REAPER SCANS

[The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honor Student]

[Translator – Aine ]

[Proofreader – Ash ]

Chapter 8

"It’s been a long time, Zeis."

"How have you been, Imperial Sorcerer Rosé?"

Zeis greeted Rosé Lewellin, cousin to the current family head, serving as an imperial sorcerer.

"Abad, Chelsea, and Celia are all entering in the same grade. Ha! A grand affair for families, hailing from the same empire!"

Abad, the lord's son, was sixteen, and Chelsea was fourteen.

From an imperial standpoint, it was a good thing that three people representing the empire were able to enter together in the same year.

Yet, it marked the inevitable start of a familial power struggle to be named the greatest family in the empire.

"Although, Abad will be the top scorer in the Western Entrance Examination."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Abad and Celia are formidable contenders for first place."

Rosé glanced around, finding Albi, the tester, at the podium.

"This test is unique, full of unpredictable variables. And through that uncertainty, Abad has Chelsea by his side."

Chelsea was one of the top five ranked test-takers.

The siblings would surely collaborate against Celia, another top contender.

‘It’s a disadvantageous situation for Celia... yet, not without hope.’

Because she had a helping hand in the arena, too.

Zeis chuckled, recalling Leo.

A massive magic mirror materialized above them.

Woooooah

The audience gawked.

The mirror projected a screen, revealing the events within the Hero’s World, so that the conditions of the exam could be relayed to the public.

The magic mirror shone in the air.

The moment the mirror’s screen turned on…

Blink!

Zeis burst into laughter, and Rosé watched in shock.

Although there was no sound accompanying the video, a girl with light-blue hair was screaming.

A bonfire was burning under the girl, who hung in the air with her hands and feet tied.

And the white-haired boy holding the vines keeping her there was wickedly smiling, adjusting the vines.

* * *

Chelsea awoke, bound and suspended.

"What's this?"

"Awake? Let's ask since you're awake. Do you want to cooperate with me or not?"

"You can’t make me. And I’ll make you regret tying me up like this!" Chelsea spoke, conjuring a spell.

‘Oh? Oh? Why isn’t my magic working?’

It felt like her magic was being contained by something, somehow.

“Is this a magic seal?”

"Yeah. That would be me.”

"You're a sorcerer?"

"No. I can’t use any magic right now. So my seal isn't all that strong."

"Unbelievable!"

"Well, I can only make them when I really focus."

"What? Ack!"

Chelsea felt heat on her hips.

The bonfire beneath her came closer and closer as Leo lowered her.

"Wait! Stop! Please release me!"

"Will you cooperate with me or not?"

"A Lewellin and a Zerdinger? Never!"

"Think fast or your butt will cook!"

"Stop! Please!"

Struggling, Chelsea attempted to break the seal.

Untangling a seal demanded intense concentration, even for non-magical seals like the one Leo had created. 

She hurriedly tried to destroy the seal, but it was not easy.

Breaking through a magic seal required considerable magical literacy.

Of course, it could’ve worked out if Chelsea were a little more experienced sorcerer.

Inexperienced with the task, however, she struggled.

Leo saw through her.

Her face turned white.

‘Stop! They can watch the exam from outside! If other people see this--’

The shame was unbearable.

Crackle

Her clothes caught fire.

"Ah! It’s so hot! Stop!"

"Then swear on your family’s name that you’ll cooperate with me!"

"Under the Lewellin family name, I swear I'll cooperate with you!"

Chelsea, tears in her eyes, begged.

‘Like taking candy from a baby.’

Leo chuckled, pulling the vines away with a smile.

Chelsea, freshly released, tearfully extinguished the fire.

'Hope no one saw. Not now. N-nobody saw, right? I don't think so. I'm sure they didn’t. The test just started; I’m sure they haven’t even started broadcasting yet.’

But very sadly for her, Leo and Chelsea were coincidentally the first to be magically broadcast.

* * *

‘Hmmm.’

Albi sighed with a look of apathy.

Observing his own Hero’s World that laid in front of his eyes.

The first page of each candidate's tale as a hero began here.

It was how he, himself, had become a hero.

Yet, all of these candidates appeared to be struggling.

'They're all low-quality.'

Albi grimaced, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

A hero was a being recognized by God.

Thus, other people regarded heroes as noble and dashing figures.

Certainly, such individuals existed.

Albi, however, diverged from that stereotype.

A desire for efficiency drove his nervous personality.

Inefficiency irked him.

Disturbances bothered him.

Hence, his participation in the proctoring of this test.

Survival in a cursed forest.

Strength defined survival.

A simple yet telling trial.

And its effects were apparent.

To eliminate your rivals or to defeat monsters.

Those were the two choices given in this examination.

Most opted to eliminate their competitors.

'Ridiculous.’

They lacked foresight.

Sure, it was the swiftest route to dominance.

The monsters in the Wild Forest posed little threat to the candidates.

Oaks, knolls, and goblins were manageable.

Trolls were dangerous, but sparse enough to ignore.

Two errors marred this common approach.

First, they misjudged the criteria.

Albi had delivered background on the exam. 

However, he omitted any clear instructions.

In other words, they failed to realize that eliminating one’s competitors was actually a horrible idea. 

Second, they underestimated the Wild Forest.

Even low-level monsters proved wearying in sustained combat.

Without cooperation, they'd perish.

