Book 1 Chapter 116

"You scoundrels!"

"Do you think you'll get away with this!"

Ar revealed his killing intent as he looked at Reisar's hero corps, who were shouting.

"What do you think you're doing so brazenly?"

The gentle atmosphere of usual was gone.

Ar's aura was sharp with disgust and anger towards those who had unhesitatingly tried to cut down the young girl.

At Ar's aura, the members of the hero corps flinched and stepped back.

Seeing this, Leo narrowed his eyes.

'It's a training corps, not an official hero corps.'

Putting those who are not yet ready on the battlefield will only lead to death.

Even in this era, there was a process of nurturing heroes.

These could also be considered hero candidates like Ar.

'Of course, different from Ar.'

It's not because the era is different.

Even in the era of disaster, there were plenty of candidates who dreamed of becoming true heroes.

But these people were not.

They joined the hero corps to satisfy their petty superiority complex or lust for power.

He could tell by their eyes.

It wasn't a matter of innate talent or the power they possessed.

'A fundamental difference.'

"I am Jerin of Reisar's Hero Corps! Interfering with our work is the same as defying the lord's orders!"

Jerin, the woman at the front, shouted at Ar in a sharp voice.

"Is it the lord's order? Or is it Rebaithan's order?"

Leo asked coldly, and Jerin flinched.

"So, it seems you used the nonexistent plague as an excuse to kill all the children and retrieve the Schaten."

The faces of the orphanage children turned pale.

Ar's face also turned cold as he grasped the situation at Leo's words.

Thump- thump-

Leo stepped forward.

"Even in this kind of era, there is a line."

Screech-

Leo, whose expression had disappeared, pointed his sword at Reisar's hero corps.

"If you want to call yourselves heroes, you must at least maintain a minimum of decency."

Anger flickered in Leo's eyes.

"Otherwise, it's an insult to those who are truly risking their lives to save the world."

"That's right! Don't call yourselves heroes, you bunch of losers!"

Ar also shouted at Leo's words.

"Presumptuous… So you intend to block us to the end."

Jerin unleashed her aura.

"With a little bit of skill, you seem to be blind. I'll show you how big the world is."

Clank- clank- clank-!

Armor began to envelop Jerin's body.

Instantly, Jerin, clad in a silver full plate mail, adjusted her shield and spear and approached Leo.

Seeing this, Leo said to Ar.

"I'll handle her. You take care of the others."

"Understood."

There were a total of five members in the hero corps.

It wouldn't be difficult for them, who used aura, to slaughter civilian children.

'It would have been a headache if proper people had come, but seeing them send these brats means they haven't fully taken control of the hero corps yet.'

The true powerhouses of the hero corps were veterans who had weathered the era of disaster.

For the current Leo or Ar, they would be too strong to handle.

'Well, such people wouldn't listen to Rebaithan's orders in the first place.'

Jerin sneered as she saw Leo approaching defenselessly.

"Foolish fellow!"

Gooooo-!

Jerin, adjusting her spear, aimed a sharp thrust at Leo.

Whack-!

Jerin's feet dug into the ground as she kicked off.

Seeing the opponent closing the distance at high speed, Leo swung his sword from bottom to top.

'Can you block my attack with such a simple move…!'

Clang-!

"……!"

Jerin's eyes widened.

Leo, who had so easily deflected the aura-infused spear, said,

"You call yourselves a hero corps with such skill."

"Are you insulting me!"

The woman shouted sharply and charged at Leo, infusing her shield with aura.

Seeing this, Leo raised his right hand, which was not holding a sword.

Whoosh-!

The flame of aura formed in his right hand.

"Flame-attribute aura? That's an unusual ability!"

In the current era, it was common to imbue aura with attributes due to its development, but not in the era of disaster.

Jerin, surprised by Leo's flame, smirked.

"But can that much flame stop my shield?"

Leo clenched his fist as he looked at the shield.

"It seems to be an aura specialized for defense."

Whoosh-!

Leo's red eyes flashed.

"So what?"

Boom-! Whoosh-!

Flames swirled.

The enraged flames not only blew away Jerin's aura but also melted her shield.

"Kyaaaak!"

Jerin screamed as molten metal flowed down her.

"Your skill and equipment are both crude."

Leo sheathed his sword and turned his gaze to Ar, who was facing the other four.

Thump-!

A strange sound was heard as Ar leaped.

Whack-!

"Keugh!"

With a kick from Ar, the armor of one of the hero corps members shattered.

Ar, baring his teeth like an enraged cat, felt the killing intent of a sword aiming at his back and leaped lightly.

Thump-!

Another strange sound was heard, and Ar's body seemed to bounce upwards.

Thump-!

He kicked off in mid-air, and his direction changed instantly.

'Elasticity?'

Leo's eyes sparkled as he witnessed Ar's aura characteristic.

Ar's body bounced freely every time he unleashed his aura.

The four hero corps members facing Ar were defenselessly overwhelmed by his incredible speed and complex movements.

'It's like a cat playing with mice.'

He kicked the last hero corps member in the back.

The four knights frothed at the mouth and fainted.

Ar scoffed at this.

"Hmph. Calling yourselves a hero corps with such abilities."

Then, looking at Leo, he narrowed his eyes.

