Chapter 444: Chapter 443 - The ancient Site!

The atmosphere inside the old club room shifted almost immediately after John’s revelation, the earlier chaotic energy giving way to an entirely different kind of excitement. Dust floated lazily through the faint sunlight spilling from the crooked windows while every member of the Hero Research Club stared toward their vice president with widening eyes, the tension in the air becoming almost tangible.

For a brief moment—

Nobody spoke.

Then everything exploded at once.

"A hidden site?!"

"Related to the Heroes of the Past?!"

"Are you serious?!"

One senior nearly knocked over the coffee table trying to stand up too quickly while another immediately began flipping through scattered papers on the couch as though the answers might somehow already exist there. Even the usually calmer members visibly leaned forward, their faces lit with barely restrained excitement.

Luca quietly watched the reactions around him, unable to stop the faint amusement tugging at his lips.

These people really lose all sense whenever heroes are involved...

Still—

Even he could not deny the curiosity beginning to rise within him.

A hidden site connected to heroes of the past.

Just hearing those words naturally stirred interest, especially in a world where the legends surrounding ancient heroes were deeply intertwined with history, mythical beasts, ancient civilizations, and even the Devil Emperor himself.

What kind of place could it be? Would it be something I have visited before while one of my play throughs.

His thoughts drifted briefly through possibilities.

An abandoned battlefield?

An ancient ruin?

Some hidden sanctuary left behind by one of the heroes?

And more importantly—

Why had such a place remained undiscovered until now?

Meanwhile, at the center of the room, John stood proudly with his arms crossed while observing the reactions of the members before him, looking utterly satisfied with the chaos he had unleashed.

"Hmph," he muttered dramatically. "As expected of the Hero Research Club... your passion moves me."

Nobody listened to him.

Everyone remained too busy talking over one another.

Eventually, John raised one hand again, attempting to regain control over the room.

"Unfortunately," he continued after clearing his throat loudly, "the president did not provide many details yet."

That immediately caused several disappointed groans.

"He is still in the middle of the mission itself," John explained while pacing dramatically around the room like a professor unveiling forbidden knowledge. "However..."

He raised one finger toward the ceiling.

"He should complete it by the weekend."

The room immediately quieted again.

John looked around proudly, clearly expecting explosive reactions from everyone after that announcement.

But—

Nothing happened.

The members merely stared at him blankly.

John blinked once.

Then twice.

"...That’s it?" he asked in disbelief. "Where are the reactions? The excitement? The tears of scholarly passion?!"

Still nothing.

Finally, with visible disappointment, he sighed heavily before continuing.

"...Anyway," he muttered dramatically, "the president said that if club members are interested, we can meet him during the weekend..."

A small pause followed.

Then—

"We’ll be allowed to explore the site ourselves."

Silence.

For exactly half a second.

Then chaos erupted harder than before.

"WE’RE GOING?!"

"An actual hero-related exploration?!"

"I’ve waited my whole life for this!"

One member physically shook another by the shoulders while someone else started frantically searching for notebooks. The atmosphere inside the tiny room instantly transformed into complete excitement once again as conversations overlapped one after another.

Even Eric looked unusually hyped now.

"This sounds amazing," he muttered while grinning.

Luca could only shake his head faintly while watching the madness unfold around him.

And amidst all of that noise—

A much quieter voice suddenly rose.

"...Ahh..."

The room did not notice immediately.

"...Can I join too?"

This time—

Everyone heard it.

The excited voices gradually stopped as all attention slowly turned toward the source of the question.

Toward Sylthara.

The silver-haired dark elf stood there quietly near Luca and Lilliane, her expression carrying faint hesitation despite the curiosity visible within her silver eyes. Clearly, despite all the insanity she had just witnessed inside this club, the mention of an ancient hero-related site had genuinely caught her interest.

***

The academy pathways had grown calmer by the time Luca and Sylthara left the club building behind, the earlier bustle of students slowly fading as evening approached across Arcadia Academy. Golden sunlight filtered softly through the towering trees lining the stone paths while a cool breeze carried the quiet rustling of leaves through the open grounds.

A little earlier, they had walked Lilliane back toward the girls’ dormitory, the pink-haired girl quietly thanking them before disappearing inside after reminding Sylthara not to stay out too late.

