Book 1 Chapter 879
“Why don’t you say I’m cute this time?”
Chelsea replied, flustered, to Eliza’s question.
“No. Because the situation is too serious.”
“For such a serious situation, isn’t this human too nonchalant?”
Leo, who had become a baby, yawned widely.
As Eliza had said, he showed no particular agitation.
“By the way, why does only my older brother keep getting younger? Is it because of the power of the Desire King that Chen Xia defeated?”
Lil’s expression turned serious.
“Whatever the reason, if he gets any younger, his very existence could be in danger.”
Melina said gravely.
Leo, hearing this, nodded his head.
When Leo was first caught in the Fairy King’s illusion, he had returned to his childhood in his past life.
But that was when Leo himself was the subject of the illusion.
‘Now, the subject of this illusion is Silod.’
There was only one person in this world who knew what the immediate aftermath of the Age of Calamity looked like.
Only Silod.
Leo raised his left index finger.
Woong-!
Gray mana flowed from his fingertip and formed letters.
[Let’s find Silod first.]
At those words, Melina nodded.
They were communicating with mana because pronunciation was difficult with their current mouth structures.
[Let’s split into groups.]
“Weren’t we supposed to stick together in Gardsron?”
When Lil asked, looking puzzled at Leo’s words, Kal said.
“This is the Gardsron of the past. And as we saw earlier, Lord Berqia and Lord Vihar are here.”
“Ah.”
Lil showed a look of understanding.
Even the beings in illusions could perceive demons.
“Moreover, this is Gardsron. It’s the place where the heroes who fought against Tartarus to prevent the Age of Calamity are, isn’t it?”
Even a Commander-class demon would have difficulty acting carelessly in the heart of Gardsron.
“As expected, Kal is quick to grasp the situation.”
Lil, impressed, looked at Leo.
“How should we split into groups, brother?”
[We’ll split into three.]
“Three?”
[Professor Mel, me, and Lil. The remaining four.]
After assigning their search areas, Leo summoned his spiritual energy.
Then, Kirian was summoned.
- Huh? Leo. What happened to you?
Kirian exclaimed in surprise, flapping his wings in front of Leo.
[Kirian. Move with Kal and search for Silod’s presence.]
-……Alright.
Hearing that he was to search for Silod, Kirian nodded with a slightly subdued voice.
[Then, let’s move.]
Melina and the third-year party left the tavern.
“Excuse me, brother.”
Saying this, Lil scooped Leo into his arms and left the tavern.
Watching them from the counter, the elf looked seriously at the oak barrels.
‘I didn’t make some kind of youth potion, did I?’
***
Kal took the lead, exploring their assigned area.
It was dawn, as the sun was about to rise.
“This is Lord Kyle’s house.”
Kal said as they passed by Kyle’s house.
Kal, who had visited Deuno’s world before, had a thorough understanding of Gardsron’s geography.
Chelsea exclaimed upon hearing it was Kyle’s house.
“This is Lord Kyle’s house?”
“It’s surprisingly humble.”
Eliza said with a hint of surprise, and Kal shrugged.
“Well, knowing Lord Kyle’s personality, he probably wouldn’t like flashy things.”
“You talk as if you know Lord Kyle very well?”
Eliza tilted her head, and Kal grinned slyly.
“I thoroughly scoured the few remaining records of Lord Kyle.”
“By the way, Kal, I heard that Gardsron’s interior is as complex as a maze. How do you know the geography so well?”
“Mapping is the most basic role of a supporter.”
“Even as a basic role, perfectly mapping such a complex area isn’t usually easy… the more I think about it, the more capable you are.”
“Hmph.”
Eliza, who had been listening to Chen Xia’s story with disinterest, let out a light scoff.
Watching Eliza like that, Chelsea tilted her head.
“Why are you proud?”
“I’m not proud at all.”
Eliza stated flatly.
Chelsea, staring at Eliza intently, put on a mischievous smile, crossed her arms, and said as if to be heard.
“Well! In any case, Kal is a talent that the Lewalin family is actively trying to recruit!”
