Alia watched Leo from afar as he spoke.
‘You look like your brother.’
Although their personalities and atmospheres were different, the feeling they gave off was very similar.
“Isn’t that a little strange?”
The boy holding the spear, Tayard, narrowed his eyes.
“What?”
“You said you were a rescue team? But there are only two of you?”
“It’s definitely strange.”
“Could this be a trap from Tartarus?”
Party members Dina, the swordsman, and Louis, the summoner, also agreed with Tayard’s words.
But the knights and Bellack shook their heads.
“If they were enemies, they wouldn’t have joined forces with us to fight the demons.”
“That’s right. Those people are not enemies.”
As Alia spoke confidently, Tayard asked in a dull voice.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Doesn’t it feel very familiar? And…”
“Furthermore?”
“It’s kind of cool.”
Tayard looked embarrassed as he saw Alia blushing slightly.
“Are you serious? Hey! Hey! Alia! Get a grip! You haven’t even glanced at a guy since you entered school!”
“I don’t think so. Is there anyone among our classmates who would be a good match for Alia? And she’s Alby’s younger sister, so she probably has high standards.”
“Hey, but what’s so cool about someone like that?!”
“It’s definitely cool, isn’t it?”
“Dina? You too!”
Tayard grabbed his head in frustration.
While they were bickering, Leo, who had finished talking to Chloe, approached them.
“It’s noisy.”
“Oops! Sorry! I got unnecessarily excited during an emergency!”
“I’m not saying anything. I just think that any class or freshman group is noisy.”
“Which year? Are you a student at our school?”
It was Chloe who answered Ilya’s question with sparkling eyes.
“Yes. Not right now.”
“Ah!”
Ilya was confused, thinking the two were seniors who had dropped out.
“I’m sorry! I spoke nonsense…”
“It’s okay.”
“Let me explain the current situation first.”
“Do I need to explain this? Demons have appeared in this forest right now.”
Tayard replied curtly to Leo’s words.
“If it were just a simple demon appearance, there would be no need for an explanation. But right now, there’s a demon in this forest that you cannot handle.”
“How strong must a demon be for you to make such a fuss?”
“It’s level 3.”
“What?!”
“A level 3 demon?!”
“That’s not something first-years can handle!”
Dina asked urgently.
“What about the other kids? Are the other parties okay besides ours?”
“They’re safe. They just need to get out of this forest. So from now on, I want you to follow my instructions.”
Tayard asked as Dina let out a sigh of relief.
“Do you have the power to defeat a level 3 demon?”
A level 3 demon.
It was a high-level threat capable of annihilating an entire regiment.
“I can’t guarantee that I can defeat a level 3 demon by myself.”
“Then why should we follow your instructions?”
“Of course.”
Leo smiled leisurely.
“What’s the reason?”
“Because I have the ability to get all of you out safely.”
“What kind of baseless confidence is that…”
“Okay, I understand. I’ll follow your instructions.”
“Hey, Alia!”
Tayard looked puzzled.
“You saw him fight earlier. And you probably have a much better understanding of the situation than we do.”
Alia persuaded the party members.
“A level 3 demon is definitely beyond our current abilities. So, as the party leader, I think it’s better to follow the experienced rescue team rather than moving around recklessly.”
The party members looked at each other and nodded at Alia’s reasoning.
“If Alia says so.”
“We listened to you until now, and nothing bad happened.”
“Haa! Really!”
Tayard glared at Leo, scratching his head.
“But know this—I will never follow your orders if they seem even a little unreasonable!”
“Don’t worry. I’ll live up to your expectations.”
“Find an example of a hero dungeon conversion in the Hero Records!”
At the Tower of Heroes, which oversaw the administrative operations of Lumerun Academy, professors and teaching assistants were busy moving about.
It was already a sensitive time due to the appearance of demons during the Summoning practical exam.
And now, an unprecedented event—the conversion of a Hero Record into a Hero Dungeon—had forced Lumerun into emergency mode.
Meanwhile, in the principal’s office on the top floor of the Tower of Heroes, Kallian pressed his temples as if he had a headache.
A Hero Record was spread out before him.
“I suppose the fact that we still can’t enter should be seen as a positive sign?”
“Yes.”
Alby answered, looking down at his active Hero Record.
If someone had already entered the Hero Dungeon, additional entries were impossible.
That meant Leo and Chloe were still alive.
“It’s already been three hours since the two students entered the Hero Dungeon. It must be nighttime in the Hero World by now. Alby, when was the last time you defeated Chubarn 30 years ago?”
“Around midnight.”
“So that means we have no choice but to leave everything to the past?”
Kallian let out a deep sigh.
At that moment, Kallian’s secretary, Elena, entered the principal’s office.
“Principal, I found the person who sold the Demon Summoning Catalyst to Student Rio.”
“Who is it?”
Alby’s eyes sparkled.
Elena’s face turned pale as she came to report.
A bloodshot eye appeared in Alby’s left eye, and a strange magical circle manifested in his pupil.
It was fairy magic.
Thirty years ago, Alby had lost his younger brother to demons. He harbored a stronger hatred for Tartarus than anyone else.
“Really, Alby.”
At Kallian’s words, Alby’s pupils returned to normal.
“I’ll go cool my head and come back.”
With those words, he left the principal’s office.
“Alby is a dangerous man, no matter how you look at him.”
