Chapter 242

242

“Did he move?”

“Yes, he did.”

“Interesting. Utterly absurd.”

The moment Leo stepped out of the annex he’d been assigned to, his movements were relayed in real-time to Emperor Shau.

Upon receiving the report, Shau curled the corner of his lips upward.

“What will you do?”

The students of the four great Hero Academies receive VIP treatment in any country they venture to.

Leo, however, was not just an average hero candidate but the Student Council President of Lumeran Academy.

Even so, trespassing the palace grounds without Shau’s permission, the ruler of Shan, would not be tolerated.

It could lead to serious diplomatic issues.

Despite this, Shau wasn’t displeased by Leo’s actions.

Furthermore, Shau thought it unlikely that Leo would discover Chen Sia.

‘Finding Sia hidden in the darkness is no easy task even for the most skilled shadows.’

The royalty of Shan are born to live in darkness, cultivating the art of being the perfect shadow.

‘That child dreamed of being a hero and possessed the talent to become one… but the talent to be a shadow was remarkable indeed.’

Shau was certain that soon his daughter would reach a level incomparable even to the past emperors of Shan.

He was confident she could achieve Shan’s long-cherished goal.

‘Her name will be inscribed in the Hero Record.’

Long before the founding of Shan, during the Era of Catastrophe itself, none of their ancestors accomplished this feat.

‘The progenitor of shadows could achieve this… perhaps it can be done again.’

The reason why the emperors of Shan have been obsessed with leaving their mark on the Hero Record was because there existed a forgotten hero shadow in the annals of history known only to their emperors.

The great legacy left by the illustrious shadow, Bihar, included a Hero Record where names have been erased, a record from the time of its origin, 5000 years ago.

While the prohibition prevents the world from ever knowing its secrets, the existence of the great shadow who inscribed the Hero Record cannot be denied.

Thus, the emperors of Shan cannot let go of this obsession.

His long history-laden daughter possessed an unparalleled gift rarely seen even in the extensive history of Shan.

Knowing this, despite being aware that these words could wound, he spoke.

‘You will never become a hero! Could the divine recognize and honor someone who has dipped their feet into the shadows?’

Over and over, he reiterated this.

Recently, his daughter had indeed abandoned her hero aspirations, choosing the path of a shadow.

However, should she meet Leo, she would falter.

And so, he blocked their meeting.

‘No matter how extraordinary it may seem, it’s normal for him not to succeed. Nonetheless, given that Leo Flove has often made the impossible possible, I can’t let my guard down.’

Shau, who had kept one eye closed, recalled Leo’s movements.

The world calls Leo’s generation the “Golden Generation” of Lumeran.

‘An unprecedented gathering of talents in one generation is indeed rare.’

But not just Lumeran was stirring with unusual activity.

‘Seirun, Azonia, and Demian as well…’

Shau narrowed his gaze.

‘There are too many outstanding children in this generation. What would it mean if they all became heroes?’

The current balance of power on the continent might shift, and the age-old equilibrium with Tartarus might collapse.

‘No, it has already begun to crumble.’

The extermination of the Demon Queen, one of the seemingly insurmountable objectives of the past 5000 years, had already been accomplished.

This was an era where the old Great Heroes and Legion Commanders revealed themselves, an era where a new function of the Hero Record had been discovered.

5000 years ago when the Era of Catastrophe ended and 3000 years ago when another catastrophe came, the world was perhaps entering another era of great upheaval.

And among those, leading hero candidates in this transformative time was none other than Leo Flove.

They say heroes are beings who turn the impossible into the possible, but even great ones have limits.

Yet Leo’s limits seemed invisible.

Every time he reached them, he defied expectations by breaking through them.

‘Perhaps Leo Flove could find Sia.’

That would be troublesome.

‘After all, she has already decided to give up her hero path and embrace the shadows.’

“Let him wander in the darkness until the morning.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Shau’s order was given, the head of the royal guards vanished into the darkness.

‘Sia must not be burdened with unnecessary emotions.’

Shau’s gaze sharpened with melancholic aggression.

‘For all we know, Sia could turn traitor like that one did.’

*

In a faintly moonlit room, a young girl sat quietly.

The room was filled with storybooks.

Each book was about heroes, tales loved by Chen Sia since her childhood.

