Chapter 444

“Amazing. Truly amazing.”

Arion clutched the volume, his face radiating pure wonder.

“This narrative is incredibly captivating.”

Observing Arion, whose gaze practically sparkled as he spoke, Leo leaned his cheek against his knuckles.

“That is a chronicle of history.”

The material Arion was currently immersed in was none other than an official record detailing the exploits of legendary figures.

Granted, it was undeniably true that a significant portion of these heroic achievements had taken on a legendary, almost mythical quality in contemporary times.

Nevertheless, given that the work had been compiled by highly respected academics, the volume in Arion’s hands essentially served as an educational textbook regarding the past champions of this world.

‘To be fair, when I opened it for the first time, I also mistook it for a piece of fiction rather than a historical account.’

“The beastkin featured in these pages are absolutely my favorite.”

“Hey now.”

Leo shifted his gaze, eyeing Arion with a slight squint as the youth grinned brightly.

It was precisely at this moment—while Arion and Leo were engrossed in a text that essentially cataloged their own past lives—that Chelsea found herself sinking deep into her own reflections.

‘Reflecting on everything, there have been far too many anomalies surrounding Brother Leo.’

Right from the initial entrance examination, Leo had been impossible to ignore.

During their very first encounter, he had effortlessly subdued Chelsea without even relying on Aura.

That was hardly the end of it.

He had soloed a creature that Celia and Abbad had barely managed to overcome even by pooling their entire strength together.

Naturally, it wasn’t as if he was incapable of utilizing Aura back then, which somehow allowed him to beat the creature.

‘Even in those early days, his sheer martial prowess was on a completely different level compared to anyone else our age.’

Chelsea had been deeply moved by watching Leo engage in combat, as the display mirrored the grand exploits of a legendary figure from an ancient tale.

‘Even after classes officially commenced, Brother Leo remained the absolute focal point of everyone’s attention.’

The grandest sensation, naturally, was his unprecedented status as an “All-Class” user.

‘An All-Class individual, matching Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings.’

The existence of an All-Class, which society had deemed a mere myth, was personified and proven by Leo.

Furthermore, he didn’t just casually wield all three distinct disciplines; he demonstrated breathtaking mastery across every single category.

Leo operated with the precision of a veteran knight, commanded magic like an overwhelming sorcerer, and manifested entities like an extraordinary summoner.

Had his brilliance been confined solely to the Knight Department, it could perhaps be rationalized.

After all, Leo’s maternal lineage traced back to the Zerdingers, and his mother, Reina, had been a legendary figure in the martial world during her own youth.

Yet, the proficiency he displayed in both sorcery and the summoning arts was so profoundly refined that it hinted at decades of seasoned expertise.

‘He had completely bypassed the boundaries of mere natural gift even at that point.’

Fast forward to the present, a full year since his matriculation.

He had amassed a level of raw might that could not even be compared to the rest of his peers.

‘Up until this very moment, I simply viewed him as a phenomenal individual, someone destined to stand alongside the great champions.’

Shaking herself free from her internal monologue, Chelsea shifted her gaze toward Leo and Arion, crossing her arms over her chest.

‘The more I analyze the situation, the more things simply fail to add up.’

As skepticism began to take root, details she had previously accepted without a second thought began to lock together like links in a chain.

‘Brother Leo possessed a bizarrely flawless record when it came to overcoming the trials within the worlds of the great heroes. On top of that, wasn’t it Brother Leo himself who initially brought to light the historical reality that Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings, actually walked this earth?’

Chelsea fixed an unblinking glare onto Leo’s features.

‘Even before that revelation came to light, Brother Leo harbored an intense fascination with Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings. He went so far as to center his entire club curriculum around investigating Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings, didn’t he?’

Back then, she had rationalized it under the assumption that as a fellow All-Class, it was only natural for him to study Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings, who stood as the sole All-Class figure preserved in the annals of time.

But re-evaluating it under a new lens, it felt entirely unnatural.

‘Brother Leo is undoubtedly concealing some profound connection tied to Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings.’

Chelsea’s mind raced as she spun various theories.

‘A bloodline descendant, or… no, not just a chosen successor. Is it possible that… he is Kyle in the flesh?’

Chelsea’s pupils dilated instantly as her train of thought arrived at that staggering conclusion.

If such a premise were true, every single anomaly she had previously puzzled over aligned perfectly.

‘There is no way, could it truly be?!’

Right as Chelsea was reeling from her own revelation.

“Chelsea, it’s time to head out.”

“Right, of course!”

Startled by Arion’s voice, who had silently closed the distance behind her, Chelsea leaped up from her chair and blurted out an answer far too loudly.

The sudden outburst instantly drew the collective, irritated glares of everyone present in the quiet library.

Arion offered a polite bow of his head to convey his regrets, and Chelsea likewise began frantically bowing and offering apologetic gestures to the surrounding readers.

