Book 1 Chapter 1031
1031.
Seyrun silently gazed at the fortress, which was undergoing restoration, visible from the window.
‘I miss it.’
Until then, she had wondered if a day would ever come when she would miss these times.
The war with Tartaros was difficult.
The War of Genesis left countless scars on the world.
Land turned to ashes by war.
And a time when many precious people had to be sent away.
It was a time when countless lamentations covered the world.
But on the other hand, there was also clear hope.
The hope that the Heroes of Genesis, inheriting the power of the Great Hero, would subjugate Erebus.
The anticipation for a new era that would arrive after being completely free from the threat of Erebus.
At this time, Seyrun was clearly looking to the future.
And… there was also a precious friend.
“Wow. Seyrun asked me to drink tea with her. I’m so happy!”
Annelie smiled brightly and brought the tea set.
Seeing Annelie, Seyrun said.
“Annelie. Sit down.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll make the tea for you.”
“Seyrun, you don’t like this kind of thing. You said making tea was a waste of time.”
“Th-that’s right. But I want to do it for you.”
Seyrun smiled awkwardly, pushed Annelie’s back, and forced her to sit down.
And she made the tea herself.
Since childhood, Seyrun liked to do everything quickly.
This was thanks to dedicating all her time to magic since she was young.
That’s why she was able to restore the magic of the stars, but in all other areas, she was disastrous.
She couldn’t dance traditional dances that elves liked very well, and she disliked tea culture.
She even preferred meals that could be finished quickly and roughly.
Anything that could fill her stomach quickly was fine.
‘Because of that, it was a mess when I first joined the party.’
When Seyrun first took charge of cooking, Azonia grabbed Lodia and complained.
‘No matter what, this isn’t right! Do we have to eat this? What *can* she do besides magic?!’
‘Hey! How well do *you* do it to say something like that?!’
She yelled back, her face bright red.
Azonia’s cooking skills weren’t very good either.
All she knew how to do was salt and grill meat.
Still, it was much better than Seyrun’s.
Recalling that time, Seyrun chuckled, then carefully made the tea and served it to Annelie.
Seeing Annelie sipping tea, Seyrun, sitting opposite her, carefully asked.
“How is it?”
“Hmm. It’s tasteless!”
Seyrun flinched, seeing Annelie answer with such a bright smile.
“W-wait a minute. I’ll make it again, so…”
“It’s fine. I like it this way!”
Annelie, who smiled as if she didn’t mind, put down her teacup and said.
“By the way, Seyrun, seeing as you asked me to have a cup of tea, you must have something to say, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Seyrun nodded with downcast eyes.
Annelie.
To Seyrun, she was a friend as precious as the Heroes of Genesis with whom she had fought, risking their lives together.
And a friend who ultimately sacrificed her life to protect her.
“Annelie.”
“Hm?”
Seyrun went in front of Annelie and knelt.
“I’m sorry.”
“S-Seyrun, what are you doing?”
“I tarnished your and Lumerne’s honor.”
“What?”
“The scandal circulating among people.”
Seyrun bowed her head deeply and said.
“I am the source.”
“Huh?”
“I didn’t keep the secret and spread the fact that you were pregnant.”
Seyrun was certain that telling this story would not cause a rift with Annelie or change the future.
“Um. It’s not something to apologize for, is it? Because it’s true.”
Annelie smiled as if it were no big deal.
Seeing her foolishly kind friend, Seyrun bit her lip.
“Get angry, Annelie.”
Seyrun said in a low voice.
“I don’t deserve to be your friend. I’ve only ever consistently used you and your family since childhood. And recently, I even tarnished your honor.”
“Hmm… So what should I do?”
“At least slap me.”
“Is that enough?”
“No. Beat me completely…”
*Whack-!*
Before Seyrun could even finish her sentence, Annelie’s palm struck Seyrun’s cheek.
Perhaps because she was hit incredibly hard, Seyrun not only fell to the floor but rolled across it.
Her head was buzzing.
