A week had already passed since the training camp began.
True to a remote rural territory, the Plov family’s mountain range was full of rugged terrain.
On a cliff high above, far below, where a violent stream roared through the valley—
The students swallowed hard as they stared at the faintly visible water.
Then they turned around and asked,
“So? What are we doing today?”
Eliana asked with a slightly horrified look.
Vanir, an Azonia graduate and a rabbit beastkin, replied evenly.
“What else?”
With a blank face, she jerked her chin toward the cliff.
“Jump.”
At that, the faces of all the students training under her—including Eliana—went paper-white.
“You said today was simple courage training!”
Lewen, a second-year at Azonia and a fox beastkin, shouted urgently.
“This is the courage training.”
Vanir said it flatly.
“In a fight, courage is essential. And as you all know, that’s not just a beastkin virtue—it’s something every hero candidate needs.”
Eliana raised her hand.
“I’m curious what that has to do with jumping off a cliff with nothing but your body.”
“Where do you think true courage comes from?”
“From the heart.”
Vanir shook her head at Eliana’s answer.
“No.”
Seeing Vanir shake her head so firmly, Tirena, a student from Seiren, raised her hand next.
“I believe it comes from thorough preparation.”
“Wrong.”
The students spoke up with their own thoughts, one after another, but Vanir only kept shaking her head without wavering.
Lewen frowned.
“Then where, exactly, do you think true courage comes from?”
“True courage comes from fear.”
“…What?”
“When you overcome fear and squeeze out courage, only then does it become real courage. This training—jumping off a cliff with your bare body—is the same.”
Vanir walked up to Lewen.
“Living creatures instinctively fear jumping from high places. This training is about overcoming that primal fear.”
“If you’re going to do something that barbaric, shouldn’t you make the other beastkin students do it? Why am I the only beastkin here?”
Lewen snapped.
Vanir replied as calmly as ever.
“Because the other Azonia students are barbaric, so the moment they hear ‘true courage,’ they’ll definitely jump off the cliff without thinking.”
“Yeah, idiots would.”
“But you’re different.”
Vanir looked over the faces of the students under her, including Lewen.
“You’re not idiots who’ll get swept up just from hearing a story like that.”
“Hah. As expected of a former student council president—you’ve got a sharp eye. I do tend to assess situations rationally.”
Eliana answered with a smug expression, and Vanir said,
“All of you are the type to overthink useless things. Which means you’ll keep feeling fear while questioning this insane, illogical training. To put it bluntly, you’re petty and timid.”
At the scathing words that stabbed them in the chest, the students’ faces twisted miserably.
“So for you, this inefficient, irrational, insane training is perfect.”
“If you know it’s inefficient, irrational, and insane, then don’t make us do it!”
Lewen shouted, flaring up.
Whoosh-!
Vanir expressionlessly lifted Lewen, then tossed her straight off the cliff.
“Aaaaargh!”
The fox beastkin’s desperate scream echoed.
Vanir watched Lewen fall with an indifferent gaze and said,
“Next. Jump. Begin.”
Even then, no one jumped.
Vanir grabbed Eliana.
“Wait! I could actually die! Something more rational than this—!”
“It’s fine. You won’t die.”
“How can you guarantee that?!”
“If you die from this, blame your own weakness.”
“Th-That’s so irresponsible— Kyaaaaaaah?!”
The moment Vanir’s cold words ended, Eliana’s shriek rang across the entire mountain.
===
“Did you hear Eliana screaming just now?”
Nella asked with a bitter smile, and Chloe pushed herself up and shook her head.
“No. I didn’t.”
“Guess I imagined it.”
“Wouldn’t be surprising if you did.”
Chloe clenched her teeth.
“Since we’re getting wrecked this badly.”
“Hahahaha! Chloe Mueller. For a mage, you’ve got grit.”
Li Jamua approached, rolling his shoulders.
But there was something vicious behind his gentle smile.
The assignment Li Jamua gave his students was extremely simple.
