Book 1 Chapter 469

469.

Leo exhaled lightly, looking up at the five people looking down at him from the sky.

"Are you with the Justice Guild?"

At Leo's question, the wizard who seemed to be their leader adjusted his grip on his staff.

"My name is Setian. I am the Royal Court Mage of the great Kingdom of Fetiman. I am a wizard who enforces justice by the King's command."

"For a royal court mage of a peripheral kingdom, your skill is considerable."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, does it matter?"

At Setian's feigned ignorance, Leo drew his sword.

Shring-!

"I'll just catch you and interrogate you."

As soon as he spoke, a burly man standing next to Setian gripped a huge battle-axe from behind his back with both hands and lunged at Leo.

"Hryaah!"

With a fierce yell, a red aura gathered on the battle-axe.

Seeing that, Lil chugged down the wine in her hand, emptying it, then roughly threw the wine bottle aside.

Clang-!

Simultaneously with the sound of the wine bottle breaking, a battle hammer summoned into Lil's hand sliced through the air.

Whoosh-!

Thwack-!

"Oh? I heard the Lumern third-year representative wasn't a knight class."

"That's right, I'm a spirit user."

"Hmph- And yet, you intend to engage me, a knight, in close combat?"

"I'm pretty decent at close combat too."

"Impudent!"

The man, who seemed about three heads taller than Lil, unleashed an even stronger aura.

With him, space distorted.

Lil's body seemed to sway, then couldn't withstand the man's power and was flung away.

Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gang-!

Thick dust rose from the spot where Lil was thrown back.

"Youth is good, after all! A spirit user thinking of fighting a knight! But it's impossible!"

He laughed heartily and grinned at Leo.

"Alright then, shall we see the skill of the famous Leo Flov?"

Seeing him display a competitive spirit, Leo pointed a finger behind the knight.

"It doesn't look like you're in a situation to worry about me."

"What?"

Boom! Whoosh-!

The knight, who had bravely charged, was engulfed in a powerful explosion.

It was the flame that had enveloped Leo and Lil moments before.

Lil had been controlling it with spirit magic, but now she had released her control.

Whoosh-!

Leo brushed off the flames that enveloped him and protested.

"That's too much."

"I thought Leo wouldn't be harmed by that much fire."

Lil, with her battle hammer slung over her shoulder, walked over with a nonchalant expression.

Even though Leo was caught in Lil's counterattack, she showed no concern whatsoever.

'Indeed, fire-attribute attacks rarely work on me.'

No matter what anyone said, Leo dealt with Zeldringer's flame aura and had a contract with a phoenix.

But even so, seeing Lil counterattack without the slightest hesitation, she was no ordinary person either.

'Is her innate combat sense truly excellent?'

Leo already knew Lil was immensely skilled, but he had never seen her fight in a real battle.

While Leo was looking at Lil, showing interest.

"This is impressive."

The knight who had charged stood up, laughing bravely.

"You're still a young girl, but you're a strong warrior!"

The knight with the battle-axe slung over his shoulder grinned.

"My name is Zoren! I am a member of the Royal Knights of the Kingdom of Fetiman! I have come to enforce justice by His Majesty the King's command!"

Shouting heartily, he raised his battle-axe and began to spin it.

Whoom-whoom-whoom-whoom-!

"I hope this becomes a glorious battle that makes my blood boil!"

Kwoaaah-!

A red aura created a massive storm.

It was a natural disaster created by overwhelming physical force.

Lil's eyes twitched at the sight.

And she summoned a wind spirit to counteract the wind Zoren had created.

The soldiers of Kanel, who were being swept up and damaged by the typhoon he created, felt relieved.

"Viscount Essimen."

Lil called Viscount Essimen in a heavy voice.

"Yes."

Essimen gulped dryly.

He had experienced countless battlefields since he was young.

Auras, magic, and summoned creatures run wild on the battlefield.

As such, he had witnessed countless times a single overwhelmingly powerful individual influencing the course of a battle.

Even he had never directly witnessed the battle of those with transcendent abilities.

But after seeing the battle just now, he instinctively realized.

'A fight that far transcends the standards of ordinary people.'

With the intervention of the Justice Guild in the war between Kanel and Fetiman, the tide of battle had unilaterally shifted.

The Kingdom of Kanel had been ravaged by those with overwhelming power.

'But if we get caught in this battle now… it feels like we'll suffer damage incomparable to anything before…!'

"Please lead the soldiers to retreat. Leo and I will handle this battlefield."

"Understood."

Viscount Essimen quickly led the troops.

Seeing that, Lil felt relieved inside.

'It's a good thing Viscount Essimen is a capable commander.'

Having seen many commanders since childhood in a prestigious military family, Lil recognized Essimen as a capable commander just by observing him for a short time.

Zoren snorted, watching the troops retreating in an orderly fashion.

"Are you fleeing the battlefield now? You are a people who know no honor."

"You are the one who knows no honor."

Lil's voice dropped.

Just a moment ago, Zoren had tried to kill the surrounding soldiers.

And Lil, having experienced battlefields, instantly saw through Zoren's reason for trying to massacre the soldiers.

It wasn't an intention to gain an advantage in future battles.

Merely simple overconfidence.

A massacre intended to make people fear and revere him.

Lil had seen this type of person many times on the battlefield.

And Lil detested and hated this type of person the most.

At Lil's words, Zoren nodded as if he understood.

