LHAHS Chapter 488
Chloe, recognized as the top honors student in the Department of Magic, Carl, known for his exceptional creativity in alchemy, and Chen Xia, who had been trained in poisons from a young age as a Shadow.
The combination of these three was perfectly suited for the request commissioned by the Northern Magic Tower.
Thanks to that, they completed their assignment earlier than other students.
After finishing the request, Chloe and Carl, both from the Department of Magic, decided to stay at the Northern Magic Tower for a few more days.
Since no classes were being held at Lumene during the remaining request period, students who finished early were given free time.
Thus, Chloe and Carl chose to stay and conduct various magical experiments.
Unlike them, however, Chen Xia returned to Lumene immediately.
As a knight student, there was little for her to do at the tower, but more importantly, she had heard about what had happened to Leo from the Shadows.
Something so major happened, yet I wasn't able to help Sir Leo.
Blaming herself, Chen Xia decided that she should at least stay by Leo's side and help him rest while he was alone in the dormitory.
Of course, there was also a slightly more self-serving thought behind it.
It's a chance for us to be alone.
Life at Lumene naturally involved group living, making time alone with Leo rare.
Not that she had any complaints.
In fact, school life had been incredibly enjoyable.
And that's all thanks to Sir Leo.
During her first year, Chen Xia had not been able to fully enjoy her life at Lumene.
Back then, she had wanted to become a hero but believed she was unworthy of the title. With such heavy thoughts, it was only natural that she carried a burden in her heart.
After being acknowledged by Leo and shedding that weight, she now found joy simply in spending time with her friends.
For the first time in her life, she was truly experiencing what it was like to enjoy time with peers.
Even so, her desire to spend more personal time with Leo remained strong.
Arriving at Lumene in the early morning, Chen Xia tidied her uniform in front of the dormitory before stepping inside.
She assumed Leo would still be asleep, so she instinctively suppressed her presence.
Hm?
Sensing movement from the lounge, she turned toward it.
Then, as she opened the door, she froze at the sight before her.
An elven girl was clinging to Leo, who was lying on the sofa.
"What… is this?"
"I-I'm sorry! Ah—?!"
Startled, the elf girl, Eiran, hurriedly tried to get up but ended up falling back onto Leo.
Seeing this, Chen Xia paused to assess the situation.
Why is Lady Eiran here at Lumene?
Eiran, the second-ranked student of Seiren's second years, being in Lumene's second-year dormitory was already strange enough.
Chen Xia's gaze shifted toward the lounge table.
Empty liquor bottles. The lingering scent of alcohol.
And Eiran, straddling Leo.
Yeah, I have no idea what's going on.
In the end, she failed to grasp the situation.
"I-I'm sorry, Sir Leo! I'm so sorry!" Eiran, in a panic, repeatedly apologized.
Leo sat up. "Huh?!"
Eiran inhaled sharply as their faces drew close enough for their breaths to mingle.
Leo slipped his hands under Eiran's arms. Then, without effort, he lifted her and placed her down on the floor.
As he sat up, Leo turned to Chen Xia. "You came back early. What about Chloe and Carl?"
"They decided to stay at the Northern Magic Tower for a bit longer. More importantly, why is Lady Eiran here? And… what exactly were you two doing?"
Chen Xia's tone carried a hint of suspicion.
At that, Eiran flailed and stammered in response. "Ah, I came to Lumene as an exchange student for the time being."
"An exchange student?"
"Yes."
"Then what about the situation just now?"
"Ah! That was… because I kept Sir Leo up all night, so I was trying to cover him with a blanket."
"What? You kept him up all night doing what?" Chen Xia's eyes wavered.
Eiran, having managed to make things even more confusing, looked helpless.
Leo sighed and spoke. "Don't get the wrong idea. I was just telling her some stories about past heroes, that's all."
"Oh."
"What were you imagining?"
"It's just… the way you two were positioned looked a little inappropriate, so I couldn't help but wonder."
Eiran's face turned beet red, and she hung her head.
Chen Xia, covering her mouth to suppress a laugh, then spoke. "Welcome to Lumene, Lady Eiran."
That morning, the three of them had decided to eat breakfast at the dining area in the Tower of Heroes.
As they waited for their food, Chen Xia asked with a puzzled expression. "Lady Lunia isn't here as an exchange student?"
"No, Lady Lunia became the student council president this time. She's extremely busy handling official duties."
"Lunia is quite diligent. Sir Leo, on the other hand, dumped all the work onto the seniors."
"It'd be weird for a second-year like me to run the school when we have capable seniors." Leo responded casually.
"Still, I think I'm quite lucky. I got to come to Lumene as an exchange student just in time for the Twilight Festival." Eiran said with a bright smile.
"Oh, right. The Twilight Festival is coming up." Leo, resting his chin on his hand, muttered disinterestedly.
The Twilight Festival was a celebration held once every five years in Lumeria City to honor the Twilight Knight, Lumene.
The reason for the five-year cycle was that it had taken five years to establish both Lumeria City and Lumene Academy.
During this period, the usual restriction limiting students to weekend outings was lifted, allowing them to freely travel between the academy and the city.
For that reason, it was one of the most highly anticipated festivals among Lumene students. Some students even booked accommodations in Lumeria City, planning to fully enjoy the festival while still attending classes.
After all, lessons continued as usual during the festival.
