The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 243
Chapter 243
After Leo left the annex, Jane tried to stop him with a flustered expression.
“Now wait a minute, Mr. Leo. If you wander around recklessly…”
“I told you to call me Senior.”
“That’s not important right now!”
Jane blocked Leo’s path.
“This is the palace of Xian. No matter what, even if you are the student council president of Lumene, reckless wandering could cause a major problem.”
“That could be the case.”
Leo stopped and nodded.
Jane, who had resigned herself to Leo’s stubbornness, sighed in relief.
“But it doesn’t suit me to back down like this.”
With that, Leo walked past Jane and headed into the annex’s garden.
“Hey! You should say something too!”
Jane urged, looking at Fritz.
Fritz adjusted his glasses and spoke.
“If our senior is so determined, I can’t stop him.”
Fritz followed Leo.
“But of course, it will be impossible to find Senior Chen Xia in this darkness.”
The palace of Xian was shrouded in darkness despite being the empire’s center.
It wasn’t that there were no lights, but that everything was dim except where it was necessary.
This was a characteristic of the Xian Empire, known as the Land of Shadows.
Shadows thrived in the darkness, their abilities amplified within it.
As a result, their capacity to conceal themselves was exceptional.
Jane sighed at Fritz’s words.
“Of course. Then shouldn’t we stop him from futilely wasting his energy?”
Leo stopped after hearing their conversation.
“You all think I can’t find Chen Xia?”
Fritz stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
“I apologize if I offended you. However, heroes and Shadows exist in different worlds.”
Jane crossed her arms and pouted.
“It’s not about your abilities, Senior. Shadows dwell in darkness, making them difficult to find. It’s even harder when it comes to Chen Xia. Even I myself struggle to find Shadows.”
Leo sighed upon hearing their comments.
Back in the days of Kyle.
When he killed traitors, it was usually on dark nights.
During the Age of Disaster, nights were deeper and more perilous than in the present day.
Moving at night was extremely difficult.
‘That’s why it was perfect for killing traitors.’
The foolish traitors, thinking the night was their ally, revealed their weaknesses in the darkness.
‘So that’s how it’s been going on until now.’
“Are you saying you’re used to the darkness?”
“Rather than being used to it… Darkness is the ally of Shadows.”
Jane, with her arms crossed, pouted once again.
“Really?”
Leo snickered and stepped into the darkness.
“Then she should be surprisingly easy to find.”
During the Age of Disaster, darkness wasn’t Leo’s ally, but his enemy.
Curses and traps used by the traitors and Tartaros were even more formidable in the dark.
Leo had overcome darkness far more oppressive than what he faced now.
Fritz and Jane exchanged glances and followed Leo.
Slowly, Leo approached one of the many palace entrances.
An entrance veiled in pitch-black darkness.
It was an entrance that would instinctively repel most, but Leo approached it unflinchingly.
Ssssh—
At that moment, a Shadow appeared before Leo.
Leo inquired.
“Can I not enter?”
“His Majesty hasn’t forbidden you from entering or exiting, but…”
“Only?”
“His Majesty has ordered us to keep you in the dark if you try to find the princess.”
Jane’s shoulders tensed at the revelation.
“Locked in the dark? That’s the test!”
Fritz’s eyes narrowed.
“The test?”
“It’s the test for Shadow Candidates to be recognized as true Shadows.”
“Huh?”
Leo exclaimed.
“This might be fun.”
Jane and Fritz flinched, watching Leo with concern.
“It could be dangerous, Leo. This is completely different from what you’ve learned at Lumene…”
Ignoring Fritz’s warning, Leo walked into the darkness.
Fritz and Jane followed him, bewildered.
Step—step—
The sound of Leo’s footsteps echoed through the silent hallway.
Step—step—Step—step—Step—step—
Soon, even sound itself was swallowed by the darkness.
‘Is it sorcery?’
In the impenetrable darkness, Leo summoned his sorcery.
‘Light.’
But no light emerged.
The sorcery was activated, but before it could illuminate anything, it was consumed by the darkness.
‘Indeed.’
Leo stared into the encroaching blackness.
‘This is perfect darkness.’
It was a vast labyrinth.
The darkness erased his senses, leaving him unable to see or hear.
Without merging with the darkness and regaining his senses, escape was impossible.
‘Is this why they say darkness is their ally? Would this have been difficult for others?’
The darkness, like an abyss, instilled fear.
But Leo moved forward without hesitation.
Into the labyrinth of darkness.
Despite losing all his senses, Leo’s steps were unstoppable.
Whoosh—!
Leo’s acute senses spread throughout the darkness.
He swiftly overcame the obscurity.
He could distinctly feel the labyrinth’s exit.
Step—step—
“No…!”
When he emerged from the darkness, he found himself in the palace hallway.
The Shadow that had blocked Leo moments earlier wore a look of shock.
“How…?!”
It took Leo about ten seconds to break through the darkness.
