Book 1 Chapter 457

457.

Leo's movements stopped at Chelsea's words.

He held the liquor bottle, raised 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 the liquor.

Then he handed it to Chelsea, who had a puzzled expression.

"Want some?"

"Oh, huh?!"

Chelsea looked slightly flustered.

Then she soon took the glass with both hands, hesitated, and then brought a mouthful to her lips.

"Ugh! It's bitter."

Seeing Chelsea frown, Leo, resting his chin on his hand, chuckled and gulped down the liquor.

Then he mumbled.

"Arion, that meddler."

Chelsea's mouth hung open at Leo's words.

Seeing the relationship between Leo and Arion, she had wondered, 'Perhaps?'

She was surprised when she later heard Arion's words.

But again, hearing the truth directly from Leo made the shock feel different.

"Oh my. What do I do? So, I've been rude to Brother Leo… no, to Lord Kyle 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.

"No need to make a fuss about it now."

"B-but! Oh, right. But, sir!"

Chelsea, who had been answering as usual, quickly switched to formal speech and cautiously observed Leo's mood as she spoke.

"To treat the Great Hero so casually… wasn't that a great discourtesy…?"

"Nothing changes. Just treat me as you're comfortable."

Leo smiled gently.

Chelsea clutched the glass in her hand, looking at Leo.

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

'Lord Arion wished for someone close to Brother Leo to know Brother Leo's secret. Hoping he could get a space to rest, even if just a little.'

For Chelsea, it was hard to imagine the path Leo had walked.

Her heart would pound whenever she heard stories of heroes since she was young.

What she liked most were, of course, the heroic tales of the Great Heroes.

But the stories of the Great Heroes were, for Chelsea, stories from fairy tales or the distant past of history.

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

However, after experiencing a fragment of Erebus this time, she understood a little more.

What the true terror and despair of Erebus were.

'If Lord Arion or Brother Leo hadn't been here, we all would have died.'

And she also realized how great the Great Heroes were, who fought against a complete Erebus for a long time and ultimately brought peace to the world.

'Brother Leo… is repeating that trial once again. Alone.'

She wanted to share that burden, even if just a little.

'But as I am now, I can't possibly do that.'

Chelsea was too immature now.

Chelsea knew that fact well.

'If so, I must at least become a place where Brother Leo can comfortably rest.'

Arion must have told her the secret because he wanted that too.

It was as Leo said.

Nothing changes.

If her attitude changed, Leo would definitely feel awkward.

Chelsea took a deep breath and gulped down the liquor in the glass at once.

"Gasp? Cough! Cough! Choke!"

Chelsea coughed from the burning sensation traveling down her esophagus.

"Waaater! Water!"

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

"Phew!"

Chelsea let out a deep breath.

"Why do adults even drink this kind of stuff? It doesn't even taste good!"

Chelsea, back to her usual self, exclaimed in disgust.

"Indeed, why do they drink it?"

"I always thought Brother Leo was too mature."

Now she understood Leo's maturity.

On the other hand, Leo's strength, which transcended all norms, also made sense.

"At the beginning of enrollment, Brother Leo showed great interest in the Hero of Beginnings, didn't he? Why was that?"

"Ah, that."

At the beginning of enrollment, Leo had tried to form a club to shed new light on the Hero of Beginnings.

Recalling that time, Leo said nonchalantly.

"It's unfair."

"Unfair?"

"Yeah. The swindling lizard, the bad-tempered pointy-ear, the cowardly beastman, and the perverted dwarf are all praised as Great Heroes, but I'm treated like a fictional character."

Chelsea's mouth fell open as she realized who Leo was referring to.

It was a statement one would normally never dare to imagine.

"Pfft."

Chelsea, who had been flapping her mouth, burst into laughter without realizing it.

"Hearing you say that makes it really sink in that Brother Leo is the Hero of Beginnings."

It was something only possible between close friends.

"Brother Leo! Can you tell me stories about the Great Heroes?"

"I'll tell you that story another time."

"Huh? Why? We still have plenty of time."

"We have a guest. If I keep neglecting them, they'll start thinking strange things."

"Strange things?"

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

*Slam! Crash!*

"Eeek?"

When the door opened, Eiran, who had been pressing her face against it, fell flat on the floor.

"E-Eiran unnie?"

Chelsea was flustered.

Did she perhaps overhear their conversation?

That thought crossed her mind.

But seeing Leo's calm face, she felt relieved.

'He used magic.'

With Leo's skill, he could block voices so that no one would notice.

It was then that Chelsea nodded her head.

Eiran, who had gotten up, spoke with a voice mixed with surprise and excitement.

"Is Lord Leo really Lord Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings?!"

"What?"

"Eek?!"

Leo and Chelsea both looked surprised at the unexpected situation.

Eiran's ears were flapping.

***

Eiran, walking alone in the hallway, soon arrived near Leo's room.

'Late at night… alone in Lord Leo's room.'

Eiran recalled the contents of a novel she had read before.

'Late at night, a maid visits the young master's room and…'

Eiran, her face flushed, shook her head vigorously.

'Lord Leo is a gentleman, so that can't be it.'

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

She heard voices coming from Leo's room.

'Gasp? A woman's voice?'

Eiran's hand trembled slightly.

