Book 1 Chapter 585
585
After Erebos's Flame appeared in the world of Lumerne.
Lodia was urgently heading somewhere with Kyle.
“Lady Lodia! There’s another black flame ahead!”
“Damn it!”
Lodia cursed.
The black flames were invisible to Lodia.
Flames visible only to the Conqueror's eyes.
But even though they were invisible, Erebos's Flames definitely dealt damage to the characters within the Hero's World.
“Aaaaargh!”
“S-save me!”
People moving around the Hero's World screamed without knowing why.
Seeing that, Kyle bit his lip tightly.
To Lodia, they seemed to suddenly scream and turn into ashes.
But to Kyle, he clearly saw them burning away. They seemed to scream suddenly, and to Kyle, they appeared to burn and vanish in the black flames.
Kyle bit his lip tightly.
“Don't weaken, Kyle Thomas!”
Lodia shouted at Kyle.
“They’re not real! In real history, they didn't meet such an end… *Gah!*”
Lodia clutched her head.
It was due to the shock of her ego being destroyed once again.
The Hero's World tried to erode Lodia's ego every time she realized she herself was a fake.
“I know.”
Kyle supported the swaying Lodia and said firmly.
“Right now, finding Lady Lumerne is our priority.”
“…Right.”
Lodia regained her balance and took a deep breath.
“I’m effectively a blind person with open eyes right now. So, will you be my eyes again, like a moment ago?”
“Yes. I just thought of a good idea.”
Kyle grinned and manifested magic power.
*Whoosh!*
Then, a flame appeared before Lodia's eyes.
Lodia looked surprised to see it.
“This is…?”
“It’s illusion magic.”
Kyle glared straight ahead and said.
“I’ve replicated the black flames I see before my eyes.”
Lodia admired Kyle's words.
“You’re good at improvisation, aren't you?”
“I’m exceptionally good at quick thinking!”
Kyle grinned.
‘That doesn't seem like just quick thinking.’
He's perfectly supporting Lodia in this urgent situation.
Of course, the illusion displayed before her eyes was extremely crude by Lodia's standards.
It was merely an overlay of what Kyle saw.
But…
‘Reflecting the scene before one’s eyes into an illusion in real-time is impossible without extraordinary observational skills.’
Furthermore, when fighting against the black flames earlier, he perfectly instructed Lodia, who couldn't see the flames, to overcome the situation.
‘His command ability is excellent.’
He has outstanding ability to read the flow of battle and command.
‘And he’s just a young boy.’
Although his talent as a magician might be lacking, he showed potential.
Lodia, who had extinguished all the black flames with Kyle's support, withdrew her magic and spoke.
“In the future, children like you will also rise to the position of a hero, won't they?”
“Gasp? Lady Lodia, that question…”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Lodia's eyes blurred for a moment.
Her head throbbed as if it would split, but she didn't care.
At Lodia's question, Kyle hesitated, then scratched his cheek.
“No.”
“What?”
“It’s the same in the future. Only those with the power to accomplish great deeds can become heroes.”
Lodia smiled bitterly at Kyle's answer.
“Indeed… the tastes of the gods don’t change easily.”
Lodia wore a regretful expression.
“I had hoped that many would blossom with potential through the Hero’s World.”
“Ah, we did receive a lot of help from it.”
Kyle gave a thumbs-up.
“If it weren't for the Hero's World, I wouldn’t even have been able to attend Lumerne in my second year. It’s all thanks to Lady Lodia. I’m grateful every day!”
Lodia burst into laughter at Kyle's cheerful response.
“By the way, did you know about the gods?”
When she heard that Lumerne had gone to look for a god, Lodia said she had an idea where.
Lodia walked briskly and answered.
“I didn’t know. But I knew there was something at the center of the world, meaning beneath Lumerne. That's why Lumerne gathered us in the first place.”
“So, if there’s a god, they’re beneath Lumerne.”
“Exactly. Before the Age of Calamity. The ruins from the Age of Gods lie dormant beneath Lumerne. If there's a god, they can only be there. We're heading to the entrance of those ruins now.”
What Kyle witnessed upon arriving underground through the hidden passage was a gigantic open entrance.
Lodia looked bewildered to see it.
“It’s open?”
“Was it closed originally?”
“Yes. It wouldn’t open no matter what we tried.”
“…Let’s go in for now.”
The two walked into the temple.
Not knowing what obstacles might be present, they moved with maximum caution, observing their surroundings.
However, despite their efforts, they reached what appeared to be the innermost core of the temple without much difficulty.
And even the door to that central part was wide open.
Beyond the door, a long corridor stretched out.
Upon reaching the end of the corridor, there was a firmly closed gray door.
“Beyond this… what on earth is there?”
Lodia, with a tense face, pushed the gray door.
*Creak-*
The door opened smoothly.
And what unfolded was an unknown space with countless bookshelves stretching endlessly.
“Here?”
Lodia and Kyle looked bewildered.
“Today, we’re having several rare experiences.”
A beautiful child with gray hair and eyes, who could not be identified as a boy or a girl, walked towards the two.
“A being manifested by the Record System and a Conqueror coming to find me together… It’s almost a pity that all of this is a lie.”
“Lady Lian!”
“Hm? You know me?”
When Kyle spoke her name, Lian tilted her head, then quickly adopted an indifferent expression.
At that sight, Kyle felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity.
‘The Lady Lian I saw in the bathroom was, how should I put it, kind.’
While the real Lian felt friendly, the Lian in the Hero's World was completely different.
