211
‘She’s been defeated.’
Leo adjusted his breathing and looked at the place where Silatuna had disappeared.
The end of a tiresome bad connection.
One of the three great calamities of Tartarus, from whom Great Heroes had repeatedly failed to eradicate.
When the eradication force finally gained the power to face Erebus, the Legion Commanders began avoiding direct confrontations with the Great Heroes and started targeting other heroes instead.
Even though the eradication force had grown stronger, their numbers remained a mere five, making it impossible to simultaneously withstand the Legion Commanders’ simultaneous attacks from various locations.
It was determined that with the eradication force’s power alone, it would be impossible to defeat both Erebus and the Legion Commanders.
‘Back then, that was the best option.’
They couldn’t afford to allocate all of their resources to battling the Legion Commanders while letting Erebus, a massive calamity, roam free.
After taking a deep breath, Leo turned his head.
Before Leo returned from the Hero’s World, he approached Kalyan, who had managed to stop Silatuna.
Plod—Plod—
His entire body screamed in pain.
But Leo paid it no mind.
After some time, Leo finally reached Kalyan and took a deep sigh, his eyes closed.
Kalyan stood there.
His body must have already reached its limit.
He was a celebrated hero who had carried the weight of an era, but ultimately, he was just an old hero who had lived for a century. Even with the help of the Dragon Riven, stopping Silatuna was an extraordinary feat that could be called a miracle.
Leaning on his sword as a cane, Kalyan glanced at Leo and smiled faintly.
“Indeed, you are a Great Hero. Defeating the Demon Queen… remarkable.”
Leo’s gaze darkened.
The life of the renowned Sword Saint, a Hero of Beginning, was fading away gradually.
He had burned his very life force to stop the Demon Queen.
“It wasn’t just me.”
Leo turned around.
“Ah… Lady Luna…”
“Who are these people?”
Luna asked cautiously.
“They were the ones who held off Silatuna before we arrived.”
“Holding out was all we could do.”
Kalyan bowed his head.
“There was nothing we could have done with our strength.”
Kalyan’s eyes dimmed.
“Had it not been for you… many heroes… many students would have perished. I was inadequate as one who bore the responsibility of an era.”
Watching Kalyan blame himself with trembling hands, Leo said,
“No, it’s because you held off Silatuna and drained her power that we managed to endure. Without you, I don’t think I’d have lasted until Lady Luna arrived.”
“You deserve to be proud of yourself as a hero.”
Luna approached Kalyan, took his trembling hand firmly, and said with resolve,
“So, please raise your head.”
Upon hearing Luna’s words, Kalyan raised his head and said,
“…I have admired you since I was a child. The peace you gave us… I wanted to protect it.”
Kalyan’s voice quivered.
“As one who bore the weight of an era… to use my life for the sake of future generations… your words to me are… more than I deserve.”
His voice slowly lost its strength.
“I have one request. Hero of Beginning.”
Kalyan looked at Leo with the last of his strength.
“…Could you… please show this old man some hope?”
The Sword Saint expressed a desperate wish.
“Are you… related to Leo Flove?”
At this question, Leo took a deep breath.
And then Leo dismantled Luna’s magic.
Under the setting sun, Kalyan’s eyes widened as he watched the Great Hero transform into the form of a boy.
He then smiled with relief and, like a man finding peace, closed his eyes.
Luna gently caught the falling Sword Saint and softly whispered to him before his final moments,
“…You’ve worked hard. May your story be remembered forever.”
As Luna blessed the passing of the hero, she carefully laid Kalyan down and looked at the retreating figure of Leo, who was walking towards Riven.
Riven, too, was reaching the end of his life.
Leo, with the setting sun at his back, looked down at Riven and said,
“Don’t worry, just follow the Sword Saint.”
“…Yes.”
“You chose an outstanding hero. Lissinas would be proud of you for choosing the greatest hero according to his will.”
“That is indeed… the greatest honor.”
With a painful smile, Riven slowly closed his eyes.
Watching the two fallen heroes, Luna said,
“I’ve witnessed countless people d*e, but indeed, I can’t get used to it.”
Closing her eyes and clasping her hands, Luna prayed for the two of them.
Leo silently observed her noble gesture.
After a while, with her eyes now open, Luna smiled faintly at Leo.
Luna’s body began to glow faintly.
The miracle was coming to an end.
Leo clenched his teeth.
“Lu… me.”
With a trembling voice, Leo called out to Luna.
“Shh.”
Luna placed her finger on her lips and softly whispered,
“Could you let me go with a smile, just like that time?”
Luna smiled brightly, remembering the time Leo had shown her a flower blooming through magic.
“Maybe we’ll meet again someday. Though I can’t guarantee that another version of me will retain this memory…”
Luna gently closed her eyes.
“Still, we’ll meet again.”
As if it were a friend she’d see again tomorrow.
Luna approached Leo with light steps.
“So, Kyle.”
Luna stretched out her hand and caressed Leo’s cheek.
With the light radiating from her body becoming brighter,
“Don’t give up, will you?”
Luna kissed Leo on his cheek.
“I fell for your admirable quality of not giving up.”
Retreating shyly with a smile,
“Surely… we’ll meet again.”
Whoosh!
Luna’s body turned into a shower of light and vanished.
Leo instinctively brushed his right cheek, still warm from the touch that had lingered behind.
And as he looked at the place where Luna had disappeared, he gave a bittersweet smile.
“Wouldn’t it have been nice to leave a little more impression?”
By the time darkness had settled in after the sunset,
His gaze fell onto the battlefield, now coldly cooling.
Thus concluded the battle of Seirun, destined to be a page in history.
The news of the Demon Queen’s eradication shook the entire world.
The end of the calamity that had plagued the world for a long time.
