Chapter 174

174

The Forbidden Library.

A place where countless forbidden books, which even most students and professors are not allowed to enter, lie dormant. These books contain dangerous knowledge not meant for the eyes of the general public, including forbidden and perilous magic, aura skills, and even summoning techniques. It was, in truth, a repository of knowledge hidden from the world.

Because of its nature, even Elena Zeruon, the school’s acting principal, took a long time to secure permission for Leo to enter the Forbidden Library.

Leo, together with Elena, reached the entrance of the Forbidden Library, located at the topmost level of the grand library, where regular students were strictly prohibited from entering. Leo hesitated for a moment.

Waiting for them at the entrance was none other than Vice Principal Riven.

“Hello, Vice Principal.”

Elena greeted him with a smile. Students and professors alike were unaware of Riven’s true identity, but as the heir of Zeruon and acting principal, Elena knew that he was a Dragon.

“It’s been a while, Elena Zeruon.”

As usual, Riven addressed Elena in a dry, unemotional tone. Seemingly accustomed to his manner, Elena nonchalantly shrugged and said,

“I can only go this far. Only the principal, the headmaster, and the vice principal have the authority to open the Forbidden Library.”

Even as the acting principal, there were still limits to her power.

“Then wait here, Elena Zeruon.”

“Yes~”

Despite her sly grin, Elena obediently complied.

As Riven placed his hand on the entrance of the Forbidden Library, a bright light erupted.

The moment he touched it, Leo felt his body being drawn inward.

When Leo regained his senses, he found himself in an enormous circular room. The walls were lined with countless books.

Realizing what they were, Leo’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Hero Record?”

Everything in the room contained records of heroes. In the center of the room, atop a podium, lay a massive book—the true body of the ‘Hero Record’ kept by Lumeran.

“The Hero Record is stored here in the Forbidden Library. And…”

With a stomp of his boots, Riven moved across the room.

Leo followed closely behind.

Finally, Riven stopped in front of a door.

“The knowledge you seek lies beyond this door.”

Glancing at the door, Leo inquired, “The Forbidden Library isn’t located inside Lumeran, then?”

“That’s correct. Though it’s known as the Forbidden Library, in reality, it’s a hidden gateway to the deepest reaches of Dragonia, and this applies to all the hero academies.”

Leo, having found it strange that such hidden knowledge was not easily accessible, finally understood the secrecy behind it. Nodding, Leo stretched out his hand to open the door.

Creak!

The door opened, and Leo entered.

“I’ll be waiting here.”

Riven remained outside without following Leo into the Forbidden Library.

With a solid thud, the door closed.

Leo found himself face-to-face with a multitude of books.

“It might take some time to find what I need.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Turning his head, Leo was surprised to find someone responding to his muttering.

“Isn’t the Dragon Lord a busy figure?”

“It is indeed busy, but to assist you, Leo, I can always make time.”

The Dragon Lord, Melina, who appeared as a young girl, smiled warmly.

With a grin, Leo responded, “In that case, I’d like to know the history behind the division of the Hero Record.”

“Of course! I’ll guide you to the records related to the Hero Record.”

As a guide now, Melina invoked a gentle magical force, creating a flat, square-shaped magical platform beneath Leo’s feet, allowing them to swiftly navigate the vast archives of Dragonia.

When they finally stopped before a section of the library,

“Here we are.”

As Melina dispelled the magic, she pointed to a massive bookshelf.

“This is all the literature related to the Hero Record.”

The amount of material related to the Hero Record was vast.

“Which book explains why the Hero Record was divided?”

“I’ll find it for you. Please have a seat.”

Placing Leo comfortably at a nearby table, Melina levitated gracefully in search of the requested book.

A short while later, Melina returned with a single volume.

“Three thousand years ago, this was the diary of Rodia, the Dragon Lord of the era.”

This was an item of immense historical significance. A book unavailable outside the Forbidden Library, it held invaluable information about the events of the era.

“Have you read it?”

“…Yes.”

“So you’ve understood the reason why the Hero Record was split?”

“Yes. While I can explain if you’d prefer, there might be some personal bias, so I believe it’s better for you to read it yourself.”

“Alright, I’ll read it.”

“The diary is written in Dragon-speak. If you’d like, I can help interpret…”

Flip.

However, Leo swiftly turned the pages, reading quickly.

Watching this, Melina chuckled to herself.

‘How foolish of me.’

The boy in front of her may appear young, but his essence was that of a Great Hero. Moreover, it was someone who had inherited the power of King of Wisdom Lissinas.

“Dragon-speak is no issue for him, of course.”

Melina smiled wryly.

“Dragon of the Cataclysm, Rodia.”

Three thousand years ago.

The one who unraveled the true value of the Hero Record and initiated a new era during the near-rebirth of the Era of Catastrophe when a piece of Erebus returned.

Flip.

‘That’s right. Back then, the world was almost plunged into a catastrophe once more.’

As Leo continued reading, the diary also contained accounts of the battles against the fragment of Erebus and Tartarus by the heroes of the time.

The Knight of Dusk, Lumeran.

The Comet Wizard, Seirun.

The Great Warrior, Azonia.

The Unyielding Damian.

These Great Heroes were revered as the next great figures following the original Great Heroes. Had they not intervened, the world would’ve surely faced another catastrophic era.

Reading the intense accounts penned by these heroes of later generations, Leo could sense their hearts.

