The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 242
Chapter 242
“He moved?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting. How reckless.”
The moment Leo left the annex, his movements were reported to Emperor Xiau in real time.
Xiau smirked after receiving the update.
“What should I do?”
Students of the four great Hero Academies were treated as VIPs wherever they went.
Leo wasn’t just any hero cadet, though. He was the student council president of Lumene.
Still, exploring the palace without Xiau’s permission was unacceptable.
It was serious enough that it could even lead to diplomatic issues.
Yet Xiau wasn’t displeased by Leo’s actions.
Moreover, he didn’t think Leo would manage to find Chen Xia.
‘Finding Chen Xia, hiding in the darkness, is difficult even for the most skilled Shadows.’
From birth, the royal family of Xian lived in darkness to become the perfect Shadow.
‘That child dreamed of being a hero, and did not lack talent… But her talent as a Shadow was even greater.’
Xiau was certain.
Soon, his daughter would surpass not only himself, but also the previous emperors of Xian.
He was confident that Xian’s long-held wish would come true.
‘To have her name recorded in the Hero Record.’
That dream existed long before Xian was founded.
He was certain that his daughter would achieve what even his ancestors, active since the Age of Disaster, could not.
‘The feats accomplished by the first Shadow…could be achieved again.’
The reason why the emperors of Xian were obsessed with having their names recorded in the Hero Record as Shadows.
The Shadows whose names were recorded in the Hero Record existed in forgotten history.
The truth behind that history was passed down only to the emperors of Xian.
Among the legacies left by the Great Shadow Bihar was a Hero Record with her name erased.
A record from five thousand years ago, when the first Hero Record was created.
It was forbidden to reveal it, so it remained hidden from the world.
However, the Great Shadow who left that record definitely existed.
That was why the emperors of Xian could not abandon their obsession with the Hero Record.
To his daughter, possessing one of the greatest talents in Xian’s long history.
He had told her, even though he knew it would be painful.
‘You can never be a hero. Do you think the gods would recognize someone who has dipped their feet in darkness as a hero?’
He repeated those words to her over and over again.
In recent times, his daughter had given up on becoming a hero.
Meeting Leo again might cause her to waver.
So he made sure they would never meet.
‘No matter how great he is, he won’t be able to find her. But we can’t let our guard down. Leo Plov has always made the impossible possible.’
With one eye closed, Xiau reflected on Leo’s actions.
People called Leo’s generation the Golden Generation of Lumene.
‘It’s rare to see so many talented individuals in one generation.’
Lumene wasn’t the only place with exceptional talent, though.
‘Seiren, Azonia, and Damienne.’
Xiau’s eyes narrowed.
‘This generation has too many outstanding children.’
If they all became heroes, the current map of the continent could change.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the long-standing balance of power with Tartaros were to collapse.
‘No, the balance of power has already been significantly disrupted.’
The subjugation of the Witch Queen, a world-wide desire for five thousand years, once deemed impossible, had already been achieved.
It was an era where Great Heroes and legion commanders from the past had somehow reemerged.
An era where a new function of the Hero Record had been discovered.
The Age of Disaster ended five thousand years ago.
Just like the disaster that struck three thousand years ago, the world might once again be facing great upheaval.
‘The one standing at the forefront, leading the hero candidates, is Leo Plov.’
They say heroes made the impossible possible, but there were limits even for heroes.
However, Leo didn’t seem to see those limits.
Every time he faced a limit, he effortlessly overcame it.
‘Maybe Leo Plov could find Chen Xia.’
Though, that would be difficult.
‘She gave up the path of a hero and decided to become a Shadow.’
“Make him wander in the darkness until morning.”
“Understood.”
As soon as Xiau gave the order, the captain of the guard vanished into the shadows.
‘You shouldn’t instill unnecessary hope in Chen Xia.’
There was a grim, determined look in Xiau’s eyes.
‘Chen Xia too… She might turn into a traitor.’
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – Aine]
[Proofreader – Ash / Valirius]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
In a room softly lit by the moonlight.
A young girl sat quietly.
The room was filled with storybooks.
Ones all about heroes.
Chen Xia, having loved fairy tales since childhood, read many biographies of heroes.
Whenever she struggled with difficult training, she found strength in those stories.