“Wait a minute. You want to recruit Kal?”
“Of course. My brother has been making offers since his second year!”
“You never told me that!”
“Huh? Because you didn’t ask?”
Kal said with a slightly flustered expression, and Eliza looked very annoyed.
Seeing Eliza’s expression, Chelsea said.
“What’s wrong? Even if the two of you get married, Kal isn’t obligated to work for the Hergin family, is he?”
“Who is marrying whom?”
“Huh? Then, Kal, are you going to give him to my brother?”
“Who said they’re giving him away!”
“Okay, okay, calm down. Eliza.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Kal Thomas! I told you, you’re mine! Don’t even think about going anywhere else!”
Eliza said, her voice choked with emotion, and Kal chuckled.
“I have no intention of going anywhere else.”
“Ah……”
Eliza’s face instantly turned bright red.
“Oh my, it’s so hot~ If anyone saw this, they’d think we were newlyweds… Ah ya ya ya ya!”
“You shouldn’t tease your older sister.”
“Who’s your older sister… Ah ya ya!”
“Eliza, you are older than Chelsea anyway.”
Chen Xia said with a smile, pinching Chelsea’s cheek.
Kirian, watching them, said.
- They’re having fun.
Saying that, Kirian brought his hands to his mouth, making them like a megaphone, and said.
- Should I spread the rumor while I’m at it?
Whoosh-!
Eliza’s sharp whip lashed out, startling Kirian.
Kirian, dodging it nimbly, chuckled.
“Kirian. Do you sense anything from the Fairy King?”
Chen Xia asked, and Kirian shook his head.
- No.
“Haven’t you heard anything about Gardsron?”
Chelsea asked, crossing her arms, and Kirian pouted and sighed deeply.
- My father didn’t like being asked about old stories.
Then, he looked at the scenery before him with a complex gaze.
- My father and Leo must have had many good times over the past 5,000 years, so why are they tied to an era like this?
“Why is Leo Flov’s name being brought up here?”
- Well, Leo is Kyle’s reincarnation.
Kirian answered naturally to the question from the side, without realizing it.
And he gasped! and covered his mouth.
Eliza narrowed her eyes and looked at the other three.
“What nonsense is this fairy spouting?”
“Are you lying to us again?”
“We’re not falling for it.”
Chelsea, Kal, and Chen Xia chuckled and said.
Eliza, watching their reactions intently, clicked her tongue.
“This fairy is fooling us with lies again.”
“That’s probably it.”
“I knew you’d say that! Looking at your reactions, you already knew! I thought something was strange!”
Eliza reacted sharply.
“Yes! It doesn’t make sense logically! All those unbelievable powers and his old man-like behavior finally make sense now!”
“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Calm down, Eliza.”
“Calm down? Do I look like I can calm down right now?!”
Eliza shouted excitedly.
Seeing Eliza like that, Chen Xia smiled awkwardly and then went behind Eliza, wrapping her arms around her neck and applying pressure.
*Squeeze-*!
“Kuhk?! S-stop…!”
Eliza slapped Chen Xia’s arms.
“Calm down, calm down.”
Chen Xia released her with a smile, and Eliza gasped for breath, clutching her throat.
“Still, there’s no need to calm me down so roughly.”
“Sorry.”
Chen Xia apologized with an innocent smile.
Chelsea whispered to Kal, seeing that.
“I sometimes feel this, but Sia is really scary.”
“You only feel that sometimes? I always feel that way.”
Eliza took a deep breath.
“Yes. As this is an era where great heroes and world-opening heroes appear in the present world… it’s not strange for a hero of the beginning to be reincarnated.”
Reincarnation was indeed a surprising event, but they had experienced too much since entering Lumern to be overly shocked.
Crucially, looking at Leo’s actions, it would be strange not to accept it.
“……There was a reason I couldn’t catch up.”
Eliza sighed softly and said.
“Please keep it a secret from Leo Flov that I know this.”
Chelsea tilted her head at her words.
“Why?”
