Chapter 499

499.

Beneath the faded gray sky.

Five people sat around a bonfire.

It was just about sunset.

The world now is gloomy even during the day, but the night is far more terrifying.

Even they, experienced as they were in expeditions, found it hard to move about carelessly at night.

Luna sat in front of the bonfire, having taken off her shoes and socks, and wiggled her toes as the fire warmed her soles. This was because, during the previous battle, a great deal of demon bl**d had seeped into her shoes.

To dry them quickly, Luna moved her feet around and said, “Kyle, I want to eat meat. Cook some for me.”

Kyle frowned while looking at Luna who was preparing her meal by another bonfire, tipping her head back. “Does an elf really crave so much meat?”

Contrary to popular belief, elves also eat meat. However, actively seeking it out is very rare.

“That elf over there seems to be a pseudo-elf to me.”

Sitting in front of the bonfire, Dwenno’s remark made Luna snigger. “Pfft! An elf is an elf, what in the world is a pseudo-elf then?”

Saying so, she clapped her feet.

In the midst of this, Lissinas returned, after going out on reconnaissance with Aron. “There’s no sign of demons or monsters in the vicinity.”

“We can rest easy tonight then.”

Kyle took a small breath of relief, feeding more logs to the fire. As evening approached, the five of them gathered around the bonfire and ate.

“If Erebus hadn’t appeared, what kind of life would we be leading?”

At that moment, Aron asked this peculiar question.

Looking at Aron, Kyle said, “There’s no such thing as if. Why ponder something useless?”

The curt reply made Aron’s ears droop.

However, there was none who agreed with Kyle’s statement.

“That’s not true. Aron’s question isn’t meaningless,” Dwenno said, laying down his spoon. “Our form before Erebus appeared, wasn’t that the same as our post-Erebus future after we have defeated him?”

“I also agree with Dwenno.”

“That’s an exciting image, isn’t it?”

Lissinas smiled and nodded his head, while Luna sparkled her eyes.

Imagination.

It is one of the great forces that help endure this world that verges on ruin.

For distant future imaginings transform into hopes soon enough.

Even if they may be impossible dreams… useless musings of today.

Yet, if they look to tomorrow, those have immense significance.

“What kind of life do you imagine for yourself, Aron?”

Asked by Dwenno, Aron opened his eyes wide, scratching his head.

“I am strong, so perhaps I’ll follow in my master’s footsteps and run an orphanage, peacefully farming and living, wouldn’t I?”

Blushing slightly, he spoke of his modest dream.

It might seem modest to the four of them.

However, for those born in the Era of Catastrophe, it was an immense dream beyond imagination.

The ordinary life had been lost long ago, and the generation of catastrophes lived in a world full of sighs.

“Indeed, it’s a good dream.”

Lissinas smiled happily.

For the dragons who had the grand dream of saving the world, the everyday life that Aron aspired to was probably one of the top things they desired to reclaim.

“Dwenno, how about you?”

“Of course. Undoubtedly, I would be a world-renowned great artist by then.”

Saying it as if it were an ordinary thing, Dwenno looked at Luna who scoffed.

“Ha! You’d definitely be on the wanted list for the weird comments you’d inevitably make to the royal houses of various nations.”

Luna burst into laughter as Dwenno struck her head with his massive fist. Ignoring the sobbing Luna, Dwenno turned to Lissinas.

“What about you?”

“I….” Lissinas rested his chin and smiled. “Wouldn’t I be quietly maintaining the world’s order in the darkness?”

Lissinas, the Black Dragon.

One who silently preserves the world’s order in the darkness.

But there was none who agreed with Lissinas’ words.

“The light you possess isn’t something you can hide if you try to.”

“Yup. Surely, even without Erebus, Lissinas would have achieved grand feats!”

“His fame would have been high.”

Dwenno, Aron, Luna all negated Lissinas’ words one by one.

For Lissinas, the savior of the world and its radiant light, to live in the darkness was unimaginable.

To the remarks of his comrades, Lissinas scratched his cheeks.

“Hem! Then it’s my turn?”

Luna proudly threw her chest out.

“Surely I’d have been a great and historic grand wizard with even greater fame than now! I could have been devoted solely to researching magic! Surely all the wizards would be bowing down before me in reverence?”

Looking at Luna puffing up with pride, Aron absentmindedly clapped, and Lissinas burst out laughing. While Dwenno shook his head repeatedly, he did not counter her claim.

After all, Luna could have done exactly that and more.

“What about Kyle?”

Luna asked with sparkling eyes.

“Probably doing some mercenary work somewhere.”

Kyle’s indifferent reply made Lissinas and Dwenno chuckle.

“You must have been doing something grand, right?”

Aron tilted his head inquisitively.

But Kyle smirked.

“Not at all.”

He replied this and focused on his meal.

Afterward, the five of them fantasized about the future after defeating Erebus.

Each had grand dreams they wanted to achieve.

Things they would do in the era of peace.

They spoke about countless things.

To forget the despair in front of them and look to the distant future.

Kyle too, while interjecting disagreements or agreeing, enjoyed the conversation.

But in the end, he never spoke about what he wanted to do in the future.

“Kyle…”

After finishing the meal.

Luna, who was washing dishes as today’s assigned helper, asked Lissinas, who was also washing dishes, “What kind of dream does he hold on to?”

At Luna’s question, Lissinas hesitated.

“Hmm…”

Clang.