“Y-yes! Like this, hit me… *Kyaaaak*?!”
Before she could finish her sentence, Annelie’s fists battered Seyrun.
*Thwack! Smack! Crack!*
Gruesome sounds echoed for a long time.
Seyrun lay miserably sprawled on the floor, her hair disheveled and her eyes bruised.
Annelie, who squatted in front of such a Seyrun, smiled gently and asked.
“Do you feel a little better now?”
“I… *you* should be feeling better!”
“But I didn’t feel particularly bad from the start, you know?”
Annelie, who had tilted her head, soon wore a slightly ecstatic expression.
“Well, I *do* feel better. How should I put it? Seeing Seyrun scream makes me feel good, I guess?”
Seyrun shivered, looking at her friend who was blushing and wearing a dangerous smile.
Her current appearance was a little frightening.
“Well, it was a bit surprising. So Seyrun, you still hadn’t overcome your inferiority complex.”
“…You knew I had an inferiority complex?”
“Yeah. It was cute how you pretended not to.”
Annelie helped Seyrun stand up.
“Then why did you let me use you?”
“Huh? I never really let you use me.”
“Then?”
Annelie, who had Seyrun sit on the sofa, treated her and said.
“I merely helped you of my own free will. Because I was certain that you could restore Lady Luna’s magic.”
“…”
“Who restores it isn’t important. What’s important is *if* it’s restored.”
Annelie tidied her friend’s hair.
“And you don’t need to feel too guilty about mentioning that I had a child before marriage.”
“Why?”
“Because there are five people who noticed that fact earlier than you and spread it everywhere?”
“What?”
“Seyrun, you only ever studied, so you don’t know much about politics, do you?”
Annelie laughed.
It was a slightly foolish laugh, the kind Seyrun always thought of as naive.
“The Seed families play dirtier tricks than Seyrun thinks. Of course, our Ersar family is no exception.”
Though praised for their nobility, to be old enough to boast of history and tradition, ugliness is required before nobility.
Invisible power struggles to bury rivals.
The Ersar family could remain the top family for so long because they won all those power struggles.
“Long before I spoke to Seyrun, there were factions who knew I was pregnant and were playing dirty tricks with that information.”
“…Still, the fact that I betrayed you doesn’t disappear.”
“Yeah. So it’s a bit surprising. But I’ll forgive you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re the benefactor who granted my wish.”
“…”
“The restoration of the magic of the stars. Seyrun, you staked everything to fulfill the Ersar family’s desire and my wish.”
“I only did it for myself.”
“Yeah. But the fact that you’re my benefactor doesn’t change.”
“…”
Annelie gave a wry smile, looking at Seyrun, whose ears were drooping.
‘If you’re going to be harsh, at least be thoroughly harsh.’
The Seyrun Annelie knew wasn’t the type to harbor ill will towards others.
She knew Seyrun had an intense inferiority complex since childhood.
But instead of cutting others down, Seyrun was the one who used that inferiority complex as motivation to climb to great heights.
‘Her head is smart, but she’s not shrewd, you know. And she’s excessively naive on top of that.’
And now, even after restoring Luna’s magic, she can’t feel confident in herself.
Annelie even found that sight a little pitiable.
“But what do you mean by tarnishing Lumerne’s honor?”
“It’s the child born between you and Lumerne. I said you had a human child.”
“…”
Annelie’s mouth fell open.
“Pfft! Pff-hahahaha!”
Then she clutched her stomach and her shoulders shook.
Seyrun made a flustered expression at her appearance.
“Wh-why are you laughing like that?”
“Ahahahahahahaha!”
Soon, Annelie burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“I know now why you spread that rumor! You thought Lumerne and I were *that* kind of couple!”
“What? Th-then you’re not?!”
“No. Ahahahahahaha!”
Annelie wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes and said.
“Lumerne and I are 100% friends.”
Lumerne.
As a child, Annelie had bought a human from the slave market.
At that time, elves used human slaves as servants, so buying a slave was not a flaw.
Of course, Annelie didn’t buy a slave to use as a servant.
