Book 1 Chapter 117

117.

[Hidden Goal: Save Agon, the Guardian of the Blue Sky.]

Leo's eyes narrowed as he saw the mission objective that hadn't disappeared.

'The mission objective hasn't been fulfilled yet.'

It must have already deviated significantly from actual history.

Yet, the hidden mission objective hadn't disappeared. It meant the orphanage wasn't safe yet.

Leo used fire magic to turn the corpses to ashes.

Whoosh-!

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

The original mission objective was easily resolved with Kyle's memories, but achieving the hidden mission objective wasn't easy.

'Do I need to call Agon?'

All of this situation arose because Agon had left the orphanage.

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

He might not return tonight.

Leo, frowning, looked at Elsie.

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

The hidden mission objective appeared after Leo met Elsie.

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

A death that even a Great Spirit couldn't stop.

Leo didn't know what Lebaiten was hiding, but for now, even bringing Agon wouldn't guarantee the children's survival.

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

Remembering his friend, Leo headed towards where Ar was.

There, Ar was comforting the frightened orphans.

"You came?"

Ar hesitated, remembering Leo from a moment ago.

Ar had noticed what Leo had done to them.

Of course, she had no intention of blaming him.

There was no room for sympathy for them.

They had tried to kill innocent children, and if they had been let go, they would have attacked again.

Moreover, this was the world of heroes.

No matter how real they seemed, they were fakes.

But for Ar, a fifteen-year-old girl, staining her hands with blood was an enormous burden.

She worried, thinking Leo had killed people.

"Black Rabbit. Are you okay?"

Leo chuckled, seeing Ar ask cautiously, and ruffled her hair.

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

The rough touch, unlike a boy his age, pressed lightly on Ar's neck.

'He's like an adult.'

Feeling a strange maturity, Ar slipped out of Leo's grasp like a cat.

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

"Probably not."

"It's okay! If Black Rabbit and I hold out until Uncle Agon arrives!"

"It won't be easy."

Ar flinched at Leo's words.

"More skilled individuals than the ones we took down earlier will come."

"Hmm! But if Black Rabbit and I combine our strength…!"

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

"T-that…"

Ar's ears and tail drooped.

Seeing her expression, Leo spoke.

"Still, it's not like there's no way."

"What is it?"

Her drooping tail perked up.

"Finding Arion."

"Lord Arion? But Lord Agon said Lord Arion left Leisar…"

"Arion is staying in Leisar."

Leo looked at the city wall.

"I checked last night, and I couldn't go outside the city wall."

"You couldn't go outside the city? Does that mean our scope of activity is only within Leisar?"

"That's right."

"Then it's certain that Lord Arion is in Leisar, just as you said!"

Ar's face brightened.

But that was only for a moment.

"But how do we find Lord Arion in this vast city? They might attack any minute."

Indeed, finding one beast-person in this vast refugee city was almost impossible.

Leo glanced at the orphanage children.

'I've already cleared the world of heroes.'

The hidden mission objective was literally just an option.

It didn't necessarily have to be achieved.

Of course, if he achieved it, he could get a greater reward.

But taking risks for that might be a foolish act.

Especially since those in the world of heroes were already dead and gone in the original history.

Saving them wouldn't bring the dead back.

But…

He remembered his friend, who had shed tears while talking about his younger siblings from the orphanage.

If the man named Agon was the one who enabled the hero Arion to be in his current position.

These children were the driving force that allowed Arion to summon courage even in his difficult battles.

Arion's wish to create a world where people could smile comfortably was a wish born from the desire for unfortunate children, like his own siblings, to disappear.

Therefore, Leo could not turn a blind eye to these children.

'It's not just these children.'

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

It could not be said that he had no connection to it.

"Ar."

"Yes?"

"We've completed the objective. So, there's no need to take any more risks."

Ar's eyes widened at Leo's words.

Then she stared at Leo and let out a snort.

"Hmph! You say that, but you're not going to back out of this, are you? Are you trying to do all the cool stuff by yourself? I know all about it!"

"It could be really dangerous."

"Do you think I'd be scared of something like that? I admired Lord Arion's stories and dreamed of becoming a hero."

Ar puffed out her chest.

"Someone like me wouldn't back down like a coward, would I? Besides!"

"Besides?"

"If you're the only one doing things, Lord Arion will only dote on you later!"

Ar wore an expression of indignation.

"I'll work hard too! I'll work hard and get praised by Lord Arion, and get petted!"

Ar squirmed as if imagining Arion praising her.

Then, noticing Leo's gaze, which seemed bewildered, she cleared her throat.

"Anyway! You've thought of a way to find Lord Arion, haven't you?"

"Yes."

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

Leo, who had originally planned to evacuate Ar and ask Elsie to protect the place, let out a hollow laugh.

"If that guy were like you, no. If he were even half like you, I wouldn't have gone through such hell."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Just talking to myself."

Leo shook his head and said seriously.