“What has gotten into you to make you react so out of character?”

As Leo strolled over to query her, Chelsea offered a strained, hesitant grin.

“Oh, it’s absolutely nothing.”

She then kept her eyes glued to Leo’s shoulder blades as he took the lead and walked onward.

Arion merely tilted his head to the side, observing Chelsea’s strange demeanor with confusion.

Later that evening, after completing their sightseeing tour.

Leo unpacked his belongings at his designated lodging within Delan.

Gathered inside that very establishment were the specific scholars and peers who had already been made privy to Arion’s true identity.

To put it precisely, the group of students who had formerly cleared Dweno’s world had convened in one place.

“What exactly brings you to this place instead of returning to your family estate?”

Lunia directed the question toward Leo, her expression tinged with mild curiosity.

Given that the ancestral home of the Flov family was situated right here in Delan, Lunia had naturally assumed Leo would choose to lodge there.

Leo provided an explanation to Lunia’s inquiry.

“Our official training camp schedule is technically still in effect. Furthermore, if I were to show up at home, my mother would inevitably cause an immense scene.”

“I suppose even someone like you turns into an ordinary, helpless child when dealing with your parents, doesn’t it?”

Lunia let out a gentle, soft chuckle.

“Changing topics, where exactly did Arion-nim and that dimwitted feline vanish to?”

An entire modest lodging house had been reserved exclusively for Arion’s accommodation.

Under such arrangements, Lunia found it strange that neither Arion nor Ar were anywhere to be seen.

“The two of them departed for the bathing quarters together.”

Driana supplied the answer, thoroughly occupied with consuming a massive portion of frosted cake.

“T-together, inside the bathing area?!”

Eiran’s posture stiffened instantly as a faint crimson flush crept onto her cheeks.

“What exactly is running through your mind? They simply required an enclosed space containing an abundance of water to practice his howling techniques.”

“O-of course! That is precisely what I assumed they were doing, standard howling practice!”

Eiran stammered out her response in a rush the moment Driana directed a sharp, judgmental squint toward her.

Driana looked thoroughly unimpressed as she monitored Eiran’s flustered state.

“Eiran. Do you genuinely filter every single occurrence through such an inappropriate lens?”

“I-inappropriate? I have absolutely never harbored a single scandalous thought in my life!”

“If your brain is truly that crowded with improper imagery, then why on earth do you constantly object to serving as a figure model?!”

“I already told you that such a thought never even crossed my mind!”

Overcome with frustration, Eiran lunged forward and grabbed Driana by the collar, her expression on the verge of tears as she began to shake her back and forth with immense force.

Witnessing Driana being subjected to such a turbulent rattling, Karl decided to chime in.

“Do not let it get to you, Eiran. It is a completely natural phase that everyone experiences during their adolescent years… cough!”

“I said I am not going through any such phase!”

With tears practically spilling over and her eyelids clamped tightly shut out of sheer embarrassment, Eiran redirected her grip to Karl’s collar and began vibrating him with even greater intensity.

“H-help me… cough! Gah!”

Karl thrashed about in a desperate bid for oxygen, but the thoroughly panicked Eiran was far too overwhelmed to pay his suffering any mind.

Observing the chaotic spectacle unfold, Driana casually commented.

“Karl possesses a strange streak of fearlessness on certain occasions.”

“Isn’t that primarily because you remain completely unbothered even while being choked out?”

“Well, am I not built exceptionally durable?”

Eiran’s hands appeared delicate and slender, yet the physical power they exerted was remarkably fierce.

Ultimately, upon noticing Karl slumped over listlessly with actual froth pooling at the corner of his lips, Eiran let out a startled shriek.

“Splish, splash, splish, splash—! Puff!”

Ar, who had been practicing his vocalizations beneath the surface of the water, rapidly broke the plane to catch his breath.

Arion observed the feline companion panting heavily and chose to speak.

“Excellent. Your progress is highly commendable. Granted, the specific capability to force other beastkin back into their primal beastforms hasn’t quite triggered yet. Shall we call it a wrap for this evening?”

To an outside observer, the routine might have strongly resembled a form of elaborate water interrogation, yet there was no denying that Ar’s howling resonance was growing substantially more potent under Arion’s specialized tutelage.

Furthermore, with Arion offering constant feedback right beside him, Ar’s technical proficiency was advancing by leaps and bounds.

“Chelsea, your assistance was invaluable as well.”

Chelsea had been consistently manipulating currents of air to ensure the booming reverberations of the howls were muffled and couldn’t drift beyond the walls.

“Oh, please don’t mention it. It is merely my responsibility to help out, is it not?”

Chelsea shook her head dismissively while surreptitiously stealing a glance toward Arion.

Arion offered a warm, pleasant smile as he caught her looking.

