"Good morning."
"Morning, Leo!"
"Did you have a good weekend?"
On the morning after the weekend, Leo’s classmates greeted him as he entered the classroom.
"Leo, I heard you met the student council president over the weekend!"
As Leo was sitting down, Tade from the same class approached him excitedly.
"First, I noticed you’re close with Celia Zerdinger from Class 1, and now you’ve met the student council president too?"
Iliana, crossing her arms, approached with an astonished expression.
Only Cal and Chelsea knew that Leo was Celia’s cousin.
"You seem very interested in the student council president."
"Of course! He’s the strongest and the top-ranked in Lumerne!"
Tade spoke with excitement.
"He’s got a great family, great skills, great grades, and he’s handsome too. Leo, did he invite you to join the student council?"
Iliana asked curiously.
Leo was a standout talent at Lumerne.
Initially, many questioned why Leo, who wasn’t even the top scorer, became the first-year representative. But now it was different.
As an unprecedented All-Class Prodigy, every professor across the departments wanted him in their field.
Leo shook his head at Iliana’s question.
"He didn’t particularly invite me, and I’m not interested in the student council anyway."
At his response, Tade and Iliana’s eyes sparkled.
"Leo, why don’t you join the Summoning Material Research Club with me?"
Tade eagerly suggested.
"You’re still a bit weak in summoning practicals, right? It would definitely help!"
"Move aside! Did you forget Leo’s an All-Class Prodigy? Leo, join the Magic Swordsman Club with me! You’d be absolutely welcome there!"
Tade and Iliana began arguing.
Both had already provisionally joined their desired clubs before the first-year club activity period officially began.
Watching their bickering, Cal clicked his tongue and stepped in.
"You’re both behind the times. Leo’s already decided on his club activity."
"What? Where?"
"He’s starting his own club."
"He’s making a club?"
"As a first-year?"
Tade and Iliana blinked in surprise.
"What kind of club is he starting?"
Nella, seated farther away, spoke in her characteristic relaxed tone, showing interest.
"A Hero Research Club."
"But isn’t hero research already thoroughly covered in Hero Studies?"
Iliana made a face as if she’d tasted something sour.
"He said he plans to research forgotten heroes. Like Kyle, for instance."
At that, Tade and Iliana exchanged puzzled looks that seemed to say, "Why that?"
But Nella nodded thoughtfully.
"Even if he’s a fictional hero, Kyle is the only All-Class Hero, so I see why it’s intriguing."
Nella nodded in agreement.
‘I need to find my Hero Record page soon.’
Without the discovery of the Hero Record, there was no way to prove his existence.
At that moment, a male student from Class 8, Elig Tuna, entered Class 5.
He approached Leo and asked.
"Hey, Class 5. Who’s your class president?"
"We don’t have one yet, but I’ve been acting as class president for now."
"We haven’t decided yet, so you can just talk to me."
"Oh? What’s the matter?"
Tade, Iliana, and even Chelsea, who had been reading a magic book, turned their attention to him.
"Uh... so who’s the president?"
Elig glanced between the three of them.
The three locked eyes in mid-air.
"Obviously, it’s me. I’ve been assisting Professor Halind all this time."
Tade crossed his arms confidently.
"What are you talking about? I’ve also assisted Professor Halind plenty. And as someone from the renowned Laden family, shouldn’t I be the one to do it?"
Iliana scoffed, puffing out her chest.
"Are you really bringing up family status in front of a Lewallin? How ridiculous. Not that I need family prestige. A class president should be the best representative of the class, right? Who’s the most outstanding in our class?"
Chelsea stood up with a smile.
As the three argued over the presidency, Elig approached Leo instead.
"Leo Plov. Here, take this."
He handed Leo a document.
"What’s this?"
"It’s about today’s Hero Studies class adjustment. After homeroom, everyone’s to gather in the auditorium. Professor Artian decided to conduct a joint class for ten groups."
For required courses like Combat Studies, each homeroom professor was responsible for tailoring the lessons to suit their students’ strengths and traits.
However, Hero Studies had a dedicated professor.
For first-years, the Hero Studies professor was Professor Artian, the Class 8 homeroom professor who had left a strong impression on the first day of school.
"You can hand this to your homeroom professor during morning roll call. I’ll be going now."
Elig left the class.
"Let me see that."
Cal took the document from Leo.
"Oh! So this is about researching the Hero Record pages they recovered."
"Really?"
Nella also looked over the document.
"What kind of hero will it be? Leo, did the student council president tell you anything yesterday?"
At Cal’s question, Leo rested his chin on his hand.
"He mentioned one of the pages was so damaged it couldn’t even recreate the Hero’s World. I think it’s that one."
"Ugh! Deduction-based classes are the hardest!"
Cal clutched his head in frustration.
"I’m the class president!"
"No! It’s me!"
"You’re not making any sense! Let’s settle this with skill! Bring it on, both of you!"
"What, you think we’re scared?"
"I’ll show results within a month!"
Even at that moment, the three were still arguing over who would be class president.
Watching them, Nella wore a troubled expression.
"If Professor Halind comes in now..."
"They’re done for, obviously."
Cal shook his head.
***
"A joint class? Got it."
During morning roll call, Halind took the document from Leo and nodded.
"It seems all the first-year homeroom professors will also attend this joint class alongside Professor Artian."
With an indifferent expression, he casually tossed the document onto the lectern.
"Since this is your first joint class, make sure to perform well."
"Yes, sir."
"If you embarrass yourselves in front of the other classes like these fools here, it won’t end with just this."
All the students turned their attention to the three who were kneeling on their desks, holding up their chairs.
Chelsea, Tade, and Iliana hung their heads in shame.
