KakaoPage Originals
The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honor Student
[Original — Yerona]
[TL — MiT7]
[PR — Spades]
[QC — Lumi]
Chapter 9 — Shadows of the Curse
——————
"It's been a while, Deputy Patriarch Zis."
"Have you been well, Imperial Wizard Rozes?"
Zis greeted Rozes Lewallin.
Rozes Lewallin.
A cousin of the current Lewallin patriarch and an imperial wizard of the empire.
"Abad, Chelsea, and Celia entering Lumern in the same year! Haha! As fellow citizens of the empire, it's a cause for celebration!"
Abad, the patriarch's son, was sixteen. Chelsea was fourteen.
For the empire, having three prodigies enroll in the same year was a boon.
But for the two families vying for the empire's top title, it marked the start of a cutthroat rivalry.
"The top rank in the western exam will go to Abad, though."
"Confident, are you?" Zis asked.
"Abad and Celia are both capable of claiming the top spot."
Rozes glanced at Examiner Albi on the platform.
"This exam is unusual, with many variables. And Abad has Chelsea."
The implication was clear: the siblings would team up to take down Celia.
Chelsea was among the top five candidates.
With her aiding Abad, Celia would be hard-pressed to compete.
'It's a disadvantage, but not hopeless.'
Zis had a wildcard in mind.
Thinking of Leo, he smiled cryptically.
Then, a massive square magic mirror appeared in the air.
Ooh— The crowd gasped.
A spell to view the Hero's World.
The exam's events were broadcast here.
The mirror shimmered, and an image appeared.
The moment it did—
"Pfft!"
Zis burst into laughter, while Rozes's eyes bulged.
No sound came through, but a girl with pale blue hair was screaming.
Bound hand and foot, she dangled in the air.
Below her, a bonfire roared.
A white-haired boy, holding the vines, grinned wickedly as he adjusted her height.
***
When Chelsea came to, she was dangling in the air, her hands and feet bound together.
"W-What is this?!"
"Awake? Let's cut to the chase. Will you cooperate with me or not?"
"You'll regret not eliminating me and tying me up with this shoddy trap."
Chelsea snarled, summoning her mana.
'W-Wait, why isn't my mana moving?'
Something was suppressing it.
"A mana-sealing array?"
"Bingo. I drew it."
"You're a magic swordsman?"
"Nope. I don't have any mana right now. So the array isn't that strong."
"Ugh! I never thought you'd know magic! But an unpowered sealing array? I can break it easily!"
"Sure, if you can focus properly."
"What? Eek—!"
A searing heat on her backside made Chelsea yelp.
As Leo lowered the vine, the bonfire's presence loomed.
"Wait! Stop! Aaaah! Don't lower me!"
"So? Cooperate or not?"
"As a Lewallin, I'd never work with a Zerdinger!"
"Alright. Don't blame me if your butt gets roasted."
"Aaaaah?! Stop! Stop it!"
Chelsea thrashed.
The scorching heat crept up her body.
She tried to dispel the array, but it wasn't easy.
Mana-sealing arrays required significant magical knowledge.
Even an unpowered one demanded intense concentration to break.
An experienced wizard would've shrugged it off.
But Chelsea, despite her skill, was green.
Leo had seen right through her.
Her face paled.
'The exam is broadcast outside! If people see me like this!'
Humiliation didn't get worse than this!
Whoosh—!
Her skirt's hem caught fire!
"Aaah! Hot! Stop! Stooop!"
"Swear on your family's name that you'll cooperate."
"I'll do it! I swear! On Lewallin's name, I'll cooperate, so please stop!"
Tears welled in Chelsea's eyes as she pleaded.
'Kids are easy.'
Chuckling, Leo pulled the vine.
Freed, Chelsea tearfully extinguished the flames.
'N-No way anyone saw this, right? Yeah, they didn't. The exam just started, so they're probably showing others.'
Unfortunately for her, Leo and Chelsea's scene was the first broadcast.
***
'Hmph.'
Albi sighed with a bored expression.
This Hero's World was special to him.
The first page of his heroic saga.
The moment that set him on the path to heroism.
Watching candidates struggle in it, he thought, 'Their level is pathetic.'
Albi clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Heroes were those recognized by the gods.
People saw them as noble and gallant.
Some were.
But Albi was far from that image.
Irritable and efficiency-obsessed, he hated wastefulness.
And hassle.
Hence this exam.
Survival in a demonic realm.
The strong survived.
A simple, effective way to separate wheat from chaff.
The results were clear.
Eliminate rivals.
Survive monsters.
Those were the exam's two paths.
Most candidates chose to eliminate rivals.
'Utterly foolish.'
They thought they were clever.
The fastest way to climb the ranks.
And the Demon Forest's monsters—orcs, gnolls, goblins—weren't major threats for these candidates.
Trolls were dangerous but rare.
The candidates made two mistakes.
First, they didn't grasp the information.
Albi explained the exam but never the passing criteria.
