Book 1 Chapter 498

As the Festival of Twilight approached, the entire Lumiere was buzzing with a festive atmosphere.

The Festival of Twilight was a festival honoring Lumiere.

Therefore, the students of Lumiere also made various preparations for the Festival of Twilight.

For some clubs, they even prepared separate performances for the Festival of Twilight.

"Clubs? As expected, this school is lively."

Luna smiled faintly and watched Lumiere, busy with club activities.

"It's completely different from the school I attended."

"Did Luna-nim also attend school?"

Chen Xia's eyes widened.

"Yes. I attended a school to train elves called Barharun."

"Barharun! I've heard of it from Luna-yang!"

"Luna? Ah, the red-haired one?"

At Eiran's words, Luna nodded, recalling Luna.

The memories from the Hero's world had already been conveyed to Luna.

Therefore, she also had memories of Luna fighting the shards of Erebus from her past.

"What kind of school was Barharun?"

Chen Xia asked with curiosity in her eyes.

Seeing Chen Xia, Luna said,

"It was a school to select High Elves. Above all, it was a school founded by a god to choose an Elf King."

"A, a god?"

"As expected, it's different from the current era."

Eiran's eyes widened, and Chen Xia marveled.

A school founded by a god.

It was unimaginable now.

"Did Luna-nim ever see a god directly?"

"Yes, I have."

"Wow. That's amazing. To have met a god in person."

"It's not just me. I bet he has too?"

Luna pointed to Leo, who was walking behind them with no interest.

"Anyone who made a name for themselves during the Age of Calamity has met a god."

Luna treated gods as if they were pebbles lying on the roadside.

Seeing Luna's indifferent attitude, Eiran and Chen Xia looked at Leo with admiration.

"Gods are wise beings, aren't they?"

"Are they truly omniscient and omnipotent?"

To their questions, Luna smiled faintly.

"Gods are stupid, perverted, and incompetent trash."

Eiran and Chen Xia froze at Luna's unimaginable words.

"Not all gods are like that."

"Yes, sometimes there are decent gods, but most of them are useless."

Luna, an unbeliever, spoke sharply.

Leo also agreed with her opinion.

Most gods, who have lived for eons, are hedonistic.

'You can tell just by looking at the condition of those who make it onto the Hero Record.'

They listed those unworthy of the name 'Hero' simply because it was 'entertaining.'

They didn't care what happened to the mortal realm because of it.

They do such things for their own amusement.

Therefore, once one realizes the true nature of gods, they realize they are not very trustworthy beings.

Eiran looked crestfallen at the testimony of the two great heroes who had experienced gods.

"It's nothing like the fairy tales or storybooks."

"Yes. Reality is harsh. Most of what's passed down in stories is lies. That's how you grow up, by realizing reality one bit at a time."

Luna patted Eiran's head.

Leo said to Luna,

"Yeah, just like you."

"Like me? What do you mean by that?"

Luna narrowed her eyes.

Leo took out a book of great heroes from his pocket.

Everyone except Luna was familiar with the book.

A fairy tale called [The Heroes of the Beginning].

The story of the hero that almost everyone in this world encounters first.

Leo opened the fairy tale book and turned to the character introduction.

There was a drawing of Luna smiling as if she held spring.

"The benevolent elf, Luna, the progenitor of the nebula? What is this?"

"You have nothing to do with benevolence."

"I am benevolent."

Answering shamelessly, Luna snatched the fairy tale book from Leo's hand and swung it.

While dodging Luna's attack.

Chen Xia asked,

"Then were you a candidate for the Elf King, Luna-nim?"

"No. The elves back then were corrupt in many ways."

Luna said listlessly.

"They wouldn't have nominated a low-born like me as king."

"A similar incident occurred in elf society recently."

"As expected, elves are a hopeless race."

At Chen Xia's words, Luna clicked her tongue.

Seeing Luna, Eiran showed an embarrassed expression, and Leo shook his head.

"You're not in a position to say that, an elf."

Elves have immense racial pride, but Luna, who had seen dirty things since childhood, was far from it.

"It's the truth."

Luna pulled the ends of her ears playfully and grinned.

"Still, I don't hate all elves!"

Luna hugged Eiran and rubbed her cheek against Eiran's head.

"Good, good, my cute Eiran."

Seeing Luna doting on Eiran as if she were Berkia, Leo chuckled.

Eiran also smiled faintly, not seeming to dislike it.

"Anyway, I don't know what it was like in the beginning, but Barharun was a messed-up school. That's why I like Lumiere much better."

At Luna's words, Chen Xia nodded.

Meanwhile, the four of them arrived at the club district.

The reason for coming to the club district was simple.

Luna wanted to look around.

As the four entered the club district.

"Eek?!"

"L-Leo Flovda!"

"It's the student council president!"

The students who were busy moving screamed as soon as they saw Leo and Chen Xia.

And they fled without even making eye contact.

Seeing that, Luna looked bewildered.

"What? Why is everyone running away from you like you're a plague victim?"

"Leo-doryeo is like the Grim Reaper among the clubs."

"Grim Reaper?"

"Yes."

Chen Xia giggled and explained.

