Book 1 Chapter 837
837.
‘Excellent.’
Leo curled up the corners of his mouth, assessing Jeswan’s skill.
‘Judging by Ciss’s reaction, he seems like a pretty unruly guy.’
After his reincarnation,
Leo had met quite a few heroes.
Among them were those who were excellent even by Leo’s standards.
But there were also those who were just as far from excellent.
‘Since the gods selected the heroes, it can’t be helped.’
God loves the noble.
But just as much, he also loves the ugly.
As the personalities and tendencies of the gods differ,
There were clearly those who, by Leo's standards, were not qualified as heroes.
But Leo didn't care.
‘It doesn't really matter to me who took the hero’s place. And…’
Leo looked straight at Jeswan.
‘Whether they are proper gods or gods close to the extreme, there is a commonality.’
That is, they love those who have accomplished great feats.
‘Therefore, the fact that any hero has achieved a great feat remains unchanged.’
But even having accomplished great feats, there are those who cross the line.
Those who betrayed the world.
And those who tarnish the value of heroes.
Leo had stripped such individuals of their heroic qualifications.
For Leo, who had experienced many contemporary heroes, Jeswan was quite a decent hero.
Leo knew from the start that Jeswan was trying to fight him out of pure curiosity.
He didn’t seem to have any intention of belonging to the Arhi Kingdom either.
‘He’s just a guy who hates being affiliated with anyone.’
He has fighting spirit, but he doesn't overly display it.
He knew the difference in skill before the fight, but he continued the duel for the challenge.
It felt like he was fighting him with a somewhat light heart.
‘Compared to him, that woman, Nezerin.’
She was desperately trying to catch his eye.
Looking at her sand-shaped aura, he could understand why she had the epithet 'Knight of the Sandcastle'.
Leo exhaled lightly and raised the long spear in his hand.
Leo’s red eyes pinpointed Nezerin.
Whoosh-!
Flames flickered from Leo’s hand.
The moment he saw that, Jeswan’s eyes flashed, and he lunged at Leo.
Fwoosh-!
Flames rose from his twin short spears.
“Oho? Team play?”
As Leo made an amused expression, Jeswan grinned.
“If that woman falls, I’ll have to face you alone, won’t I?!”
“We usually call that team play.”
Whatever the case, Jeswan tried to help Nezerin to prevent the situation from tilting.
But Leo was not an opponent Jeswan could stop alone.
Fwoosh-!
“……!”
A huge flame flickered, and Leo’s figure multiplied into ten.
Those who saw it gasped in admiration.
“It’s magic!”
“Clone magic!”
‘No! This isn’t magic!’
He had created an exact likeness of himself purely with aura.
‘His aura control level is immeasurable!’
He was aware that his opponent was a monster.
But this was a level far beyond his expectations.
Aura is a special ability that is very difficult to control delicately compared to magic power and spiritual power.
Especially fire-attribute aura, being rougher and more destructive, made it even more challenging.
Leo, who pressured Jeswan with nine aura clones, threw a spear condensed with power towards Nezerin.
KWA-AAAAAH-!
The spear shot towards Nezerin like a meteor.
In response, Nezerin unleashed her aura, and a sand aura surged up like a giant castle wall.
CRASH-!
But Leo’s attack easily neutralized Nezerin’s defense and sent her flying back.
“Tch!”
Just as Jeswan, who had barely shaken off the aura clones, was about to take a stance.
Thud-!
Leo appeared from behind and thrust a spear at Jeswan’s nape.
Clang.
Jeswan dropped his spear and raised both hands.
“I surrender.”
At his words, Leo withdrew his spear, and shouts erupted from all over.
“Whoa-a-a-a-a-a-a!”
“As expected of the King of Beginnings!”
“Hellhound, who rose to the position of a hero, can’t even budge!”
“Is it just Hellhound? Wasn’t there also the Knight of the Sandcastle?”
Not only did they get to see heroes, who were rarely seen, up close, but they also witnessed their duel firsthand.
It was only natural that the people’s excitement reached its peak.
Jeswan silently watched Leo’s back as he approached Ciss.
‘I wouldn’t be able to catch up even if I chased him my whole life.’
It was clear that ‘a different league’ was meant for something like this.
Meanwhile.
“Both of them passed.”
“Yes?! Your Majesty, what do you mean…!”
At Leo’s words, Ciss unknowingly raised his voice.
But he soon realized his voice was too loud and coughed-! He cleared his throat and said.
“Your Majesty. While I might understand the Knight of the Sandcastle, Hellhound is not someone who will belong anywhere. Even if he were to join our kingdom’s knight order, he’s the type who used to beat up his superiors like it was routine during his mercenary days, so he’s sure to cause trouble. He’s not called Mad Dog for nothing.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“If he’s a dog, he’ll listen well.”
“Your Majesty. So, he’s not just a dog, he’s a mad dog.”
At that, Leo curled up the corners of his mouth.
“I can tell just by looking that he’s a guy who doesn’t listen. I also know what Lord Ciss is worried about.”
Leo glanced back.
“But I quite like that guy.”
“Hmph… then I’ll offer him a position in the knight order for now. But he won’t like being affiliated with anyone.”
“If he says he’s not interested, don’t try to persuade him.”
At that, Ciss nodded and turned around.
And he walked steadily towards the two.
“Lord Nezerin. Lord Jeswan. His Majesty was impressed by your skills and offered you positions as knights of the Arhi Kingdom.”
