Book 1 Chapter 753

753.

The highest spire of the royal palace in the kingdom of Debian.

Standing there, Leo silently looked down at the ruined Deang.

Parts of the city of Deang still remained in ruins.

The scars of civil war.

Many people were seen coming and going through the ruined streets.

Overall, the atmosphere was chaotic, and people's faces were all filled with worry.

It was when Leo's crimson eyes were surveying the people.

"What would Arion have said if he saw this?"

Leo glanced at Lysinass, hearing a voice from behind.

Lysinass came to Leo's side and squatted down.

Whew-ooh-ooh-ooh-

The wind blew, scattering Lysinass's black hair.

The image of the world was reflected in the obsidian-like eyes of the black dragon who once carried the world alone.

Unlike then, it was a peaceful world.

The sky was spotlessly clear and filled with light.

Yet, the faces of the people in this city were full of darkness.

Lysinass knew.

That darkness had filled the faces of people 5000 years ago too.

Something hadn't changed even after 5000 years.

Anxiety about an uncertain future.

Lamentations for those who had departed first.

Even if the world found peace again, those things would not disappear.

But Lysinass did not despair over such things.

Lysinass knew what he was saving.

That the world he was saving was a place like this.

He knew well that it was a world full of bad things too.

But he gambled everything on saving the world because he knew there were more good things than bad.

However…

What about those who were born in the Age of Calamity?

The future they dreamed of was simply hopeful and bright.

Because they had seen only extreme darkness since birth.

They had the naive thought that there would be no strife in a world full of light.

Originally, adults should have taught them.

That the world has both good and bad sides coexisting.

They should not have been allowed to harbor false illusions.

But Lysinass did not teach such things to the children born in the Age of Calamity.

Not even to Arion.

Because sometimes, it was better not to know.

Lysinass knew too well that the hope of a world as bright as the Age of Calamity's opposite would give great strength to those who had lived only in despair.

'I merely used it.'

Lysinass's eyes sank.

"Perhaps I was just a con artist to those born in that era."

"Why are you suddenly like this?"

Leo glanced down at Lysinass.

Lysinass, who had been looking down at the people, brought his knees to his chest.

"It seems you heard about Berkia from Eiran."

"…Yes."

Lysinass closed his eyes.

Berkia Ersar.

The disciple of Kyle, Luna, and Arion.

But Berkia was special to Lysinass too.

Even more so than Bixar, whom he secretly regarded as a daughter.

The reason was simple.

'That child was one who shone brightly even in darkness.'

The souls of children born in the Age of Calamity were dark.

It was natural, as they hadn't grown up seeing proper light.

But Berkia was different.

'A child who could shine alone.'

If Bixar was someone who assimilated with darkness and walked forward.

Berkia was someone who defeated darkness with light and moved forward.

The Erebus Extermination Squad led by Lysinass, Arhi's expedition, ultimately ended in success.

Arhi's final journey was certainly a gamble, but there was a chance of winning.

However, to be frank, Lysinass was not confident he would be alive after the expedition succeeded.

And when that happened.

He thought that the leader who would follow him and guide the world would be none other than Berkia.

The King of Wisdom's eyes were accurate.

After Erebus was exterminated.

Berkia brought order to the world.

After Erebus was exterminated, she rallied the remaining forces to stop Tartarus's great invasion, which sought to destroy the world.

She laid the groundwork for the world's revival.

As he expected.

No, even beyond his expectations, Berkia admirably rebuilt a world without them.

But even Berkia ultimately succumbed to the world's malevolence.

'If I hadn't lied. Would such a tragedy not have happened?'

"If Arion had survived and seen the world restored to light… wouldn't he have resented me?"

Arion was timid.

That's why Lysinass told Arion stories of the world from before Erebus existed.

'A blue sky was the foundation of Arion's courage.'

Arion confided many stories to Lysinass.

And he followed and trusted Lysinass's words more than anyone else.

Lysinass told Arion only the bright aspects of the world during peaceful times.

For fear that Arion's courage would break if he heard stories of its ugly side.

"In the end, I… may not have trusted Arion."

The fact that he deceived someone who trusted him so purely came back as guilt.

Hearing Berkia's story made his heart sink even further.

"Is this why you didn't tell me about Berkia and Bixar?"

Lysinass asked with a bitter expression.

"Because I knew you're the kind of person who worries over useless things and gets depressed."

Leo said in an annoyed tone.

Luna, always full of confidence, was always triumphant.

But sometimes she would become excessively dejected.

Unlike Luna, Lysinass was always calm.

But once his heart sank, he became so dark it was hard to watch.

Especially when the story concerned others, not himself, the extent was severe.

Lysinass gave a bitter laugh at Leo's indifferent tone.

Seeing that, Leo said.

"Even if Arion had lived to see the Age of Heroes, he wouldn't have broken."

"Why?"

"It's true that he's foolishly naive. But he's also strong beyond that."

Leo recalled Arion.

"He would have overcome it and gone his own way."

"…You trust Arion more than I do."

When Lysinass gave a wry smile, Leo looked exasperated.

"He had a good teacher, didn't he? A good teacher who pushed through to the end what he thought was right, no matter how desperate the situation."

"There was such a teacher? Are you talking about the Guardian of the Blue Sky?"

Lysinass looked curious.

'Why is this lizard sometimes so dense?'

Leo looked at Lysinass with an incredulous expression.

