REAPER SCANS

 

Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student

[Translator – Aine ]

[Proofreader – Ash ]

 

Chapter 52

The spotlight poured onto Leo.

"Congratulations!"

But the mood felt off.

While the students of Class 5 rejoiced, others seemed unconvinced.

Emio Luchan from the Class 2, third in the sorcery department, raised his hand.

"Hold on! I object! How can Leo Plov, not ranking in the top three in any department, be our grade representative?"

"That's right!"

"I don't buy it!"

“Please explain why he was chosen!”

Protests erupted from every corner of the room.

Artianne panicked at the reaction.

"I'll clarify the scoring process."

Harrid stepped in.

"First, dual-class students' rankings often don't reflect their departmental standings due to differences in competencies required of each department."

For instance, a sorcerer's pure Aura ability may be weaker than a pure knight's, and their sorcery ability may be weaker than that of a sorcerer.

But when these weaker capabilities combined, it created a potent synergy.

"Secondly, Leo Plov scored highest in the hero and combat studies joint practical exam among first-years."

"Huh? So what? There are other classes, too.”

"I still don't get it."

"Leo Plov standards of the target conditions required of the Hero's World used in the exam."

Students widened their eyes, unaware of this fact.

"In the process, he defeated Chubarne. Does Leo Plov's award make sense now?"

Now, there was no argument.

Awarding the top prize to someone who had actually achieved the impossible seemed reasonable.

"You took down Chubarne? Just the two of you? Are you insane?"

"Harrid said fighting Chubarne gets you expelled no matter what! Aren't you afraid?" Tide and Eliana pressed Leo urgently.

He casually sipped his drink as he explained, "There was no other way to escape the Hero Dungeon."

"Wow! You're crazy. But in a good way! Sometimes I feel like you're insane."

Leo grinned at Eliana's remark.

Meanwhile, the group of assistant professors unveiled the board showing their marks.

The students crowded around it.

"Oh...! I did better than I thought!"

"Ugh, this is bad! I thought I did better."

Mixed emotions of delight and disappointment filled the air.

Chelsea remarked, observing, "That's what Harrid said. Some who were at the bottom are now ranking quite high, and vice versa."

Harrid's predictions from the start of the semester held true.

Naturally, Chloe, as a result of the troubles she’d caused during the midterms, was the only high-ranking student whose rank had dropped significantly.

Of course, no one dared underestimate Chloe.

She was still known to be among the best in the grade.

"Kids grow up fast. Let your guard down, and they'll surpass you before you know it."

"Huh. Leo, you sound like an old man. We're the same age, you know."

Chelsea teased as Leo smiled.

Carr hurriedly approached from the side.

"I wanted to check the reactions of our other classmates. They all agree Leo's story is wild."

"It's worth it."

"Hmm." 

Chelsea hummed as she nodded in agreement.

Then, the party kicked off in earnest.

Leo indulged in the buffet’s delights.

Sampling dishes from various provinces, there was a slew of cuisines to try.

"Eastern food has so many tasty dishes!" Carr exclaimed, loading his plate with fried pork.

"I can’t help but agree."

Professor Len, watching the pair enjoy, waved for another glass of complementary wine.

"You don't seem very happy, Professor Len," Anna, Len's colleague, asked, puzzled. 

Len clicked his tongue.

"Anna, how can I enjoy this?”

“Leo has been chosen once again as the grade representative. Wasn’t he the one you were rooting for?”

“Of course, I’m happy for him. But he should've joined the sorcery department."

"A missed opportunity indeed."

Anna also glanced at Leo, pondering.

Half a semester had passed since the freshmen arrived.

Though many excelled in sorcery, those three—Abad, Chloe, and Leo—stood out.

‘Abad and Chloe have such wonderful potential.’

She’d never seen such talent in her sorcery teaching career.

It was a real privilege from an educator's standpoint.

When you taught, you became attached to the students’ growth.

‘With them, I feel like I’m cultivating gemstones.’

As an educator, she’d never been prouder.

‘Leo, on the other hand…’

Anna shuddered slightly.

‘Abad and Chloe are like gemstones, but Leo... he's beyond that. His potential seems truly limitless.’

Leo didn't just grasp knowledge; he reinterpreted and absorbed it uniquely.

Sorcery professors tended to admire that talent.

But Anna felt differently about Leo.

‘It's like I’m just trying to refine an already perfect gem.’

The depth of Leo's potential sometimes gave her chills.

That didn't mean she didn't want Leo in the sorcery department.

On the contrary, she hoped he'd choose their department to specialize in soon.

But what would become of him if Leo focused his frighteningly boundless potential solely on sorcery?

"Oh God! Why was Leo blessed with this useless talent for swordplay and summoning? Anna, what do we do?"

‘Is he drunk again?’

Anna sighed.

Len was a lightweight. And when he drank, his emotions spiralled.

Other professors didn’t hold back when they heard him begin to ramble.

‘Geniuses never care about others' opinions.’

Anna thought to intervene as Len hugged his wine bottle, crying.

"Maybe Leo will commit to the sorcery department soon."

"Why's that?"

"Think about Leo's best friends, Chelsea and Carr."

