LHAHS Chapter 497
Two days had passed since the mission assignment period ended. The returning students gathered in small groups in the lounge, chatting away.
"Are you booking a place to stay during the Twilight Festival?"
"Of course! I already made a reservation!"
"How did you do that? The competition for bookings must be intense!"
The main topic among the students was the upcoming Twilight Festival—a grand celebration held once every five years, dedicated to the Twilight Knight Lumene, one of the Heroes of Dawn and the founder of Lumene Academy.
During this period, not only outsiders but many different races flocked to the event.
"The Twilight Festival!"
At that moment, a door on one side of the lounge burst open. It was the door connected to the study room. And the student who came bursting out—completely out of place in a study room—was none other than Eliana.
"I want in too! Let's plan the schedule together!"
She eagerly tried to join the group of students. However, someone grabbed the nape of her neck before she could.
It was none other than Chen Xia.
"You can't. Sir Leo's special tutoring session isn't over yet. Where do you think you're going?"
"But, but!"
"Sir Leo took time out of his schedule just for you, and you're going to ignore his generosity?" Chen Xia asked coldly.
"Eek?!" Eliana flinched in fear. Normally, Chen Xia was the kind and dependable big sister of the second years, but when she was angry, she was the scariest of them all.
"This is the price of slacking off."
"Go study more."
Jeers came from the students in the lounge.
"Hey! You guys are so dead later!" Eliana clenched her fists and glared at them.
Chen Xia, unfazed, dragged her back into the study room.
Inside, six students were seated, including Eliana. Leo stood at the front, while Chloe, Eiran, and Eliana sat before him. Chen Xia stood near the door, and beside her, Luna sat with her arms crossed and legs casually draped over the chair.
Leo said, "Alright, let's start again."
He pointed at the small chalkboard.
"As you can see, Eliana, your magic is focused on destructive power."
"I've said it before, but absolute overwhelming force and total annihilation—that's the Raden family motto!"
Eiran clapped in admiration. "Wow, that's so cool!"
"Heh!"
Chloe coldly shot back, "Don't encourage her. She's just a reckless brute."
"Class rep! Chloe called me a reckless brute!"
"Well, I agree with Chloe on that," Leo said flatly.
Eliana slumped her shoulders in despair.
The truth was, she was undeniably a powerful combatant.
Aside from Leo, she the top eight students in the second year were:
From the knight department—Celia, Chen Xia, and Duran.
From the magic department—Chloe, Abad, and Chelsea.
From the summoning department—Eliza and Walden.
While there were differences in skill among them, each excelled in their own specialties and had great potential, earning them equal recognition. Even excluding Leo, this was an unprecedented golden generation in Lumene's history. Their potential was limitless.
And right behind these top-tier elites, Eliana was one of the next in line. However, she was often underrated, mostly because of her personality.
"You're impatient."
"Guh?!"
"You're simple and reckless."
"Keh!"
"No matter the situation, you just charge in headfirst and get beaten up."
"Ugh!" Eliana rolled off her chair, twitching and trembling on the floor from the psychological damage.
Eiran, alarmed, quickly rushed to her aid, while Chloe let out a deep sigh. Indeed, if Eliana could just fix those issues, she could improve tremendously.
"Even the professors have been trying to correct those tendencies, and I've also put in a lot of effort to help you improve. Because you can be much stronger."
"Class rep!" Eliana looked at Leo with teary eyes, touched by his words.
"But you know, I once heard someone say this: 'People don't change.'"
"Puhek!" At Leo's follow-up remark, Eliana collapsed completely. "Sniff, sniff… I've been abandoned by my class rep."
"Stop saying weird things and listen to the rest."
"Huh?"
"I'll change my approach."
"Huh?"
"If you can't fix those tendencies, then rather than changing them, we should reinforce them to maximize the benefits of your reckless charges."
"Huh?"
Leo glanced at Luna, and their eyes met.
Luna smiled.
After returning to Fairyland, Luna watched Eiran and Chen Xia sparring in the training hall and asked, "Did you two train under Aaron?"
At her question, the two, who had been locked in their duel, widened their eyes.
"Did Sir Leo tell you?"
"Kyle only told me that Aaron had come to the present world and that they had hunted down a fragment of Erebos together."
