Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 538

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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538.

 

Berkia glared at Leo with a distorted face.

 

Seeing those red eyes made his heart stir.

 

It was certainly because he had glimpsed the gray eyes he knew.

 

There was only one person who had looked at him with such eyes.

 

And though he had spent a long time with that person.

 

Even in all those years, it was only for a single moment.

 

Berkia bit his lips tightly.

 

‘Master Kail.’

 

That couldn’t be.

 

It was absurd to think he could see his teacher’s shadow in the young boy before him.

 

Leo closed his eyes as he looked at Berkia.

 

‘What words should I convey?’

 

There was much to say.

 

‘I’m sorry I couldn’t return.’

 

That would be the first thing he should say among all the words he needed to convey.

 

‘I’m sorry for making you shoulder everything.’

 

A heartfelt apology that needed to be conveyed, though it wouldn’t be accepted.

 

‘You didn’t need to shoulder everything.’

 

The sorrow he held as a teacher.

 

‘It must have been very difficult.’

 

Though he had never understood a parent’s heart.

 

The comfort that Daid and Raina would have given him if he had been in Berkia’s situation.

 

There were countless words that needed to be conveyed.

 

But they couldn’t quite leave his mouth and lingered inside.

 

Not a single one of them would bring comfort to Berkia.

 

Berkia had prepared himself for the fact that his teachers wouldn’t return.

 

Even if his teachers had told him not to shoulder it, he would have shouldered it anyway.

 

He had walked that path understanding how difficult it would be.

 

Leo knew better than anyone what kind of heart Berkia had when he shouldered the world.

 

Leo had hoped Berkia wouldn’t become like that.

 

That he wouldn’t follow in their footsteps.

 

Even so, it was the path Berkia had chosen.

 

‘The path Berkia had set his mind on and headed toward.’

 

Offering half-hearted words would be an act of desecrating Berkia’s will.

 

That’s why he could also understand why Berkia had become so distorted.

 

‘He must hate the world.’

 

He would resent the world that had taken away those he loved.

 

‘He couldn’t tolerate those who live in that world.’

 

He couldn’t forgive those who lived trampling on the sacrifice of his precious ones.

 

But that was only one of the reasons Berkia had become distorted.

 

Emotions that should have been cast aside at the moment of ending one’s life.

 

And feelings that Berkia would have been able to cast aside.

 

What truly drove Berkia mad.

 

That was none other than Berkia himself.

 

He couldn’t forgive himself for burning with hatred toward the world his teachers had saved.

 

He hated himself for harboring resentment toward those his teachers had shouldered.

 

He loathed himself madly for being consumed by those emotions and leading his friend to death.

 

‘That’s why he wanted to destroy himself.’

 

And due to that resentment, he had been resurrected as undead.

 

Only after facing him like this.

 

Could Leo understand Berkia’s emotions.

 

Strength entered Leo’s hands.

 

“Don’t look at me.”

 

Looking at him with eyes filled with pity and sadness, understanding him.

 

“Don’t look at me like that!”

 

Berkia let out a scream filled with rage.

 

That act of trying to understand him was absolutely unacceptable.

 

No one could understand him.

 

‘No, they shouldn’t understand!’

 

The more he looked directly into Leo’s eyes that pitied him, felt sad for him, and understood him, the more his reason crumbled.

 

Leo, who had closed his eyes once and opened them at that sight, spoke.

 

There were words that absolutely had to be conveyed now.

 

The moment he heard these words.

 

Leo instinctively knew that Berkia would go berserk.

 

But.

 

He absolutely had to convey them.

 

“Berkia.”

 

“Grr!”

 

Berkia bit his lips.

 

Someone came to mind from those eyes looking at him.

 

That voice calling his name was sickeningly similar.

 

That’s why he didn’t want to see it.

 

That’s why he didn’t want to hear it.

 

But.

 

He absolutely couldn’t shake it off.

 

Because the person before him resembled the person he had desperately wanted to see.

 

“Ah.”

 

Leo looked at his groaning disciple and conveyed the words that absolutely had to be said.

 

“You did nothing wrong.”

 

“…!”

 

“I won’t blame you. I understand you. You… absolutely did nothing wrong.”

 

“Aah!”

 

These were the words he had desperately wanted to hear.

 

Berkia clutched his head.

 

And shook his head frantically.

 

“No. No! No!”

 

Yet these were also the words he truly didn’t want to hear.

 

“Don’t spout such nonsense! I did wrong! I’m the one who defiled the teachers’ names more than anyone!”

 

He didn’t want to be forgiven even by his teachers.

 

Even more so!

 

His sins weren’t light enough to be forgiven by some unknown person.

 

“Aaaaah!”

 

Crash-!

 

Berkia kicked off the ground and charged at Leo.

 

The building collapsed from the impact.

 

Craaash-!

 

Berkia’s hatred and resentment were directed at Leo.

 

At that moment, Leo’s sword, drawn from its sheath, was swung toward Berkia.

 

“Huh?”

 

The moment Berkia saw that, she let out a dazed exclamation.

 

A simple downward strike.

