The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 260
Chapter 260
Five thousand years ago.
After the Age of Disaster ended, many races scattered to find new homes.
The elves headed north, the beastmen south.
And the humans settled across the world.
The dwarves were the last to settle.
They ended up in the rugged Drakin Mountains to the east.
There, they founded the world’s largest coal mining kingdom.
Through the warp gate, the students arrived at Dweronia, the capital of the dwarven country.
Named after Dweno, revered as the Divine Blacksmith, this city boasted a history of five thousand years.
It was the oldest city in the world.
The Lumene students, arriving at the warp gate, were awestruck.
The gate’s appearance was dazzling, with walls painted in gold and adorned with beautiful jewels.
“Wow.”
“This is the wealthiest city in the world…”
Exclamations of amazement echoed around.
Even for Lumene students, mostly from prestigious families, the splendor of Dweronia’s warp gate was unprecedented.
“Wow, how much is all that?” Carr muttered, his mouth agape.
“Look at the ceiling.”
“Aren’t they Great Heroes?”
“It’s a total work of art.”
The ceiling was adorned with mosaics of Great Heroes, crafted from various sparkling jewels.
Of course, only the four known Great Heroes were depicted.
The portrait of Kyle, recently revealed, was absent.
The students exited the warp gate and entered the square.
Sedgen, addressing the students, said, “You can only enter Damienne in the evening.”
Sedgen pointed to a huge mountain next to Dweronia, marked by a massive hole with a castle visible inside.
It was Damienne, the Hero Academy of the dwarves.
“Until then, it’s free time. Feel free to tour the city.”
“Wow!”
The students cheered.
After the headcount and announcement, only the students remained.
They began to gather with their close friends.
“How about we explore with our close friends?”
“Let’s do that! Let’s do that!”
“Chloe! Let’s reunite as Class 1 girls!”
Four girls from Class 1 in their first year approached Chloe.
Class 1, along with Class 5, had a close-knit group where no student was recommended for dropout.
Chloe smiled and nodded at her classmates’ suggestion.
“Should we? But let’s not get too excited. We’re not here to play. Let’s set a meeting time first…”
“You’re still the same as always, Class President.”
“Well, that’s our class president’s charm.”
The girls laughed.
“Should we call Celia too?”
“Should we? I’ll go and find her.”
One girl smiled and headed off to find Celia.
“You guys, Lumene.”
A group blocked their path.
The Class 1 girls’ eyes widened in surprise.
“Azonia students?”
That was exactly as they suspected.
Ten students wearing Azonia uniforms stood before the female students.
A male student, about 190 cm tall, stood at the front.
The bear-like man, with solid muscles, wild brown hair, and fierce eyes, made an imposing figure.
The female students instinctively recoiled at his aggressive demeanor.
Chloe stepped forward.
“What do you Azonia students want from us?”
The wolf-like man addressed Chloe’s question.
“My name is Wern Damun.”
“Wern Damun?”
“I am 8th in Azonia’s 2nd year class.”
The female students nodded.
Wern Damun was among the top students and the largest, most powerful of his peers.
The sudden appearance of such a high-ranking student from the opposing school startled the female students.
“My name is Chloe Mueller.”
“I’ve never heard of that name before.”
Wern’s comment sparked outrage among the female students.
“What? How could you not know Chloe?!”
“That’s right! She’s a top student in our school’s Sorcery Department, always competing for first and second place!”
Chloe was a world-renowned hero candidate.
The female students were incensed by Wern’s dismissive attitude.
Despite their anger, Wern simply scoffed.
“I’m not interested in sorcerers or summoners.”
“Oh my! Oh my! Why are you talking like that?”
“Huh! If you’re not interested in sorcerers or summoners, why are you even talking to us?!”
“That’s right! Go away! We don’t have any interest in your department, either!”
Initially intimidated by Wern’s size, the female students soon adopted a fierce demeanor.
Lumene had faced many challenges in the past year, and they weren’t easily daunted.
Their reactions grew sharper when they felt disrespected.
However, Wern remained unfazed by their hostility.
“Are any of you close friends with Leo Plov?”
Chloe responded.
“Leo is my friend.”
“Good. Then you come with me.”
Wern reached out to grab Chloe’s wrist.
Tsk-!
In an instant, a wall of ice rose between Wern and Chloe.
Wern flinched and stepped back, his fellow beastmen also appearing cautious.
“What are you doing?”
Chloe’s voice was as cold as the ice barrier.
Wern narrowed his eyes, noting Chloe’s shift in demeanor.
‘It seems the rumor about their fierce competition in the Sorcery Department is true.’
The beastmen revered physical strength above all.
However, their strength was limited to the physical realm.
Five thousand years ago, Arron, the hero venerated by all beastmen, had achieved great feats through sheer physical power.
That’s why Azonia trained its students to become the strongest warriors.
In a way, it was similar to Seiren.
Just as those who didn’t master the Sorcery of the Stars couldn’t enter Seiren, Azonia excluded those who were weak as warriors.
Because of this, most Azonia students were indifferent to the top students of Lumene’s Sorcery and Summoning Departments.
Chloe was aware of this tendency.
That’s why she wasn’t bothered by Wern’s ignorance of her.
But…
‘He’s trying to take me away all of a sudden.’