‘I used to dream of becoming the Shadow that protected those heroes.’
Looking at the bookshelf full of memories, Chen Xia smiled faintly.
That thought soon gave rise to another desire.
She wanted to become a hero herself.
She wanted to save many people and stand before them.
Eight years ago.
The day she first dreamed of this when she was ten years old.
She took the life of another.
It was the day she killed a group of low-level sorcerers who had made a pact with a demonic tribe and were studying dark sorcery.
‘Maybe she had already crossed the point of no return at that time.’
While other children idolized heroes with sparkling eyes…
She took lives as if it were in her nature to.
Until that moment, she hadn’t realized the gravity of her actions.
She took lives at a young age to learn how to kill, but felt no guilt.
Traitors were punished.
That’s what she had learned and how she lived.
It was the day she preserved the world’s peace by killing the evil dark sorcerers.
As she rejoiced, believing herself akin to the heroes in fairy tales, her twin brother spoke up.
His words were a jarring shock to Chen Xia.
“That’s not what a hero should do?”
Her twin, who had shared her life experiences, was now rejecting everything they had learned.
“Heroes don’t kill people like this!”
‘Heroes punish evil in the light of day!’
In the light of day?
“Punishing evil this way is meaningless!”
Meaningless?
“Isn’t this just simple slaughter? There’s no glory in this! People won’t recognize this!”
Simple slaughter?
At ten years old, Chen Xia stared down at her bloodstained hands.
It was only upon returning to the palace that she felt the true weight of taking a life, even if that life belonged to a traitor.
Those who knew her, her family, were unaware of this truth.
Her twin brother’s words echoed in her mind: heroes don’t punish evil like this.
Disillusioned with their role as Shadows, her brother expressed a desire to become a hero to their father.
Xiau, their father, only smiled awkwardly.
Even when her twin brother complained, Chen Xia remained silent.
Perhaps she had already given up on becoming a hero.
She quickly recovered from the shock of her first mission.
Was it due to her strong mentality, honed since childhood?
Or had the weight of her emotions worn her down, numbing her?
Days passed as she continued to walk the bloody path of a Shadow.
A new mission arrived one day.
‘Betrayal?’
‘Yes.’
A new traitor had emerged.
It was her twin, whom she had always considered her counterpart.
The news of Xyan’s betrayal, from someone who had admired and dreamed of being a hero more than anyone, was deeply shocking to Chen Xia.
She knew Xyan resented being a Shadow.
She knew he would forsake everything to become a hero.
But the fact that his means of doing so was through betrayal was utterly shocking to her.
‘Chen Xia.’
Xiau called his daughter with a cold gaze.
‘Kill Xyan and become the emperor of Xian.’
She received the order.
No one knew Xyan’s skills and potential better than Chen Xia.
If he became a traitor, he could evolve into a monster capable of annihilating countless heroes.
Thus, Chen Xia set out to kill her twin.
And…
As the memory surfaced, Chen Xia placed her hand over her chest.
That was two years ago.
‘He must have died.’
A bloody confrontation between blood relatives.
They had barely managed to push each other off the cliff when their strength was depleted.
Upon her return, Xiau promised her the position of emperor and one wish that could be fulfilled as emperor.
At those words, Chen Xia requested.
“I want to be a hero.”
Xiau seemed surprised.
“I want to enter Lumene.”
“You can never be a hero. Do you think the gods will recognize someone who has dipped their feet into darkness as a hero?”
Xiau continued to reject his daughter’s dream.
Was it because he saw Xyan, who had twisted into something unrecognizable in his quest to become a hero?
Xiau offered her a chance.
She would enter Lumene and become the top student in her grade.
The only condition was that she would not use her Shadow powers.
Under this condition, she was allowed to attend Lumene.
A year later, Chen Xia entered Lumene, the school she had always dreamed of.
Everything went smoothly.
She quickly claimed the top spot in the eastern region.
On the day her classmates gathered, she saw other top students from different regions.
Despite their formidable skills, she felt confident.
Then she met Leo.
A boy with white hair who was her complete opposite.
Leo, an ordinary boy from a rural border kingdom, seemed unimpressive at first glance.
Yet, he performed impressively in the fight against the Kraken on his first day of school.
He even became the class representative.
