Aliya looked at Leo, who was talking from a distance, and thought to herself.
'He looks so much like my brother.'
Although their personalities and atmospheres were different, the feeling they gave off was very similar.
"Isn't this a bit strange?"
The boy holding the window, Teyad, furrowed his brow.
"What is?"
"You said you were a rescue team, but there are only two of you?"
"Indeed, it is strange."
"Could this be some kind of Tartarus trap?"
The party members, the sword mage Dina and the summoner Louis, also agreed with Teyad.
But the knight student Velak shook his head.
"If they were enemies, they wouldn't team up with us to fight the demons."
"That's right. They're not our enemies."
When Aliya spoke with confidence, Teyad asked in a sullen voice.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Didn't you feel a very familiar vibe? Besides..."
"Besides?"
"He's also kind of cool."
Seeing Aliya's face slightly turn red, Teyad was flustered.
"Cool? Hey! Hey! Aliya! Get a grip! You haven't even glanced at a guy since you enrolled!"
"I have my reasons. Is there anyone in our year who would suit Aliya? Besides, being the younger sister of Albi-senpai, her standards would be high."
"Still, what's so cool about him!"
"Indeed, he is cool."
"Dina? You too?"
Teyad clutched his head.
While they were bickering, Leo, who had finished talking with Chloe, approached.
"It's noisy."
"Ah! I'm sorry! We got carried away in an emergency!"
"I'm not saying anything. I just thought that any year's freshmen would be noisy."
"Any year? Are you a student here?"
With sparkling eyes, Ilia asked. Chloe answered.
"Yes, but not anymore."
"Ah!"
Ilia was flustered, mistaking them for dropouts.
"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that..."
"It's fine."
"I'll explain the current situation first."
"Do we need an explanation? Demons have appeared in this forest."
Leo's words made Teyad respond curtly.
"If it were just a simple appearance of demons, there would be no need to explain. But there's a demon in this forest that you can't handle."
"How strong is it to cause such a fuss?"
"Level 3."
"What!"
"L, Level 3?"
"That's not a level that freshmen can handle!"
Dina asked urgently.
"What about the other students? Are the other parties safe?"
"They're safe. You just need to get out of this forest. So, I hope you'll follow my instructions from now on."
As Dina sighed in relief, Teyad asked.
"Do you have the power to defeat a Level 3 demon?"
A Level 3 demon.
A high-level threat with the power to wipe out an entire battalion.
"I can't guarantee that I can defeat a Level 3 demon with my current strength."
"Then why should we follow your instructions?"
"Of course, there is a reason."
But Leo smiled calmly.
"What reason?"
"Because I have the skills to get you out safely."
"What kind of baseless confidence is that..."
"Yes, I understand. I'll follow your instructions."
"Hey, Aliya!"
Teyad looked flustered.
"You saw him fight just now. Besides, he probably understands the situation better than we do."
Aliya tried to persuade the party members.
"A Level 3 demon is definitely beyond our current abilities. So, as the party leader, I think it's right to follow the experienced rescue team rather than move clumsily."
Convinced by Aliya's words, the party members looked at each other and nodded.
"If Aliya says so."
"You've never led us wrong so far."
"Ha! Really!"
Teyad, scratching his head, glared at Leo.
"But! If you're not trustworthy at all, I won't follow your instructions, got it!"
"I'll live up to your expectations, so don't worry."
***
"Find the person who sold the monster summoning catalyst to Liu!"
In the Hero's Tower, which oversees the administrative tasks of the Lumern Academy, professors and teaching assistants were busy moving around.
It was a sensitive time due to the appearance of monsters during the summoning practical exam.
With the unprecedented situation of the Hero Record's hero dungeon, Lumern had no choice but to go into emergency mode.
In the midst of this, Kallian, in the headmaster's office on the top floor of the Hero's Tower, was pressing his temples as if he had a headache.
"The fact that they can't enter yet is a positive sign, right?"
"Yes."
Albi, looking at his out-of-control Hero Record, answered.
A hero dungeon cannot be entered if there is a previous entrant.
In other words, Leo and Chloe were still alive.
"It's been three hours since the two students entered the hero dungeon. It must be night in the world of heroes. Albi, when did you defeat Chuvarn 30 years ago?"
"Around midnight."
"Does that mean we have to rely on the past you?"
Kallian sighed deeply.
At that moment, Erena, Kallian's secretary, entered the headmaster's office.
"Headmaster, we found the person who sold the monster summoning catalyst to Liu."
"Who is it?"
Albi's eyes sparkled.
Erena's face turned pale as she reported.
A bloodshot left eye and a deformed magic circle floating in the pupil.
It was fairy magic.
30 years ago.
Albi, who lost his younger brother to demons, was a man with a strong hatred for Tartarus.
"Calm down, Albi."
At Kallian's words, Albi's eyes returned to normal.
