Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 242

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

242

“He moved?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Interesting. How audacious.”

The moment Leo left the annex he had been guided to, his movements were reported to Emperor Shau in real time.

Upon receiving the report, Shau curled up the corners of his mouth.

“What should we do?”

Students from the four major Hero Academies receive VIP treatment wherever they go.

Moreover, Leo wasn’t just any Hero Candidate, but the student council president of Lumern.

However, even so, exploring the Imperial Palace without permission from Shau, the master of Shan, was unacceptable.

It was a serious matter that could lead to diplomatic issues.

But Shau didn’t dislike Leo’s behavior.

Besides, he didn’t think Leo would be able to find Chen Xia.

‘Finding Sia hidden in the darkness isn’t easy even for skilled Shadows.’

The royal family of Shan lives in darkness from the moment they’re born to become the most perfect Shadows.

‘That child dreamed of being a hero and had the talent to become one, but… her talent as a Shadow was even more remarkable.’

Shau was certain.

Before long, his daughter would reach a level incomparable to himself or any past emperors of Shan.

So he was confident she would fulfill Shan’s long-cherished wish.

‘Getting her name inscribed in the Hero Record.’

Long before Shan was founded.

He was certain his daughter would achieve the great feat that even their ancestors who were active since the Age of Calamity couldn’t accomplish.

‘The great feat that the first Shadow achieved… she’ll be able to accomplish it once again.’

The reason Shan’s emperors have been obsessed with getting their names in the Hero Record.

It’s because there existed a Shadow whose name was inscribed in the Hero Record in forgotten history.

A truth from beyond history passed down only to Shan’s emperors.

Among the legacy left by the great Shadow Bihar was a Hero Record with erased names.

Records from 5000 years ago, when the Hero Record was first created.

They simply couldn’t reveal it to the world due to prohibitions preventing them from telling anyone.

A great Shadow who left records in the Hero Record definitely existed.

That’s why Shan’s emperors couldn’t abandon their obsession with the Hero Record.

A daughter with talent that could be counted on one hand even in Shan’s long history.

Because she was such a daughter, he spoke words he knew would hurt her.

‘You can never become a hero. Do you think the gods would acknowledge someone who has stepped into darkness as a hero?’

He ingrained those words countless times.

And recently, his daughter gave up on becoming a hero.

But if she met Leo, she would waver.

So he prevented their meeting.

‘No matter how remarkable he is, it’s normal that he wouldn’t find her, but I can’t be careless since Leo Flobe has always made the impossible possible.’

Shau, with one eye closed, recalled Leo’s achievements.

People call Leo’s generation at Lumern the golden generation.

‘It’s exceptional for such talents to gather in a single generation.’

But it’s not just Lumern that’s unusual.

‘Seirun too, Azonia too, Demian too.’

Shau’s eyes narrowed.

‘That generation has too many outstanding children.’

If they all became heroes.

The current continental power structure might change.

It wouldn’t be strange if the long-maintained balance of power with Tartaros collapsed.

‘No, the balance of power has already been greatly cracked.’

The subjugation of the Monster Queen.

One of the world’s 5000-year-old wishes that was considered impossible had already been fulfilled.

It’s an era where Great Heroes and Legion Commanders from the past reveal themselves.

An era when new functions of the Hero Record were discovered.

5000 years ago, the Age of Calamity ended.

3000 years ago, calamity arrived.

Once again, the world might be facing a time of great upheaval.

‘The person standing at the forefront leading the Hero Candidates is none other than Leo Flobe.’

They say heroes are beings who make the impossible possible, but even heroes have limits.

But Leo’s limits weren’t visible.

Every time he faced limits, he surpassed them as if to show off.

‘Leo Flobe might be able to find Sia.’

That would be troublesome.

‘She finally gave up the path of a hero and decided to become a Shadow.’

“Make him wander in darkness until morning.”

“Understood.”

As Shau’s order was given, the guard captain disappeared into the darkness.

‘I mustn’t let useless emotions be planted in Sia.’

A chilling killing intent appeared in Shau’s eyes.

‘Sia too… might betray like that bastard.’

***

A room dimly lit by moonlight.

In that room, a small girl sat quietly.

The room was filled with storybooks.

All books related to heroes.

The heroic chronicles that Chen Xia, who loved fairy tales since childhood, had read.

When she suffered during harsh training, she gained strength by reading many heroes’ stories.

‘I used to think I wanted to become a Shadow who protects such heroes someday.’