“Is there any need to broadcast it? It’s a very important secret. I won’t even pretend to have heard it.”
Chelsea was about to nod at Eliza’s words when…
“It’s probably because she’s embarrassed by her past efforts to beat Leo, right?”
“That’s probably it.”
“When she’s like this, she’s cute…”
Flick! Smack-!
“Cough?!”
Eliza, her face bright red, wrapped Kal’s neck with her whip and dragged him away.
- Oh dear, she’s made a mess.
Kirian looked distressed, and Chen Xia smiled.
“Don’t worry about it. Eliza isn’t one to blab secrets.”
-…….
Kirian fell silent at Chen Xia’s words.
- Why are they so tied to the past?
“…….”
- Both my father… and Leo… must have painful memories.
Kirian raised his head.
- They must be happier now.
“……When we truly grow up, perhaps we’ll understand their feelings a little, won’t we?”
Chen Xia smiled bitterly.
After passing Kyle’s house, the group went out into the street.
“Oh? Hello?”
Someone called out to them familiarly.
The group looked at the person’s face.
It was Lisa, a member of Archi, who had promised her future to Arion.
“Miss Lisa.”
Chen Xia smiled.
“Are you going out with the children?”
“Yes. We’re going to give flowers to where the Archi comrades are sleeping.”
“Ah……”
Lisa and the children were holding armfuls of flowers.
“These are flowers made by Luna.”
“They’re pretty.”
Eliza exclaimed.
Watching them, Lisa said.
“Would you like to come with us if you’re not busy? It’s not far from here.”
“Shall we?”
They had a connection with the previous Archi, so it couldn’t be said they had no ties.
Lisa didn’t know, but the group clearly understood that fact.
As the group was about to move, the street, filled with joy moments before, suddenly became turbulent.
“Impossible!”
“Where is this lie coming from?”
“B-but… the gatekeeper spirit users heard it from the wind spirits!”
“Ah… no way… no way…”
The group’s faces hardened at the unusual atmosphere.
The group, knowing the future, realized what news had reached Gardsron.
Lisa’s face also hardened.
“Lisa! Lisa!”
A dwarf in a wheelchair pushed through the crowd and urgently approached Lisa.
It was Tanio, a member of Archi, who had made Lisa a ring.
“It’s not true, is it, Tanio?”
Lisa shook her head, her voice trembling.
“Lord Arion… he can’t be dead, can he? Right?”
The flowers in Lisa’s hand fell to the ground.
“……”
Tanio shut his eyes tightly and bit his lip.
“It’s not just Lord Arion…”
“What?”
“All five of them… all of them…”
“……”
“In the process of subjugating Erebus… they say they fell in battle.”
***
Fwoosh-!
Black flames burned fiercely.
Crack-
The magic cracked.
- How long do you think you can suppress me, fairy?
Erebus sneered.
- I’ll show you mercy for your pathetic struggle to stop me.
Silod clenched his lips tightly.
His body trembled.
- Enjoy the past you so desire.
Goooh-!
‘No more…!’
- This moment, when you hear that your dear friends are dead, is the most fitting end for you, who are living without truly being alive.
Kwagagagag-!
Just as the suppressed black flames were about to pour down like a tidal wave.
Woong-!
Dragon speech magic shimmered.
Erebus’s eyes twitched for a moment.
- The King of Wisdom?
Click- click-
“Unfortunately, no.”
Melina revealed herself behind Silod with a smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, Flame of Destruction.”
- Who are you?
“From your perspective, I’ve come from the distant future.”
Melina’s eyes turned into dragon eyes.
“To subjugate you.”
Flash-! Kwagagagag-!
Light magic blew away Erebus’s flames.
“Dragon… Lord.”
“Nice to meet you, Lord Silod. I’ve come to help.”
Melina offered the ancient draconic greeting to Silod.
Silod, staring intently at Melina, said.
“That…”
“Yes?”
“That’s not how you do it.”
“……”
Melina thought seriously.
‘Lord Leo too… are all the old ones so sensitive about etiquette?’