LHAHS Chapter 486
With Thamus defeated by Leo, everything was finally settled.
The army revived through Thamus' necromancy vanished the moment he fell. The Carnel Kingdom also regained its stability.
Once the situation was wrapped up, Lumene dispatched its vice student council president, Hark, to sort things out.
When Hark heard that deceased heroes were being resurrected as undead by the Lich King, his expression grew grim. When he learned the true nature of the Justice Guild, he clicked his tongue. Then, upon hearing that Justice's guildmaster, Jerome, along with most of the guild's executives, had died… he grabbed his head and fainted.
"Hey! Hark!"
"Snap out of it!"
Despite being vice president, Hark had been handling all the actual duties of the student council president.
The problem was that ever since Leo became student council president, there had been no end to major incidents.
The rapidly shifting global situation. The increasing role of hero candidates. And an endless war against paperwork that no one else could see tormented Hark.
It was to the point that the current student council was being called the hardest worked in Lumene's 3,000-year history.
Leo had dumped an overwhelming amount of work onto him. On top of that, Hark had been known as the laziest student since the day he enrolled. It couldn't be helped—his mana trait was accumulation through sleep.
Even so, he was still the top student in his grade, and as acting student council president, he had proven to be extremely competent.
After explaining the situation to those involved, Leo returned to his room.
Lily, upon hearing the story, excitedly exclaimed, her eyes sparkling, "Senior Hark is amazing! He's not only incredibly talented, but he also has a strong character! Ahh! I'm so jealous of how special he is!"
"Character?"
"Yes! The Sleeping Vice President of Lumene is famous even at other schools!"
"What a ridiculous nickname," Leo muttered in amusement just as the door opened and Hark entered.
"Senior Hark, hello!" Lily greeted him energetically.
"Yeah, yeah…" Hark, his eyes hollow, returned the greeting before plopping down in front of Leo. "This is an incident that's thrown the entire student council into chaos, yet you're so composed."
"Well, Lumene's student council is full of talented people."
"Good, you said it yourself." Hark's face was serious. "President, I'm about to start the second semester of my fifth year. I'll be busy. And honestly, it's not good for the younger students if someone who's about to leave keeps running the student council in place of the president. So, I'm stepping down as vice president. Like you said, there are plenty of capable students in our school, right?"
"Retirement, huh? That's a problem. You can still work, Senior. Everyone thinks highly of the way you run the student council."
"Just let me retire already."
"Not a chance. Oh, I know! I'll install a bed in the vice president's office. Or, if you prefer, I'll set things up so you can work from your room without coming to the student council."
"Arghhhhhh!"
"Senior Hark! Please calm down!"
Hark's eyes rolled back, and he lunged at Leo. Lily panicked and tried to stop him.
With the commotion growing, the student council members waiting outside rushed in and dragged Hark away.
"Appoint Elena as the new vice president! Let me retire! Retire—mmph!"
Struggling and thrashing, Hark was dragged off with his mouth covered.
"Leo, just how long do you plan on working Hark to the bone?" one of the fifth-year students cautiously asked.
Leo grinned. "Until the day he graduates."
At those words, Niel Rhoda, the fourth-year student serving as student council secretary, nodded and scribbled something into her notebook.
"The Vice President, Senior Hark, requested retirement, but President Leo refused to grant it. He plans to make him work until graduation."
Nodding to herself, Niel muttered internally, I need to find a way to leave the student council before I reach my fifth year.
"Senior Niel, do you want to quit the student council?"
"Eek?! Y-Young Master?"
At the chilling voice behind her, Niel flinched violently.
H-How?! Could Young Master Leo have learned mind-reading?!
"A-Ahaha. Of course not! I'll faithfully serve Young Master! Ahaha…" Awkwardly laughing, Niel shook her head.
Leo smiled mercilessly. "You can enter the student council freely, but you don't get to leave."
Hearing that, Niel and the other fourth-year students turned pale, while the fifth-years let out sorrowful laughter.
It's not just Hark. We're all going to be stuck working until graduation.
Having entrusted all important matters to the senior student council members, Leo enjoyed a leisurely break.
He sat in the shade of the training ground, reading a book in peace.
Meanwhile, Lily had gathered the orphaned soldiers and was eagerly telling them stories about heroes. As the grade representative, her hero studies scores were the highest in her class. With so many interesting tales to share, the orphaned soldiers listened intently.
"The people of the Carnel Kingdom don't seem to have the best impression of heroes," Anya remarked as she approached Leo.
"Well, the Justice Guild did abandon them. But thanks to your efforts, not everyone feels that way anymore, right?"
"But we're Shadows."
"As I've told you before, what does that matter? Everyone just needs to do their best in their own place," Leo replied without looking up from his book. "What about the follow-up measures?"
"We're working toward stopping the war. As for the Carnel Kingdom, the king and chancellors will be deposed, and Prince Jeremy will inherit the throne."
