Book 1 Chapter 834

834.

The hot spring city of Retin.

Countless people were gathering in this city, which was also a world-renowned tourist destination.

An unprecedented boom in the city's history.

It was because it was the founding day of the Arhi Kingdom and the coronation of its first king, Leo Plov.

But people weren't just gathering for the coronation.

It was because renowned heroes from all over the world were gathering.

It is rare for heroes, who can be said to be the beings who transform and lead the world, to gather in one place like this.

So, there was no way people would miss the opportunity to see countless heroes in one place.

As a result, the main road from the Warp Gate to the Royal Palace was bustling with people every day.

Every time heroes appeared, the cheers of the people never stopped.

"Oh! Look there! That flag! Isn't that the Gerdinger family?!"

"Ohh. Then the man leading the way must be Seld Gerdinger!"

"The Sword of the Lordren Empire!"

People cheered.

The Gerdinger family, a pillar of the Lordren Empire, is the most prestigious family of knight heroes in the western continent.

Naturally, Seld, the current head of the Gerdinger family, was also highly renowned as the strongest knight in the western continent.

He was especially famous for creating legendary anecdotes that people loved.

"The strongest knight who defeated ten knight heroes ten years ago!"

"The guardian of the empire who single-handedly defeated hundreds of Tartaros demons on the Western Front!"

People excitedly praised the anecdotes Seld had written.

"Brother, you're still very popular with the public."

When Jis said playfully, Seld gave a wry smile.

"Defeating ten was a one-on-one duel, but I don't know how it got twisted into me defeating ten people alone…"

"But it was a consecutive duel, wasn't it?"

Next to Seld, Jis and Lis also received attention.

"Then the man on the left must be Jis Gerdinger."

"Jis Gerdinger is no pushover either. He's not a hero, but he's a skilled fighter who defeated three hero knights!"

"The young man on the right is Lis Gerdinger, right?"

"A new star with incredible achievements lately!"

Soon, people's attention turned to Celia, who was in the back, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her father, uncle, and brothers.

"That girl must be Celia Gerdinger?"

"Wow, she's pretty."

Boys Celia's age stared at her, mesmerized.

If she were merely beautiful, she wouldn't have received much attention.

But Celia was also a key figure leading Lumern's Golden Generation and a next-generation leader with a high probability of becoming a hero, so public interest was fervent.

The Gerdinger family couldn't help but be favored in Retin, as they were the maternal relatives of Leo, who would ascend to the throne, and descendants of the Tungkun royal family.

As such, the public welcome was more enthusiastic than for others.

As the direct descendants of Gerdinger at the front waved their hands, the cheers grew even louder.

Just then.

The atmosphere behind the Gerdinger family began to stir.

Celia, curious about the reaction in the rear, turned her head.

And then her eyes widened.

The attire of those marching directly behind the Gerdinger family was a bit unfamiliar.

Eastern continental attire, not Western.

The size of their delegation was also a bit smaller compared to Gerdinger's.

But their presence was comparable to, or even greater than, Gerdinger's.

"Shan…"

"A delegation from the Shan Empire… Isn't it almost a hundred years since another country sent a delegation?"

The oldest empire, the Land of Shadows.

The Shan Empire rarely engages in external activities.

They had sent a delegation to Lumern recently, but the last time they had official exchanges with other countries was 100 years ago.

All countries from around the world were coming to this coronation.

As such, people expected the Shan Empire to participate as well.

However, they had not expected them to appear before the public like this at all, so the public's reaction was one of bewilderment before cheers.

And the lack of cheers was probably due to the fear still lingering in the public's perception of the shadows.

"Who is that girl at the very front?"

"Could it be Chen Xia?"

"Ah… the princess and heir of Shan…"

The public reacted with surprise.

The most secretive royal family in this world.

The heir of Shan was before their eyes.

Chen Xia's name had appeared in newspapers a few times.