"I'll take a walk to clear my head."
Leaving those words, he left the headmaster's office.
"Lord Albi is always a dangerous man."
"Albi is a man who rose to the position of a hero through his hatred."
30 years ago.
Facing his brother's death, who left no remains, not even a memento, Albi dropped out of Lumern and began to focus on hunting demons, eventually becoming a hero recognized by the gods.
But his thorough destruction of everything related to Tartarus also caused significant collateral damage.
As a result, Albi was more a figure of fear than of praise among the public.
"I still can't believe Lord Albi accepted a professorship."
"But Albi listens to me."
Kallian smiled wryly, then his expression changed.
"So, who is it?"
"This year, a fence has set up shop in the back alleys of Lumeria City. Not well-known among the upperclassmen, but quite famous among the freshmen. A few freshmen bought items from this merchant, including the monster summoning catalyst."
"Does that mean a Tartarus spy infiltrated Lumeria City?"
"Upon investigation, it wasn't someone related to Tartarus. However, it's clear that Tartarus leaked a few items to that side."
"......I don't understand. Why would they do that?"
"I don't know either. Here is the fence's transaction ledger."
Kallian took the ledger and flipped through the pages.
Rustle! Rustle!
Kallian's hand paused as he read a particular entry.
'Chloe Mueller: Black Grimoire.'
Kallian, staring at the entry, said.
"Miss Erena, please bring Professors Sedgen and Ren to the headmaster's office immediately. Tell them I have some questions related to Chloe."
"Miss Erena, I'm old. The reputation of the Sword Saint is now just a relic of past glory. But..."
The eyes of the former Sword Saint sparkled.
"I still pride myself on my instincts, honed through countless life-and-death situations."
***
The sun had completely set, and darkness had descended.
The group, who had just finished a battle, were all breathing heavily.
"Let's take a short break."
At Leo's words, groans of relief erupted from various places.
'They're all almost at their limits. We've been in the world of heroes for about three hours, right?'
Considering that the other groups took about an hour to clear, this was three times as long.
But it couldn't be helped.
The other groups had only needed to rescue a party in danger to clear the dungeon, but Leo and Chloe were different.
Chloe assumed that the [Safety Guarantee] condition for Aliya's party was to completely escape the threat of Chuvarn.
So they were taking the shortest route out of the forest.
Unlike when Leo and Chloe were using their mobility to avoid battles, now they couldn't help but engage in frequent fights.
'But we're almost there.'
Sighing, Leo felt a headache and his vision blurred.
'Damn, did I use my heightened senses for too long?'
Heightened senses, a technique that maximizes perception, made the brain process twice as much information as usual.
As a result, mental fatigue accumulated quickly.
'Just a little longer.'
Leo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Seeing this, Aliya's party members were amazed.
"How can he not show any signs of fatigue?"
"He must be incredibly skilled."
"Hah! Teyad asked him, 'Why should we follow your instructions?' I'd be too embarrassed to even look at him!"
"Shut up!"
Teyad, his face turning red, shouted at the party members who were teasing him.
Meanwhile, Chloe, sitting under a tree, took out the black grimoire from her pocket and looked at it.
At that moment, Aliya approached.
"Miss Chloe, can we talk?"
"About what?"
"About Leo."
Aliya smiled and sat next to Chloe.
"What's your relationship with Leo?"
"What relationship?"
"Are you maybe a couple?"
"No way?!"
Chloe shook her head in a fluster.
"Your reaction confirms it!"
Chloe laughed awkwardly.
'Even a senior who enrolled 30 years ago is still a freshman at heart.'
It felt like talking to a classmate.
Most of the girls in the class were interested in love stories.
"Why do you ask? Are you interested in Leo?"
"I am. He makes my heart race."
"You fell in love at first sight, huh?"
Thinking that even a top student from 30 years ago couldn't resist, Chloe laughed awkwardly.
"I'm not sure if I'm in love. My heart races, but that feeling is very similar to someone else's."
"Who?"
"My brother."
"Your brother, Albi Juron?"
"Yes. Of course, Leo is much cooler than my brother. My brother is clumsy and often makes mistakes."
For a moment, Chloe doubted her ears.
'Clumsy and often makes mistakes? Who? The Mage of the Evil Eye?'
It was an adjective that didn't fit the only hero the public feared, the Mage of the Evil Eye.
"But he's like a hero from a fairy tale. He challenges the impossible without hesitation and eventually succeeds. That's why I admire my brother."
"Challenging the impossible without hesitation... Indeed, he does resemble Leo."
Chloe's eyes darkened.
"Leo is amazing. He always leads people well. His grades are good, and he accomplishes seemingly impossible tasks effortlessly. He's a perfect person. Just as you said, Aliya, Leo is like a hero."
Chloe laughed bitterly.
"What's your relationship with Leo? At first, I thought you were friends and rivals. But now..."