“Is there perhaps an inquiry you wish to pose?”

“Oh, it’s nothing at all. I shall take my leave first!”

Embarrassed, Chelsea rapidly shook her head side to side before hastily exiting the bathing chamber.

‘Would it be wiser to directly interrogate Arion-nim or perhaps Brother Leo? No, absolutely not. At the end of the day, this is nothing more than my own wild hypothesis, right? The notion of Brother Leo secretly being Kyle-nim himself is completely far-fetched, after all. Besides, even if my hypothesis managed to be completely accurate, a truth like that is meant to remain buried. Actively behaving as though I am privy to it would only create an uncomfortable rift.’

Arion silently tracked Chelsea’s retreating form as she vanished, clearly plagued by heavy, agonizing deliberations within her own mind.

Taking note of that departure, Ar allowed both his ears and his tail to droop down dejectedly.

“Do you happen to harbor a greater fondness for Chelsea, Arion-nim?”

“Pardon?”

Arion blinked, redirecting his attention back down to Ar.

Ar lowered his gaze slightly, his voice dropping an octave.

“Your demeanor with Chelsea is incredibly soft. I mean, you are obviously gentle with me as well… but it feels as though Arion-nim exerts the absolute most care when dealing with Chelsea.”

His words carried a distinct undertone of envy, for one reason or another.

“Naturally, just having the privilege to cross paths with Arion-nim, converse with you, and obtain direct mentorship regarding my howling is a grand honor beyond anything I could deserve. Even so, I harbored a deep desire to be of greater utility to Arion-nim and earn your approval. I suppose my current capabilities are simply lacking.”

The reality that Chelsea had essentially stepped in to manage and assist Arion’s training session today in his stead had dealt a significant blow to Ar’s pride.

Arion offered a sheepish scratch to his own jaw, watching the feline’s profoundly dejected expression.

“The dynamics between you and Chelsea are fundamentally distinct. To be clear, I view the two of you as my own younger siblings. However, the nature of my bond with Chelsea provides me with an immense sense of solace.”

“Do I fail to provide any solace?”

“When it comes to you, the scale of my anticipation far outweighs any simple yearning for comfort.”

“Eh?”

Ar’s eyes expanded to the size of saucers upon hearing Arion’s declaration.

Arion reached out to gently stroke the top of Ar’s head before continuing.

“Regardless of whether it aligns with your personal preferences or if it was something you actively pursued. Ar, the reality is that you have inherited an immense portion of my legacy.”

A melancholic smile touched Arion’s lips.

“Far more than the legacy I passed down to Berckia. Your inheritance is vastly superior.”

Arion withdrew his hand and dropped down to one knee, bringing his gaze perfectly level with Ar’s.

“My ultimate desire was to keep our youth far away from the horrors of the front lines. I desperately wished for individuals like yourself and Chelsea to experience an existence entirely detached from warfare. In pursuit of that very goal, I forced myself to summon a degree of bravery I never naturally possessed.”

“Arion-nim…”

“Yet, owing to my own personal inadequacies, we failed to permanently extinguish the threat, ultimately passing the lingering embers of catastrophe down to the generations that followed us.”

“Arion-nim could never be considered inadequate!”

Ar’s temper flared instantly, causing him to spring directly to his feet in protest.

Arion let out a soft laugh at the passionate defense.

“I truly appreciate those sentiments. Regardless, the reality remains that the malevolent black flame still lingers within the fabric of this world.”

Arion remarked gently.

“Perhaps that reality is precisely why I tend to push you so rigorously.”

‘He wasn’t even being genuinely strict.’

Ar grumbled silently to himself.

Even so, Ar possessed enough social awareness to read the room.

He flashed a contented, feline grin as the comforting palm resumed petting his head.

He had a distinct feeling that if he spoke out of turn or ruined the moment, Arion might cease the pleasant head pats entirely.

Entirely oblivious to Ar’s internal scheming to maximize his own pampering, Arion pressed on.

“Because a day will come when you must step onto the field of battle to occupy the space I left behind. You must ensure you do not replicate my failings.”

“But my entire goal is to replicate Arion-nim?”

Arion gave a firm shake of his head in response to Ar’s declaration.

“Should you turn out to be a faint-hearted individual like myself, you will ultimately devolve into nothing more than an impediment once again.”

“Arion-nim is absolutely not a faint-hearted individual! You are no impediment! You are the legendary savior who preserved the existence of this entire world!”

Faced with those fierce words, Arion merely maintained his soft, silent smile, offering no verbal counterargument.

“My true hope is for you to evolve into a genuine champion, Ar. Furthermore, I sincerely desire for you to forge an era where the children of tomorrow can express joy without a single underlying dread. Because you are the one who inherits my path.”

The weight of the word ‘inherits’ caused Ar’s vision to snap wide open.

