Book 1 Chapter 705

On that evening.

The third-year students of Leo Party who returned to the dormitory were gathered in a room within the Clock Tower Dormitory.

"What was that blizzard all about?"

Kal, with his fan resting on his upper lip, stood with his arms crossed, a puzzled expression on his face.

The third-year students of Leo Party, having returned from completing their commission mission, were currently writing their mission reports.

Despite the sudden blizzard, the entire goblin colony had been exterminated.

"And on top of that, mana freezing."

Iliana spun her fan on her finger, her expression one of disbelief.

Mana freezing was also a phenomenon experienced only by Leo and Chloe.

"You really couldn't use any special abilities?"

In response to Kal's question, Chloe nodded.

"Yeah. It felt like my powers were sealed."

"Leo, you too?"

Leo responded with a nod instead of words.

"What in the world is going on?"

Kal, who knew Leo's true identity, wore a bewildered expression.

Meanwhile, Leo, who had finished writing his report, stood up.

"You guys finish up quickly and get some rest too."

Originally, they had planned to spend the entire weekend hunting the goblin colony.

The intention was to give the second and first-year students practical combat experience.

However, due to the unexpected turn of events, the third-year students actively participated, and the goblin colony extermination was completed a day earlier than scheduled.

As such, Leo Party would be able to enjoy their freedom for one of the two weekend days tomorrow.

A short while after Leo left.

Chloe also put down her pen and submitted her report.

"I'm going first."

"Huh? Already?"

"Yeah. I need to go back to the dormitory."

"Hmph! What are you talking about! It's a rare opportunity! We should have fun!"

At Iliana's words, Chloe wore an incredulous expression.

"It's curfew."

Once it's curfew, you cannot leave the dormitory.

It was a strict rule of Lumen.

At Chloe's words, Iliana wore a meaningful expression.

"That's why it's fun! We're out when we're not supposed to be outside!"

Chloe looked at Iliana with a look of pity.

"All the facilities are closed anyway."

"Hmph! It's still fun to just wander around!"

"I'm going back early."

Seeing Chloe with an indifferent expression, Iliana rolled her eyes.

Once Chloe left, the dormitory supervisors would be informed.

Leo, living alone in his own building, was free from the supervisors' gaze, but ordinary students were not.

What was currently permitted for the third-year students was strictly for writing reports.

Once completed, they had to return.

Iliana's plan was to take advantage of that short time and wander around the dormitory at night.

If they didn't return to the dormitory too late after Chloe left, the supervisors would undoubtedly come looking for them.

'The Clock Tower Dormitory has many secrets.'

The Clock Tower Dormitory boasted an incredibly vast scale.

However, despite its size, the areas students could access were limited.

Although the professors didn't explicitly say so, it was clear that secrets were hidden within.

'There might be treasure chests hidden in secret areas!'

The Clock Tower Dormitory itself was enough to stimulate students' desire to challenge themselves.

Because of this, quite a few students returned to the dormitory during their free time to explore the Clock Tower.

However, there were no such opportunities at night.

But now, such an opportunity had arisen.

Of course, regrettably, Chloe had little interest in such things.

To be precise, her desire to abide by school rules was stronger than her curiosity about the secrets of the Clock Tower.

As an honor student, rules were something that must be followed without fail.

Iliana knew Chloe's tendencies well.

Iliana, who had been rolling her eyes, said,

"Chloe! Did you hear that rumor? The rumor about a forbidden section in the dormitory library!"

At those words, Chloe stopped walking.

"They say it's filled with forbidden grimoires that are unknown to the world!"

Chloe looked at Iliana.

'Good! She's hooked!'

Iliana cheered inwardly.

Chloe, looking at Iliana's face, glanced at Kal.

"Is it true?"

"There are rumors like that."

"The credibility?"

"Close to zero."

Seeing Kal shrug, Chloe left the room with an uninterested expression.

If Kal, the school's information hub, said so, it was safe to assume there was no forbidden section.

"You should have said it was credible!"

"I became Lumen's information hub because of trust. How can I say something exists when it doesn't? Besides, Chloe would find out if she investigated."

Iliana clicked her tongue at Kal's words.

"And can you really explore properly by just wandering around at night? The professors will be on patrol."

"Honestly! You have no romance! No romance!"

***

Upon returning to his room, Leo pressed his forehead at the sight before him.

"Sofa. I envy you. You serve Lord Leo every single day, don't you? Ah! I wish I could be Lord Leo's sofa. If I could offer Lord Leo comfort with this insignificant body, it would be wonderful."

He had found Rian clinging to the sofa Leo often sat on, rubbing his face against it.

"Hey. Want to switch? I'll be Lord Leo's sofa. You be the manager of the Hero Records. You'd like that too, right? Huh?"

'I can never get used to that sight.'

It was truly divine in the sense that it was not beautiful madness, but messy madness.

As someone who had lived through the Age of Gods and the Age of Calamity.

While he understood gods better than anyone in this era, he could not comprehend them.

No, perhaps not even in the Age of Gods was there anyone who could understand gods.