It was a famous anecdote that Leo had wasted the budgets of many clubs when he first became student council president and visited them.

It wasn't just wasted arbitrarily, but a thorough audit.

From then on, the club presidents started to grovel whenever they saw Leo.

"Which club do you want to visit first?"

"It would have to be a club related to magic, right?"

"Then the Department of Magic Engineering."

Leo headed towards the Department of Magic Engineering.

***

"Kiiiaaaaak?!"

Fifth year of the Magic Department.

Jaim Dek, the former head of the Department of Magic Engineering and a graduating student, screamed as soon as he saw Leo entering the Department of Magic Engineering, hid behind a curtain, and trembled.

Luna looked curious at his terrified reaction, as if he had seen a demon.

Then, holding Leo's hand, she stood him in front of Jaim and pulled back the curtain.

"Kieeeeeeek!"

Seeing Jaim, who was writhing in agony with his face covered as if he were a vampire who had seen sunlight, Luna pulled the curtain back again.

When Jaim, who was having a seizure, stopped, she pulled the curtain back again.

"Kiaaaaak!"

*Swish-*!

"This is so much fun?"

Leo pushed Luna, who was beaming with a mischievous smile and shining eyes, towards Eiran and said.

"We're not here for the budget today, so please stop."

"R-really?"

Jaim peeked his face out from behind the curtain with eyes full of fear.

"Yes. And besides, senior, as a graduating student, you don't care whether the budget is cut or not, right?"

"I-I do! Even if I leave, the research of the Department of Magic Engineering will continue!"

Jaim said firmly.

"Yes. Therefore, we will not cut the budget."

Relieved, Jaim completely revealed himself from behind the curtain.

"Then why are you here?"

Seeing Jaim with a puzzled expression, Leo pointed to Luna and Eiran.

"We have visitors who wish to tour."

"Are they exchange students from Seirun?"

Jaim adjusted his glasses.

Seeing Jaim, Luna smiled faintly and asked,

"What kind of magic does the Department of Magic Engineering research?"

"The research project that just started is [Magic to Bloom Flowers]."

"Yes?"

Luna's eyes widened.

Seeing Luna, Jaim said,

"As a Seirun student, you should know, but Leo here restored the magic formula for blooming flowers and returned it to elf society."

Jaim brought a blackboard from the corner and spoke.

On it was drawn the magic formula for blooming flowers.

"And it was also revealed that the magic to bloom flowers is the magic that Luna-nim, the progenitor of the nebula, wished for."

Last summer vacation.

This fact became known to the world as Luna's world was conquered.

"Well, even if the formula was restored, it hasn't been perfectly interpreted yet, so Leo is the only magician who can use the magic to bloom flowers so far."

Jaim looked at Leo with envy.

The magic that a magician wishes for represents that magician themselves.

And using the magic that magician wished for also means understanding the other person's heart.

In that sense, Leo was the only magician in this world who understood the heart of the progenitor of the nebula.

"We also want to understand the heart of the progenitor of the nebula. So we are researching how to use [Magic to Bloom Flowers] through the [Introduction to Star Magic]."

'Introduction to Star Magic?'

Luna, who had a puzzled expression for a moment, asked,

"Why do you want to understand the heart of the progenitor of the nebula?"

"You're an elf, asking a strange question."

Jaim looked at Luna with a clueless face and smiled.

"Because Luna-nim is magic itself."

"……!"

"All magicians in this world respect her."

Luna's mark on magic was not just star magic.

She organized all the magic from before the Age of Calamity and left countless foundations for future generations to firmly root and bloom magic after the end of the calamity.

"Elves think that only they truly respect Luna-nim, but all magicians see her as a star."

Jaim smiled wryly.

"That's why we want to understand her heart. Does that explain it now?"

Jaim smiled faintly at Luna, who was frozen as if shocked.

"Former Head! Come here for a moment!"

"You said to call me Honorary Head!"

Jaim glared and walked away.

Luna watched them.

Young mages.

From Luna's perspective, they were distant juniors.

She realized this in this era.

That they were revered beings.

So she acted very proud.

But it was only now that she truly understood what kind of existence she was to the mages.

Her heart pounded.

This was what she had always wished for.

She had always been confident that she would surely become that.

But when it actually happened, she felt inexplicably shy and awkward.

"How is it?"

At that moment, Leo smiled and said.

"How does it feel to be a shining star in the night sky?"

"What?"

"All the mages who exist in this era are descendants of Luna Rubinenus, the progenitor of the nebula."

Leo also looked at the mages from the Department of Magic Engineering.

"You have become, quite literally, a great master and a goal for mages. You've become a signpost, guiding the way like a shining star in the night sky."

Luna wore a dazed expression.

"You could do it because it was you, Luna."

Leo turned his gaze to Luna.

"I am truly happy that you can witness this scene."

At his gentle smile, Luna's face turned bright red.

As if it would explode.

Hiding her face, which had turned red as if steam was coming out of her head, Luna buried her face in her hands.

"Don't be so shy for someone like you."

Luna screamed inwardly at Leo, who chuckled.

'It's all your fault! You idiot!'