But unlike other hero candidates whose photos had appeared in newspapers, Chen Xia's photo had never been exposed.

This was due to the Shan Empire's influence.

So people showed a doubtful reaction.

"Xia!"

Celia approached Chen Xia.

"Hello, Miss Celia."

Chen Xia smiled faintly.

"Wow, you look like a different person when you're dressed up like this."

Celia admired and observed Chen Xia.

The splendid, flowing Eastern continental attire unique to the region, made of silk.

Her hair was secured with a hairpin, and elaborate norigae ornaments stood out.

She was already very beautiful, but dressed like this, she was definitely different from her usual self.

"How should I put it, you look very mature."

"I'm older than Miss Celia, aren't I?"

"That's right. Oh! Is it rude for me to talk to you like this at an official Shan event?"

"Not at all. Rather, thanks to Miss Celia talking to me, the atmosphere among the people has eased a bit."

Just as she said, thanks to Celia conversing intimately with Chen Xia, the rigid atmosphere softened.

As the idea that shadows were still a frightening presence was subtly ingrained in the public's mind, the sight of the two friendly young women made people's fear of Shan lessen a little.

Moreover, the harmony between Celia in her traditional Western continental uniform and Chen Xia in her traditional Eastern continental attire gave people a strange sense of excitement about global exchange.

"Since it's the same path anyway, let's walk together."

"Shall we?"

Niel, her escort knight, also joined Celia's side.

The Shan officials politely greeted Celia.

Soon, as the two began to move together, the murmuring atmosphere changed.

When Chen Xia smiled softly and waved to the crowd, cheers erupted.

***

Upon reaching the royal palace, the people of Shan and Gerdinger received the utmost hospitality.

Chen Xia and Celia were able to meet Leo immediately.

"Young Master Leo, did you have a good vacation?"

When Chen Xia asked with a smile, Leo replied calmly.

"I had a good trip."

"Was it fun playing alone on a deserted island?"

When Celia asked with a puzzled expression, Leo replied calmly.

"I went with Senior Elena, though?"

"Ah. I went with Senior Elena… What?!"

Celia, who had been nodding as if she understood, showed a surprised expression.

"Leo! It'll be a big problem if you get caught up in a scandal!"

"Oh my? That's hurtful. Are you saying it would ruin Leo's future if he got caught in a scandal?"

At the words heard from beside her, Celia gasped and turned her head.

Elena was standing there, having appeared unnoticed.

"N-no, that's not what I meant. I mean, it wouldn't be good for Senior Elena either."

"I don't really care. Well. Neither Leo nor I would be swayed by such cheap scandals anyway."

Elena, smiling faintly, looked at Chen Xia.

"I thought you'd come looking for me, but you didn't?"

Chen Xia smiled, looking at the provocative Elena.

"Because Young Master Leo also needs a rest."

"Oh? What if something happened between Leo and me?"

"I didn't think that would happen. Because in Young Master Leo's eyes, Senior Elena and I would be the same."

"Hmm?"

"Besides, it's actually good."

"What?"

"If something happened with Senior Elena, it means something could happen with me too, doesn't it?"

"Look at this?"

At Chen Xia's counterattack, Elena's lips curved slightly upwards.

Just then.

The door opened, and two people entered.

"Congratulations, Leo."

"Hello! Hello! My cute juniors!"

It was Lis and Torua.

"Senior Torua! When did you arrive?"

Celia's eyes widened, and Torua smiled faintly, then reached out and pulled Celia's cheek.

"Oh dear! 'Senior Torua'?! You should say 'sister-in-law'! Sister! In! Law!"

"I, I'm sorryyyyy!"

Celia flailed her limbs, looking at Torua who was stretching her cheek.

Torua released Celia and spread her arms, looking at Elena.

"Hello! Elena! How have you been?"

Elena frowned, looking at Torua who was trying to hug her.

