Chapter 155

155

The place where Riven led him turned out to be the very top of the clock tower located in the center of Rumelia City.

‘I had no idea there was something like this inside the clock tower.’

With an expression of surprise, Leo began ascending the steps.

‘Is this some sort of surveillance tower, perhaps?’

The countless magic spells covering the clock tower left Leo somewhat disoriented.

‘All of them crafted via Incantation Magic. If wizards were to see this, their minds would probably flip.’

Leo looked over the magical formations that structured the clock tower with evident interest.

Leo was now familiar with various magical formations of this era, but there were still some magical frameworks he hadn’t encountered before.

That was precisely the Incantation Magic.

Incantation Magic can only be used by dragons.

In this regard, it shares similarities with the Magic of the Stars, in that other races cannot use it.

However, there is a fundamental difference between the two.

The Magic of the Stars is an optimal magic system tailored for elves.

If one acquires the magical sense to convert the elven-oriented formations into human format, anyone of any race can use it. But this is not the case with Incantation Magic.

‘The formation in the dragon’s language is hard enough to interpret correctly, but the main problem remains…’

That main problem was mana.

In order to activate Incantation Magic, one needs the mana emitted by a dragon heart.

Due to its unique mana characteristics that only dragons possess, only they can activate the spell formations based on the dragon language.

Therefore, it’s no exaggeration to say Incantation Magic belongs solely to dragons.

As it is rarely encountered under normal circumstances, every wizard aspires to study Incantation Magic.

Thud— Thud—

Riven, who had been leading the way up the stairs, stopped in his tracks.

In front of them was a small door.

Creak—

Riven opened the door and entered.

“Come in.”

At Riven’s invitation, Leo entered the room.

Inside the room, it was a different space altogether.

‘Is this a space teleportation spell?’

Leo scanned the interior of the room.

What greeted his eyes was a barren-looking room.

A crystal floor and walls completely free of dust stood out.

There were no pieces of furniture or decorations—elements that normally would be expected in a room—anywhere to be seen.

When Leo looked up at the ceiling, his eyes widened.

Painted across the ceiling was a massive mural of a dragon.

“Lissinas.”

“Though the true form of the King of Wisdom may not be famous among other races, you’ve recognized him immediately, haven’t you?”

Leo turned his head.

There was a throne.

In the vast space stood a lone grand throne.

And sitting atop that throne was a girl of about ten years of age.

Her appearance was peculiar.

Her long hair stretched all the way to the floor, and despite being disheveled, glimpses of black strands could be seen woven in among the silver locks.

Though her face was delicate, the closed left eye and the protruding muscles around it gave off an odd aura.

Leo easily realized that the young girl before him was a dragon.

‘And not just any dragon. A highly superior one at that.’

As Leo sensed the powerful mana emanating from her, he felt a bit overwhelmed.

At that moment, Riven, who had shown respect to the young girl, turned to Leo and spoke.

“Lord Seine.”

At this, Leo’s face showed a look of surprise.

While he knew that Riven was a dragon, he never expected to be led to the Dragon Lord.

Nevertheless, his surprise was brief.

Leo then tapped his right chest three times before bowing his head in a polite manner and kneeling.

This was the formal greeting for a dragon.

The reason Leo knew the dragon’s greeting protocol was simple.

There was someone who had drilled it into him incessantly, to the point it was etched into memory.

‘Why do I have to tap my right chest three times?’

‘Because the dragon heart is located on the right side of the chest. The tapping signifies making the sound of the dragon heart’s beating audible.’

‘Ah, I see. But why do I have to learn dragon customs like this?’

‘Because you will have many occasions to use it after eradicating Erebus.’

‘I don’t see any need for it. Even if I did, why must I follow their customs? And shouldn’t others who are lazing around like that learn it too?’

In the dead of night, while unable to sleep, Kyle complained irritably as he was forced to learn the dragon’s greeting protocol.

Leo recalled Rissinas, who had taught him, appearing before him.

Of course, he never thought it would be useful during his lifetime.

‘Who knew I’d end up using it in the next life.’

Owing to Rissinas’ relentless drilling, Leo’s posture was impeccable.

This perfection didn’t go unnoticed by the Lord and Riven, who now stared at him with wide eyes.

Realizing their reaction, Leo wore a slightly embarrassed expression.

‘What is it? Did the etiquette change in 5000 years?’

If it did, what then did those sleepless nights under Rissinas’ relentless drills amount to?

“Phew!”

At this moment, the Lord, placing her hands on her mouth, burst into laughter.

“Haha! Haha! Kyah-!”

“Leo Flove. Where did you learn such a greeting?”

“From a book. Is it wrong?”

“That’s not incorrect. In fact, it’s perfect. However…”

“Haha! You’re like an old man! Hahaha!”

Unable to contain herself, the Lord held her stomach and laughed uncontrollably.

“Ancient etiquette indeed. The kind used by the departed elders back in the day. Though rarely used today, it’s surprising to see you utilize it.”

Riven, sporting an expression of intrigue, looked at Leo.

‘So that’s what all my efforts amounted to?’

With a heavy sigh, Leo observed the Lord clearing her throat, saying ‘Hem!’.

