Book 1 Chapter 1016

1016.

After a commotion.

Leo asked Luna, who was sitting in front of him with wide, clear eyes.

"You have memories, don't you?"

"No?"

*Thump-*!

"You drop-kicked someone in the chest just a moment ago, and you're still so brazen about it."

Leo, veins bulging on his forehead, grabbed Luna's head with his hand.

*Squeeze-*!

He put strength into his hand.

Despite it likely hurting quite a bit, Luna stared at Leo's face with wide, unwavering eyes.

Seeing that expression, Leo loosened his grip.

'It's not a lie?'

Even if it was a childhood Luna that Leo didn't know, they had spent years together.

As such, it wasn't difficult to tell that Luna wasn't lying.

As Leo looked at Luna with a puzzled expression.

Luna's gaze subtly shifted behind Leo.

[You damn human! What? You married that con artist lizard?! You're toying with my heart!]

The adult Luna, eyes blazing, furiously punched towards Leo's head.

Of course, she couldn't inflict physical damage on Leo.

Naturally, her voice didn't reach Leo either.

Only the young Luna could see and hear her.

But seeing the young Luna's gaze shift, Leo naturally thought of a situation.

And then he turned his head towards where the young Luna's gaze was directed.

"Luna?"

[……!]

Luna, who had been venting her frustration at Leo in a way that couldn't reach him, suddenly caught her breath.

For a moment, she had the illusion that her eyes had met Leo's.

Luna saw a young emotion in Leo's eyes.

Like someone desperately searching for something.

Luna bit her lip for a moment.

"Are you there? I bet you're incredibly angry, obviously."

But then, as Leo overtly wrinkled his face, she was overcome with emotion.

[One punch… I just want to punch him once!]

Luna swung her fist and cried out.

Leo sighed and scratched his head.

Seeing Leo like that, Lunia asked with a puzzled face.

"What in the world is going on?"

It was Seirun who answered Lunia's question.

"It seems that not only the consciousness of the young Lady Luna but also the consciousness of Lady Luna, the progenitor of the nebula, is present."

"What?"

At Seirun's words, Lunia's eyes widened.

"More precisely, it seems to exist as a spiritual entity. Right?"

"Yeah."

The young Luna nodded at Leo's question.

And looking at Lena, she said.

"And the person who created the magic circle drawn on that child's back is someone named Chloe."

"That's right. The person who created the magic to travel through time is none other than Lady Chloe."

Hearing that, Elena clicked her tongue in amazement.

"In my opinion, she needs to change her nickname. From 'Ice Queen' to 'Magic Pervert'."

She was well aware of Chloe's magical engineering abilities.

But she never dreamed that Chloe could create magic capable of traveling through time.

Moreover, the mages here were all the best of the best.

Not only Lunia, Luna's successor, but also Elena, who was considered unmatched in talent.

And even the Comet Mage, praised as the greatest mage after Luna, and the Hero of Beginnings.

Chloe had created a magic circle of a level that even these mages found difficult to fully understand.

'Lady Luna, who recognized it as Chloe's magic at a glance, is truly Lady Luna.'

Elena's gaze turned to the young Luna.

She once again felt a sense of 'class'.

'Well, I knew that already.'

She had come too far to be intimidated now.

Elena smiled faintly, her usual smile.

"Chloe really doesn't know when to stop."

Leo clicked his tongue.

"Come to think of it… she did create the foundation for magic that can travel between parallel worlds, so maybe it's not so surprising?"

"Parallel worlds?"

Luna's eyes sparkled.

Seirun's eyes twitched.

"Lord Leo. Did the child who supposedly created this magic also create magic that can travel to parallel worlds?"

"Should I say she created it… or that she accidentally succeeded?"

Leo said blandly.

Chloe's magic that brought Leo back after he was bounced into a parallel world by Nyx at that time.

Of course, the basic framework was Chloe's idea, but the magic could only be activated because many coincidences overlapped.

The help of Lysinas, the King of Wisdom, was the greatest factor, and crucially, it was only possible by exploiting Nyx's power.

The adult Luna, who had forgotten her anger after hearing Leo's explanation, made her eyes sparkle.

[That's amazing. Hmph. Our Chloe. Indeed, indeed. I knew from the first time I saw her that she would become a great child.]

Luna genuinely enjoyed herself.

Meanwhile.

Seirun, who had heard the story, clenched her fist.

'There are indeed remarkable children in later generations.'

As Seirun's eyes slightly dimmed.

Leo asked Lena.

"What was Chloe's reason for making that magic?"

"Pardon?"

"Did she want to come to the past? Or change the past? Was there a reason like that?"

At Leo's question, Lena blinked her large eyes.

Then, she smiled faintly and said blandly.

"She said she just tried making it because she thought she could."

At her words, Leo let out a small laugh.

"Well. If a reason is typical of her, then that's typical of her."

"She did say she wanted to see her grandfather's face again at least once, but Lady Chloe didn't use it."

At Lena's words, Leo closed his eyes and burst into a small laugh.

"Hmm. But listen."

The young Luna folded her arms and tilted her head.

"If we know about the future, won't the future change?"

At her words, everyone's gaze turned to Lena.

Lena answered Luna's question.

"When the return magic is activated, all your memories will disappear. It's a magic designed that way from the start."

"You mean it can penetrate Leo's mental defenses?"

"Hmm… It's not magic that directly affects the mind. More precisely, a dimensional distortion occurs, and my existence is perceived as never having been."

"Oh."

The principle was unknown, but it meant that the memories themselves would disappear.