"I'm fine, but I'm baffled by Senior Torua's physical condition right now. Was that the reason you were officially resting?"

Torua had officially halted her activities due to the after-effects of the Hero Slayer's attack last time.

Elena hadn't heard news of Torua, but seeing Torua after half a year was enough to make anyone bewildered.

At Elena's words, Torua smiled faintly and patted her greatly swollen belly.

"Yes. That's how it happened."

At that answer, Elena frowned and looked at Lis.

"Is the father Senior Lis?"

Lis subtly avoided Elena's gaze.

"Judging by your reaction, you two were 'like that' even before graduation, weren't you?"

"Yes. Zamua didn't even know."

"You told me to follow the school rules so strictly."

"Well, you were a delinquent who openly broke the rules. We broke the rules secretly."

Torua shrugged.

At that reaction, even the formidable Elena showed an expression of utter disbelief.

"When did you two start dating?"

"After we became the student council president and vice president."

"No way, since then?"

"Oh, come on. Do you think we went wild for all five years?"

Torua's expression turned serious.

"Then…?"

"Since summer vacation."

Looking at Torua, who wore a refreshing smile, Elena seriously thought.

'Should I hit her, senior or not?'

Torua was the only one who could nag Elena during her delinquent days.

Of course, she had been a problem child who deserved to be scolded back then, but it was still annoying to see her react like that.

Just as Elena was seriously pondering.

Lis spoke to Leo.

"Leo."

"Yes."

"You know the coronation might be quite turbulent, right?"

"It won't be a typical coronation."

Leo chuckled.

At Leo's reaction, Celia showed a puzzled expression.

"What does that mean?"

At Celia's reaction, Elena glared fiercely at Torua and said.

"No matter where you go, there are always those who won't believe unless they see it for themselves."

"Huh?"

"And those who want to prove it."

As only Celia failed to understand and looked puzzled.

Knock-knock-

A knock was heard.

"Come in."

Click-

At Leo's words, the door opened and a knight entered.

"Your Majesty. Someone has appeared before the castle gate challenging Your Majesty to a duel."

"A duel?"

At those words, Celia showed a bewildered expression.

But everyone except Celia had an expression that showed they had expected it.

"No, why a duel?"

"Because most people don't know."

"Huh?"

"How great Young Master Leo is."

Chen Xia said calmly.

"Why he was chosen by Risinas and inherited the position of King of the World."

The general public is merely enthusiastic just because his name is on the Hero Record.

But there are others who aren't.

Leo is not the only one who has achieved special feats in the world.

Any hero achieves special feats.

That's why heroes wanted to prove whether Leo, who had obtained a unique title, truly deserved it.

"It's arrogance. Well, for a hero, it's understandable that such people exist."

Torua said calmly.

She, too, was one who challenged to ascend to the position of hero.

As such, she knew well how difficult it was to become a hero.

Heroes whose names are on the Hero Record perceive each other as equals.

Unless it's a special case like a Great Hero or a Hero of Creation.

Those who have ascended to the position of hero mostly consider themselves equal to the great heroes of history.

"There will also be those who want to defeat Leo to further their own reputation. This coronation is also a situation where the world's attention is even more focused."

"They're doing that at someone else's coronation just because they crave fame?"

When Celia showed an expression of disbelief, Chen Xia said.

"Heroes are special, but they are not noble beings."

"…"

At those words, Celia fell silent.

"Your Majesty, what should we do?"

To the knight's question, Leo said.

"We must greet our guest."

"Is there really a need to deal with him?"

When Elena tilted her head, Leo chuckled.

"It's true that I succeeded the King of Wisdom to become the King of the World. But I will be different from my predecessor."

Risinas would have gently embraced the opponent.

But…

He wasn't capable of such magnanimity.

'I don't need to be the same leader as Risinas. I can't be, either.'

If Risinas was a king who gently led heroes.

'I will be a king who stands at the pinnacle of all heroes.'