The Emperor of Lordren.
Charles Dio Lordren sat on the throne, looking down at his subjects with a bored expression.
Those kneeling before Emperor Charles with their heads bowed began to speak.
“Your Majesty. No matter how famous Leo Plov may be, allowing a Hero Candidate who has not even attained the rank of Hero to join Imperium goes against tradition. We implore you to reconsider!”
“Please reconsider!”
Leo’s admission into Imperium had, for all intents and purposes, been a unilateral decision by Emperor Charles.
Of course, he had consulted the heads of the Zerdinger and Lewellin families, who had served as the Emperor’s closest aides for generations.
For Gis, the head of the Zerdinger family, Leo’s special admission was hardly a bad thing.
From the standpoint of the family head, it was more than welcome.
No matter what anyone said, Leo was Gis’s nephew and a direct descendant of the Zerdinger bloodline.
‘Besides, Leo’s abilities are already on par with those of Heroes.’
He simply had not officially attained the rank of Hero yet.
In terms of actual power, he was already equivalent to one.
If such a nephew were admitted into Imperium through special treatment, the prestige of the Zerdinger family would only grow.
Chade Lewellin had no reason to oppose it either.
‘If Leo Plov were merely a Zerdinger, it might be a different story, but he’s a mage.’
And not just any mage, but one officially acknowledged as the successor of Seiren, the Comet Mage.
Leo’s reputation as a mage was already incredibly high throughout the magical circles of the world.
‘Leo Plov joining Imperium will not necessarily strengthen the Zerdinger family’s influence.’
If anything, as an All-Class, he would likely maintain a strong neutral stance.
‘And he’s close with Chelsea.’
It was already well known that Leo, Chelsea, and Carr had been best friends since their first year.
In that case, Chade had no reason to oppose Leo’s admission.
After Leo’s special admission was announced, many nobles requested an audience with Emperor Charles.
The purpose was to have Leo’s special admission revoked.
It was true that the imperial family, the Lordrens, along with the founding contributor families, the Zerdingers and the Lewellins, were the dominant powers within the empire.
But no matter how overwhelming their power, the Lordren Empire was far too vast to be controlled by the strength of those three families alone.
To govern such an enormous nation, politics was indispensable, and conflicts of interest were inevitable.
As such, there were certainly those who were displeased by the special exception granted to Leo.
The man who had gathered those factions and now stood before the Emperor was Eterka Dekni, the Knight of the Snowstorm.
Having attained the rank of Hero, he was the commander of the Lordren Empire’s Royal Knights.
Born into a minor knightly house and having risen to Hero rank, he was a man with immense pride in himself.
His goal was to seize the title of the strongest knight in the Lordren Empire.
But he had always been pushed aside by Gis Zerdinger and had never been able to escape the position of eternal second place.
Because of that, he stood at the center of an anti-Zerdinger faction within the empire, one nearly as influential as the Lewellin faction.
“Sir Eterka. Are you saying Leo Plov is unqualified?”
“That is correct, Your Majesty. He has yet to prove anything that would make him worthy of Imperium.”
“Leo Plov became Lumene’s student council president at a young age and has been conquering the World of the Great Hero. Furthermore, he recently made a major contribution to the subjugation of Erebos alongside Arron-nim. Although his name has not yet been inscribed in the Hero Record, I believe that is already more than sufficient, do you not?”
At Gis’s words, Eterka answered with a blank expression.
“Gis-nim. Are you not simply defending him because he is your nephew? Not every student council president of Lumene becomes a Hero. And he did not conquer the World of the Great Hero through his own power alone. The same goes for the subjugation of the Fragment of Erebos. In the end, was it not only possible because Arron-nim was there?”
Eterka scoffed.
“Nothing has been proven. Granting special treatment under such circumstances may tarnish the name of Imperium, and I fear it may even stain Your Majesty’s prestige.”
After saying that, Eterka narrowed his eyes.
“I had expected the head of the Lewellin family to rein in Gis Zerdinger.”
“I, too, believe Leo Plov is a talent worthy of Imperium,” Chade replied leisurely.
As the three Heroes confronted one another, Emperor Charles spoke.
“One of the reasons for bringing Leo Plov into Imperium is that other Hero Guilds have shown interest in him as well. As Emperor, I have a duty to prevent the empire’s talent from being lost to outside forces.”
“We are moved by Your Majesty’s grace in considering the future of the empire. However, Your Majesty.”
Eterka spoke firmly.
“If he is the kind of man who would turn his back on the empire over such a matter, then I believe he is not a talent the empire needs. Granting special privileges to such a person will only unsettle those loyal subjects who truly follow Your Majesty. Therefore, I implore you to reconsider.”
At Eterka’s words, those aligned with him bowed their heads deeply once more.
Watching them, Emperor Charles narrowed his eyes.
‘It is an undeniable fact that Leo Plov is a talent the empire needs. No matter how powerful the empire may be, there is no one else like him.’
An All-Class, just like Kyle, the Hero of Beginning.
On top of that, his accomplishments in each class were extraordinary.
Emperor Charles himself had failed to attain the rank of Hero, nor had he been able to form an oathbound with Arti, the Pegasus passed down through his family for generations as their Oathbound.
But that was all.
He was still a powerful Summoner.
And because of that, he knew exactly how absurd Leo’s achievements as a Summoner were.
If it was truly for the sake of the empire, then Leo was a talent they had to secure by any means possible.
But unfortunately, politics did not move according to such logic alone.
There would always be those who disliked Leo’s existence and would try to deny and obstruct him by any means necessary.
Even if it meant denying the truth itself.
‘That is politics.’
Even so, Emperor Charles had every intention of seeing his will through no matter what.
