Chapter 33 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: A Foolish Wish
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The entire first year had gathered in the grand auditorium.
The murmuring chatter of mid-teen students filled the entire hall.
Amid the noise, assistant professors and teaching assistants came out to prepare for the class.
Once the preparations were complete, an assistant professor spoke up.
"Everyone, please quiet down. Class is about to begin!"
"Yes."
The students answered the teaching assistants.
The murmuring subsided a little, but it didn't disappear completely.
Teenagers, at an age where they loved nothing more than hanging out with friends, weren't the kind of beings a single adult could quiet with mere words.
The assistant professors knew this and didn't press the matter.
The reason was that the person in charge of today's class was none other than Professor Artian Nier.
"Everyone! I'm so sorry I'm late!"
Professor Artian apologized as she entered the auditorium and stepped onto the stage.
*Thump!*
"Oof!"
She tripped and fell.
At that, all the students straightened their postures and fell silent.
With an embarrassed expression, Professor Artian rubbed her knees as she made her way to the center of the stage.
Artian Nier.
The professor the first-years currently feared the most.
The reason was simple.
If you chattered during her class, physical punishment would swiftly follow.
Of course, it wasn't by her own will, but the work of the short-tempered spirits contracted to her.
Thanks to this, the students would tense up the moment Professor Artian appeared.
Having controlled the students with her mere presence, Artian clapped her hands and smiled brightly.
"You students are so well-behaved! To get so quiet in front of your professor!"
The optimistic Artian simply thought the students were good-natured.
"Last class, we talked about the renowned hero families, right? Before we start today's lesson, shall we review what we've learned?"
Artian began the class.
"Can any student tell me why the renowned hero families were able to form after the appearance of the Hero Record?"
At her question, hands shot up here and there.
Fear aside, she was a good professor.
She conducted her classes in an easy-to-understand manner and was also generous with her grading.
Considering that some strict professors were not only stingy with points but would even deduct them, there was no harm in actively participating in Artian's class.
Even Karl actively raised his hand.
"Karl from Class 5?"
"Yes!"
Karl cheered quietly and stood up.
"Because opening a World of Heroes in the Hero Record requires an item deeply related to or part of an anecdote about that hero. The descendants of heroes inherit their ancestors' belongings, making it easier for them to access the World of Heroes!"
"That's correct. Five points for you, Karl."
Karl sat down, grinning from ear to ear.
"It's a bit of a political matter, but this is also why the connection between Lumerne Academy, which houses the Hero Record, and the renowned hero families runs so deep."
Even if one possessed the key to open a World of Heroes, the hero's recorded history itself was stored in the Hero Record at Lumerne.
"In the case of heroes who left no relics behind before the advent of the World of Heroes, items related to them can be obtained through ruin investigation and excavation."
The Hero Record has existed since the Age of Calamity, before the Worlds of Heroes were discovered, so there are countless pages for heroes whose worlds cannot be opened, with only the page itself existing.
"Even for the same hero, not all pages can be opened with a single person's keepsake, making excavation the most important activity in the modern era after conquering hero dungeons. Moreover, hero dungeons created by rampages do offer rewards, but the succession of power is often unstable. Now, one more question."
Artian looked back at the students.
"Besides what I've explained, can any student tell me about the importance of heroics?"
Once again, students eagerly raised their hands.
"Duran from Class 1."
"Because it can provide clues for conquering the World of Heroes."
"Correct. Five points for Duran."
Duran sat down impassively.
"The World of Heroes is the ordeal experienced by heroes of the past. Even if you know the hero's story, it is a great trial, almost impossible to conquer. Many lose their lives there. That's why even a small clue or anecdote can become a key to success."
This was also why students devoted themselves to heroics.
"When you become upperclassmen, you will choose a hero whose power you wish to inherit and attempt to conquer that hero's page. Until then, you should figure out which hero's disposition best suits your own."
Artian clapped lightly.
"Alright, shall we begin the homework presentations now?"
Last week, Artian had given all the first-year students an assignment.
Of course, it wasn't a particularly difficult one.
They were to think about what they wanted to do as a hero and present it in the next heroics class.
It might not seem like much, but for those who dreamed of becoming a hero, it was necessary to establish their own heroic ideal.