Opening her eyes, Sia smiled faintly while looking at the bookshelf filled with memories.

Such thoughts soon brought other desires.

The thought of wanting to become a hero herself.

She thought about saving many people and standing before them.

8 years ago.

The day she first had such dreams when she turned 10.

She killed a person.

It was the day she executed low-level mages who were researching black magic after making contracts with Demons.

‘Perhaps I had already crossed an irreversible river then.’

When other children were admiring heroes and their eyes sparkled.

She killed people as if it were natural.

Until that moment, she didn’t know what was wrong with it.

She took another’s life at too young an age to learn what killing meant, but felt no guilt.

Traitors are executed.

That’s how she was taught and how she lived.

It was a day when she protected world peace by executing black mages tainted by evil.

Just as she was rejoicing that she was like the heroes in fairy tales.

‘Tch, this isn’t what heroes do!’

Her fraternal twin, who had always been with her, said such words.

Those words came as a great shock to Chen Xia.

This isn’t what heroes do?

‘Heroes don’t kill people like this!’

The Twin who had lived the exact same life as her denied everything they had learned up until then.

‘Heroes should punish evil in the bright world!’

In the bright world?

‘Punishing evil this way has no value at all!’

No value?

‘This is just simple slaughter, isn’t it? It’s not cool at all! People don’t acknowledge it!’

Simple… slaughter?

Ten-year-old Sia looked down at her blood-stained hands.

Only after returning to the Imperial Palace could the young girl finally feel the weight of having killed someone.

Even if it was the life of a traitor.

The people who knew him.

His family members didn’t know that fact.

The Twin was right.

Heroes don’t punish evil that way.

The Twin became dissatisfied with work as a Shadow after that.

And she chattered to their father like singing about wanting to become a hero.

At such times, Shau would only smile awkwardly.

Even when the Twin whined like that, Sia said nothing.

Perhaps she had already given up on becoming a hero by then.

She quickly recovered from the shock of her first mission.

Whether it was due to her strong mental fortitude trained from childhood.

Or whether her emotions had worn away, making her insensitive.

Days of executing traitors and walking the bloody path continued.

And a new mission was given.

‘Betrayal… you say?’

‘That’s right.’

A new traitor had appeared.

It was the Twin she had thought of as her other half her entire life.

It was shocking.

The news of Sian’s betrayal, who had admired and dreamed of heroes more than anyone, was extremely shocking to Sia.

She knew he hated becoming a Shadow.

That he would abandon everything and run away to become a hero.

But the fact that his method was betrayal was inevitably shocking.

‘Sia.’

Shau calling his daughter spoke with a cold gaze.

‘Execute Sian. And become the Emperor of Shan.’

She received the order.

Sia knew Sian’s skills and talent better than anyone.

If he became a traitor, he would probably grow into a monster capable of massacring countless heroes.

Sia pursued him to execute the Twin.

And…

Throb-

As the memory from that time surfaced, Chen Xia placed her hand on her right chest.

That was two years ago.

‘He must be dead.’

A bloody slaughter between blood relatives.

When both their strength was exhausted, she barely managed to push him off the cliff.

To Chen Xia who returned, Shau promised the position of Emperor and one wish that could be fulfilled as Emperor.

At those words, Sia said.

‘I want to become a hero.’

Shau seemed surprised.

‘I want to enroll in Lumern.’

‘You can never become a hero. Do you think God would acknowledge someone who has stepped into darkness as a hero?’

Shau endlessly denied his daughter’s dream.

But perhaps because he had seen Sian who ultimately became twisted from wanting to be a hero?

Shau gave her just one chance.

To enroll and become the top of her year.

The restriction was not to use her abilities as a Shadow.

Under those conditions, he allowed her to go to Lumern.

And so, one year later.

Chen Xia enrolled in the Lumern she had dreamed of.

Everything went smoothly.

She easily claimed the top position in the Eastern Region.

The day when peers gathered.

She saw the top students from other regions who were all formidable, but she was confident.

And she met him.

A boy with white hair that contrasted with her own.

‘Young Master Leo.’

Leo, a boy from an ordinary rural frontier kingdom, seemed to have nothing exceptional when she first saw him… a strangely familiar boy.

But he showed an impressive performance in the fight against the Kraken on the first day of enrollment.

He was even the year representative.

If she could defeat Leo.

She thought she could take one step closer to the position of a hero.

But…

‘He was someone I couldn’t surpass.’

It didn’t take long to realize that.

