Book 1 Chapter 998

998.

Seirun, located at the northernmost tip of the continent, is covered in snow 365 days a year and is extremely cold.

When winter arrives, the cold becomes even more severe.

However, the campus of Seirun was warm despite being in the dead of winter.

"To use magic to block the cold and artificially control the weather."

Luna marveled at Seirun's overwhelming magical engineering design.

The warm Seirun campus was busy welcoming guests.

Meanwhile, in the Seirun training grounds, stalls were being set up where simple games could be played for food, souvenirs, and prizes.

This was mostly being led by students from the Lumern Merchant Club.

"Hmm… I think placing the lottery games over there would be better. They'll be more visible to customers in terms of traffic flow."

"Ho ho. Ho ho."

Cal was giving instructions to a fourth-year student from Seirun.

Seirun students were not adept at running such stalls, so they were receiving help from Lumern students.

"I've always wanted to try something like this."

"I heard there are many things like this at human festivals."

"I saw them during the Twilight Festival before…"

The Seirun students seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely, filled with excitement.

Until now, the act of selling anything in Seirun had been ostracized.

More accurately, even though there were those who were curious, it was not accepted by the customs of elven society.

However, with the recent influx of cultures from other races, stalls run by students were now set up at Seirun festivals.

"I never dreamed I'd be in charge of sales in Seirun."

"Is it going well?"

"Oh! Leo! You're here! And… huh?"

Cal, who had a welcoming expression, tilted his head upon seeing Luna.

"Who is this beautiful elf lady?"

Due to the magic that lowered recognition, Cal did not recognize Luna.

Leo spoke, looking at Cal with sparkling eyes.

"She's Lunia's younger cousin."

"Ah. I see. But why are you with her?"

"Lunia is a bit busy, so I'm looking after her instead."

Cal nodded at Leo's explanation and took out a lollipop from his pocket.

"Pretty lady, would you like to eat this?"

"Thank you."

"Haha. Are you taking the entrance exam for Seirun next year?"

Seeing Luna readily accept the lollipop, Cal looked puzzled.

"Perhaps?"

"I see! You're a student applicant! Good luck."

"Then could you give me some allowance, like money?"

"Huh? Uh?"

"I'll study hard."

"Um… well, alright."

Cal reluctantly took out his wallet from his pocket.

'Well, if I give her a reasonable amount to buy snacks at the festival tomorrow…'

"I like gold."

"Gasp?!"

Cal's face turned white at Luna's words.

"Since you're a cool big brother, you'll give me gold coins, right?"

Although she didn't know the currency unit of this era, gold coins were the most valuable currency in any era.

Leo looked dumbfounded as he watched Luna shamelessly pickpocket Cal.

'Seeing things like this, Luna is indeed Luna.'

"Wow! Thank you!"

"Sob…"

Cal, who had an unexpected expense, pouted.

Unlike Cal, Luna smiled broadly.

Then, she came in front of Leo and shook the coins Cal had given her.

"Oppa. Look at this. Your friend gave me allowance."

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"Don't call me that."

"Why?"

"Just don't call me that if I tell you not to. Just call me by my name."

Seeing Leo's serious expression, Luna seemed displeased somehow.

"Cal, I'm leaving. Good luck."

"…Yeah. Goodbye."

Cal waved goodbye to Leo and Luna with a dejected expression.

Luna, who was wandering around Seirun with curious eyes, soon perked up her ears.

Singing could be heard from not far away.

Luna, with sparkling eyes, headed towards the sound.

Leo followed her wordlessly.

The two arrived at Seirun's auditorium.

A poster was attached to the ornate entrance of the auditorium.

Luna tilted her head upon seeing the poster.

"Nebula and the Love of Beginnings? Is this about me and Leo?"

"…"

Leo did not bother to answer.

Luna, realizing it was their story from his reaction, put her hands on her hips and grumbled.

"Goodness! I'm so annoyed to be constantly paired with someone who isn't my type!"

"That's something I should say."

"Don't be ridiculous! You should be grateful to be paired with a beautiful elf like me!"

Luna glared at Leo, snorted, and then entered the auditorium.

On the stage beyond the audience seats, Chelsea, dressed in elven attire, was singing.