"Professor, why haven’t we elected a class president yet?"
Cal raised his hand to ask.
Even though a month had passed since the academic schedule began, Class 5 was the only group yet to elect a president.
"I expected you all to decide on your own. It would be inefficient for me to interfere and waste time."
In other classes, combat studies sessions were often spent electing a class president.
In the case of Class 1, it had taken even longer because they had three top scorers.
Halind considered such things a waste of time and left it to the students.
But the students of Class 5 had been waiting for Halind to bring it up.
"If you want me to get involved, I’ll decide as I see fit. Leo, Nella."
Halind called Leo, who was sitting in the farthest corner at the back, and Nella, who was at the very front.
"Leo is the class president, and Nella is the vice president."
"Yes, sir."
"Understood."
"W-wait a minute, Professor! Shouldn’t we hold a vote or something? It feels unfair to decide it this way!"
"I agree!"
Iliana protested, and Tade chimed in.
At their words, Halind showed an indifferent reaction.
"Is there anyone in the class more suitable than Leo Plov to demonstrate leadership as the class president?"
At that, both Iliana and Tade fell silent.
Indeed, there was no one in Class 5 who could match Leo’s leadership as shown in Combat Studies.
"And Nella is the most composed person in our class. I think she’s perfect as vice president to support the president."
Again, there was no rebuttal.
Neither of them was particularly eager for the positions of president or vice president anyway.
Since Halind had made his decision, they had nothing more to say.
"Does anyone object?"
"No, sir."
"Good. Then, everyone, prepare for class and head to the auditorium."
The first-year students began moving en masse.
Outside of departmental classes, students rarely attended combined lessons, so the atmosphere was quite lively.
"Good morning, Leo."
"Leo! Want to have lunch together after class?"
Some female students giggled as they approached Leo.
Since Leo attended all major classes, he was acquainted with quite a few students.
"Wow, Leo! You’re really popular, huh? Well, you do have the looks for it."
Cal nudged Leo’s side playfully.
As a well-known figure at school and someone who could be described as a handsome boy, Leo indeed attracted a lot of attention.
"Got anyone you’re close with that you can introduce to me?"
"You already have plenty of friends among the female students. Why ask me for that?"
"For me, they’re all just customers."
Cal clasped his hands behind his head and grumbled.
"Cal."
"Huh?"
Someone called out to Cal from behind.
Cal turned his head, wearing a strange expression.
"Chloe, you look really tired."
At Cal’s question, Chloe glanced briefly at Leo before shaking her head.
"Not really. Do you have any leftover stamina recovery potions? Sell me all of them."
Cal pulled out stamina recovery potions from his storage space.
Chloe took a few bottles, opened them, and downed them in one go.
"Isn’t it a bit much to push yourself so hard at the beginning of the semester?"
Leo asked, but Chloe shook her head.
"I’m fine."
With that, she walked ahead.
"Wow, she’s tough. To work that hard while already being the top in theory exams."
Currently, Chloe was the undisputed top scorer in the Magic Department’s theory exams.
Second place was Avad, third was Chelsea, and Leo was fourth.
Suddenly, Chelsea jumped into the conversation.
"Chloe must feel pressured."
"Huh? Why?"
"Cal, sometimes I wonder if you even belong in the Magic Department."
"I study just enough not to get expelled!"
Cal gave a confident thumbs-up.
"Anyway, Chloe feels the pressure because if Leo gets accustomed to the latest magic trends, he could catch up to her in theory scores."
Chelsea’s statement was accurate.
Leo was less familiar with the latest trends in magic than any other magician at Lumerne.
And most of the coursework focused on those trends.
However, in terms of magical interpretation skills, no one in Lumerne could match Leo.
"Does being first in theory really matter that much?"
"For a mage from the Magic Tower, it’s a matter of pride, so it’s understandable."
Chelsea shrugged.
Mages from prestigious magical families often focused on combat magic, while those from the Magic Tower emphasized research and discovery.
Unlike Chelsea, a mage from a family of heroic lineage with strong combat magic, mages from the tower often led the development of new spells and discoveries.
Chloe felt threatened by Leo in a field where she believed she couldn’t afford to lose.
"Well, working hard is good, I guess."
Leo scratched his cheek as he watched Chloe walk ahead.
"Overdoing it might lead to trouble."
For someone who had once saved the world as a great hero and now stood at the starting line, this was inevitable.
"I should talk to her someday."
***
"So, Rhis."
In the principal’s office, Rhis was reporting the results of his mission to Kalian.
"Is it true that this Hero Page reacted?"
Kalian carefully lifted a small fragment of the Hero Record Page.
"Yes, sir."
"How interesting. A page this damaged shouldn’t hold any power."
A fragment so small that calling it a page felt absurd wasn’t supposed to have any power at all.
"Did it react again after that?"
"No, sir."
"Hmm... was it a reaction caused by proximity to the Hero Record?"
Kalian set the page fragment back down.
"Anyway, Rhis, good work on the mission."
"Thank you, sir."
After saluting and leaving, Rhis exited the principal’s office. Kalian turned to his secretary, Elena.
"Take this to the Hall of Beginnings auditorium."
"Understood, Principal."
Elena stared at the fragment of the Hero Record Page that Kalian handed her.
"Elena?"
"Ah, yes. I’ll take it right away."
After Elena left the principal’s office, Kalian, now alone, stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Having conquered countless Hero Worlds, he was more familiar with the Hero Record than anyone else.
"Come to think of it, there have been rare instances when fragments this small reacted."
Thinking it was impossible, Kalian shook his head.
"If the person recorded in the Hero Record appears, it would react."
End Of Chapter