Luna crossed her arms and closed her eyes. She had heard the story Leo told about Aaron.
When she learned what Aaron had been thinking as he made his sacrifice, it broke her heart. At the same time, hearing that Aaron had overcome everything and grown in the end made her proud.
That's just like Aaron.
Recalling the back that had always given her courage, Luna smiled faintly.
Eiran and Chen Xia thought that smile somehow resembled Leo's.
"Anyway." Luna opened her eyes. "I could tell you trained under Aaron just by watching you. I caught glimpses of his movements in yours."
"Wow, you could tell just from that?"
Luna brushed her hair back and smirked proudly. "Hmph, who do you think I am? I'm the Nebula Pioneer, Luna."
Without a doubt, Luna's greatest specialty was magic. Of course, as a summoner, she had such extraordinary talent that she formed a pact with Sylord, the Fairy King's successor.
On top of that, Luna had exceptional close combat skills, to the point that she could hold her own on the front lines when necessary. Even though she couldn't wield aura, her combat ability was first-rate.
Because of that, she was able to detect traces of Aaron in their movements.
"And most importantly, it's because Aaron is a genius idiot."
Eiran looked confused. "A genius idiot?"
Luna pouted. "He's terrible at teaching. He just assumes everything is obvious and explains nothing."
"Ah…"
"That… makes sense."
Eiran and Chen Xia both recalled Aaron's bright smile as he had said, "See? Simple, right?"
"That's why he teaches purely through combat. You naturally pick up his movements that way."
"That's true."
"It was exhausting, but I could tell he was adjusting himself to match us."
At Luna's words, Chen Xia and Eiran nodded.
Hearing that, Luna smiled bitterly. "And that's all thanks to this big sister's sacrifice."
"Huh?"
"What do you mean?"
Caught off guard by Luna's sudden remark, Chen Xia and Eiran looked puzzled, but Luna only gazed into the distance.
There was a time when she had agreed to train in close combat with Aaron as if it were a real battle… and back then, Aaron, who had no sense of restraint, had utterly wrecked her.
"Go all out! Don't hold back!"
At Luna's confident challenge, Aaron had hesitated—only to then completely demolish her.
If Lysinas had arrived even a little later, I might have been traumatized.
She recalled how that damned human and dwarf had laughed their heads off behind Lysinas, who had been scolding Aaron about controlling his strength.
Yeah. I should go back and hit them once more.
"Aaron must have been a great help in training those who use aura."
"Yes."
"Then I can't just sit back and do nothing." Luna chuckled. "Which means! I, Lady Luna, will teach you magic!"
"That's such an honor!" Eiran beamed with joy.
"But Lady Luna, I'm a knight."
"Yes, but you can use summoning magic, right?" Luna smiled slyly. "I'm a skilled summoner too. Unlike that idiot, I can give proper, structured guidance! So, what kind of spirit beast do you handle?"
"Ah, my specialty is water elementals," Chen Xia replied brightly.
No matter what it was, she was thrilled at the idea of learning from a Great Hero like Luna. Also, to be taught summoning magic by an elf—the race most proficient in it—was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.
Luna was known primarily for her magic, but her abilities as a summoner were just as legendary.
Hearing Chen Xia's response, Luna stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Hmm. Starting today, you should switch from elemental summoner to spirit beast summoner."
"Huh?" Chen Xia was startled. She had contracts with a few low-rank spirit beasts, but she had always thought her talent leaned more toward elemental summoning.
Having her specialization suddenly changed like this caught her completely off guard.
"You have more talent as a spirit beast summoner than an elemental summoner."
"R-Really?"
"Yep. You had no idea, did you? Don't worry, this big sister will…"
"Are you seriously scamming people again?" Leo appeared, frowning. "You just can't teach elemental summoning, so now you're trying to convert an elemental summoner into a spirit beast summoner?"
"Tch!" Luna clicked her tongue.
Her reaction made Chen Xia look even more confused. "Lady Luna, can't you use elemental summoning?" she asked.
"Nope. I have no affinity with elementals."
"Most elves who use summoning magic are also skilled in elemental summoning… That's unexpected," Chen Xia gasped, genuinely surprised.