"I'm talking about you?"

"Huh?"

Lysinass's eyes widened.

Leo said.

"The path you guided was always right. So don't get depressed just because you lied a little."

"…"

"Aren't lies not lies if you make them come true?"

Seeing his friend casually utter the audacious words he himself used to say, Lysinass involuntarily burst into laughter.

'But there's one promise I ultimately couldn't keep.'

The promise not to leave him alone, which ultimately remained a true lie.

Recalling that impossible promise, Lysinass asked.

"How were Bixar and Berkia?"

Lysinass gathered his courage and asked about the precious children.

In response to that question, Leo told him what he knew about the two.

"They've both become grandmothers."

"Indeed."

Lysinass burst into laughter, and Leo shook his head.

"…And their end?"

Eventually, Lysinass carefully asked.

"What was their end like?"

At that question, Leo closed his eyes.

Lysinass looked at Leo tensely.

"Those damn things called me dad."

"What?"

"Though who they thought of as mom would have been different for each."

Leo clicked his tongue.

"This is why being popular is hard."

"You're talking nonsense."

Lysinass uttered harsh words, uncharacteristic of him.

Seeing that, Leo chuckled.

"So?"

"Huh?"

"How long are you going to be so dejected? Bixar's mom."

"Hearing that makes me feel strange, like I've become a parent without realizing it."

Leo said coldly, watching Lysinass grimace.

"Do you feel stranger than I do, having suddenly gotten married and become a parent without knowing it?"

"…"

At those words, Lysinass fell silent.

"Cheer up. The kids went through all that hardship trying to do something with the world we left them… It'd be shameful to be dejected."

"…That's true too."

"Ah~ Lord Leo~"

Just then, Eiran's voice reached his ear.

Looking down from the spire, he saw Eiran waving.

Normally, their voices wouldn't reach, but it wasn't difficult for Leo and Lysinass to hear them.

Next to Eiran was Chen Xia.

It seemed they were looking for Leo.

Lysinass got up.

The two, who belatedly noticed Lysinass, bowed their heads.

"Looking at them now, they really do resemble each other."

Lysinass saw the images of Berkia and Bixar in the two.

After gazing at them for a moment, Lysinass said.

"Kyle."

"Why?"

"What if… what if, I mean."

"What if what?"

"Will there be a chance for us to gather together again?"

"…"

Leo knew well who "us" Lysinass was referring to.

The Great Heroes.

Lysinass had stood before Dweno, borrowing Artian's body in Dweno's world, but.

That was merely an manifestation of strong will.

They hadn't been able to have a proper conversation.

The memories of that time were also faint.

At Lysinass's question, Leo closed his eyes.

"…It would probably be difficult."

"Right?"

"But I really hope we can all gather together."

Lysinass burst into laughter at Leo's words.

"Weren't you the type not to hope for what couldn't be achieved?"

"Some damn lizard taught me that false hope can also be a strength."

Lysinass chuckled at Leo's sarcasm.

"Then, if the five of you gathered in one place, what would you do first?"

"I have something I absolutely must do."

"What is it?"

"Luna. I'm going to smash that guy."

Leo thought as he watched Lysinass speak in a cold voice.

'Would it be better to run away? Or hide behind the perverted dwarf?'

Whatever it was, he didn't want to stay in that situation for long.

Leo, watching the dragon's fury, suddenly raised his head.

Lysinass did the same.

"Snow…"

Lysinass's expression became serious at Leo's murmur.

It was the abnormal weather situation that Leo and Lysinass had intended to investigate.

"Suddenly?"

Leo frowned.

When Leo arrived in Debian, all the snow had stopped and melted away.

When he asked, he was told that the snow had stopped just before Leo's party arrived and hadn't come since.

But suddenly, it started snowing again.

After looking at the snow for a moment, Lysinass said.

"Perhaps."

"Huh?"

"Could it be that the fragment of Erebus was somewhere other than Debian for a while?"

"…"

At that, Leo fell into thought.

Certainly, the mere existence of the Erebus fragment influenced its surroundings.

If, as Lysinass said, it had gone somewhere else for a while and returned, then the sudden return of snow, which had stopped, made sense.

But…

"Why?"

Leo looked puzzled.

Suddenly moving somewhere made sense.

It could have conspired with Tartarus.

Tartarus would follow the revived Erebus fragment, after all.

But there were no signs of such.

"If it had, it wouldn't have left Tartarus. Rather, it would have strengthened itself there."

On the contrary, the situation of the Erebus fragment, which had left, returning was stranger.

Lysinass fell into thought.

And a moment later.

The King of Wisdom, who once possessed insight that comprehended all wisdom of the world, reached a conclusion.

"What if there's something this land needs?"

"Something it needs?"

"Yes."

Lysinass narrowed his eyes.

"Perhaps the fragment of Erebus hasn't revived as Erebus. What if it revived in the form of the ancient evil god that Erebus supposedly swallowed in the past?"

Leo's face grew serious.

"In that case, there's a possibility it failed to take control of Tartarus."

Because Tartarus only followed its creator.

"Then, in the current situation, what would the ancient evil god need?"

"Its legion."

"Exactly."

Lysinass nodded.

"This is just a hypothesis, but if it has returned to this land… perhaps the ancient evil god's legion is slumbering here."

Leo's face became serious at Lysinass's words.

"The ancient evil god's legion, huh…"