Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student

Chapter 23

"Ahahahahaha!"

Laughter echoed throughout the terrace of the café in the heart of the city.

Celia, who had been laughing while holding her stomach, stopped shaking and wiped her tears away.

"So? You just solved one problem and left the magic class?”

“Have you finished laughing?”

Leo, who wore a sullen expression, drank a fruit juice.

"So, what exactly did I say? Didn't I say that taking magic major classes is useless?"

Celia, who settled down her laughter, lifted her teacup and said.

“If you are a Gerdinger, you should focus more on your swordsmanship.”

“I am not Gerdinger.”

"If the person who is learning Phoenix Breath isn't a Gerdinger, then, who is it?"

Celia looked at Leo with an absurd expression and continued sipping her tea.

"Anyway, until the afternoon class, you will be free, right? Do you want to train with me?"

“Then, should we do some physical training?”

“… … !”

Celia's face darkened.

Although others may not know, she knows that Leo's physical training was nothing but self-torture.

Celia smiled awkwardly as she remembered her hellish week on Flove Family.

“I will train in swordsmanship… … .”

“You won't back out, right?”

Leo smiled brightly.

“How disappointed would Uncle Jess be if he were to hear that his niece ran away because she was afraid of physical training?”

"Hey! Are you getting even with me for teasing you for running away from magic class, you lowly bastard!”

Celia shuddered at the wicked smile of her cousin.

“Come on, let’s train hard.”

"I don’t want to. Let go of me.”

Celia was terrified and struggled to free herself from Leo, who was dragging her towards the training ground by locking her from behind.

"Hey! Leo!"

Karl came running.

“What’s the matter? What about the class?”

“Professor Ren is looking for you.”

Celia's face turned bright.

“The professor is looking for you, Leo. Go quickly.”

“Why is the professor looking for me?”

“You are ranked first in the magic theory test.”

"What?"

Leo and Celia both looked surprised.

"Whoa..." Karl gasped. "The whole class is in an uproar! The professor is angry because the person who got first place in the test wasn't even in class."

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩

When Karl returned to the main lecture hall with Leo, the atmosphere in the lecture hall was heavy.

The gaze of the students who had passed the test was fixed on Leo as he entered the lecture hall.

Leo's expression became tense at their gaze.

‘What’s wrong with the atmosphere?’

"Student Leo, where have you been, not attending the class?"

When Ren's associate professor Anna asked quietly, Leo replied with an awkward smile.

“I was at the cafe.”

"You were told that the class will start right after the test is over, right? Then why did you go to the cafe....”

Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap-

Then, all of a sudden, there was a round of applause.

Professor Ren approached with a smile.

“Student Leo! I admire your talent, but it’s impressive that you left the class after answering only the toughest question, without even attempting the easy ones. Haha! It must have been boring for a genius like you. After all, you are a knight major!”

The face was smiling, but the eyes were fierce.

The knights and mages have formed a competitive relationship over time.

Consider the Rodren Empire, one of the strongest nations in the human kingdoms, where the Knights faction and the Mage faction, led by Gerdinger and Llewellyn, are divided in politics.

Even among Lumeln students, there were extremists who regarded their field as the best.

As a result, when the representative of the freshmen from the Knight department entered the magic class and submitted a blank sheet except for answering one of the most difficult problems, it was enough to create a possibility of misunderstanding.

Furthermore, Leo did not return after leaving.

Leo spoke hurriedly.

"Professor, I think there's a misunderstanding.”

"Misunderstanding?"

"I thought I failed the test. I didn't even think I would pass the test in the first place."

At that, Professor Ren narrowed his eyes and looked closely at Leo's face.

Professor Ren, who was undoubtedly one of the younger professors among the Lumeln professors, was not an easygoing individual who could be fooled by a newly admitted freshman.

'I don't think he is lying. Then why didn't he solve the other problems?’

