The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 251
Chapter 251
“This is unreasonable! Professor Sedgen!”
“That’s right! If the first-year students are the ones recommended for expulsion, why would we have to leave too?”
“We didn’t have this kind of thing when we were first-years!”
Protests erupted from every corner.
It was understandable.
Even though they were second-year students, their lives weren’t going to be easy.
Students in the lower and middle ranks still struggled to manage on their own.
In that situation, how could they be expected to mentor first-year students as well?
Furthermore, being a mentor was only the beginning of their task.
If their assigned first-year student was recommended for expulsion during the final exams, they would be held responsible and be expelled as well.
It was an outrageous policy.
Eliza seemed uninterested.
She sat at the back of the lecture room, trimming her nails.
Around her were students from the Summoning Department who followed her.
This contrasted sharply with Abad and Duran, who were seated in the front row.
Duran, despite his arrogant demeanor, was a diligent honor student.
Abad, of course, was well-regarded, as well.
In contrast, Eliza was known for her lack of engagement in class, despite her good grades.
Being insincere didn’t mean she skipped class, but if she deemed a lesson unnecessary, she often ignored it and did something else openly.
This was true even now.
After finishing her nails, Eliza covered her mouth and yawned, showing her indifference.
‘Lumene is doing useless things again.’
At the end of the day, it was the same as always.
One’s survival depended on talent or effort.
‘Will mentoring make a difference?’
Eliza, crossing her legs and mocking herself, suddenly glanced at the noble students seated in the front row.
It was Carr, the lowest-ranking among the noble students.
To Abad and Duran, he was their first choice, but Eliza remained unimpressed by Carr’s presence.
“You’ve been given an incredibly disadvantageous assignment, yet you’re so indifferent? Have you already given up?”
Eliza chuckled.
“…”
Carr didn’t respond at all.
“Hey. You.”
“…”
“Carr Thomas.”
“Huh?
Carr finally turned around when she called his name.
He looked up at Eliza, surprised that she addressed him.
“You were talking to me?”
“Yes. You were granted the honor of my address.”
“Hey. What’s going on?”
“It’s a disadvantageous task, yet you don’t seem to care at all.”
“You called for me just to ask that?”
Though it would have angered any other student, Carr brushed it off with a sly grin.
‘How is he Leo Plov’s best friend? He’s just as sly as I am.’
Eliza’s expression showed she wasn’t amused.
“Well, it is an extremely disadvantageous task. But my grades are usually quite good.”
Carr shrugged.
“Besides, our school doesn’t impose such harsh penalties without giving students a fair chance.”
Carr grinned.
“Does that mean you’ve thought of a way out?”
“There’s a saying that every crisis is an opportunity, right?”
“Huh.”
Eliza slightly opened her eyes.
“Second-year students, you lack elegance. You should listen to the entire announcement.”
Sedgen snapped his fingers.
The students who had been complaining fell silent.
“I’m not saying you must become mentors for the first-year students.”
Sedgen smiled brightly.
“Becoming a mentor is completely optional. If you don’t want to be a mentor, you don’t have to be.”
The students’ complaints faded with these words.
Sedgen’s smile took on a meaningful edge.
“However.”
He glanced at the second-year students and continued. “Students who choose to become mentors will receive benefits.”
“Benefits?”
“What?”
“Extra points?”
The students murmured with curiosity.
“None of the first-year students will be expelled until the end of their first semester. Whether they stay will be decided after the final exams.”
The second-year students stared in amazement.
Unlike previous years, this was a significant advantage.
From their perspective, it was an incredible benefit.
Sedgen spread his arms wide.
“It would be unusual if the mentors left in the middle of the semester. Therefore, mentors will also have their expulsion postponed until after their final exams, regardless of their grades during the semester!”
“Huh!”
“T-that…!”
It was an extraordinary offer.
Especially for students with lower grades, it was a golden opportunity.
At that moment, Celia raised her hand.
“Professor, does that mean that the mentors will stay in school so long as their mentees do?”