“It’s nice to meet you, Leo Flove. My name is Melina.”

“Why has the Dragon Lord summoned me?”

“I merely wanted to meet you.”

Every trace of the playful demeanor seen moments ago was gone now.

Though she looked like a small girl on the outside, standing before him was the pinnacle of dragons, the Lord.

Melina gazed at Leo.

“Indeed… As Sir Riven described.”

With a nod, Melina glanced at Riven.

“You are different from the other heroes.”

After saying this, Melina gave Riven a nod.

Following this, Riven left the area.

Creak—! Boom—!

Now, only Leo and Melina remained in the room.

“Leo Flove.”

“Yes.”

“Who are you?”

“I am Leo Flove, a Hero Candidate of Lumeran.”

“Haha… I suppose I asked the wrong question.”

Covering her mouth, Melina laughed.

“When I first heard your story, I was truly astonished.”

“Because of the all-class designation?”

“Yes. Completely unprecedented. The same abilities possessed solely by legendary figures like Hero of Beginning Kyle.”

Melina stared at Leo intently.

“You seem highly interested in the story of the Hero of Beginning.”

“That’s only natural.”

Until now, Kyle had been treated as a fictional character.

Therefore, among the Great Heroes, it was rare to see anyone address Kyle with honorifics.

Rising from her throne, Melina walked up to Leo.

Thud— Thud—

Melina, barefoot, looked up at the ceiling upon reaching Leo.

“I am the Dragon Lord, successor to the legacy of the Great King of Wisdom, Lissinas. Consequently, I am an entity that craves the knowledge and wisdom of the world.”

Lissinas, who once explored all the world’s wisdom and knowledge.

Leo knew why Lissinas had become so obsessed with knowledge and wisdom in the first place.

‘He was floundering.’

In a desperate attempt to find any means to eliminate Erebus, he sought knowledge.

The knowledge of ancient times.

The knowledge of the gods.

He researched everything without discrimination.

But the answer he found was despair.

Despite this, he never gave up.

‘And the result of his research led to you all.’

Recalling Lissinas, Melina spoke to Leo.

“Through my quest for knowledge and wisdom, I confirmed the existence of the Hero of Beginning. However, I could never find any substantial evidence. While stories were passed down, all evidence of Kyle’s existence had disappeared from the world.”

As Melina, who had been looking at the ceiling, slightly lowered her gaze, her wise silver eyes met Leo’s crimson ones.

Melina’s lips curled into a smile.

“And then, Leo Flove, you appeared. And you revealed to the world proof of Kyle’s existence.”

“It’s just a coincidence.”

“That’s right. Everything can be explained by coincidence. Gaining the all-class designation was coincidence. Achieving the lauded deeds was coincidence. Having constant connections with the Great Hero’s World was coincidence. And even finding proof of the existence of the Hero of Beginning could all be explained by coincidence.”

Melina spread her arms wide and laughed brightly.

Her tone and demeanor suggested that such coincidences existing did not seem unnatural at all.

“But how do you explain this?”

Melina lowered her hand and took a step back.

Then, she cautiously opened her closed left eye.

Upon seeing it, Leo’s complexion changed.

Seemingly unable to control its power, her left eye, unlike her normal human-like right eye, had a vertically elongated pupil characteristic of dragons.

But what shocked Leo wasn’t the shape of the pupil.

As soon as the eye opened, the mana contained within Melina also shifted.

As if the opening of the eye had triggered some signal, the mana completely transformed.

‘Lissinas’s mana?’

“Long ago, I successfully overcame Lissinas’s world and recovered one of his pages. As a reward for my success, I inherited a fragment of Lissinas’s mana.”

Melina’s tone was now deeply respectful.

“For a long time, I’ve been honored to wield Lissinas’s mana. However, now, it’s no longer under my control. As if it has found its true master.”

Kyle carried the entirety of his comrades as the sole survivor of the eradication team.

Among those comrades’ legacies was the dragon heart left behind by Lissinas.

To dragons, inheriting a dragon heart signified being a true heir.

Melina smiled faintly, then pulled something out from an alternate space.

It was an ancient fairy tale book.

“This is a fairy tale book from thousands of years ago. It’s probably the last remaining book of that era in this world.”

Flip—flip—

As Melina turned the pages, she showed Leo a latter-page section.

The content differed from modern fairy tale books.

Modern ones end with the five Great Heroes working together to defeat Erebus.

But the book from thousands of years ago was true to the actual history.

It couldn’t have been otherwise.

After all, it was a book from back when the Hero Record was intact, so it naturally reflected real history.

What Melina showed was precisely the page depicting Rissinas before his passing.

“According to this book, it’s recorded that Kyle inherited the dragon heart of Rissinas.”

Melina gently closed the book and looked up at Leo.

“I’ll ask you again.”

Melina’s gaze, now solemn, carried anticipation, admiration, and respect.

“Who are you?”

Leo looked down on the Dragon Lord who had inherited Rissinas’s power.

Her wise eyes reminded him of an old friend.

After silently gazing at her for a while, Leo scratched his head.

“Well, you’re a sharp one.”

At Leo’s words, Melina’s eyes widened.

“As per your expectations.”

Leo smirked.