The boy who seemed to have nothing particularly outstanding was an unprecedented all-class student.

Not only that, he quickly surpassed her and at some point became impossible to catch up to.

A desperately large difference.

But Chen Xia didn’t despair.

She didn’t have time to feel such emotions.

She just felt her heart race.

The shock of meeting a character from childhood fairy tales.

Leo was such a bright light to Chen Xia.

So bright that just looking at him seemed like it would blind her.

That’s why she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

Just watching was enough to satisfy her.

But others were different.

They gritted their teeth and chased after Leo.

When she realized that was a challenge against the impossible.

Chen Xia realized.

Herself, who was satisfied just standing still and gazing at the bright light.

People who tried to move toward that light.

With her feet stuck in darkness, she couldn’t even think of approaching the light.

‘I’m different from these people.’

Her desire to become a hero remained unchanged.

But the more she felt that way, the more she realized she was someone who belonged in the shadows.

She learned through interacting with the Hero Candidates.

The fact that they were fundamentally different.

Their way of thinking was different.

Their upbringing had been different.

She could feel the darkness accumulated from the past holding her ankles.

‘Aba Mama was right. I can’t become a hero.’

Then even if she had to do all sorts of dirty work.

‘Since it’s something a hero shouldn’t do, I must do it.’

Even if she had to live in darkness.

‘Because someone has to do it.’

Even if it was meaningless slaughter.

‘If it’s for Young Master Leo… if it’s for the heroes… wouldn’t it have value?’

She yearned for heroes.

But she had to stop at yearning.

‘Because I can’t become a hero.’

It was just as Shau had said.

The gods would never acknowledge someone who had done all sorts of dirty work.

“Lady Sia.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve come to deliver His Majesty the Emperor’s message.”

“From Aba Mama?”

Sia made a puzzled expression.

“Is it a new mission?”

“Yes. He has given orders to hide deep in the darkness.”

“Why?”

At this unusual mission, Sia looked confused.

To such Sia, the Shadow answered.

“Currently, Leo Flobe, the Student Council President of Lumern, is visiting the Imperial Palace.”

At those words, Chen Xia felt her heart stir.

The reason she had left without saying goodbye was because she felt her resolve would waver the moment they met.

But now he had come to this place.

“He came to escort the Princess to Lumern.”

Chen Xia’s eyes wavered.

Her heart was racing.

“His Majesty the Emperor’s order is not to meet with him.”

“What are Aba Mama’s measures regarding Young Master Leo?”

“He said to confine him in darkness until dawn breaks.”

It would be impossible to find her by breaking through Shan’s darkness.

All sorts of excellent Shadows would block Leo.

So there would be no meeting.

‘But… if it’s Young Master Leo…’

He might find her in that darkness.

If they met now, her hard-made resolve would surely waver.

A Shadow cannot become a hero.

If she were to dream fleeting dreams, she would become a useless existence, neither this nor that.

Rather than that.

‘Becoming a Shadow and helping Young Master Leo would be far more valuable.’

Rather than clinging to worthless dreams.

Chen Xia thought it would be far more valuable to help the boy she had come to yearn for.

“I understand.”

Chen Xia rose from her seat.

And she opened the door and went out.

Pitch-black darkness spread before her.

The interior of Shan’s Imperial Palace shrouded in darkness was like a maze of darkness where one couldn’t see an inch ahead.

But to the Shadows, this darkness was all too familiar.

Chen Xia concealed herself in the darkness as it was.

The Shadow assisting Chen Xia did likewise.

Presence, sound, sight.

In the darkness where nothing existed, Chen Xia moved without much difficulty.

Following behind her, the Shadow was impressed.

‘As expected, Princess Sia is on a different level.’

He was certain.

‘Leo Flobe will absolutely never be able to find the Princess…’

“This is a bit too much.”

Chen Xia stopped abruptly.

Whoosh-

The surroundings brightened from Light magic behind them.

“I thought it was hide-and-seek, but it was tag? This is why you were so confident I wouldn’t find you.”

The Shadow turned around with a shocked face.

“How?”

How could someone who had only lived in light find a Shadow in this darkness?

Chen Xia’s fingertips trembled slightly.

Her heart trembled at the familiar voice.

The voice that made her dream while also making her give up dreams spoke to her warmly.

“Chen Xia, let’s return to Lumern.”

Chen Xia’s heart was telling her.

“I came to get you.”

If she turned around now… she would endlessly reach for dreams she could never attain.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————