The Ersar family bought human slaves for humanitarian purposes and set them free.
In the process, she accidentally bought Lumerne and kept him by her side simply to cultivate his unusual talent.
Annelie chuckled, her eyes narrowing.
“I see. Our Seyrun spread bad rumors about me because of jealousy, didn’t she?”
“You seem to be enjoying this?”
“Of course I’m enjoying it, aren’t I? How could I not be happy when a bookworm who only knows studying gets jealous over a man.”
“…For some reason, I feel like I’m becoming a fool.”
“Yeah. You are a fool.”
“I didn’t know you had this kind of personality.”
“That just means you haven’t talked to me much.”
Annelie, humming a tune, seemed happy.
She was genuinely happy to learn more about her friend.
But Seyrun was still just letting her ears droop.
“It seems you think getting beaten up by me isn’t enough of a punishment, huh?”
“…Yeah.”
“You’re needlessly diligent, I tell you.”
Annelie, clicking her tongue lightly, said.
“Then I’ll give you a punishment. And let’s make one request.”
“Punishment? Request?”
“Yeah. First, I’ll make the request.”
At Annelie’s words, Seyrun made a serious expression.
“Seyrun. Believe in yourself a little more.”
“…”
These were the words Seyrun, who ultimately couldn’t trust herself, conveyed to those who would follow her after she founded the school.
“The things you’ve accomplished are things you could do because you are *you*. I think you should be proud of those achievements.”
Seyrun clenched her fists, looking at her friend who gazed at her with a slightly pitiful expression.
“And the punishment is.”
“Yes.”
“Seduce Lumerne.”
“…What?”
“You two get married. And have kids.”
“No. What kind of punishment is that?”
“Having a child with a human slave, whom you considered inferior. Isn’t that enough of a punishment?”
“I don’t think like that anymore! When was that even from?! Besides, what kind of punishment is that! It’s a reward!”
“…”
“*Gasp*!”
Seyrun, who had unknowingly shouted, covered her mouth.
Annelie’s eyes sparkled.
“Oh my! Oh my! Seyrun, *that* Seyrun, considers getting *that* intimate with a man a reward? Have you been positively influenced by Azonia?”
“Positive influence, what! Because of that damned beast, I learned a bunch of things I didn’t want to know!”
“Things you don’t want to know? Hmm? I’m curious.”
Seyrun winced, looking at Annelie who was teasing her with sparkling eyes.
Annelie, who had been chuckling at Seyrun, then became serious.
“By the way, to add to that.”
“Hm?”
“It’s definitely not a reward.”
“What?”
“Marrying him is absolutely not easy.”
“Why? Because of Lodia?”
“No. It has nothing to do with Lodia.”
Annelie sighed.
“What kind of person do you think Lumerne is?”
“Cool. Manly. A gentleman. He has many wounds, I want to comfort him. Noble. More heroic than anyone.”
“Stop. Yeah. I get what you think.”
Annelie, who stopped Seyrun from listing her thoughts about Lumerne, let out a deep sigh.
“You’re really head over heels, aren’t you?”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“Lumerne, you see.”
Annelie shook her head.
“He’s a severe weirdo and a pervert.”
“What?”
Seyrun made a dumbfounded expression at words that didn’t fit the Lumerne she knew at all.
“In his head, there’s only Lord Kyle.”
***
Lumerne, introduced to the young Luna by Leo, was appalled.
The successor to the Hero of Beginnings, and the progenitor of the Nebula?
‘If Seyrun and Annelie knew this, they’d be really happy, wouldn’t they?’
While having such thoughts.
Lumerne spoke words to the young Luna that he had kept in his heart for a long time.
“Personally, I don’t think Lord Kyle and Lady Luna are a good match.”
At the sudden words, the young Luna made a slightly dumbfounded expression.
But her hand was already swinging, beyond her will.
*Whack-!*
Luna, in her spirit form, using her past body, fiercely growled, having neatly twisted Lumerne’s jaw.
[What is this crazy bastard spouting?]