 

But….

 

That downward strike brought back memories from the depths of her recollection.

 

***

 

Under the ashen sky where a gloomy sunset was setting.

 

An elf girl was swinging her sword in an open field.

 

Beads of sweat had formed on her delicately lined chin.

 

Her entire body was already drenched in sweat.

 

The hand gripping the sword was trembling finely, and ragged breaths continuously burst from her mouth.

 

From top to bottom.

 

The downward strike that those learning swordsmanship learn first.

 

A simple and concise movement.

 

A stance that anyone who hasn’t learned swordsmanship can follow.

 

But doing this simple downward strike with full effort, from dawn before sunrise until sunset, is a different story.

 

Moreover, the girl wasn’t solely concentrating on just the downward strike.

 

Whoosh-! Whoosh-!

 

Each time she struck down with the sword, the surrounding air was pushed away.

 

Even during this, Berkia’s lips moved ceaselessly.

 

In front of such Berkia, Kail sat on a stone wall with his legs crossed, reading a book.

 

At that moment, Berkia’s mouth, which had been reciting the Rune language, suddenly stopped.

 

Berkia’s face turned pale and her sword hesitated for an instant.

 

“Good job. Well done.”

 

At Kail’s sarcastic voice, Berkia’s hands trembled and her breathing became even more labored.

 

She tried not to give any attention toward Kail’s direction.

 

But not looking didn’t mean she couldn’t hear his voice.

 

“You stopped the magic so your wrist got cut off. Since your wrist got cut off, you couldn’t hold the sword so your neck got cut off.”

 

Kail asked with a grinning smile.

 

“Do you have two lives?”

 

“If, if I swing a sword all day while memorizing complex magic formulas. I, I might make mistakes.”

 

“So, I’m asking. Do you have two lives?”

 

Flip-

 

Kail turned a page of his book.

 

That book was none other than a magic tome written by Berkia herself.

 

A magic tome recording the magic formulas she could use.

 

Something all mages possess.

 

“And what’s so complex about this?”

 

Berkia’s eyes trembled violently.

 

Her patience was reaching its limit.

 

“Are you stupid?”

 

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

 

Finally unable to endure it, Berkia raised her sword and charged at Kail.

 

The result was obvious.

 

But she couldn’t bear it without doing this.

 

Kail kicked Berkia away with an indifferent expression.

 

Berkia’s body, which had rolled miserably on the ground of the open field, lost all its strength.

 

Looking at such Berkia, Kail closed the magic tome and tossed it to Berkia, saying.

 

“Come out at the same time tomorrow.”

 

“Kiiiiiiik!”

 

Berkia rolled her eyes back and began throwing a tantrum.

 

However, Kail left without even giving that place a glance.

 

***

 

“Oh my, oh my, our cute disciple. Today was hard too, wasn’t it? Ah~ Say ah.”

 

“Ah~”

 

Berkia smiled foolishly and opened her mouth.

 

Luna put the food she had picked up with a fork into Berkia’s mouth.

 

Berkia, who was chewing, asked.

 

“Who made today’s cooking….”

 

“I specially made nutritious food for Berkia! Isn’t it delicious?”

 

“It’s delicious.”

 

Berkia’s eyes, who answered with a smile, gradually became dull and lifeless.

 

“Look at those chubby cheeks. My disciple is really cute! It’s just like looking at myself at that age!”

 

Looking at her young disciple, Luna jumped around in her seat ridiculously.

 

Hearing Luna’s words, Arron, who was nearby, opened his eyes wide.

 

“When you were thirteen, you were completely different from now? That doesn’t seem likely?”

 

“What do you mean it doesn’t seem likely?”

 

“Hiiiiiik?!”

 

Seeing Luna smile menacingly while wielding a frying pan, Arron screamed and ran away.

 

Watching that scene, Berkia diligently ate the food Luna had made for her.

 

What was this again? She said it was a traditional elf dish with a long history?

 

Berkia knows.

 

That Luna dislikes her own kind.

 

More precisely, she dislikes elven history and traditions, and dislikes people who are bound by them.

 

Berkia also dislikes such things.

 

It’s not just Berkia.

 

In this era, there are many young elves who became orphans.

 

Most of such elves dislike elven history and traditions.

 

There’s a saying that even a rich person can last three years after going bankrupt.

 

High Elves were the same.

 

High Elves, who considered long history and traditions as the highest values, were generally better off than most ordinary elves.

 

Though there are no such people in Gardstron.

 

In other cities that maintain their lineage, there are certainly many such people.

 

Berkia had also seen them several times.

 

And they despise orphaned elves.

 

They regard them as dirty and lowly.

 

Yet they never extend a helping hand.

 

Simply because they don’t meet their standards of being noble or virtuous.

 

Berkia looked at the traditional elf dishes placed before her.

 

Even so, the reason Luna made this dish for Berkia was probably because Berkia is an elf.

 

Because traditions and history are ultimately roots.

 

Even if those who bear those roots are rotten, the essence itself wouldn’t rot.

 

‘Or maybe it’s just to let people know that traditional elf cooking tastes bad.’

