Chapter 478

478.

[Hero of Beginning Kyle? A Great Hero from a Fairy Tale?]

Tiar, with her eyes wide open, showed an expression of confusion.

‘This reaction is quite refreshing.’

It had been a year since the world learned of the actual existence of the Hero of Beginning, Kyle.

The fact that the fifth Great Hero, once thought to be a fictional entity, was real had an immense impact on the world.

Leo, who had been forgotten, accepted this as a matter of course, but others did not.

The name Kyle was a hot topic everywhere.

Having grown accustomed to the commotion around her, Tiar found the bewilderment of the hero from a thousand years ago to be quite intriguing.

Seeing Tiar, who was feeling perplexed, Leo stretched his right hand into the air.

Woosh—!

With a resonant sound, a magic staff appeared.

Tiar was surprised to see the staff in Leo’s hand emitting magical power.

[Cometes…!]

She had seen Cometes during her time as a Seirun student.

Thus, she recognized at a glance that the staff in Leo’s hand was a Hero Weapon used by Seirun.

The Cometes was shining brightly as if it had met its master.

It had never emitted such a brilliant light in the hands of the Tingel family.

“It’s not easy to believe I am the Hero of Beginning, Kyle.”

Leo raised his hand.

As he did, aura and magical energy rippled from his hand.

[All… Class!]

Tiar gasped in astonishment.

The vivid light of the All Class and Cometes, which only existed in legends.

[Is it really… you, the Hero of Beginning, Kyle?]

Though still skeptical about the fact that he was Kyle, it was clear that the boy before her was no ordinary being.

First, she needed to express her gratitude towards the benefactor who had saved her from the Demon King.

[Oh great Hero. I sincerely thank you for rescuing me from the Demon King’s vile monster.]

“Right. Then, could you help me a bit?”

[Kyle, you are my benefactor. I will help in any way I can.]

“Can you explain the situation when you were resurrected as an Undead in detail?”

Tiar had died filled with deep hatred.

And during her long-dead consciousness, she heard the consciousness of the Demon King.

Her consciousness had strongly resisted the Demon King’s necromancy that sought to dominate her.

“But an enormous force that could not be defied captured your consciousness, and you became a vengeful wraith?”

[Yes. The first to awaken my consciousness was the Grand Duke of Mourning.]

Seeing Tiar grinding her teeth with a resentful expression, Leo asked.

“Did you perhaps feel the presence of other necromancers?”

The fundamental principle of necromancy is similar to Spirit Magic.

It revives and dominates the consciousness of the dead by tracing the echoes of mana.

This process is somewhat like a contract.

Tiar had been in a contractual relationship with the Demon King until now.

If so, she must have felt the presence of other necromancers who had entered into contracts with the Demon King.

Tiar clenched her fists in response to Leo’s question.

[I felt countless necromancers. Among them were particularly powerful beings… there were even Heroes.]

Tiar’s shoulders trembled.

Fear was etched on her face.

[Among those that the Demon King commands, there exist beings that surpass me far beyond measure.]

The Iron bl**d Mage is a wizard who has been remembered even after a thousand years among many Heroes who lived during the Era of Heroes.

This was evidence of her immense power as a Hero.

The fact that even she trembled in fear of such strong Heroes was alarming.

‘In the current era… does that mean they are on par with Swordmasters?’

Swordmasters.

They would likely have been powerful enough to challenge the world of Cataclysm if they had been born at the right time.

The mere existence of such beings was a deterrent force against Tartarus.

‘If he had not lost his life last year and was still alive, Tartarus would not be operating as it does now.’

“Is it really possible, even if the power of Erebus was used to enhance abilities?”

As Leo muttered with a serious face, Tiar lowered her head.

[Surely… among Heroes, there must be some who voluntarily complied with the Demon King’s contract.]

“……”

At this, Leo sighed deeply, while Tiar looked somewhat apologetic.

She could not be certain that the boy before her was truly one of the great Heroes, the Hero of Beginning, Kyle.

But what if he really was one of the great Heroes from five thousand years ago?

‘Is there anything more shameful than this?’

The Great Heroes risked everything they had to bequeath the world to future generations.

Yet the Heroes of the fallen generations…

Even if they had died, they voluntarily cooperated with the Demon King thereafter.

They chose to be slaves to fulfill the greed they pursued during their lives.

This was an act of betrayal against the world.

As a Hero who had lived with hatred throughout her life, Tiar had seen the ugliness of the world countless times.

She knew all too well that behind the shining world, there lay a deep shadow.

Thus, as one of the Heroes of the fallen generations, Tiar dared not meet Leo’s gaze.

Seeing Tiar, who was avoiding eye contact while lowering her gaze, Leo said.

“I felt it earlier, but you are excessively strict with yourself.”

[Excuse me?]

“It doesn’t really matter, does it? Whether others cooperate with the Demon King or not.”

[But……]

“It’s not your responsibility.”

Leo reached out and placed his hand on Tiar’s head.

“I didn’t aspire to create a just world, nor did I dream of an ideal world. We saved it simply because we wanted to.”

Leo smiled softly.

“So, it’s funny for you, the fallen generation, to feel concerned because of others.”

[…… Kyle.]

“The ones who become Spirits all have unfulfilled regrets deep in their hearts.”

Leo recalled Tiar, who had just apologized to Luna.

“I’m sorry for peeking a bit into your life.”

Tiar had never regretted the path she chose.

She had lived a life where she was scorned by her kin, holding nothing in her hands, ultimately ending in loss.

Though she could never let go of her hatred.

She did not take that as a regret.

