KakaoPage Originals
The Legendary Hero is an Academy Honor Student
[Original — Yerona]
[TL — MiT7]
[PR — Spades]
[QC — Lumi]
Chapter 13 — The Flame of the Phoenix
——————
Lumeria City.
This sprawling metropolis at the continent's heart wasn't just geographically central—it was the symbolic core of the world.
One of its warp gates glowed brightly.
"Dear passengers, we have arrived at Lumeria City. Please check for forgotten items and disembark."
Following the announcement, Leo stepped off the gate.
The warp gate sat on a highland at the city's outskirts.
As he exited, Lumeria City's panorama unfolded before him.
Whoosh—!
His white hair fluttered in the breeze.
A vast, advanced urban landscape stretched out.
Far off, a lake so immense it could be mistaken for a sea shimmered.
Typically cloaked in thick mist, today it was crystal clear.
Thanks to that, the faint outline of a grand castle—Lumern Academy—was visible at the lake's edge.
'Two days from now, I'll be there.'
A month had passed since the entrance exam.
As always, it sparked countless stories.
The western region's exam, Leo's battleground, was the talk of the town.
With only forty passers, it had caused quite a stir.
'Not my problem.'
Leo had been busy preparing for enrollment.
Today, after a month of preparations, he arrived in Lumeria.
No one from the Flove family accompanied him.
Lumern's entrance ceremony barred outsiders.
'Go learn everything you can.'
'Son, you won't be upset if we don't see you off, right?'
Recalling Dayd and Reina's words, Leo smiled.
His parents were nobles but not ones for extravagance.
'Rather than waste money on warp gates, they'd use it for the fief's welfare.'
Leo agreed with their stance.
Leaving the warp gate, he entered Kuraju Street, Lumeria's bustling commercial hub.
'She said she'd wait here.'
"Leo! Over here!"
Celia, her long black hair tied in a ponytail, waved energetically. Dressed in stylish, practical outing clothes, she drew eyes as she approached with a bright smile.
"You doing okay?"
"No reason I wouldn't be. Congrats on top rank, by the way."
"Joint top with that butter's annoying, but top's still top."
She flicked her hair elegantly.
"Now look at me with some respect."
"Hard to respect someone I saw puking her guts out."
"Hey!"
Celia's face flushed red as she shouted.
"Ugh! You never let me win!"
Glaring, she sighed heavily.
"Where's Uncle Zis?"
"He's coming tonight. Until then, I thought we'd shop on Kuraju Street."
Kuraju Street sold everything Lumern students needed.
From uniforms to textbooks, major-specific materials, weapons, staves, and summoning catalysts, it had it all.
"You haven't bought your uniform or books yet, right?"
"Nope."
"You can get them today. Follow me—I'll graciously guide you."
***
Celia led Leo to a large clothing store on the main boulevard.
A glass display showcased Lumern's uniforms.
The brand [Blessrigger] was visible.
"Looks expensive."
"Of course. They've made Lumern uniforms for a thousand years."
Lumern required three types of clothing: formal attire for ceremonies, standard uniforms for classes, and training gear for practicals.
All had minimum specifications.
To meet them, "Mana Cloth," infused with mana, was essential. The quality of Mana Cloth determined the uniform's grade, Celia explained.
"And Blessrigger's a luxury brand. I got mine here too."
Finished, Celia entered the store.
Ding—Ding—
"Welcome to Blessrigger."
A waiting clerk smiled warmly, opening the door.
Inside, a few customers browsed, including some apparent Lumern freshmen.
As they scanned the displays, a middle-aged woman approached.
"Hello, Miss Celia. It's an honor to have you visit again."
Bowing gracefully, she spoke cautiously.
"May I ask the purpose of your visit? Is the uniform unsatisfactory?"
"No, I'm here to get a male uniform fitted."
Celia smiled, pointing at Leo.
"He's enrolling with me this year."
"Oh, I see. I thought only you were entering from Zerdinger. Another young master, then."
Covering her mouth with a soft gasp, the tailor bowed to Leo.
"I'm Nera, a tailor at Blessrigger."
Leo saw she was a wizard.
'Makes sense. Handling Mana Cloth requires magical skill. Still, a wizard as a tailor… Times have changed.'
"Young master, I'll take your measurements."
Nera produced a measuring tape and sized Leo up.
"You're aiming for the Knight Studies major, correct?"
"Yes."
"What's the attribute of your aura?"
Aura varied by the technique's nature.
Mana Cloth blends differed based on aura attributes.
They could enhance defense against opposing attributes or amplify the same attribute's power.
While not dramatic, even small boosts mattered in Lumern's competitive environment.
"Use neutral Mana Cloth, please."
"Pardon?"
Nera looked slightly puzzled, and Celia, smiling nearby, furrowed her brow.
Leo grinned.
"Neutral, please."
Neutral Mana Cloth.
Plain fabric with no attribute.
Naturally, no customer requested it.
"Understood."
But the customer's word was law.
After taking measurements and details, Nera retreated to the tailoring room.