What excited the people even more was the re-emergence of the ‘Great Hero’.
The progenitor of the Star Cloud, Luna.
And even the recently discovered evidence of the existence of the Hero of Beginning, Kyle.
When the news first broke that the Great Hero, who belonged to the distant past, had appeared in the present world, many doubted its truth.
However, once officially recognized in both Lumeran and Seirun, the world was stirred.
Not only the eradication of the Demon Queen who had been a long-term threat to the world,
but also the reappearance of the Great Hero,
It was truly festival-like.
However, the atmosphere in Lumeran was gloomy.
At the Erek Parade Ground in Lumeran,
the students, all dressed in black, were lined up.
In a solemn atmosphere, they laid flowers at the portrait of Kalyan at the Erek Parade Ground.
It was not just the students.
Many graduates from all over the world came to visit Lumeran.
Some of them even shed tears.
For a long time, Kalyan, as the principal of Lumeran, had been a guiding light and goal to many heroes.
The d*ath of such a great hero was enough to cause a huge ripple.
After the flower-laying ceremony and as everyone gathered to mourn the Sword Saint,
Halind stepped to the podium with a microphone.
– A letter left by late Principal during his lifetime has been discovered.
Everyone’s gaze turned to Halind.
– At his wish, it is to be read out here in front of all of you. I shall now read the Principal’s final words.
Halind with his usual expressionless face began reading the letter.
[ I had hoped this letter would never come to light, but I find myself leaving you these final words through a letter.
I earnestly hope that not a single student loses their life unnecessarily.
Do not grieve too much over the d*ath of this old man.
For a hero, it is natural to wield their sword for the next generation.
I’ve done nothing but what was natural.
Do not place undue significance on my d*ath.
I am merely another person vanishing into history.
Move forward.
As I did, as countless heroes before me have done.
Always remember this:
Transcend your limits.
Keep transcending so that all those hearing these words can become the great heroes who will lead our world.
I believe in all of you.]
The reading of Kalyan’s letter came to an end.
Afterward, the funeral ceremony ended with the highest honors accorded to the departing hero.
Thus drew to a close the era of the Sword Saint.
At the top of Lumeran’s Hero Tower, inside the principal’s office,
someone was looking down at the view of Lumeran.
“…He was quite a playful man, but he was someone worth respecting nonetheless.”
The man spoke heavily.
“Whenever I came to see him, he used to observe Lumeran from up here as if to keep a close watch on each student.”
The man let out a bittersweet sigh and turned around.
“But we can’t grieve forever, as he wished. We can’t leave the position of principal and the board vacant.”
“Do I concur with that, Chairman?”
Halind responded impassively.
“Then who do you think is appropriate as the successor for principal? Many are recommending either Professor Halind or Professor Sedgen.”
The hero known as the Infinity Speller,
the head of the Zeruon family and chairman of Lumeran, Altech Zeruon, asked both professors.
Neither Halind nor Sedgen had their names inscribed in the Hero Record.
Yet, as renowned professors at Lumeran, they had produced countless heroes and enjoyed a high reputation.
Clearly, current professors of Lumeran, many past graduates, and even students would support either of them becoming principal.
But both professors shook their heads.
“I am not suitable to be principal. Chairman.”
“I also agree with Halind.”
“What a dilemma. I was hoping one of you two would become principal.”
Altech Zeruon’s face expressed regret.
“Then, would you two entrust the selection of the new principal to me?”
The authority to appoint a principal technically lies with the chairman.
However, Altech seemed willing to delegate this enormous responsibility to the two professors.
As professors who had dedicated their lives to their roles even before Altech became chairman,
they were men whom Kalyan trusted and relied on just as much.
“I understand. We’ll look for a candidate.”
Sedgen nodded, and so did Altech, before speaking seriously.
“In that case, I want to discuss the academic schedule with both of you.”
Hearing this, Halind let out a deep sigh as if he had a splitting headache.
“…The academic schedule can’t be finalized just yet.”
The Sword Saint has passed away.
People may currently be excited about the Demon Queen’s defeat and the reappearance of Great Heroes, but…
Soon, they will realize,
the significance of the void left by the absence of Sword Saint.
Certainly, Tartarus has also lost the Demon Queen,
which is undoubtedly a devastating blow.
However, the loss of the Sword Saint is also a massive blow of comparable scale.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the peace of this current era was maintained by the Sword Saint’s enormous deterrent force.
In a situation where the balance was maintained ever so precariously,
that balance has now collapsed.
It is unknown what kind of provocation might come from Tartarus.
“I also understand that things are not calm within Seirun.”
All academic activities in Seirun have come to a halt.
“The identity of this mysterious Legion Commander remains a mystery, but the probability is high that it’s a Legion Commander from the distant past. Scholars, after researching documents, have concluded it might be none other than ‘Poison King Zerdiaq.'”
With Great Heroes making appearances,
there’s certainly no rule that prevents past Legion Commanders from showing up in the current world.
Then, the question remains — how did this past Legion Commander appear right in the midst of Seirun?
“Great Heroes… past Legion Commander… the only explanation that seems plausible is the Hero Record.”
At Sedgen’s words, Altech nodded.
“That’s correct. And there’s a high likelihood that internal traitors in Seirun brought the past Legion Commander into the fold. In Lumeran, too, there have been instances of Legion Commanders that the Sword Saint had eradicated making a reappearance. And in fact…”
Altech spoke gravely.
“One of Lady Luna’s Hero Records has been completely erased.”
Hearing this, both Halind and Sedgen looked gravely concerned.
“In light of this, I am requesting a staff meeting to discuss an item.”
“What is the item?”
“Bringing forward the vacation period. I believe it’s necessary to send the students back home first and reorganize Lumeran for whatever situation may happen next.”
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