“Wowwwww!”
“We won!”
“We’ve repelled the Giant King’s army!”
On top of Guardstron’s castle wall, many people embraced each other, savoring the joy of victory.
Leo faintly smiled as he watched them and gazed at the landscape of Guardstron.
When he had hurriedly returned from Leisar, the situation here in Guardstron had been desperate.
Even the meager hope they had managed to recover was snatched away.
‘Still, the people managed to pull through.’
It was undoubtedly Lissinas who gave them hope.
But it was because of the people here that they were able to muster the strength to rebuild the world after receiving that hope.
Leo looked up at the sky.
The Hero Record was nearly complete.
He could see the end of this world approaching.
Squelch, Squelch…
“Are you all right?”
Aron approached, asking.
“Worry about yourself.”
“You’re in no better shape than me.”
Neither Leo nor Aron were in any condition to be moving around.
If Aron had been just a little slower in defeating Gias…
Leo might have lost his life.
“Why didn’t you drop your water shield?”
Aron’s question elicited a small laugh from Leo.
“Because I trusted you.”
Aron looked steadily at Leo with calm eyes.
Meanwhile…
“That d*mn Giant King, he managed to escape in the end!”
Lord Dwenno appeared on the castle wall, sighing with anger.
“Lord Dwenno, are you alright?”
“You’re wounded seriously.”
“I’m fine. You two, take care of your own wounds.”
Thud, Thud…
Despite his body being covered in wounds, Dwenno approached Leo and Aron.
Snap…
Standing in front of Leo, Dwenno said:
“The Giant King, we failed to capture him.”
“That fiend will fall to us, so don’t worry.”
“…Feels like I’m passing the buck, sorry about that.”
Dwenno exhaled deeply.
“Still, tonight we can celebrate the victory.”
Dwenno smiled warmly.
“Shall we share a drink?”
Leo chuckled bitterly.
“Appreciate the offer, but… I think it’s time for us to go.”
“What? Where are you going in this condition?”
Aron was taken aback.
Leo stood up.
“Our role ends here.”
As Leo felt Dwenno’s world fading away, he turned around.
There were so many stories he wanted to share.
Dwenno and Aron, they were his most precious friends and comrades.
He would have liked to share a drink with them…
But…
‘The time allowed has come to an end.’
Leo bit his lip hard.
He couldn’t bear to tell Dwenno and Aron that he was Kyle.
‘Even if I did, they wouldn’t believe me.’
Thud, Thud…
As Leo started to walk away, Dwenno called out to him:
“Why do you feel guilty about our deaths?”
Leo froze in his steps.
Opening his eyes wide, he turned around.
“What’s that dumbfounded look for? Did you really think I wouldn’t figure it out?”
Dwenno burst into hearty laughter.
“Dwenno, so Leo is… indeed…”
“That’s right, Aron. He’s Kyle from the future.”
Aron looked at Leo in surprise.
Dwenno folded his arms.
“Thought you could fool me just because Aron only vaguely caught on? Do you understand now why I called you stupid?”
“You old fart…”
Seeing Leo’s somewhat teary expression, Dwenno approached with a half-smile.
“I don’t know what the future holds. But Kyle…”
Snap!
Dwenno’s thick hand patted Leo’s shoulder.
“We all decided with determination to follow Lissinas on our journey. Even if our destination is d*ath…”
Dwenno smiled.
“If the world is to be saved, we are prepared to embrace that future. So don’t feel guilty.”
Leo clenched his fists tightly.
Crack…
Cracks started to appear in the world.
The time left was truly minimal.
“The future is in your hands.”
“Understood.”
Satisfied with Leo’s answer, the Dwarf warrior withdrew his hand from Leo’s shoulder.
Then he gave Leo a gentle push.
“Now, move forward.”
“Right.”
Thud, Thud…
As Leo took a few steps, the world eventually disappeared.
[Clear Reward: Dwenno’s Legacy, Dwenno’s Flame.]
When Leo opened his eyes, he saw a clear blue sky.
Everyone wore dazed smiles.
It was almost as if nothing significant had taken place.
“Whaaaaat?!”
Arga yelled in shock.
“Look at this! These greaves and gauntlets crafted by Lord Dwenno!”
Arga jumped up and down holding the beautiful greaves and gauntlets in her hands.
Arga wasn’t the only one thrilled.
“Katariu’s feather-infused staff…?!
Lunia was completely awestruck at the staff she now held, a work of art.
“Erquent… looks almost like new! And look, there’s even a shield!”
Eiran marveled at the return of Erquent and the new shield in her possession.
“It’s Alchemy Text.”
Kal held the Alchemy Text Dwenno had crafted, his face expressing disbelief.
On opening the book, he found blank pages.
Confused, Kal’s eyes widened in surprise as words began to appear as the book reacted to him.
Lastly, Driana looked at the hammer in her hand.
‘And I’ll say it again: Artists, get lost.’
Dwenno had a fierce expression as he handed over her hammer.
But upon seeing Driana’s somewhat frightened reaction, Dwenno patted her head kindly.
‘You’re a talented blacksmith. Focus on your work instead of straying, and improve as a blacksmith. I’m me, and you’re you.’
Recalling the nurturing God’s Blacksmith who had encouraged her when she was lost, Driana made a silent vow.
‘Lord Dwenno, I will become a blacksmith and artist worthy of your name.’
Though Dwenno would probably have snatched her hammer away and swung it around wildly at the added comment, Driana clenched the hammer firmly in her hand.
The party received Dwenno’s prepared gifts as their clear rewards.
Truly unprecedented rewards.