Whenever her training grew painful, she’d turn to these stories and muster her strength.

“Perhaps once, I dreamed of becoming a shadow that protected these heroes.”

Sia, opening her eyes, smiled faintly as she glanced at books filled with cherished memories.

That dream quickly spurred on another desire.

She began to dream of becoming a hero herself.

Dreams of rescuing people and standing out in front of crowds.

Eight years ago, at the age of ten, she had that dream for the first time.

That was the day she took a life.

On that day, she punished junior wizards who had signed a pact with demons and were studying black magic.

“Perhaps that day, I crossed a river I could never return from.”

When other children dreamt of heroes and lit up with admiration, she took lives with a sense of inevitability.

Until that moment, she hadn’t realized the weight of it.

Too young to understand the gravity of taking a life, she cut someone’s life line without a shred of guilt.

Traitors must be punished — that’s what she was taught and followed.

That day, by defeating black magic practitioners corrupted by evil, she believed she contributed to world peace.

And as she rejoiced, believing she had become a true hero like in her fairy tales,

“Chet, this isn’t a hero’s job.”

Her fraternal twin said this, having always been by her side.

Being told that this wasn’t a hero’s job was a shock.

“Hero’s don’t take lives this way!”

The twin rejected everything they had learned together.

“Heroes fight against evil in the light!”

In the light?

“Fighting in this manner holds no value.”

No value?

“This is just plain m*rder. Not at all cool. People won’t recognize it!”

Plain… m*rder?

Looking down at her bl**d-stained hands, Sia realized something.

Upon returning to the palace, the young girl finally felt the weight of having taken a life.

Even if it was a betrayal’s life, to those who knew him, they remained unaware of the truth.

The twin’s words were indeed true. Heroes don’t k*ll that way.

After this incident, the twin began to despise their work as shadows and passionately sang about becoming a hero to their father.

At such moments, Shau would only smile awkwardly.

Sia didn’t say anything during these rantings.

Perhaps, even then, she had already given up the dream of becoming a hero.

The initial shock of her first mission quickly faded.

Whether because of the early training that hardened her mentally, or because her feelings had worn thin and she became numb, she continued her path of eliminating traitors and walking a path of bl**d.

And then came a new mission.

“Betrayal? Is that right?”

“Yes.”

A new traitor appeared.

It was none other than her twin, who had always been like two sides of a single body.

This was shocking.

Knowing that no one admired the hero like the twin did, dreaming of becoming one, this betrayal was particularly shocking to Sia.

Though she knew her twin disliked being a shadow and was prepared to abandon everything to pursue her dreams,

It was still a shock that she had turned a traitor.

“Sia.”

As Shao called her daughter, he sent a chilling gaze.

“Eliminate Sian. Become the Empress of Shan.”

She received the order.

Sia knew Sian’s abilities and talents better than anyone. If she turned traitor, she could turn into a monstrous force capable of annihilating many heroes.

Sia pursued the twin to end her.

And…

Ouch—

Remembering that day brought Sia’s hand to her chest.

It had been two years ago.

“She must be dead.”

A bl**d-soaked confrontation between siblings.

At the point where strength dwindled on both sides, she barely managed to push her to the cliff.

When she returned, Shau offered her a throne and the promise to grant a wish if she became the Empress of Shan.

She responded.

“I want to be a hero.”

Shau seemed surprised.

“I want to attend Lumeran.”

“You will never be a hero. How could the divine recognize and honor someone who has dipped their hands into darkness?”

Shau endlessly denied her daughter’s dream.

But perhaps due to the sight of Sian’s once pure dream twisting, Shau granted her a chance.

Rank first in the Lumeran grade and achieve it without using her shadow capabilities.

On those preconditions, she was permitted to attend Lumeran.

And so, a year later,

Chen Sia finally entered the prestigious Lumeran Academy she had dreamt of.

Everything seemed to be going well.

She easily claimed the top position in the eastern class.

Meeting her classmates, she saw the other top students from various regions but was confident.

And then she met him.

The boy with contrasting white hair.

“Lord Leo.”

Leo, originally from a small backwater kingdom, seemed normal upon the first meeting— strangely familiar.

But on the first day, a battle against the Kraken left a lasting impression.