‘Of course, an incredibly skilled candidate could manage onslaught from both monsters and peers.’

Albi smirked at the magic mirror.

Black hair and red eyes stood out.

A girl wielding a sword encased by a flaming coat of Aura.

‘Celia Zerdinger. I’ve heard quite a bit about her.’

She exuded mastery in fending off a trio of trolls.

And behind her, a boy with light blue hair defending himself.

‘Abad Lewellin, too. The Empire's future is bright.’

Rivals united in the Hero’s World.

Those two, whose individual skills would have allowed them to pass the test alone, had joined forces.

They had seen through this test accurately.

'Those two won't be a problem. Rather, it'll be hard to tell the difference between the two.'

Albi was satisfied.

The first and second place were assuredly between the two of them.

The screen shifted.

The depicted candidate battled an orc.

‘Is this one Leo Plov?’

It was the same person who was first shown on screen.

As well as the one who had stood out for their unconventional approach.

Many viewed Leo as eccentric for attempting to coerce a daughter of the Lewellin family, nearly setting her ablaze.

Yet, Albi awarded Leo high marks.

‘It's a good strategy. Obtaining Chelsea Lewellin's cooperation deserves recognition.’

Albi was looking forward to watching more of Leo's performance eagerly.

And what was currently unfolding had already surpassed his expectations.

This hero-to-be, indeed, was remarkable.

‘While lacking Celia Zerdinger's flair, there's undeniable skill there.’

Leo cut down the orc effortlessly, demonstrating unparalleled finesse.

‘A dark horse.’

* * *

Reaper Scans

[Translator – Aine]

[Proofreader – Ash]

Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics

* * *

Whack!

"Raaaaaaah!"

Leo pivoted, effortlessly dislodging his sword from an orc’s now impaled heart.

From there, his sword cleaved through another orc’s neck in one fluid motion.

Facing ten orcs, Leo wasted no time.

Orcs were intelligent monsters, vengeful and quick to action when challenged.

Before they could react, he closed in swiftly.

As Leo carved a path, Chelsea unleashed her magic.

"Wind Arrow."

Shoom, shoom, shooom!

“Arrrrgh!”

“Urahhhh!”

The orcs screamed as her magic pierced them.

Seven fell to Chelsea's spell.

Neatly wiping blood from his blade, Leo pressed forward.

Chelsea, following, mumbled to herself, “Fighting like this is effortless.”

Even aspiring battle mages could appreciate having another skilled warrior on their side.

The most efficient tactic for any sorcerer, after all, was to leave the frontline to a competent warrior and focus on firepower support from the rear.

Together, Leo and Chelsea proved efficient.

Initially reluctant, Chelsea now recognized their synergy after three battles together.

But their pairing wouldn’t be limited to dealing with monsters.

Her magical specialty, after all, was in widespread attacks.

Their strategy allowed them to drive the monsters into one place so that her magic could be cast as efficiently as possible.

"Wait, how did you cook an orc without using Aura?"

"I don't know how to use Aura."

"What?"

"I haven't learned it yet."

‘He did all that without Aura?’

Then, the realization dawned on Chelsea, explaining how she’d been defeated earlier.

‘He wasn’t using Aura at all, which is why I couldn’t detect him!’

She grinned triumphantly.

"Revealing your secret like that! Foolish move!"

"You can't overpower me with your skills yet, anyways, so I’m not worried."

"Ho ho ho! You’re bluffing!"

"I'm just telling you the truth." Leo's admission surprised Chelsea. "Honestly, though, your skills are impressive."

"What?"

"You have really strong magic, and it’s versatile, too."

"To be honest, compliments aren't your style."

Though she gave a coy response, Leo's praise warmed her.

"But that’s the issue."

"What?"

"Your skills are so good that you can’t grasp the essence of wind magic."

Chelsea's combat style relied on overpowering her opponent.

This use of magic is incongruent with the essence of wind magic.

"Wind magic is the pride and joy of my family. Discussing the “essence” of our trade before a Lewellin is absurd."

Chelsea scoffed.

Leo's critique irked her.

She cast a spell with her cane, invoking a rune.

"Wind Breaker."

Screeeeeeech

A sharp gust tore through the bushes, shredding any lurking trolls in the vicinity.

A troll collapsed on the floor, wriggling.

Chelsea displayed her prowess with a top-tier spell, aiming to unsettle Leo.

"You’re all talk, aren’t you? Just because you think you know a little bit about magic! Surprised, aren't you?"

Chelsea gave him a smug smirk.

Leo watched, unimpressed.

"That's not how you use wind magic."

The biggest advantage of wind magic lay in its versatility.

Simply exerting blunt force via wind was the antithesis of its innate character.

Chelsea bristled at Leo's words.

He turned away, dismissing her.

'I know. Without using magic myself, I sound foolish.'

His credentials from his past life remained a mystery, but right now, all he had to show was his lack of magical ability. 

Leo halted abruptly. 

His pause caught Chelsea's attention.

Troll corpses littered the clearing. 

Yet, they appeared oddly emaciated.

Skinny, as if they’d been sucked of water.

“What happened to them? There won’t be any monsters that can suck out life force in this forest, right?”

Chelsea puzzled over the bodies while Leo scanned over them.

‘This can't be.’

"Let’s find Celia and your brother first. I think I know what it takes to pass this test."

"Huh? What is it?"

Leo chuckled, surprising Chelsea.

"Conquering this world."

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