'Isn't it a bit much to give a key to a granddaughter's room to a stranger?'
According to Rune, she had locked the door and barricaded herself inside.
'A recluse, huh.'
He scratched his head.
'Will seeing me be a shock to her?'
Rumer and Seilun are rival schools.
Even so, would it be a shock to confront a first-year representative of Rumer, a school that has given up on competition, to a reclusive elf?
'Well, it doesn't matter. There's no downside if it doesn't work.'
Leo arrived at the door Rune had mentioned with a light heart and knocked.
He couldn't just barge into a girl's room, after all.
But there was no response to his knock.
He tried the doorknob, but it was locked as expected.
Leo used the key he was holding to open the door and enter.
The state of the room was not a pretty sight.
Snack wrappers were scattered on the floor, and clothes were carelessly thrown into the corners.
Among the scattered clothes, some undergarments were starkly visible.
If Leo were an ordinary teenage boy, it would have been quite a stimulating scene, but Leo's sensibilities were not those of a teenager.
In other words, to Leo, this place was no better or worse than a pigsty.
There was, however, one spot that was clean.
It was the wall covered with photos.
'Resinus, Luna, Aron, Dwenos?'
The photos were of his comrades, now known as the Great Heroes.
To each race, the Great Heroes are proud figures and the most popular heroic tales.
Naturally, there were many related products.
'I knew there were kids who collect these, but this is a bit excessively fanatical, isn't it?'
Narrowing his eyes, Leo noticed something else that was clean.
It was a neatly hung school uniform in the closet.
'Is this the Seilun uniform?'
"Grandpa, isn't it a bit much to just barge into a grown granddaughter's room?"
At that moment, something under the bedcovers on the bed wriggled and a face peeked out.
Their eyes met.
"Kyaaaaa! W, who are you!?"
The elf girl, seeing a stranger, screamed and fell off the bed, still wrapped in the covers.
She then stared at Leo's ears, wide-eyed.
"Hi, I'm Leo Frob."
Despite Leo's introduction, the girl remained frozen.
"Y, you're a human? How did you get here?"
For a human to enter the elf territory, let alone her room, was shocking.
It was almost as if she thought she might be dreaming.
Leo smiled softly at Eiran's question.
"Yes, your grandfather asked me to talk to you."
"Y, you mean my grandfather?"
Eiran, who had been flustered, soon emerged from the covers and sat up.
"J, just sit down, please."
She gestured to a guest sofa in the room.
The elf girl in her pajamas approached a tea set arranged in one corner of the room.
It was part of the elf culture to serve tea to guests personally.
As she was about to make tea, she saw the clothes scattered around the room and her face turned bright red.
She hurriedly pushed the clothes into the corner, covered them with a blanket, and then brought the tea to Leo.
"I'm Eiran Ersar."
Eiran, with her long silver hair and clear blue eyes, introduced herself shyly.
"You said you're a guest of my grandfather, but how did a human come to Elsabekia...?"
Leo, sipping his tea, answered.
"I'm a student at Rumer. I came here for a school trip."
"Rumer?"
Eiran was surprised.
"Rune said that meeting his granddaughter, who is a student at Seilun, would be mutually beneficial, so I came to meet you."
In reality, it was a plan to give Eiran, a recluse, a shock, but he couldn't say that outright.
Eiran swallowed hard and looked at Leo.
'A student at the human hero academy, Rumer.'
It was a human she had never seen before, and not only was he her age, but he also attended a hero academy.
That alone made Eiran quite curious about Leo.
'A, a boy in my room...!'
The situation of a boy her age visiting her room was quite a shock to the adolescent girl.
Most importantly, it was the first time anyone had ever come to her room.
In fact, she was quite introverted and had few friends.
'White hair like snow and ruby-like beautiful eyes.'
As Eiran examined Leo's face closely, she suddenly met his eyes and blushed slightly.
Meanwhile, Leo was wondering what to talk about with Eiran.
After a moment's thought, Leo pointed to one side of the room.
"You seem to like the Great Heroes."
"Yes! I, I really do!"
Eiran clasped her hands and said.
"They are the revered figures who saved the world! I was deeply immersed in the fairy tales of the Great Heroes when I was young! So collecting items related to them is my hobby!"
Eiran, who had been introverted, was now sparkling with excitement.
"Leo-sama, do you have a favorite story about the Great Heroes?"
