Chapter 466

465.

“It’s been almost a year since I’ve gone out on a mission with Leo!”

Lil exclaimed excitedly.

Last year, they had been given a task to meet Ignit, the Spirit of the Abyss—an Great Spirit of Darkness who had been summoned to Lumeran. At the time, Leo had formed a party at Lil’s request.

“Moreover, it’s a mission related to mysteries! I never would’ve thought that Leo shared the same hobby as me!”

Lil, genuinely delighted, pulled something out of her robes.

“What do you say, Leo? Why don’t you join our club? There’s no rule forbidding the Student Council President from participating in club activities.”

As Lil handed him a club registration form, Leo asked:

“Is there a mystery club at our school?”

“Yes! It’s a club that investigates urban legends and mysteries around the world! Many of them connect to the Realm of Heroes.”

“It doesn’t seem like a formal club though.”

“There’s only two members, so that’s why!”

Lil said this confidently.

To which Leo replied:

“I’m not really interested in mysteries. I just found this mission personally intriguing.”

“Ah, I see.”

Her shoulders slumped at his response, but she quickly regained her spirits.

“Still, I’ve heard all about your impressive efforts during the summer vacation! Oh, rising to the position of Hero at such a young age! As your senior, I’m genuinely proud of you!”

Watching Lil, who rejoiced in Leo’s successes as if they were her own, Leo couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Lil senior, I’ve also heard that your achievements are extraordinary.”

Lil Luca, the third-year class representative, was a highly accomplished Spirit Master. Her overwhelming power had earned her the nickname “Demon Nun” among her seniors. In her second year, Lil was already known for her exceptional mastery of Spirit Magic. Now in her third year, it was as though she had undergone an awakening—her abilities had skyrocketed.

Upon hearing Leo’s compliment, Lil waved her hand dismissively.

“Compared to you, Leo, I am completely lacking. And then there’s Wardean, a junior from the Department of Summoning, who surpasses me too.”

“Wardean?”

“Yes. Didn’t he sign a contract with the Great Spirit of Earth? Aah, being surrounded by such outstanding juniors makes me feel so insignificant!”

Among the students of Lumeran’s Department of Summoning, Wardean was currently the most famous. Since Leo had long surpassed the level of an ordinary student, he was considered in a different category altogether. Naturally, attention was drawn to Wardeden, who had signed a contract with a Great Spirit during his second year—an achievement so rare that one could count the summoners who accomplished it in Lumeran’s history on one hand.

‘However, if we evaluate pure combat power instead of the flashy reputation, the story might be different.’

Known as the ‘Gale Spirit Master,’ Lil’s nickname derived from her frequent use of wind spirits. But in truth, Lil had contracts with spirits of all elements.

‘Compared to Wardean, who wields only the four great elements, Lil has a much more versatile array of attacks.’

In addition, her mastery of Spirit Magic in all attributes was exemplary.

She was a versatile combatant—capable of both frontline and support roles—achieving outstanding results across all aspects.

Her steady reliability translated into formidable combat prowess.

Certainly, Lil lacked any kind of overwhelming firepower or special mana traits, but that was only to be expected given her balanced style.

‘But that’s what makes her terrifying. She lacks a specialized advantage, yet she excels in every aspect without any weaknesses.’

Beginning to shine in her first and second years, Lil’s Spirit Mastery underwent a complete awakening in her third year, resulting in explosive growth.

The professors of the Department of Summoning had even predicted that her abilities would surpass that of a fourth-year student and potentially reach the level expected of a fifth-year student.

[Isn’t she about third in strength in Lumeran?]

Upon hearing Elshi’s statement, Rael tilted her head in confusion.

[Isn’t she fourth?]

[Leo isn’t counted.]

[That’s true.]

Listening to the conversation between the Great Spirits of Darkness and Light, Leo also nodded internally to himself.

‘Certainly, third place.’

In Leo’s eyes, Lil’s growth rate was astonishing.

‘Is she excessively modest, or just overly cautious? Hard to tell at this point.’

While Leo pondered this internally:

“Leo student, Lil student, it’s your turn.”

The Wizard managing the warp gate approached and informed them.

“Shall we head out?”

As Lil stepped onto the warp gate, Leo followed behind her.

A moment later, they disappeared in a brilliant flash of light.

*

Whizz!

The warp gate emitted a radiant burst of light.

As Leo stepped out of the gate, he tilted his head, studying the surrounding area.

“It’s ruins.”

“Indeed.”

Lil descended from the warp gate with apparent calmness, nodding her head.

‘One-way travel only.’

Leo quickly deduced that their warp gate was no longer maintained. Warp gates, once installed, didn’t last forever without upkeep. They required continuous maintenance, and neglect would make them unusable. In this case, while using the gate to arrive here was possible, traveling back to another destination was impossible.

Leo looked around.

The ruins weren’t limited to just the warp gate; fundamentally, warp gates are built only in flourishing cities.

The ruins of a city in utter disarray came into view.

The expression on Lil’s face vanished.

“It hasn’t been long since the war ended.”

Smoke rose from various areas across the city.

Ruins smoldered, fed by remaining embers that hadn’t yet been extinguished.

It had only been a short while since the fires of war had ravaged through.

Lil took a deep breath, shaking off the emotional disturbance before turning to Leo with a look of admiration.

“You really are incredible, Leo.”

“What about?”

“Even though such sights are familiar to me, I can still feel emotional turmoil. Yet, there’s no sign of such disruption in your demeanor.”

“I’m just making an effort not to be disturbed.”

“I believe that’s fundamentally different.”

“Are you familiar with battlefields, Lil senior?”

“Yes.”

