243
After Leo left the annex.
Jane approached him with a bewildered expression to stop him.
“Wait a moment, Lord Leo. You shouldn’t be wandering around carelessly…”
“Didn’t I tell you to call me Senior?”
“That’s not important right now!”
Jane stood in front of Leo to block his path.
“This is the palace of the Shan Empire. Even if you, Senior, are the Student Council President of Lumeran, wandering around carelessly might cause serious problems.”
“That could happen.”
Leo stopped in his tracks and nodded.
Watching Leo agree this way, Jane let out a sigh of relief, thinking he had given up.
“But retreating like this doesn’t suit my temperament.”
Ignoring her, Leo walked past Jane into the annex courtyard.
“You should at least say something!”
Jane turned to Fritz with urgency.
Adjusting his glasses, Fritz replied calmly.
“I can’t stop Senior from doing what he intends.”
Fritz followed after Leo.
“Of course, finding Senior Chen Sia in this darkness will be impossible.”
The palace of Shan, despite being the heart of the empire, was shrouded in darkness.
Though there was light, most areas were left in shadow except for where it was necessary.
This was a characteristic of the Shan Empire called the Shadow Empire.
Shadows flourish as guardians of the dark, and they wield their greatest power within it.
Their ability to conceal themselves within darkness is unmatched.
Sighing upon hearing Fritz’s words, Jane said,
“Of course it is. Shouldn’t you dissuade him from wasting energy on such useless endeavors?”
Stopping in his tracks, Leo looked at them.
“Does it seem like you both think I can’t find Chen Sia?”
Taking a step forward, Fritz bowed deeply.
“If I have offended you, I apologize. However, Heroes and Shadows dwell in entirely different worlds.”
Crossing her arms, Jane stuck out her lips.
“It’s not because Senpai’s abilities are lacking. Shadows live in the dark. Finding shadows within the darkness isn’t easy, and if it’s Lady Sia, it’s downright impossible because even other Shadows have difficulty locating her.”
After hearing this, Leo let out a long sigh.
During the days of Kyle.
When Leo was dealing with traitors, most of the time it was in the dark of night.
Back then, the nights of the Era of Catastrophe were much deeper and more dangerous than they are now.
A period when moving at night itself was extremely challenging.
‘Which is why it was perfect for dealing with the traitors.’
The foolish traitors who thought the night was on their side gave away their vulnerabilities.
‘That method has been continued until now, hasn’t it?’
“Are you both familiar with the dark then?”
“Familiarity isn’t the right word… The shadows are on the side of the dark.”
With arms crossed, Jane stuck out her lips.
“Hmm?”
Leo chuckled and moved into the darkness.
“Then I may be able to find her quite easily, after all.”
Back in the Era of Catastrophe when dealing with traitors, darkness was not on Leo’s side.
The curses and traps scattered by Tartarus were more potent in the darkness.
Leo, who had navigated through a darkness far more oppressive than what they see now.
Fritz and Jane exchanged glances and followed after Leo.
Thump—thump—
The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the quiet hallway.
Thump—thump—thud—thud—
But it was soon swallowed by the darkness.
‘A spell, perhaps?’
In the pitch-black darkness where not even a finger’s breadth of light existed, Leo activated his mana.
‘Light.’
But no light emerged.
The spell had clearly activated; it had just been swallowed by the darkness before it could be emitted.
‘So that’s how it is.’
Leo faced the darkness ahead.
‘A perfect darkness.’
It was a great maze.
The darkness took away vision, sensation, and hearing.
If one did not become one with the darkness and restore their senses, there would be no way to escape.
‘So this is why they say darkness is on their side. If it were anyone else, it would have been tough.’
The abyssal darkness brings fear.
But Leo moved without hesitation.
Within the maze of darkness.
Even with all senses taken away, Leo’s steps remained unhindered.
Whoosh!
Leo’s sharp senses spread through the entire darkness.
He swiftly began to suppress the entire darkness.
He distinctly sensed the exit of the maze.
Thump—thump—
“No…!”
Stepping out of the darkness, it was still the palace hallway.
The shadow that had stood in front of Leo earlier stared in shock.
“How…!”
The time it took for Leo to break through the darkness was around ten seconds.
‘Thought I came out right away, but it took longer than I expected.’
Upon realizing the maze, I thought I would escape right away but more time elapsed than anticipated.
‘My senses have dulled quite a bit.’
Clenching and unclenching his hands, Leo turned and asked.
Right when the shadow was surprised, both Fritz and Jane emerged from the dark simultaneously.
Upon spotting Leo, their eyes widened.
“Did you not enter the maze of darkness?”
“Went in and came out?”
“Wh-What a joke!”
Both of them gaped in astonishment, realizing Leo had surpassed the darkness so much faster than them.
