Book 1 Chapter 938

937.

Karl and Perena opened their eyes.

The two quickly scanned their surroundings.

But they soon realized they were in the middle of a street and lowered their guard.

This was because people passing by were looking at them suspiciously.

Karl hurriedly looked up at the sky.

'I'm screwed…'

Karl gulped.

A灰-colored sky.

It was clearly the Age of Calamity.

A sky of despair that made him shiver, even though he had experienced it before.

Moreover, the situation was even more serious now.

'Only Perena and I fell here.'

Though Karl was called a hero, he was practically a weak supporter.

Perena, who came with him, was still an inexperienced first-year.

Their combat strength was such that it was unclear if they could even clear a regular hero dungeon.

'The world of a Great Hero…'

Karl gulped.

'The letters were erased, but… anyone could tell it was Sir Arion's world.'

Karl quickly gathered the information he knew.

'I couldn't know the chapter, but I knew the setting.'

Ray■r.

Whether it was lucky or unlucky, he could deduce the incident from this.

'Reissar.'

The name of the old city where they had been a little while ago.

And…

Destro■.

'Wow… Today, the word "destro" looks incredibly ominous.'

Karl felt like crying at the situation where the remaining letters could be easily deduced.

'Destruction…'

Karl, who was about to scratch his head at the terrible content he deduced unwillingly, stopped when he looked to the side.

Perena's eyes, looking up at the sky, were trembling.

'Phew… I shouldn't show my anxiety now.'

Karl steadied himself.

As a third-year, he had to lead Perena, a first-year.

If he wavered here, Perena would surely waver too.

'She's already inexperienced, and if her spirit breaks, she'll have trouble using her skills.'

The Age of Calamity was an era where it would not be strange for a life-threatening crisis to strike at any moment.

One wrong move could mean life or death.

He had to prevent that.

'Composure… Let's maintain composure.'

Karl said calmly.

"At least that's a relief."

"Huh?"

"It's not a possession-type world, is it?"

"Ah…"

In a possession-type, the conquerors would have to become characters in the hero's world themselves.

But if not, it meant they only had to help.

'No matter how desperate the situation, if I keep my wits about me, there's always a way out.'

Karl said, maintaining his composure.

"It's Sir Arion's world. That means Sir Arion is at least present, doesn't it?"

"Th-that's right."

Relief bloomed on Perena's face.

Seeing that, Karl said,

"First, let's figure out the situation. But here… it somehow looks familiar, doesn't it?"

"Because it's probably Reissar."

Perena had also grasped that the world was the 'Destruction of Reissar'.

But Karl shook his head.

"No, it's not that kind of familiarity. I don't think this is Reissar?"

"Huh?"

It was then that Perena made a puzzled expression.

Soon, Karl, who had been scanning the street, widened his eyes.

"I know where this is."

"Huh?"

"You damn human! We were supposed to research magic today!"

"What am I supposed to do if Licinas calls me?"

At that moment, a resentful shout was heard.

Turning his head towards the sound, an elf with breathtakingly beautiful looks caught his eye.

"Ah…"

Perena's mouth fell open.

And the man following that elf was also someone Perena knew well.

The greatest heroes in the world.

'Lady Lunar and… Sir Kyle?'

As Perena looked blankly.

Karl also looked at the two and said with a voice full of conviction.

"This is Gathusron."

***

Evening after training.

Slam-!

"Lord Damian is a fool!"

Driana slammed the table and said.

"Don't say things that would get you dismembered by the dwarves. Driana, look at this."

"What is it?"

"It's a probability table I calculated. That foolish cat won't understand even if I explain, so I'm showing it to you."

Runia handed a notebook to Driana with a serious face.

"Who are you calling… foolish… Ughhh…"

Ar bristled but couldn't finish his sentence.

He was half-dead from the after-effects of Azonia's near-abusive training.

"Runia. Why are you perfectly fine?"

"Hmm. She didn't really put me or Elan through tough training like you."

At that, Ar scoffed and laughed.

"As expected of Lady Azonia. She only gives proper training to me, her direct junior."

'… No, no matter how you look at it, that's not proper training, it's harassment.'

Runia made a serious face.

For the past few days, Azonia had been putting Ar through physical training that was questionable whether it was training at all.

Of course, Ar, accustomed to Leo's near-torturous training, was completing it all.

But unlike Leo, who gave time to recover even after terrible training sessions, Azonia gave Ar no rest.

If Azonia had trained foolishly, one might accept it, but she was training Runia and Elan quite systematically.

"Ar. Don't you think Lady Azonia dislikes you?"

"That can't be, can it? In a sense, I'm Lady Azonia's direct junior. She would cherish me, not dislike me."

Ar said, slumped.

Perhaps truly out of energy, Ar's tail, always perky, was also drooped.

Runia impulsively reached out for that tail.

Of course, the tail dodged Runia's hand annoyingly.

Just then, Damian, who was reading the probability table Runia gave him, made a dumbfounded expression.

"What in the world is this?"

"A gambling game probability table."

"I can see that. But why did you calculate this meaningless thing? You know the probabilities don't change anyway, don't you?"

"No. There must be momentum, or a flow."

"Has your intelligence gone to hell after getting into gambling?"

"No! I saw it! You should have seen Iliana!"

"Come to your senses. You gambling-addicted elf."

Whack-!

"Ow!"

Driana hit Runia on the crown of her head with the notebook.

Runia clutched her head and rolled on the floor.

Just then.

Bang-

The door opened and Eleana entered.

"Hi! Kids! Ar is here, right?"

Eleana's eyes sparkled as her gaze landed on Ar, who was sprawled on the floor.

"Huh?! It's Ms. Eleanaaaaaaa?!"