‘Leo Plov will grow into a Hero who surpasses the Sword Saint. In times like these, he is absolutely necessary for the empire.’
Just as Emperor Charles was about to speak,
Knock, knock-!
A knock sounded from outside the conference room door.
Then a messenger entered.
“Urgent report.”
“What is it?”
“News has arrived that Leo Plov’s name has been inscribed in the Hero Record!”
At those words, murmurs spread through the conference room.
Eterka’s expression twisted.
“It seems the special exception will not even be necessary anymore.”
Just as the opposition fell silent at Emperor Charles’s words, another messenger came rushing in.
“A report has arrived from the Delard Kingdom, where the messenger carrying Your Majesty’s letter was sent!”
“Yes, did Leo Plov say he would join Imperium?”
When Emperor Charles asked with a relaxed smile, the hesitant messenger carefully opened his mouth.
“The report says that Leo Plov has refused to join Imperium.”
“What did you say?”
At the utterly unexpected answer, Emperor Charles’s face hardened.
Murmurs spread throughout the conference room once again.
“What is the reason? Did he join another guild? Or did he refuse because he is still a student and cannot join one yet?”
“According to Gis Zerdinger and Rozes Lewellin, he said he would establish his own guild.”
At those words, everyone looked as if they could not believe what they had heard.
“Establish a new guild?”
“How arrogant.”
As everyone whispered among themselves, Sasha, who had been attending the meeting, muttered to herself,
“That’s so like Leo-sunbae.”
“You seem rather pleased.”
Rhys, seated beside Sasha, asked with a smile. Sasha covered her mouth with her fan and replied,
“Did it seem that way?”
With narrowed eyes, Sasha glanced at Rhys.
“You seem to be enjoying this too, Rhys-sunbae.”
“Watching an unpredictable cousin is quite entertaining.”
===
The news that Leo had been inscribed in the Hero Record spread throughout the world.
People celebrated the birth of a new Hero.
Thousands of years had passed since the existence of the Hero Record first became known.
There had certainly been Heroes whose names were inscribed around Leo’s age.
But there had never been a Hero whose history and power were as dazzling and overwhelming as Leo’s.
Countless media outlets swarmed in, all seeking interviews with him.
But even as interest in him grew more and more intense, Leo himself remained indifferent.
His name appeared in the newspapers day after day, but to Leo, it was nothing more than a nuisance.
Time passed, and before long, summer vacation came to an end.
“You really are something else. If it were me, I’d be out there enjoying all this attention in front of everyone.”
At the docks of Lumeria City, Carr clicked his tongue.
At Carr’s words, the corner of Leo’s mouth curled upward.
“For someone saying that, you were pretty cold when you rejected the offers from the dwarf Hero Guilds, weren’t you?”
(T/N: Go Carrrrr!!! So thrilled he is getting the attention he deserves!)
Leo was not the only one who had received offers to join a Hero Guild.
Many promising students had been approached, not just Leo.
Carr was one such example.
“You obtained Dweno’s Alchemy Book as a Conquest Reward. You must be the one the dwarves covet most.”
“Hey, it’s not about being wanted! You should’ve seen the look in those dwarves’ eyes!”
Carr grabbed his own arms and shuddered.
“They looked like they were going to dissect me on the spot!”
Leo burst out laughing at the disgusted look on Carr’s face.
“By the way, do you think they’ll change the school rules?”
“They’ll never change them.”
Leo narrowed his eyes.
The principals of the academies were not the kind of people who would change the rules.
‘Even if they tried, I’d stop them.’
Sending unprepared people out onto the battlefield was unacceptable.
Leo, who had lived through the Era of Calamity, knew that all too well.
He knew how powerless even those with outstanding talent and excellent skill became when they stepped onto the battlefield without proper preparation.
He knew how heavily the deaths of boys and girls who never had the chance to bloom weighed on the heart.
‘During the Era of Calamity, we had no choice because we lacked manpower.’
Back then, with the world on the brink of destruction, anyone capable of fighting had to stand on the battlefield.
‘But it’s different now.’
Now there was enough time to prepare.
Just as Leo let out a small sigh,
“Gasp! It’s Leo.”
“He’s a celebrity now. Should I ask for his autograph?”
His classmates spotted Leo and reacted in surprise.
“Heh~ The great Hero really is being admired by so many people.”
Carr said teasingly.
As Leo chuckled at that, a female student from the Summoning Department approached with a flushed face.
“U-um... President. Could I get your autograph?”
“Me too! Me too!”
“I want to hear about the battle against Erebos too!”
That was all it took.
The students instantly swarmed around Leo.
“Keuk?!”
Carr was pushed aside by the crowd and separated from Leo.
“Hah~ It really feels like he’s in a completely different world now.”
Carr scratched his cheek.
After all, Heroes were objects of admiration.
The fact that merchandise related to Leo was already pouring out was proof enough.
‘Should I take this opportunity to make Leo-related merchandise and make a fortune?’
Carr seriously considered it.
This dock was currently only for second-year students.
‘Once we get to school, students from every year are going to swarm him.’
As Carr backed away while watching Leo,
Thud-!
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t see—”
“Found you. Carr Thomas.”
Carr, who had been apologizing, flinched at the grim voice from behind him and turned around.
The moment he saw the person standing there with a murderous expression, he looked flustered.
“Emio? What are you doing here?”
At those words, Emio’s face twisted.
“You insolent bastard. Are you saying I’m not allowed to be here?!”
“No, it’s not that you’re not allowed, but...”
Carr hesitated with a troubled expression, then said,
“Weren’t you expelled last semester?”
(T/N: Ooooooooooh. Well I already expected that to happen but he really got expelled?)
***
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