Book 1 Chapter 249
249
“The Book of Shadows…?”
Shau looked at the Hero Record before his eyes, an expression of disbelief on his face.
It wasn't just a mere page or fragment, but a complete Hero Record, known to be one of only five in the world.
3000 years ago.
After the return of the catastrophe, the Hero Record was divided into five parts.
Since then, all races had filled the pages of the Hero Record with their own records.
But now, a sixth Hero Record had appeared.
And it was called the Hero Record of Shadows.
For a moment, he wondered if it was a fake.
However, as the Emperor of Shan, he had seen Hero Records many times.
He could not deny that the Hero Record before his eyes was genuine.
With trembling hands, he turned the page.
And after confirming the name recorded on the very first page, he couldn't help but gasp.
[The Hero of Beginning, Kyle]
The first page of the Hero Record, labeled as the Book of Shadows.
There was the name of Kyle, the Hero of Beginning.
He touched Kyle's name with his finger.
Then, ripples spread across the Hero Record page, and Kyle's record emerged.
‘This is…’
Shau’s eyes trembled.
‘The identity of the first Shadow… was the Hero of Beginning?’
5000 years ago.
Since the Hero Record first appeared on Earth.
Bihal had taken a record out of the Hero Record and entrusted it to his descendants—the record of the first Shadow.
The owner of that record, whose name was unknown, was none other than Kyle, the Hero of Beginning.
“The Great Hero… was a Shadow?”
Leo said, looking at Shau, who had an incredulous expression.
“Hero or Shadow, such distinctions probably didn’t exist in that era.”
Shau looked at Leo.
“I believe the Hero of Beginning did that work because it was something someone had to do.”
“…”
Shau closed Kyle’s record and turned the page.
And seeing the name Bihal there, his hand tightened.
Seeing the name Book of Shadows, he had a sneaking suspicion.
‘This is… the Hero Record of the Shadows.’
It wasn't just Bihal.
Living in the darkness.
It contained the records of Shadows who had sacrificed themselves for the world without hesitation.
All the deeds of the Shadows, which Shan had recorded for a long time, were now written in the Hero Record.
“Why all of a sudden…”
“Either it’s a small whim of the gods. Or, if not.”
Leo looked at Shau and smiled.
“It might mean it's time to stop lamenting yourselves.”
“…”
“Because the gods would never acknowledge those who don’t even believe in themselves.”
“Huhu… Huhuhut.”
Shau covered his face.
“Whahahahahaha!”
He couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
The sharp criticism from a hero candidate, who he thought didn’t understand their darkness, struck him deeply.
Shadows step into the darkness for their own reasons.
Some, like the Shadows of Shan, were born Shadows.
Others chose to become Shadows for their own reasons.
All of them, with conviction, step into a pool of blood.
No one regrets it.
But…
‘Ultimately, they lament the fact that they can't receive recognition from the gods.’
Some resent the gods.
Many close their eyes, despairing over having become Shadows.
Even those who don't, lament themselves, saying Shadows are those separated from the glory of the gods.
Shau was no different.
‘That’s right. The gods wouldn’t acknowledge such people.’
Shan, with its thousands of years of history, couldn't abandon its obsession with the Hero Record, yet the belief that they could not become heroes had taken deep root.
They couldn’t abandon their obsession with putting their names in the Hero Record through the methods of Shadows.
‘It’s a contradiction.’
He knew it, yet he denied it.
Only after finally seeing the Hero Record could he acknowledge it.
“I was foolish.”
Shau clenched his fist tightly.
Then he looked at Leo.
“Leo. What… is your true identity?”
He had already received reports about Leo.
‘He moved like a shadow in the darkness, they said. Moreover, he broke the seal of our ancestor.’
He broke the aura seal that only Bihal’s direct legitimate successor could break.
‘The first Shadow's identity was Lord Kyle, the Hero of Beginning. And Leo Flob is the second All-Class after Lord Kyle.’
Shau's eyes narrowed.
‘Furthermore, when Leo Flob touched it, the Hero Record that had been erased regained its name. And when he touched it… the Shadows finally got their names on the Hero Record. Could this really be a coincidence?’
Since the age of heroes began.
This boy, unprecedented in history.
