Chapter 447: Chapter 446 - The President of Hero Research Club!

The vast sky stretched endlessly around them as clouds drifted lazily beneath the morning sunlight, golden rays illuminating the open heavens while the cool rushing wind swept past at high speed. High above the lands surrounding Arcadia Academy—

Kunpeng flew steadily through the air.

Its enormous wings spread majestically across the sky, each flap carrying the massive mythical beast smoothly through the atmosphere with overwhelming grace despite its size. The creature maintained a relatively moderate speed to accommodate the group travelling together, though even "normal speed" for Kunpeng still made the landscapes below blur past far faster than ordinary transportation.

Several members of the Hero Research Club travelled upon magical flying beasts or artifacts nearby, though Luca’s Kunpeng remained by far the largest among them, causing more than one senior member to glance toward it with open envy every few minutes.

Meanwhile, seated comfortably atop Kunpeng’s broad back—

Luca, Sylthara, Eric, and Lilliane traveled together while the wind moved through their hair and clothes beneath the bright morning sky.

Lilliane held lightly onto the edge of the harness near her seat while her pink twin tails fluttered constantly in the wind, her eyes filled with visible curiosity as she looked between the others.

After remaining thoughtful for a while, she finally spoke.

"...How is the club president actually like?"

The question immediately drew everyone’s attention toward her. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"I mean..." Lilliane continued softly, "...I know he’s a fourth-year senior..."

Her gaze shifted slightly.

"But who exactly is the president of the Hero Research Club?"

For a brief moment—

Everyone looked at each other.

Then almost simultaneously—

Their eyes landed on Eric.

Luca especially turned toward him immediately without even pretending to know the answer himself. By this point, he had fully accepted that Eric somehow possessed terrifyingly detailed knowledge regarding every strange corner of the Hero Research Club.

Eric noticed the collective attention immediately and straightened slightly with visible pride.

"...As expected," he muttered dramatically. "You all truly understand who the reliable one here is."

"You’re literally the only one who knows," Luca replied flatly.

"That too."

Eric cleared his throat with exaggerated importance before beginning his explanation.

"The president of the Hero Research Club," he announced dramatically while raising one finger toward the sky, "is fourth-year Archmage candidate Adrian Estrel."

Luca blinked once.

"...That sounds like the name of a final boss."

Sylthara nodded slightly in agreement.

"It does."

Eric ignored both of them completely.

"Adrian Estrel," he continued proudly, "is considered one of the strongest fourth-year students within the mage department."

Now that actually caught Luca’s interest slightly.

"Oh?"

Eric nodded immediately.

"He possesses dual elemental affinities—lightning and gravitational magic."

That caused even Sylthara’s eyes to narrow faintly in surprise.

"...gravitational affinity?" she repeated quietly.

"That’s rare," Lilliane added softly.

"Extremely rare," Eric corrected immediately. "There are barely any naturally gifted spatial mages in the continent to begin with, and most never become high-level combatants because gravitational mana is ridiculously difficult to control properly."

The wind rushed around them as Eric continued speaking enthusiastically.

"But Adrian-senpai is different," he said. "His control over gravitational magic is apparently monstrous. Combined with lightning affinity, his combat style is absurdly difficult to deal with."

Luca listened quietly now.

Gravitational affinity users were dangerous.

Especially because abilities involving movement, distortion, or short-range pressure could become nightmares in battle if mastered properly.

Eric clearly enjoyed having everyone’s attention as he continued.

"He’s also ridiculously intelligent," he added. "Not just in magic theory, but ancient history too. Most professors from the historical department apparently trust his research abilities enough to let him participate in field investigations directly."

"Then why," Luca asked slowly, "is someone like that leading... this club?"

The moment those words left his mouth—

Eric’s expression became strangely serious.

"...Because he’s insane."

"...Ah."

"Not John-level insane," Eric clarified quickly. "But in a different way."

Luca already felt concerned.

Eric leaned slightly closer before continuing.

"Apparently during his second year, Adrian-senpai participated in an academy expedition investigating old ruins near the northern empire territories."

The atmosphere shifted slightly as he spoke.

"Most people only saw ancient ruins," Eric continued. "But he became obsessed after finding traces suggesting that one of the Great Heroes may have passed through that region centuries ago."

Luca raised one brow slightly.

"And that led to this?"

Eric nodded.

"He started researching hero history obsessively after that," he explained. "Not just legends... actual historical records, hidden ruins, forgotten battlefields, lost civilizations—anything remotely connected to the Hero Era."

Lilliane listened intently now.

"And eventually," Eric continued dramatically, "he stumbled upon the abandoned Hero Research Club."

"...There was already one before?" Sylthara asked.

"Mhm."

Eric nodded.

"It was basically dead by then," he explained. "No members. No activity. Just a forgotten old club buried inside academy records."

Then Eric grinned.

"So naturally... Adrian-senpai revived it himself."

Luca stared silently at him for a few moments.

Then finally asked—

"...Why do I suddenly feel like everyone connected to this club has some kind of mental problem?"

Eric immediately pointed at him accusingly.

"And yet you joined willingly."

Luca’s expression became completely deadpan.

"...I was deceived."

The journey through the skies continued smoothly after that, Kunpeng gliding powerfully through the open heavens while the endless landscapes below shifted from dense forests to rivers, hills, and scattered towns far beneath them. The morning gradually brightened into full daylight, the cool air becoming warmer beneath the sun while the atmosphere among the group relaxed further with time.