Eric, meanwhile, had vanished almost immediately after leaving the club.

Apparently he had "something extremely important to do," which Luca had automatically translated into something extremely suspicious.

And so—

Only Luca and Sylthara remained.

The two of them walked side by side through the academy pathways quietly, neither seeming in a hurry to return anywhere just yet. Sylthara’s silver hair swayed gently with the evening breeze while the fading sunlight reflected softly within her pale eyes, giving her an almost ethereal appearance against the warm colors of dusk.

After walking in silence for a while, Luca finally glanced toward her before speaking.

"...Are you really sure about coming with us this weekend?"

Sylthara turned her gaze toward him immediately, a faint puzzled expression appearing on her face.

"Do you not want me to?" she asked calmly.

Luca blinked once before chuckling lightly and shaking his head.

"No, that’s not what I meant."

His hands slipped casually into his pockets as he continued walking.

"You saw how everyone reacted to you back there," he said with faint amusement in his voice. "I just thought you might feel uncomfortable because of it."

Sylthara thought quietly for a moment after hearing that.

Then slowly nodded.

"At first..." she admitted softly, her gaze drifting ahead toward the pathway before them, "...I was."

Luca listened quietly.

"But later," she continued after a brief pause, "after interacting with them more..."

A faint thoughtful expression crossed her face.

"...I realized they become excited about almost anything related to heroes."

The memory of John practically ascending into madness replayed briefly within both of their minds.

Luca snorted faintly.

"That’s one way to put it."

Sylthara’s lips curved ever so slightly, the closest thing to amusement she usually showed.

"...Still," she said quietly, "that kind of passion..."

Her eyes lowered slightly in thought.

"...is good."

There was sincerity in those words.

Not mockery.

Not judgment.

Just simple honesty.

Luca looked at her for a brief moment before nodding lightly.

"...Yeah," he admitted. "I think so too."

The conversation quieted after that as they continued walking together beneath the fading evening sky, the atmosphere between them calm and comfortable rather than awkward.

Then after a while—

Sylthara spoke again.

"Do you know what kind of place it might be?" she asked curiously.

Luca shook his head.

"Not really," he answered honestly. "But I’m definitely looking forward to seeing it."

Especially because in a world like this, anything connected to ancient heroes rarely remained simple.

The two continued walking quietly after that, their footsteps echoing softly against the stone pathway while the academy around them gradually became quieter beneath the approaching evening.

Eventually—

Luca spoke again.

This time his voice carried slightly more hesitation.

"Well..." he began slowly before glancing toward Sylthara. "I never actually asked you this before..."

Sylthara looked toward him curiously.

"...But how are you adjusting?"

A faint puzzled expression appeared on her face.

"...Adjusting?" she repeated softly.

Sylthara’s puzzled expression lingered for a moment after repeating the word adjusting, as though she had not expected Luca to ask something like that so suddenly. The evening breeze moved softly through the academy pathways around them, carrying strands of her silver hair across her shoulder while students passed occasionally in the distance beneath the warm fading light.

Luca glanced ahead for a brief moment before continuing more slowly, his tone casual yet sincere.

"I mean..." he began, trying to explain himself properly, "...you’ve spent almost your entire life inside the Elven Forest, right?"

Sylthara remained quiet, listening.

"You were surrounded by your own clan, your own people, your own customs," Luca continued while keeping his pace steady beside her. "And now suddenly you’re here..."

He gestured lightly toward the academy grounds around them.

"...surrounded by humans, dwarves, nobles, commoners... and honestly way too many weird people."

Sylthara blinked once.

"...That last part sounded personal."

"It absolutely was."

A faint breath of amusement escaped her nose at that, though her expression remained mostly calm.

Luca continued speaking after a moment.

"This is probably the first time you’ve been away from your home for this long," he said quietly. "The first time living among so many completely different people."

His gaze shifted toward her again.

"So I was just wondering..."

There was no teasing in his voice now.

Only genuine concern.

"How are you feeling about it?"

The wind stirred gently around them as the academy pathways gradually emptied further beneath the evening sky.

"Are you adjusting well to the academy?" Luca as

ked. "Do you miss your home?"

A brief pause followed before he added more softly—

"Or is there anything making you uncomfortable here?"