‘I thought I’d escape immediately, but it took longer than expected.’
He believed he’d get out the moment he recognized the labyrinth, but it took longer than anticipated.
‘My senses have dulled.’
Leo turned around, shaking his hand.
As the Shadow looked on in surprise, Fritz and Jane emerged from the darkness.
Upon spotting Leo, their eyes widened.
“Did you not enter the labyrinth of darkness?”
“You went in and got out?”
“Wha—That’s impossible!”
The two were astonished by how quickly Leo had navigated the darkness.
“It seems this isn’t the end of the test.”
Leo’s smile was bright.
“What should we do next?”
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – Aine]
[Proofreader – Ash / Valirius]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
‘Where are his limits?’
Fritz thought as he followed Leo.
Jane also trailed behind Leo, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Fritz was a Lumene Shadow.
More specifically, he was a Shadow Candidate for the Zeron family.
Originally, he was destined to serve Elena, the Zeron family heir.
As he developed into a Shadow, he had only one ambition:
To become the Shadow of a perfect hero.
Elena was the closest Fritz could imagine to such a hero.
Last year, however, he changed his mind after witnessing Leo.
His conquest of the Hero’s World of the Chedmeur incident.
His role in defeating the Gigantes.
His conquest of the Hero’s World of the Poet.
Even becoming the youngest student council president.
Leo embodied the perfect hero candidate Fritz had always dreamed of.
Fritz, who quickly became Leo’s follower, immediately informed Elena.
He wanted to become Leo Plov’s Shadow.
The noble Queen of Lumene, initially surprised, burst into laughter at Fritz’s request.
‘I knew you would say that.’
Though he was a Shadow raised by the Zeron family, Elena easily granted Fritz’s wish.
At first, she was taken aback but soon saw it as an opportunity.
And now that the newly appointed principal of Lumene was a Shadow herself…
At Leena’s suggestion, Fritz gained the qualification to take the entrance exam and passed.
Thus, he got close to Leo and finally met him.
He was a more perfect hero than Fritz had imagined.
But now…
The one who moved seamlessly in the darkness could not merely be considered a hero candidate.
‘Not even a Shadow Candidate… No…’
Fritz broke out in a cold sweat.
‘He is the perfect Shadow itself.’
What does that even mean?
The movements of someone closer to a perfect hero than anyone else were eerily akin to those of a perfect Shadow.
A hero who dwelled in the light and a Shadow who thrived in the darkness could not coexist.
That’s what he had always believed…
‘How can someone like this exist?’
Fritz stared at Leo’s back, disbelief etched across his face.
Jane shared the same expression.
The darkness stretched out before them, persistently blocking Leo’s path.
Even the Shadows, lurking in the pitch-black darkness, aimed their blades at Leo to test his strength.
But…
Whoosh—!
“Heuk?!”
A Shadow of Xian, subdued in the dark, widened his eyes as he looked up at Leo.
Then, as Leo’s eyes gleamed in the shadows, a chill ran down the Shadow’s spine.
‘I can’t escape those eyes.’
If the hero candidate before him were hunting him…
‘I’d be defenseless even in the darkness!’
The Shadows couldn’t comprehend it.
How could a hero candidate move more skillfully than a Shadow in the darkness?
As Leo subdued the seventh Shadow, he muttered.
“This is never going to end.”
Not all Shadows were as strong as heroes.
Only a select few heroes ever entered the Hero Records.
Likewise, only a handful of Shadows possessed power nearing that of heroes.
That didn’t mean the Shadows blocking Leo’s path were weak, though.
“I don’t understand how you move like a Shadow, but as long as you’re trapped in the darkness, finding Chen Xia will be impossible.”
Leo’s expression grew cold at Jane’s words.
“If you weren’t here, I think I could find her right away.”
“What? Are you saying we’re in the way right now?”
“To be honest, yes.”
“What?!”
Jane bristled at Fritz’s bluntness.
“Admit it, El Jane. Leo’s powers far surpass ours, even as Shadows.”
Jane gritted her teeth.
“That’s… strange.”
She clenched her fists.
“A hero is a hero… A Shadow is a Shadow… The worlds we inhabit are different. That’s why Chen Xia gave up her dream.”
Yet here stood someone who defied that truth.
Both a hero and a Shadow.
A being beyond reason who far surpassed them.
If they acknowledged such an entity, what would become of those who had lived as Shadows?
What would become of Chen Xia, who abandoned her dream of being a hero?
Leo watched as Jane lowered her head.
“I’ve heard that from the principal and the emperor enough to make me sick.”
Leo’s gaze turned to the darkness.
“But in my view, heroes and Shadows are the same. They’re just two sides of the same coin.”
Fritz and Jane looked at Leo.
“Anyone who tries to protect the world is a hero. So, in my eyes, you’re also hero candidates.”
“…!”
Fritz and Jane’s eyes widened.
They had never considered that perspective.
