Book 1 Chapter 671

"I want to go back to school. No, I just want to go home."

"Fire! No!"

Driana, terrified, watched Iliana, who was hugging her knees in the corner of the tent, mumbling blankly, and the campfire visible through the open tent entrance.

Seeing that, Chelsea, with her arms crossed, made a look of disbelief.

"What on earth happened?"

"I heard Leo Flov took two people and made them do morning training."

"Leo oppa?"

At Eliza's words, Chelsea clicked her tongue.

"That would explain why they're so messed up. Leo oppa's training is too much."

Chelsea poked Iliana with her toe, and Iliana grabbed Chelsea's school uniform skirt and clung to it.

"Chelsea! There's the class president! There's the class president!"

"Let go! My skirt is going down!"

Chelsea flailed and shook Iliana off in terror.

"The class president tried to kill me!"

"You won't die from that."

"You devil!"

Iliana yelled at the voice from the tent entrance.

"You seem full of energy, so we can increase the intensity of the afternoon training."

"Devil! The class president is a devil!"

"You said Leo oppa was like a proxy of God once."

"What's that?"

Leo asked with a bewildered look, and Chelsea shrugged.

"The research club she made for Kyle is called Kyleism. This idiot is now acting like a cult leader. She won't come to her senses until she's handcuffed."

"Cult leader! Kyle was a real person! And it's not a religion in the first place?! It's just a fan club!"

Of course, Leo knew of someone who mistook his fan club for a real religion and tried to join.

That person was even a real god, albeit a former one.

Iliana, who was helped by Kyle during last year's Festival of Heroes, became infatuated with the Hero of the Beginning from that day on.

She researched records related to Kyle and collected Kyle-related merchandise.

She enthusiastically learned about Kyle and eventually started idolizing him as a god, half-jokingly.

During that time, she apparently called Leo, who was the same class as Kyle, a proxy of God.

"Anyway, Kyle and the class president are completely different! Kyle was incredibly kind and gentle! Completely unlike the wicked class president!"

'I am Kyle, and I saved you then.'

Leo let out a short sigh at Iliana's outburst.

Then, seeing Chelsea giggling with her hand over her mouth, he asked,

"Is it funny?"

"Ahem, ahem! Cough, cough!"

Chelsea coughed and turned her head.

"Come out and eat."

At those words, the girls came out of the tent.

In one corner of the clearing where the tent was, Duran was sparring with the three second-year students from the Department of Knights.

*Flash-*

Aina's golden aura pressed in on Duran from all sides.

"Fast."

Duran gripped his longsword.

"But that's all!"

*Kagagagak-!*

"……!"

Duran, having deflected all of Aina's sword strikes, immediately thrust his sword at Aina's neck.

*Hooak-! Chaeng!*

Habiden, who had flown in with a gust of wind, tried to deflect Duran's sword.

'It doesn't budge?'

Habiden's eyes widened.

He tried to deflect Duran's sword with a sword imbued with speed.

But Duran's longsword didn't budge at all.

He merely made a slight change in the trajectory of Duran's sword aimed at Aina's neck.

*Hooak-!*

That tiny change in trajectory was enough for Aina to dodge the attack.

'Just how strong is he!'

As Habiden, gritting his teeth, tried to create distance from Duran.

*Flash-!*

With a flash, Duran's sword swung like lightning towards Habiden.

*Kaang-! Pijijijijik-!*

"Kuk?!"

"If you retreat halfway, you'll just become prey."

As Duran spoke, Aina narrowed the distance with Duran to help Habiden.

*Pijijijijik-!*

"Aura release…!"

As Aina gritted her teeth, seeing the lightning aura swirling around Duran's body.

"Haaahap!"

*Pabababa bat!*

"Luke!"

Luke charged into the storm of lightning that Duran unleashed.

"Ugeugeugeuk?!"

Luke's scream erupted as he was electrocuted.

But Luke didn't stop his charge.

He accelerated instead.

*Hooang-!*

A silver flash threatened Duran.

Duran dodged Luke's sword.