“This test seems to not be over.”
Leo smiled faintly.
“What should we do now?”
‘What exactly are the limits of this person?’
Fritz thought while following Leo.
Jane was also following him, visibly unable to believe what was happening.
Fritz was a shadow of Lumeran, specifically a shadow candidate under the Zeruon family.
He was originally meant to serve Zeruon’s successor, Elena, as a shadow.
Fritz’s one wish as he grew into a shadow was:
To become the perfect Hero’s shadow.
In his mind, Elena was the closest to the image of the ideal Hero.
But last year, all that changed when he saw Leo.
The solving of the Chedmurder’s Incident.
The extermination of the Gigantes.
The conquest of the Hero’s World in the Star Cloud.
The youngest Student Council President yet.
He was nothing short of the ideal Hero candidate in Fritz’s dreams.
Without hesitation, Fritz declared his intention to Elena.
That he wished to be Leo Flove’s shadow.
The elegant Queen of Lumeran, initially shocked, soon laughed out loud.
‘Of course you’d say something like that.’
Despite being a shadow trained by Zeruon, Elena readily released Fritz.
Initially shocked, Fritz took it as an opportunity.
And thanks to the principal of the new Shadow-born Lumeran Academy, Rina, Fritz was given the chance to take and pass the entrance exam.
That’s how he thought he had gotten closer to Leo and actually met him in person.
Fritz found him even more perfect than what he had imagined.
Yet now, with each movement in the darkness, Leo was unrecognizable as a mere Hero candidate.
‘Not like any other shadow candidates… No.’
Fritz broke into a cold sweat.
‘The epitome of a perfect shadow.’
What exactly was this person?
A figure who was closer to the perfect Hero than anyone else moved with the proficiency of the perfect Shadow.
It had always been thought that Heroes of Light and Shadows of Darkness could not coexist.
‘How can a person like this even exist?’
Fritz stared at Leo’s back in disbelief.
The same thought crossed Jane’s mind.
The darkness stretched endlessly in front of them, obstructing their path.
There were even Shadows who, in an attempt to test Leo’s strength, silently lunged at him with swords from the darkness.
But…
Whoosh!
“Guh?”
Staring at the shadow that had just been suppressed in the dark, the figure gazed upwards towards Leo in awe.
And upon seeing Leo’s eyes glowing eerily in the darkness, he shivered with fear.
‘I can’t escape those eyes.’
If this Hero in front of me hunted me?
‘I wouldn’t have a chance in the dark!’
The Shadows couldn’t comprehend it.
How could a Hero candidate move better in the dark than Shadows themselves?
When Leo subdued the seventh shadow, he muttered softly to himself,
“This is never going to end.”
Not all Shadows are as mighty as Heroes.
As most Heroes whose names appear in the Hero Record are few, so too are the Shadows that possess near-Hero strength.
But that didn’t make the Shadows barring Leo’s way weak.
“Though I don’t know how Senpai moves like a shadow, being trapped in the dark means there’s no way you can find Lady Chen Sia.”
Jane’s words made Leo wear a disinterested expression.
“If you two didn’t block my way, I could probably find her in no time.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Are we in your way?”
“Simply put, yes.”
“What?”
Fritz’s words made Jane flare up.
“Admit it, El Jane. Senior Leo has surpassed both of us as a shadow by leaps and bounds.”
Jane gritted her teeth.
“That’s… That’s wrong.”
She clenched her fists tightly.
“Heroes are Heroes… Shadows are Shadows… We live in different worlds. That’s why Lady Sia gave up on her dreams.”
Yet right before her eyes was someone who defied that very fact.
As both a Hero and a Shadow, someone who far surpassed herself and others.
What was she supposed to be if she acknowledged someone far beyond convention?
And what would that make Chen Sia, who’d given up on her Heroic dreams?
“Director and the Emperor have told me this ad nauseam.”
Leo turned his gaze to the darkness.
“But to me, Heroes and Shadows are the same. They’re like the two sides of a coin.”
Fritz and Jane looked at Leo.
“The ones who want to protect this world are all Heroes. So in my eyes, both of you are Hero candidates.”
“…!”
Fritz and Jane eyes widened. They had never thought of it that way.
“Then… then…”
Fritz’s body trembled.
“Is the reason you asked us to call you ‘Senior’ because you recognized us as Hero candidates?”
“What have you been hearing until now?”
“Ah! How can such a magnificent existence exist? Someone who can earnestly recognize Shadows as Hero candidates.”
Fritz exclaimed in awe.
And immediately produced a notebook and began writing.
“What is that?”
Jane opened her sleepy eyes and checked the contents of Fritz’s notebook.
