After conquering the world of heroes and returning, Leo and Chloe were immediately moved to the hospital ward.
Leo had a broken left arm, burns all over his body, and cracks in various bones.
Chloe, on the other hand, was suffering from extreme exhaustion due to severe magical power depletion.
The prescription from the hospital was absolute rest.
In the end, both of them were admitted to the hospital.
The next morning.
Chloe, who had slept in, looked at the IV drip for mana replenishment that the healer had placed on her left wrist the previous night and said,
"It doesn't seem to be that serious if even visits are prohibited."
They were in a situation where even visits were prohibited.
"It's not just because of the injuries."
Leo, who had a treatment patch on his face, sat on a sofa in the spacious two-person ward and said,
"Right?"
Chloe's face darkened.
While Leo might not know, Chloe still had a story to be investigated in Lumern.
'What will I tell the family if I get expelled?'
The Mueller family, affiliated with the Northern Tower, had a very narrow standing.
They didn't have a long history, nor did they have any outstanding mages.
They were just an ordinary magical family.
But because of Chloe, who entered as the top student, the Northern Tower began to pay attention to them.
However, if she were to be expelled in disgrace, it was certain that their treatment would worsen compared to before.
Moreover, even if she weren't expelled, it would still be a problem.
The Mueller family was poor.
That's why she had planned to continue her school life with a scholarship.
'But since I made a mistake, I have to take responsibility!'
'She's thinking about something.'
Seeing Chloe clench her fist and make a determined expression, Leo leaned his chin on his hand and smiled slightly.
'Kids grow up so quickly at that age.'
While thinking this, Leo also recalled what had happened yesterday.
'They say that the pages of the Hero Record have never gone berserk in recorded history.'
But yesterday, a great upheaval occurred.
Leo couldn't figure out the reason.
'The Hero Record didn't exist in the era I lived in.'
But he could make a guess.
'If the grimoire Chloe had affected the Hero Record?'
Erebus, after all, could be considered a divine being.
'If a magical artifact affected the Hero Record... could it be related to my Hero Record disappearing?'
The demons still remember and hate Leo.
It's not impossible that they secretly influenced the Hero Record in this way.
'The destruction of the Hero Record itself might be related to Tartarus.'
Sighing lightly, Leo found a chess set in the drawer of the table.
'Let's clear my thoughts first.'
"Chloe, do you know how to play chess? I'm bored, want to play?"
"Sure, why not."
Rustle— Chloe got out of bed and sat in front of Leo.
The chess game started, and the pieces began to move.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Leo, who was cornered, crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue.
'You play well.'
The rules were slightly different from his previous life, but chess existed in his past life.
Chess was the game that Lisinas loved the most, so they often played together.
"Checkmate."
At Chloe's declaration, Leo moved the king.
Chasing the king, Chloe laughed.
'It's been a long time since I played like this.'
Since the beginning of the semester, Chloe had been studying day and night with the determination to catch up to Leo.
'I can play with Leo to my heart's content while I'm in the hospital.'
Thinking this far, Chloe paused.
'Wait. Come to think of it, I'm sharing a ward with Leo, right?'
She hadn't noticed it when they were admitted because she was too distracted, but now her face felt hot.
"Want to stop?"
"Huh? What? No!"
Chloe, flustered, raised her voice and hastily moved a piece.
A short while later, Leo was cornered, and the game ended.
"Ah! That was fun!"
Stretching, Chloe laughed heartily, but her stomach growled.
"Ah, no! I mean! I'm just hungry!"
"Come to think of it, you haven't eaten anything since yesterday. Isn't that too much for a growing kid?"
Leo grumbled at Chloe, who was speaking urgently with a beet-red face.
By now, it was lunchtime.
Knock knock!
At the well-timed knock, the ward door opened.
Seeing the visitor, Chloe was startled and straightened up.
"Pr, Principal!"
"Hehe! Nice to see you! Leo student! Chloe student! Did you rest well last night?"
Kallian approached the two with a friendly smile.
"It's an honor to meet you! I'm Chloe Mueller from Class 1-1!"