If she could defeat Leo, she believed she could draw closer to her own goals as a hero.
But…
She soon realized that Leo was someone beyond her reach.
The boy who initially seemed ordinary was extraordinarily talented.
Not only did Leo surpass her, but eventually, Chen Xia couldn’t keep up at all.
The gap was disheartening.
Chen Xia, however, didn’t give in to despair.
She didn’t have time for that.
Her heart raced with excitement.
It was as if she had encountered a character from a fairy tale.
Leo shone like a bright light to Chen Xia.
She was so dazzled by Leo that it felt like she might go blind just from looking at him.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away.
But others were different.
Chen Xia clenched her teeth and followed Leo.
When she realized that catching up was an impossible challenge, she understood.
She was content to simply stand in awe of the bright light.
Those who tried to move toward that light, unlike her, were not bound by darkness.
‘I am different from those people.’
Her desire to become a hero remained unchanged.
Yet, the more she pursued it, the more she recognized that she was suited to remain in the shadows.
Through her interactions with the hero candidates, she learned that they were fundamentally different from her.
The way they thought was different.
Their environments had shaped them differently.
She felt the darkness she had accumulated over the years was holding her back.
‘Father was right. I cannot become a hero.’
Even if she engaged in unspeakable acts.
‘These are things a hero should not do, yet I must do them.’
Even if it meant living in darkness.
‘Someone has to do it.’
Even if it was nothing more than futile slaughter.
‘For Leo… For the real heroes… Isn’t it worth it?’
She admired heroes.
But admiration was all she could afford.
‘I can’t be a hero.’
It was just as Xiau had said.
The gods would never acknowledge her for the dirty work she performed.
“Chen Xia.”
“What’s going on?”
“I came to deliver His Majesty the Emperor’s message.”
“Father?”
Chen Xia looked puzzled.
“Is this a new mission?”
“Yes. He has instructed you to hide deep in the darkness.”
“Why?”
Chen Xia’s confusion grew upon hearing the strange mission.
The Shadow explained.
“Currently, Lumene’s student council president, Leo Plov, is visiting the palace.”
Chen Xia felt a pang in her heart.
She had left without saying goodbye, fearing her resolve would falter upon seeing him.
But now, he was here.
“They say he came to escort Your Highness to Lumene.”
Chen Xia’s eyes wavered, and her heart raced.
“It is His Majesty’s order not to meet him.”
“What is Father’s plan for Leo?”
“He ordered us to keep him in the darkness until daybreak.”
It would be impossible for Leo to find himself amidst Xian’s darkness.
The most skilled Shadows would obstruct him.
So there was no chance of their meeting.
‘But… Leo…’
He might still find her in that darkness.
If she met him now, her resolve would surely falter.
A Shadow could not become a hero.
If she pursued a fleeting dream, she would be of no use, neither here nor there.
Instead…
‘It would be far more worthwhile to remain a Shadow and assist Leo from there.’
Instead of clinging to a worthless dream.
Chen Xia decided it was more valuable to help the boy she so admired.
“Okay.”
Chen Xia rose from her seat.
She opened the door and stepped out.
Pitch-black darkness spread before her.
The interior of Xian’s palace, shrouded in darkness, was like a labyrinth with no path visible.
This darkness was all too familiar to the Shadows, though.
Chen Xia melded into the darkness seamlessly.
Her accompanying Shadow remained equally adept.
Without sound or sight.
Chen Xia navigated the void with ease.
The Shadow watched in admiration.
‘Princess Chen Xia is on another level.’
He was certain.
‘Leo Plov will never find the princess…’
“This is too much.”
Chen Xia stood tall.
Fwooooosh—
Light sorcery from behind brightened the surroundings.
“I thought this would be more like hide and seek, but is it more akin to tag? Is that why they were so sure I wouldn’t find you?”
The Shadow looked back in shock.
“How?”
How could someone accustomed to the light find a Shadow in this darkness?
Chen Xia’s fingertips trembled slightly.
Her heart fluttered at the familiar voice.
The voice that had inspired her dreams while also causing her to abandon them spoke warmly.
“Chen Xia, let’s go back to Lumene.”
Chen Xia’s heart was torn.
“Let me take you back.”
But if she turned around now… Would she forever chase unreachable dreams?