The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 239
Chapter 239
“My fault?”
Leo narrowed his brows.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Fritz adjusted his glasses and squinted.
His purple eyes stared straight at Jane.
“To walk or stray from the path of a hero is a decision of one’s own will. So how is that Leo’s fault?”
Jane turned her head away at Fritz’s cold words.
“There must be a reason for saying that.”
Leo walked ahead, seemingly ignoring Jane’s criticism.
“Anyway, the important thing right now is to bring Chen Xia back to Lumene.”
Jane gritted her teeth and asked, “How?”
It seemed that she agreed Chen Xia should be brought back to Lumene, thinking she was worthy of being a hero.
Leo crossed his arms at Jane’s words.
“We should meet with Chen Xia first.”
“It won’t be easy.”
Jane slumped her shoulders.
“The Xian royal family can’t engage in external activities. They must remain completely behind the palace’s shadow.”
“That’s right. But still, Chen Xia is a Lumene student,” Leo said calmly, walking toward the warp gate.
“If we can’t meet directly, then we should negotiate with the Xian Emperor.”
Jane flinched at those words.
“With His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Yes,” Leo said, patting his chest. “I have a letter from the principal.” Leo grinned.
“I guess he won’t be able to ignore it, right?”
Leo entered the warp gate.
Fritz followed Leo.
Jane, who had been hesitating, soon entered the warp gate along with them.
The sorcerers stationed at the warp gate exchanged strange looks.
A warp gate at this late hour for a mission.
Of course, such cases were not entirely uncommon.
However, they found it odd to see Leo, a second-year student, together with Fritz and Jane, who seemed to be freshmen.
‘He’s already the student council president and going on missions.’
The gate managers looked surprised but opened the warp gate without showing their thoughts.
Whoosh—!
The three disappeared in a flash of bright light.
Leo and his party arrived at the outskirts of Xing, the capital of Xian, through the warp gate.
Leo stopped when he saw the warp gate.
The unique architectural style of the Xian Empire caught his eye.
Leo muttered while admiring the exotic architecture.
“It definitely feels like we’ve come to a different culture.”
At that mutter, Jane, who had disembarked from the warp gate first, adjusted her school uniform and said, “Welcome. This is the capital of Xian, Xing.”
Although she was a little shy, Jane was very polite.
She looked just like Fritz next to Leo.
Leo looked at Jane with a puzzled expression.
“Your attitude is completely different from a moment ago.”
“From now on, I will be guiding Leo Plov, the hero candidate, as a Shadow candidate of Xian, not as a student of Lumene.”
“Whew.”
Fritz narrowed his eyes.
“You were being arrogant until just now, but now you’re talking so very properly.”
“Are you picking a fight?”
Jane looked at Fritz with angry eyes.
Fritz smiled coldly at Jane.
“I’m the one who’s going to escort Leo.”
Leo glanced at Fritz.
Fritz, taller than Leo, bowed his head with an elegant gesture.
“Leo, I’ll make sure you’re comfortable during the mission.”
Leo looked up at the sky and sighed, observing Jane’s shift in attitude upon arriving in Xian and Fritz’s attempt to outdo her.
‘I see why the principal assigned these two to me.’
Just as there were different types of heroes, there were various types of Shadows.
There were three main types:
Reapers, hunters who pursued and eliminated hero killers and traitors.
Guardians, who defended specific areas against Tartaros’ invasions.
And Shades, who assisted and escorted heroes.
The hallmark of a Shade was their willingness to sacrifice their life for a hero.
Reapers and Guardians were often scouted from hero candidates, but Shades were usually trained from birth.
Fritz and Jane were Shades.
Especially, both at Lumene.
Fritz, a Shade of the Zeron Family, and Jane, a Shade of the Xian Empire, had a peculiar sense of rivalry.
‘They are both top-tier in skill among the first-year students. They must be the top two among this year’s Shadow candidates.’
The most renowned Shadows came from the Xian Empire.
However, the Shadows of Lumene, which also housed the Hero Records and trained Hero candidates, were equally impressive.
Skills and backgrounds were important, and competition was inevitable.
‘The problem is that these two are competing as Shadows.’
Leena accepted first-year students to demonstrate the path of heroes to Shadow candidates.
Yet, these two had no interest in being heroes at all.
It didn’t matter whether they were heroes or Shadows.
However, Leo was displeased with their disregard for the value of others’ lives.
“I’ll tell you. Right now, you are not Shadow candidates but Hero candidates.”
Fritz and Jane looked at Leo in response.
“Your relationship with me is also that of senior and junior at school.”
“But Leo, my purpose since I was young has been to become the Shadow of a hero…”
“Do you think I need the protection of kids like you?”
“…!”
“…!”
Fritz and Jane widened their eyes at Leo’s indifferent words.
“Hut! I understand. If it is your command, I will treat you as a senior,” Jane responded coldly.
Fritz placed his hand on his chest, closed his eyes, and shook his shoulders.
Jane sneered at him.
“Why? Was your pride hurt because you were ignored?”
“Leo! No, I fully understand your great intentions!”
“Huh?”
Jane made a dumbfounded sound as she watched Fritz, who looked impressed, while Leo wore a puzzled expression.