As Ar tried to get up, Eleana quickly rushed over and grabbed Ar's tail.

Ar, who had been lying face down, instinctively shot his upper body up.

"Still fluffy today. Mmm~ This feeling. I think I'll get addicted!"

"Nyah! Ah! Ah! My, my innermost tail part is… Nyahhhh!"

Ar's body twitched-twitched- at Eleana's rough hands, grabbing his tail, rubbing it against her cheek, and fiddling with it.

Driana, seeing that, made a rectangle with her index fingers and thumbs and looked at the two through it.

"Hmm. A blonde beauty and a white cat. Quite a picture. You two. Ever thought of becoming nude models in that pose?"

"Sh-shut up…! You perverted dwar… Nyahhh! St-stop! Stop!"

Ar struggled and hardly pulled his tail from Eleana's hand, then quickly scurried to a corner of the room.

Eleana made a regretful expression, clenching and unclenching her fingers.

"I really feel like I'm going to have withdrawal symptoms."

Eleana, who had licked her lips, smiled sweetly and looked at the three.

"By the way, you guys. Is Lady Azonia and Lord Damian's training bearable?"

At that, Runia and Ar nodded.

"It's good."

"It's satisfying!"

"Driana doesn't seem to think so?"

At that, Driana pouted her lips.

Runia clicked her tongue, looking at Driana.

"Are you childishly jealous of the Hero of Creation?"

"Hmph. It can't be helped if Lord Damian is a fool!"

"You're going to get dismembered if you keep that up, you know?"

"Why do you say Lord Damian is a fool?"

"Lord Damian is wasting his talent! To not understand Lord Dwenno's grand vision, even with such artistic talent!"

"Well, I did understand it when I saw the paintings Lord Damian drew. Your bizarre creations must be worse than what Lord Damian made with his feet."

"Kieeeeek!"

Eleana smiled brightly and struck Driana with the violence named truth, causing her to have a fit.

Runia and Ar struggled to calm Driana down.

After Driana calmed down, Eleana asked Ar, who was slumped, as she gave him a lap pillow.

"By the way, have you seen Karl?"

"Why Karl?"

"Leo is looking for him. He hasn't been seen since this morning."

"I saw him at the gambling den yesterday, where could he have gone?"

Runia made a puzzled expression.

Then Driana pouted her lips.

"What's bothering you again?"

"Are you jealous of Karl?"

Ar stretched pleasurably as Eleana stroked his head and said.

"Jealous?"

"Lord Damian said he had high hopes for Karl."

The reason Leo urgently summoned Karl was to have him taught by Damian.

During the Age of Calamity, Dwenno didn't just create divine weapons, he was also skilled in alchemy, creating all sorts of tools.

And in this era, it was none other than Karl who had inherited Dwenno's alchemy.

Damian also had considerable expertise in alchemy, unlike blacksmithing.

Since Driana herself wasn't learning restoration well, she was envious of Karl, who was highly anticipated by Damian.

At Ar's words, Driana snorted.

Seeing that, Eleana fiddled with Ar's ear and mumbled.

"Hmm. The Great Heroes simply cherished you all, but the Heroes of Creation don't seem to be that way?"

***

"That kid Karl seemed pretty good."

"Is there any man you don't find good?"

"What's wrong? I have high standards."

Azonia smiled brightly and said to Damian.

Damian looked at Azonia with a disgusted face and said.

"You flirted with the Lumen students yesterday, didn't you?"

"Yeah. They're so unlike Lumen, completely innocent and cute."

Azonia chuckled.

Damian clicked his tongue, looking at Azonia.

"Now that I think about it, you never really liked Lumen, did you?"

"What are you talking about? I like Lumen too, you know? We're like family, all of us."

"For being like family, you never tried to seduce him."

"How can I seduce him when Rodiah and Sairun are wide-eyed?"

"Those two are idiots and morons who can't even realize their own feelings. And you showed consideration for them?"

"That's true, isn't it? Hmm. Should I have tried to seduce him? Would those lizard-man and pointy-eared elf have realized their feelings then?"

"No."

"Hmm. I thought so too, didn't I?"

Azonia chuckled.

"Anyway, that kid Karl. He's like Lumen, yet not like Lumen at all?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I don't know. It's hard to explain in words. See for yourself."

"Like Lumen, yet not like Lumen… That makes me even more curious."

"You should also be a little kinder to that kid Driana. She seems like a good kid."

"You should be good to Ar yourself. He's a junior too good for you, you know."

Azonia snorted at Damian's words.

Just then, Damian stopped walking.

When Azonia looked ahead, Chen Shea was standing there.

Chen Shea, who respectfully expressed an Eastern greeting with his right fist resting on his left palm, said,

"Greetings to the Great Heroes of Creation. My name is Chen Shea. Though I am lacking, I am the master of Shan."

"Wow, already an emperor at that young age? That's amazing!"

Azonia exclaimed in admiration.

"What is it?"

"There's something I wish to ask Lord Damian."

At that, Azonia squatted and nudged Damian's side.

"Oh~ popular, aren't we? A pretty and cute young lady showing interest, too."

Azonia, giggling, stood up and waved her hand.

"Then I shouldn't interrupt your date, so I'll be off."

Damian clicked his tongue, watching Azonia laughingly depart.

Then he looked at Chen Shea.

After staring into Chen Shea's dark eyes for a moment, Damian asked.

"Seeing as you greeted me as the master of Shan, not as a hero, you're not here for Indomitable Damian, are you?"

"Yes. There is something I wish to ask the Shadow of Creation, the first hero and shadow after the Age of Calamity ended."

"I don't like being called by such grand titles."

Damian clicked his tongue, scratched his head, and then said.

"Alright. I'll answer whatever I can with all my heart and soul. What is it you're curious about?"