Endure his attacks without counterattacking—defensive training.
The problem was Li Jamua’s merciless assault.
As if proving that among last year’s graduates he was the “strongest” in pure physical strength,
Li Jamua didn’t use Aura or weapons, yet even with barehanded combat alone he consistently unleashed power comparable to large-scale magic.
'If it were magic or summoning, there’d be ways to defend… but Jamua sunbae-nim’s attacks are pure physical force, so it’s harder.'
Even as a conventional mage, Chloe had prepared contingencies for being caught defenseless.
But those were measures meant for situations involving allies nearby, or in anticipation of counterattacking.
When the goal was strictly defense, her options were limited.
No matter what anyone said, Chloe was an attack-specialized mage.
Just then, Driana stepped forward.
“Oh?”
Li Jamua’s lips curled upward.
“You’re going to block me alone?”
“Yes. Before I am a blacksmith, I am a shield for my allies.”
“As expected of Damienne’s year representative.”
Driana stood before Li Jamua in a solemn voice, unlike her usual self.
Her face was deadly serious.
Seeing that, Chloe got to her feet.
“I’ll help.”
Riiip-!
As she blocked Li Jamua’s attacks, Chloe tore the skirt hem that had become shredded and restrictive all the way up to her knees.
Seeing Chloe dressed more practically, Li Jamua grinned as if he liked it.
“Tough, huh?”
Driana stared at Chloe’s legs.
“Yeah. An ice sculpture wouldn’t be bad either.”
“What?”
“Your legs are a work of art. Chloe, was it? Ever thought of becoming a model for my artwork?”
“No nude modeling.”
“Don’t worry. Semi-nude. I don’t need the whole body. Just the lower half.”
“Absolutely not.”
Chloe refused in an icy voice.
===
“Can you feel the summoned beast’s emotions now?”
Lunia’s eyes trembled as she looked at Ulta Regdition, a Lumene graduate from last year, asking with his arms spread wide.
And it wasn’t just Lunia.
Eliza was beside her, wearing a similar expression.
“No.”
“Tsk, tsk.”
Ulta stared up at the sky in lament.
Ulta, a Pegasus’s Oathbound, had only two students under him.
Lunia and Eliza.
“How do you not know! I’ve told you again and again—your affinity with divine beasts is higher than mine! Then why can’t you do something this simple?”
“How am I supposed to read the heart of someone else’s summoned beast when it’s not even mine?”
“I agree with Lunia El Lunda, Ulta sunbae-nim.”
At Eliza’s words, Ulta let out a deep sigh.
“Fiora, this is what you want, right?”
Ulta handed a cream-topped pastry to Fiora, perched on the back of his hand.
Chirp-!
Fiora flapped her wings in delight at the pastry Ulta offered.
What Ulta was making Lunia and Eliza do was training to read a summoned beast’s heart.
Reading your own summoned beast’s emotions was something completely natural for a summoner.
That was why Ulta had brought in Fiora, Leo’s Oathbound.
“Wait! I gave her that pastry earlier too!”
Lunia protested with an aggrieved expression.
Lunia had originally been the one chosen to become Fiora’s Oathbound, but Leo had taken that position.
Even after that, though, she never held back her affection for Fiora.
She was confident she knew Fiora well.
“It didn’t have cream on it. Cream.”
Chirp- chirp-
“Grrr…!”
When Fiora backed Ulta up along with his scolding, Lunia looked even more frustrated.
“Do you understand now? What I mean when I say you lack love! Which is why—kneel and close your eyes. From this moment, contemplate deeply what love truly is.”
With that grand proclamation, Ulta turned and strode off.
Lunia and Eliza knelt and closed their eyes.
They’d been doing nothing but kneeling and meditating like this for an entire week.
“Eliza Hergin.”
“What is it, Lunia El Lunda?”
“What is this ‘love’ he keeps talking about?”
“Don’t ask me.”
To the two girls, Ulta’s mind—famous not just as a genius summoner but also as an eccentric—was operating on a completely different plane.