“If that’s true… then…”
Fritz’s body trembled.
“The reason you asked us to call you ‘senior’ is… because you acknowledge us as hero candidates?”
“So you get it now?”
“Ah! How can there be such a great being?! To sincerely acknowledge us Shadows as hero candidates!”
Fritz exclaimed, his face filled with emotion.
He pulled a notebook from his pocket and began scribbling furiously.
“What on earth is that?”
Jane narrowed her eyes and glanced at the contents of Fritz’s notebook.
“I’m recording Leo’s actions. Especially since he just said something so profound, should we not document it?”
“Document it?”
“Want to take a look?”
Fritz handed the notebook to Jane, his expression blank.
As she read, Jane’s face twisted in disbelief.
[The great Leo said that even Shadows can become heroes. Oh, how could there be such a great person? I dare not measure this person’s capacity.]
Flip-flip-flip
[I saw Leo for the first time today. Leo has pure white hair and red eyes that seem ready to burst into flames at any moment…]
[When I was fighting that arrogant Xian Shadow, Leo grabbed my wrist. I won’t wash this wrist for a while.]
[Leo…]
[Leo…]
“Are you some kind of pervert?”
Jane shot Fritz a disgusted look, watching as he obsessively recorded every detail about Leo.
“What’s in it?”
Leo also caught sight of Fritz’s notes.
Fwooosh—
Without a second thought, he burned them with the flames of his Aura.
“Ahh!”
Fritz fell to his knees, devastated, as the notebook crumbled into ashes.
‘What a strange guy.’
“Is that why you wanted to take Chen Xia back? Because you thought she was a good hero candidate?”
“That’s part of it. But I also think she was being arrogant, thinking she can’t be a hero just because you’ve touched the darkness. Why is she giving up without even trying?”
Leo smirked.
“I want to tell her that those who don’t give up are those who can become heroes.”
“…That’s exactly what Kyle said when he and the Poet of the Stars appeared in Seiren last winter.”
Kyle was the one who never gave up when everyone else did.
The Poet of the Stars left those words at that time.
“That’s what he said.”
Leo, still chuckling, disappeared into the darkness.
Jane, watching him go, took a deep breath and kicked Fritz’s butt, who was still lying on the floor in despair.
“How long are you going to keep doing this? You should help the senior you respect so much!”
Fritz rose from his seat and adjusted his glasses.
“I know that even without you saying it.”
The two Lumene students’ eyes gleamed in the darkness.
“We should eliminate anyone who interferes with our senior.”
“We should eliminate anyone who interferes with our senior.”
They glared at each other.
“Don’t copy me.”
“Don’t copy me.”
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – Aine]
[Proofreader – Ash]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
Leo, having pierced through the darkness, found Chen Xia in an instant.
He spoke to his friend, who had turned away from him.
“I came to pick you up.”
Swish—
But Chen Xia vanished into the shadows.
Leo’s eyes twitched as he lost her presence.
Only the Shadow that had been beside Chen Xia remained.
The Shadow moved to block Leo, but his eyes widened in surprise.
“No!”
Leo had also disappeared into the darkness.
The Shadow, a long-time servant of the Xian family, recognized the technique.
‘Shadow Stepping?’
A skill passed down only within the Xian royal family.
Despite that, Leo, who had no connection to Xian, wielded it effortlessly.
This was why the Xian emperors were hailed as the Shadow Kings.
‘Impossible!’
The Shadow’s shock only deepened.
Meanwhile, Leo’s narrowed eyes scanned the darkness, seeking out Chen Xia.
‘So, the Xian royal family are descendants of Bihar.’
The form had evolved, but the technique of moving unseen in darkness was unmistakably something Leo had taught Bihar.
‘Arron provided the basic framework, while I just refined it.’
Finding Chen Xia, who had fully immersed herself in the shadows, was challenging even for Leo.
‘She’s more attuned to the darkness than I am.’
Chen Xia excelled at melding into the shadows.
‘It might be tough to locate her.’
Leo now understood why Xiau had made such bold claims.
But soon, Leo chuckled.
‘If she blends into the darkness, then I’ll just conquer darkness itself.’
His senses swiftly spread through the shadows.
As they did, the darkness began to submit to Leo’s will.
Whoosh—!
A faint murderous intent brushed past him.
Leo tilted his head back just in time.
Whoosh—!
“Oh?”
Leo stopped in his tracks.
The man who had swung his sword was now looking at Leo with admiration.
He was in his late teens but exuded a strong, mature aura.
With black hair and black eyes, he was about the same height as Leo, watching him with keen interest.
“I’ve seen that face before.”
The man’s eyes gleamed.
“Leo Plov, right? Lumene’s top hero candidate.”
Leo wiped the blood trickling down his cheek and narrowed his eyes.
“And you are?”
“My name is Chen Xyan.”
Xyan introduced himself with a gentle smile, one that seemed eerily familiar.
“I am a man destined to become a Great Hero.”