“Being stubborn to such an extent is a sickness. Luna doesn’t think it’s rude at all, no matter how she wields the Magic of the Stars. She’s not that delicate. She’s just a simple fool.”

Tiar gritted her teeth.

Seeing her with an expression that looked like she might cry, Leo said.

“So you don’t have to apologize. And the Demon Queen was taken down by Luna and me. So.”

Leo lightly tapped Tiar’s shoulder.

“Rest easy. Regardless of your intentions in fighting, you too contributed to the peace of the world.”

[Thank you.]

Tiar, trembling, bowed her head, and her form soon vanished.

Watching Tiar’s spirit disappear like particles of starlight, Elshi, who had been observing the situation, spoke.

[Leo understood her well.]

“Perhaps it’s because they are in similar situations?”

[Similar situations?]

“I understand the feeling of not being able to find rest, just a little.”

Saying this flatly, Leo fell into thought.

‘Tiar succumbed to the Demon King’s power and became corrupted, becoming a necromancer.’

And one of Lissinas’s specialties was purifying such corrupted necromancers into Spirits.

‘I may not be as good as Lissinas, but I’ve faintly become able to use her Spirit Magic.’

Leo looked down at his hand.

He reminisced about the mana from earlier that had a will of its own.

“Hey, if you’re listening, want to respond?”

Even at Leo’s call, Lissinas’s mana remained silent.

He let out a faint laugh at that.

It’s said that comforting the regrets of Spirits is called Ascension.

And once a Spirit undergoes Ascension, they do not reveal themselves again.

‘…The Lissinas I met in the Hero’s World brought the version of herself from the past as a Spirit.’

In that process, Lissinas must have ascended as well.

No, perhaps that meeting could only have been a miracle that occurred in the Hero’s World.

The past Lissinas had called forth her future self.

‘I am not Lissinas.’

Calling forth a one who lived five thousand years ago as a Spirit might be impossible unless it was divine power.

The reaction of Lissinas’s mana moments ago stemmed from the inclination embedded in the mana.

It was a sentiment closer to the desire to rescue a poor necromancer resisting thoughts, rather than a will.

Yet he still asked, just in case.

‘…Would it worsen if I held onto just a little more regret?’

Clenching his fists and shaking off his thoughts, Leo began to move.

‘The Demon King commands powerful necromancers now. They are likely those who could not let go of their desires in life.’

Not all Heroes are saintly figures, and they may have twisted paths.

The Justice Guild had sufficiently proven this.

‘Among them, there may be those who are fit to bear the burdens of the era.’

Leo’s expression darkened.

[Leo, are you worried about something?]

At Elshi’s question, Leo sighed deeply.

“I get the feeling that if things go wrong, I might meet someone I know.”

[Someone you know?]

Elshi looked puzzled.

Leo gazed up at the clear sky, recalling someone.

‘Bihar.’

Bihar was initially a product of an orphanage created to obtain powerful wraiths.

Thus, he had burned with endless hatred towards the Demon King.

When the Era of Catastrophe ended…

The world was saved, but Bihar’s heart was not.

‘As long as that Demon King is alive, he would never stop.’

He would have spent his life in darkness, eternally chasing after the Demon King.

Leo envisioned the worst-case scenario.

‘What if the power of that Demon King has grown even more formidable?’

It is one piece of Erebus.

The extent to which the power of the Demon King wielding the piece of Erebus has grown is unknown.

‘What if he found the strength to corrupt Bihar and turn him into a necromancer and then discovers Bihar’s grave?’

This world might turn one of the strongest shadows in history into an enemy.

Bihar had also been acknowledged by past Lissinas as the one who would follow in their footsteps.

‘He probably closed his eyes after attaining a level on par with the Heroes of the Cataclysm.’

As Leo thought of the worst scenario, he sighed deeply.

‘No, I will trust him.’

Step by step—

‘The one I entrusted my back to. He will not be swayed by the Demon King.’

Gathering his emotions, Leo moved forward.

‘What’s important now are the undead brought back by Artkan and the Demon King.’

“…Our guild’s Heroes who went to hunt the undead all got annihilated?”

Jerome asked with a puzzled expression.

“Yes.”

“Hmm. Those who seized the position of Hero through their own power are certainly different. It seems that there is a limit to making a dropout who couldn’t even graduate from Hero Academy into a Hero.”

“What should we do now?”

The deputy guild master Chain asked with a blank expression.

“What about Leo Flove?”

“His location cannot be confirmed.”

“Not even with your distant sight?”

“Yes. It’s been blocked.”

“Wow.”

Jerome exclaimed in admiration.

“The identity of that endless potential is truly intriguing.”

“You are talking about the chosen true Hero.”

At Chain’s statement, Jerome rose from his seat.

“First, we need to hunt the undead Heroes appearing in various places…”

“No.”

“What?”

“This time, instead of the usual ones, send Rook, Knight, and Bishop. If that doesn’t work, send the Queens.”

“Master Jerome, are you obsessing over Leo Flove too much?”

“I think he’s worth that much. I have a rough idea of his disposition. He will never join us.”

Jerome clicked his tongue.

“In that case, it would be better to trample on him before he grows larger. After all, he won’t be able to do anything alone.”

*

[By the way, Leo.]

“Why?”

[Are those guys from the Justice Guild okay to leave alone?]

[Peeep.]

At Kiran’s words, Fiora agreed.

But Leo was indifferent.

Faced with a more significant problem now made the threat of the Justice Guild seem trivial.

“It looks like it won’t be a big threat right now, so I can just sweep them away later.”