In the vast Lumern Academy, at its very center, there was a huge parade ground called Erekra.
This was the place where major school events were held, most notably the opening and graduation ceremonies, which took place here.
And now, all the students of Lumern had gathered at this Erekra parade ground.
"You're here?"
"Sure enough, you're drenched, aren't you?"
"Hahaha! Look! I told you there wouldn't be many kids who are fine, didn't I?"
Senior students with bad attitudes jeered.
Some of the freshmen, with strong self-esteem, trembled with shame, but no one lashed out.
Amidst this, Artian, who had led the freshmen, spoke from the center of the Erekra parade ground.
"Line up by region. And the top students, please come forward as representatives."
At his words, the students formed five rows, aligning themselves neatly.
Naturally, the number of students from the Western Region was noticeably small.
The professors on the podium clicked their tongues at the sight.
"Should we call you Professor Albi? The number of students from the Western Region is really something."
A teacher scolded Albi, who sat with an expressionless face.
However, Albi did not bat an eye.
Leo stood at the very back.
"Ah! Big Brother Leo! Hi!"
At that moment, Chelsea Levalin, who had been on his team during the entrance exam, approached with a bright smile.
"I was so busy, I just noticed you now!"
Leo chuckled at Chelsea, who approached him with sparkling eyes and a friendly greeting.
"Get in line first."
"Okay!"
Chelsea, standing next to Leo, chattered away.
"I was so moved watching Big Brother Leo fight that I'm thinking of taking knight classes as a minor."
"Hmm? Come to think of it, you said your goal was to be a battle mage, right?"
"Yep!"
Leo looked at Chelsea for a moment before speaking.
"Then you should focus more on magic training, right?"
"Huh? I'm already good at magic. Why do I need to focus more on magic training?"
As Chelsea asked, looking a bit flustered, Leo was about to say something when—
"We will now begin the opening ceremony. First, we have a few words from the principal."
At the words of the professor conducting the ceremony, Chelsea closed her mouth.
An elderly man then appeared at the center of the podium.
The freshmen looked tense.
No one here was unfamiliar with this old man.
He was the highest-praised human hero of the present.
The Sword Saint, Kalian Vaidan.
"Congratulations on making it here, young ones."
Kalian spoke with a vigor unbecoming of his age.
"I won't speak at length. I'll tell you about the path you must walk!"
Bang!
Kalian slammed his fist on the podium.
"If you dream of being a hero, always bet on yourself! And surpass your limits! Those who don't—"
The freshmen held their breath at the Sword Saint's words.
"Are not needed at Lumern."
With those words, he left the podium without a second thought.
A moment of silence followed.
And then...
"Wowwwwwww!"
A thunderous cheer erupted from the freshmen.
The short speech, which could hardly be called a speech, had the power to ignite the freshmen.
The Sword Saint, turning around, made a V sign with his fingers and a stern expression to the professors.
Some of the professors clutched their heads at the sight.
'The principal!'
'He would have been so cool if he had stayed stern!'
'Sniff, the more I work at Lumern, the more my fantasy of the Sword Saint shatters.'
The professors knew, whether they liked it or not, that the greatest hero, the Sword Saint, was actually a very light-hearted old man.
The conducting professor, also clutching his head, said,
"Next, we will have a speech from the freshman representative."
At his words, everyone in the Erekra parade ground focused on the conducting professor.
The freshman representative.
In Lumern, where only geniuses gather, this title means the absolute best among the freshmen.
Literally, the strongest hero candidate among hundreds of hero candidates!
Even the top students at the front looked tense.
Amidst everyone's attention, the conducting professor spoke.
"The freshman representative, Leo Flaubert."
"Leo Flaubert?"
"Who's that?"
"The freshman representative isn't the top student?"
The freshmen looked around and murmured.
The six top students sitting at the front also looked bewildered.
Even the professors who didn't know who the freshman representative was showed surprised reactions.
The conducting professor then said,
"Student Leo Flaubert, please come up to the podium."
At his words, Leo stood up.
Chelsea looked at him with wide eyes.
Kal, sitting in another row, pursed his lips.
It was a very unusual occurrence for a regular student, not a top student, to be the representative.
The seniors also showed bewildered reactions.
All eyes were on Leo.
'Am I the freshman representative?'
Leo felt puzzled.
He had certainly made an impression during the entrance exam, but he thought Celia and Abbad would have scored higher.
In fact, the two had performed the best in the exam and shared the top position.
Feeling puzzled, Leo ascended the podium and met the eyes of Albi, the supervisor of the Western Region exam.
The expressionless Albi smiled.
It seemed to be a recommendation from the supervisor.
Putting aside his doubts, Leo stood on the podium.
There was a prepared speech on the podium.
"Respected professors and seniors, thank you for welcoming us freshmen. We, the freshmen, will now proudly become part of Lumern..."
Leo read the speech without any signs of nervousness.
Various emotions were directed at him.
Doubt and curiosity about a regular student becoming the representative over the top students.
Envy and jealousy for occupying such a prestigious position.
"Freshman representative, Leo Flaubert."