"Ho? Tough one."

"Thanks, Luke."

"Thanks later!"

Duran's aura, along with Celia's, was known to have immense power, comparable to a great magic.

"As I felt before, Luke Elda, your fighting style is not refined."

"Haha, well… compared to Aina and Habiden, I fight a bit recklessly. I need to fix it so I can fight a bit more efficiently."

As Luke smiled awkwardly, Duran curled his lips.

"Do you really need to fix it?"

"Yes?"

"There's no safe place on the battlefield, but it's true that we fight in more dangerous places."

Knights are a class that fights facing enemies head-on, creating time for mages and summoners.

There are sometimes those with overwhelming firepower auras.

Duran is a prime example of that.

However, that doesn't mean Duran can replace the role of a mage.

"Knights fight shoulder-to-shoulder with the enemy at the closest range. There's no need to fight while injured, but it's unavoidable. However, depending on the situation, things like enduring injuries can happen."

*Pijijijik-*

Duran withdrew his aura.

It signified the end of the training.

Accordingly, the second-year students also sheathed their weapons.

"You talked about efficiency, but efficiency depends on the situation. Sometimes, you have to be able to inflict a fatal wound on the opponent, even if it costs your life."

Duran's gaze turned to Aina and Habiden.

"Certainly, you are rougher and more reckless than Aina and Habiden. The high risk of injury is indeed a fatal drawback. But you also have a distinct advantage that the two of them don't."

"Advantage?"

"Yes. You catch the opponent off guard."

Aina and Habiden were rigorously educated as knights from a young age.

As individual warriors, they are inevitably more complete than Luke.

But because they are so polished, they are also easy to predict.

Conversely, Luke only started wielding a sword in earnest when he entered Rumern.

In his first year, Leo showed him the way, but it was only a path.

He refined what he learned at school in his own way.

"It's primal."

Duran chuckled.

"Aina, Habiden. You two should also observe Luke's movements."

"Yes."

"Yes."

Duran, nodding at Aina and Habiden who stood at attention, sheathed his longsword.

Watching him, Kal, chewing on grilled meat, said,

"The Knights department students have a lot of energy. Training from the morning on an empty stomach."

"Heh. They're diligent."

Artian smiled faintly.

"Didn't Driana and Iliana also train hard from the morning?"

At those words, Kal chuckled, looking at the two suffering from trauma.

"Why can't Driana even look at the campfire?"

"Dwenow threw her into the brazier."

At Ar's answer, Kal made a look of disbelief.

"…What kind of training is that?"

"They say you have to build up resistance to control strong fire. They even tried to train the black rabbit."

"Water torture and electric torture… Now fire torture. I'm afraid they'll bury them alive next."

Kal muttered softly.

"But does it really work?"

When Kal asked Leo, Leo, who was eating stew, nodded.

"It works. I saw it with my own eyes."

It wasn't that Leo had blindly intended to throw Driana into the flames.

He had already confirmed that this training was highly effective in building fire resistance.

The test subject was none other than Arion.

'Arion consulted with Dwenow, saying he thought fire resistance would be necessary since he was on the front lines like Dwenow.'

Luna, who found out at the time, got angry and asked why he was consulting Dwenow.

However, having experienced Luna's howling training, Arion's trust in Luna regarding training had already hit rock bottom.

In the first place, Dwenow was the top expert on 'fire' among the party members.

Thus, Dwenow, at Arion's request, forcibly pushed Arion into the brazier to build fire resistance.

'Since then, I've come to distrust Dwenow too.'

Thinking that far, Leo looked at Ar.

Ar, holding a burning log, was laughing heartily in front of Driana.

'Come to think of it, Ar also needs Dwenow's training, right?'

As he thought that, Ar suddenly flinched, trembled, and looked around.

His perked-up tail and twitching ears made him look like a cat sensing danger.

Leo subtly shifted his gaze away from Ar.

'Since learning super senses, his senses seem to have become unnecessarily acute.'

He might try to resist going into the brazier with all his might in that state.