===
“It’s Leo Plov!”
“It’s dinner!”
“Line up! Line up!”
At dinner time.
All the students attending the training camp lined up with bright expressions.
At some point, a huge kitchen had been set up in the middle of the campsite.
With a week having passed, the hero candidates had adapted remarkably well to this situation.
Even with the nightly attacks, they could now respond without much trouble.
They’d been pushed to the brink, but they’d begun to find a little breathing room in camp life.
“I held on for today’s meal!”
“Leo! What’s on the menu today?”
Leo, unanimously appointed head of meals by every academy, said,
“Barbecue.”
“Barbecue!”
“Oooooh!”
Cheers erupted from all around.
Watching them, Leo wore a slightly pitiful expression.
“Are they really that happy?”
“This is their only joy.”
Chelsea, helping Leo at his side, let out a long sigh.
The cooking was finished, and the food distribution was wrapped up.
Students gathered in small groups with friends and enjoyed the moment.
Then—
“Leo! Over here!”
Chelsea, sitting beside Carr, waved at Leo.
“No. I’ll eat somewhere else.”
After answering, Leo took his plate and walked a little away from the campsite.
Arron was there, leaning against a large tree, staring blankly at the sunset.
“Eat.”
“Thanks.”
Arron smiled as he accepted the food from Leo.
Then, without taking his eyes off the sunset sky, he said,
“It’s beautiful. Now I understand why Lysinas risked everything to reclaim this view.”
Arron chewed on a bite of meat and asked,
“Kyle, did you want to reclaim this view too?”
“Not really. I didn’t think much of it.”
Leo gave a small snort of laughter and sat beside Arron.
“Kyle.”
“What.”
“If you hadn’t saved me… I would’ve died to Erebos back then, right?”
“……”
At Arron’s question, Leo fell silent.
Watching him, Arron spoke evenly.
“It’s fine. I already know everything.”
“Know what?”
“Right before we went into battle, I knew I was going to die there.”
“You knew?”
“Yeah. You know how Hyper Senses sometimes tells you things you don’t want to know.”
Arron spoke calmly as Leo stared at him in shock.
“I was prepared to die. And now I know the world was saved, so I’m fine. You don’t need to feel guilty about my death.”
Arron looked at Leo and smiled.
From the moment his future friend brought him to the future,
Arron had known that Leo felt sorry toward him.
Arron didn’t want Leo to carry that.
“You would’ve done the same if it were you. So I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay in this era, but don’t worry about that. Even if I go back, I’m ready to accept death.”
'Ready, my ass… then why did you have those eyes that didn’t want to die?'
Just as Arron could read Leo’s emotions, Leo could read Arron’s.
“Then get some sleep.”
Ever since coming to the present, Arron hadn’t slept even once.
Because he was afraid.
Afraid that when he opened his eyes, Erebos would be right in front of him.
“If you keep your nerves that sharp, I can’t not worry even if I try.”
“…Yeah.”
Arron smiled at Leo’s words.
Then he gently closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.
That was when Ar approached from Leo’s side.
“Black rabbit! Instructor Arkan-nim is—!”
“He’s asleep.”
Eiran, who came with her, widened her eyes.
“Instructor Arkan’s sleeping faaaace! Wub—! Wub—?!”
The moment Ar started to get excited at the sight of Arron sleeping,
Driana covered Ar’s mouth with one hand and pinned her by choking her neck with the other.
“If I punch her in the solar plexus and knock her out, she won’t cause trouble, right?”
Lunia muttered low as she clenched her fist, and Ar flailed violently.
Just then, Chelsea, who had followed Carr, crouched in front of Arron and murmured in admiration.
“But seriously, he really looks like the Brave Arron-nim. I’d believe they were the same person.”
“Right?”
Carr crouched beside her and muttered with a shameless face.
===
Fwoooosh-!
The moment he came to his senses, black flames filled his vision.
'Ah. It’s a dream.'