 

With an even more dull expression than before, Berkia chewed with her mouth.

 

Actually, the cooking itself probably doesn’t taste bad.

 

The problem would definitely be the person who did the cooking.

 

But Berkia didn’t particularly have any complaints.

 

Until a year ago, going hungry or eating food waste was an everyday occurrence.

 

Compared to then, now is heaven.

 

“By the way, when will we be able to teach Berkia again?”

 

Arron, who had run away from Luna, sat back at the dining table and muttered.

 

At those words, Berkia’s ears perked up.

 

Life returned to his dead eyes.

 

His eyes, which had been cloudy like a dead fish, became clear like those of a live fish.

 

“Me too! I want to learn new swordsmanship from Master Arron again too!”

 

Berkia said with a bright smile.

 

“I want to learn new magic techniques from Master Luna too!”

 

Seeing Berkia’s eyes sparkling with excitement in his highly animated voice, Luna and Arron looked at each other and made troubled expressions.

 

“Not yet.”

 

“Yeah. Train with Kail a little more.”

 

“Why? Master Kail doesn’t teach me swordsmanship or magic! He just makes me repeat the same things over and over!”

 

Berkia shouted in a voice full of complaints.

 

Seeing such Berkia, Arron came to his side and met his eyes.

 

“Kail isn’t teaching you nothing. I can teach you swordsmanship and Luna can teach you magic, but we have limitations in teaching you.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because you’re a mage knight.”

 

Luna, who had been watching the situation from behind, calmly continued Arron’s words.

 

“You use aura and magic simultaneously. Arron and I can’t teach you that method. We can teach you the basics of magic and swordsmanship, but only Kail can teach you the fundamentals of being a mage knight.”

 

Of course, Luna and Risinass were also dual-class users who used magic and summoning together.

 

Dweno was also a warrior who used aura as well as a mage.

 

But even so, their level as dual-class users was different.

 

Dual-class users inevitably had to be somewhat mediocre existences.

 

That’s why they had to fuse their abilities to use power beyond their limits.

 

And regarding that, no one could match Kail, who was all-class.

 

That’s why, a bit later than Luna and Arron.

 

He became Berkia’s final teacher.

 

But at those words, Berkia’s shoulders drooped.

 

He knew.

 

He knew that building a solid foundation was important, even if becoming strong immediately was delayed.

 

That was something Luna and Arron had emphasized even more than Kail.

 

But…

 

“I want to quickly become strong and fight alongside my teachers.”

 

At those words, Arron smiled gently and patted Berkia’s head.

 

“You don’t have to do that.”

 

“What?”

 

“We’ll create a peaceful world where you don’t have to risk your life on the battlefield. You don’t have to do that.”

 

Berkia blinked his eyes.

 

Seeing that, Luna smiled bitterly.

 

‘Arron’s words are sincere.’

 

Of course, Luna wanted to do the same.

 

But…

 

‘It’s difficult.’

 

Luna looked out the window.

 

The crimson night sky, hateful just to look at, stretched out before her.

 

‘Even if we end the Age of Calamity with our own hands, Berkia will have to fight.’

 

Even Arron, who was born in the Age of Calamity like Berkia, probably couldn’t fully understand.

 

But…

 

‘Still, I don’t want to make Berkia stand on the battlefield.’

 

Luna looked at the confused Berkia with eyes similar to Arron’s.

 

That’s why she asked Kail to teach Berkia.

 

Because Luna, Arron, and Kail clearly had different mindsets for living.

 

‘That damn guy isn’t dreaming of the future.’

 

So his teaching mindset itself was fundamentally different.

 

They would become shadows to protect Berkia.

 

Naturally, Berkia would follow, watching their backs as they went ahead.

 

But Kail was different.

 

“My or your way might be wrong, Arron.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Arron’s eyes widened and Berkia looked at Luna strangely.

 

“Berkia, what kind of person do you want to become?”

 

At Luna’s question, Berkia puffed out his chest.

 

“A hero like the Great Heroes.”

 

“Living like us isn’t the right answer. Especially in a new era.”

 

Luna crossed her arms and looked at the ceiling.

 

“Your life will be more complicated. You’ll need to become self-reliant. Whether it’s the ideal you desire or the future you’ll live in.”

 

Kail was surely thinking of Berkia for when they weren’t around.

 

“Perhaps that might be more necessary for you, Berkia.”

 

‘The more blinded by bright light, the more you’ll lose your way.’

 

Luna swallowed her remaining words.

 

***

 

Crash-!

 

Berkia, who took a direct hit to the head from a simple downward strike, was slammed straight into the ground.

 

The surrounding buildings had already been reduced to ruins.

 

Screams could be heard from all directions.

 

Thud- Thud-

 

Breaking through the dust, Leo walked toward Berkia who was face-down on the ground.

 

And said calmly.

 

“Get up.”

 

Thud thud- Thud-

 

“It’s time to learn what we couldn’t finish. You damn disciple.”

 

“What?”

 

Berkia, who was getting up, looked up at Leo in a daze.

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