The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 257
Chapter 257
Juen, watching Luke’s back in front of Leo, said, “Senior, can’t you accept him as your mentee?”
“He’s in the Knight Studies Department, and I’m in the Sorcery Department.”
“You didn’t say that students from other departments couldn’t be mentees, right? And Senior Carr, you don’t have any students right now, do you? Shouldn’t you accept Luke?”
“That’s true.” Carr sighed deeply but soon snickered. “But he probably won’t come to me.”
“Huh?”
“You guys.”
“… ?”
“Didn’t you give up too easily?”
Juen frowned at Carr’s words.
“Hey, Senior, what have you seen so far? Have you really lost your temper?”
“Yeah. Juen, you in particular unleashed a slew of flashy sorcery spells that I wouldn’t even dare to attempt.”
It wasn’t just Juen.
Aina, Haviden, and Sasha also unleashed their best attacks at Leo.
“But didn’t you all learn?”
Carr laughed.
“The stronger the attack, the more vulnerable it becomes.”
Ching-!
Luke’s sword was blocked by Leo’s.
“At first glance, Leo’s assignment for the first-years seems too easy. But you soon realize it’s an insurmountable wall. Then, the idiots all give up on their own.”
Carr smiled at the four of them.
“And if only great people like you remain, you’ll somehow try every attack you can.”
“Right.”
Juen nodded, crossing her arms.
“Then let me ask you one thing. Have you guys observed Leo’s movements closely even once in the past week?”
“Of course…”
Juen’s face hardened as she answered.
Not just Juen.
The other three felt the same.
“And one more thing.”
Carr smirked.
“Have you ever observed that Luke kid fighting Leo in detail?”
“No.”
The four watched urgently as Leo and Luke moved.
For them, Luke wasn’t a competitor.
They never ignored him, but they thought the comparison itself was impossible.
That was true.
It was too easy to defeat Luke.
But…
‘When did he grow so much?’
Luke’s movements were noticeably different from a week ago.
In particular, Aina and Haviden were particularly shocked.
‘His swordsmanship… is incomparable to a week ago.’
He was still no match for them.
However, considering his growth rate, it was surprising.
In particular, it was clear whose movements Luke had referenced to develop his skills.
‘Leo, and… Me and Haviden.’
Aina’s hands trembled slightly.
She was acutely aware of Luke.
It couldn’t be otherwise.
Luke had definitely been acknowledged by Leo during the entrance exam.
But, on the other hand, she had ignored him.
Now, the lowest-ranking first-year student, who had been disregarded, was following Leo’s movements better than they were.
It wasn’t because he had been actively watching Leo’s movements.
Leo had mostly been defending and evading for the past week.
‘I thought I had to land a hit, so I focused solely on the best attack I could perform.’
Aina clenched her fist.
‘I’ve never properly observed my opponent… not even once.’
Against an impossible opponent, you must observe their movements and strategize.
It was a basic principle of attack.
But they hadn’t paid proper attention to Leo’s movements for a week.
Their faces flushed with shame.
Carr smiled warmly at the sight of their realization.
‘We were like that too.’
It wasn’t just a problem for the first-year students.
The second-year students also faced criticism from the professors for similar issues.
‘Well, in this case, Leo is doing what the professors should be doing.’
Meanwhile, Leo snickered as he watched Luke following his movements.
It would have been an impossible challenge under normal circumstances.
However, Luke was gradually catching up with Leo’s movements through his own abilities and perseverance.
Then, suddenly.
Whoosh-!
Luke’s Aura surged abnormally strong.
Luke’s Mana Trait—mana amplification through emotions.
It served as a finishing move that could turn the situation around if one had the willpower.
Whoosh-!
“Whoa.”
Leo exclaimed in admiration as Luke’s sword narrowly missed cutting the tip of his hair.
“Finally… Ugh!”
Luke, who had been beaming with pride after seeing that, collapsed to the floor, his legs giving out beneath him.
“What an awkward ending.”
Leo snickered and looked at the four people who were frozen in place.
‘I think this will be a good stimulus for them.’
Luke probably wouldn’t be able to challenge Leo again any time soon, although he had finally succeeded.
He barely achieved this result by closely observing Leo’s movements for a week.
In contrast, the other four had not.
The fundamental principle of making the impossible possible was not achieved through a miracle, but through relentless effort.
Leo reached out to Luke, who was struggling to get up.
In response, Luke hurriedly took out a piece of paper.
It was the form to list the name of his mentor.
Leo wrote his own name there.
“Thank you, Mr. Leo! I-I will do my best as your mentee!”
Leo smiled softly as he watched Luke’s bright expression.
If Celia or Chelsea, or any of the Slayer Knights, had seen it, they would have told him to run away immediately.
Juen, with her arms crossed, stood in front of Carr.
“Huh? Why?”
“Please be my mentor.”
“What are you talking about?”
Carr looked bewildered.
“I realized after hearing what you just said that I have a lot to learn from you.”
“I think you’re saying this because you’re flustered. Cool your head. Well, I’d be happy to have you as my mentee, but you’d probably benefit more from a better mentor… Yayayaya!”
Juen pulled out a piece of paper, wrote Carr’s name in the mentor section, and ran off.
“I’ll be seeing you more often starting tomorrow ~ Ohohohohoho!”
Carr remained stunned.
“Senior.”
This time, Aina approached Carr.