"There are always a lot of troublemakers. The professors say it gives them headaches every time. Plenty of students end up getting disciplinary action."
As Chen Xia and Eiran chatted about the Twilight Festival, a gentle voice called out to them.
"Oh my, Leo, Chen Xia, and… Eiran, correct?"
Leo turned his head to see Mel standing there. "Good morning, Professor Mel."
"O-Oh, good morning!" Chen Xia quickly stood and bowed, prompting Eiran to hurriedly do the same.
Seeing the two, Mel waved a hand dismissively before turning to Leo. "Leo, could we talk for a moment before your meal?"
"Sure." Leo nodded and got up from his seat. "I'll be back in a bit."
With that, Leo followed Mel to a quieter location.
Eiran and Chen Xia were left alone, and an awkward silence filled the air.
The two were acquainted, but they had never been particularly close.
Chen Xia rested her chin on her hand, waiting for her food and for Leo. Meanwhile, Eiran kept sneaking glances at her.
Noticing this, Chen Xia asked curiously, "Is there something on my face?"
"What?! Ah, no! Th-that's not it…" Eiran flustered, then smiled shyly. "Chen Xia, you're as pretty as a doll. You remind me of the princess doll I was given as a child. Well, you actually are a real princess, though."
"Thank you. But I think you look more like a doll than I do," Chen Xia chuckled.
At that, Eiran cautiously said, "Chen Xia, would you like to be friends with me?"
"I'm fine with that."
"Wow!" Eiran beamed with joy.
Seeing her innocent reaction, Chen Xia unknowingly smiled as well. "By the way, you seem to really look up to Leo."
"Yes. From the moment I first saw him, I was completely mesmerized. Sir Leo looked just like the kind of hero you'd read about in fairy tales."
Eiran smiled as she recalled the first time she met Leo.
"That makes two of us."
"So, you really like Sir Leo too, Chen Xia?"
"Yes. I like him a lot."
"I knew it! You and I really are alike."
Eiran was purely delighted.
"Alike?"
Chen Xia had always considered Eiran to be a completely different type of person from herself, so Eiran's words puzzled her.
"Yes, we both like Sir Leo. And also, our ancestors were both disciples of the Hero of the Beginning, Sir Kyle."
"…I've never mentioned that my ancestor was Sir Kyle's disciple." Chen Xia tilted her head.
At that, Eiran flinched slightly and hurriedly explained, "S-Sir Leo told me! He said he saw records of Lady Bihar in the Book of Shadows! Just like Lady Velkia, Lady Bihar was also Sir Kyle's disciple!"
"Ah, I see." Chen Xia smiled and nodded.
Indeed, Eiran and I are deeply connected.
It wasn't just any connection. Even after five thousand years, the bloodlines of those linked to the Great Heroes still remained in this world.
However…
Sir Leo isn't the type to casually talk about someone else's personal history.
The Leo she knew would never ask about her past, nor would he share it with others. No matter how special or close they were.
As she pondered, Chen Xia came to a conclusion.
Eiran knows more about Sir Leo than I do.
Chen Xia sharply deduced the nature of the relationship between Leo and Eiran.
She must know some important secret about Sir Leo that I don't.
"Why? Did something happen?"
"No, nothing serious has occurred. However…" Mel hesitated for a moment before cautiously continuing. "Something strange is happening in the eastern continent."
"Something strange?" Leo looked puzzled.
"Yes. Sudden weather anomalies have started occurring. Even though it's still late autumn, there's been an unexpected cold wave, and some regions have been hit by blizzards."
At that, Leo furrowed his brow.
"And there have also been reports of entire forests where all the trees and plants have withered away as if they'd lost their life force."
"The Lich King?"
"No, they say it's not that. There hasn't been any trace of the unique death energy emitted by the Lich King and his subordinates. The plants simply withered and died as if their life force had suddenly been drained."
Mel spoke with a grave expression.
"And lastly… there's a forest where all the trees have suddenly bloomed as if it were spring."
"Bloomed?" Leo looked completely baffled.
Bloomed? Did someone cast the Magic of Blooming Flowers or something?
Leo had restored the spell formula for Magic of Blooming Flowers, which Luna had created.
But as far as I know, there's no one who can properly use that magic right now.
As he pondered, Leo suddenly asked, "You said it was in the east?"
"Yes."
"Do you have a world map with you?"
At Leo's request, Mel retrieved a world map from her subspace and spread it out.
"Where exactly is this blooming forest?"
"Right here."
Mel pointed to a central region of the eastern continent. It was within the Xian Empire's territory. A completely remote area with no cities nearby.
Leo carefully examined the location.
…Around here, huh.
Five thousand years ago, before the Great Heroes set off on their final campaign to defeat Erebos, there had been no need for a map.
Back when the world was on the brink of destruction, an enormous black pillar of fire had pierced the sky.
A pillar that could be seen from anywhere in the world—a symbol of impending doom.
The Great Heroes had set out on their final journey, heading toward that pillar of fire.
Because of that, Leo never knew the exact locations of his fallen comrades' graves.
He could only estimate based on their route and the time it took to travel.
There's no way their graves would still be intact after five thousand years.
Even for Leo, finding a grave from five thousand years ago with only an estimated location was impossible.
However, the unusual events and the fact that flowers were involved made him pause.
The place where these strange events were occurring in the east.
That's around where Luna drew her last breath.