Alert!: this chapter has been translated by Mangademon / demonicscans.org, this is a premium translation, not mtl
The border kingdom. The capital of Delard, Delan.
"Everyone! This is truly the age of heroes!"
'That story again?'
Leo, who had turned fifteen this year, sighed deeply as if bored.
"Five thousand years since the Hero Record appeared in the world! During that time, the mortal realm has undergone great changes. At the center of it all were those called heroes!"
Jayden, the hero studies teacher at Delan Royal School, raised his voice.
"Does anyone know the definition of a hero?"
The students raised their hands.
Professor Jayden pointed to a student.
"Gulliver, please answer."
"A hero is someone who has their name recorded in the Hero Record. Only those who accomplish feats recognized by the gods are allowed to leave their records."
"Correct! As expected of you, Gulliver."
Gulliver sat down with a proud look on his face.
"Next... Leo?"
Even though he hadn’t raised his hand, Leo stood up when his name was called.
"Do you remember last time’s homework? What rituals were required 5000 years ago to be called a hero?"
"If you just made a name for yourself, people would worship you on their own."
"You’ve slacked off on your homework again!"
Professor Jayden frowned.
"Our Delan Royal School is the most prestigious institution in our country! Haven't I repeatedly told you to maintain standards befitting its reputation? Moreover, our school has been selected as one of the venues for the Lumerne entrance exam this year!"
Professor Jayden raised his eyebrows.
"Many talented people will visit our school! As students of Delan, you should set an example, but instead, you behave like this!"
With a disapproving look, he turned to Gulliver again.
"Gulliver, can you answer this question?"
"In ancient times, there was no way to gain the gods’ recognition! So they selected heroes through sacred rituals! One example is the Blood Ritual!"
"Yes, that’s absolutely correct!"
Leo made an uninterested face.
'Back then, it was so easy to meet gods. How could there be no way to get recognition?'
Five thousand years ago was a time when gods freely descended to the mortal realm.
'And sacred rituals? Did those even exist?'
Clicking his tongue, Leo looked at his textbook.
'Hero Record.'
Its origins trace back to the Great Catastrophe 5000 years ago.
The primordial evil, Erebus, which nearly destroyed the world.
The five heroes who stood against Erebus.
[Luna, Founder of the Constellations], an elf.
[Dveno, God’s Blacksmith], a dwarf.
[Aron, the Hero].
[Risinas, the King of Wisdom].
And finally, [Kyle, Hero of Beginnings].
The gods’ gift to the mortal realm, created to praise them forever.
'But why am I the only one treated like I don’t exist?'
The records of his comrades still remained as proof that they existed and saved the world.
But Kyle’s record couldn’t be found!
How unfair was this?
While Leo was lamenting his fate.
Ding-ding-
The bell signaling the end of class rang.
Professor Jayden closed his textbook and said.
"In a week, preparations for the Lumerne entrance exams will be complete. By then, talented people from around the world will come to our school."
He scanned the students as he spoke.
"Engage with them and aim higher. That’s all."
When class ended, Leo headed straight home.
The Plov Family.
A fairly historic marquis family in the Kingdom of Delard.
"Young master, the lady is waiting for you at the training ground."
"Ugh? Again?"
Leo frowned.
"I’m not going."
"The lady said if you skip swordsmanship lessons one more time, she’ll cut off your allowance..."
"Ha! Seriously."
At the attendant's words, Leo let out a deep sigh.
He changed out of his school uniform and headed to the training ground.
It was originally the time when knights should have been training hard, sweating.
But the person in the training ground was a beautiful woman.
Reyna Plov.
She was the mistress of the family.
"Mother, I’m back from school."
"Welcome home, son. But son, why do you always address me so formally, calling me ‘Mother, Mother’?"
Reyna squinted her red eyes, identical to her son’s.
"Other children from noble families call their mothers 'Mom' without issue. This mother feels distant from her son and it makes her sad."
Leo, holding a wooden sword, stepped onto the training ground and said.
"I’m trying to keep some distance on purpose."
"Oh? Why? Is it because of adolescence?"
Reyna’s face filled with sorrow.
Fwoosh-!
At the same time, her body surged toward her son at an incredible speed.
Thwack-!
"Because of this."
A mother swinging a wooden sword at her own son out of nowhere!
What son wouldn’t want to keep some distance?
Hearing her son’s words, Reyna smirked.
"You don’t understand your mother’s feelings… Looks like I’ll have to go a bit harder today."
Reyna’s wooden sword moved swiftly.
Leo responded to Reyna’s unpredictable swordsmanship.
The knights exclaimed in admiration.
"As expected of the lady! Her skills are worthy of the Zerdinger hero family!"
