Book 1 Chapter 567
“Is that Dragon Tongue magic?”
“Yes.”
Leo nodded at Dryana’s question.
“Are you alright? It seemed like incredibly powerful magic?”
“It’s powerful magic, so it’s a test.”
“She’s talking about Chelsea.”
“Right. Why did you cast illusion magic on Chelsea Lewalin? Wasn’t it to show those dragons a thing or two?”
Following Dryana’s words, Lunia also asked with a puzzled look.
“Those dragons were looking down on Chelsea in their hearts.”
Leo chuckled.
“How amazing. Through Chelsea, they’ll realize how narrow-minded and arrogant their thoughts were.”
Upon hearing Leo’s words, Lunia wore a displeased expression.
“I thought you would make sure they couldn’t crawl up again.”
“That would be my usual method. But now, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to let them know how big the world is.”
Even with Leo’s words, Lunia still had a slightly displeased look.
Seeing Lunia like that, Leo clicked his tongue.
“You’re thinking of crushing the faces of those arrogant dragons right now, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“You’re only learning Lunna’s bad habits.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“Does this sound like a compliment?”
Despite Leo’s words, Lunia simply smiled sweetly.
‘She’s getting more and more like Lunna’s shameless side.’
There are so many good things to learn from her, why does she only learn the bad things?
“This kid, when she gets out of the illusion, should I hit her?”
“Lunia, if you only pick the meanest actions, you’ll really gain a reputation as a delinquent elf.”
“What do you mean my heart is mean? It’s a kind heart!”
“I know well that your heart has been ground into a fine powder and turned into soft flour.”
At Dryana’s words, Lunia’s eyes narrowed.
“Think back to when you and I first met, and understand me with a broad mind.”
At Leo’s words, Lunia’s face turned pale.
“The first meeting between a black rabbit and a delinquent elf? How was it? How was it?”
Ar’s eyes flashed open as he asked.
“Don’t! Don’t tell them!”
Lunia lunged at Leo, trying to cover his mouth.
But Ar grabbed her.
Despite her fierce temper and mastery of terrifying magic, Lunia couldn’t possibly break free from Ar’s physical strength.
“My phoenix was originally destined to be Lunia’s contractor. When she found out it contracted with me by chance, she threw a tantrum, demanding it back.”
“That’s the truth.”
“And she cried sadly, demanding it back.”
“I didn’t cry! I was just pretending to cry!”
Lunia growled.
Ar’s eyes sparkled.
“And then she challenged me to a duel, saying she would prove she was a better fit as Fiora’s contractor…”
“Aaaagh! Aaaagh! Aaaagggggh!”
Lunia screamed, her face turning as red as her hair.
Early in her first year.
It was an embarrassing memory from her immature days.
To challenge a great hero to prove her worth as a phoenix contractor!
What could be more embarrassing than this!
‘And on top of that, she’s telling this story to these brats!’
“You’re noisy.”
“Ugh!”
“Are you a wild beast?”
When Lunia tried to cover her own mouth, she ended up trying to bite Dryana’s hand.
“Challenging a duel for a phoenix. Pfft!”
Ar, holding Lunia, laughed unpleasantly.
‘I will definitely erase this cat’s memory!’
Just as Lunia gritted her teeth.
Goooooo-!
Black magic erupted from the bodies of those caught in Nightmare.
Seeing that, everyone’s gaze turned to Leo.
“Well, Lunia, from your perspective, it might seem like I’m dealing with those brats in a moderate way compared to me. But mentally, this method might be even harder.”
Leo’s left eye turned black, emitting dark magic like smoke.
“It seems to have started in earnest.”
***
‘Nightmare!’
Riden’s eyes widened.
The reason Lishinas is held in near-infinite respect by later generations of dragons is not simply because she was the leader of the expeditionary force that saved the world.
Even after the age of disaster ended and the world was rebuilt, Lishinas’s foresight shone.
Although she passed away without seeing the new era, the world was rebuilt based on Lishinas’s plans.
Those who remained inherited Lishinas’s wisdom.
Such foresight from Lishinas shone again after Erebus fell.
And after Tartarus stirred once more.
During the period of Tartarus’s resurgence.
In terms of strength.
And in terms of strategy and direction of advance.
The wisdom left by Lishinas protected the world until it could stand on its own.
In the early days of the Heroic Age.
She, along with Fairy Knight Berchia and the heroes she chose, all stabilized the unstable world.
The writings left by Lishinas, who foresaw the future, were truly worthy of being called prophecies.
The reason this was possible was simple.
Perhaps Lishinas had the certainty that the world would be saved even in desperate situations.
Such Lishinas also left a legacy for her own kind.
She left behind the Dragon Tongue magic she created so that others in later generations could learn it.
Becoming a guide and learning that magic was the ultimate goal of Wisdom students.
The fact that Leo used such magic was astonishing. Moreover, the magic Leo used was Nightmare, one of the most difficult to master.
A magic called the ultimate illusion magic.
Among the magics left by Lishinas, its cruelty was exceptional.
The root of Nightmare is a curse used by the demons of Tartarus, so it couldn’t be helped.
“Riden?!”
At that moment, a voice from behind startled Riden.
Shiren stood there.
Seeing Shiren, Riden immediately showed a wary expression.
Nightmare is an illusion magic that forces you to fight the opponent you least want to fight.