“I need to have a brief conversation with student Leo. Associate Professor Anna. Take over the class for me.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Associate Professor Anna bowed her head and went towards the podium.

Meanwhile, Professor Ren took Leo to the room at the back of the classroom.

“Why didn’t you solve the other exam questions?”

"That's…"

Leo hesitated.

"Did you think the questions were too easy and there was no point in solving them?"

"No, it's not that... it's..."

Leo, who was rolling his eyes around, murmured to himself.

'Uh, I'm caught. Do I have to admit that I, who was a great wizard in my past life, couldn't solve the questions that even students can solve?'

But lying was not an option.

If he stayed like this, his Academy life could be ruined.

In the end, Leo answered in a low voice.

"The problem was too difficult for me to solve?"

"What?"

‘He solved the hardest problem but couldn't solve the other ones because they were too difficult? What kind of nonsense is this?’

"I studied magic spells on my own at home, but all I had were very old spell books. So I only studied the old spells. I didn't know that magic spells are so complex these days. I felt embarrassed because I took magic as a major with a very casual attitude, and hence I didn't attend the class."

After saying that, he asked with a puzzled face.

"So what does it mean that I am the first place? I barely solved one problem?"

'So, he didn't know the structure of the activation incantation, and hence couldn't touch the summation problem... … Does that mean he gave up and only solved the last problem?'

After hearing the explanation, Professor Ren understood the situation to some extent.

Certainly, if he had taught himself from an old magic book, he might not know about the activation incantation.

The activation formula was only a recent trend and not a deep-rooted thing.

'It's not an impossible story if he had studied spells through analysis.'

Professor Ren took a piece of chalk and wrote a spell on the blackboard in the preparation room.

“Try solving this. Then I'll believe in what student Leo says. And I will also tell you why Student Leo got first place.”

As his anger subsided, his interest in Leo grew.

The younger generation was completely immersed in today’s trend.

It is no exaggeration to say that the activation formula has already taken root deeply in young mages and has become a mainstream trend, not just a trend.

In that sense, Leo can be said to be outdated in a way.

"However, that is a strength that cannot be found in today's generation of mages.

'That is a strong foundation. After all, the essence of magic is ultimately the ability to interpret spells.

A tree with a strong root may grow slower, but will eventually grow large.

Professor Ren expected that Leo was already building his own 'world of magic'.

In formula interpretation, there was only one correct answer, but there were many paths to attain that correct answer.

He was very interested in what kind of thoughts a student who was rare in today's generation was thinking while interpreting the spells.

Just by looking at the process of interpreting the spell, one can also learn about the magician's philosophy towards magic.

'Let's see how he interprets the spell.'

With shining eyes, Professor Ren looked at Leo's back who stood in front of the blackboard.

Leo looked at the problem presented by Professor Ren and reached out to the blackboard without saying a word.

Tak-! Tap! Tap!

With each sound of the chalk, Professor Ren couldn’t help but shudder.

After writing the correct answer, Leo turned his head.

Professor Ren couldn't see what method Leo used to solve.

“Are you done?”

It was because Leo solved the complicated magic formula through mental calculation.

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩

"Why isn't the professor coming out?"

Associate Professor Anna looked in the direction of the room with a puzzled expression.

She had anticipated a quick resolution, regardless of the outcome, but it was taking longer than she had expected.

Professor Ren was the most passionate about magic among all the professors in the magic department at Lumeln.

Despite not being well-known outside, he was highly regarded as a genius in the field of magic. Anna became a fan after reading his magic thesis and applied for the associate professor position.

‘Although his image inside me has been ruined since becoming his associate professor.’

He was a normal person under ordinary circumstances but became sort of eccentric when magic was involved.

BANG-!

As if in response to Anna's worries, the door of the lecture preparation room opened roughly.

The students were startled.

Associate professor Anna examined Professor Ren's face, turned towards the ceiling, and sighed.

'He had another seizure. Please don't embarrass yourself in front of freshmen.'

