Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Once I start to care, I can't put it aside, and eventually I can't help but ask.

"By the way, Miss Ais, do you know Mr. Leon Wadenberg, the teacher in the 'school district'?"

"Leon... does that refer to the 'Knight among Knights'?"

"The Knight Among Knights?"

Upon hearing this word, which sounded like a bestowed name, I couldn't help but widen my eyes and ask in return.

Miss Ais nodded in affirmation and then told me.

"【Knight among knights】, just like Finn and the others... is Lv.7."

“Eh!?”

"I've seen him fight before... He was incredibly strong. Probably even stronger than I am now."

Teacher Leon is also Lv.7!?

And even stronger than Miss Ais!?

I did think his presence was just as strong as Mr. Otto's before, and I never imagined it was true!

But wait, he wasn't adventuring in a labyrinthine city with dungeons, but rather staying outside the city, yet he was able to become the 'strongest' Lv.7 just like Mr. Ota and the others... How is this possible?

Just as my head was a complete mess from the shock and confusion, Miss Ais looked at me and then said.

"Finn and the others said that the reason the Netherworld is so peaceful now is all thanks to the Knights of Knights."

"!"

"Therefore, the Knight among Knights... is known as the 'Hero of our Time'."

"──────"

The title that finally reached my ears made me gasp.

A contemporary hero.

What is this? What exactly is this?

This is just... this is just like... the characters from the 'Heroic Tales' series that I'm so fascinated by.

(Professor Leon, is he the hero I admire?)

My heart suddenly started pounding.

The image of that incredibly handsome man, whose 'style' I can't help but want to emulate, is gradually resurfacing in my mind.

Unlike envy or longing, it is an overwhelming 'interest'.

I couldn't contain my emotions and leaned forward to ask a question.

"Um, do you know anything else about Professor Leon?"

"...I don't really know much about the 'Knight of Knights'... But, according to Rivera and the others... he was already in Orario before the gods and goddesses disappeared from the city."

Before the male and female gods disappeared... that is, before 15 years ago, Teacher Leon was already in the city?

Could it be that Leon is from Orario?

While I was still frantically processing the information, Miss Ais next to me looked somewhat troubled.

After hesitating for a long time about whether or not to speak, Miss Ais finally spoke, though she still looked troubled.

"According to Riveria and the others... [The Knight Among Knights] used to be about the same as Mr. Bert."

"ha?"

"Mr. Bert."

"...a delinquent (Mr. Bert)?"

"Hmm, delinquent (Mr. Bert)."

Was Leon, the former teacher, a "delinquent" like Mr. Bert?

Like Mr. Allen, a "bad boy" who is rude in speech and behavior?

My confusion reached its peak.

The information provided by Miss Ais is completely different from what I know about Professor Leon.

After all, Teacher Leon is so mature, gentle and handsome, unlike the rugged and terrifying Bert or Mr. Allen...!

Moreover, the word "bad" has appeared so many times today that I'm almost losing track of what the concept of "bad" even means!

"So I was thinking, is the 'Knight Among Knights'... a very rude person...?"

After all, she had heard that he was similar to Mr. Bert, so it was perfectly normal for her to have this feeling.

Seeing my confused expression, Miss Ais commented with a troubled look.

(Ah, no... No matter how much I think about it, it won't lead to anything, and my brain is about to shut down...)

It seems that unless we consult Lord Bader, who works for Professor Leon, or ask Professor Leon himself, this mystery will never be solved...

I don't know whether to say I was startled or hit by the gap between interest and confusion, but in any case, my originally excited emotions quickly cooled down as if I had been doused with a bucket of cold water. So... in order to change the awkward atmosphere, I brought up a question that had been bothering me since earlier.

In other words, the worry that arose in my heart after learning that Teacher Leon was incredibly strong.

"Um... since Professor Leon is so strong, if he were to participate in the 'Urban Sports Festival'... wouldn't things be quite bad for Orario?"

"If the Freya Familia and Finn don't participate... that might really be bad?"

As she spoke, Miss Ais tilted her head.

"Ah, so cute," I wanted to say, but realizing the current situation was not optimistic, I couldn't help but let out a strange sound from my throat.

Although I had already asked once, I couldn't help but confirm with Miss Ais again.

"The 'Urban Sports Festival,' the Loki Familia is indeed..."

"Yeah, I'm not participating. Finn said it doesn't matter which side wins."

This matter appears to have been officially announced. The Loki Familia's decision to launch an expedition at this time has caused a huge uproar in the city.

'We already have four Lv.7s, winning the 'City Arena Festival' will be a piece of cake.' For Orario's side, who held this mindset, the absence of the Loki Familia was like a bolt from the blue. This must be what it feels like to lose your strongest weapon. The more carefree and optimistic they were before, the stronger the backlash they are now suffering.

What will happen now...?

"Since Finn and the others aren't here... everyone might be pinning their hopes on Bell."

"Huh!? I... I don't think it's that bad...!"

It happened so suddenly.

Miss Ais's words startled me.

"Back during the 'factional wars,' everyone was cheering for Bell... I was too."

"...!"

"Bell always brings energy to everyone... that's what I think."

At this point, Miss Ais smiled again.

Be as frank as a child, and speak your mind without reservation.