“I’ve been recording Senior Leo’s actions. Especially this time, there was a great saying, so it must be recorded, right?”
“Record?”
“Would you like to take a look?”
With an expressionless face, Fritz handed the notebook over to Jane.
Her face changed peculiarly as she read it.
[The great Senior Leo said that Shadows could become Heroes. Ah, how can such a great person exist? His greatness surpasses anything I can comprehend.]
[Today, I first met Lord Leo. He has pure white hair and a fiery, crimson gaze as if he’s about to ignite…]
[When Lord Leo stopped the arrogant Shadow of Shan from fighting, he held my wrist. I shouldn’t wash my wrist for some time.]
[When Lord Leo…]
[When Lord Leo…]
“Are you a sicko?”
Seeing the contents, documenting every scene and action involving Leo with almost obsessive dedication, Jane wore a look of irritation.
“What’s the issue?”
Even Leo wanted to see the contents of Fritz’s records.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, Leo incinerated the notebook with a fiery aura.
“Ah!”
Fritz knelt down in despair in front of the charred remnants of his notebook.
‘He’s an odd one, isn’t he?’
“Do you want to bring Sia because of such reasons? Since you consider her a Hero candidate too?”
“Yes, that’s part of it. She’s arrogant. Just because she dabbled in the dark and claimed she couldn’t be a Hero, she’s given up without even trying?”
Leo smirked.
“I want to let her know. That those who don’t give up can become Heroes.”
“… During last winter in Seirun, you were exactly like Sir Kyle, the Ancestor of the Star Cloud.”
Kyle was someone who didn’t give up when everyone else did, back then.
The Ancestor of the Star Cloud had left such words.
“That’s what he said.”
Smirking, Leo disappeared into the darkness.
Watching his retreating figure, Jane took a deep breath and kicked Fritz, still lying on the ground in despair.
“Will you just wallow there forever? You’re supposed to assist the Senior you respect so much!”
“I know even without you saying that.”
Upon standing, Fritz adjusted his glasses, eyes gleaming.
“We’ll eliminate anyone who hinders Senior.”
“We must exclude any who obstruct Senior.”
Both students from Lumeran exchanged glances fiercely.
“Don’t copy me.”
“Don’t copy me.”
Breaking through the darkness, Leo quickly found Chen Sia.
“And I’ve come to take you back.”
Leo spoke directly to his friend, who had turned her back on him.
Whoosh!
But Chen Sia disappeared into the darkness immediately after.
Leo’s eyes flickered.
He had lost her presence for a moment.
The only thing remaining was the Shadow standing beside her.
The Shadow approached to obstruct Leo.
The moment the Shadow realized what had happened, they widened their eyes.
“No!”
Leo had also vanished into the darkness.
An old Shadow who had served the Shan family for a long time understood what had just happened.
‘Is that… Walking through Shadows?’
A skill passed down solely among the royal family of Shan.
Leo, who was completely unrelated to the Shan family, had used it.
The very reason the Emperors of Shan were called Kings of Shadows.
‘This is insane!’
While the Shadow stood there in astonishment, Leo pursued Chen Sia through the darkness, narrowing his eyes.
‘So, the royals of Shan truly are descendants of Bihar.’
Though its shape had changed significantly, hiding one’s presence through the darkness and moving around was undoubtedly a technique that Leo had once taught Bihar.
‘It’s just, basic modifications come from Aron, and I merely modified it further.’
With full determination, Chen Sia had specialized herself to an extreme degree in blending with the darkness, making her quite difficult to find even for the current Leo.
‘You’ve grown quite familiar with the darkness.’
Chen Sia had specialized excessively in becoming one with the darkness.
‘This might take some effort to find her.’
Shau’s confidence now made sense.
But Leo chuckled.
‘If you’ve blended with the darkness, just suppress it with darkness, and it’ll suffice.’
Leo’s senses quickly spread through the darkness.
When he was about to completely take over the darkness with his senses, a subtle killing intent was felt.
Zing!
The instant the killing intent was felt, Leo tilted his head back slightly.
Whoosh!
“Hmm?”
Stopping in his tracks, Leo gazed at the source of the movement.
A man in his late teens who nonetheless carried an air of maturity stood there, wielding a sword. He had a figure akin to Leo’s height with black hair and eyes, and was looking at Leo with interest.
“I’ve seen your face somewhere.”
The man’s eyes lit up.
“You’re Leo Flove, are you not? The prime Hero candidate from Lumeran Academy.”
Wiping the bl**d trickling down his cheek, Leo squinted.
“What are you?”
“My name is Chen Sian.”
Sian introduced himself with a warm smile reminiscent of someone.
“I am destined to become a great Hero.”
![[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1743806812-5548-TS-The-Protagonist-is-Conquered.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered")