Lil nodded.

Coming from a military family, Lil had been educated in matters of warfare since a young age.

“Our Luche family resides in the Kingdom of Tebern in the southeastern part of the continent. It’s known as one of the most renowned military kingdoms on the continent.”

Lil explained while walking into the battlefield.

“This region doesn’t experience wars as frequently as the northeastern part, but it’s still rather common. My father believed that as a Luche family member, I needed to understand warfare, so he brought me to the battlefield every vacation since I entered Lumeran.”

Upon hearing this, Leo furrowed his brows.

“You’re not the heir to the Luche family, correct?”

“No. But my father thought I could serve as an aide to my brother. It’s also a necessary duty for someone of the Luche family.”

Lil said this expressionlessly.

Leo now understood the reason behind Lil’s explosive growth.

‘Real combat experience.’

Undeniably, battle experience was the ultimate force for growth.

However, the battles Lil had experienced were not against Tartarus but instead against humans.

“Do you like going to the battlefield, Lil senior?”

“I wouldn’t say I enjoy it.”

“Then why not refuse to go?”

“That’s not possible.”

Lil firmly stated.

“Heroes are born in battlefields. Whether the fight is against Tartarus or against other humans.”

Hearing these words, Leo stared intently at Lil.

She continued to fix her gaze on the ruined city, her face unreadable of emotion.

After a moment, Lil met Leo’s eyes.

“Leo, I have to become a great Hero—no, a shining hero as brilliant as you.”

“Why do you want to become a Hero?”

“Will you mock me?”

“No.”

Upon Leo’s assurance, Lil brought her fist to her lips and cleared her throat.

“I will bring peace to the world.”

As Leo continued to stare at Lil, she elaborated.

“I want to create a world without war.”

A dream so vast.

A dream so ridiculous that it seemed impossible.

But Lil spoke with complete seriousness. She seemed uninterested in how others reacted to her goal.

Most people would likely see it as a foolish ideal, maybe even laugh or dismiss it. So much that she’d probably grown accustomed to such responses.

“Wow, that’s an impressive dream.”

Leo smiled.

At his reaction, Lil, who had been staring at him expressionlessly, widened her eyes slightly.

Lil knew it.

She knew her dream was absurd.

Thus, whenever she spoke about her reason for wanting to become a hero, people either mocked her or assumed it was a joke.

Even if they didn’t directly dismiss her, no one truly gave her dream affirmation. They merely offered insincere encouragement out of politeness.

So Lil instantly realized what had happened.

That Leo had truly affirmed her dream.

“Isn’t my dream strange and unrealistic? Everyone else laughed.”

“There was a time I scoffed at someone else’s dream.”

He recalled Lissinas’ declaration to save the world.

“I was saved by that dream I once mocked. Since then, I made a pact to never mock anyone else’s dream.”

Recalling Lissinas, Leo smiled.

“And I believe there should be at least one Hero with such a dream. Besides, my goal sounds equally absurd, doesn’t it?”

Lil recalled Leo’s goal.

Already a famous story across the school:

‘The complete extermination of Erebus.’

An accomplishment even achieved by the Great Hero and the Hero of the Cataclysm seemed unachievable.

Yet Leo had already taken a step closer to his goal.

“It could be said our goals are kind of similar when you think about it.”

Leo had already witnessed it.

The one who guided the world back from the brink of destruction at the end of the apocalypse.

He had watched a friend who had realized what seemed like the most impossible dream.

“Well, it makes me feel kind of… thrilled.”

Overwhelmed with joy by Lil’s sincerity, Leo unconsciously reached out to ruffle her hair.

Seeing truly admirable goals for this world, Leo couldn’t help but feel genuinely impressed by Lil.

‘If Lissinas were still around, he’d probably be really overjoyed.’

Though slightly startled by Leo’s action, Lil touched her cheek.

“Well, this kind of treatment from a junior should normally make me annoyed…”

Since they first met, Lil emphasized her seniority, always trying to take good care of Leo. While Lil genuinely liked to care for others, it was also clear that she placed great value on maintaining the dignity expected of a senior.

“Excuse me.”

As Leo withdrew his hand, Lil shook her head.

“I don’t mind. In fact, I kind of like it. It feels like being praised by my brother.”

Lil nonchalantly touched her hair and smiled.

“Well then, we shouldn’t stay here forever, let’s set off?”

Leo nodded, pulling out a map.

“Let’s confirm our location. This is the frontier territory of the Kanel Kingdom?”

“That’s correct. Originally, it was the fief of the Tidbock Viscount, who commissioned this job. But it’s currently under attack by the neighboring Petimon Kingdom. First, we need to find Tidbock Viscount…”

Dong! Dong! Dong!

As they were about to discuss their schedule, the sound of drums spread through the area.

Leo and Lil halted their conversation, lifting their heads as they reviewed the map.

Booooh! Booooh!

The sound of a horn began to echo.

Lil raised her hand, and gusts of wind started forming at her fingertips.

“You don’t say…”

Lil’s expression hardened.

“What?”

“The Petimon Kingdom’s army has launched an attack.”

“Students of Lumeran shouldn’t get involved in foreign wars.”

“Yes, but the Petimon Kingdom’s forces aren’t targeting Kanel Kingdom’s soldiers this time. They are targeting refugees.”

Upon hearing this, Leo narrowed his eyes and activated his Extrasensory Perception.

A vast amount of information about the surrounding area swiftly surged into Leo’s mind.

Students of Lumeran should not meddle in foreign wars.

However, this was different when civilians are being attacked.

Sliding out his sword, Leo declared.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Leo.”

Together, Leo and Lil swiftly flew toward the battlefield.