I was stunned for a moment, then suddenly felt embarrassed and my face turned bright red.

If I could really become such an adventurer, that would be the happiest thing ever...

I looked up.

As I gazed up at the blue sky with Miss Ais, I vaguely recalled the various events of the "Urban Sports Festival" and everyone's opinions of me.

"We must win this battle to represent our country!"

Arisa Lagast slammed her hand on the table and declared this.

Location: School District, Academy Floor, Central Student Council Room.

The meeting room is located in the middle of the temple tower, sandwiched between the Blue Sky Cafeteria and the principal's office. The students' meeting is escalating.

"The key point is that the organizer is not a guild, but the gods! If it were that pig in the guild, they would definitely break the contract no matter how nicely they talk. But the gods of Orario are different; they will always abide by their agreement on 'entertainment.'"

Arisa Lagast is a 'supervisor' belonging to the Badrband.

As a student representative in each class who assists in communication between teachers and students, she has the discretion to impose disciplinary measures on students based on her own judgment. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a "quasi-teacher," and if we use a "family reunion" analogy, it's equivalent to the position of "cadre candidate."

The human girl wore an armband proving she was a "supervisor." She adjusted her glasses and then looked around at the supervisors and student council members of other classes, including the Eden Class and the Bragi Class.

"The gods of Orario crave intense stimulation and excitement! They will surely bestow appropriate rewards upon their kin who perform well."

"Arisa, so...!"

"That's right! As long as we win the contest, our demands will almost certainly be met! Even Hermes, the god of negotiation, has sworn an oath! There's no mistake!"

"Ooh ooh ooh...!"

"This way, we can get even the hardest metal back!"

"Let's go all out! Let's teach Orario a lesson!"

Arisa's assertion ignited the students' passion.

Seeing the students' high morale, Arisa was very satisfied, and she herself was also in high spirits, ready to seize this golden opportunity.

Nina gazed at the scene, feeling a sense of abandonment.

(Arisa-senpai and everyone else are really going all out... Now that things are settled, I hope the school district wins, but... what will become of my relationship with Lappy and the others...?)

Due to a shortage of manpower, and because she was naturally soft-hearted and embarrassed to refuse, Nina was appointed as the temporary secretary and attended the emergency meeting of this "Urban Sports Festival".

Sitting in a corner seat, faithfully recording the meeting minutes with her quill pen, she conjured up images of Lappi—the boy and his sister—as well as the faces of the members of the Hestia Familia.

"Nano! How are the negotiations with the Divine Society going?"

"Ah, well, Professor Adler and the others are handling this right now! The application form, including the competition details, and the schedule and location are all still being adjusted in Orario! Lord Eden and the others went along too!"

"Great! As long as the competition doesn't disadvantage us, it'll work!"

Despite Nina's many anxieties, the students' meeting proceeded at a rapid pace.

After the senior student (human) from Baldban, who was forcibly assigned to the disciplinary committee, finished her report with her beautiful red-gold hair tossing, Arisa crossed out the doubts she had written on the blackboard one by one.

The supervising girl then shouted out the winning strategy from the perspective of the "school district".

"It's confirmed that the Loki Familia is about to embark on an 'expedition'! As long as we postpone the 'Urban Arena Festival' as much as possible, they'll have absolutely no chance of participating! And now that the Freya Familia has disbanded, we have a very good chance of winning! After all, we have Professor Leon and the others on our side!"

Nina shared the same idea.

Students alone are no match for Orario.

However, if the school district's proud "teacher team" also joins the team, then that's a different story.

In Orario's words, this is equivalent to the fact that the officers of each [Family], as well as the leaders and vice-leaders of the second-level adventurers and above, will participate in the competition.

As for Leon, needless to say, all the students in the 'school district' firmly believe that his strength is no less than that of the famous 'strongest in the city' Otto.

"The people we need to watch out for are the first-level adventurers of the Ganesha Familia, led by the Staff of Ganesha, and that so-called 'Lv.6 newcomer' with an unknown background, Ryu Astrea—"

Up to this point, Nina had already thought of everything. But Arisa, standing to the side, was so angry that her eyebrows shot up, and her next words made Nina's shoulders tremble in fright.

Because the name that came out of Arisa's mouth was the one she had always cared about and whose name would occasionally pop into her mind.

"—Finally, there's the criminal who illegally trespassed on our school, the super-sized newcomer Bell Craney!"

"We've really been tricked...! They've been acting pretty well over there lately, so we let our guard down...! Ughhhhh, all these gods ever give us are trials and stomachaches...!"

The location was the chaotic guild headquarters. In the "decision room" on the second floor, Royman was holding his head in distress, almost pulling his hair out.

The "Urban Sports Festival" declared by the Divine Assembly is absolutely impossible to stop, and the Divine Assembly is convened by this group of pleasure-seeking criminals.

No matter how loudly Royman and the others tried to stop them, it was all in vain.

"Then why don't you come up with some other solutions?"

"We're really looking forward to seeing the new students coming to our school district!"

"If you keep acting this way, we might just switch sides and go to the school district!"

"Hehehe."

They'll just keep harping on our mistakes and even threaten us with worse conditions.

Rather than saying they've already done it.