Shau, who was looking into Leo’s red eyes, watched Leo's lips curve upwards.
Shau felt that smile was playful.
But it wasn't the mischievous smile boys Leo's age usually had.
It was a cunning, adult-like smile, yet somehow intimidating.
“…!”
Shau’s eyes widened.
But he soon closed his eyes.
Then he took a deep breath and stood up.
He bowed his head, as if pledging his allegiance.
“You are… Shan’s… no, the benefactor of all Shadows.”
Shau said with a trembling voice.
“If you ever need Shan’s strength, tell us anytime. We will help you with everything we have.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
Leo bowed his head and left the audience chamber.
Thump-
Shau, who had slumped into his seat, looked down at his hands, drenched in sweat.
He had learned a tremendous secret.
‘…He’s a god. The God of Shadows.’
Shau let out a hollow laugh.
He realized why the era had begun to shift.
‘The world is about to face a cataclysm.’
The subjugation of the Monster Queen.
And the birth of the Hero Record of Shadows.
‘And the resurrection of the Great Hero.’
If this truth became known to the world, it would undoubtedly lead to great chaos.
‘For now, it’s best to keep the Book of Shadows a secret.’
Even with a Hero Record, implementing a hero's world through the Book of Shadows was extremely difficult.
Many Shadows disappear from the world without leaving behind descendants, let alone mementos.
Thus, there were few keys to open a hero's world where power could be inherited.
‘But gradually, the worlds to be inherited will increase.’
Shau's eyes gleamed.
‘Until Leo Flob begins to move in earnest. Shan will remain his Shadow.’
Thinking so, Shau raised his head.
Clop-
Shau smiled bitterly as he looked at Chen Xia, who appeared bathed in moonlight.
“I did a terrible thing to you.”
“It was the path I chose, wasn't it?”
Looking at his daughter, who wore a gentle smile, Shau put down the Book of Shadows.
“This foolish father has no right to say this, but… now, at least, pursue your dream.”
“I plan to.”
“But remember this one thing.”
Shau looked directly into his daughter’s eyes.
“Someday, Shan will be yours. Don’t ever forget that fact.”
“Yes.”
Chen Xia smiled faintly and disappeared into the darkness.
Watching her retreating figure, Shau gazed at the moonlight.
“Is dawn approaching for the Shadows as well?”
***
“Ah! To think I couldn't witness Senior Leo's exploits with my own two eyes! How lamentable!”
“Stop overreacting, will you?”
Inside Leo’s room, Fritz was banging his head on the floor, and Jane looked at him with a look of disdain.
Tartaros was said to have disappeared immediately after Cyan died by Leo's hand.
‘Since Cyan is dead, staying longer would mean more disadvantages than advantages, I guess.’
Leo opened a subspace and took out bandages and potions to treat his wounds on the desk.
Seeing this, Fritz jumped up from his seat.
“Senior Leo, allow me the honor of treating Senior Leo’s wounds…!”
It was when Fritz adjusted his glasses and his eyes gleamed.
Knock- Knock-
With a soft knock, the door opened, and Chen Xia entered.
“Princess!”
Jane smiled brightly and approached Chen Xia.
“I’m glad you’re safe!”
“I’m glad you’re safe too, Jane.”
Chen Xia patted the teary-eyed Jane’s head and then looked at Fritz.
“You’re safe too.”
“Thanks to Senior.”
Fritz bowed his head.
Chen Xia smiled faintly, looking at the two, and then looked at Leo.
“Your expression is much better.”
“Thanks to Young Master Leo.”
Chen Xia, smiling brightly, said to Fritz and Jane.
“You two, I’d like to have a private conversation with Young Master Leo for a moment… would that be alright?”
“Yes, Princess!”
“I have a duty to help Senior Leo heal his wounds…”
“How dare you argue rudely! Come with me!”
Jane grabbed Fritz by the collar and dragged him away.
Fritz tried to shake off Jane’s grip, but as a magic student, he couldn't overcome the strength of a knight student.
“What brute strength.”
“Are you done talking?”
“Not quite yet?”
Jane glared, shouting, “Wah! Wah!”, and Fritz gave a cold laugh.
Thump-
When the door closed and they were left alone, Chen Xia blinked her big eyes and said.
“Shall I help you treat your wounds?”