The story seemed to be reaching its climax, as a dramatic battle scene was unfolding on stage.

Chelsea, playing the role of Luna, was preparing to cast a spell.

And the actor playing the role of Kyle, harmonizing with Chelsea…

"Eiran?"

Leo looked somewhat surprised.

It was Eiran, disguised with gray hair and human ears instead of elf ears, playing Kyle.

The two's song resonated grandly throughout the auditorium.

Luna's eyes widened as she watched them.

"President, welcome."

At that moment, the head of the Lumern Drama Club approached Leo.

"Is Eiran playing the role of Kyle?"

"Yes. This performance aims to pursue harmony between two races, humans and elves. Lumern is playing the role of Luna… and Seirun is playing the role of Kyle. Among them, Eiran was the best at portraying the hero of beginnings."

Eiran, who loved heroic tales, knew Kyle inside and out.

As such, he was able to portray Kyle in detail.

"Eiran is a bit timid, so this is surprising."

"Yes, yes. But surprisingly, he's totally a stage person. I was surprised too."

As the fourth-year student, Wido, the head of the drama club, said, Eiran was perfectly portraying Kyle from the script.

Of course, in Leo's eyes, he didn't resemble him at all.

"Prepare yourself, demon! As long as my companion, Luna, is behind me, I will never be defeated!"

'I'd rather tear my mouth apart than say something like that.'

Leo thought to himself.

"How is it? It's a rehearsal, but it's perfect, isn't it?"

"It's magnificent."

"Ahem! So, President. Our school's drama club… we might be performing in Seirun from now on. So, the budget…"

"Isn't it already sufficient?"

"Oh ho! The more budget, the better, right?"

"The budget has already been finalized."

"Hmm, hmm! Of course, I know! That's why I'm saying…"

Wido looked around and whispered in a low voice.

"Take away the music club's budget and allocate it to our drama club…"

"Ho ho? What kind of dog act is this?"

"Tsk!"

A furious voice from behind made Wido click his tongue.

Camelie, a fourth-year student and head of the music club, cracked her knuckles and grabbed Wido by the collar.

"What did you say, you pathetic weakling?! Cut the music club's budget?"

"No to violence! No to violence!"

"Don't do something you'll get hit for!"

"Oh, really! Hit me! Hit me! But I'll extract the music club's budget as compensation!"

There was no way Wido, a student of magic, could resist Camelie, a student of knightology.

Instead, Leo sighed and intervened, watching the two threaten each other by demanding compensation.

"Um… Chelsea. Your school seniors are fighting?"

"Leave them, let's just keep practicing."

Eiran whispered softly, and Chelsea said coolly.

It wasn't the first or second day that club heads were fighting over budget in Lumern.

Among the club heads, power struggles, and even violence, were rampant, and the unprepared did not survive.

This was especially true between the music and drama clubs, which had been rivals for generations.

Thus, as they moved to the climax, defeated the final boss, Chelsea and Eiran continued their performance.

Finally, as the song ended in the final scene, a melancholic yet hopeful background music began to play.

As in the script, Chelsea and Eiran embraced each other.

And they brought their faces closer.

At a distance where their breaths could almost touch, the music ended, and the story reached its finale.

Clap, clap, clap, clap-

Luna, who had been focused on their performance despite the fight between the heads of the Lumern drama and music clubs, clapped her hands with sparkling eyes.

As Chelsea and Eiran were about to separate, hearing her clap…

"Aren't you going to kiss?"

'Gasp?! Luna-nim?'

Last night.

Eiran, having heard from Lunia, knew that this girl was Luna.

"It would be a perfect picture."

Eiran, flustered by Luna licking her lips, said.

"Um… well, it's in the script, but it's still acting, so a kiss might be a bit…"

"Whee! Whee!"

Luna whistled and incited them.

"Show it! Show it!"

Luna's demands left Eiran in a predicament.

"Eiran unnie. You don't have to react to every little thing."

"So… Chelsea."

"Huh? You were actually going to do it?"

"But this person…"

"You don't need to worry about things like that!"

Seeing Eiran blush and flustered, Chelsea, taken aback, broke free from Eiran's embrace.

Meanwhile, Luna was dragged out of the auditorium by Leo, her ear firmly held.

***

"Tsk. It was a good scene."