Arron realized this situation was a dream.
His gaze naturally fell to the broken beloved sword in his hand—Brave.
The sword named for courage had reached the end of its lifespan.
It had been spent in the battle against Erebos.
'No…'
Arron knew.
The sword hadn’t broken because its durability had run out.
Nor was it because Dweno’s craftsmanship was lacking.
'It’s because I couldn’t swing it to the end.'
He had stepped forward alone to hold back Erebos for his comrades.
But in the middle of that battle, Arron gave up fighting.
Because he knew he was going to die.
'After that, Dweno… Luna… Lysinas… Kyle… will handle it.'
He resigned himself.
'Because Kyle would never give up.'
Even in the moment of death, he leaned on his friend.
'I don’t want to go back.'
He was afraid of dying.
'I still haven’t even found what I want to do for myself.'
Before the fear of death, courage that had once buckled made the brave hero hesitate.
Ruuumbleeeee-!
In that moment, the world shook.
===
Ruuumbleeeee-!
“An earthquake?”
Chelsea’s eyes went wide as she looked down at the ground.
A small tremor could be felt from below.
Flash-!
In that instant, Arron’s eyes snapped open.
Whoosh-!
In a blink, Arron’s body changed.
'Kuh-hk?'
Seeing that, Carr sucked in a breath.
Eiran also jolted in shock.
In the moment Chelsea was distracted by the sudden quake,
Arron had abruptly undergone beast transformation.
The moon hadn’t risen yet.
No— even if it had, tonight wasn’t a full moon.
If Arron transformed in a situation like that…
“Where’d this earthquake come from all of a sudden…!”
“C-Chelsea! You could fall!”
“Hey, Chelsea. Get your balance!”
Eiran and Carr blocked Chelsea’s view.
“What? It’s just a small tremor. Why would I fall? And why are you blocking me? Are you hiding something from me?”
Chelsea narrowed her eyes.
“Hiding something? No!”
Carr shook his head shamelessly.
“Krrrraaaa—!”
Right then,
Ar knocked Driana’s hand away and roared.
Startled by the sudden roar, Chelsea covered her ears and frowned.
“Why are you roaring all of a sudden?!”
“Kyaaaan! Ahem! Cough! Howling practice.”
“…You’re all suspicious.”
As Chelsea’s gaze turned even more doubtful,
Arron, who had been staring blankly, came to his senses.
Carr and Eiran looked at Arron, moving their lips silently.
Arron didn’t understand what was going on, and Leo spoke quietly.
“Undo your beast transformation.”
Realizing the situation, Arron reverted.
But it was a beat too late.
“Beast transformation?”
Chelsea’s eyes went wide as she looked at Arron’s transformed form.
“H-How did you transform? It’s not even a full moon. The only one who can transform without one is that cat!”
As Chelsea stared in shock, Ar crossed her arms.
“Hmph! Looks like Instructor Arkan transformed in response to my Howling!”
Ar puffed her chest out proudly.
Seeing Ar, Lunia and Driana immediately chimed in.
“You finally succeeded?”
“Impressive. Just like my exclusive model.”
“Who’s your exclusive model?”
The three of them traded shameless lines to gloss over the situation.
Chelsea made an “Aha!” face.
“Now that I think about it, Ar Tune could use Howling to trigger other beastkin to transform, right?”
Seeing Chelsea finally look convinced, Carr and Eiran piled on.
“That’s amazing, Ar!”
“Ooh, as expected of Azonia’s representative.”
Carr struggled desperately to smooth things over, but Chelsea stared at him with an amused look, and he covered his face.
Because he understood.
As close friends, he knew that the little devil who only acted obedient and cute in front of Leo had already figured everything out.
“Do you think I’m an idiot? You think I’d fall for acting that sloppy?!”
Chelsea narrowed her eyes.
Then she walked up to the flustered Arron and said,
“Instructor Arkan-nim! Be honest! You’re the Brave Arron-nim, aren’t you?!”
***
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