Book 1 Chapter 117

117.

[Quest Objective (Hidden): Save Argon, Guardian of the Azure.]

Leo's eyes narrowed as he saw the uncleared quest objective.

'The quest objective has not been met yet.'

It had already deviated greatly from actual history.

Even so, the hidden quest objective hadn't disappeared. This meant the orphanage was still not safe.

Leo used fire magic to turn the corpses into ashes.

*Woosh-!*

'Does this mean the outcome will be the same if I continue like this?'

While the original quest objective was easily resolved with Kyle's memories, achieving the hidden quest objective was not easy.

'Do I need to summon Argon?'

All of this happened because Argon had left the orphanage.

'But Argon is at the Lord's Castle right now.'

He might not even return tonight.

Leo, his face contorted, saw Elsie.

'No, even if Argon were here, it might be difficult to stop.'

The hidden quest objective appeared after Leo met Elsie.

This meant that even though Elsie hadn't left for Gardsron, the children at the orphanage couldn't escape death.

Death that even the Great Spirits couldn't stop.

Leo didn't know what Revaiten was hiding, but for now, even summoning Argon wouldn't guarantee the children's survival.

'Is he the only one who can definitively resolve this incident?'

Thinking of his friend, Leo headed to where Ar was.

There, Ar was comforting the frightened orphans.

"You're here?"

Ar, who had just been thinking of Leo, hesitated.

Ar had noticed what Leo had done to them.

Of course, he had no intention of blaming him.

They were beyond pity.

They had tried to kill innocent children, and if they had been left as they were, they would have attacked again.

Besides, this was the world of heroes.

No matter how real they seemed, they were fake.

But for Ar, a girl of fifteen, it was unavoidable to feel immense pressure from getting his hands dirty.

Leo worried, thinking he had killed people.

"Black Rabbit. Are you okay?"

Seeing Ar ask cautiously, Leo chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"You don't need to worry about it."

His rough touch, unlike that of a boy his age, lightly pressed Ar's neck.

'He's like an adult.'

Feeling a strange maturity, Ar wriggled out of Leo's touch like a cat.

"By the way, it won't end with this, will it?"

"It won't."

"It's okay! If Black Rabbit and I hold on until Uncle Argon arrives!"

"It won't be easy."

Ar flinched at Leo's words.

"Stronger individuals than the ones you just defeated will come."

"Mmm! Still, if Black Rabbit and I combine our strength…!"

"Simply defeating them, yes, but holding on while protecting the children won't be easy."

"Th-that's…"

Ar's ears and tail drooped.

Seeing that, Leo said,

"Still, there is a way."

"What is it?"

His drooping tail perked up.

"We need to find Arion."

"Lord Arion? But Lord Argon said Arion left Reisar…"

"Arion is staying in Reisar."

Leo looked at the city walls.

"I confirmed it last night. I couldn't get out of the city walls."

"You couldn't get out of the city? That means our range of activity is limited to within Reisar!"

"That's right."

"Then, as you said, Arion is definitely in Reisar!"

Ar's face brightened.

But it was only for a moment.

"But how do we find Arion in this vast city? They could attack at any moment."

Indeed, finding one beastkin in this vast refugee city was almost impossible.

Leo glanced at the orphanage children.

'The world of heroes has already been conquered.'

The hidden quest objective was literally just an option.

It didn't have to be achieved.

Of course, achieving it would bring greater rewards.

But taking on that risk might be foolish.

Especially since the people in the world of heroes had already died and disappeared in the original history.

Saving them wouldn't bring back the dead.

But…

He remembered his friend crying while talking about his orphaned siblings.

If Argon was the man who made the hero Arion who he is now,

these children were the driving force that allowed Arion to gain courage even in that difficult battle.

Arion's wish to create a world where people could smile freely was born from his desire to see children as unhappy as his own siblings disappear.

Therefore, Leo couldn't turn away from these children.

'It's not just these children.'

No matter what anyone said, Leo lived in this era.

He couldn't say it had no relation to him.

"Ar."

"Yes?"

"We have completed the quest. So there's no need to take any more risks."

Ar's eyes widened at Leo's words.

He then stared intently at Leo and eventually scoffed.

"Hmph! You say that, but you're not backing out of this, are you? You're just trying to do something cool all by yourself, aren't you? I know everything!"

"It could be really dangerous."

"Are you scared of that kind of thing? I aspired to be a hero after hearing Arion's story."

Ar puffed out his chest.

"Someone like me wouldn't back down like a coward! Besides!"

"Besides?"

"If you get all the credit alone, Arion will only like you later!"

Ar's expression showed he could not tolerate that.

"I'll work hard too! I want to work hard and get praised by Arion! And get petted!"

Thinking of Arion praising him, Ar squirmed.

Then, noticing Leo's bewildered gaze, he coughed.

"Anyway! You've thought of a way to find Arion, right?"

"Yes."

"Then go find him! I'll guard this place until then!"

Leo, who had originally planned to have Ar flee and ask Elsie to guard the place, let out a bitter laugh.

"If that guy had half your spirit, no, even half of yours, I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Just talking to myself."

Shaking his head, Leo said seriously,

"I'll be back as soon as possible. If it seems too dangerous, don't push yourself and retreat."

"Don't worry!"

Seeing Ar confidently flex his arm, Leo moved quickly.