Immediately following that, he plummeted his head downward, his entire frame beginning to shudder violently.

“Are you experiencing some sort of physical ailment?”

Arion inquired, his expression rapidly shifting to one of panic, prompting Ar to snap his face back up.

“Nyaaaaaaaack!”

“Whoaaaaaack?!”

“The heir! The chosen heir! The heeeeeeir!”

“Hiiiieek! S-somebody assist me!”

Ar, whose mind had completely short-circuited with ecstatic shock, unleashed a wild caterwaul and launched himself forward, sending Arion shrieking in terror as he scrambled to escape the perimeter of the bath.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!

“An unannounced tremor?”

Deep within the ancestral borders of the Flov clan.

Luke adopted a thoroughly perplexed expression as a localized seismic vibration rippled through the subterranean layers of the mountain range.

Juen redirected his focus back to Luke, voicing his irritation.

“Are you even paying attention to the words coming out of my mouth?”

“I am.”

“Then explain to me! For what earthly reason are they depriving us of our recreational hours?!”

Juen complained bitterly, continuously rotating a skewer of seasoned meat over the crackling embers of an open fire pit.

“The upperclassmen explicitly mentioned that they endured immense hardships during their time, did they not? Perhaps this is merely an extension of that tradition?”

The moment Luke offered his optimistic perspective with a mild smile, Juen twisted his features into a pronounced pout.

“It isn’t as if we aren’t enduring an immense amount of hardship ourselves, you know?”

“Can you honestly voice such an opinion after witnessing the utterly shattered state of the upperclassmen just yesterday?”

Aina, stationed right alongside them, interjected with a piercing retort that cut straight through Juen’s complaints.

Juen snapped back instantly, shooting her a glare.

“I don’t recall asking for your input?”

“Did the two of you not recently resolve your differences?”

Luke intervened with a strained, mediating smile, prompting Aina to offer a brief nod of assent.

“We did.”

“Who exactly resolved differences with whom? Furthermore, we never even engaged in a genuine dispute to begin with, you know?”

While Juen continued to narrow his gaze in irritation, Luke prepared to take a bite from his cooked skewer.

Whizz—!

Without warning, a blur of motion sliced through the air, violently snatching the meal straight out of Luke’s grasp.

Thump-thump—! Putting a deliberate distance between them, the culprit revealed herself to be none other than Lea, the prominent freshman champion representing Seirun. She casually tore a piece of meat from the stolen skewer, chewing deliberately while casting a provocative, sideways glance in Luke’s direction.

Luke simply offered a radiant, unbothered smile toward Lea, speaking gently.

“Miss Lea, would you care for an additional helping?”

Faced with that response, Lea’s elegant eyebrows knitted together in immediate irritation before she let out an arrogant, dismissive “Hmph!” and marched away from the gathering.

“Luke Elda.”

“Yes, Instructor Habiden.”

“What possessed you to offer a smile and extend an invitation for seconds?! She was transparently attempting to instigate a confrontation with you, was she not?! As the primary freshman representative of Rumerun, you cannot afford to maintain such a spineless demeanor!”

“Eek?!”

Luke let out a startled gasp as Habiden leaned forward with dilated, intense eyes and bellowed at him.

Shasha, concealing the lower half of her face behind the elegant slats of a folding fan, narrowed her eyes as she silently evaluated the unfolding dynamics.

“Lunia El Rundia, that second-year hailing from Seirun, was undeniably formidable. It seems the freshman champion of Seirun likewise conducts herself like a common delinquent when instigating trouble with Luke.”

“What exactly drives that particular elf to be so intensely focused on tearing Luke to pieces?”

Right as Betty voiced her own confusion, tilting her head as though the entire situation eluded her understanding.

Grooooooooooan—!

A faint, chilling undercurrent of lethal intent rippled through the atmosphere.

The assembled first-year pupils, who had been actively preparing their evening meal around the crackling bonfires situated before the lodging house, simultaneously snapped their heads up.

“This particular signature belongs to a beast.”

Habiden declared, casually ripping a piece of meat off his own skewer.

“It appears to be an unannounced training scenario orchestrated by the camp administration.”

“And here I was thinking the evening was unfolding far too harmoniously.”

Juen let out a mocking sneer.

The student cohorts representing the alternative academies exhibited remarkably identical reactions.

Despite their status as mere first-years, they were ultimately elite candidates tracking the path of future champions.

They possessed an immense amount of familiarity with these types of sudden, unscripted trials.

“Excellent. In that case, shall we engage in a minor physical exercise to help settle our evening meal?”

Shasha flashed a delightfully sweet grin.

Perched upon the highest crest of the mountains within the Flov territory.

Melina’s eyelids, which had been peacefully sealed shut, suddenly twitched and snapped open.

Melina’s facial features hardened perceptibly as she registered the abrupt shift in the environment.

“…A creature?”