Chapter 500

500

“Berkiya, is it?”

At Leo’s question, Luna nodded.

“Yeah. My lingering thoughts seem to be all about Berkiya.”

Luna looked down at her palm.

“I was very worried.”

Worry clouded Luna’s eyes.

“Are you worried that she’s taking on too much by herself?”

At Leo’s question, Luna shook her head.

“It’s not just about Berkiya having to carry too much responsibility, or that she’ll have a hard time because of it. I wasn’t worried about that.”

Luna smiled faintly.

“I’ve always believed the most in Berkiya’s potential.”

Although Berkiya couldn’t wield the Magic of the Stars, Luna had already anticipated that her student wouldn’t be able to.

What Luna had faith in was Berkiya’s potential as a hero.

“Berkiya would have grown even more. Overcoming difficult trials… she possessed the potential to rebuild a crumbling world. I never doubted that she would protect the world we saved.”

Indeed.

After Erebus was sealed away.

The Tartarus tried to destroy the world to fulfill his ultimate wish.

The one who stood at the forefront to stop his assault was Berkiya.

A truly remarkable hero worthy of succeeding the Great Heroes of the past and fully capable of carrying an era on her shoulders.

“What I’ve been worried about is Berkiya’s disposition.”

“Her nature?”

“Yeah.”

Luna gave a wry smile.

Berkiya was born into the darkest of times.

Born in an age where the brightly burning sun had disappeared, she never knew what it was.

“But when I first met Berkiya, I felt like I was seeing sunlight.”

A child who could shine brilliantly even in dark times.

This wasn’t simply because Berkiya was exceptionally talented.

“She’s a child who can genuinely smile brightly even in dark times.”

“Indeed.”

Always rebellious and sassy, Berkiya was still the only one born in the Age of Catastrophe who could smile brightly.

“When everything around is dark, there’s no cause for concern. But, as the surroundings brightened, it was inevitable that shadows would appear.”

Luna muttered quietly and then chuckled softly.

“But I’m not overly worried.”

“Is something that doesn’t cause so much worry still considered a lingering thought?”

Leo, looking puzzled, received a scoff from Luna.

“Isn’t it enough to call regret about not being able to observe what kind of life Berkiya has been living a lingering thought?”

Indeed, that was true.

“Well, if it’s Berkiya, I’m sure she’s done well.”

Luna conveyed her firm belief.

“Because no matter what, she’s still my student.”

With a smirk, Luna hummed a tune and walked away.

“In that sense, let me focus on the present for now.”

Looking at Luna’s retreating back for a moment, Leo pulled out a dagger from his robe.

Bihar’s dagger.

Silently gazing at the dagger, Leo then followed after Luna.

*

Luna’s school visit continued.

During this time, what caught Luna’s attention was the joint practice of the music club and the drama club.

“A musical? Is it a play?”

“Yes. The difference is they sing while acting.”

Eiran explained kindly from beside her.

“Oh-ho!”

The absence of this kind of culture in the era of 5000 years ago made Luna’s eyes sparkle.

“Let’s see. What kind of play is this?”

With an excited expression, Luna entered the rehearsal room.

And…

“Ah?! Sister Eiran!”

A bright voice rang out.

Chelsea, who ran alongside, clung to Eiran’s back.

“I heard you were coming as an exchange student, but I didn’t think we’d meet here!”

“Miss Chelsea, good to see you!”

Eiran smiled warmly and patted Chelsea’s head.

“Brother Leo and Sia were here too?”

“Thinking about it, Chelsea wasn’t in the music club, was she?”

Chen Sia nodded her head.

“Yeah, I’m the ace of the music club.”

Chelsea declared confidently, crossing her arms and grinning proudly.

“I’m playing the protagonist in this musical.”

“Protagonist?”

“Yeah.”

Nodding, Chelsea showed her ears.

Unlike usual, Chelsea’s ears were pointy.

Apparently, she was dressed as an elf.

“That’s why I rushed to practice directly after returning from my quest.”

“You look very fitting!”

Eiran smiled brightly when she said it.

Indeed, the outfit was traditional elf wizard attire.

Right at that moment,

“What? What? Who’s this girl?”

Luna approached Chelsea with shining eyes.

Upon seeing this, Chelsea’s expression stiffened.

“Huh?”

She let out a surprised sound.

“Leo! What’s this cute creature?”

Leo responded to Luna’s excited gaze.

“Chelsea LeWalyn.”

“Too cute! I want her for myself!”

Speaking like a young girl who had discovered a favorite doll, Luna left Chelsea dumbfounded.

“Lu, Lady Luna?!”

“Eh?”

Realizing her disguise magic wasn’t working, Luna showed a surprised expression.

Recognition Impairment Magic is also a form of suggestion magic.

Luna had set a simple keyword not to let anyone recognize her true self.

Anyone who knew Leo’s true identity could recognize her.

The simpler the keyword, the stronger the effect of the Impairment Magic.

And Leo’s keyword was both simple and extremely impactful.

“So, that means, you know Leo’s true identity?”

“Good grief!”

The revelation that she had been suspecting turned out to be true, and Chelsea’s mouth hung open wide.

“My goodness! Lady Luna? Are you from the Hero’s World like Lord Aron?”

“Although my circumstances are a bit different from Aron, yes, I am Lady Luna, the ancestor of the Star Cloud.”

“My goodness, my goodness! How, how…”

Chelsea, flustered, bounced on her feet, unsure of what to do.

Chelsea, who loved tales of heroes,

Even more so as a magician, her utmost respect went to Luna!

Could there be any greater honor?

“Aren’t we supposed to shake hands?”

“Hmm. That’s not impossible.”

