them were familiar faces.

"Wow, not just Senior Rhys, but also Senior Ulta and Senior Jamua." Carl admired the top-performing graduates of Lumene from last year.

"Lunia! Senior Raynia is here too!"

"That senior would never miss an event like this… Ugh, but what's with that outfit? Sunglasses and a cap?"

Unlike the excited Eiran, Lunia had mixed feelings about seeing Raynia, the former student council president.

Raynia was notorious for her outrageous behavior. During last year's Lumeiren Games, she had tried to provoke Leo by waving the championship trophy around, only to end up being provoked by Polyum instead.

Now, she stood with her arms crossed, head lowered, dressed suspiciously. There were also other graduates from Seiren present.

Over on Azonia's side, their former student council president, Vanir, led the group.

"What was there to get excited about again?" Aru flicked her tail, still clueless.

Drianna, looking at the assembled graduates, also tilted her head. "Indeed, nothing seems particularly special."

Just then, Raynia suddenly lifted her head and bellowed, "Get moving, all of you! Why are you dawdling?"

The students froze at the unexpected outburst.

"Run!"

Flustered, they scrambled into motion.

"Line up properly! You call yourselves hero candidates, and this is the best you can do?!"

Veins bulging in her neck, Raynia barked orders.

A terrified Seiren female student whimpered, "S-Senior… You're scaring us. What's wrong?"

It was a stark contrast to the normally carefree, if eccentric, former student council president.

"Who are you calling 'Senior'?! I am your instructor, here to train you. From now on, address me as 'Instructor.' Understood?!"

"S-Senior…"

Raynia's voice was colder than the northern winds of Seiren, making the Seiren girl tear up.

"Trainee Tilena. Step forward."

"Y-Yes?"

"Step forward."

Tilena hesitated before awkwardly stepping out.

"Lie down on the ground."

"Huh? But this is bare ground…"

"I won't say it a third time. Get down."

With a hiccup, Tilena hurriedly lay down.

"Roll left. Roll right."

The girl, who had foolishly shown tears, rolled across the ground without understanding why. All around, students from every school watched in dismay.

"You dare shed tears here?! Get your act together!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Tilena shouted, hastily wiping her tears away.

Watching the scene, Torua turned to a Seiren graduate she was familiar with. "Why is Raynia getting so worked up all by herself?"

"I dunno. She's been reading all sorts of weird books lately and going on about how she'll become the perfect instructor," Raynia's fellow graduate answered with an exasperated expression.

"Hmm? Should we act like that too? It looks kinda fun." Torua's eyes gleamed with excitement.

After thoroughly disciplining the younger students, Raynia stood before them and spoke. "I am not a bad person. Depending on your behavior, this training camp can either be heaven or hell. Understood?!"

"Yes."

"Too quiet!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

As Raynia's intimidation reached its peak, Lunia let out a deep sigh. "I knew this would happen."

"Your senior is terrifying," Aru remarked.

"I don't know that person." Lunia flatly denied any association.

Leo, too, couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle at Raynia's antics.

She really is an unusual one.

As tension settled over the campsite, Melina appeared.

"Greetings, everyone."

The moment the Dragon Queen arrived, the second-years let out an awed "Ooooh!", only to immediately stand at attention under Raynia's menacing glare.

Tilting her head at the strange reaction, Melina began her customary speech. "I'm delighted to see such promising hero candidates. I hope you all gain much from this training camp."

A standard, yawn-inducing introduction.

Then, Melina continued, "Before we begin the main training, I have invited a special instructor."

At her words, the graduates exchanged puzzled looks.

Hearing "special instructor," the students perked up with interest.

Step—step—

All eyes turned to a beastman youth who stepped forward.

"This is Akan, the instructor I have personally invited."

"I-I'm pleased to meet you all."

Carl, who had been stifling a yawn, froze at the sight of the special instructor.

"Gah?!" he let out a strangled gasp.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Tade turn to him in confusion.

Lunia and Eiran also gaped in shock. Drianna blinked several times.

The beastman youth walked stiffly, almost nervously, as he cautiously approached Melina.

The students exchanged bewildered looks.

"He seems… totally lacking in spirit, doesn't he?"

"If the Dragon Queen invited him, he must be incredible, though."

"Huff—huff—!"

While the students remained clueless, Aru's breathing grew rough. Her ears perked up, and her pupils dilated like a cat's. Her entire body tensed as if she were ready to pounce at any moment.

As Aru's tail swayed…

Yank!

"Nyagh?!"

Leo, having silently approached her from behind, grabbed her tail and yanked it hard.

"What the hell, Black Rabbit?!" Aru spun around, glaring at Leo, who had already returned to his spot.

At that moment, Raynia's harsh voice rang out, "Who dares speak while the Queen is addressing us?!"

"I-It was Black Rabbit—!" Aru, full of injustice, tried to explain, but Raynia was merciless.

"Step forward!"

"Just you wait, Black Rabbit!"

Dragged away by Raynia, Aru cried out in resentment.

Aaron watched her being taken away with a nervous expression.

Meanwhile, Leo, feigning ignorance, clicked his tongue as he watched Aru rolling on the ground under Raynia's command.

Aaron has a lot to teach her.

Yet, rather ironically, the one who was supposed to teach her was currently terrified of her.

This is going to take a while.

With a chuckle, Leo shook his head.