“No. If you don’t pass the cutoff line based on your final exam scores, you’ll still be recommended for expulsion.”
It was a grace period, but still a major opportunity.
If they could take care of their mentees, prepare thoroughly for the final exams, and just pass the cutoff line, they could stay at Lumene.
Not only the lower-ranking students but also those in the middle ranks looked intrigued.
They had already survived a year at Lumene.
But they couldn’t let their guard down, because they were in the lower ranks.
Many students had to leave due to unforeseen challenges in their first year.
“And depending on how much the first-year students have improved, additional points may be awarded.”
Sedgen looked around at the second-year students.
“It’s not just about keeping the first-year students. You’ll definitely gain something from guiding your juniors.”
This system was new.
It hadn’t existed when the current second-year students were freshmen.
‘The change in principal has definitely had an effect.’
The principal wouldn’t have decided on such an unconventional department schedule alone.
It was clear that this decision followed after numerous faculty meetings.
Abad raised his hand and asked, “How are the pairings between mentors and mentees determined?”
“I’m leaving that up to you all: the second and first years.” Sedgen crossed his arms. “If you recommend a first-year student as your mentee and they accept, the relationship is established. The opposite is also true.”
In other words, a mentor-mentee relationship would be formed if both parties’ intentions aligned.
The students’ eyes lit up.
‘So, it’s a battle!’
Accepting students with good grades would be advantageous for them.
“Huh.”
Eliza, who had been listening, showed an indifferent expression.
“It’s exactly as you said.”
At Eliza’s words, Carr grinned.
“Wow, you and Abad made the same assessment. You’re quick-witted in this regard.”
Eliza, having said that, soon lost interest in the assignment.
Since it wasn’t mandatory, she wasn’t really interested.
Although it was said that it would be reflected in grades, the exact impact was unclear.
‘Focusing on training would be far more beneficial than worrying about the first-years.’
Eliza’s thoughts were straightforward.
The assignment held little merit for a student like her.
“Eliza, what do you think about this assignment?”
“I’m not interested,” Eliza responded to her followers who asked cautiously.
Her words brightened the faces of the other noble students in the Summoning Department.
The Summoning Department had fewer students than the Knight Studies and Sorcery Departments.
Therefore, if a student like Eliza lost interest, the chance of receiving a better junior as a mentee increased.
‘Walden probably isn’t interested in this assignment either!’
The Summoning students cheered inwardly.
At that moment, Leo raised his hand.
“What?”
“There are more interested first-year students than second-year students. Can one student mentor multiple juniors?”
“Yes.”
The number of second-year students was definitely smaller than that of first-year students.
So, it was natural that one second-year student could have multiple first-year mentees.
“What happens then? If even one mentee is recommended for expulsion, will they all be expelled?”
“That would be too harsh. In such cases, Harrid will review the final grades of the first-year students you are in charge of and make a decision.”
The second-year students swallowed nervously at the mention of the Wailing Wall.
On the one hand, they hoped for fair evaluation.
‘Professor Harrid’s personality suggests he wouldn’t just expel mentors because two out of three mentees dropped out.’
‘He’ll likely judge based on the growth of the student since the beginning of the semester.’
‘Depending on the abilities of the students chosen as mentees, accepting multiple students might be beneficial. However, you shouldn’t accept just anyone.’
The students organized their thoughts.
In the meantime, Sedgen finished his announcement.
“The mentee selection process will start today and continue through the end of this week.”
Sedgen grinned.
“I hope you all become good seniors to your juniors. That’s all.”
After receiving the major assignment that would impact the entire first semester.
The second-year students returned to their dormitories.
That marked the end of today’s classes.
They began work on the assignment immediately.
Since it was given so suddenly, the students jumped straight into preparations.
In the first dorm, Glory’s lounge, students busily discussed their options.
“Who should we accept as mentees?”
“I can’t tell whether we should go after students with good entrance exam scores or the students that are more well-known.”
The Glory students glanced at Leo, who stood by the lounge window.