They should've realized eliminating rivals wasn't the key and acted cautiously.
Second, they misjudged the Demon Forest.
Even great nations with armies couldn't conquer it.
Even low-tier monsters wore you down with endless battles.
Fighting each other in that situation?
In a real scenario, it'd be a massacre.
'Of course, with overwhelming skill, you could tackle both monsters and rivals.'
Albi's lips curled as he glanced at the magic mirror.
A girl with black hair and red eyes.
Her sword blazed with fiery aura.
'Celia Zerdinger. As impressive as rumored.'
She was battling three trolls.
Behind her, a boy with pale blue hair chanted.
'Abad Lewallin's no slouch either. The empire's future is bright.'
Rivals by fate, they'd met the moment they entered the Hero's World.
Both had the skill to pass alone but chose cooperation.
They'd seen through the exam's true nature.
'Those two will be fine. It'll be hard to pick between them.'
Satisfied, Albi assumed first and second places were theirs.
Then the mirror's image shifted.
It showed a candidate fighting orcs.
'Leo Flove, was it?'
The first candidate broadcast.
And the most bizarre of the exam.
Most saw Leo, who'd tied up a Lewallin heiress over a bonfire, as a lunatic.
But Albi gave him high marks.
'Whatever the method, securing Chelsea Lewallin's cooperation is a plus.'
He was eager to see what Leo would do.
And Leo's performance exceeded expectations.
Even Albi, a hero, was stunned.
'He lacks Celia Zerdinger's raw power and flash, but…'
His minimal movements felling orcs exuded an unfathomable mastery.
'An unexpected dark horse.'
***
Splatter—!
"Chwaaak—!"
Leaving a heart-pierced orc behind, Leo spun.
His sword flowed naturally.
With centrifugal force, it slashed the neck of an orc sneaking behind.
Encountering ten orcs, Leo charged instantly.
Orcs were cunning, forming ranks if given time.
He struck first to prevent that.
As Leo cut down the vanguard, Chelsea chanted.
"Wind Arrow."
She unleashed the completed spell.
Thud-thud-thud—!
"Kwaaaagh!"
"Chweeek!"
Orcs screamed, pierced by the magic.
Seven fell to her spell.
Leo cleanly slit the last orc's throat and flicked the blood off his sword.
Without a word, he walked on.
Following, Chelsea muttered inwardly, 'Fighting's so easy.'
Even as an aspiring Battle Magician, she was still a wizard.
The best tactic was letting a skilled warrior lead while she provided firepower from the rear.
And she felt her synergy with Leo was perfect.
Forced into a team by intimidation, she'd been furious.
But after three battles, she was glad.
It wasn't just about fighting monsters.
Leo subtly herded monsters into groups for her magic to shine.
Magic was area-based.
The more clustered the enemies, the greater the impact.
"Not bad, taking down orcs so easily without aura," Chelsea said.
"I don't know how to use aura."
"What?"
"Haven't learned it yet."
'Moving like that without aura?'
Stunned, Chelsea realized why she'd lost earlier.
'No aura, so no mana signature to detect.'
Placing a hand on her hip, she smirked triumphantly.
"Revealing your secret like that? Foolish!"
"With your skill, you can't beat me, so I'm not worried."
"Hoho! All talk."
"Just stating facts," Leo said flatly.
"Honestly, you've got serious skill."
"Hm?"
"Strong mana, and you know plenty of spells, right?"
"Flattery won't get you anything."
She spoke primly, but the sudden praise felt good.
"But that's the problem."
"Huh?"
"Your skill's so good, you're not using wind magic's true potential."
Chelsea overwhelmed foes with powerful spells.
That wasn't wind magic's essence.
"Our family's pride is wind magic. Lecturing a Lewallin about it? Laughable."
Chelsea scoffed.
She couldn't tolerate Leo's comment.
Chanting in runic, she aimed her staff.
"Wind Break."
A fierce wind blade tore through the bushes, shredding a hiding troll.
The troll twitched, then went limp.
Chelsea had cast a high-level spell to intimidate Leo.
'Think you know magic? Bet you're shocked now!'
She grinned smugly.
Leo looked unimpressed.
"That's not how you use wind magic."
Wind magic's greatest strength was its versatility.
Brute force was the least effective way to wield it.
Chelsea's face twisted in anger.
She turned away, refusing to listen.
'Guess it sounds absurd coming from me, who can't use magic now.'
In his past life, maybe not, but now he hadn't learned magic.
Leo smirked, then froze.
Chelsea's eyes widened.
Troll corpses littered the area.
But they looked wrong.
Drained, as if their life had been sucked out.
"What did this? There shouldn't be life-draining monsters in the Demon Forest."
Chelsea examined a corpse, alarmed.
Touching it, Leo narrowed his eyes.
'Could it be…?'
"We should find Celia and your brother first. I think I know what it takes to pass this exam."
"Huh? What?"
Leo gave Chelsea a cryptic smile.
"Conquering this world."