Book 1 Chapter 457

457.

Leo’s movements stopped at Chelsea’s words.

Holding the liquor bottle, he only lifted his head and looked at Chelsea.

Their gazes intertwined in the air.

With a tense face, Chelsea looked into Leo’s red eyes.

After a moment of silence.

Leo reached for a new glass on the table and poured liquor.

Then, he offered it to Chelsea, who wore a perplexed expression.

“Want to drink?”

“Huh? Huh?!”

Chelsea showed a slightly flustered expression.

Then, she took the glass with both hands, hesitated, and finally took a sip.

“Ugh! It’s bitter.”

Watching Chelsea grimace, Leo propped his chin and chuckled, taking a swig of his own drink.

Then, he muttered.

“Arion, that meddler.”

At Leo’s words, Chelsea’s mouth hung open.

Seeing the relationship between Leo and Arion, she had wondered, ‘Could it be?’

Later, when she heard Arion’s words, she was surprised.

But hearing the truth directly from Leo was a different kind of shock.

“Oh my god. What do I do? Then, have I been rude to Leo-oppa… no, to Kyle-nim all this time? What do I do! What do I do!”

Chelsea covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide.

Seeing Chelsea flustered, Leo said.

“You don’t need to make such a fuss.”

“B-but! No, wait. But!”

Chelsea, who had been answering normally, suddenly switched to polite speech and hesitantly said, glancing at Leo.

“To have spoken so casually to the great hero… wasn’t that a tremendous discourtesy….”

“Nothing changes. You can treat me however you feel comfortable.”

Leo smiled faintly.

Chelsea tightly gripped the liquor glass in her hand, looking at Leo.

There must have been a reason why Arion had told her Leo’s secret.

‘Arion-nim wanted someone close to Leo-oppa to know Leo-oppa’s secret. They wished for him to have even a little bit of space to rest comfortably.’

For Chelsea, Leo’s path was difficult to imagine.

Since childhood, her heart had pounded whenever she heard stories of heroes.

Her favorites were always the heroic tales of the great heroes.

But for Chelsea, the stories of the great heroes were like fairy tales or tales from a distant past.

It would be the same for anyone, not just Chelsea.

But after experiencing a fragment of Erebus this time, she had come to understand a little.

What the true fear and despair of Erebus were.

‘If it weren’t for Arion-nim or Leo-oppa, we would all be dead.’

And she realized how incredible the great heroes were, who had fought against Erebus for so long and brought peace to the world.

‘Leo-oppa… is going through that ordeal again. Alone.’

She wanted to share even a little of that burden.

‘But with my current self, it’s impossible.’

The current Chelsea was too immature.

Chelsea knew that fact well.

‘Then, at the very least, I should become a place where Leo-oppa can rest comfortably.’

Arion probably told her the secret because they wanted that.

It was as Leo said.

Nothing changes.

If her attitude changed, Leo would surely feel awkward.

Taking a deep breath, Chelsea gulped down the liquor in the glass in one go.

“Hic! Cough! Cough! Gack!”

Chelsea coughed from the burning sensation that traveled down her esophagus.

“W-water! Water!”

Leo poured water for Chelsea, who was frantically looking for it.

“Hooah!”

Chelsea let out a deep breath.

“Why do grown-ups drink this stuff? It doesn’t even taste good!”

Returning to her usual self, Chelsea exclaimed in disgust.

“Indeed, why do they drink it.”

“No wonder I said Leo-oppa was too mature.”

Now, Leo’s maturity finally made sense.

On one hand, Leo’s extraordinary strength also became understandable.

“At the beginning of school, Leo-oppa showed great interest in the Hero of Genesis, right? Why was that?”

“Ah, that.”

At the beginning of school, Leo had tried to form a club to re-examine the Hero of Genesis.

Recalling that time, Leo said indifferently.

“It’s unfair.”

“Unfair?”

“Yes. A swindler lizard, a grumpy elf, a cowardly beastman, and a perverted dwarf are praised as great heroes, but I’m treated as a fictional character.”

Chelsea’s mouth dropped open, realizing who Leo was referring to.

Such a statement would normally be unthinkable.

“Pfft.”

Chelsea, who had been opening and closing her mouth, burst into laughter without realizing it.

“Saying things like that makes it really feel like Leo-oppa is the Hero of Genesis.”

It was a statement only possible between close friends.

“Leo-oppa! Can you tell me stories about the great heroes?”

“I’ll tell you those stories next time.”

“Huh? Why? We still have plenty of time.”

“I have a visitor. If I leave them unattended, they’ll start thinking all sorts of strange things.”

“Strange things?”

As Chelsea tilted her head, Leo stood up and approached the door.

*Creeak-* *Thud-*

“Eek?”

As the door opened, Eiran, who had been leaning her face against it, fell face-first onto the floor.

“E-Eiran-unnie?”

Chelsea was flustered.

‘Did she eavesdrop?’

That thought crossed her mind.

But seeing Leo’s calm expression, she felt relieved.

‘He used magic.’

With Leo’s skill, he could have blocked the voices without her noticing.

As Chelsea nodded, Eiran, who had gotten up, said in a voice mixed with surprise and excitement.

“Are you really Leo-nim, the Hero of Genesis, Kyle?!”

“What?”

“Eek?!”

Leo and Chelsea looked surprised by the unexpected turn of events.

Eiran’s ears twitched.

***

Walking down the corridor alone, Eiran soon arrived near Leo’s room.

‘A late night… alone in Leo-nim’s room.’

Eiran recalled a novel she had read before.

‘Late at night, a maid goes to the young master of the house…’

Blushing, Eiran shook her head quickly.