Be it greaves, staffs, shields, or hammers, all items crafted by God’s Blacksmith Dwenno were of the Divine Rank.
However, these were completely new relics not recorded in history.
Carrying these great legacies, they returned to the real world.
As everyone gazed in disbelief,
“Leo?”
Fwoosh…
Leo stared with a neutral expression at the black flames before his eyes.
Gias, the Giant King, had long vanished without a trace.
But the remnant thoughts of Erebus remained, burning with hatred towards Leo.
“Truly infuriatingly persistent.”
“Lord Leo!”
At that moment, Melina appeared as the air split apart.
” Suddenly, Giant King Gias appeared and led a troop of Gigantes to invade Tarkam…”
Melina, quickly teleporting upon sensing Leo’s mana, stiffened upon seeing the remnant thoughts of Erebus.
Long ago, when Melina had completed the Hero Record of the Cataclysm, she had fought against a fragment of Erebus.
She recognized it at a glance.
Seeing Melina radiating hostility, Leo raised his hand to stop her.
“I’ll deal with it.”
“Lord Leo?”
Melina showed a bewildered expression.
Squelch, Squelch…
Approaching the remnant thoughts of Erebus, Leo spoke as he extended his hand.
“Posteritas.”
Flash!
A longsword appeared, partially melted but otherwise recognizable, bathed in golden light.
Seeing this, Melina showed a surprised expression.
The sword named Posteritas had largely returned to its original form, with only the broken blade remaining from the last battle.
‘Melina recognized the sword responding to Lord Leo’s flames and regaining its original form. But this sword couldn’t fully regain its original form during that previous encounter…’
The flame of Dwenno that Leo possessed briefly possessed the ability to return Dwenno’s crafted weaponry to its original form.
The God’s Blacksmith Dwenno had used this skill to perfectly restore damaged weaponry.
However, Leo’s ability to restore Dwenno’s creations was limited to a brief moment.
After all, the Dwenno’s Flame Leo possessed was only a tiny flame.
This time, it was different.
As a clear reward, Leo now possessed the complete Dwenno’s Flame.
‘Of course, items completely at their end cannot be restored even with Dwenno’s power.’
The sword crafted by Dwenno for Leo, Posteritas, had long reached the end of its life as weaponry.
But Posteritas returned in response to Leo’s call, regaining its past form.
Because it had yet to complete its final mission.
Fwoosh!
Golden flames enveloped Posteritas.
“Take care of this, and…”
Leo bid farewell to the sword that accompanied him to the end.
“Thank you.”
Hum! Hum!
As if responding to Leo’s salute, Posteritas emitted gray mana.
The last fragment of strength that Kyle had squeezed out.
Ping!
Leo pierced the remnant thoughts of Erebus with Posteritas.
Crack!
Cracks appeared on Posteritas.
The fragment of the sword containing Erebus’ thoughts cracked too.
Rooooaaar!
As if making a final desperate attempt, the remnant thoughts spewed black flames.
Crack!
Soon after, Posteritas scattered as shards of light.
Gooohhhh!
In the air, a mass of black flames appeared, thrashing in agony before gradually dispersing.
Ping!
Just before the remnant thoughts disappeared, Leo grabbed them as if clutching his collar.
And with an intensified gaze, said:
“The events from 5,000 years ago won’t repeat themselves this time.”
Determination shone brightly in Leo’s eyes.
“Be prepared, this time…”
Leo declared through gritted teeth:
“I will k*ll you.”
A woman with black hair looked at the city before her with calm eyes.
So many had perished.
‘They must have received fatal blows too, so technically this is our victory… Still…’
The woman saw the gloomy despair in the eyes of the people on the streets.
The city, which had been full of hope until just a short while ago, seemed like it had lost hope again.
‘…Can we actually pull this off?’
The wise black eyes that usually shone steadily wavered.
The woman, Lissinas, who had returned home, sat at her desk with a weary sigh.
Then she noticed her notepad lying on the desk and looked at it curiously.
‘Did I take this out?’
While pondering this, Lissinas opened the notepad and paused.
“…”
Seeing the familiar handwriting on the notepad, Lissinas’ lips curved into a gentle smile.
<Lissinas, don't ever give up on this. As you said, we will save the world. So keep going strong.>
“When did you become someone who can encourage others like this?”
The gloomy mood lifted.
While leaning her cheek on her hand with a gentle smile, Lissinas’ expression suddenly stiffened.
‘Wait. How does he know this is my notepad? No, how did he even enter my house in the first place?’
Lissinas’ shoulders trembled.
Her face turned a bright red.
‘If he used this, it means he saw my notepad…’
“I’ve cleared up all the debris. Fortunately, that perverted old man knows a thing or two about construction. Whew~ Hard work really is exhausting.”
“You only used magic! The ones who actually worked hard were me, Aron, and Dwenno, so why are you taking all the credit?”
“Using magic is labor-intensive too!”
Luna rolled her eyes at Kyle.
“Hey! Kyle!”
At that moment, Lissinas stood up abruptly with a completely red face.
“You! How dare you sneak into our house! And then you went through my stuff and read my private notepad? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“What nonsense is this? Am I crazy? Sneaking into your house and rummaging through it? Besides, you said I could enter whenever I wanted! That’s why I even taught you how to unlock the door!”
“I never did! Teaching you how to unlock the door was… Ah! Never mind! I never said you could go through my study!”
“I said I’ve never been in here!”
Watching this childish argument between the wise Dragon who had saved the world and the human who led its salvation, the Elf who created spells for the world’s salvation became lost in thought.
‘…Why did Lissinas teach Kyle how to unlock her door?’
![[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")