Luna smiled and extended her hand, gripping Chelsea’s firmly.

“Ah.”

“Too cute! Would you consider calling me Sister Luna?”

“Lu, Sister Luna?”

“Wouldn’t you want to have a sister like this?”

Upon Luna rubbing her cheek against Chelsea’s head, Chelsea’s face softened.

“Chelsea, it’s time to practice now!”

“Eh? It’s the student council president!”

The seniors of the music club and the drama club called out to Chelsea.

Luna released Chelsea.

Chelsea headed to the stage with a reluctant expression.

Questions piled up in her mind.

But practice couldn’t be postponed.

At that moment, a member of the music club and the drama club approached Leo.

“President, are you here to observe?”

“We are looking around.”

“Is that so? Here, this is the program for the performance we will have.”

“What’s the content?”

“The tale of unrequited love between the ancestor of the Star Cloud and the brave hero.”

“Phew?!”

Upon hearing the drama member’s explanation, Luna, who was drinking the beverage handed by the stage staff, sprayed it all out.

“Cough! Cough!”

Suddenly, curious gazes were cast towards Luna.

While coughing and suppressing it, Luna waved her hands.

On the contrary, Leo silently chuckled.

“It sounds interesting.”

“Isn’t it? So, could we… possibly consider the budget?”

“It’s not about the budget this time.”

It seemed that every club member Leo met talked about the budget.

With Leo’s assurance, the members of the music club and the drama club left, grinning ear to ear.

“Lord Leo has become a completely terrifying presence.”

Chen Sia giggled at this moment.

“My failed love with the Aron fellow! How could such absurd tales even exist, let alone be performed?”

Face reddening, Luna yelled at Leo.

“If you protest to me.”

Leo shrugged his shoulders.

Before Leo could answer, Eiran spoke up.

“Since the tales of the Great Heroes are so famous, many later generations have speculated that they loved each other.”

At this statement, Luna widened her eyes.

“So? There are even rumors about me and Aron having that kind of relationship?”

“Yes. Alongside the love story between Lord Lissinas and Aron, it’s an incredibly popular tale.”

“What about Kyle?”

At this, Eiran subtly glanced at Leo.

“Since until recently, the Hero of Beginning was treated as a fictional character…”

“Ugh~”

Luna lazily glanced at Leo.

“And then there’s the love story between you and Dwenno, isn’t it quite famous?”

“Ah~ such stories exist too?”

“According to the pamphlet, there was a strong possibility of a performance based on that story. But since no one suitable for the role of Dwenno was found, they settled on the story about you and Aron, it seems.”

Elves and beastmen can be disguised, but dwarves can’t shrink in size.

Understanding this, Luna brightened.

“That’s really fortunate it wasn’t chosen.”

“Why is that fortunate?”

“If they had chosen that story, I would have destroyed this place completely.”

Luna’s expression disappeared.

Seeing Luna genuinely showing anger, Eiran turned pale with fear.

After a while, the practice started.

Chelsea, who was supposed to be the protagonist, was playing the role of Luna.

In the case of Aron, it was a fourth-year student from the drama club.

“Wow, who in the world is Chelsea playing to be so beautiful?”

Luna brazenly commented.

Ignoring Luna’s comment, as the song started,

Luna paused momentarily and stared at Chelsea blankly.

“What a beautiful song.”

Eiran clasped her hands together in admiration.

Indeed it was.

Chelsea’s singing gave such a profound emotional impact that it made listeners gasp with surprise.

A short while later.

When the practice was completed, Luna spoke to Leo.

“Leo.”

“What?”

“Why does this school have so many jewels?”

With sparkling eyes, Luna said,

“Magical inspiration keeps coming to me.”

At this, Leo smirked.

After exiting the rehearsal room, Luna excitedly said,

“After Chloe and Iliana, now Chelsea! This era truly has so many children brimming with brilliant talent!”

“There’s also the girl who completed the Flameslayer.”

“Yes! I can’t wait to meet Lunia soon! The one you’ve marked as my successor!”

Luna smiled brightly.

“It’s really incredible! This era is filled with boundless potential!”

Luna looked down at her hands.

“I can grow even more.”

During the 5000 years, the magic she had accumulated and evolved has excited Luna.

Numerous talents gave her inspirations and ideas that even Luna hadn’t considered before.

Based on that, a new path started to appear.

Before the Age of Catastrophe.

Even after the Age of Catastrophe, Luna was still considered the greatest wizard in the history of magic.

But Luna’s talent hadn’t yet come to its full bloom.

The new era and the novel theories of magic acted as nutrients for the untapped potential.

In the 5000 years of history that the magical world had accumulated, Luna was confident she could create something new.

‘In this era… perhaps I could see the end of magic.’

As a wizard and as a seeker, Luna’s eyes sparkled.

“Wow! Leo!”

A cheerful voice rang out.

There it was—none other than Kal.

“Miss Chloe arrived earlier, but did Master Kal just arrive?”

Chen Sia asked curiously, to which Kal smirked slightly.

“Yeah. There was so much to learn at the Northern Mage Tower that I couldn’t skip any classes, could I?”

Kal chuckled then greeted Eiran with a friendly wave.

Then, turning his gaze towards Luna, his expression turned bewildered.

“Huh?”

Kal’s eyes widened in surprise.

At this startled reaction from Kal, Luna raised her head curiously.

“Geez?!”

Kal was taken aback.

Leo narrowed his eyes upon seeing his reaction.

Even Chen Sia, who seemed caught off guard by the unexpected reaction, looked at Kal with a perplexed expression.

Kal asked in a shocked voice.

“Lu, Lady Luna?”