"In that case, wouldn't it be fine to talk about whose granddaughter you are? You've been calling everyone 'grandmother,' haven't you?"

At Elena's words, Lena pondered, then spoke.

"Alright, my grandmother is…"

"Wait, hold on. You're just suddenly revealing that?"

Lunia was flustered.

"It's Lady Lunia."

"What?!"

Lunia's eyes popped open.

"Me, me and Leo? That's ridiculous! Oh, no. It's not that I dislike it or anything… Leo has Lady Luna… that is… well…"

Lunia's eyes, her face bright red, spun around.

"I… with Leo… do *that* and *that*?"

Lunia, bowing her head deeply, muttered softly to herself.

"Hoo! What are you doing?"

"Eeek?!"

Lunia jumped, startled, as Elena came right beside her and whispered into her ear.

"No, I mean. This is…!"

"She's playing a prank."

Elena squinted her eyes and looked at Lena.

Lena was covering her mouth, giggling.

"You… you!"

Lunia's face flushed crimson, and then she gave Lena a light flick on the forehead.

"Ow!"

"That's what you get for playing tricks!"

Lunia, who had been shouting with a very red face, met Leo's eyes and quickly turned her head away in surprise.

And fanned her face.

"I cannot tell you details about future events. Although memories will disappear due to dimensional distortion, there will still be an impact."

"Oh, really?"

Elena clicked her tongue, seemingly disappointed.

"If the conversation's over, shall we continue the discussion we were having a moment ago?"

Leo said, looking at Lena.

"What's the probability that the guy who went to the past can create magic to return to his original timeline?"

"There's none. He came to the past in the first place because he stole magic. I was trying to stop him."

Lena's eyes dimmed.

"No one ever imagined he would have such dangerous ideas. I'm sorry, Grandfather. It's a world you painstakingly bequeathed to us… for putting it in danger again like this."

Leo, looking at Lena who wore a guilty expression, said.

"Your name is Lena, right? Come here for a moment."

"Yes?"

Lena approached Leo with a puzzled expression.

Leo stroked Lena's head.

"What do you have to be sorry to me for?"

Lena's eyes widened.

"You're doing your best to stop him, aren't you? I hear you've been looping continuously?"

"……"

"That's an extremely painful thing to do. But you still didn't give up, did you?"

Leo lightly poked Lena's forehead with his finger.

Lena rubbed her forehead and looked at Leo.

"So, you don't need to feel sorry to me."

"…Yes."

Lena smiled brightly.

"Anyway, if it's impossible for that guy who went to the past to return to his original timeline… then there's only one reason he went to the past."

Leo sighed deeply.

"Erebos."

Luna continued Leo's words.

"My future self said that Erebos, who devoured Belian, is planning something."

"Yes, there's nothing else. He must be trying to go to the past and change it."

Leo clicked his tongue.

Belian thought he could use Erebos, but instead, he was used by Erebos.

"What should we do?"

Lunia asked with a serious face.

"Lena. Can you also go to the past?"

"No. Belian was the subject of the magic that could go to the past, so I have no way to go to the past either."

"This is a big problem."

As Lunia gritted her teeth, Leo let out a small laugh.

"What are you worried about?"

"What?"

"We have the progenitor of the nebula and the Comet Mage with us right now, don't we?"

"Ah…!"

Lunia's face brightened.

"……"

Seirun's eyes dimmed upon hearing Leo's words.

"Yes. We have Lady Luna with us right now."

Seirun, giving a bitter smile, said to Luna.

"Lady Luna. Could you please lend your magnificent power to your lacking descendants?"

"She says, 'Of course, I will'."

Luna conveyed the words of her adult self.

At that, Seirun smiled brightly.

"……"

Watching Seirun, Leo clicked his tongue.

'She has her own story too, huh.'

***

That evening.

Leo went to Luna's room.

*Knock-knock-*

"I'm coming in."

Leo knocked and then entered.

Upon entering the room, he saw Luna, who had magic books spread densely on the floor, looking up at him.

"Are you deciphering Chloe's magic?"

"Yeah, welcome."

[Welcome, my foot! Get that damn married guy out of here!]

Unlike the young Luna who welcomed Leo's visit, the adult Luna went wild.

Of course, Leo couldn't hear her.

"She says for the married guy to leave?"

"I came because I think I need to clear up a misunderstanding about that."

[Misunderstanding, my ass! You're the one who toyed with my pure heart!]

As the young Luna tried to relay those words, Leo said.

"I think I know what she's saying, so you don't need to tell me."

"……"

Leo sighed deeply and then spoke towards the empty space the young Luna was looking at.

"I and Lysinas…"

"She's not over there."

"Then why were you looking here?"

"Because I saw a gnat."

"…Then where is she?"

"Here."

Luna pointed to the opposite side with her finger.

As Leo turned his body, Luna said.

"Actually, that was a lie. The side I was looking at originally was correct."

Leo pounced on the young Luna and pinched her cheek.

"I did wrong."

Leo, sighing as he watched Luna apologize obediently, looked at the original spot and said.

"I'm not married to Lysinas."

[What kind of nonsense is this? You didn't deny it earlier, and now you're making excuses?!]

"I was deceived too."

[……]

Luna, who had been flaring up at Leo's words, paused.

"I'm a victim too."

[……]

At those words, Luna fell into thought.

[If it's that sly, lewd lizard, she'd certainly do something like that.]

Then, she soon accepted Leo's words.

The young Luna, watching the two of them, thought.

'What kind of dragon could that Lysinas dragon be, anyway?'

She couldn't know the details, but one thing was certain.

'She must be a con artist.'