And since everyone had entered Lumerne with a serious mindset, the first-years had spent the weekend contemplating this assignment earnestly.
"Alright, let's start with Class 1."
The students of Class 1 hesitantly glanced at one another.
They were embarrassed to speak of their goals as heroes in front of hundreds of people.
"Class 1! There's nothing to be ashamed of! Your goal is your guide! To declare it proudly before others is a glorious... Mmph!"
"This is Artian's class. It's not your place to step in."
"Professor Sedzen! Please! Professor Artian is timid enough as it is!"
Unable to just watch the hesitating students of Class 1, the enthusiastically cheering Professor Sedzen was held back by the other homeroom professors.
Just then, Celia stood up.
With her back straight, she confidently swept her hair back and spoke.
"I want to become a knight who surpasses the ancestors of my family."
A knight who surpasses the ancestors of Jerdinger.
For someone from a renowned hero family, there was no goal with more weight.
"Wow! That's a truly wonderful goal!"
Next to stand was Chloe.
"I want to create a grimoire that establishes my own original spells."
"A grand goal for a mage."
Starting with Celia, the students began to share their goals one by one.
At first, they all hesitated, but once the ice was broken, there was no stopping them.
The homeroom professors observing from the back listened intently to their students' presentations.
They knew well that these short presentations represented the paths their students wished to walk.
Soon, it was Class 5's turn.
"I want to be of help to heroes."
As Karl revealed his aspiration, Artian looked surprised.
But she soon understood his meaning and smiled.
"It seems you want to be someone who supports heroes from behind, Karl."
"Yes."
While most of the other students couldn't understand Karl's early choice to walk the path of a supporter, many of the professors viewed his chosen path favorably.
As Karl sat down, it was Leo's turn.
Leo stood up and said calmly.
"My goal is the complete annihilation of Erebos."
For a moment, a silence fell over the grand auditorium.
Artian was shocked, and the students stared at Leo with bewildered faces.
The complete annihilation of Erebos.
That wasn't just a personal wish.
It was the world's earnest desire since the Age of Calamity.
A foolish wish that even the Great Heroes had failed to achieve, one that would only be met with ridicule if spoken aloud.
To hear him say it so unhesitatingly was nothing short of dumbfounding.
"Ah, um...! That's quite a goal!"
Artian barely managed to compose herself and offer a smile.
"Isn't that a bit of a pipe dream?"
"There was once a foolish fellow who spoke of such a pipe dream."
Leo rested his chin on his hand and let out a small smirk.
"At some point, I was moved by those foolish words. So I decided to inherit that dream in their stead."
Karl looked at Leo, who was spouting incomprehensible nonsense, with a baffled expression.
Then, he grinned.
"A person aiming for such a great feat will need an excellent supporter, right?"
"I'll be counting on you, Karl."
***
"The year representative certainly has an extraordinary ambition."
One of the homeroom professors watching the first-years' presentations muttered.
"Don't you think he answered it like a joke?"
"His homeroom professor is Halind, isn't it? Would he really joke in a setting like this?"
"Still, isn't it too absurd of an ambition?"
Opinions were divided among the professors.
Amidst this, Sedzen asked Halind, who was next to him.
"Does it look like a joke to you?"
"No. He's not the type of student to speak nonsense."
Halind frowned.
"That's why it's a little frightening."
Thousands of years had passed since Erebos was subjugated by the Great Heroes, split into several pieces, and sealed away.
During that time, there had been several revivals.
Yet, the revival of just a single piece was enough to plunge the world into a massive calamity.
And now there was a student who dreamed of the complete annihilation of such a being.
'Is he simply a fool? Or is his capacity just that large?'
A month had passed, but even Halind couldn't fully gauge Leo yet.
Halind was staring intently in Leo's direction when it happened.
"Professors."
The principal's secretary, Elena, approached the professors carrying a box.
"These are the Hero Record pages to be used as teaching materials."
"Thank you for your hard work, Secretary Elena."
Professor Sedzen took it and rose from his seat.
The other homeroom professors also stood up.
The professors were also participating in this joint class.
To be precise, they were there to prepare for any contingencies.
In the past, there had been several instances where a page retrieved from a hero dungeon went rampant during class.
It wasn't a frequent occurrence, but it wasn't unheard of either, so professors always observed when the Hero Record was used as a teaching material to protect the students.