At some point, the conversation about Adrian Estrel naturally drifted into countless unrelated topics afterward.

Eric began enthusiastically explaining ridiculous stories involving Hero Research Club expeditions gone wrong, most of which sounded suspiciously exaggerated, while Lilliane listened with quiet fascination and Sylthara occasionally asked surprisingly serious questions regarding human customs, academy traditions, and even why John seemed physically incapable of lowering his voice.

Luca mostly listened while occasionally adding dry comments that caused either laughter or deep concern depending on the situation.

One moment they were discussing ancient heroes.

The next, Eric and Luca somehow ended up arguing about whether Kyle would survive one day alone in the wilderness.

"He’d die within three hours," Luca stated confidently.

"That’s unfair," Eric protested immediately. "He’d survive at least half a day."

Sylthara quietly added—

"I think wild animals would return him out of pity."

Lilliane nearly laughed herself breathless after hearing that.

And amidst all of it—

Time passed surprisingly quickly.

Eventually, after nearly an hour and a half of travel, Luca’s expression shifted slightly as he looked ahead toward the distant lands below.

"We’re close," he said while lightly patting Kunpeng’s side.

The massive mythical beast let out a low cry before gradually descending through the skies, its enormous wings slowing as it lowered itself toward the open terrain beneath.

Soon—

Kunpeng landed smoothly upon the ground.

A strong gust of wind spread outward from its wings while the surrounding grass bent violently beneath the sheer pressure before finally settling again into silence.

The group dismounted shortly afterward, stretching lightly after the long journey while the remaining senior members of the Hero Research Club regrouped nearby.

The place they had arrived at appeared remote, far from any major cities or settlements. Vast plains stretched outward beneath the clear sky while rocky cliffs and patches of forest surrounded the area in the distance. Nothing about the location immediately suggested ancient heroes or hidden ruins.

But that only made everyone more curious.

John, meanwhile, looked like a man moments away from ascending spiritually.

"We are close..." he muttered dramatically while clutching his chest. "I can already feel the ancient aura of history calling to us..."

Luca immediately ignored him.

Instead, he glanced around before asking the far more important question.

"So where’s the president?"

The moment Adrian was mentioned, John visibly brightened again.

"Ah! Right!" he exclaimed before suddenly freezing in place.

Then—

Very slowly—

His expression changed.

"...Wait."

Everyone stared at him.

John rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"...Where exactly did Adrian-senpai say he would meet us again?"

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Luca’s eyes narrowed immediately.

"You forgot?"

"I did not forget," John replied proudly. "I merely remembered incompletely."

"That’s literally forgetting."

Eventually, after several minutes of increasingly concerning discussion, John finally managed to recall the meeting location properly and enthusiastically led the group deeper into the surrounding terrain.

And so—

They walked.

And walked.

And walked.

The excitement among the club members gradually fluctuated between anticipation and exhaustion while John continuously assured everyone that they were "extremely close now."

Eventually, they arrived at a relatively secluded rocky area near the base of several cliffs, partially hidden by thick vegetation and surrounded by uneven terrain.

John stopped dramatically before spreading his arms outward.

"This," he declared proudly, "is the place!"

Eric immediately looked around.

"...Where’s the president then?"

Everyone else did the same.

The area remained completely empty.

John coughed awkwardly before quickly recovering.

"Just wait," he said confidently. "Adrian-senpai will arrive soon."

So they waited.

And waited.

And waited.

At first the atmosphere remained manageable.

Then awkward.

Then increasingly painful.

Luca eventually sat down against a nearby rock while Sylthara quietly observed the surroundings and Lilliane attempted to pretend they had not already been standing there forever.

Thirty minutes passed.

Then forty.

Then over an hour.

Finally, Luca slowly lifted his gaze toward John.

"...Senior," he said calmly.

John visibly stiffened.

"...Yes?"

"Exactly what time was the meeting supposed to happen?"

John laughed awkwardly.

"...About that—"

Before the disaster could continue further—

A loud cry suddenly echoed through the skies above.

Everyone looked upward immediately.

A large flying beast descended from the clouds gracefully, its silver-blue feathers gleaming beneath the sunlight while powerful winds spread across the rocky terrain beneath it.

Standing atop the creature—

Was a young man wearing dark mage robes layered beneath a travelling cloak.

His appearance immediately stood out.

Messy dark-blue hair moved lightly with the wind while sharp golden eyes calmly observed the gathered club members below. Unlike John’s chaotic energy, Adrian Estrel carried a far more composed presence, though there was clear intelligence hidden behind his relaxed expression.

Several magical rings decorated his fingers subtly, faint traces of mana occasionally flickering around them while the spatial distortion surrounding his beast disappeared smoothly as it landed.

Adrian stepped down casually before looking toward the group.

Then smiled faintly.

"Oh?" he said lightly. "You guys are even earlier than expected."

Everyone stared at him silently.

Adrian looked genuinely impressed.

"I actually tried coming early myself," he continued casually while adjusting his gloves, "because I thought I’d probably welcome my juniors."

The moment those words landed—

Every single member slowly turned toward John.

The death stares that followed were absolutely murderous.

John immediately began laughing awkwardly while sweating under the pressure.

"Hahaha..." he muttered weakly. "I was just... too excited..."