As he scrubbed the spoon, Lissinas chuckled.

“Perhaps there isn’t any?”

“Huh?”

Luna’s eyes widened.

The five heroes gathered together by choice.

All five were different in race, age, philosophy, beliefs, and ideals.

Without the special circumstance of the Era of Catastrophe, they might never have come together as one.

It had been half a year since the five united.

They didn’t know much about each other yet.

Even so, Luna was aware that the five heroes possessed a strong bond.

It was about moving toward the future.

Which meant they each had a vision of the future they desired to see.

Luna thought that although Kyle hadn’t spoken, he must have envisioned a certain future.

That’s why Lissinas’ response was surprising.

“Kyle is different from us.”

“Different how?”

“You and Aron, Dwenno, gladly joined my expedition. But Kyle didn’t.”

“You said he was very stubborn at first.”

“Yeah.”

“Had persuasion been difficult, wouldn’t it have been easier to come to me or the Guardian of Changan, Dwenno?”

“There was that thought… but chasing after Kyle only made me more convinced.”

Clack—

Looking at his face reflected in the spoon, Lissinas spoke.

“Kyle was the first button.”

“Because of his mana characteristics?”

“No.”

Lissinas shook his head calmly.

“From the beginning of the Era of Catastrophe until now, I believe Kyle might have been the only one constantly at the forefront.”

Hero of Survival.

It’s not merely a title earned because he was the sole survivor while all his comrades fell.

Kyle had always been at the vanguard in his mercenary life.

As if this was his rightful place.

He had always been at the front lines against Tartarus.

In simple terms, it meant this.

Witnessing countless comrades d*e.

Watching helplessly as fellow warriors fell on the battlefield.

Continuing to see defeat after defeat.

He was clearly different from Lissinas, who waited for the right moment to save the world, Luna who defended her homeland, Aron who grew his strength in the shadow of his master, and Dwenno who traveled the world fighting.

“Kyle might be the only one who has been witnessing the real-time destruction of the world.”

Everyone else would have either died or given up and fled.

But the Hero of Survival was different.

No one would criticize him for leaving responsibility to someone else.

No one could laugh or blame him if he escaped.

“But for some reason, Kyle has always been at the forefront, as if it’s his rightful place.”

Recalling Kyle’s back, Lissinas thought.

“When I saw Kyle fight, I realized. If this person gives up, the world truly would come to an end.”

When Lissinas extended a hand to save the world, Kyle derided him.

A lie, he said.

The world was doomed to not be saved.

“Indeed it was a lie. The chances of this world being saved are near zero. But…”

Lissinas recalled Kyle in Guardstron.

Ironically, the back of Kyle, always in the front lines, affirmed Lissinas’ lie.

“At that time, Kyle was impressive.”

Lissinas blushingly smiled.

An uncharacteristically fresh emotion for Lissinas.

Seeing this, Luna blinked and asked, “Are you feeling unwell? Your face is red.”

“What?”

Lissinas panicked, then quickly composed himself.

He checked Luna’s reaction, fearing if his feelings had been noticed.

But Luna appeared genuinely worried.

“Fortunately, she’s an idiot.”

To quote Kyle, Luna was a spell-idiot who only knew magic.

“Anyway, maybe Kyle’s mind is too faded to dream, since he’s experienced so much.”

“Huh?”

“Thinking about the way forward might be hard for him. Maybe he’s still searching for what he wants to do.”

The Catastrophe Flames of the Hero of Survival must have taken away not just his fallen comrades and the world but also his future.

The hopes must have been scorched, leaving behind only ashes.

“It’s like this d*mn sky, you know.”

The faded gray sky.

“Hah! I can’t stand the gloomy weather.”

Once done with the dishes, Luna snorted and got up abruptly.

“What are you going to do?”

“Didn’t you say Kyle is searching for what he wants to do? Well, then, let me offer him a place on my grand dream.”

Luna boastfully smiled.

“This boy is a mage, and when he hears my grand plan, he’ll definitely be hooked.”

Not knowing where her confidence came from, Luna confidently rushed toward Kyle.

Watching her back, Lissinas chuckled.

“Not bad.”

After all, he was a magician too.

He became interested in Luna’s dreams.

“After the world is saved, I might join in on it myself.”

Recalling the distant past, Luna touched her cheeks.

‘I vowed then to make this b*stard fall for me first.’

Luna’s face turned sullen.

Of course, her plan had failed because she confessed first in the Hero’s World.

But still, her desire to color the bleak heart of Kyle with various colors remained the same.

‘Could this be lingering affection?’

As the thought crossed her mind, she shook her head as she saw Kyle walking and talking with Eiran and Chen Sia.

‘No, it’s not that.’

Saying that she would be Kyle’s future and contribute her dreams, she had entrusted her future and dreams to him.

The moment she had entrusted all of her to Kyle, the feeling did not remain as mere lingering affection.

‘Still… I miss him.’

As she saw Kyle talking and laughing with his disciple’s descendants, Luna smiled.

Her disciple came to mind in that image.

‘I miss Berkiya.’

Faintly smiling, Luna’s ears pricked up.

‘Berkiya?’

Thoughts of her disciple who had left first still lingered in her heart.

“Ah.”

Luna’s eyes opened wide.

“Ahh!”

Luna’s scream made Leo turn around.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing Kyle looking with an inquisitive face, Luna shouted, “Got it! Berkiya!”