Book 1 Chapter 994
995.
About 10 minutes later, Seyrun emerged from the ice.
Since he had been discovered by Leo anyway, resisting was pointless.
Seyrun, having made that judgment, first released the seal and came out.
As soon as Seyrun emerged from the ice, Leo pulled out scissors from his subspace and lunged at Seyrun.
Grasp!
“Wait! Stop! Please stop for a moment!”
Seyrun frantically grabbed Leo's wrist.
“Why? Are you going to say goodbye to your hair?”
Click-click-
Leo laughed menacingly and snipped the air with the scissors.
Seyrun's face was painted with fear at the eerie sight.
“Lord Kyle. It’s true that I said harsh things to you, but if you are confident, there's no need to get angry…”
“Bring your head over here.”
“Argh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I won't do it again!”
Seyrun, who had been saying anything to break the situation, ended up begging for forgiveness as if clinging on.
“Um…”
At that moment, Runia, who had been observing the situation, cautiously asked.
“Is this Luna?”
At that, Leo clicked his tongue and put away the scissors, and Seyrun breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Runia.
“You…?”
“It’s an honor to meet you. Lord Seyrun, the Wizard of the Comet. My name is Runia El Lundar, and I am an elf, your successor, though I am lacking.”
Runia greeted him politely, following elf etiquette.
Watching Runia, Seyrun recalled the time he had briefly returned to the real world with Leo's help.
Remembering that Runia was one of the students who had caught his eye then, Seyrun smiled brightly.
“I remember! You were that child back then, weren't you? Nice to meet you!”
Runia's eyes widened slightly as she watched Seyrun's clear smile.
“Huh? Why?”
“No… your smile resembles Luna so much…”
At Runia's words, Seyrun's lips twitched.
He was pleased to be told he resembled Luna, and his mouth relaxed.
“You resemble Luna a lot too.”
A pleased Seyrun praised Runia.
For an elf, there is no greater compliment than being told they resemble Luna.
Leo, who was listening to the conversation, interjected indifferently.
“Yes. Yes. All three of you have terrible tempers and foul mouths. What kind of compliment is it to be told you resemble Luna?”
Seyrun was choked up by those words, but because he was at fault, he dared not retort.
But Runia didn't hold back.
“What's wrong with Luna's personality! What's wrong with it!”
An agitated Runia grabbed Leo by the collar and shook him violently.
Seyrun watched the scene and inwardly cheered.
‘Well done! My junior!’
Seyrun, who was inwardly cheering for Runia, was startled when his eyes met Leo's and quickly turned his head away.
Thinking they were truly fitting predecessors and successors, Leo looked at the elf girl lying unconscious on the floor.
‘It’s definitely Luna.’
What was puzzling was that she was younger than any form of Luna Leo knew.
She was younger than Luna during her Barharun days, whom he had seen in Luna's world before.
‘Is this when she just entered Barharun?’
Leo knelt beside Luna, reached out a hand, and gently stroked Luna's cheek.
“So?”
Leo, having brushed Luna's hair, looked at Seyrun.
“Why are the young Luna and you in reality? And you sealed yourself in ice.”
“It's complicated to explain. First of all, Luna here probably won't have any memories of Lord Kyle. Because she's Luna from before meeting you.”
“Indeed. Is this Luna from the world within the Hero's World?”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
Runia, who was listening to the conversation next to them, asked with a puzzled expression.
“Before, when I entered Rhodia's world, I cleared Lisinas's world within that world.”
“Ah…”
“It’s the same for Luna here.”
“To be precise, a page I had never cleared before opened.”
Seyrun extended his hand.
The Folium that Leo had given on Luna's behalf before appeared in Seyrun's hand.
“The first page of Luna's record. I originally couldn't open that page. But it reacted to this Folium, and the page opened.”
It meant that a possibility that had never been realized in reality had opened in the Hero's World.
Leo's face showed a dumbfounded expression at those words.
The Hero's World, no matter how real it seemed, was ultimately fake.
And the existence of another fake world realized within that fake world had crossed into reality.
Seyrun's world was probably being encroached upon by Erebus's flames.
In that process, Luna's world, realized within Seyrun's world, would have also been affected and turned into a Hero Dungeon.
The existence of a Hero Dungeon within a Hero Dungeon had crossed into reality.
Realizing anew how absurd an item the Hero Record was, Leo said.
“Then how many worlds has this Luna crossed?”
Seyrun looked serious.
“Fortunately, it seems a fragment of Erebus hasn’t discovered my world.”
“No, he probably knows your world has become a Hero Dungeon.”
“Pardon?”
Seyrun's eyes widened.
“If so, there's no way he wouldn't move, is there?”
“I met him a few months ago when I closed Azonia's and Damian's worlds.”
At Leo's words, Seyrun and Runia gasped.