At that, Nezerin’s face brightened.
“Really?”
“Indeed.”
Having said that, Ciss looked at Jeswan.
“Lord Jeswan, of course, you probably aren’t interested in a knight’s position, are you?”
“……”
“Lord Jeswan?”
“Sure, why not.”
“……”
Ciss felt a headache coming on.
‘No, why is this guy, who would refuse a knight’s position even if offered billions, suddenly like this?’
Of course, Ciss vaguely knew why Jeswan was acting this way.
‘Right. It’s true that His Majesty is a charming person. But if someone’s going to get tangled, it should be a woman, not some guy like this.’
Jeswan’s skill was certain.
No, it was, in fact, outstanding even among heroes.
Ciss, who had held the position of hero for a long time, knew that fact better than anyone.
However, from Ciss’s perspective, the unpredictable Jeswan was not a welcome presence.
No matter Leo’s incredible charisma that drew people in, his overwhelming skill,
And his great reputation, Arhi was now a newly founded kingdom.
And it was Ciss who actually managed the affairs of Arhi.
Long ago, the Tungkon Kingdom was destroyed by a massive attack from Tartarus.
‘And His Majesty will be on the front line of the battle against Tartarus… No. He will face Erebus.’
The intuition of an old, seasoned hero spoke.
An unprecedented, unimaginable great war was approaching.
Therefore, accepting talented individuals into the kingdom was greatly welcomed by Ciss.
However, as a new kingdom, it was also important to quickly stabilize domestic affairs after its founding.
A hero’s every action shakes the surrounding world.
When countless heroes gather in one place, a powerful group beyond imagination is formed.
But with that comes the danger of potential division at any time.
‘It’s why Tartarus wasn’t completely destroyed, even though the Heroes of Creation opened the era of New Heroes.’
The stronger a being, the surprisingly harder it is for them to harmonize.
If heroes were to gather under the Arhi Kingdom,
‘I must only gather those who will cause as little conflict as possible.’
“Lord Jeswan. Our Arhi Kingdom, you see, is a new kingdom.”
“I know, what about it?”
“Yes. So we are poor.”
“……?”
“It means we cannot give you the proper treatment.”
“I’ve already earned enough money to last a lifetime, anyway.”
At that, Ciss pondered how to make Jeswan refuse to become a knight of the Arhi Kingdom.
It was then.
“Lord Ciss. Leo says not to stop any duels that come his way from now on.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“He says he’ll beat down anyone who challenges him.”
At Elena’s words, Ciss glanced at Leo.
“And just accept Hellhound without question.”
“Miss Elena. This is a matter for the Arhi Kingdom. It doesn’t greatly concern Miss Elena, who is a guest…”
“Why doesn’t it concern me? This is my prospective workplace.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“After I graduate, I’m going to work at the Arhi Kingdom’s Royal Magic Research Institute.”
“By whose permission?”
“By the highest authority in this country…”
Ciss watched Leo’s retreating figure disappear into the palace entrance.
At that moment.
“Oho? Are you Elena Zeron?”
Jeswan showed interest in Elena.
“I heard you’re as much of a scoundrel as I am?”
At his words, Elena shook her head.
“No.”
“What? Are you being coy? Your dazzling record is world-famous.”
“I’m not being coy. It means your notoriety is just child’s play in front of me.”
“Look at this one?”
Jeswan made an amused expression.
Indeed, while she was quiet in front of Leo, Elena’s notoriety was definitely no less than Jeswan’s, if not more.
Ciss, listening to their conversation, muttered to himself.
‘Don’t compete over such things.’
But regardless of Ciss’s wishes, Elena and Jeswan joined the Arhi Kingdom as a mage and a knight, respectively.
Seeing Ciss return to the palace with a somewhat gloomy face, Chen Sia, who was standing at the entrance, spoke.
“Lord Ciss.”
“Ah, Princess. I showed you a disgraceful sight.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“Yes?”
“Young master Leo is an expert at handling such unruly people.”
“Haha. Are you trying to comfort me?”
“No. I’m not comforting you, I’m just stating a fact.”
Chen Sia shook her head.
At that, Ciss felt a slight sense of relief.
“Indeed, with His Majesty’s charisma, he would perfectly rein in both Miss Elena and Lord Jeswan. It seems I worried needlessly.”
“Yes. What Lord Ciss should really be worried about is Young Master Leo.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“After all, the one who goes the most overboard is that human.”
“……”
As Leo’s classmate…
And as someone who had decided to become Leo’s shadow and had watched him up close, Ciss thought about Chen Sia’s serious advice.
‘Should I have enthroned Lady Celia as king?’
Leaving Ciss, who was genuinely pondering, behind, Chen Sia followed Leo.
A moment later, she spotted Leo waiting at the end of the corridor.
“Young Master Leo. I have something to say…”
“Sia.”
“Ah, yes!”
At Leo’s voice, which was slightly different from usual, Chen Sia involuntarily stood at attention and answered.
“Call Anias.”
“Ah…”
The successor to the Shadow Monarch of the Northern Continent.
Seeing Leo call for Anias, the half-elf, Chen Sia said,
“As expected, the Knight of the Sandcastle…”
“Oho, your instincts have become much sharper, haven’t they?”
Leo looked at Chen Sia.
His appearance was different from his usual self.
‘The God of Shadows.’
“That’s right. That woman.”
Leo said indifferently.
“She’s a Hero Hunter.”