“…!”

Len perked up.

"Anna! Brilliant! We can get them to influence Leo."

"Hold on, Len! I didn’t mean that we should make his friends manipulate him—"

"Ha! Why didn't I think of it sooner? It's so simple!"

"Pushing students in any one direction violates school rules! You can't just manipulate them!"

"Call the two of them here right now...!”

"Wait! Listen to me!"

Anna intervened, trying to silence Len.

"Why are you trying to stop me? It's a chance to stop Leo from wasting his time!"

"What do you mean 'wasting his time'?"

Anna went pale.

Right then, Professor Ain arrived.

"Interesting discussion you were having."

Ain chuckled.

"Leo's bonding with sorcery students hints he's leaning towards it."

"Choosing a department based on friendship? You certainly are still young. Shouldn't we guide students to their best fit? Leo's as capable as anyone in the knights studies department."

"Your desire for Leo clouds your judgment. As a sorcerer, he should be able to see clearly….”

Anna looked to the ceiling, lamenting.

‘What a mess.’

Ain, stern, grabbed Len by the collar.

Regardless, Len was too lost in his argument, still blabbing on.

"What are you two doing? You're embarrassing yourselves."

Ain glanced at Yura, who approached, puzzled by the scene.

"I was discussing Leo Plov's choice of department."

"Leo?"

'These humans must be dreaming again. Leo's all about summoning.'

Yura glanced at the pair of professors, pitying them.

‘Isn't it obvious? The kid summoned a phoenix. Summoning's his thing, clearly.’

Ain and Len exchanged puzzled looks at Yura's confidently offensive expression.

Yura, the most eccentric among them, had big plans for the department.

‘Why's she giving me the stink eye?’

‘Yura's up to her schemes again,’ Ain and Len thought to themselves.

Other professors, familiar with the trio’s antics, shook their heads.

‘Ugh, they’re back at it again…’

Then, professor Sedgen tapped his glass to gather everyone's attention.

"Attention, attention, please. Is everyone enjoying the party?"

A chorus of voices agreed:

"Yes."

"Good! Now, it’s time to announce the school trip destination."

Once more, excitement filled the room.

"Remember, this is not just a vacation. It's a chance to learn by traveling to a place you’ve never been to before."

Sedgen gestured dramatically to the side.

An assistant professor unveiled the cloth from one of the bulletin boards.

Sedgen signaled to reveal what lay beneath it with a flourish.

Whoosh!

The cloth moved aside to show a map, displaying the continent.

“Wow, so fancy.”

"Sedgen sure loves flair."

Leo smirked at Carr's comment.

"Each class gets to choose where they’d like to go."

The room buzzed with ideas.

"East! Let's go East!"

"What? No. I'm from there!"

"What about the South? I want to see the desert."

"Oh, it's too hot. Let's head North for some cool air!"

Amidst the chatter, Duran raised his hand.

"Duran! What's on your mind?"

"Professor, you say that this trip will be an opportunity to learn by traveling somewhere we’ve never been before. I believe many of the freshmen have already visited a number of regions of the world. Is this trip just for those who haven't traveled much?"

Many students nodded in agreement.

There were quite a few students who, like Leo, had not been able to leave their country, while there were also quite a few who had been to various countries and cultures. 

Professor Sedgen chuckled.

"Good question, Duran."

He opened his arms towards the audience.

"I bet some of you have traveled near and far since you were kids! Lumene won't give such students less of an opportunity to broaden their horizons!”

Excitement rippled through the students.

If it wasn’t just about visiting another place, then what was the plan?

Sedgen gestured to the map, tapping the northern part.

"You won't be heading anywhere within the human realm!"

Students gasped at the announcement.

"No way!"

"Yes! Another realm awaits! The land of the elves!"

His words elicited cheers from the students.

"Wow!"

"Amazing!"

"Lumene rocks! Can't believe we're going to the land of the elves."

Even Duran, looking dazed, cracked a smile.

Leo observed quietly.

‘New eras bring new opportunities.’

Once, there was a time when there were no barriers between races, but times had changed.

Although races generally interacted, free travel between regions was never common.

‘Were there wars between races in the past?’

In the present day, humans and elves had a tense relationship.

Such conflicts would be unimaginable in Kyle's time.

‘Well, in today's world, anything about the past seems so far away.’

"Hey Chelsea! Ever been to the land of the elves?’

"Why would you even ask? How could I have?"

"Ah, I can't wait! Where should we go?"

"Leo! Which country are you eyeing?"

Carr pointed to the map.

"There."

"What?"

"I want to visit El-Salbekia."

El-Salbekia, a small country in the land of the elves, held something special.

The Fairy Forest.

The name was an old one.

Unlike its name suggested, there were no fairies living there at present.

They said the fairies all left during the Age of Despair.

Before that, however, the forest teemed with fairies.

‘I’m getting to visit much sooner than I anticipated.’

Leo clenched his fist.

He had made a pact as a summoner.

A connection to the Fairy King.

‘I doubt the fairies would truly abandon their sanctuary so easily.’

Leo's eyes gleamed.

‘There’s a good chance they’ve left something of the Fairy King’s behind.’