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
Applause erupted after the speech.
"Good job, Student Leo. As the freshman representative, please share your aspirations."
The conducting professor smiled mischievously.
Aspirations as the freshman representative.
This was a tradition at the Lumern opening ceremony.
Given the fierce competition to become the freshman representative, it was an opportunity for the entire school to hear a word from the winner.
However, it also had the intention of stimulating the other first-year students.
'Is this a provocation to those who could have easily taken this position?'
Leo chuckled.
There were certainly many students who coveted this position, having always been the best.
Turning around, Leo looked down at all the freshmen.
"Freshman representative, Leo Flaubert."
The polite greeting from Leo made the conducting professor look disappointed.
'This year's freshman representative is a well-behaved student. Well, a noble aspiration isn't bad either.'
Even a student with a bit of attitude would find it hard to speak freely in this position.
'This year's opening ceremony will be smooth...'
"If you want this position, take it."
The conducting professor's eyes widened.
The other freshmen gaped.
Leo smiled once and descended the podium.
Leo had accurately caught and followed the school's intention.
'But that's a bit much, isn't it?'
The conducting professor screamed inwardly.
Laughter erupted among the seniors.
"This year's opening ceremony is one of the best ever."
"Such a bold junior has joined us."
Everyone's eyes were on Leo.
Despite the attention, Leo descended the podium without batting an eye.
As he returned to his seat, he met Celia's eyes.
Celia, who had been staring at Leo, gave a small snort and lifted her chin.
Abbad, sitting next to her, smiled at Leo.
"Wow! Wow! Big Brother Leo was the representative?"
As he returned to his seat, Chelsea whispered excitedly.
"Aren't you disappointed that Abbad didn't get it?"
"While it's a bit disappointing that my brother didn't get it, both my brother and I saw Big Brother Leo fight, right?"
Hmm! Chelsea crossed her arms and nodded.
"Even though he didn't say it, my brother must recognize Big Brother Leo."
"Is that so?"
Leo looked at the back of Abbad's head, who was sitting in the front row.
After a while, the opening ceremony ended.
***
After the opening ceremony, the freshmen were immediately guided to the dormitories.
The dormitories were, of course, divided by gender.
Each dormitory, resembling a grand mansion, was lined up.
There was a garden in the center, and training grounds were located on the surrounding grounds.
One of the dormitory managers spoke to the gathered freshmen.
"The dormitory allocation is one person per room. There is a curfew, but if there is a special reason, overnight stays outside are allowed. However—"
The dormitory manager sighed briefly.
"Entering the opposite gender's dormitory is strictly prohibited."
The manager's face turned stern.
"I know you are at the age where you are interested in the opposite gender, but please respect the rules."
"Yes~"
The freshmen answered cheerfully.
The dormitory manager smiled bitterly at their response.
Even though they answer like this, there are always students who break this rule at least once a year.
'Of course, they never do it again after that.'
"Now, please find your luggage and unpack in your assigned dormitory room. Then, gather back here in one hour."
The dormitory manager pointed to the luggage that had been delivered during the ceremony.
The freshmen chatted with their friends and found their bags.
They then checked their assigned dormitory rooms.
"Oh! Leo! We're next-door neighbors?"
"Really? That's great."
Kal spoke brightly, and Leo smiled.
"Still, I was surprised to find out you were the student representative!"
"Me too, I didn't know."
"Did you perform exceptionally well in the exam?"
"It seems the examiner looked favorably upon me."
Leo and Kal carried their luggage to the second floor, their assigned room.
Other freshmen's eyes were on them.
"He's the freshman representative?"
"Why did he become the representative over the top students? Does he have connections?"
"Can you become the freshman representative just because you have connections?"
'Looks like I'm getting attention from the first day.'
After changing clothes in the room and gathering again, they spent a hectic time.
First, class assignments.
While Lumern primarily focuses on major-specific classes, there are also general classes.
For these, you listen with your classmates.
For first-year students, there are ten classes from 1 to 10.
Among them, Leo, Chelsea, and Kal were assigned to Class 5.
After that, they were given a tour of the facilities in the Lumern Academy.
As one of only four hero academies in the world, Lumern's campus was vast.
It took half a day just to tour the important facilities.
After finishing the tour and returning to the dormitory, the dormitory supervisor was waiting.
"Welcome. I'm Obelio, the dormitory supervisor for the first-year students. You've had a long day today. Starting tomorrow, there will be a week of temporary classes."
During the temporary class period, you can freely choose and attend any classes you want.
Even if you aspire to be a knight, you can take magic or summoning classes.
During this time, some students discover talents they didn't know they had.
"Starting tomorrow, classes will begin, so don't get too excited and go to bed early today."
After Professor Obelio dismissed the students, they headed to their respective dormitory rooms.
"Phew~ What a hectic day!"
Kal stretched, looking tired.
"I'm really looking forward to tomorrow! Anyway, Leo, good night!"
"Good night."
After exchanging greetings, they entered their respective dormitory rooms.
Leo, entering his room, changed into his pajamas and got into bed.
Feeling the comfort of the bed, he drifted off to sleep.