Eiran swallowed dry, stifled her presence, and moved closer to Leo's room, pressing her ear to the door.

'This is… Miss Chelsea's voice? C-could it be! A late-night rendezvous?'

Eiran's mouth opened and closed.

'W-well, Lord Leo and Miss Chelsea are certainly in the same school, same year… and Miss Chelsea is pretty, so it wouldn't be strange for them to be dating. B-but I heard human nobles don't have easy romances? Plus, Lord Leo's maternal family and Miss Chelsea's family are rivals… Ah! Love defying family opposition?!'

Eiran's eyes spun round and round.

And she pressed her ear even closer to hear the contents of the room.

But no clear sounds could be heard, as if something was blocking them.

'Why can't I hear anything?'

Despite her keen elven hearing, Eiran felt frustrated when she couldn't clearly hear the sounds inside.

A moment later, Eiran closed her eyes and focused her senses on her hearing.

Yet, the conversation sounds were muffled, as if blocked by something, buzzing.

Eiran concentrated her mana even further.

A moment later.

The muffled sounds gradually regained clarity.

It felt as if a blocked wall was slowly melting away.

'What is this?'

Eiran felt surprised by the unusual sensation.

Her hearing felt as if it had transcended its limits.

'…Supersense?'

The moment she realized it was Supersense, a skill she learned from Arion.

"Hearing you say that makes it really sink in that Brother Leo is the Hero of Beginnings."

At Chelsea's voice, Eiran's mind cleared.

"What?!"

At the moment she was flustered by the astonishing fact.

*Slam!*

The door opened, and Eiran tumbled into the room.

And without time to be flustered about being caught eavesdropping, she hurriedly asked.

"Is Lord Leo really Lord Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings?!"

And so, the current situation unfolded.

Leo mumbled, looking at Eiran, who was sitting, her eyes sparkling.

"Supersense, is it?"

"Supersense?"

Chelsea tilted her head.

"Even though I blocked the room's voices from going out with magic, Eiran heard the conversation. Then there's only one answer."

There was no other way to explain it than that Eiran had stepped into the realm of Supersense.

"Ah, so it was Supersense after all."

Eiran's eyes widened in admiration.

"But why did only I succeed in activating Supersense? Miss Ar and other Azonia students, as well as the students from Lumerin, haven't been able to activate Supersense yet."

Looking at Eiran with her puzzled expression, Leo said.

"It must be Berquia's influence."

"My ancestor's influence?"

"Yes. Berquia also continuously trained to enter the realm of Supersense."

However, the aura theory of that time was insufficient to perfect Supersense, which was Arion's unique skill.

But Berquia's research remained in the Eisar family's aura and was passed down through generations.

'Did the Eisar family's aura, which continued to be researched and developed independently, combined with Arion's advice, allow Eiran to perfect Supersense?'

It seemed that, due to the elves' characteristics, hearing had awakened first.

Listening to Leo's explanation, Chelsea and Eiran nodded.

"Indeed! Lord Leo was amazing because he was Lord Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings!"

Seeing Eiran smile brightly, Chelsea said.

"Eiran unnie, this fact should be a secret for a while…"

"I know, Miss Chelsea."

Eiran winked at Chelsea, looking at her.

"If Lord Leo's identity is revealed, it will cause a lot of confusion. Let's keep it our secret for now."

Chelsea nodded at Eiran's words.

Eiran gazed at Leo's face.

The Great Hero who saved the world, whom she had admired since childhood, was right before her eyes.

For Eiran, who always admired Leo and wanted to watch his exploits, it was an incredibly exciting thing.

"I want to help Lord Leo, even if just a little. So I want to lighten Lord Leo's burden."

"Then shouldn't you grow a little more?"

Leo said with a gentle smile.

"Yes. I might still be insufficient to share what Lord Leo carries. But as Lord Arion said, I can create a space where Lord Leo can momentarily put everything down and rest."

Eiran clenched her fist and said.

"So, Lord Leo. When you're tired, lean on me!"

"That's a kind thing to say."

"I don't just say that! I'll comfort Lord Leo with all my body and soul, anytime, anywhere!"

Eiran's voice, with her flushed expression, sounded somewhat resolute.

It was the will to become a source of strength for the Hero of Beginnings, who was once again facing trials to save the world.

However, contrary to Eiran's intention, Chelsea, who was listening nearby, felt a complex and subtle embarrassment.

"Eiran unnie. What you just said could be a little misunderstood depending on how one hears it…"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Eiran's face, which had been confused, slowly began to stiffen, then suddenly! it turned red.

"What I just said didn't mean that at all!"

Eiran, shouting as if in a fit, began to go wild.

"T-that is! That is! I-if you need anything, it means to call me anytime… Ah, no no no no! To use me? T-that's not it either!"

"Haven't you read too many strange novels?"

"No!"

Eiran's face looked like she was about to cry, she shook her head repeatedly, then covered her face with both hands and huddled in her seat.

Chelsea comforted Eiran beside her.

Watching them, Leo chuckled inwardly.

'Their personalities are different, but why are their reading tastes exactly the same?'

Feeling cheerful, Leo rested his chin on his hand and looked out the window.

He didn't show it, but he felt much more at ease.

'Not bad.'

Feeling comfortable, Leo subtly smiled.