“You mean to tell me to work harder because I’m lacking as a Shadow? Okay! I’ll work as hard as I can until the day I’m acknowledged as a Shadow by my seniors!”
“Don’t you feel hurt by those words?!”
When Jane shouted in disbelief, Fritz looked confused.
“Why should my pride be hurt?”
Leo looked dumbfounded as he watched Fritz, who had shed his cool demeanor and responded positively to his words.
‘When did this guy start seeing me as someone to follow?’
He looked at Fritz with bewilderment.
He shook his head and exited the warp gate.
“Where should I go to get to the Palace of Xian?”
“We can’t go today.”
“Why?”
“Xing is divided into four major sections,” Jane explained.
Xing was one of the oldest cities in the world.
As such, the city was enormous.
“The first section, where the palace is located, is off-limits after sunset. This rule applies to all, regardless of status.”
The third section is where the warp gate was.
“Really?”
“Yes. Today, we will stay the night near the warp gate. We must go to the palace early tomorrow morning.”
Leo nodded at Jane’s words.
“Show me around.”
“Yes.”
Jane took the lead and headed toward the nearby inn.
Leo and Fritz followed her.
Leo took in the exotic streets of Xing.
Most of the people wore long-sleeved clothes and had distinctive features.
There were also a few foreigners who had come to trade, but they were not many.
Most people walking the streets glanced at Leo and his group in Lumene uniforms with curiosity.
As the three of them navigated the crowd…
Chuck-!
Suddenly, three people appeared in front of Jane.
Jane flinched and lowered her posture.
Whish-!
Seven more men materialized around Leo.
Fritz, seeing this, raised his right hand and applied pressure.
Thunk-
An eerie sound echoed from his knuckles.
Step-Step-Step-
The apparent leader of the group blocking their way stepped forward.
He then bowed his head respectfully toward Leo.
“Leo Plov. I am the captain of the guard at the Palace of Xian. I have come to escort you by the order of His Majesty the Emperor.”
Jane looked surprised at this revelation.
Leo asked while Fritz remained vigilant, “I thought the school didn’t inform anyone about our visit to Xian?”
The leader bowed his head even lower at Leo’s question.
“Leo, Xian is the Land of Shadows. Shadows exist everywhere.”
Leo narrowed his eyes at the overt admission.
‘You mean you know why I’m here.’
Leo responded with a snicker.
“I suppose we don’t need to wait until tomorrow.”
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – Aine]
[Proofreader – Ash]
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* * *
Choke-!
Blood spurted out.
Step-Step-
A man in pure white swung a long sword.
“You’re all still the same. Xian’s Shadows.”
A man with black hair and black eyes smiled as he navigated the corpses scattered at his feet.
Despite the mound of bodies, not a single drop of blood stained the man’s clothes.
“So persistent, yet it’s always so futile.”
The man shook his head and slightly adjusted his wrist.
Whick-! Swish-!
“Gurgle?”
The sword’s energy extended from its tip, severing the neck of a Shadow lying in wait.
“Do you think that silly method will work? So simple.”
The man with the bitter smile paused.
Clink-
He retrieved something from his coat amidst the blood-soaked ground.
The man extracted a black crystal ball and poured his mana into it.
Rumble-!
A dark space opened in the air.
With it, a huge black eye flashed.
[Xyan?]
“It’s been a while, Giant King.”
Xyan greeted the black eye with courtesy.
[So, what’s going on?]
“I heard something intriguing from the Commander. I’m reaching out to confirm.”
Xyan stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“There’s an old sword that has been passed down through generations of the emperors of Xian.”
Xyan’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“I’ve heard that this sword is connected to the Hero of the Beginning.”
[It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that unwelcome name.]
“A long time, you say? But didn’t you hear? Just a few months ago, the Witch Queen was defeated by the Hero of the Beginning and the Poet of the Stars who descended into the present world?”
[All the messengers who came to deliver that news perished before they could even mention the name.]
Seeing the Giant King’s visible displeasure, Xyan nodded in understanding.
“I see.”
[If that old sword is linked to the Hero of the Beginning, then it’s an artifact. Why are you asking? Didn’t you sever your ties with Xian?]
“I did sever ties. I have no intention of returning.”
Xyan’s smile was calm.
“But an artifact related to the Hero of the Beginning? That is something you desire, isn’t it?”
[A desirable artifact… Yes. So you wish to inherit the power of the Hero of the Beginning?]
“Yes. That’s why I’m calling upon you.”
[You’re insane.]
Disgust flickered in the Giant King’s immense eyes.
[No matter how foolish the gods are, you’ll never make it onto the Hero Record.]
“What does that matter? I only need to become a Great Hero myself.”
Xyan laughed.
“I’ll subdue you all and become a hero recognized by history, so you needn’t worry about that.”
The Giant King ended their communication abruptly, clearly unwilling to endure Xyan’s blatant hostility.
Despite his immense size and cruel power, the Giant King’s personality was more serious and cautious than anyone else’s.
To him, Xyan’s claim of betrayal and his use of Tartaros to become a hero was nothing more than the ranting of a mad dog, unpredictable and dangerous.
But Xyan remained unfazed.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Father.”