"A pure, uncorrupted student-like set of values. I miss it. I had such a time too."

"What did you say?"

"I was also a Lumern student."

"Someone like you?"

Lil showed her disbelief.

Seeing Lil's reaction, Zoren twisted his mouth into a grimace.

"Yes, I didn't graduate and was expelled in my fifth year. You know, right? Professor Harlind. That guy expelled me."

Zoren pointed his battle-axe at Lil.

"You said your name was Lil Luce, right? As a student representative, you must know that a hero is a chosen being. One who overcomes trials and achieves great deeds to realize justice for the world, becoming chosen by God, is a hero. Quite literally, an agent of God."

"What does that have to do with massacre?"

"Do you know the concept of karma?"

"Karma?"

Lil furrowed her brows.

Leo, who had heard the conversation,'s eyes twitched.

"Karma? Are you talking about 'deeds'? How do you know that?"

"Oh ho, as expected of the youngest student council president. You know a concept that only appears in ancient literature."

Karma.

That was before the Age of Calamity.

It was a concept spoken by the gods during the Age of Gods.

Karma accumulates every time a life is harmed.

'Didn't they say there were those called heroes during the Age of Gods who accumulated immense karma?'

Leo recalled Lysinus's words.

'Some gods used to say insane things like killing one's own kind was also a great deed. So there were many gods who excessively praised war heroes.'

Lysinus revealed his disgust.

'In this era where the gods have disappeared, they are considered to be absolutely good beings. But in reality, that's not the case.'

Leo sighed.

There are certainly good gods.

Pivua, whom he met in Luna's world, was a god who truly cared for the world.

But gods are not absolute good beings.

'Rather, there were many races whose very nature was close to chaos.'

Absolute beings who have managed the world.

Omnipotent immortals.

That is the existence of a god.

Among the gods who had lived for an unimaginably eternal period and managed the world, many were hedonists who pursued extreme stimulation.

As pleasure deepens, it distorts into strange forms.

Thus, in the Age of Gods, there were righteous heroes like the Guardian of the Blue Sky, who was Arion's teacher, and also those twisted by their own desires who were utterly unheroic.

And Leo had buried such individuals during the Age of Calamity.

'Because in our era, there was no standard for heroes.'

After the Age of Calamity ended.

As the great deeds of grand heroes were recorded in the Hero Records and passed down to later generations, the standard for heroes also changed to those dedicated to the world.

However…

'Still, those chosen by the gods are listed in the Hero Records.'

Leo knows that twisted heroes like those from the Age of Gods definitely still exist.

They are merely acting because they don't fit the heroic ideal of the current era.

And Leo realized after hearing Zoren's words.

'These guys are that kind of hero.'

"Karma, I still don't understand it."

As Lil furrowed her brows, Leo explained.

"Think simply. In the eyes of the gods, they can see how many lives have been taken. The number of killings reflected in the eyes of the gods is called karma."

"Astonishing. You even know something like that?"

Setian, who was confronting Leo, admired him.

"As expected of someone who rose to hero status at a young age. Leo Flov. Did you also receive divine teachings, by any chance?"

Setian asked, his eyes sparkling.

Seeing Setian like that, Leo let out a hollow laugh.

'Indeed, I understand what kind of guys these Justice Guild members are.'

The outline became clear.

Even at this moment, no malice or killing intent could be felt from the humans in front of him.

'The words of these guys, that they will enforce justice, are also true. Even in massacring, there is not an iota of hesitation, nor any emotion or guilt. No matter how mad a murderer, they usually show some kind of emotion, be it pleasure, when killing people.'

But these guys don't even have that.

'What I feel from these bastards is conviction.'

Leo let out a hollow laugh.

And it's incredibly twisted.

He had seen something similar among the elves.

Blind adoration towards Luna.

Racial pride.

But the Justice Guild is even more blatant than that.

He was certain from the words "divine teachings."

A group not to be found in the current era.

'A kind of religious group. Not just any religion, but a cult.'

Leo let out a hollow laugh.

"Do you consider massacre a kind of divine will?"

"It is not the will of God. It is a trial to become an agent of God."

Setian said.

"They are 'experience points' to make our vessels into heroes."

"Crazy…"

"They're sons of bitches."

Leo, about to utter a curse, unconsciously looked sideways.

Lil, with her head bowed deeply, was trembling.

"What do you think human lives are? You trash."

Whoooosh-!

An unusual spiritual energy surged from Lil's body.

Flash-! Lil, raising her head,'s eyes blazed with light.

"You crazy psychopath bastards! I'll blow all your heads off!"

Seeing Lil raging and spewing rough curses, so unlike the usually gentle and polite Lil, Leo clicked his tongue in amazement.

'The usually quiet kid is scary when she gets like this.'

For a moment, even Leo flinched.

But now that he knew exactly what the Justice Guild was.

There was no need to hesitate.

Whoooosh-

A chilling killing intent emanated from Leo's eyes.

Seeing Leo like that, Setian, as well as the other members of the Justice Guild, trembled.

"You will not be able to become heroes."

"Foolish one! Are you saying you won't follow the will of God?"

"God?"

Leo smiled coldly.

"Have you ever seen a god directly?"

"What?"

"I know a bit about these 'gods,' you see? If they saw this situation, they would definitely say this, wouldn't they?"

The expression vanished from Leo's face.

"You don't even deserve to breathe, so slit your throats."