“At the time, he could have easily come out, but he did nothing and returned to the Hero's World.”
Runia looked confused after hearing Leo's words.
“Why?”
“He must have an ulterior motive.”
Leo had already subjugated Erebus's fragments several times.
Of course, this was possible because the seal had only recently been broken.
But unlike the subjugated fragments, Erebus in the World of Creation has been burning and repeating for thousands of years.
And at some point, it began to encroach upon the Hero Record.
It was clear that he would be incomparably stronger than the fragments Leo had faced so far.
However…
‘He also can’t guarantee a complete victory.’
Just as Leo couldn't guarantee victory against an Erebus fragment.
Erebus probably couldn’t guarantee victory against the current world either.
That's why he must have an ulterior motive and be biding his time.
‘But his fragments being subjugated isn't a good situation for him, is it? What exactly is his intention?’
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't guess Erebus's ulterior motive.
“Anyway… for now, you won’t have to worry about the fragment of Erebus. So rest assured.”
Leo said, looking at Runia, who had an anxious expression.
“As I said earlier, you are doing well enough. Don't be impatient; just prepare for the coming dangers.”
“…Yes.”
Runia nodded.
‘It’s far.’
Since the Age of Heroes began, there was probably no elf hero who had achieved growth as fast as Runia.
But there was still a long way to go.
Because the one she had to catch up to was none other than Leo Plov.
Moreover, it wasn't just Leo who felt distant.
Runia's gaze turned to Seyrun.
Despite hearing a story about possibly having to fight Erebus right away, Seyrun was composed.
‘No, he’s not just composed. He’s determined.’
Because he had resolved himself, there was no wavering.
Literally, the difference in caliber was immense.
‘…It seems I’ve been a bit conceited lately.’
Being praised by those around her, it seemed she had been mistaken for being something special.
Runia took a deep breath and slapped her own cheek.
‘Snap out of it. This isn't the time to be intimidated.’
Remembering what she carried, Runia composed herself.
Watching Runia, Seyrun smiled.
“I was going to console you, but it seems you don’t need it.”
Just by seeing her compose herself, one could guess what kind of elf Runia was.
“Indeed, you are worthy of being Luna’s successor chosen by Lord Kyle.”
“I’m not the only one who chose her.”
“Pardon?”
“Luna also recognized her as a successor.”
“Indeed.”
Behind Seyrun, who nodded, Leo looked at Luna lying on the floor.
“Is she hurt?”
“She's not hurt. However, since the world itself was engulfed in black flames and collapsing… she seems to have suffered a great mental shock.”
Seyrun had created an ice seal with star magic to protect Luna, trapping himself within it.
In that state, when the Hero's World turned into a Hero Dungeon, they were flung out into reality.
Leo examined Luna, confirmed that there were no major problems, and felt relieved.
“Seyrun.”
“Yes, Lord Kyle.”
“Since we have some time, would you teach Runia?”
Even if Leo taught Runia, there were limits.
However, Seyrun's teachings, having inherited Luna's magic from the perspective of a successor, would clearly be of great help to Runia.
“Yes, of course. Taking care of a junior is natural for a senior, isn't it?”
Seyrun smiled sweetly.
Just then.
“Mmm…”
Luna let out a groan.
Her eyelids trembled and opened.
Her golden eyes took in Leo’s form.
“Are you awake?”
Leo asked with a gentle smile.
Luna blinked her wide eyes several times in surprise, then looked at Leo’s ears.
“Hu… man?”
Luna, who had been mumbling in surprise, hastily got up and pushed Leo away.
“Who are you looking down at, you inferior species?”
At the words that came out of Luna’s mouth, Seyrun and Runia's mouths gaped open.
“In-inferior species?”
“There were some elves in the Age of Gods who called humans that.”
“No, no matter what, how could you say such harsh words… No, more importantly, why would Luna say such harsh words…?”
Seyrun and Runia were shocked.
“Well. Considering Luna’s environment when she was young, it's not surprising.”
Leo, who was the target of the abuse, was not particularly shocked.
Leo didn't know Luna from this period.
But considering the environment that surrounded Luna, he thought such a reaction was perfectly plausible.
However.
“So. Are you calling me an inferior species?”
“Of course. Are you deaf? How did an inferior species get into Barharun?”
Even so, he had no intention of letting such an arrogant opponent off the hook.
Even if it was Luna.
“My ears aren't long like you elves, so I didn't hear well. Would you like to say it again?”
“Where does an inferior species… AAAARGH! I-I'm sorry!”
Leo grabbed Luna’s ear as she was about to say 'inferior species' again.
Luna screamed in immense pain and apologized.
“Huh? What did you say? I can't hear you well.”
“You heard me just fine!”
“I'm sorry, but inferior species have bad hearing.”
“LIIIIIIES! Aargh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!”
The young Luna couldn't even properly resist and was subjugated by Leo's hand.