"But the young master is amazing as well!"
Usually, noble children’s swordsmanship lessons are handled by the family knights.
However, in the Plov family, the lady herself took charge.
No one had any complaints about that.
The great nation bordering the Kingdom of Delard.
The Zerdinger hero family resides in the Rodren Empire.
Reyna was none other than a member of the Zerdinger family.
Clang-! Clatter-! Thwack-!
Seeing her son block the attack, Reyna’s eyes sparkled.
‘As expected, Leo is a genius.’
Although retired, Reyna was once an exceptional knight.
Even though she wasn’t using aura and wore bracelets enchanted with weight magic.
It was still a sparring match on a different level.
That’s how vast the skill difference was.
Yet Leo was responding to Reyna’s swordsmanship.
‘He quickly picks up my techniques during every spar.’
As a parent, she couldn’t help but feel proud of her son’s daily growth.
Thus, the exchange continued for ten minutes.
Reyna became immersed in the sparring.
Seeing Leo instinctively read her sword path and respond, she reflexively twisted her wrist.
‘Oops!’
Reyna panicked.
She had unconsciously used an unconventional move!
It was a technique too difficult for her son to handle.
Reyna hurriedly tried to pull back her sword.
‘Too late….’
Clang-!
"!"
Reyna’s eyes widened.
Leo deflected the sword aiming at his neck and quickly closed in on Reyna.
The tip of Leo’s wooden sword pointed at Reyna’s neck.
Reyna looked bewildered.
Leo retrieved his sword and sighed.
"Isn’t this too much for your son?"
"For someone saying that, you handled it brilliantly."
She spoke with a smile, but Reyna felt chills run through her body.
‘This child… has surpassed what I can handle.’
The unconventional move earlier would have been deadly even for a seasoned knight if it had been with real swords.
It wasn’t something that could be handled with talent alone.
Yet Leo handled it well.
Of course, she pulled back the sword midway.
But still, it was impressive.
‘Ugh, maybe I should’ve just let it hit me?’
Seeing his mother’s sparkling eyes, Leo sighed.
Leo wasn’t just an ordinary fifteen-year-old.
He was the great hero who saved the world in his previous life.
Dealing with an unconventional move wasn’t difficult for him.
Reyna asked as she watched Leo scratch his head.
"Leo, are you still set on going to Lumerne?"
"Yes."
Lumerne Academy.
One of the four hero academies in the world.
And the place where the ‘Hero Record’ was kept.
‘I need to find out what happened after I died.’
Kyle died after using all his strength to subdue Erebus.
But Erebus was an immortal being.
The subjugation succeeded, but complete destruction failed.
Moreover, Erebus’s army, Tartarus, still remained.
Five thousand years had passed since then.
In that vast expanse of time, the stories from back then had only remained as legends. What happened after Kyle’s death was not properly recorded.
By accessing the Hero Record, he might learn what happened after that.
That was why Leo wanted to enter the world’s most prestigious academy, Lumerne.
"I see."
Reyna smiled.
"Alright, I’ll do my best. Leave it to your mom."
"For what?"
"The Zerdinger family members are visiting Delan tomorrow. They’ll be staying at our estate."
"From my maternal family?"
The Zerdinger hero family was Leo’s maternal family.
But he had never contacted them.
Because Reyna had severed ties with her family when she married into the Plov family.
‘Still, it seems true that they didn’t part on bad terms.’
Normally, having a hero family as maternal relatives would excite anyone.
But Leo wasn’t interested in any hero family.
‘There’s no one greater than me in this world.’
"Yes, your uncle Gis Zerdinger is leading them. I plan to ask him for a favor."
Reyna spoke seriously.
"I’ll ask them to let you inherit Zerdinger’s aura technique. That way, by next year, you’ll be ready to enter Lumerne."
Reyna taught Leo swordsmanship, but not the aura technique.
Because the aura technique Reyna knew couldn’t be taught to anyone without the family’s permission.
Learning the aura technique of a hero family!
It was every aspiring knight’s dream!
But Leo was indifferent.
‘I can finally learn the aura technique.’
Wanting her son to learn a higher-level aura technique, Reyna had postponed teaching him.
Of course, Leo could’ve learned the aura technique long ago.
But he had decided to follow his mother’s lessons first.
It was frustrating, but he still enjoyed training together like this.
But now that Reyna had decided, the frustration would end today.
Leo didn’t particularly care whether it was Zerdinger’s technique or not.
As long as he learned an aura technique, everything would be fine.
‘Mother seems to be planning for next year.’
Leo smirked.
‘I’m planning to enroll this year, though.’
End Of Chapter