During the crisis, Jeremy had more than proven himself as a worthy successor. Public sentiment had already turned against the current king, so installing Jeremy as the new ruler was simple.
Though he lacked supernatural abilities, his selfless dedication to saving the people of the capital had left a deep impression not only on the kingdom's citizens but also on the Shadows.
"As Shadows, we shouldn't interfere in world affairs… but if people are already calling us the equals of heroes, it shouldn't be a problem."
Anya smiled. Helping Jeremy ascend the throne from the shadows was a decision she had made of her own volition.
Leo chuckled at her words.
Meanwhile, Lily was passionately addressing the orphaned soldiers.
"I've told you over and over, I am not a great person! My Hyung-nim is the truly amazing one!"
"But the knights called you a goddess, Commander." One of the orphans raised a hand and spoke.
Shaking her head, Lily firmly replied, "I told you before—I am not a god. If there's anyone who truly deserves to be called one, it's my Hyung-nim over there!"
The orphans all turned their gazes toward Leo.
Hearing this, Anya clapped her hands together. "As expected of Lady Lily. Calling Sir Leo a god—you truly have a keen eye!"
Watching Anya enthusiastically applaud, Leo clicked his tongue.
"You three were here." Jeremy approached the royal palace training grounds. "I heard you'll be leaving tomorrow. Is that true?"
Lily nodded. "Yes. Our capable seniors are handling the aftermath, so we need to return to school and focus on our studies again."
"Ah, I haven't even properly thanked you all… Then I shall hold a banquet tonight! As grand as possible—!"
Lily gently smiled and pressed a finger against Jeremy's lips as he flusteredly spoke.
"More importantly, shouldn't caring for the war-torn people come first, Jeremy?"
"L-Lady Lily…"
"I'll be waiting to hear that you've become a wonderful king, Jeremy."
Jeremy, momentarily mesmerized by Lily's wink, said, "Lady Lily, I will definitely invite you to my coronation."
"That would be an honor!"
"Can… Can I write to you? I'd like to tell you how these children are doing."
"Yes! That would make me really happy. I'll be sure to reply right away."
Jeremy's face brightened.
"I feel like I've made a new friend! I'm really happy! We'll definitely be good friends, Jeremy!"
However, after hearing Lily's words, Jeremy's shoulders slumped.
Seeing this, Leo clicked his tongue. "That was cruel."
"Lily is famous. She's pretty, has a strong yet easygoing personality, and is well-liked not just at Lumene but even at other schools. She's actually received quite a few confessions," Anya replied.
"Really? I never heard anything about that."
"Because she unknowingly rejected them all outright."
"I see. But how do you know all this so well?"
"As a Shadow, it's basic protocol to gather personal information on hero candidates."
At Anya's words, Leo clicked his tongue.
And so, their time in the Carnel Kingdom came to an end.
After returning to school, Leo and Lily submitted their mission reports and returned to their respective dorms.
Early morning, when Leo arrived at his dorm, it was completely empty.
Despite everything that had happened, the time he spent on the mission was incredibly short. As a result, Leo became the first second-year student to complete and return from an assignment.
Entering the dormitory lounge, he picked up a newspaper. At Lumene, newspapers containing global news were delivered every morning.
No mention of the recent incident yet.
The fall of the Justice Guild. The resurrection of dead heroes as undead. And the erasure of names from the Hero Record.
Even just the fall of the Justice Guild would be enough to cause a massive stir.
But compared to the next two incidents, that's nothing.
If the world, already shaken by the revival of Erebos' fragment, learned of these events, it would be thrown into utter chaos.
I should remind Mel to handle this carefully.
Leo sighed and continued reading the newspaper.
"Hm?" His eyes stopped on a full-page article, taking up an entire section. Then, he smirked. "She finally did it."
The article was about Seiren's Lunia. It reported in bold headlines that Lunia had formed a contract with a phoenix.
Additionally, it mentioned that she had been chosen as the next student council president of Seiren.
Leo smiled. "Everyone's growing steadily."
Flap—!
The window swung open, and a small, bird-like wind spirit beast flew inside.
Chirp, chirp—!
After delivering a letter to Leo, the spirit beast immediately flew away.
Seeing this, Leo opened the letter with a puzzled look.
A summons from the headmaster?
Shaaah—!
Deep within the forests of the eastern continent, in a place untouched by human footsteps, a gentle autumn breeze swept through.
Crumble, crunch—
The sound of stepping on fallen leaves echoed. The rustling of withered leaves resonated quietly.
It was the sound of the autumn forest.
Crumble, crunch, step, step, step, step, step—
The sound of a woman's footsteps changed.
Soft, vibrant grass.
A scene of spring unfolded before her eyes.
Soon, she carefully knelt before one of two gravestones.
"I… have returned, Master."