Book 1 Chapter 475

'Let's sort out the situation.'

Leo, who had left the tomb of the defeated, fell into thought.

'First. This country is threatened by the Justice Guild, and they are looking for the tomb of the Knights of the Underworld.'

According to Crown Prince Jeremin's words, it was clear that the Justice Guild was desecrating the tombs of heroes.

'Second. The Grand Duke of Lamentation is raising orphan soldiers in this country.'

This is the problem.

'Is the tomb desecration incident unrelated to the Grand Duke of Lamentation?'

The current Lord of the Dead does not have the power to resurrect a hero who possessed immense power in life.

Erebos might have had powerful abilities in life, but not now.

'However, the fragment of Erebos that the Lord of the Dead might possess makes it difficult to completely dismiss that possibility.'

Before the summer vacation.

The Lord of the Dead, who had visited Lumeren to confirm his existence, used Erebos's flame, albeit weakly.

'While it might be impossible to resurrect a fragment, it might be possible to utilize it to the level of his former power.'

If so, resurrecting heroes as the undead would not be impossible.

If that were the case, it would be the worst-case scenario.

'In any case, I need information.'

Leo arrived at a forest not far away.

Sitting on a fallen tree stump, Leo took out a small potion bottle from his pocket.

He then poured the sky-blue liquid onto the ground.

The liquid, which had been wriggling on the ground, soon began to freeze with a crackle and turned into a mirror.

And what appeared in it was an elf.

[You summoned me, my great God of Shadows.]

The one who greeted Leo respectfully was Algren, the Master of the Northern Magic Tower.

Before being the Master of the Northern Magic Tower, he was also the Shadow Lord of the elves.

Leo looked at Algren and said,

"I need some help."

[Yes, I will prepare and send someone immediately.]

"What?"

With that, the communication with Algren was cut off without further words.

Communication magic leaves traces.

Mages specializing in communication magic can use these traces to eavesdrop on communication magic.

However, the magic created by Algren leaves no magical trace at all.

It is magic that is perfect for shadows, who must not leave traces.

The downside is the short connection time.

'So I only intended to convey the basic requirements. He's sending someone without even asking what the situation is.'

Leo made a puzzled expression.

'Does he know what's happening in the northeastern part of the continent?'

The elves' base of operations is in the northern part of the continent.

And this is the northeast.

Given that they operate in the shadows, Algren must be aware of this matter.

'Well, since he said he's sending someone, he'll contact me when they're ready.'

And exactly one hour later.

Algren not only finished his preparations but also dispatched a shadow.

It was incredibly fast.

Leo greeted the elf kneeling in front of him.

"It's been a while."

"Do you remember me?"

"Wouldn't it be stranger if I didn't? Anyas Beggs."

"To think that the great God of Shadows remembers someone as insignificant as me, and even knows my name!"

Anyas, who raised his head, covered his mouth with both hands and showed an emotional expression.

"Ah! God. My great and noble God. The God who remembers even my humble name. Ah, my heart is pounding so much I feel like I'm going to die. Haa! Haa!"

'I knew his mind was a bit off, but it seems to have gotten worse?'

"Why do your ruby-like eyes possess such a noble and radiant light? Your pure white hair seems to drive away the darkness by its very existence. Ha… Ha…."

Anyas, catching his breath, said in a trembling voice,

"My God. Won't you grant me a small favor?"

"What is it?"

"Please bestow upon me a single strand of hair plucked by your own hand."

"What for?"

"I plan to use it as a sacred relic for the religion I've created."

"What?"

"Look. Although only I have joined so far, I've even made this."

What Anyas handed over was a flyer with the phrase "[Join the Leo Cult and be saved.]" written on it.

The back of the flyer was covered with pictures of Leo.

"This is insane…"

Madness was palpable.

If this is left unchecked, he might officially declare this Leo Cult or whatever it is and genuinely try to proselytize.

As Leo stood dumbfounded, Anyas said,

"Also, I have compiled a list of those who have been spewing slander against you recently. Soon, retribution with blood…"

Anyas's ears fluttered like wings as he spoke enthusiastically, clutching his hands tightly.

"Anyas Beggs."

"Yes!"

"Don't make things like this."

"Huh?"

"The Justice Guild, the one I'm dealing with now, is a cult-like organization. I can't become the same as them."

"B-but unlike those cultists, our religion actually has a god, doesn't it?"

Leo replied indifferently,

"Why am I a god? I'm a human. I'll say it again. Don't do it."

"If you say so, Leo, then there's no helping it."

Anyas's ears drooped.

Leo momentarily wondered if he should comfort Anyas, who looked as if he had lost the meaning of life.

"Still, Leo, won't you give me a strand of hair?"

"Why?"

"I want to add it to my collection."

'That was a needless worry.'

Leo decided to completely ignore Anyas, who made his own concerns seem trivial.

"Anyas, do you know about the orphan soldiers that Duke Dotharn raised?"

"Yes. You mean gathering orphans, training them as soldiers, and making them private forces? I recently heard that Crown Prince Jeremin transferred the orphan soldiers under Duke Dotharn to his own command."

Like a shadow, he had a thorough grasp of the information in the northeastern region.

"Then, are those orphan soldiers also connected to Tartarus?"

