Book 1 Chapter 677

677.

"Smith, the one named Dienet. It seems he has a son."

Chelsea, who was waiting for Leo outside the cemetery, said to Leo, who had returned after paying respects at the memorial.

It was something she had heard from the head of the weapons workshop who had guided them there.

"A son."

"What are you going to do?"

When Chelsea asked cautiously, Leo replied calmly.

"For now, let's focus on the strategy."

"Okay."

There was only so much Leo could do for Dienet's son at the moment.

'I can express my gratitude, I suppose.'

But that was all.

They didn't have much time left.

Even if they changed the actual history that occurred, it didn't mean they would continue to exist.

'Still, I should probably go and meet him.'

Thinking about Dienet's son, Leo returned to where the party's tent was located.

By then, it was almost lunchtime.

Chelsea's eyes widened when she saw the scene in front of the tent.

"Who are those guys?"

Their party was confronting someone there.

Leo identified the face of the beastkin girl confronting Duran and muttered,

"It's the kids we saw yesterday."

"Do you know them? Leo oppa?"

"Rather than knowing them, I just saw their faces."

Just before the battle, they had expressed their will to fight, saying they would also join the battlefield.

Of course, they couldn't stand on the battlefield because they weren't qualified.

"What's going on?"

When Leo approached and asked, Duran curled the corners of his lips.

"These people say they want to fight us."

*Crack*

Duran cracked his finger joints.

"So I was thinking of taking them on."

"You look like you're enjoying yourself?"

"They say they are warrior trainees of Ivaldi."

Their ages were similar, but they lived in different eras.

He seemed intrigued by how warrior trainees from 5000 years ago fought.

There was no hint of looking down on them.

While Duran himself was an embodiment of competitiveness, even before that, he always tried to learn anything he could and absorb it as his own.

Eliza, with a similar personality, was filing her nails as if uninterested.

'That's probably because there are no summoners.'

Even now, summoners are a less numerous class than knights and mages.

During the Age of Calamity, summoners were even rarer.

"You're their leader, right? Come at me."

The unique belligerence of beastkins was revealed.

At her words, Aina, who had been watching the situation from behind, took a step forward.

"What is it?"

"If you want to fight Senior Leo, prove your qualification."

"What kind of qualification is that?"

"At least defeat me."

The beastkin girl frowned.

Seeing her, Leo gently pressed Aina's head.

"Don't make unnecessary provocations."

"I wasn't provoking…"

Leo pinched Aina's cheek.

Aina looked up at Leo.

She looked expressionless, but her eyes were full of discontent.

Leo chuckled, sent Aina to Luke, and then stood in front of the beastkin girl.

"Why do you want to fight us?"

"You participated in the battle yesterday, didn't you?"

The beastkin girl bowed her head.

"I'm grateful for that. Thank you so much for fighting for Ivaldi even though you're outsiders."

The beastkin girl, who had expressed her gratitude, raised her head.

"But from our perspective, it's a humiliation. You participated in the battle even though you're our age and outsiders, but we couldn't stand on the battlefield."

The beastkin girl gritted her teeth.

"So I want to prove it to Lord Dweno."

"That you're qualified to stand on the battlefield?"

"Yes."

Looking into the girl's eyes, blazing with fighting spirit, Leo said.

"I'm not looking down on you, but there's no one weaker than you here."

Leo narrowed his eyes.

"You know that fact best, don't you?"

At his words, the beastkin girl bit her lip tightly.

As Leo said, she knew all too well that she couldn't even defeat Aina, who had blocked her way, let alone Leo.

"Ivaldi's situation is urgent. Originally, you should have stood on the battlefield. But Dweno didn't allow you to go to the battlefield. You know well why he made that decision, don't you?"

The girl with brown hair and cat ears bowed her head deeply.

"What's a future?"

It was the dwarf boy next to her who flared up instead of the beastkin girl.

"It's a situation where it wouldn't be strange to die any time anyway! What's a future worth!"

The dwarf boy said with eyes that conveyed a terrible emptiness.

"More than that, what's important to us is the present! The warriors fighting for us right now have families too! It's more important for them to return to their families! To us! And we can help with that!"

Dweno wanted these children to live even a little of the future.

And not just Dweno.

Those born before the Age of Calamity felt sorry for those born during the Age of Calamity.

A generation that only had things taken away from them.

A generation so deeply immersed in nihilism that they couldn't even see a future.

The hearts of Ivaldi's warriors, including Dweno, were to show them a light.

After regaining the starlight, such feelings must have grown even stronger.

But for them, the present was more desperate and important than a future they might not reach.

'These guys aren't wrong either.'

But…

'Unless it's someone like Berkiana or Vihar… they won't be much help on the battlefield anyway.'

Leo clicked his tongue, recalling his disciples who far exceeded common standards.

"Det is right! More than that! What do you know to be talking like that? You're only our age at best! Is being a little strong enough?"

