LHAHS Chapter 487
Leo headed to the Tower of Heroes after being summoned by the principal, Rina.
"Oh? It's the student council president!"
"Senior Leo!"
A few first-year students moving between classes spotted Leo and looked at him in surprise.
"Pay attention in class," Leo said, waving lightly.
Even such a simple greeting was enough to excite them.
After all, Leo had already been a figure of admiration for the first-years during the first semester. And now, before the second semester had even begun, he had risen to the position of hero.
His presence had gone beyond admiration—many students now looked up to him with overwhelming respect.
Leaving behind the first-years, who were cheering over a mere greeting, Leo arrived at the Tower of Heroes and made his way to the principal's office at the very top.
Knock knock—
"Come in."
When Leo opened the door and stepped inside, he saw a student in a white uniform speaking with Rina.
"Eiran?"
"Sir Leo!" Eiran beamed.
Watching the two, Rina spoke up. "Welcome, student council president. I heard you made quite a name for yourself in the northeast."
Then, she smirked as she turned to Eiran. "That's all I had to tell you. Leo Plov will handle showing you around the dorms and school facilities."
"Yes!" Eiran nodded with a bright smile.
"Why is Eiran here?"
"Eiran Ersar is here as an exchange student. Just like how you went to Seiren as an exchange student during the first semester, Seiren has now sent one in return."
"Ah."
Eiran had wanted to come to Lumene as an exchange student since last year. During the first semester, Lumene had sent Leo to Seiren as an exchange student. And now, it seemed Seiren had sent Eiran in return.
As Leo nodded in understanding, Rina rested her chin on her interlocked fingers and spoke. "Eiran, your uniform has already been ordered at Blessriger, the uniform shop on Courage Street in Lumeria City."
"Yes!"
"Leo Plov. The second-years don't have any classes today, so you're free, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"Then I'd like you to be her guide for the day."
"Understood." Nodding, Leo walked over to Eiran and picked up the large bag beside her. "Let's go."
"Ah! Sir Leo, I can carry that myself!"
"It's fine."
Leo stopped Eiran from hurriedly trying to take the bag and stepped out of the principal's office.
"I hope you enjoy your time here, Eiran."
"Ah, yes! Goodbye, Principal!" Eiran politely bowed before following Leo.
Leo also gave a slight nod to Rina before closing the office door behind him.
As soon as they exited the Tower of Heroes, countless gazes turned toward them.
"Oh? A Seiren student?"
"That's the student council president next to her."
"Why is a Seiren student in Lumene?"
Upperclassmen looked at Leo and Eiran with curiosity.
A fourth-year knight department student asked in confusion, "Leo. Why is a Seiren student here?"
"She's here as an exchange student," Leo answered calmly.
"Really?"
Upon hearing his response, the surrounding students looked visibly surprised.
As all eyes remained on Eiran in curiosity, the two made their way to the second-year dormitory area, which was relatively quiet since most students were out on missions.
"By the way, did the principal say which dorm you'll be staying in?"
"Glory. I'll be in the same dorm as you, Sir Leo."
Nodding, Leo led the way to the dormitory. "Come in."
"Excuse me."
Following Leo into Glory Dorm, Eiran looked around in awe. "It's definitely different from Seiren."
The dormitory was entirely a student space. Among the second-years, students were divided into three dorms: Harmony, Glory, and Noble.
Since students with similar dispositions tended to gather in the same dorms, both personal rooms and shared spaces reflected their tastes. Compared to the strict dormitory rules of Seiren, this place had a much more relaxed atmosphere.
Seeing Eiran admire the dorm, Leo smirked and placed the bag in a corner. "Let's head to the docks."
"Yes!"
Leo and Eiran took a boat into Lumeria City.
As they walked through the streets, Eiran looked around in amazement.
"People in the city don't pay much attention to us."
"Lumeria City residents are used to Lumene students. Since students from other schools visit from time to time as well, they won't make a fuss even if they see a Seiren student like you."
"Now that you mention it, I heard some seniors take missions or handle personal matters in Lumeria City."
As the central city of the world, Lumeria City was an important hub in itself. Since it was right next to Lumene, it was also famous as a tourist destination.
Where people gathered, goods followed. Because of that, Lumeria City was also known for its vast collection of rare magical artifacts.
Leo led Eiran into Courage Street. As if familiar with the area, he walked straight into Blessriger, Lumene's uniform shop.
"Welcome… Oh my. Leo Plov." The shop owner looked slightly surprised upon recognizing Leo but then smiled and bowed. "It's been a while. Thank you for visiting our shop. How can I help you today?"
"I heard the principal ordered a uniform for the exchange student."
"Ah, you must be referring to the uniform for Eiran Ersar, who has come from Seiren as an exchange student. It has already been prepared."
With a friendly smile, the shop owner turned to Eiran, who was standing beside Leo. "Hello, you must be Eiran Ersar. Thank you for visiting our shop."
"Yes."
"At the request of the principal, your summer uniform has been prepared. We only need to take your measurements before proceeding with the final adjustments. Would you please come this way?"
Nodding, Eiran followed the staff.
Female employees immediately approached with measuring tapes to take her measurements.
"Um, I heard that Lumene has different uniforms for each season."
"Yes, that's correct."
"Would it be possible to order those as well?"
"Yes."
The shop owner didn't ask why and simply nodded with a smile.
"Why do you want the spring and autumn uniforms?" Leo asked.
"Since I'm here, I thought it'd be nice to have them as a keepsake." Eiran responded with a shy smile.
"You can return in two hours to pick them up."
After finishing the measurements, the shop owner informed them.
"Then let's take it easy and have some fun for the next two hours. Eiran, is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
"Hmm. First, I want to visit a famous restaurant in Lumeria City." Eiran pulled out a memo from her pocket and showed the name of the restaurant to Leo. "I looked it up in Seiren, and apparently, the food there is amazing!"