“Would you?”
Leo took off his top.
Chen Xia had received healing from a healer immediately after the incident, but Leo couldn’t due to his interview with Shau.
The Grand Duke of Funeral, the Shadow Undead, and then Cyan.
Leo’s body was a mess from the consecutive battles.
Blood clots were matted all over his body.
Seeing this, Chen Xia carefully washed Leo’s body using water aura.
When Leo sat on a chair, she opened a potion bottle and soaked a towel in it.
“I wish I had healing aura like Miss Nella.”
“You weren’t the type to regret abilities you didn’t have.”
“The thought suddenly occurred to me. Water aura is a good attribute for awakening healing abilities.”
Chen Xia smiled bitterly as she carefully wiped the wound on Leo's back.
“I just feel like Young Master Leo will get hurt a lot in the future.”
“I will get hurt a lot. And there will be many times I’ll fight alongside you. It would be good to have it, but you don’t have to worry about it too much. You are you.”
‘I always want to stand right behind Young Master Leo.’
Chen Xia smiled bitterly to herself, listening to Leo’s words.
“Thank you so much for stopping Cyan, Young Master Leo.”
“I just did what had to be done.”
If he had left her alone, Cyan would have grown into a villain threatening many heroes.
And no matter how villainous the opponent, seeing kin dispose of kin left a bitter taste.
“You don’t need to be grateful.”
“No. There are so many other things to be grateful for.”
Chen Xia’s voice trembled slightly.
“Thank you. For affirming my dream, which even I denied.”
Chen Xia’s hands paused.
“Thank you. For showing me the light to move forward.”
It might not have been a big deal to Leo.
But Leo had pulled Chen Xia out of the darkness.
“Young Master Leo is my benefactor.”
“I’ll decline such a grand word. It’s just burdensome.”
Leo replied indifferently.
At his words, Chen Xia couldn't help but burst into laughter.
She had known him for a year, but he was truly an indifferent person.
Chen Xia’s hands moved again.
After carefully wiping Leo’s wounds with a potion-soaked towel, she applied potion to a bandage and wrapped it around Leo’s body.
‘There wasn't much difference when I first saw him.’
The first time she talked to Leo was around this time last year.
A year ago, Leo also looked like a young boy.
But seeing him anew like this, she felt he had grown considerably in a year.
‘Why did Young Master Leo come to save me?’
A new curiosity arose.
Because they were friends?
‘That’s probably the biggest reason.’
Even as she thought that, her heart fluttered a little.
‘Or because he thinks of me as something more than a friend, as a little special?’
She and Leo had become very close over the past year.
“Young Master Leo, why did you come to get me?”
She asked with a hint of expectation.
At her words, Leo turned around.
Chen Xia, whose eyes met Leo's, smiled faintly.
“Because it was impudent.”
“Excuse me?”
Chen Xia was flustered by the completely unexpected answer.
“You’re still so small, how much of the world have you lived in to rudely say rigid things like ‘I can’t become a hero’?”
Chen Xia made a displeased expression.
“I’m older than Young Master Leo, you know?”
“What good is being older? You act like a child.”
Leo chuckled and stood up.
“Is that why you came to get me?”
Leo nodded, looking at Chen Xia, who had an incredulous expression.
Chen Xia sighed, watching Leo smile cunningly.
“The reason is more ridiculous than I thought, it’s draining my energy.”
Chen Xia stood up with a sullen expression.
Leo, turning to Chen Xia, poked Chen Xia’s forehead with his fingertip.
“A child should just dream like a child.”
Chen Xia, covering her forehead from the unexpectedly strong impact, stumbled backward.
Just then, dawn broke and the sun began to rise.
Leo, with the bright dawn light behind him, was smiling like an adult.
Seeing Leo, who was younger yet treated her so much like a child, Chen Xia’s face flushed red for a moment.
“Young Master Leo, do you know you look incredibly like an old man right now?!”
“Yes, I probably look like an old fogey.”
“No… I didn’t mean it that way…”
‘Something like an adult's scent, or perhaps dandy. That kind of feeling heavily…’
For some unknown reason, Chen Xia felt that Leo, with the dawn behind him, was incredibly stimulating, and she let out a hollow laugh.
‘Was I attracted to older types after all?’