Fortunately, Professor Ren immediately left the classroom.

Leo slowly walked out of the preparation room.

“What did the professor say, student Leo?”

“I was told to take the classes.”

"Yes, please sit down. We will proceed with the class again."

Anna, the associate professor, picked up the chalk without paying any attention to Leo.

The faces of the students became strange.

A professor who suddenly left the classroom in the first class, and an associate professor who doesn't care about anything.

Something was strange.

Unlike those students, Leo reacted calmly.

Of course, Leo also didn't understand why Professor Ren acted like that.

'Wizards are creatures that are bound to act erratically at times. Who knows how long this one will last,'

Leo, who understood creatures called wizards better than anyone else, thought to himself.

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩

BANG-!

The door to the faculty room of the Magic Department was slammed open.

The professors who were in the middle of work looked up.

After confirming that it was Professor Ren, they returned to their work again with a sigh.

"Senior!"

Professor Alby turned his head with a blank expression.

"Thank you! Senior! You gave me such a great gift!”

Professor Alby, who was about to be crushed by his junior, pushed him aside like dust that stuck to him.

And without hesitation, he stood to leave the faculty room, knowing that spending time with Professor Ren was always a draining experience.

Professor Ren, who had fallen to the floor, got up and followed Professor Alby, who had gotten up from his seat.

“Why is he like that today?”

“Leave him alone, for a day or two.”

Fellow professors also reacted calmly.

"Senior! Sooner or later, I will give you a great gift too.”

"I'd like to hear why you're making a fuss."

When Professor Alby asked his junior, who was thanking him for no reason, in return Professor Ren chuckled.

“It’s senior who recommended Leo Flove as the Freshmen representative, right?”

“So what?”

“Student Leo is a rare magic prodigy.”

"......? Doesn't he belong to the knight department?"

"Nope. Student Leo should be transferred to the Magic Department.”

Professor Ren crossed his arms.

"A magic prodigy in the knight department? Oh, come on. Don’t say such things even as a joke. That kid is not meant to wield a sword or swing a whip. Sending such a student to the knight department is an insult to magic, senior."

Soon, Professor Ren explained what happened during the first class while gritting his teeth.

After hearing the whole story, Professor Alby also had a surprised expression.

"Senior! Student Leo has attained the ability to interpret advanced-level magic which can be done by 5th-year students, through self-study! If this is not genius, what is it?”

“What do you want from me?”

Professor Ren, who was faced with a direct question, smiled meaningfully.

“Senior, Please do your best to make sure Leo chooses our magic department."

“The choice of the department is the student's freedom, and if he is really that talented, then he will choose magic even without us telling him.”

"Well, that's true."

Professor Ren showed a look of agreement.

"If a person doesn't choose magic with that kind of talent, then he is eccentric."

"If you don't have anything more to say, leave."

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩

Time passed since the freshmen entered the Academy.

It was already the last day of the General class.

At the end of the class.

The students were sitting in their respective classrooms.

Now, the students will choose their major and begin their classes in earnest.

They didn't know yet, but their homeroom teachers have already been assigned.

During the General class period, the Associate professors who were in charge of student affairs started the explanation.

"You'll start with choosing your department and start registering for courses. As I mentioned earlier, there are no elective courses in the first semester of the first year. The timetable is filled with all mandatory subjects.”

The subjects they learned in their class included everything a hero needs to know, from combat and hero studies, to language, math, history, manners, and ethics.

The schedule for the seven subjects was already set.

In the meantime, they had to apply for a major class.

Class 5 students quickly filled out their department application forms and course registration schedules.

The associate professor carefully checked the documents brought by the students.

Then, when receiving the last document, he paused for a moment.

“Student Leo?”

“Yes, sir.”

"I think you made a mistake while choosing your major. You wrote all three majors."

He smiled kindly and returned the documents.

Leo pushed the document back to the associate professor and said.

"No, There are no mistakes."

"What?"