Wern’s abrupt behavior unsettled her.
In response to Chloe’s question, Wern said, “I have no bad intentions.”
“You’re trying to take me away all of a sudden?”
“You just need to be bait to attract Leo Plov.”
“Bait?”
Chloe narrowed her eyes.
“Yeah.”
Wern smirked.
“I know Leo Plov’s reputation. I know he’s the strongest warrior in Lumene.”
“But?”
“But I can’t accept that he’s a warrior who surpasses even our Azonia students!”
“So? You’re setting a trap to take Leo down?”
“Huh! Do you think he’d fall for such a mean method?”
Wern snorted.
“I’m going to challenge him at the Grand Master’s Ceremony!”
The other Lumene students were unfamiliar with the Grand Master’s Ceremony, but Chloe, who was knowledgeable, knew it well.
‘A traditional Azonia ritual of pure martial arts.’
It was a duel where the strongest fought with pure physical strength, without relying on Aura.
The loser of the Grand Master’s Ceremony had to follow the winner’s orders.
“What’s the point of that? Leo isn’t even an Azonia student.”
“Huh. I just want to defeat Leo Plov and prove that the truly strongest warriors are in Azonia.”
Chloe crossed her arms at Wern’s words.
‘So that’s why he called me bait.’
It made sense.
And…
‘It’s annoying.’
Chloe’s expression turned icy.
‘So, he just thinks of me as bait to lure Leo in?’
She disliked the method, but disliked the intention even more.
Despite knowing Azonia’s disregard for sorcerers and summoners, she felt slighted.
‘He’s completely ignoring me?’
Chloe laughed.
It was a smile that would have startled Celia or Duran had they seen it.
“Okay. I’ll follow you.”
“Ugh, Chloe.”
“I don’t think you mean to harm me. If I don’t go, there might be a commotion. If there’s a commotion from the first day we’re here, it’ll be a big problem for our school’s reputation.”
“Ha, but…”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“Yes. I’ll treat her politely, as bait.”
‘You’re really just treating her as bait?’
Chloe smiled brightly.
Had the other girls seen that smile, they would have turned pale and stopped her.
But unfortunately for her captors, they could only see Chloe’s back.
Urrrrr-!
The Azonia students surrounded Chloe.
“Let’s go. With this, I’ve earned the chance to be the first to take down Leo Plov. The reward is mine, too.”
Wern left with a satisfied smirk.
Chloe followed him, already plotting her next move.
‘I’ll freeze them all and make my escape.’
Though usually calm and composed, Chloe could become the fiercest among the second-year students when provoked.
The other female students, unaware of Chloe’s true nature, looked alarmed and hurried to find help.
“Celia! There’s trouble! Big trouble!”
They found Celia and Duran and urgently shouted.
“What’s going on?” Celia asked, eyes wide with concern.
“Chloe was kidnapped by Azonia students!”
“What?”
Celia’s face hardened.
“Who was kidnapped?”
A cold voice came from behind them.
The female students turned to see Duran and Howl from their first-year class.
Howl’s face was in a fierce scowl, while Duran’s expression remained his usual blank stare, though his eyebrows twitched with irritation.
“Tell me more.”
The female students quickly explained the situation.
Celia listened, then said firmly, “I’ll inform the professors immediately.”
“Whoa, there, Celia Zerdinger.”
“What?”
“The Azonia students’ intentions are clear.”
Duran cracked his knuckles.
“They kidnapped Chloe Mueller under the guise of dragging Leo Plov into this? That’s a direct challenge to us.”
“So?”
“If we tell the professors and settle this, we’re avoiding their challenge.”
“So, are you suggesting a school-to-school fight?”
“That’s a valid option too.”
“Chloe went along quietly to avoid escalating things. We should do everything we can to keep it from getting worse.”
“I’m disappointed, Celia Zerdinger.”
“What do you mean?”
“This isn’t just about school pride. They’re targeting Chloe Mueller, who we both recognized as our class president.”
Duran regarded Celia with his usual blank expression.
“If you tell the professors, we won’t get a chance to handle this ourselves.”
The girls whispered among themselves.
“Well, to translate that… he’s saying something like “You messed with my friend! I can’t let that slide!””
“I agree.”
“Thinking back, Duran might have been difficult, but he did look out for everyone.”
“Shut up.”
Duran dismissed the girls’ comments with his characteristic blankness.
Meanwhile, Celia, considering Duran’s words, crossed her arms and nodded.
“Duran, you’re right.”
“Glad you see it that way.”
As Duran’s satisfaction became apparent, someone jumped down from the roof.
It was Chen Xia.
“This is Class 1’s business, Chen Xia.”
“But Chloe is my friend too. She’s also my fellow dorm leader right now. I’m involved as well.”
“Huh. Then I won’t stop you.”
Duran crossed his arms.
Howl looked at Chen Xia and asked, “What’s the plan?”
“First, find an Azonia student.”
Duran answered, “And then?”
“After dealing with them, we’ll ask where Wern is.”
Chen Xia smiled brightly.
“What if they don’t know?”
“We’ll find the next Azonia student and do the same.”
Howl watched Celia as she ran her hands through her hair, deep in thought.
‘How did this turn into a 3 vs. 1? That Wern guy is in for a rough time.’