Book 1 Chapter 975

975.

That evening.

"Mmm! It must be because it's a special menu for the autumn season; it's delicious."

Chelsea cupped her cheeks and smiled happily.

"Hero or not, she's still a kid. A little kid."

Celia shook her head, and Chelsea smiled faintly.

"Yeah. I'll be the kid. You be the adult."

'What? Why is she admitting it so readily?'

Celia slightly furrowed her beautiful brows, looking at Chelsea, who didn't bat an eye at her provocation.

"You'll be an old hag soon. You're older than me, so you'll get there faster."

"This brat…!"

Celia, provoked in turn, flared up.

Seeing that, Leo burst out laughing.

"You two are really consistent."

"Hehehe."

"Idiot. That's not a compliment."

As Chelsea chuckled happily at Leo's words, Celia retorted.

"It is a compliment. Being consistent is a good thing."

"She said it's a compliment."

Watching Chelsea delight in Leo's words, Celia wore an absurd expression.

Even so, she glanced at Chelsea.

'Now, the provocation of calling her a "kid" doesn't work.'

The word 'kid' was the most cost-effective word to easily make Chelsea angry.

Since Chelsea was always shorter than her peers, it naturally became a complex for her.

But ever since she became a hero, it hadn't worked at all.

This was thanks to her seeing her future through Shillod's magic.

Celia, who had been looking at Chelsea as if annoyed, glanced at Chelsea, who wasn't eating the vegetables she disliked, and said.

"Are you still a picky eater?"

"What can I do if it doesn't taste good?"

"If you're a picky eater, you won't grow taller, will you?"

At those words, Chelsea flinched, and Celia's eyes lit up.

'Aha?'

She found something to tease her about.

Thinking that and smiling, Celia said.

"Oh! Come to think of it, I haven't told you yet, have I? My nieces were born."

"Congratulations, Celia."

Abad smiled and congratulated her.

"Don't you have a picture?"

At Chelsea's question, Celia took a photo out from her pocket.

Chelsea, receiving it, opened her eyes wide.

"Wow! They're so cute!"

"Hmph."

Hearing Chelsea's exclamation, Celia put on a smug expression.

"They're not even your daughters."

At Leo's remark, Celia brushed her hair back and said proudly.

"But they're my nieces, aren't they?"

"What's their gender?"

"Twin girls."

"Wow! It's a relief they don't resemble you at all!"

"What did you say?"

At Chelsea's words, Celia frowned.

Abad took the photo from Chelsea and said.

"It's a relief they were born healthy. Brother Lys must be relieved too."

Looking at the harmonious family in the photo, Abad smiled faintly.

"No! Why did you come in the first place!"

"I came to keep an eye on you trying to pull something with my brother!"

"If anyone's pulling something, it's your brother with me, not me with him!"

Leo shook his head, watching Celia and Chelsea bickering as usual.

Tonight's dinner was arranged by Abad.

Originally, only Celia was invited, but Chelsea found out and quickly joined in.

In the end, Celia brought Leo, and the four of them ended up dining together.

Since a private room was reserved, there were only the four of them in the room.

Leo, who had been looking at Celia and Chelsea, suddenly felt a gaze and looked towards Abad.

Abad stared intently at Leo's face.

Leo, reading his intention, chuckled and said.

"Chelsea. Let's go buy some dessert."

"Huh? We can just eat dessert at a cafe."

"It's evening, so there'll be a lot of people. Let's go to my room and eat quietly."

"Okay."

Chelsea stood up from her seat.

Soon, only Celia and Abad remained in the private room.

"Thank you for accepting the invitation."

"Because there's no reason not to accept."

At Celia's words, Abad burst out laughing.

Celia and Abad had feelings for each other.

And those feelings were steadily growing.

Moreover, though there was a condition attached, they had promised a future together.

Spending time like this was a joyful thing for the two of them.

"I'm thinking of telling my father about our relationship at this upcoming Noble Families' Council."

"I suspect Lord Lewalin won't be pleased with me."

"Lord Zerdinger will probably feel the same way."

While not enemies, they had been rivals for a long time.

The relationship between Celia and Chelsea was cute compared to that of Zerdinger and Lewalin.

But they couldn't keep it hidden forever either.

As the two of them racked their brains, thinking about the two families that would be turned upside down in many ways.

Celia suddenly burst out laughing, "Pfft-!"

"What's wrong?"

"Oh. It's just that this situation strikes me as funny all over again."

Celia, her shoulders shaking to suppress her laughter, wiped away the tears in her eyes and said.

"Who would have thought that three years ago, we'd be agonizing over something like this?"

Hearing that, Abad also soon burst out laughing.

"Indeed, that's true."

Originally, the two of them only thought about defeating each other.

But now, they were agonizing over marriage with each other.

"Life is truly unpredictable."

"You're talking like an old man."

Celia chuckled.

Abad looked down at the photo, watching Celia.

"They really look good."

Abad, looking at the harmonious family photo, asked.

"But was there no opposition when Zerdinger's madam became a mage?"