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

"Don't worry!"

Watching Ar confidently flex her arm, Leo swiftly took off.

Seeing his retreating back, Ar raised both hands.

"Alright! I'm going to work hard and get lots of praise from Lord Arion! Aja!"

***

"Still no word from Jerin?"

Leisar's Lord's Castle.

An hour had already passed since Agon confronted Lord Rodean.

Yet, there was no contact from Jerin, whom he had sent to the orphanage.

"Still nothing."

"Useless fool! Could he have been caught?!"

"Weren't there only children in that orphanage who couldn't properly resist?"

"When I saw it earlier, there were two individuals who looked like outsiders. It seems they were caught by them."

"Outsiders, you say."

The woman, who showed momentary interest, soon wore an indifferent expression.

"So? Today is the perfect opportunity to get Shatten, are you going to miss it?"

"Of course not. Now that we know they touched the orphanage, Agon won't stand still."

Lebaiten, having said that much, suddenly showed an uneasy expression.

"But are you sure Agon is hiding Shatten?"

"Absolutely. Have I ever been wrong about anything I've said? Or are you getting anxious now?"

"N-no, but… given who we're dealing with."

"I don't know why you're trembling, scared of a hero whose wings were broken and went into seclusion."

The woman, who had been sneering, soon said indifferently.

"It doesn't matter if you're scared. As long as the Guardian of the Blue Sky is a hero, he can't do anything. Heroes are that kind of race."

The woman's ominous golden eyes gleamed.

"A foolish race that protects the greater good even at the cost of sacrificing themselves. He will never put Leisar in danger. So, rest assured, Lebaiten."

"Ah, I understand. Then I will go to the orphanage myself and retrieve Shatten."

Watching Lebaiten hurriedly leave the room after saying that, the woman muttered.

"It seems Shatten truly is broken. That makes him easier to devour."

The woman had accurately seen through the fact that Shatten was a spirit.

The woman licked her lips.

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

***

Stepping out onto the streets of Leisar, Leo immediately thought about places Arion might visit.

'If it's him, he's probably holed up somewhere, not moving an inch.'

Leo recalled conversations he'd had with Arion in the past.

Leisar was where Arion had lived for ten years.

As such, there were plenty of nostalgic places where he might go to collect his thoughts.

Leo searched his past memories.

5000 years ago, after first arriving in Leisar, he had wandered all over the place for a month, so he was skilled with the geography.

He compared those memories with the places Arion had talked about.

'The place he said he went most often was the bell tower, wasn't it?'

Leo ran towards the tower with a giant bell.

It was the place where a massive bell warned of danger during the Tartaros invasion.

Arriving at the top of the tower, Leo searched for Arion but couldn't see him.

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

The park he often went to.

The vacant lot in the back alley where he trained alone.

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

"Huff. Huff."

Leo gasped for breath.

Even Leo, with his almost inexhaustible stamina, had run around so frantically that he was out of breath.

'There are no more places I can think of.'

Leo gritted his teeth.

Then he recalled conversations they had in the past.

'Arion, you're so strong, yet you never once thought of fighting Tartaros when you were in Leisar?'

'Because the demons were scary.'

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

Draeno said to Luna, who had spoken with a curious tone.

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

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

'The only delicate thing about you is your beautiful appearance. Of course, even that appearance seems to fade due to your not-so-gentle personality.'

'Dieeeeee!'

An enraged Luna swung her staff wildly.

But Draeno merely annoyingly defended all her attacks.

The group, accustomed to their quarrels, left them alone.

'Still, haven't you ever thought of fighting?'

To Lysander's question, Arion smiled awkwardly.

'I have. So one day, I resolved to gather my courage in a place overlooking all of Leisar.'

'Didn't you dislike high places? Why did you go to such a place?'

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

Arion wore a bitter expression.

'I was such a coward that by the time I gained courage, all my siblings had already passed away.'

Leo's gaze naturally turned towards the tallest spire in Leisar.

From there, the entire city of Leisar would surely be visible at a glance.

***

Entering the spire, Leo quickly ran up the stairs to the top floor.

Creak-!

The door, which should have been locked, was open as if there had been a visitor.

Thump-

Leo took a step, gasping for breath.

The spacious spire was circular in shape.

Thump- Thump-

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

Thump-

Arion's white wolf ears, leaning against the railing and looking down at the city, twitched.

And as if startled, he turned his gaze towards Leo.

"Who?"

He saw Arion, still with a youthful air, making a surprised expression.

'At this time, Arion was probably 18 years old?'

The only one among the Great Heroes born in the Era of Calamity.

A friend who was ridiculously cowardly but possessed unbelievably great courage.

Looking at his comrade-in-arms with whom he had fought for many years, Leo felt a lump in his throat.

He never thought the day would come when they would converse again.

Even if it was the world of heroes.

Even if his friend didn't know him.

Grateful for this moment, he opened his mouth.

"I came to get you, Arion."