Leo smirked. "It's because she has such a nature-destroying personality that elementals refuse to go near her."
"Who has a nature-destroying personality?! Who?!"
Luna grabbed Leo by the collar and shook him violently.
Ignoring her, Leo asked, "So? You want to teach them magic?"
Luna nodded and crossed her arms. "Aaron left many things behind while he stayed in the present world. I want to help in my own way too."
Her expression was serious.
"Do you have any students in mind?"
"The one who stood out the most was a girl named Chloe."
Luna thought of Chloe. From the perspective of a veteran mage, Chloe was impressive. And more than that…
"That child has an untapped talent she hasn't realized yet," Luna added.
"An untapped talent?"
"Yep." Luna smiled. "That child gave me an idea."
"An idea, huh."
Leo and Luna had different perspectives when it came to magic. That meant Chloe must have a talent that neither Leo nor even she herself had realized yet.
"On top of that, there's also a girl named Eliana. She's a magic swordsman, right? She doesn't fully understand her own mana attribute."
"I thought Eliana was making good use of her talent."
"Light attribute magic is certainly flashy and powerful. But I think she needs to develop her magic in a different direction."
"In what direction?"
Luna smiled. "Speed."
"I'm already fast enough, though?"
At Luna's suggestion to enhance her speed, Eliana looked puzzled.
"Your light mana attribute is more suited for speed than raw destructive power."
"Hmm?"
"If you refine it well, your instantaneous speed might surpass even Duran's."
"What?!" Eliana's eyes widened.
She knew that Leo wasn't someone who spoke empty words.
Her eyes sparkled and she exhaled through her nose, "Eliana, the Flash Blade!"
Chen Xia murmured, "Eliana, you really are simple."
"Huh? I think it's youthful and cute, though?" Luna chuckled.
Leo taught Eliana a spell formula that Luna had designed.
Luna is different from Aaron.
Magic was a field of study and research. It was an academic pursuit that required a complete understanding of what one used. In that sense, Luna's genius extended beyond her own strength—she was also exceptional at teaching others. Moreover, she had a remarkable ability to discern others' mana affinities and craft spells tailored for them.
"How did you even come up with this?" Chloe exclaimed, admiring Luna's spell.
Leo called out, "Chloe."
"Yeah?"
"Luna wants to talk to you."
At those words, Chloe blinked in surprise and turned to Luna.
Luna waved at her.
I wanted to have a discussion about magic with her anyway, so this is perfect.
Chloe's eyes gleamed with excitement as she approached Luna.
Leo silently observed the scene.
"Lady Luna looks happy."
Watching Luna, Leo muttered to himself, "Of course. Discussing magic so passionately is one of the things Luna enjoys the most."
"Sir Leo?"
…What exactly is Luna's lingering regret?
Leo lowered his gaze to his hands as he watched Luna laughing happily while conversing with Chloe.
Luna wasn't staying in this world through divine power, she remained through the mana left in Cometes.
The amount of Luna's mana stored in Cometes was not small. Moreover, the mana used to manifest her presence was minuscule.
Just the fact that she can maintain a physical form as a spirit is incredible.
Luna's very existence would likely advance the magic of this era.
However…
Is it truly right to keep Luna in this world?
Leo's eyes darkened.
Spirits were echoes of powerful souls bound by lingering regrets, materialized through a spirit summoner's spiritual energy, but it was by no means a natural state.
5000 years ago, Lysinas had not bound spirits to the world, she had allowed them to pass on.
The echoes left in a spirit gradually fade over time. In the end, it's their lingering regret that keeps them here. As time passes, old spirits' regrets turn into obsession. And eventually, they forget themselves.
Lysinas had smiled bitterly.
"Spirits have strong egos—after all, they're the ones who stayed behind because they couldn't let go of the world. That's why they have a strong sense of self-love. Losing themselves is the most miserable fate for them. That's why spirit summoners honor spirits and soothe their souls. Because spirits can never truly be happy."
Recalling Lysinas's words, Leo opened his eyes.
At that moment, his gaze met Luna's. Luna smiled brightly at him, looking as if she was genuinely enjoying herself.
Seeing that smile, Leo smiled back.
For now, being together is enough to make Luna happy.