"Wait… did you come here as an exchange student to study, or are you just here for sightseeing?"
"A-Ah, no! I plan to study hard too! It's just that, um… hauu!"
Flustered by Leo's teasing, Eiran panicked, covering her face with both hands.
Her voice shrank to a whisper. "S-Sorry. I've been thinking more about having fun than studying."
"There's nothing to apologize for. At your age, of course, you'd want to have fun."
"It's embarrassing…"
Watching Eiran tremble in embarrassment, her ears turning red, Leo smirked. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. That brat Velkia was always trying to skip training and ran away whenever she had the chance."
"Lady Velkia?" Eiran looked up at Leo with wide eyes.
"Why? Do you want to hear about Velkia?"
Eiran's eyes sparkled."Yes!"
Leo hesitated. "You'll be disillusioned a lot."
"I already saw her real self in Sir Dweno's World, didn't I? And that only made me like her even more."
Leo recalled Velkia, whom he had met in Dweno's World. "Well, that's true. Which story should I start with?"
"The story of when you first met!"
"The first meeting, huh? How about we talk over lunch?"
"Hurry, let's go! Quickly, quickly!"
Brimming with excitement, Eiran grabbed Leo's hands with both of hers and pulled him along.
The sight brought back old memories.
"But do you even know the way?"
"Ah!" Eiran, who had been walking ahead in high spirits, froze in realization.
Watching her, Leo smiled softly. "You really do take after her."
She looked different, and her personality was different. But in Eiran, he could definitely see traces of his disciple.
"What?"
As Eiran gave him a puzzled look, Leo patted her head and said, "It just means you really are Velkia's descendant."
After getting her Lumene uniform in Lumeria City and returning to Glory Dorm, Eiran was humming a tune.
"What's got you so happy?"
"Sir Leo promised to tell me old stories tonight until I get sick of them! You better be ready—you're not sleeping until I'm satisfied!"
"Stop reading weird books. Honestly, I think you're worse than Velkia."
"Huh? Worse in what way?"
Blinking her big eyes, Eiran tilted her head in confusion.
Seeing her innocent expression, Leo clicked his tongue.
They had dinner in the dormitory lounge, eating the food they had bought in Lumeria City.
Leo assigned Eiran an empty room in the girls' dorm.
After washing up and getting ready for bed, the early evening had already passed.
When he entered the lounge, Eiran was sitting at a table in her pajamas, placing what looked like a bottle of alcohol on top of it.
"Why do you have alcohol?"
"This is a drink made from a recipe that has been passed down through the Ersar family for generations, originally left by Lady Velkia. I brought it as a gift."
"If Velkia knew how to brew it, then it must have actually been Luna's."
"Huh?"
Luna, who loved alcohol, had often brewed her own drinks.
Hearing Leo's words, Eiran's eyes widened.
Leo poured himself a glass and muttered curiously, "Yeah, this is definitely Luna's drink."
"R-Really?" Eiran's eyes grew even rounder.
"Yeah." Leo smirked.
Since it was Luna's alcohol, even Eiran, who normally had no interest in drinking, took a sip out of curiosity.
"Ack!"
She immediately scrunched up her face at the strong taste.
True to Luna's reputation as a heavy drinker, the liquor she had made was extremely potent.
How nostalgic.
Leo drank the liquor Eiran had brought while reminiscing about the past.
As the night went on, he shared old stories with her.
At some point during the conversation, Eiran asked with curiosity, "Sir Leo, did you have any other disciples besides Sir Velkia?"
"I did. The ancestor of the Xian Empire was another one of my disciples."
"Wow. Now that I think about it, wasn't Chen Xia a princess of the Xian Empire?"
"That's right."
"Then in a way, she and I are connected through fate too."
Eiran smiled brightly. She loved hearing stories and listened to Leo with eager, sparkling eyes.
Chirp, chirp, chirp—
And then, at some point…
Lying on the couch, Eiran suddenly jolted awake.
Huh? When did I fall asleep?
It was still before dawn. She must have dozed off while listening to the stories through the night.
A blanket had been placed over her.
I ended up falling asleep first…
Feeling guilty, Eiran stood up.
On the other couch, Leo was fast asleep.
Since they had emptied an entire bottle of alcohol while talking, the lounge was filled with the scent of liquor.
As she was about to place the blanket she had been using over Leo, she suddenly paused.
How exhausted must Sir Leo be…
As the Hero of the Beginning, he fought Tartaros not just five thousand years ago but even now, after his reincarnation.
Throughout the night, Leo had told countless stories from the past, including tales of the Great Heroes.
She hadn't noticed it at the time, but now that she thought about it, Leo had drunk more heavily whenever he spoke about his old comrades.
I'm sorry, Sir Leo.
Eiran silently apologized to Leo, feeling a pang of guilt.
And… thank you.
As someone living in the present era, she offered a small but heartfelt gratitude.
Just as she was about to drape the blanket over Leo…
Bang—!
"Hiek?!"
The lounge door suddenly swung open.
Eiran, an outstanding swordmaster, had been completely caught off guard. Startled, she lost her balance and toppled forward—straight toward Leo.
Naturally, Leo woke up. "What's going on?" he mumbled sleepily.
Finding herself sprawled over Leo's chest, Eiran panicked and quickly tried to get up.
"S-sorry! Ah—?!"
In her frantic attempt to stand, she got tangled in the blanket and—without meaning to—ended up straddling Leo instead.
"I'm sorry! Sir Leo, I'm so sorry!"
"…What exactly is happening here?"
Standing at the entrance of the lounge, Chen Xia stared blankly at the scene of Leo lying on the couch and Eiran sitting awkwardly on top of him.