‘Leo-nim is a gentleman, so that wouldn’t happen.’

As she approached Leo’s room, Eiran’s ears perked up.

She could hear voices from Leo’s room.

‘Huh? A woman’s voice?’

Eiran’s hand trembled slightly.

Swallowing dryly, Eiran crept closer to Leo’s room and pressed her ear to the door.

‘Is that… Chelsea-yang’s voice? N-no way! A late-night rendezvous?’

Eiran’s mouth moved silently.

‘D-definitely, Leo-nim and Chelsea-yang are in the same school and same grade… Chelsea-yang is also pretty, so it’s not strange if they’re dating. B-but it’s hard for human nobles to date each other? Plus, Leo-nim’s maternal family and Chelsea-yang’s family are rival families… Ah! Love against family opposition?!’

Eiran’s eyes spun.

She pressed her ear even closer to hear what was happening inside.

However, she couldn’t hear clearly, as if something was blocking it.

‘Why can’t I hear?’

Despite the elf’s sensitive hearing, Eiran felt frustrated that she couldn’t hear the internal sounds well.

After a moment, Eiran closed her eyes and focused her senses on her hearing.

Even then, the muffled voices of conversation seemed to be blocked by something.

Eiran focused even more mana.

After a while.

The muffled sounds gradually regained clarity.

It felt as if a blocked wall was melting away.

‘What is this?’

Eiran felt surprised by the unusual sensation.

It felt like her hearing had surpassed its limits.

‘…Super-senses?’

The moment she realized it was super-senses, taught by Arion.

“Saying things like that makes it really feel like Leo-oppa is the Hero of Genesis.”

Chelsea’s voice jolted Eiran back to reality.

“What?!”

In her moment of shock at the astonishing fact.

*Creeak-*

The door opened, and Eiran tumbled into the room.

Before she could even process being caught eavesdropping, she quickly asked.

“Are you really Leo-nim, the Hero of Genesis, Kyle?!”

And that led to the current situation.

Looking at Eiran, who was sitting with her eyes sparkling, Leo muttered.

“Super-senses, perhaps.”

“Super-senses?”

Chelsea tilted her head.

“I blocked the voices in the room from going outside with magic, but Eiran heard the conversation. Then there’s only one answer.”

There was no other explanation than Eiran having stepped into the realm of super-senses.

“Ah, so it was super-senses.”

Eiran also exclaimed, her eyes wide.

“But why was I the only one who succeeded in activating super-senses? Ar-yang and the other Azonia students, not to mention the Lumen students, haven’t activated super-senses yet.”

Seeing Eiran’s perplexed expression, Leo said.

“It’s probably the influence of Berchia.”

“The influence of my ancestor?”

“Yes. Berchia also trained continuously to enter the realm of super-senses.”

However, the aura theory at the time was insufficient to complete Arion’s unique technique, super-senses.

But Berchia’s research remained in the Eisard family’s aura and was passed down to later generations.

‘Perhaps Eiran completed super-senses by combining the Eisard family’s aura, which has been continuously researched and developed independently, with Arion’s advice.’

It seemed that, due to the elf’s characteristics, hearing was the first to awaken.

After Leo’s explanation, Chelsea and Eiran nodded.

“Indeed! Leo-nim was great because you were the Hero of Genesis, Kyle!”

Seeing Eiran smiling brightly, Chelsea said.

“Eiran-unnie, this fact is a secret for now…”

“I know, Chelsea-yang.”

Eiran winked at Chelsea.

“If Leo-nim’s identity is revealed, it will cause a lot of confusion. Let’s keep it a secret between us for now.”

Chelsea nodded at Eiran’s words.

Eiran looked at Leo’s face.

The great hero who saved the world, whom she had admired since childhood, was before her.

For Eiran, who always admired Leo and wanted to watch his exploits, it was an undeniably heart-pounding moment.

“I want to be of help to Leo-nim, even if it’s just a little. That’s why I want to lessen Leo-nim’s burden.”

“If so, don’t you think you need to grow a bit more?”

Leo said with a gentle smile.

“Yes. I may not be enough to share what Leo-nim carries yet. However, as Arion-nim said, I can create a space where Leo-nim can temporarily set everything down and rest.”

Eiran said, clenching her fist.

“So, Leo-nim. Lean on me when you’re having a hard time!”

“That’s a kind offer.”

“I’m not just saying it! I’ll devote my body and soul to comfort Leo-nim, anytime, anywhere!”

Eiran’s voice, with a flushed face, sounded resolute.

It was the will to become the strength of the Hero of Genesis, who was once again stepping into a trial to save the world.

However, contrary to Eiran’s intentions, Chelsea, who was listening nearby, felt a complex and awkward embarrassment.

“Eiran-unnie. What you just said, depending on how you interpret it, could be misunderstood…”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

Eiran, who had looked like she didn’t understand, gradually stiffened, and then her face turned bright red.

“I didn’t mean anything like that by what I just said!”

Eiran shouted as if having a fit and started to go on a rampage.

“Th-that is to say! That is to say! I-if you need me, you can call me anytime… Ah, no, no, no! Use? T-this isn’t it either!”

“Aren’t you reading too many strange novels?”

“No!”

Eiran, with a face like she was about to cry, shook her head vigorously, covered her face with both hands, and crouched down on the spot.

Chelsea patted Eiran’s shoulder from the side.

Watching them, Leo burst into laughter inwardly.

‘Their personalities are different, but why are their reading tastes so similar?’

Feeling a sense of joy, Leo propped his chin and looked out the window.

Although he didn’t show it, his heart felt much lighter.

‘It’s not bad.’

Feeling a sense of comfort, Leo subtly smiled.