If someone revealed themselves, they were surely an enemy.
Shiren was the same, but soon the two who met looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
“That’s strange? The opponent I least want to fight isn’t Riden or anything.”
“Oh? I agree. Me too.”
“Riden? Shiren?”
“What’s going on here?”
At that moment, other Wisdom students, Feldir and Mida, also appeared.
“Are you saying we’ve fallen into the same illusion?”
Riden said in surprise.
“Does that make sense? Nightmare is a magic that shows each person’s inner thoughts. Even if used in an area-wide manner, you’ll only face your own inner thoughts?”
As Shiren shook her head, Feldir muttered with a serious expression.
“Did they perhaps modify the magic?”
“Impossible. For the past 5000 years, people have tried to reinterpret Lishinas’s magic, but no one has succeeded.”
As Mida wore a bewildered expression.
Thump- thump-
Footsteps could be heard in the pitch-black space.
“Chelsea Lewalin, is that you?”
Riden asked, looking towards the darkness, recalling Chelsea who had entered the illusion with him.
“I’m sorry, but no.”
A clear voice came from beyond the darkness.
Thump- thump-
The dragons’ eyes widened as they saw the person emerging from the darkness.
Whoooosh-!
Her lustrous black hair fluttered in the gentle breeze.
The beautiful woman, who tidied her hair and gently brushed it back, looked at the dragons.
Shiren’s eyes filled with shock.
“Lishinas?”
“You know my name well, traitors to our race.”
“Ah…”
The moment Shiren heard Lishinas’s words, her face turned pale.
It wasn’t just Shiren.
“I-it’s impossible.”
“B-but, Lishinas is the one dragons least want to fight…!”
“We’ve never met Lishinas before!”
The terrifying aspect of Nightmare is that it creates the enemy you least want to fight, no matter who the opponent is.
In other words, the stronger you are, the stronger the illusion.
But there are also disadvantages.
The range of the illusion is limited to those you have met.
In such a situation, Lishinas appeared.
The Wisdom students fell into a panic.
“Wait, this Nightmare is strange! It looks like another magic…!”
Flash-!
As Mida, who had regained her composure, spoke urgently.
The moment a flash of light appeared, a beam of light pierced Mida’s stomach.
“Huh?”
Gulp-!
Mida, unable to comprehend the situation, vomited blood and collapsed.
Thud-!
“One down.”
Lishinas’s lifeless eyes turned to the other Wisdom students.
Riden, seeing those eyes, vaguely recalled Leo using Dragon Tongue magic.
The faces of the Wisdom students were filled with terror.
“Everyone… run!”
As Riden shouted, Shiren and Feldir scattered.
Riden, carrying the fallen Mida on his shoulder, ran into the darkness.
“It’s not a bad choice in a situation with an overwhelming power difference.”
Lishinas said with a blank expression.
“But there’s a difference between running away in fear and planning for the future.”
Lishinas’s eyes pierced through the darkness.
“In your case, it seems to be the former.”
***
Riden’s jaw trembled non-stop.
‘That’s not the real Lishinas! It’s an illusion!’
If it were the real Lishinas, they would have been annihilated on the spot without even being able to run.
But even if it’s a fake, it’s undoubtedly a monster they can’t handle.
Riden glanced at his friend slumping on his shoulder and gritted his teeth.
‘I have to run! I have to run!’
He no longer had any thoughts of how to escape this predicament.
He was simply swept away by endless despair.
At that moment.
Thud-! Thud-!
Shiren and Feldir were thrown in front of Riden.
Riden’s face hardened.
“The game of tag is over.”
Lishinas, with a blank expression, appeared from the darkness.
Riden’s jaw trembled stiffly.
Then he tried to take his friends with him using magic.
Seeing Riden like that, Lishinas smirked.
To Riden, it felt like a sneer.
A sneer towards a fool trying to take his dead friends.
But Riden couldn’t abandon his friends, even if they were dead.
‘I have to run… I have to run somehow…!’
He had already forgotten that this was a test.
Because death in Nightmare is real death.
Riden backed away with a terrified face, and Lishinas slowly closed the distance between them.
Whoooosh-!
A gentle breeze blew.
CRASH-!
A cold wind blew and swept away Lishinas.
Riden’s eyes widened.
He saw the back of Chelsea, who had suddenly appeared.
“Chelsea… Lewalin!”
“Quickly take your friends to a safe place and treat them!”
“What?”
“Your friends are still alive!”
At Chelsea’s words, Riden flinched and checked on his friends.
It was true.
All of them had avoided vital points and were not killed instantly.
However, that didn’t change the fact that they had sustained critical injuries.
But the powerful vitality of dragons had barely kept the three of them alive.
“Quickly!”
“And you?”
“I’ll somehow manage to hold them off!”
“It’s impossible alone!”
“Right! If it were the real Lishinas, it would be impossible!”
Chelsea’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“But your opponent is a fake!”
“I’m real?”
“No! You’re uglier than the portrait of Lishinas I saw! So you’re fake!”
Lishinas’s eyes twitched.
Then, the corners of her mouth turned up.
“What an outrageous young lady.”
With those words, a terrifying magic began to pour out of Lishinas’s body.
Seeing that, Chelsea inwardly regretted it.
‘Should I not have said she was ugly?’