Book 1 Chapter 1033

**1033.**

Seyrune squinted her eyes and looked at her senior.

Leo, who had silently endured Seyrune's gaze, eventually raised his hand and poked Seyrune's eyes with his index and middle fingers.

"Ow!"

"What? Why? What?"

"No! Shouldn't you have said that before poking?!"

Seyrune protested, clutching her eyes and screaming, but Leo paid no attention.

Watching Leo, Seyrune rubbed her eyes a few times, then pointed a finger at Rumern, who was talking with Rodia.

"Why did you come with Rumern? And judging by the atmosphere, you've been exposed as Kyle-nim too, haven't you?!"

"Yeah."

"Wow! I had faith in Kyle-nim! How can you be so brazen after being exposed… Hiiieek!"

As Leo tried to poke her eyes again, Seyrune quickly covered them.

Leo folded his raised fingers and said,

"What do you want me to do? That serious pervert sees through all my moves."

"Huh?"

Seyrune instantly made a dumbfounded expression.

Leo scratched his head.

"He just unthinkingly provokes Luna. I didn't know he was that kind of guy."

"Th-that can't be!"

Seyrune looked a little shocked after hearing about Rumern.

"Rumern never failed when conquering Kyle-nim's world by doing anything particularly strange, like us, did he?"

"Like us? Failed? What, did you guys do something weird when you went into the world of the Great Hero?"

"…"

At Leo's question, Seyrune subtly avoided his gaze.

Leo clicked his tongue at her reaction.

"I roughly get the gist of what happened."

"Ahem! Uh, anyway. You've been exposed, so what are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean 'what'? We'll just go on like this. It won't have any immediate impact on the future. And for now, I told Rumern that I came from a parallel world."

"Aren't you making things complicated? Explaining the theory behind it would only make it more complicated."

"I just told him I came without any explanation, and he believed it?"

At that, Seyrune let out a little chuckle.

"Is Rumern an idiot? To instantly believe if Kyle-nim says so."

"He believed it instantly?"

"…"

"I've also told him that you came from a parallel world, for now."

"No. Rumern isn't naive enough to believe something like that right away!"

"What do you want me to do if he believes it? For now, your past self is completely dormant, so there won't be any immediate confusion. Since Rumern agreed to cooperate, Rodia will know you as the you from this timeline."

"That's impossible! Rumern, he's the most thorough among us! There's no way he'd instantly believe Kyle-nim's words…!"

"Excuse me, Seyrune."

Just then, Rumern, who had finished talking with Rodia, spotted Seyrune talking with Leo in the corner and approached.

Since measures had been taken with magic to prevent conversations from being heard, no words leaked out.

Even so, approaching like this would render magic useless.

"Yes, Rumern. What's wrong…?"

Thump!

Rumern placed a hand on Seyrune's shoulder.

"Huh? I-if you suddenly touch me like this…!"

"Seyrune seems very close with Kyle-nim, doesn't she?"

"Huh?"

Seyrune looked at Rumern's face with a flustered expression.

Rumern was smiling kindly, just like his usual self.

But his eyes were off.

"I'm really envious."

"…"

Rumern firmly gripped Seyrune's shoulders.

And brought his face close.

"Seyrune's direct senior is Luna-nim, isn't she? So shouldn't you serve Luna-nim well? Why do you seem closer to Kyle-nim? Huh? Did you perhaps harbor any ulterior motives towards Kyle-nim? And Azonia didn't flirt with Kyle-nim in that world, did she? Huh? Seyrune. Kyle-nim is my senior…"

*Thwack!*

Just then, Leo hit Rumern on the back of the head with his scabbard.

Rumern, coming to his senses, looked at Leo.

"Stop saying strange things, and keep a close watch beside me so Rodia doesn't notice anything."

"Yes, Kyle-nim. I won't disappoint you."

Rumern bowed politely and left.

Even as he left, he didn't forget to stare at Seyrune with wide, suspicious eyes.

After Rumern left, Leo scratched his head.

'Isn't this kid going to be shocked?'

Judging by Seyrune's reaction, it was clear that this was the first time she had seen Rumern like this.

From the start, when he met the Heroes of the Genesis and heard about Rumern, they all said Rumern was an ideal hero.

For Seyrune, it was shocking that such a Rumern was hiding this kind of madness.

Leo approached Seyrune, worried about her.

Seyrune, whose shoulders were trembling, had her head bowed low.

"Hey, are you alr—"

Leo, who was about to speak, stopped.

"No, no way. This isn't the Rumern I know… To be so aggressive and threatening… He's completely different from usual…! Ugh… The worst! This is the worst!"

She was muttering out loud, as if unable to believe it.

But her face was flushed bright red.

She looked somehow pleased.

Her words and reactions were completely different.

'She's completely infatuated too.'

"Are you happy?"

"H-happy, me?!"

Seyrune looked indignant.