"The Battle of Darnos."
"The battle where you defeated the Tartaros Legion Commander Tiberca? The first battle where the Great Heroes became comrades!"
It was a story that only existed in literature, not in the Hero Record.
"Do you know where the Legion Commander Zirga's forces were defeated?"
"Edverlic. It's where Luna first tested the Star Magic."
"Right! I didn't know much about the records that only exist in literature!"
'I've experienced all of these stories myself.'
Leo smiled subtly.
Eiran, who had been gloomy, was now smiling brightly.
"By the way, I've never shown my collection to anyone else, but it's really fun."
Eiran, who had been introverted, now spoke cautiously.
"This is just my opinion, but historically, there are four Great Heroes, but I think there might have been a fifth... What do you think, Leo-sama?"
"Kail?"
"Yes. People laugh at me, calling it a delusion... But there are many literary records about Kail, even if there are no records in the Hero Record."
Eiran blushed as she spoke.
"I, I didn't realize I was talking about such strange things with Leo-sama..."
"My thoughts are the same."
"Really?"
"I also think Kail existed. I don't collect items like this, but I plan to study Kail's activities as part of a school club."
He had been busy with various things, but he planned to start club activities when he returned to school.
"Ah, that's why you knew so much about the Great Heroes!"
Eiran, clasping her hands, was amazed.
She thought she had met someone with a similar hobby.
Leo looked at Eiran, whose guard was now down, with a puzzled expression.
'She doesn't seem like someone who would refuse to go to school, does she?'
Seilun also had a dormitory system like Rumer.
It was a serious matter for her to leave school and come home during the semester.
Rune had said he was worried about Eiran and had arranged for Leo to meet her because she could be expelled if she didn't return soon.
'At first, I thought she couldn't even talk to others, but... she's introverted and passive, but this level is okay, right?'
Moreover, she even believed in the possibility of Kail's existence, which was commendable.
'She's so cute and commendable that it's hard to believe she's a descendant of the arrogant Berkiya.'
"Actually, Rune-sama is very worried that you're not going to school."
"Ah..."
Eiran's face darkened.
"Rune-sama said you're an excellent student... Why aren't you going to school?"
Rune had said it was because there was a student she couldn't surpass.
But Leo didn't think that was the case.
Eiran's face darkened as the topic of school came up.
"S, Seilun doesn't seem to be a place that suits me."
"Why?"
"The students at Seilun are all incredibly hardworking and... have a great passion for striving upwards. They are all seriously trying to become heroes. No one there dreams of becoming a hero with a light heart like me."
Eiran, with her ears drooping, looked dejected.
"Trying to become a hero with a light heart... "
'Elves do have a subtly different sensibility from humans.'
Elves value order.
Therefore, they meticulously plan their futures.
'While there are humans like that, for elves, it's almost a racial trait. But it's strange to refuse to go to school just because of that.'
Leo tilted his head as he looked at Eiran's darkened face.
'Did she hear something strange from someone?'
He thought she might have been discouraged by hurtful words from someone else.
Leo glanced at Eiran's school uniform.
'But the fact that she keeps her school uniform so preciously means she hasn't given up, right?'
Leo smiled.
"Actually, our whole class is in Berkiya right now."
"Really?"
"I told you, we came for a school trip. If they hear your story, they'll want to meet you."
At that, Eiran hurriedly hid behind the sofa.
"A, are you going to take me? I, I don't want to leave my room!"
"I'm not that rude."
"B, but at school, humans are all rude... Ah! No! I don't mean Leo-sama is rude!"
Eiran frantically waved her hands.
Leo chuckled and stood up.
"We'll be staying in Berkiya for ten days. If you're interested, our dorm has the head teacher and assistant teacher. Feel free to visit."
"..."
Eiran subtly avoided his gaze.
It seemed unlikely that she would.
"There's a girl in my class named Chelsea who collects items like these. She's missing a lot of them."
"R, really! Items from the human world about the Great Heroes!"
Eiran's eyes widened with interest.
"You might have a lot to talk about."
Leo looked out the window.
It was already getting dark.
They had talked for quite a while about the Great Heroes.
"I'm going to leave now; it's getting late."
"Ah! Wait, Leo-sama."
"Yea?"
"Ah, have a good trip."
"See you again."
Leo smiled and left the room.
"Ah..."
Eiran sighed wistfully as she looked at the empty room where Leo had been.