By the time the professors headed for the stage, the presentations for the remaining classes had finished.
"Everyone. We will now proceed with the heroics lesson using the Hero Record pages recently retrieved by dungeon conquerors."
Professor Artian said, taking the sealed box containing the Hero Record from Sedzen.
"Finally!"
"This is my first time touching a Hero Record!"
"I'm so nervous!"
The students reacted with excitement.
"Today's class will involve reading the Hero Record page, having each class deduce which hero it belongs to, and then formulating a strategy to conquer that hero's world."
It wasn't strictly necessary to use a Hero Record for this lesson.
However, it was something they would one day encounter in a real situation.
Therefore, to add gravity to the lesson, they used a Hero Record whose contents were unknown to the students.
"The class presidents from each class, please come forward."
"I'm so jealous, Leo. You get to touch the Hero Record yourself!"
At Iliana's words, Nella laughed.
"We'll all get to touch it after class, so what's the big deal?"
"Still, getting to touch it early is a privilege!"
Iliana was envious of the privilege that came with being a class president.
And so, the ten class presidents went up onto the stage.
"Oho. So the president of Class 5 was Young Master Leo?"
Chen Xia, the president of Class 10, greeted him warmly.
"It was decided on the fly today."
"On the fly?"
Chen Xia tilted her head.
A strange atmosphere formed as the most prominent students among the first-years gathered in one place.
Artian opened the sealed box.
"There are two Hero Records retrieved this time. Of course, only one page will be used as teaching material. The other is a page fragment... I brought it to show you that such things exist."
Artian held up the page fragment.
And handed it to Leo, who was closest.
Leo reached out his hand without thinking.
In that instant, the page fragment emitted a faint light.
And the moment the page touched Leo's hand.
[Hero Record Open. World of ■■. Chapter: ■■-■■■]
A familiar message appeared before Leo's eyes.
Artian, as well as the class presidents.
And the professors who had been preparing for any contingency—all wore expressions of shock.
*Vwoom—!*
Light rose from the floor of the stage.
The language of the gods, unknowable to the inhabitants of the lower world.
"A rampage?"
Along with Professor Sedzen's bewildered voice, a brilliant light engulfed the stage.
When the light finally faded, Leo, along with the homeroom professors and class presidents, found themselves standing in a different space.
It was the middle of a battlefield.
The corpses of all sorts of bizarre monsters littered the ground.
"Everyone, on your guard! This is a hero dungeon!"
At Halind's shout, the class presidents' faces turned pale.
"Halind! I see a castle wall over there!"
Sedzen pointed to the wall that Leo was staring at.
Leo stared at the wall with a dazed expression.
It was a familiar wall to him.
A place that had long since vanished in the current era.
The last line of defense and the final city of the Age of Calamity.
The walls of Gardsrone.
The burning corpses of monsters, fiends, and demons filled the air with a pungent stench.
For Leo, this was a sight he could never forget.
If this was that time... if his memory served him right, she had definitely said this.
'That's right, Kyle. My wish is a very foolish one.'
"That's right, ■■. My wish is a very foolish one."
The voice from behind made the professors and class presidents flinch and turn their heads.
And then, they unknowingly gasped.
The person standing there was an incredibly famous figure.
Leo blankly turned his head toward the voice.
The woman spoke with the same confident tone as back then.
"But ■■. We will save the world."
The Black Dragon, known in the current era as the King of Wisdom.
A great and noble Great Hero who had cast a ray of hope in an age of despair when the world was hurtling toward destruction.
His dearest friend, who at this time had been ridiculed as a fool.
Feeling a lump in his throat, Leo called out his name.
"Lisinas."
At the call, Lisinas gave a faint smile.
*Fwoosh—!*
At the same time, the world collapsed.
In the blink of an eye, they were back in the grand auditorium.
"What the...!"
"P-Professors, what just happened?"
The students asked in trembling, bewildered voices.
Halind made a calm assessment.
"For now, class is suspended. Everyone, calm down and exit the auditorium."
At his words, the assistant professors began to lead the students out.
Leo stood there blankly, staring down at the Hero Record page fragment in his hand.
He knew whose page fragment this was.
'Kyle's page. This is my record.'
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