"Ah! Lord Leo! I've decided to take the sofa's place from now on! Please sit on me!"

Rian pushed aside Leo's sofa and crouched in the spot where the sofa had been.

"Although my body is insignificant, I will do my utmost to provide comfort to Lord Leo!"

At those words, Leo approached Rian.

And sat on the guest sofa next to him.

Rian wore a sad expression.

"Ah! I am less than a mere sofa!"

Just as Rian was about to slump down, thinking he had been defeated by the sofa.

"Why are you comparing yourself to a sofa? You are far more amazing than a sofa."

"What?"

"Managing the Hero Records is something only you can do. How important is that?"

At those words, Rian's expression turned touched.

"Are you saying I'm more needed than a sofa?"

"Yes."

Rian smiled genuinely, happy at the fact that he had "won" against the sofa.

'If I'm less than a sofa, am I even human? Ah, this is a god.'

To quote Luna, a deranged god was less than a weed by the roadside.

As Leo shook his head.

Rian returned the sofa to its original position and knelt in front of Leo.

Then, he clasped his hands together as if praying to a god.

His posture was reminiscent of a devout and pious follower.

Leo clicked his tongue, looking at Rian's seemingly sacred demeanor.

He had told him not to do it countless times, but this was something he wouldn't listen to.

Because of that, Leo had given up.

A moment later, Rian opened his eyes, and Leo asked,

"I called you because I have something to ask."

"Please command me, Lord Leo."

"Can Erebus use powers of other attributes as well?"

"What do you mean by other attributes?"

"Can he use attributes other than flames? For example, ice abilities?"

"It is impossible."

Rian shook his head and added an explanation.

"To the primordial evil, that monstrosity, the unquenchable flame is the very symbol that represents it."

"The symbol itself?"

"Yes. The sight of the world burning and turning to ashes. That is the monstrosity's greatest wish. The ability that matches that wish is the unquenchable flame. In the end, its true form is the black flame itself."

Therefore, using ice abilities did not make sense.

After hearing Rian's explanation, Leo wore a serious expression.

"Why are you asking that?"

Leo recounted the story from the mountain.

"Ice that doesn't melt, and a power that froze mana."

Rian's face turned serious.

"It wasn't magic. That was definitely a divine power."

Magic is ultimately a power within the laws of the world.

And defying those laws is called a miracle.

The unique divine powers of the Legion Commanders fall within the category of miracles.

The Death King possesses a fragment of Erebus.

If he could use it, it would be unreasonable to grant divine power to a new Legion Commander.

'Or perhaps it's a power obtained through the world of legions.'

At Leo's words, Rian spoke.

"Even if the Death King used the monstrosity's fragment to wield power, it would be difficult to grant divine powers like 'unmeltable ice'."

"Why?"

"Unmeltable ice. That is the same concept as the unquenchable flame, meaning Erebus itself."

"The same concept?"

"Yes. There are ranks even among miracles. To explain it simply, rather than complicating it… it would be easy to understand if you consider 'unmeltable ice' as a miracle of the highest concept."

"Hmm."

Leo nodded.

"But you said Erebus doesn't use any power other than flames?"

At those words, Rian thought and then spoke.

"What I am about to say now is purely my speculation."

A being close to omnipotent.

Leo nodded at the words "a god's speculation."

"The origin of the primordial evil is something even we gods cannot know. It's just that the monstrosity has existed for a certain moment and has desired the world's destruction ever since."

"And then?"

"The monstrosity possesses many divine powers. However, among them, the most powerful is the unquenchable flame."

A divine power that can be said to be Erebus itself.

"But it was strange. 'Unquenchable' means it keeps burning. That is, the longer time passes, the stronger Erebus's flame becomes. However, while the gods stayed on the ground and suppressed Erebus for a long time. Erebus had nothing to burn."

Until the gods' power weakened.

Erebus spent time burning itself.

No matter how unquenchable the flame, it eventually disappears if there is nothing to burn.

In other words, Erebus had been burning only its own body for a long time.

But in the end, Erebus did not burn itself completely.

"It might have had the power to suppress its flames?"

"Yes."

Rian nodded.

"Among the gods, there were some who speculated that Erebus had devoured evil gods with similar tendencies, thus becoming its current form. They said that was the only way to explain its diverse divine powers."

Having heard the explanation up to that point, Leo also grasped the hypothesis Rian had conceived.

"Are you saying it might have devoured an evil god with an opposite attribute a long time ago?"

"Yes. Perhaps it was controlling its firepower with the power of ice?"

Hearing Rian's words, Leo stroked his chin.

"Erebus is now split into six pieces."

Leo had cut it into six pieces and sealed it in the final battle.

Then, the conclusion that could be drawn from this was one.

"Has a piece possessing the power of ice awakened among those six pieces?"

"According to my humble prediction, that is the case. However, as you predicted, Leo, there is also a high possibility that it is a divine power bestowed by the Death King upon a Legion Commander."

Hearing Rian's words, Leo felt a chill.

'If it's a piece of Erebus, as Rian predicts. This has become truly troublesome.'