"So the flame aura is your aura characteristic."

As a beastkin who mastered aura best among all races, Ar could predict how powerful Leo's aura was just by looking at it.

"It seems like it would be an interesting fight if we went head-to-head."

Having confirmed Leo's skill, Ar wore a warlike smile.

The playful atmosphere of before was gone, replaced by the dignified demeanor befitting an Azonia recommended examinee.

"Well, since we'll be attending the same school, we'll have a chance to settle things soon. It seems like school life will be incredibly fun with you around."

Ar, with his usual cheerful smile, said, looking at Leo.

"You and me! And if we add that weakling wolf, we'll be able to beat Lumern!"

Ar snorted and clenched his fist.

'It's a shame to reveal it's Lumern when I'm so excited.'

It was when Leo scratched his cheek.

"Heh heh heh, you fools."

Jerin sneered.

Her body was covered in burns, and her eyes were filled with malice.

"How dare you mess with us, the hero corps? Do you think Rebaithan will let you get away with this?"

Grind-!

Jerin gnashed her teeth and spewed curses.

"Stupid! For the sake of some dirty orphans, you've made enemies of Reisar!"

Ar, who had been staring at the mocking Jerin with a blank expression, loosened his finger joints.

"Are you saying you want to be beaten up?"

Jerin flinched as she saw the murderous cat approaching with a growl.

Leo raised his hand to stop Ar.

"Could you take the children and leave this place for a bit?"

"What?"

"I have something to discuss with her."

The moment Ar saw Leo's smiling face, he felt goosebumps on his back.

'Something dangerous.'

His wild instincts sensed a crisis.

Leo said, watching Ar, who couldn't decide whether to move or not, with his ears and tail perked up.

"Please."

"Alright. Come on, kids, let's get out of here for a moment."

With words containing an irresistible force, Ar led the children out of the clearing.

Jerin sneered, watching Leo.

"Huh? You were acting like a hero, but now you're afraid for your life? Are you begging for your life? Is that why you sent those kids away? You're just as pathetic…"

"You seem to be mistaken."

Screech-

Leo drew his sword and approached Jerin.

"I just told them to leave because it wasn't something they should see."

As he looked at Leo, who spoke with a nonchalant expression, Jerin felt a chill run down her spine.

The moment her eyes met Leo's red eyes, Jerin realized instantly.

The boy before him had no qualms about killing.

"D-don't come any closer!"

Jerin crawled away, her face pale.

"I-if you kill me, Rebaithan won't let you get away with it…"

"He won't let me get away with it anyway, whether I kill you or not. If your report isn't submitted by the scheduled time, he'll come himself."

Leo's cold gaze fell on Jerin.

"And I have no intention of letting him do as he pleases. There's no reason to let you live."

"T-then take me hostage…"

"Are you worth that much?"

Leo raised his sword.

Under the gray, setting sun.

Leo's eyes, devoid of any emotion, were terrifying.

Leo's sword descended like a guillotine.

"Wait…!"

Slice-!

Leo cleanly severed her head and then, without hesitation, took the lives of the remaining four.

Leo shook the blood off his sword.

If they had simply come here on orders, Leo would not have taken their lives.

'But these people came here knowing everything.'

There was no reason to spare them.

"You have no hesitation."

"I'm used to it."

Leo said indifferently to Elci, who appeared behind him.

"Dealing with traitors and betrayers like these."

It wasn't just Erebus and Tartarus who made the era of disaster a hell.

There were plenty of people like Rebaithan and Jerin, who called themselves heroes while killing innocent people to satisfy their desires.

And it was Kyle who took their lives.

He didn't want to burden his friends, who had their own goals, with such dirty work.

"…Did they really try to kill my friends to get Schaten?"

Elci's voice trembled slightly.

"Yes."

"……."

Elci was a great spirit but still a young and inexperienced spirit.

She had fought Tartarus on the battlefield since birth and had since waited with Argon for the true hero who would eventually appear.

She likely had no opportunity to encounter human malice.

This was probably the first time Elci had witnessed the ugly side of the world.

'If it had happened normally, they would have seen my brothers of Arion being murdered.'

Leo, who now understood the reason why he had asked if this world was worth saving when they first met, had a troubled expression.

'Saving the world means saving even these kinds of people.'

In the end, he didn't even make the contract with Lishina, which he had so longed for.

'Do you think this world is worth saving?'

'Of course.'

Lishina had no hesitation.

Luna, Arion, and Dwenho were the same.

Only Kyle was different.

He was the only one who didn't answer Elci's question properly.

That's why Elci chose Kyle.

'The reason he joined our journey despite being disappointed in the world… is probably because he still wanted to save it.'

Leo recalled Elci, who smiled for the first and last time while disappearing after the battle with the Hell Kaiser.

'Still, I hope he finds it.'

'Find what?'

'A reason to save the world.'

Recalling the last words of his contractor, Leo opened his mouth.

"Elci."

Elci's expression had disappeared, just as when Kyle had first met her.

"I guarantee it."

On the day he was reborn.

Leo smiled, recalling the night sky outside his cradle.

"The stars in the night sky will be more beautiful than you imagine."

Elci's eyes widened slightly.

"So this world is worth saving."

Elci, who had been staring blankly at Leo, smiled brightly.

"Yes!"