“Alby became a hero through hatred.”
Thirty years ago, when his younger brother vanished without a trace, Alby dropped out of Lumerun that very day and devoted himself to hunting demons. Eventually, he became a hero recognized by the gods.
However, his method of eradicating everything related to Tartarus caused collateral damage. Because of this, Alby was feared rather than praised by the public.
“I still can’t believe that Professor Alby accepted the professorship.”
“But Alby tends to listen to me.”
Kallian’s expression changed as he smiled bitterly.
“Yes, but who is this merchant?”
Elena hesitated before revealing a shocking discovery.
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“This is a merchant who settled in the back streets of Lumeria City this year. He is not well known among the upperclassmen, but he seems to be quite famous among the first-years. Several of the first-years bought items from this merchant. Among them was a catalyst for summoning demons.”
“Are you saying that a spy from Tartarus has infiltrated Lumeria City?”
“I looked into it and found that he wasn’t related to Tartarus. However, it is clear that Tartarus dropped a few items in that direction.”
“…I don’t understand. Why did they do that?”
“I don’t know the reason. This is the trade register of the long-haired man.”
Kallian took the list and turned the pages.
Flap! Flap!
Kallian’s hand, which was turning the list, stopped.
‘Chloe Muller: The Black Book.’
Kallian, who was staring at the item, said,
“Miss Elena. Call Professor Sedzen and Professor Ren to the principal’s office right now. I have something to ask them about Chloe.”
“Have you figured out anything?”
“No. I just have a feeling.”
“A feeling? Are you saying you’re going to move based on a feeling?”
Kallian smiled broadly as he looked at Elena, who was flustered.
“Miss Elena, I am old. My reputation as a swordsman is now nothing more than the hollow glory of the past. But you know…”
The old swordsman’s eyes flashed.
“I am proud to say that the feeling of having crossed countless death lines is still there.”
The sun had completely set, and darkness had fallen.
The group that had just finished fighting was all breathing heavily.
“Let’s take a break.”
At Leo’s words, groans erupted here and there.
‘Everyone is almost at their physical limit. Has it been about three hours since they entered the world of heroes?’
Considering that the clear time of other groups before this was around an hour, it had taken three times as long.
But there was nothing I could do.
While the other groups met the clear conditions simply by rescuing the party in danger, Leo and Chloe were different.
Chloe expected Alia’s party’s [safety guarantee] condition to mean being completely free from the threat of Chubarn.
So she was getting out of the forest by the shortest route.
Unlike when Leo and Chloe used their mobility to avoid combat, now they had no choice but to engage in frequent battles.
‘Still, we’re almost there.’
Leo, who was sighing, felt his head start to throb, and his vision became blurry.
‘Damn, have I been using my ESP for too long?’
Extrasensory perception, which maximizes the senses, is a technique that allows the brain to process twice as much surrounding information as usual.
As such, mental fatigue was bound to accumulate quickly.
‘Let’s hold on a little longer.’
Leo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Alia Patti stuck out her tongue at the sight.
“How come you don’t look tired at all?”
“I guess his skills are quite impressive.”
“Pfft! Did Teyard ask someone like that, ‘Is there a reason I should follow orders?’ I’m so embarrassed I can’t even show my face!”
“Be quiet!”
When the party members made fun of him, Teyard shouted with a red face.
Meanwhile, Chloe, sitting under a tree, took out a black grimoire from her bosom and looked down at it.
Then Alia approached.
“Chloe, would you like to talk?”
“What are we talking about?”
“It’s about Leo.”
Alia smiled and sat down next to Chloe.
“What is Chloe’s relationship with Leo?”
“What relationship?”
“Are you possibly lovers?”
“No way?!”
Chloe shook her head hastily, looking flustered.
“Looking at that reaction, it definitely doesn’t seem like it!”
Chloe burst out laughing.
‘Even seniors who entered school 30 years ago are still freshmen.’
It felt like she was talking to girls in her class.
Most of the girls in the class were interested in romantic relationships.
“Why do you ask that? Are you interested in Leo?”
“Yes, I am. My heart races when I see him.”
“I guess it was love at first sight.”
Chloe burst into laughter, thinking that even a top student from 30 years ago would be helpless.
“I don’t know if I’m in love. I’m just excited. That excited feeling is very similar to someone else’s.”
“Who is it?”
“My older brother.”
“If it’s you, Albi Jerone?”
“Yes. Of course, if you compare Leo and my brother, Leo is much cooler. My brother is a bit clumsy and makes mistakes in everything he does.”
For a moment, Chloe doubted her ears.
‘He’s clumsy and makes so many mistakes? Who? The magician of the dark side?’
It was an adjective that didn’t fit the wizard of the eye, the only hero the public feared.
“But he’s like a hero from a fairy tale. He’s someone who challenges something that seems impossible without hesitation and eventually achieves it. That’s why I admire him.”
“To challenge the impossible without hesitation… You definitely resemble Leo.”
Chloe’s eyes sank.
“Leo is amazing. He always leads people well. He has good grades and can do things that seem impossible. He is a perfect person. It’s just like Alia said. Leo is a hero.”
Chloe burst out laughing.
“What is your relationship with Leo? At first, I thought of him as a friend and rival. But now…”
“Now?”
“I’m jealous.”
LUNA-CAVE
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