Her gaze at Kyle was emotionless, as if looking at a pebble by the roadside.
“You are a god, then. You really still remain… *Gah!*”
Lodia clutched her face.
Lian, seeing Lodia like that, stroked her chin.
“Oh? So you’re maintaining your sanity by destroying your own ego? Truly the Dragon of Creation. Fitting for the hero who saved the world.”
Lian uttered exclamations of "Ooh-ooh."
“You came to find Lumerne, didn’t you? What a shame. Lumerne was here holding back that monstrosity just a moment ago, but…”
Lian pointed to the ceiling with her finger.
“Now, she’s gone to the surface, chasing the monstrosity that escaped from here.”
Having said that much, Lian seemed to lose interest and promptly returned to her chair in the archive, slumping down.
“Well, now that all your questions are answered, would you mind leaving?”
Kyle asked Lian.
“I have a question. Lady Lodia has been experiencing ego collapse since she realized this was the Hero's World, so why are you perfectly fine, Lady Lian?”
“Why should I answer that? What do I gain by answering it?”
‘This god. More finicky than I thought.’
This was in contrast to the future Lian, who would answer anything Kyle asked.
‘If this is her original personality… does she only care about things that seem interesting to her?’
Kyle, thinking that, spoke.
“You were looking at Lady Lodia with great interest just a moment ago, weren't you? Isn’t that enough of a price?”
“So you’re saying I should answer because this phenomenon provided enough entertainment? How presumptuous.”
Lian looked at Kyle dismissively, then irritably replied.
“It’s simple. The Hero Record is an artifact created by a god. As such, the system cannot intervene with beings comparable to gods.”
Lian wore an arrogant expression.
“Although I am a fake manifested by the power of the Hero Record, I am a being comparable to a god, and thus cannot be classified as an error.”
“What about the Great Heroes?”
“Oh? There have been instances where Great Heroes recognized Conquerors as alien beings? How peculiar.”
Lian wore an expression of wonder.
“Great Heroes are special. They are the masters of the Hero Record. Of course, the conditions for the world to be maintained when a Conqueror’s existence is recognized are strict. The Great Heroes themselves must recognize the Conqueror’s existence on their own.”
Kyle, who had heard from Leo that Dwenno knew his identity when he conquered Dwenno's world, nodded.
“Well, have your questions been answered now? I believe I’ve sufficiently repaid the enjoyment you gave me.”
Lian waved her hand dismissively.
“Now, go, you’re annoying me. Don’t take up any more of my time.”
“…Don’t you have an abundance of time?”
“Can’t you see I’m making a statue of Lord Kyle right now?”
Lian showed the gem statue she was carving and said.
“Go quickly and help Lumerne deal with that monstrosity.”
“Can’t you tell us Erebos’s weakness or something?”
“Annoying. When seeking knowledge from a god, a worthy, equivalent offering is required.”
Lian looked annoyed at Kyle.
“Could an ordinary human like you pay the price for seeking wisdom from a god?”
Kyle fell into thought, looking at Lian who was openly mocking him.
Lodia said to Kyle.
“Kyle. We can’t get any more wisdom from this god. So let’s go help Lumerne.”
“Anyway, if you don’t have the Pure Mana trait, you can’t stop Erebos.”
Kyle looked at Lian.
“And this god definitely knows how to stop those black flames.”
At those words, Lian curled up the corners of her mouth.
“You’re a perceptive human.”
“If you know that fact, why aren’t you telling us?”
When Lodia's face hardened, Lian replied as if asking a self-evident question.
“Because it’s fun.”
Lodia made a dumbfounded expression, looking at the giggling Lian.
“This world is fake anyway. Even if I burn and disappear, I won’t die.”
Lian wore an arrogant expression.
“I’ve been managing only the Hero Record for thousands of years, so it’s been incredibly boring. For someone like me, Lumerne's struggle against the monstrosity is the ultimate amusement.”
“Ah, is that so?”
Lodia smiled and tried to approach Lian.
Kyle gasped in horror and clung to Lodia's arm.
“L-Lady Lodia. Please calm down. Calm down.”
“Let go! God or not, I’m going to smash them to bits!”
Lodia's eyes gleamed fiercely.
Lian merely let out a prolonged yawn at Lodia's reaction.
“I! I’ll try to persuade her!”
At Kyle's words, Lodia huffed and stepped back.
“That was a boring little farce.”
Kyle said to Lian, who wore a bored expression.
“So, if I give you enough interest and amusement, you’ll tell me Erebos’s weakness, right?”
“Could someone like you offer interest and amusement to me, who knows everything in the world?”
“In the future, the Hero of Beginnings will reincarnate.”
“…”
Lodia made a dumbfounded expression.
Lian chuckled.
“You have a vivid imagination. To concoct such a ridiculous story.”
And she looked Kyle straight in the eyes.
Lian, who had been staring into Kyle's unwavering eyes, rose from her seat after a moment.
And then she said.
“Sit.”
“Huh?”
“No, please sit. Please sit down.”
Kyle, taken aback, sat down in the seat Lian had been occupying.
Lian, kneeling before him, looked up at Kyle.
“May I sit here?”
“Of course! To make such a noble person, who has come to convey Lord Kyle’s words, sit on the floor while a mere wretch like me comfortably sits in a chair and listens is an utter absurdity! Now! I am ready to listen. Lord Kyle. So? What did the Hero of Beginnings, who is greater and more noble than a god, say? That they reincarnated? Please tell me quickly. Yes? Yes? Yes?”