"Why neutral all of a sudden? You'll learn our family's aura. Flame-attribute Mana Cloth would suit better."
"Just had a thought."
'Neutral means it can be anything.'
He'd learn Zerdinger's aura technique, of course.
But he didn't plan to rely solely on it.
"By the way, I'm broke."
"You think I'd be cheap enough to make you pay? Father heard about you and decided Zerdinger will cover all your school expenses."
Leo recalled Reina's words.
'It's fine, it's fine. Your uncle's stingy but loaded. If he gets cheap, I won't sit still.'
When Dayd worried about Leo's tuition, uniform, and textbook costs, Reina had said this.
According to her, she left her personal assets behind when leaving Zerdinger.
Since they were hers, separate from the family, she could claim them.
'With her personality, she'd storm Zerdinger and flip everything.'
The patriarch, knowing this, likely agreed to fund Leo.
Soon after, Nera, a master tailor, returned with a custom uniform.
After trying it on and minor adjustments, it was perfect within an hour.
Nera bowed.
"The uniform will be delivered to your lodging."
Guided by a clerk, they settled the bill and left Blessrigger.
"Next, textbooks?"
Celia led Leo to a massive bookstore.
They needed mandatory general textbooks and major-specific ones.
Leo grabbed not only Knight Studies texts but also Magic and Summoning Studies books.
"Preparing for duels already? Thorough, huh?"
Celia nodded approvingly, but Leo thought, 'I'm studying them myself.'
He didn't say it aloud.
They'd think he was crazy.
After buying all necessary materials, they explored Lumeria.
The metropolis brimmed with sights.
Sightseeing was fun, and street food was a delight.
Watching Celia happily eat ice cream, Leo smirked.
'Still a kid at heart.'
As a Zerdinger heiress, Celia was always conscious of others' gazes, but with Leo, her peer, she showed her girlish side.
By dinnertime, they returned to their lodging.
"You're here?"
"Uncle!"
Zis was waiting.
"How'd it go?"
Zis ruffled Celia's hair, who looked anxious, then approached Leo.
"Leo, how've you been this past month?"
"Fine."
"The family council reached a decision."
After the exam, Zis had proposed Leo learn [Phoenix Breath].
Allowing an outsider, even a blood relative, to learn the family's secret technique was a sensitive issue.
The council debated for a month, and the verdict came today.
"You've been granted permission to inherit [Phoenix Breath]."
Celia beamed, turning to Leo.
"Congrats, Leo!"
Having trained and tested with him, she believed Leo was worthy of Zerdinger.
But the elders might've disagreed.
Her relief was palpable.
"Though you left the family, your mother's lineage and…" Zis grinned.
"Your western exam performance impressed the elders."
The western exam's notoriety, with only forty passers, was global.
Zis handed Leo a red key.
A subspace key.
"Open it."
Leo inserted and turned the key in the air, opening a subspace. A book emerged.
He opened it, but the pages were blank.
'Sealed.'
He quickly grasped the seal's structure.
"Drop your blood there."
Leo bit his finger, letting blood drip onto the page.
Words appeared.
"From now on, only you can read that book."
"Got it."
"Enrollment's in two days… Why not try learning it first?"
"Is that okay?"
"Of course. Awakening your aura before enrollment would be ideal."
Zis smiled cryptically.
"Though it won't be easy."
***
With [Phoenix Breath] in hand, Leo entered his room.
"Why're you here?"
"Gonna train your aura, right? I'll help if you get stuck."
"Just like that?"
"If you say, 'Please, my lady,' maybe."
"Says the girl who called me 'Young Master' after losing."
"Hey!"
Celia hurled a pillow at her cousin for bringing up her dark past.
Leo dodged with infuriating ease.
Sitting on the bed, he opened the book.
Celia, fuming, glared.
"Ugh! I won't help until you beg properly!"
Turning away, Leo smirked and scanned the contents.
'Impressive.'
Worthy of a heroic family's aura technique.
Complex yet powerful.
As Leo focused on Phoenix Breath's mana flow, Celia scoffed.
'No way it's easy.'
With Leo's skill, basic aura techniques would be a breeze.
'Aunt said Leo's reached mana resonance.'
Mastering mana resonance, the biggest hurdle, meant he was halfway to learning any aura technique.
But Phoenix Breath was different.
It required not just resonance but intricate mana manipulation.
Only by igniting a "flame" could one pass the first gate.
Even prodigy Celia took a week to spark it.
Soon, Leo would hit a wall with mana manipulation.
She grinned slyly.
'I'll make him pay for treating me like a maid. Two days of calling me "my lady" should do it~'
As she plotted her revenge—
Whoosh—
Flames erupted from Leo's body, enveloping him.
They formed wing-like shapes behind him before dissipating.
"Not easy, huh."
Mastering Phoenix Breath meant using aura to form fiery wings.
It took Celia two weeks to reach that stage.
'But this guy… This guy…'
"My lady, I'm stuck here. Any tips for doing it easily?"
Pointing to a passage with a completely casual tone, Leo asked.
Celia could only scream, "You lunatic! There's a limit to insanity! Who masters that in one glance?!"