By the mid-section of the diary,

[Among our party, I was the only one able to inherit the power of a great Great Hero.

Correct. I inherited the power of Lissinas.]

‘Certainly. He must have conquered Lissinas’ domain then.’

Flip… Flip…

[We have defeated seven Legion Commanders. Though we might not be as great as the heroes who saved the world before us, we move closer one step at a time. Finally, the exit is becoming visible.]

Seven Legion Commanders.

Given that, Tartarus must’ve been on the verge of utter defeat.

‘These detested survivors have persisted despite centuries of effort.’

With disdain for these long-enduring foes, Leo flipped through more pages.

[Today, I fought against Erebus. Initially thinking this was merely a fragment, I’m at a loss as to how to vanquish such a terrifying beast.]

As the book approached the end, stories of a major battle against Erebus came to light.

[Today, many heroes perished. Only five of us managed to survive and retreated. It’s impossible to resist Erebus’s black flames. The skies over his stronghold are now turning black. It feels like the Era of Catastrophe is upon us again.]

Flip…

[Finally, we’ve defeated Erebus. We’ve successfully halted his advance, and he has retreated. The Demon King’s forces were barely beaten back too. The path forward is reappearing.]

Flip…

[We’ve managed to vanquish the fragment of Erebus. The skies have regained their blue hue. Thank you, Great Lissinas. With your power, we managed to defeat this detestable Erebus.]

Stopping there, Leo furrowed his brow.

‘The details are definitely different from the accounts known to the public, but the main events remain the same. But why was the Hero Record divided? Just to establish four different hero academies?’

With that thought, he turned to the last page.

[It fills me with despair. Today, the black flames have risen again. These detestable Catastrophe Flames are impossible to extinguish with our strength.]

Leo’s expression hardened.

[If we leave this as is, this fragment will resurrect once more, and the world will undoubtedly be plunged back into despair. After consultations with Lumeran, Seirun, Azonia, and Damian, we’ve decided to banish this detested flame to ‘another world’… to raise heroes for future generations capable of combating this fragment of Erebus. Certainly, a hero greater than us will arise to fulfill the mission we couldn’t complete.]

The diary concluded there.

Leo stared at Melina with a grave expression.

“Were they unsuccessful?”

“…Yes.”

Melina smiled wistfully.

“They failed. Even the fragment of Erebus that you shattered, Leo, was impossible to destroy completely.”

It wasn’t due to their incompetence. The power of Erebus was simply that despair-inducing.

The unquenchable flames of catastrophe. The immortal monster.

The Great Heroes were victorious because they had their ‘Kai,’ the nemesis of Erebus, on their side. Due to this victory, they earned 2000 years of peace.

But 3000 years ago, it was different. Though they achieved a victory, the eradication failed. They couldn’t subject people who had just regained peace to another wave of despair.

Thus, those who knew the truth concealed it.

‘They sealed the fragment of Erebus within their Hero Records.’

Then, they tore the sealed Hero Records to weaken the fragment.

Now, Leo understood clearly.

Why the Hero Record was torn.

Why fragments of Erebus existed in Luna’s realm.

This must’ve been the best they could do 3000 years ago.

Thanks to this, peace was maintained for 3000 years.

‘But… has that peace started to crumble now?’

Tartarus judged it quicker to extract the already-awake fragment of Erebus from the Hero Record than to wait for the unknown revival of another fragment.

Having uncovered the hidden history, which had to remain secret, Leo’s lips curled slightly.

“Perfect timing, isn’t it?”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s good. I exist in this very era.”

3000 years ago, the heroes filled with hope left their unfulfilled missions to future generations.

Fortunately,

The Hero of Beginning, Kyle, has reincarnated into this era.

“I want to put an end to this inherited grudge from my past life as well.”

Gently caressing the diary left behind by the heroes of old, filled with regret, Leo thought:

‘There’s no point blaming or faulting them. I know better than anyone how despairing that creature truly is.’

‘Leave the rest to me.’

Leo handed the diary back to Melina.

“Indeed, as befitting someone like you, Leo.”

The first time Melina read this diary, it had filled her with trembling fear.

But not now. Why fear when the Great Hero has returned to this world?

“Now, shall we return and prepare for the midterms?”

Standing up, Leo felt a sense of relief as his curiosity was satiated.

‘They worked hard too, those future generations.’

Terp. Terp.

As Leo walked, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Seeing this, Melina, who had been following, paused and looked curiously at Leo’s back.

“Leo?”

With Melina still puzzled, Leo approached the bookshelf.

There, an old, worn book was placed.

It was impossible to tell the age or period of the book. There was no title or author, only a leather-bound cover that appeared well-used.

Yet, to Leo, the book seemed eerily familiar.

Moreover, a faint and nostalgic resonance of mana could be perceived.

Extending his hand, Leo retrieved the worn book.

Flip.

To his surprise, there was no content written inside.

“Melina… how long has this library existed?”

“The library’s history dates back even before the Era of Catastrophe. It’s said that Lissinas once owned it and later passed it on to the dragons.”

Over the centuries, the library was expanded, and many books were added, erasing its original look. However, once inside the library, no book had ever left.

“Indeed… this was Lissinas’s personal library.”

“Yes, but what is this book?”

Melina’s curious question was answered with a slightly bitter tone from Leo.

“It’s Lissinas’s diary.”