The beastkin girl pointed an accusing finger at Leo.

"Leo oppa isn't just 'a little strong'."

'No, in the first place, Leo oppa is an adult even by this era's standards.'

Chelsea shook her head.

"Wow, that's really amazing."

At that moment, Karl, who had been watching the situation, exclaimed in admiration.

Seeing Karl, the beastkin girl's eyes flared with anger.

"In the first place! Even that weakling went to the battlefield yesterday! So why can't we go?!"

"Huh? Me?"

"We want to go to the battlefield too! We want to go out and fight! If even that weakling can go! We can definitely go too!"

"You're calling me a weakling too much. It hurts the weakling's feelings."

Karl grumbled.

"It's true that you're a weakling."

"He is pathetic."

Chelsea and Eliza teased Karl.

"Hmph- People who haven't even been recognized as heroes have a lot to say."

At that, Chelsea and Eliza's faces turned grim.

Karl quickly hid behind Luke.

"That fighting spirit, I like it."

Then Duran curled the corners of his lips and stepped forward.

"Good. I'll take you on."

Seeing Duran step forward, Leo said.

"Wait, Duran."

"Are you ordering me?"

"It's a request. In the first place, if you fight this child, you won't learn anything."

"What do you mean by that?"

Duran frowned.

Leo smiled at Duran once, then looked at Karl.

"Karl."

"Why are you calling me?"

"You need to step up."

"Me?"

Karl was flustered.

Seeing that, the beastkin girl flared up.

"Wait! Why do I have to fight that weakling?!"

"Karl is the weakest among us. If you can't even beat Karl, you won't be recognized even if you fight us. In the first place, you won't even be qualified to stand on the battlefield."

Leo chuckled. The beastkin girl scoffed.

"I'll quickly defeat a weakling mage like this and then fight you."

"That won't happen."

"What?"

"You can't beat Karl."

***

"Something interesting is happening."

In the open space in front of the tent.

Enniiha returned as Karl and Ivaldi's warrior trainees were preparing for battle.

"Enniiha-sensei…! This is…"

"Yes, Det. You don't have to tell me what's going on, I understand."

Enniiha nodded at the dwarf boy's words.

"Enniiha-sensei! Look at this!"

Then, Dryana appeared from behind, her eyes shining brightly.

Dryana was holding a drawing in her hand.

Seeing it, Chelsea said.

"Yesterday you looked almost dead from training with Lord Dweno, but today you're full of energy?"

"Today I learned drawing from Enniiha-sensei! The stupid cat and stupid human are knocked out!"

At Dryana's words, Det looked flustered.

"Enniiha-sensei. What did that child just say? Training with Lord Dweno?"

Enniiha scratched her cheek at Det's words.

"This child is learning Smithing skills from Dweno."

Enniiha, who answered briefly, looked at Dryana's drawing and her expression turned horrified.

"Ho-how original."

"Right! You recognized it after all!"

"That's not a compliment, you stupid dwarf."

Chelsea said coldly, but Dryana didn't listen.

Det, who confirmed Dryana's drawing, flared up.

"Shouldn't I have been Lord Dweno's disciple originally?"

"Hmm… you'll soon become a disciple…"

"I can't accept this! How can a child with such terrible dexterity become Lord Dweno's disciple before me!"

At his words, Dryana's face instantly turned grim.

"You, what did you just say?"

"I said 'terrible dexterity'!"

"You damned midget!"

"You're a midget too! And who are you calling a damned midget! A failed midget who draws failed paintings!"

"You dare insult my art!"

"Art? What kind of art is this!"

"What's all the commotion about?"

As Leo approached with a furrowed brow, Chelsea replied.

"That dwarf cowardly attacked Dryana with facts!"

"Chelsea Rewalin!"

Dryana pounced on Chelsea.

Dryana, her eyes wide with fury, chased after Chelsea, who quickly ran away.

Watching them, Det said.

"Hey! Human! Let me have a duel with that dwarf! I'll compete for Lord Dweno's disciple position!"

At his intense reaction, Enniiha sighed and said.

"You shouldn't."

"Why not?!"

"Because it won't end with just one or two broken bones."

There was nothing more infuriating to an artist than having their work insulted.

Dryana was clearly going to fight seriously.

Enniiha, who calmed Det, looked at Dryana's drawing with a serious expression.

"Do you regret it?"

At Leo's words, Enniiha gave an awkward laugh.

"I'll teach her. I'll teach her."

"No."

Leo said bluntly and looked at Dryana.

"Her hands and sensibility are definitely cursed."

There was a reason Dweno had told her to quit art.

Meanwhile.

Karl finished preparing for the duel.

Seeing that, Leo said.

"You all."

At his words, the party looked at Leo.

"Watch closely."

Leo narrowed his eyes.

"Because that beastkin kid has something you all don't."

"What is that?"

When Luke asked with a puzzled face, Leo replied.

"The readiness to die at any time."