And as the head of their year,

If she could defeat Leo,

She thought she might take a step closer to becoming a hero.

But…

“He was someone I could never surpass.”

She quickly realized this.

The seemingly unexceptional boy proved to be the one-of-a-kind all-rounder.

Even more astonishing, he surged ahead so quickly that eventually, catching up seemed impossible.

A gap that felt almost hopeless.

But Chen Sia didn’t despair.

There was no time for such emotions.

Her heart fluttered.

As if she had met a character from her childhood fairy tales.

Leo was too bright a light for Chen Sia.

So bright that she thought looking at it might blind her.

She simply couldn’t look away.

Seeing him alone was enough satisfaction.

But others were different.

They clenched their teeth and followed behind him.

When they realized this was a challenge to the impossible,

Chen Sia also realized something:

While others strived towards his light, she stood still, watching it from afar.

Realized she couldn’t approach that light because her feet were already mired in the darkness.

“I’m different from them.”

The desire to become a hero remained the same.

But the more she desired it, the more she understood that she belonged in the shadows.

She realized this through her interactions with the hero candidates.

Fundamentally, they were different.

Their thinking patterns were different.

Their life experiences were different.

The darkness from her past felt like it was holding onto her ankles.

“Father was right. I can’t be a hero.”

Thus, she decided that she would do all the dirty work.

“Because it’s something heroes shouldn’t do, which is why it’s my job.”

Even if living in the shadows,

“Because it’s something someone must do.”

Even if it’s worth nothing,

“For Lord Leo… for the heroes… does this not have value?”

She admired the heroes.

But she had to stop at admiring.

“I can’t be a hero after all.”

That was right, as Shau said.

The gods would never recognize someone who had done all the dirty deeds.

“Sia-sama.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve come with a message from His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Father?”

Sia frowned in confusion.

“Is it a new mission?”

“Indeed, His Majesty has ordered you to hide deep within the shadows.”

“Why?”

At this unusual mission, Sia showed a look of not understanding.

The shadow answered her.

“Currently, Leo Flove-sama, the Student Council President of Lumeran Academy, is visiting the palace.”

At this, Chen Sia felt her heart stir.

She had not bid farewell before coming to avoid faltering in her resolve upon meeting.

And yet, here he was.

“They say they’ve come to take the princess back to Lumeran.”

Chen Sia’s eyes wavered.

Her heart raced.

“It is the Emperor’s order not to meet that person.”

“Father’s plan regarding Lord Leo?”

“To lock the visitor in the dark until daylight.”

Finding someone hidden in the shadows of Shan was impossible.

The best shadows would block Leo’s path.

Thus, there was no way he’d find her.

‘But… Lord Leo…’

He might find her in this darkness.

If they were to meet now, her firm decision would surely falter.

She was a shadow; dreaming of being a hero was meaningless.

If it caused her dreams to waver, she would become a useless presence.

Thus,

‘Becoming a shadow and aiding Lord Leo would be the far more meaningful path.’

Being trapped in meaningless dreams,

It was far more meaningful to help the boy she admired, Chen Sia thought.

“Understood.”

As Chen Sia stood up, she opened the door and walked out.

Black darkness spread before her.

The inside of the Shan palace, cloaked in darkness, felt like a labyrinth of shadows where one could not see even an inch ahead.

But to the shadows, this darkness was all too familiar.

Sia navigated it with ease.

Impressed, the shadow following her thought,

“Indeed, Her Highness Princess Sia is truly different.”

He was certain.

“Leo Flove cannot possibly find the princess…”

“This is a bit too much, isn’t it?”

Chen Sia froze in her tracks.

Whoosh—

Behind her, a light magic spell illuminated her surroundings.

“I thought it was hide-and-seek, but it seems I was mistaken. You believed I wouldn’t find anyone this way.”

The shadows turned in shock.

“How?”

Could someone whose domain is light possibly find them within this kind of darkness?

Sia’s fingertips trembled.

That familiar voice reverberated through her heart.

The voice that sparked her dreams but also forced her to abandon them was calling her.

“Chen Sia, let’s return to Lumeran.”

Her heart whispered.

“I’ve come to take you back.”

‘If I turn back now,… I would endlessly reach for dreams I can never touch.’