"Don't tease the kids."

"If it were me, I would have definitely kissed in that situation."

Leo sighed at Luna, who was grumbling while rubbing her ear.

Young Luna had a mischievous streak.

He could understand why Luna had said she was trying to trick him when she was young.

'She just enjoys bothering people.'

Whether it was Cal, or Chelsea and Eiran from earlier.

Luna, pretending not to, enjoyed bothering them.

Leo, leading Luna who was showing her mischievous side, pointed to a bench.

"Shall we rest here for a bit?"

"Yes."

Leo and Luna sat on the bench.

Leo took out a thermos he had received while looking around at the festival preparations.

Leo poured tea into the cup attached to the thermos, handed it to Luna, and then drank his own share of the tea.

Luna, sipping the tea she received from Leo, said.

"Leo."

"Why?"

"Did we sleep together in the future?"

"Pfft! Cough! Cough!"

Leo choked on his tea and coughed, spitting it out.

Luna laughed heartily, watching Leo.

"Why are you so flustered? Something must have happened!"

"Nothing happened. I didn't have time for romance back then."

"Hmm? That's strange. If it were me, I wouldn't hide my feelings no matter how dire the situation. I would have confessed immediately if I liked someone!"

Luna narrowed her eyes.

Leo clicked his tongue at her expression.

'She's unnecessarily sharp.'

After looking at Leo for a moment, Luna looked up at the sky.

Leo asked, watching Luna.

"So? Does this place still not feel like the future?"

"I no longer doubt that this is the future. After just looking around for a day, I could see how absurd this place called Seirun is. It's nearly impossible to hide a place of this magnitude in Barharun."

In terms of scale alone, Seirun rivaled Barharun.

Even if they were ignorant of external forces outside elven society, if there was such a large elven force, Barharun would have classified them as 'dissidents.'

But Luna had never heard of such a place existing.

Leo looked up at the sky wordlessly and said to Luna.

"You seem very scared."

"Wow… It seems we were lovers. You can tell my feelings just by looking at my expression."

"It was your one-sided crush."

"Future me is a bit of an idiot. Falling for a mean-spirited guy like you."

Luna scoffed.

Leo asked Luna, who was teasing him.

"What are you so afraid of?"

"The current situation itself."

Luna's eyes sank.

"Future me is revered as a great figure, more so than any elf I know."

"Yes."

"I don't think I gained this fame for free."

"It was incredibly difficult."

"That's why I'm scared."

"…"

"Of what's to come for me."

Luna shivered slightly.

"I'm not that noble or dignified… I don't want to sacrifice myself for others… I'm afraid I might have ended up going down a difficult path, pushed by the expectations of those around me…"

Luna's eyes trembled.

"Leo. What kind of elf was the me you knew?"

"I won't tell you."

"Why? You said yesterday you would tell me."

Leo smiled at Luna, who asked with a slightly annoyed expression.

"If I tell you now, you'll just act like that, won't you?"

"…"

"There's no need for that."

"Why?"

"No matter what kind of person you are, the fact that you are Luna doesn't change."

"What are you talking about? You only say difficult things I can't understand. I really don't think I can like you."

Leo chuckled as he looked at Luna, who was frowning.

"In the end, you fell for me."

"No. I'm not going to fall for you. It must be that you were desperate for me, and we ended up in a relationship out of necessity. Right?"

"We weren't lovers."

"Unless you're an idiot, what man wouldn't want to date a beautiful woman like me who likes him? Right?"

"…"

"See. It's not that I liked you, but that you liked me… Ah! Why are you hitting me!"

Leo smacked Luna on the head.

"Because you're annoying."

"You can't win with words, so you resort to violence!"

Leo smacked Luna's head again when she protested, and Luna bit Leo's hand.

***

Whoooosh.

The cold wind from the northwest sea blew in.

Tak-

Along with it, a man in a mask walked through the blizzard.

Kkadeuk- Kkadeudeuk-

He broke through the thick ice of the northwest sea and entered the ocean.

Finally, reaching the bottom of the sea, the man was engulfed in a bright light.

Hwaruruk-

The place where the man regained consciousness was engulfed in black flames.

In the space where black flames burned, the man shouted.

"Great primordial evil! Lend me your wisdom!"