But at the same time, she was unconsciously touching the shoulder Rumern had grabbed.

Seeing that, Leo thought to himself.

'I thought I'd never see a pervert crazier than Dweno in my life.'

Throughout his past and present lives.

He thought there would be no such pervert.

But today, that thought changed.

'There were even worse ones.'

It was simply regrettable that one of them was his direct junior.

***

Young Luna looked at the vast forest beyond the castle walls.

The landscape of the frozen winter forest was an unfamiliar place for Luna.

Because the place where Luna was born was a vibrant forest full of lush vegetation in the southern part of the continent.

The hometown of countless elves.

However, the place called a holy land by the elves was the northern part of the continent where Fairy Land was located.

They said the forest cultivated by fairies was much more beautiful and full of life than Luna's hometown forest.

'Though I've never seen it.'

But she had heard countless rumors, so she was curious.

Elves are originally a race that cultivates vegetation.

Even if Luna didn't particularly love or cherish the forest, she was still an elf.

Her heart would feel stable when she saw a forest full of life.

But now, the forest in the northern continent was far from such vitality.

'Am I still an elf, after all? My mood isn't good with the forest being such a mess.'

[Is that so? I don't feel much about it.]

The spirit Luna said nonchalantly.

At that, young Luna, who was lost in thought, glared at her.

Regardless of how her past self looked, Luna silently gazed beyond the forest.

Her archenemy was beyond this forest.

'What exactly is his scheme that he came to the past?'

Recalling Erebus, Luna made a hateful expression.

Luna's hatred for the primordial evil was no less than Leo's.

Erebus had taken everything precious from Luna.

Precious people, dreams, and even the future.

And even now, he was trying to take away what was precious to Luna.

'Is he trying to absorb another piece of the past again?'

Erebus's way to quickly return to his complete form.

It was to absorb and merge with his torn pieces.

'It can't be just that. He must have other ulterior motives.'

There must be a hidden agenda.

But Luna couldn't think of anything no matter how hard she tried.

'Ugh… If it were Licinas, it would have been different.'

Luna frowned.

'Would Kyle be thinking something similar?'

At this moment.

Would Licinas's presence be more helpful to Kyle than her own? While thinking this, Luna drooped her ears.

*Sapak-*

The sound of footsteps on snow was heard.

Young Luna and the spirit Luna simultaneously turned their heads.

"Luna-nim. It's cold outside. Have something warm to drink."

Rena, who brought two mugs, handed one to Luna.

"Thank you."

Young Luna took the mug and drank.

And she smiled happily.

"The cocoa is delicious."

It was a drink that didn't exist in the past.

[My granddaughter is so sweet.]

'Why is she *our* granddaughter?'

[You called me 'Grandma', didn't you?]

The spirit Luna said calmly, folding her arms.

'She likes it, being called Grandma. Ah, well, unlike me, you're old…'

"Ow, hot!"

Young Luna, who was teasing her adult self, jumped.

Luna had put force into her hand, making the hot cocoa fill young Luna's mouth.

"A-are you alright?"

Rena fussily checked on young Luna.

"I'm fine."

Young Luna showed an expression of being fine, but glared at her adult self.

The adult Luna simply stuck out her tongue childishly.

Young Luna, who was pouting at the sight, said,

"I have a question. Why did you call me 'Grandma' when we first met?"

"Pardon?"

"You said Licinas was the one who looked after your mom when she was little."

"Ah, that. I heard that when she was little, Licinas-nim often talked about Luna-nim to my mother. Because of that, Luna-nim was as familiar to my mother as Licinas-nim. So I naturally came to call Luna-nim 'Grandma'."

Future Licinas felt sorry for Luna.

And always grieved for not being together.

While the spirit Luna made a bitter smile, recalling such a friend.

Young Luna sipped her cocoa and asked.

"Speaking of which, Rena."

"Yes?"

"Was Leo not a good grandfather?"

"No, he was a very good grandfather. He doted on me a lot."

[There's no way that guy would do that?]

"He often told me to bother my mother as much as he suffered because of her."

[Just like him, after all.]

Luna, who had been looking doubtful, made an understanding expression at the next words.

Young Luna, who heard the story, tilted her head.

"But for all that, you don't seem to act spoiled with Leo. How should I put it, you seem to find Leo difficult?"

"…"

At those words, Rena's eyes lowered slightly.

Then she asked,

"Do you think I resemble Grandpa a lot, Luna-nim?"

"No, not at all."

[Yes. Quite a bit, actually.]

Young Luna and the spirit Luna gave conflicting answers.

"My future self says you resemble Leo."

Young Luna, who conveyed her future self's answer, looked puzzled.

'Unlike that human, she's cute. What could they possibly have in common?'

[Yes. She's cute to the point where comparing her to Kyle is rude. But she does resemble him.]

'In what way exactly?'

[Hmm. To put my finger on it…]

Luna said, stroking her chin.

[The fact that she doesn't give up?]