But Leo really wanted Ar to undergo this training too.

'After all, Arion couldn't withstand Erebus's flames.'

Of course, there was a limit to the fire resistance that could be built with Dwenow's training method.

However, completing Dwenow's training was one of the minimum requirements for Ar to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Arion.

'How can I coax him to willingly walk into the brazier?'

Leo was contemplating when.

*Ting-ting-ting-ting-*

Suddenly, the bell on the watchtower began to ring madly.

*Booouuuuuuuuu-!*

At the same time, an ominous horn blew.

"Air raid! Air raid!"

"It's an air raid from Tartarus!"

Chaos began to be felt from atop the castle walls.

*Kiiiaaak!*

Countless Fafnirs appeared in the sky, letting out monstrous roars.

"It's Fafnir! Activate the barrier over the fortress!"

***

Upon hearing the news of the invasion, Dwenow immediately appeared from the workshop.

The Gigantes unit had invaded not long ago.

And now, another large-scale invasion?

"What is the enemy's scale?"

To Dwenow's question, Enniha said urgently,

"I can't tell in detail! But… it's so numerous, it feels like the entire Giant King's army!"

At those words, Dwenow narrowed his eyes and looked outside the castle walls.

"…It's exactly the same as that time."

"What?"

"Where is the Giant King Gias? Such a huge figure should be hard to hide."

"He's not showing himself!"

"Hmm."

"With that scale… I wonder if the fortress can hold."

"Don't speak weakly."

"B-but… Dwenow-nim! Seeing that overwhelming force, the soldiers' morale will surely…"

"This place will not fall. Isn't that right?"

"Why are you asking me that?"

Leo, with his arms crossed atop the castle wall, looking at the giant king's army, said with a scoff.

"No…! When did he…!"

"Outsiders are not allowed on the castle walls!"

"Get down!"

Beasts and dwarves around them regarded Leo with suspicion.

Although they were accepted into the fortress, it was an era of calamity where traitors abounded.

Outsiders could not be allowed on the castle walls, a major defense point of the fortress.

Especially now, when the giant king's army might have launched a full-scale assault.

"Leave him be."

"B-but, Dwenow-nim."

"He will not betray us."

"Why are you so sure?"

To the dwarf's question, Dwenow glanced at Leo.

"It's a hunch."

Having said that, Dwenow said to the beast adjutant.

"We must also receive help from this friend's companions. I'm sure they will be of great help."

"Yes! I'll bring them immediately."

The castle walls became busy.

Meanwhile, Leo stood on the castle walls, unmoving.

Dwenow stood beside him and opened his mouth.

"What do you think will happen?"

"Why do you keep asking me that?"

"I'm asking because I think you know the answer."

Seeing Dwenow chuckle, Leo smirked.

"We will win."

***

"Wow, crazy. There are so many."

Kal was astounded, looking at the endless army.

"It's almost the same scale as Dwenow-nim's world last time."

Driana also clenched and unclenched her fists.

"We weren't allowed to fight on the front lines back then."

Because they were still inexperienced.

But now it was different.

Iliana said with a slightly trembling voice,

"But in actual history, this place fell. If this is a full-scale assault… can we stop it?"

At those words, Kal smirked.

"I don't know if it's a full-scale assault or not. But this place will not fall."

"How can you be so sure?"

To Iliana's question, still filled with anxiety, Kal turned his head to look at Leo and Dwenow, then said,

"You said Kyle-nim is a god?"

"Yeah? That's…"

"Don't we have a god with us now too?"

"Are you talking about Dwenow-nim?"

At those words, Kal smiled faintly and shrugged.

'If Leo is a god, then Dwenow-nim is also a god. So now we have two gods! And.'

"We have them too, don't we?"

Kal glared at the giant king's army.

"I don't know what happened in the past. We know the outcome of that history, but we don't know the process. So let's not dwell on past results."

At those words, all eyes turned to Kal.

"History that we don't know. We can just rewrite it. So for now, let's just look forward. From now on."

Kal grinned.

"It will be the beginning of history that will be newly recorded."