"Hehe! Don't be so nervous. I just came to ask a few questions!"
'This is the Sword Saint, one of the greatest heroes of this era.'
Leo's eyes sparkled.
Leo and Chloe sat in front of Kallian.
"First, I want to apologize to both of you. Although it was an unpredictable situation, I apologize for putting you in danger due to the occurrence of the Hero Dungeon as the principal."
Kallian bowed his head.
Chloe hurriedly waved her hands.
"It's okay, Principal. The school couldn't have done anything about it, right?"
"I'm grateful for your understanding. Now, let's get to the main topic."
Kallian raised his head and put on a solemn expression.
Pressed by the atmosphere, Chloe closed her mouth.
"First, Chloe student. I have a question for you. I would like to see the grimoire you bought in the back alleys of Lumere City. I heard from Professors Sedgen and Ren that you carried that grimoire for several months."
Chloe took a deep breath.
Leo, who was sitting next to her, asked,
"Why do you want to see it?"
"There's no need to hide it from Leo student. The place where Riu student bought the summoning catalyst is the same place where Chloe student bought the grimoire."
"Indeed, the source is the same."
"Indeed? What do you mean by that?"
"That grimoire was a magical artifact."
Kallian's face turned serious.
"Can you tell me in detail what happened in the world of heroes?"
Leo began to tell the story.
After hearing everything, Kallian narrowed his eyes.
"Are you saying that the magical artifact affected the world of heroes?"
"After getting rid of the magical artifact, the Hero Dungeon immediately returned to normal, so it's highly likely, isn't it?"
Kallian stroked his beard.
"Then, the second question. It's about the items you brought back from the Hero Dungeon yesterday."
"Items from the Hero Dungeon? Weren't we supposed to be unable to bring anything back from the world of heroes except for the rewards?"
Chloe asked, puzzled.
Even if it felt real, the world of heroes was ultimately fake.
No matter what items you obtained, they would all disappear when you returned to reality.
"It seems Chloe student didn't know. Yesterday, Leo student submitted five items. They were the remains of the Alia party members."
Hearing Kallian's words, Leo fell into thought.
'Am I the only one who gets the rewards again?'
This was Leo's second time conquering the world of heroes.
Coincidentally, both times the rule that "living beings cannot receive rewards in the world of heroes" and "rewards related to the owner of the world of heroes" were broken.
He thought Chloe might have received a reward this time since it was a Hero Dungeon, but she didn't.
'While I don't know why the rules keep breaking for me, it's better not to let it be known.'
If it became known that he could always get rewards in any world, he would surely get involved in troublesome matters.
"Those were the rewards."
"Rewards? But you can't receive rewards in the world of heroes for living beings, right?"
"Yes, but wasn't the world of heroes yesterday a Hero Dungeon? Wasn't it an unusual situation?"
Leo decided to use yesterday's situation to avoid the issue.
"What about Chloe student not receiving the reward?"
"Perhaps it's because Leo was the most active in the conquest?"
Chloe said.
It was true that the reward varied based on the contribution to the conquest.
"I see."
Kallian nodded.
"Understood. Then, I have one last thing to say."
Kallian put on a serious expression.
"Keep quiet about the magical artifact."
"Excuse me?"
"Chloe. I'll talk to Professors Sedgen and Ren about you. Appropriate measures will be taken. But beyond that, keep quiet."
"Why?"
"You might not understand because you're still young."
Kallian smiled and stood up.
"Enemies are not just outside."
Kallian walked to the ward door, leaving the two behind.
"Take good care of yourself during the exam period and rest well. You can be discharged after that."
Laughing, Kallian opened the door, then paused and said,
"By the way, I forgot to tell you the results of the practical exam."
Kallian turned to the two and smiled.
"Congratulations! You are the first first-year students in Lumern's history to exceed the achievement rate of the Hero World mission."
Chloe's eyes widened, and Leo smiled and crossed his arms.
"I look forward to your future performance."
Creak! Thud.
"Leo! Exceeding the achievement rate! First in Lumern's history!"