“What is it?”
“Can you tell me the name of the senior in the Knight Studies Department who is closest to Leo?”
“Celia.”
“Thank you.”
Aina nodded and left.
“Let’s go together, Miss Aina. I also have business with Senior Walden.”
Sasha followed Aina.
“Senior Carr.”
“What is it, princess?”
“I want to meet with Senior Duran.”
‘A pairing of royalty?’
Carr, who inwardly chuckled, nodded in understanding.
After taking Haviden to the Noble Dormitory, Carr approached Duran, who was resting in the dormitory lounge.
“What, Carr Thomas? Do you have any suggestions for me, the dormitory leader?”
“There’s a junior waiting for you outside.”
“Haviden, huh? Someone useful has come along.” Duran snickered.
“Huh. I guess he thought of you as Leo Plov’s second.”
When Eliza snorted from the side, Duran’s expression twisted into a scowl.
Seeing this, Carr tried to placate Duran.
“Hey, so what? The important thing is that Haviden, one of the top three in the first-year Knight Studies Department, chose you as his mentor.”
Carr had wanted to join Eliza and tease her, but he got tired of Duran’s anger.
“Huh.”
Carr got up and left the dormitory.
“Ahem.”
At that moment, Eliza cleared her throat in frustration.
Carr, unaware that Eliza wanted to speak with him, tried to return to his room.
Whiiiiish-thwack-!
“Snap!”
Eliza’s whip coiled around Carr’s neck.
“What now!”
“Carr Thomas. Have any first-years come to see me? Like Princess Sasha, or anyone?”
“Sasha? She went to Walden.”
Eliza’s shoulders tensed.
A spark of fury flashed in her eyes.
“Why did she, a sorcerer, go to him! Why on earth would she!”
“I don’t know.”
“This is humiliating! Why haven’t any juniors asked me to be their mentor!”
“You were secretly expecting someone, weren’t you?”
“Expecting someone? Me? Expecting someone?! Don’t make me laugh! This is a matter of pride as the successor of the Hergin family!”
Eliza seemed annoyed at her lack of mentees, and she was, but she had secretly anticipated their arrival.
She thought juniors would line up to be mentored by her because of her reputation.
But no one did.
She had hoped for Sasha, but Sasha went to Walden, with whom she had a rivalry.
The Noble students recoiled at Eliza’s extreme hysteria.
The third dormitory, Noble.
It was essentially a dormitory for students from prestigious families who held strong pride in themselves.
But even so, Eliza, though she surely wouldn’t stay angry for long, was too scary.
‘Oh my, why do they act so petty in front of Eliza?’
Only Carr spoke back to her.
Despite Duran’s cruelty and Eliza’s sharp demeanor, Carr’s friendliness shone through even with them.
“In my opinion…”
Eliza’s eyes narrowed at Carr’s words.
Carr spoke calmly, meeting Eliza’s stern gaze that promised repercussions if he spoke nonsense.
“Isn’t it because you’re just so great?”
Eliza’s eyes twitched at the comment.
She crossed her arms, sat down, and crossed her legs, nodding slightly.
“Tell me how.”
“This is what the first-years think: With my skills, I wouldn’t dare become Eliza senior’s mentee. Of course, if there were a student who passed your high standards and accepted you as a mentor, you would have made that student the best in the Summoning Department. The first-years were so intimidated they couldn’t approach you.”
“What about Princess Sasha?”
“She was deceived by Leo’s spirit sorcery this time. Her pride took a hit. She probably wants to learn from a spirit sorcery expert to prepare for spirit sorcery.”
“Huh. How cunning. Are you trying to flatter me?”
“That’s true. But it’s also a fact.”
Carr shrugged.
‘Huh. Abad and Duran really know how to read people.’
Eliza looked at the dormitory students who were scared of her with a touch of pity.
She clapped her hands lightly.
Her followers quickly arrived and set up refreshments.
“Yeah, I thought it would be annoying anyway, but I’m better off without a mentee.”
Eliza, regaining her composure, laughed.
“Carr Thomas, you don’t have a mentee either, right? I think things will get better for you. You seem more useful than I thought.”
It was an arrogant remark, but Eliza was trying to offer encouragement.
Of course, her words stung Carr.
‘If she knew I accidentally got Juen as a mentee, there’d be chaos,’ Carr thought.
‘Oh, I don’t know. If I tell her later, it’ll be even more chaotic.’
“I got a mentee.”
“Huh? Who is it?”
“Juen Torvina.”
Eliza’s eyes widened.
“Why is she your mentee?”
“I don’t know. She said I had something to teach her, or something like that.”
After saying this, Carr quickly fled.
He couldn’t stop Juen anymore.
As the top student in the first-year department, trying to stop her would only lead to embarrassment.
‘I did my best. You guys figure out what happens next.’
Carr cheered on the third dorm students inwardly and hurried to his room.
Lumene’s principal, Leena, rested her chin on her hand.
She looked down at the fancy stationery.
Knock-knock!
“Leena. Isn’t it time for the second-years to go to Damienne? Have you heard anything yet?”
“You’re just in time.”
Leena shook the envelope in her hand.
“But she made a rather presumptuous request.”
“Presumptuous request?”
“Yes.”
Leena tossed the letter onto her desk and curled the corners of her mouth into a smirk.
“You’re going to ‘evaluate’ the students of the third Hero Academy, Damienne.”