"Well, there were voices of opposition, but the conservative elders' council in our family was 'blown away' by past events, weren't they?"

Celia shrugged.

"Thanks to that, it passed smoothly. Besides, Brother's children are in Senior Torua's belly, so they couldn't keep opposing, could they?"

From the perspective of Zerdinger, a knight family that values honor, they couldn't possibly announce to the world that their heir, not yet married, had produced the next heir.

That's why they held the wedding ceremony immediately after the Hero Slayer incident concluded.

Zerdinger was not a family with much formality, and Celia's grandfather, the former head, had also held a quiet, small-scale wedding, so there were no major issues.

"Hmm. So forgiveness is easier than permission."

Abad, muttering that and wearing a serious expression, opened his mouth.

"Celia. We too…"

"Don't try to pull anything. You seem to have forgotten the condition for marrying me. Don't forget you have to defeat me in a 1:1 duel."

As Celia smiled sweetly and spoke, Abad clicked his tongue.

Seeing that, Celia made an exasperated expression.

"Are you going to keep thinking sly thoughts about me? You've been acting like a gentleman since you were young; was it all an act?"

"Because you're special to me."

At those words, Celia scoffed.

But she didn't dislike those words.

Especially when someone with Abad's looks says such a thing with a smile, it even sounds sweet.

Celia, who was thinking that, flinched and shook her shoulders.

'No. I shouldn't fall for this guy's tricks.'

Celia shook her head vigorously and recomposed herself.

***

"Sigh. It's hard, so hard, to pretend not to support them."

"Weren't you supposed to be hindering their relationship?"

Leo, hearing Chelsea's mumble, made a puzzled expression.

To that, Chelsea said.

"If it were up to my feelings, I'd want to interfere, but…"

"But?"

"My brother says he likes Celia, so it's funny for me, as his sister, to oppose it, isn't it?"

Chelsea pouted her lips and grumbled.

"And when I thought about it carefully, Celia isn't a bad match for my brother."

At Chelsea's words, as she crossed her arms and hummed, nodding her head, Leo made a puzzled expression.

"Then why are you so grumpy?"

"Because of brother."

"Because of Abad?"

As Leo made a puzzled expression, Chelsea narrowed her brows.

"My brother has a personality where he has to do what he wants to feel satisfied. He's incredibly stubborn, so sometimes he can seem like a child."

"It's hard to imagine, considering the usual Abad."

"Of course. He doesn't show it on the outside."

This was a fact Chelsea knew, as she was his sister who had grown up with him since childhood.

"As his sister, he'd want to get close to the person he likes quickly. Even though Celia calls my brother 'butter' and whatnot, she's never denied that he's charming. They already like each other, so if even a bigger fire is lit in those emotions, I can't guarantee how far it'll go."

"So? You're going to slow down their progress from the sidelines?"

"Exactly."

Chelsea hummed and nodded her head.

To that, Leo let out a hollow laugh.

"Anyway… have you heard that the Arhi Kingdom will be on the agenda at this Noble Families' Council?"

"I heard it from Celia."

"Sigh. Why are they like that?"

"Because it's an issue of vested interests."

They don't want to lose out.

That was like human instinct.

"Even so, Big Brother Leo is the king acknowledged by Lady Lysinas, isn't he?"

The King of the World.

Not a ruling entity, but one recognized as the savior of the world.

From Chelsea's perspective, she couldn't understand those who expressed hostile feelings towards such a Leo.

But for Leo, it was something he had long expected.

To them, it didn't matter whether Leo was the King of the World or the successor of the Great Hero who would save the world.

He was merely a threat to their vested interests.

Even if the world were to face destruction tomorrow, those who prioritized their own gain would turn a blind eye to the world's threats and pursue immediate benefits.

Even during the Age of Calamity when the world was perishing, such individuals did not disappear.

"Can't Big Brother Leo just reveal that he's the Hero of the Beginning? Lady Melina will acknowledge it anyway, won't she?"

Now, even if the fact that Leo is Kyle were known, there would be no external or internal threats.

This is because Leo possesses personal might and formidable influence.

"Those who won't believe it won't believe it anyway. And even if I am Kyle, their attitude towards me won't change."

"Mmm."

"Crucially."

"Huh?"

"I'll tell the people around me someday… but I don't intend to publicly reveal that I am Kyle."

"Why?"

Chelsea's eyes widened, and she made a bewildered expression.

"In this era, the status of a Great Hero is extremely high. It's like the gods of the Age of Gods."

"It's not just 'like' the gods; they should be considered gods."

A hero who subjugated Erebus, the primordial evil that even the gods could not handle.

One whom even the gods praise as greater than themselves.

That is the Great Hero.

Perhaps, if there hadn't been the Hero Record, a religion worshipping the Great Hero might have been created.

No, those who were overly engrossed in the Great Hero also resembled the fanatical religious people of the Age of Gods.

Literally, it wouldn't be wrong to call him a god.

"Imagine such a Great Hero being reincarnated. And if that reincarnated Great Hero were to once again step forward and save the world…"

Leo stopped walking and said.

"Will the world truly be able to stand on its own?"