“They would all prefer top second-year students as their mentors.”
“Besides, Leo is all-class.”
“He could accept anyone as his mentee regardless of their department.”
“Ugh. It would be a huge burden if Leo accepted one person from each department.”
While the Glory students pondered.
Leo approached the dormitory window, opened the door, and extended his hand.
A small red chick flapped its wings and approached.
It was already well-known that Leo was a Phoenix contractor.
That’s why Fiora had begun strutting around the Glory dormitory openly after the start of their second year.
Cheep! Cheep!
Fiora flapped her wings and demanded something from Leo.
“As soon as she shows up, I know all you want is a snack.”
Leo laughed, looking bemused, and took a piece of chocolate from his pocket, placing it on his palm.
Flap-!
Fiora flew to Leo’s palm and pecked the chocolate elegantly.
Cheep! Cheep!
Soon, as if dissatisfied, she pushed the chocolate away with her foot and dropped it on the floor.
“You want something else?”
Leo, taken aback, looked surprised.
“Fiora~”
“Come on! I’ll give you something delicious!”
When the Glory girls approached with snacks, Fiora abandoned Leo without a second thought and flew over to them.
Cheep-! Cheep-!
Fiora happily chirped while munching on the treats the girls gave her.
The girls were enchanted by Fiora.
“Look how cute she is!”
“Is this a sign that I have a talent for summoning?”
Fiora had become the mascot of the Glory Dormitory.
[That pig of a chick. She got delicious food from the girls and now acts like she’s all that. She’s the only one of us who does such embarrassing things.]
[Pig of a chick…? Master! Please feed me so I can become a pig, too!]
[Don’t be weird, Arty.]
Kiran grumbled, Arty groaned, and Elsie sighed deeply.
“Leo, do you have any first-year students in mind for a mentee?” Chloe approached and asked.
“Not really. I haven’t met all the first-years yet.”
“That’s understandable.”
Chloe was deep in thought.
At that moment, Eliana suddenly stood up from her seat.
“Okay! Let’s go to the first-year classrooms and talk to our juniors!”
The Glory students nodded and stood up in response.
As all the students left the dormitory,
Leo was the only one remaining behind.
[Leo.]
“What’s up?”
[Pick someone who’s easy to work with!]
Leo laughed at Kiran’s words.
That evening.
The second-year students who had met with the first-years returned to the dormitory.
“This isn’t easy.”
“That’s right. The capable ones are picky, and the less capable ones are lacking.”
“This assignment won’t be easy.”
The Glory students looked disheartened.
At that moment.
“Class president! Class president!”
Eliana called out to Leo.
“What?”
“Someone came looking for you.”
“Who?”
“Aina Beidna.”
The Glory students were surprised by Eliana’s announcement.
“Well, Leo was the first-year representative after all.”
“Come to think of it, she did say she’d work to gain Leo’s recognition at the entrance ceremony, right?”
“I guess she must respect Leo quite a bit.”
Leo stood up and left the dormitory, leaving the Glory students buzzing about Aina’s visit.
When Aina saw Leo, she bowed her head.
“What’s going on?”
Aina looked up at Leo and said in response to his question,
“Senior Leo, please be my mentor.”
Aina spoke with determination.
“I’m the best among the first-years. If you accept me, I’m sure it will benefit you, Senior Leo.”
Leo replied calmly, “I don’t intend to choose a junior to mentor based solely on skill.”
Aina was taken aback.
“If not me, who else would be more qualified to be Leo’s mentee?”
“Anyone is qualified.”
Leo chuckled.
“So, will you attempt my test?”
“Test?”
“Yes.”
“What’s the test?”
Leo considered her question and nodded.
“Hmm. Yes, that seems fair.”
Leo smiled brightly.
“I plan to accept any first-year student who successfully lands a hit on me at least once in the next week.”
Aina bit her lip.
“Starting now?”
“Yes.”
At that moment, a golden Aura emanated from Aina.
Leo observed and said, “I knew you’d react like that.”