At that remark, Anyas's expression changed drastically.

"Is Duke Dotharn a pawn of Tartarus?"

Leo shook his head as he looked at Anyas, who asked in a chilling voice.

"No, he probably doesn't even know he's being used."

Judging by Anyas's reaction, he clearly didn't consider the orphan soldiers a significant matter.

The orphan soldiers' power was immense.

It was certainly not the strength a small kingdom could possess.

'If they grow further and develop into a knightly order rather than mere soldiers, they could change the landscape of the northeastern continent.'

The fact that Anyas didn't pay much attention to a group with this level of combat power meant that their existence was perfectly hidden.

'If it's Arkhan, it's entirely possible.'

"Deploy the shadows and thoroughly investigate this Duke Dotharn."

"If you discover Tartarus, should we start hunting them?"

"No. Report it to me. If we act rashly, our casualties will be significant."

"Do you know the identity of the demon lurking in this country, Leo?"

"It's likely the Grand Duke of Lamentation, Arkhan."

As the name of an immense figure was mentioned, Anyas's shoulders trembled.

"Move cautiously. He will also be wary of us."

"Understood."

As a trusted subordinate of the Lord of the Dead, Arkhan would likely know that Leo was the reincarnation of Kyle, the hero of the beginning.

'He must have expected me to notice his presence the moment I saw the orphan soldiers after arriving in this country.'

But Arkhan did not leave this country.

'He's probably trying to accurately gauge my current strength.'

"Leo, what about the Justice Guild?" Anya asked.

"I doubt the shadows wouldn't know about the Justice Guild. What has been the shadows' assessment of the Justice Guild so far?"

"Opinions were divided."

Anyas narrowed his eyes.

"They have gained a reputation for inciting wars in conflict zones, not just in the northeast but globally."

"Even so, the reason the shadows left them alone is because they are neither traitors nor enemies?"

"Yes."

Anyas avoided Leo's gaze.

"The shadows only intervene in matters related to Tartarus. Even those who see through their true nature, other than the shadows, tacitly allow their actions."

The process by which the Justice Guild grew its power was simple.

They would appear in frequently warring regions and escalate the conflicts.

Then, they would resolve the disputes and be praised by the war victims as if they had established justice.

That's how they grew their power.

However, the reason those who saw through their true nature tacitly allowed their actions was that their blades were not directed at themselves.

"The Justice Guild are also the most active in fighting Tartarus."

The Justice Guild's blades are not directed at themselves.

Instead, they act as shields in battles against Tartarus and even handle their dirty work when needed.

It is due to this vested interest that the Justice Guild has survived until now.

Even those who ostracized the Justice Guild could not rashly fight them.

Currently, there is no focal point in the world that gathers everyone's goals in one place.

'Since their interests are intertwined, it will become a civil war, which is exactly the scenario Tartarus wants. But'

Now that he knew their true nature, Leo had no intention of tacitly allowing it.

"Do you intend to eliminate the Justice Guild?"

"Yes."

"Should I summon the shadows?"

"No."

Leo shook his head.

"If the shadows intervene, the already poor perception of shadows will worsen."

Regardless of what anyone says, the Justice Guild is an organization that outwardly professes justice.

Erasing such an organization would undoubtedly create new misunderstandings.

Before the summer vacation, the shadows gained equal status to heroes with Melina's declaration.

However, even with the Dragon Lord's declaration, people's perceptions would not change easily.

"From now on, it depends on what you do."

"It depends on what we do?"

"Yes. I want the word 'shadow' to disappear."

"Huh?"

"Those who fought for the world are all heroes. You are fully qualified to be called heroes. Therefore, I want to create a world where you are called heroes, not shadows."

"Leo…"

Anyas covered his mouth and showed an emotional expression.

"To think you dreamed of such a world… to think you were making such grand plans…"

Anyas, moved, clasped his hands together and took a prayer pose towards Leo.

"Please let me worship you as a god."

"Never do that."

It was when Leo frowned.

Swish-!

An elf emerged from the tree's shadow.

Anyas's expression vanished.

"What is it?"

"Reporting."

The shadow bowed his head with an urgent look.

"A massive battle has occurred at the border between the Carnel Kingdom and the Pettimon Kingdom."

"Did the Pettimon Kingdom army launch a large-scale attack?"

Leo asked as he stood up, but the shadow frantically shook his head.

"No, someone attacked the Pettimon Kingdom army alone, and the Justice Guild is currently responding to it."

"If the Hero Guild is involved, that means they are an incredibly powerful individual. Who is it?"

At Anyas's question, the shadow hesitated and then replied,

"The person currently engaging the Justice Guild is presumed to be the Blood-Iron Mage."

Anyas's face stiffened.

"The Blood-Iron Mage…? Tiarth?"

Not just Anyas's face.

Leo's face also stiffened.

It was a name Leo had only seen in textbooks.

Tiarth, the elf hero, the Blood-Iron Mage.

A great hero who made significant contributions in the war against Tartarus.

However, he was also a hero who created extremely cruel magic with the star magic and was ostracized among the elves.

And the period when the Blood-Iron Mage was active.

'Hero of a thousand years ago.'

Leo felt that the worst-case scenario he had predicted had come true.

'Lord of the Dead, he is resurrecting heroes as undead.'