Watching his retreating back, Ar raised both hands.

"All right! I'll work hard and get lots of praise from Arion! Let's go!"

***

"Have you heard anything from Jerrin yet?"

Reisar's Lord's Castle.

An hour had already passed since Argon met Lord Rodean.

However, there was still no news from Jerrin, who had been sent to the orphanage.

"Not yet."

"Useless! Did something happen to him?!"

"Weren't there only young children at that orphanage who couldn't even put up a proper resistance?"

"When I saw them earlier, there were two individuals who appeared to be outsiders. It seems they got him."

"Outsiders."

The woman, who had shown brief interest, soon wore a bored expression.

"So? Today is a golden opportunity to obtain Schatten. Are you going to miss it like this?"

"Certainly not. Now that he knows the orphanage has been tampered with, Argon won't stand by."

Having said that, Revaiten's expression became momentarily anxious.

"But are you sure Argon is hiding Schatten?"

"I'm sure. Have I ever been wrong about anything I've said? Or are you suddenly getting nervous?"

"Th-that's not it… it's just that considering who the opponent is."

"I don't know why a hero who had his wings clipped and went into hiding is trembling."

The woman sneered and then said indifferently,

"It doesn't matter if he's scared. As the Guardian of the Azure is a hero, he can do nothing. That's the kind of people heroes are."

The woman's ominous golden eyes gleamed.

"A foolish race that sacrifices themselves to protect a cause. He will never push Reisar into crisis. So rest assured, Revaiten."

"Y-yes. Then I will go to the orphanage myself and retrieve Schatten."

Watching Revaiten hurriedly leave the room after saying that, the woman muttered,

"It seems Schatten is indeed broken. Then it will be easy to devour."

The woman had accurately pierced through the fact that Schatten was a spirit.

The woman licked her lips.

"I wonder if a Great Spirit tastes as good as a Fairy King?"

***

Leo, who had come out onto the streets of Reisar, immediately began to think about where Arion might go.

'He's probably holed up somewhere and not moving an inch.'

Leo recalled a conversation he had with Arion in the past.

Reisar was where Arion had lived for ten years.

As such, there were plenty of places of memory where he could calm his mind.

Leo delved into his past life memories.

He was adept at navigating the area, having wandered around Reisar after first arriving 5,000 years ago.

He cross-referenced those memories with the places Arion had mentioned.

'The place he said he went to most often was the Bell Tower, right?'

Leo ran towards the tower with the giant bell.

It was the place where the great bell rang to signal a crisis during the Tartarus invasion.

Reaching the top of the tower, Leo looked for Arion but he wasn't there.

After confirming Arion wasn't there, Leo immediately headed to the next location.

A park he frequented.

A vacant lot in a back alley where he trained alone.

He searched the places Arion had mentioned, but couldn't find him anywhere.

"Huff. Huff."

Leo panted heavily.

Even Leo, who had almost inexhaustible stamina, was running frantically to the point of breathlessness.

'I can't think of any more places.'

Leo gritted his teeth.

Then he recalled conversations they had in the past.

'Arion, you're so strong, but did you never think of fighting Tartarus when you were in Reisar?'

'Because I was afraid of the demons.'

'Shouldn't the demons be afraid of you instead?'

Luna said, sounding curious, and Dweno replied,

'Don't be too hard on him. Unlike you, Arion is sensitive, isn't he?'

'What are you talking about! I'm sensitive too!'

'The only sensitive part about you is your handsome appearance. Of course, even that appearance seems to be overshadowed by your unpleasant personality.'

'Dieeeeee!'

Enraged, Luna wildly swung her staff.

But Dweno only NAYfully blocked all the attacks.

The rest of the party, accustomed to the two's bickering, let them be.

'Still, you've thought about wanting to fight, haven't you?'

To Rhysinas' question, Arion gave an awkward smile.

'I have. So one day, I resolved to try and gather my courage from a place where I could see all of Reisar.'

'Didn't you dislike heights? Why did you go to a place like that?'

'I wanted to protect the city where my teacher and siblings lived. I thought seeing the place I wanted to protect would give me courage.'

Arion's expression was bitter.

'It was only after my siblings had all passed away that I gained courage, because I was too much of a coward.'

Leo's gaze naturally turned to the tallest spire in Reisar.

From there, the entire Reisar would surely be visible at a glance.

***

Entering the spire, Leo ascended the stairs and quickly reached the top floor.

*Creak-!*

The door, which should have been locked, was open as if a visitor were present.

*Thump-*

Panting, Leo took a step.

The large spire was circular.

*Thump- thump-*

Following the circular railing, Leo moved towards the opposite side of the entrance and stopped.

*Tap-*

Arion's white wolf ears twitched as he leaned on the railing, looking down at the city.

Then, he turned his gaze towards Leo in surprise.

"Who?"

Arion, with his childish innocence still intact, looked surprised.

'Arion must have been about 18 at this time.'

The only hero born during the Age of Calamity.

A friend who was unbelievably afraid but possessed unbelievable courage.

Seeing his comrade with whom he had fought for so long, Leo's throat felt constricted.

He never thought he would have the chance to talk to him again.

Even if it was in the world of heroes.

Even if his friend didn't recognize him.

He opened his mouth, grateful for this moment.

"I've come to take you, Arion."