Chapter 530

530.

Leo looked down at Lur, who had bowed respectfully towards him, and began to speak.

“How did you know?”

There was a tone of mild curiosity in his voice. Seeing that Leo wasn’t denying his words, Lur smiled faintly and replied.

“I thought even the Hero of Beginning would know — experience teaches us much.”

“Unfortunately, I haven’t lived as long as you have. Though, I do understand what you mean.”

As Leo shrugged, Lur gave a wry smile.

“I did suspect something was off.”

Lur had sensed something from the moment they first met Leo. It wasn’t merely an impression of someone exceptionally intelligent or someone who seemed destined for greatness.

It was more like the eyes of someone who had seen it all — someone who had weathered countless trials and tribulations. Certainly not the eyes of a Hero Candidate, let alone a 1st Year.

What’s more, Leo’s achievements were astounding — none more so than the restoration of the ‘flower-blooming magic’ left behind by the progenitors of the Star Cloud.

This wasn’t just any ordinary restoration either. Lur, as an elf, was someone who had spent their entire life studying the Magic of the Stars. If measured purely by depth of understanding, they were one of the foremost authorities among existing Wizards.

From Lur’s perspective, the ‘flower-blooming magic’ as restored by Leo was on an entirely different level.

“It was as if the person who originally knew the magic simply wrote down the knowledge they had from the start.”

While it wasn’t uncommon for magical practices to be revived after disappearing, it was a different matter entirely when done by someone not from the original era. Even if the restored magic could be activated, it could never be perfect. Especially in the case of the flower-blooming magic, its complexity was such that, even after a year passed, an accurate interpretation remained impossible.

This was why Lur had been skeptical about Leo’s identity. His feats as a Hero Candidate were not merely those of a standout student; they were entirely incongruous to a mere candidate.

In the midst of marveling at Leo’s exploits yet harboring doubts, Lur’s granddaughter, after exploring Dweno’s world, came back laughing.

“Grandfather! I saw Lady Berkiya, and you know who else? Mr. Leo!”

Upon hearing Eiran recount her tales of an ancestor and Leo’s heroics, Lur’s thoughts only deepened. This was further reinforced upon hearing news of Seirun’s reincarnation and the descent of Lady Luna.

Piecing together these intricate clues, Lur finally arrived at the conclusion: Leo was none other than Kyle, the Hero of Beginning.

“Thinking about it, it isn’t that strange. Kyle, the Hero of Beginning, was a one-of-a-kind all-class master. And there have only been two such masters in the history of the world: Kyle and you.”

“Leo and Kyle,” Lur mused.

“You even made the Hero Record without accepting any title, and upon reflection, if you already ‘had’ a title, it wouldn’t make sense to acquire a new one.”

“Indeed.”

“Besides, nothing is absolute. In this era, anything can happen.”

The reappearance of Legion Commanders thought to have been slaughtered during the Era of Catastrophe, past heroes returning as undead, names being erased from the Hero Record—all of this suggested the possibility of the Hero of Beginning returning to this world without any contradiction.

“In a time of miracles, it wasn’t farfetched to think that the Hero of Beginning could also be reborn. You were always present in moments of miracles, after all.”

On top of that, Leo himself had continued to achieve feats that would be difficult for others to accomplish in a lifetime—some of which could be truly called miraculous.

“Even so, it wasn’t easy to guess, was it?”

“Magic begins with not excluding any possibilities. That’s what Lady Berkiya’s family always said.”

“Ah, Luna must’ve drilled that into her.”

Leo recalled the old days with a soft laugh.

“Even in her final journey.”

“Seems like Lady Luna’s magical perspective was passed on to Lady Berkiya.”

“Not really—Luna was the kind of person who thought impossibilities didn’t exist. ‘If it can’t be done, make it possible.’ She never had any specific magical philosophy—just wouldn’t stop nagging Berkiya until the end, that’s all.”

Lur chuckled at Leo’s nonchalant tone.

‘If only he’d let himself be moved by the sentimentality of it all.’

How beautiful would it have been if a teacher’s final lessons to their student had been passed on to the next generation?

“You’re such a mess, handing down the nagging you heard so often that it made your ears bleed!”

Though Leo had completely ignored the touching sentimentality, Lur looked at him with a warm smile. Leo, in turn, slumped into the chair.

“Did you meet Berkiya?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Leo closed his eyes.

‘He must be disappointed.’

Even someone as great as Lur would be shocked to learn their ancestor had become undead. And most certainly, whoever it was, they likely felt resentment and disappointment toward their ancestor who had gone berserk.

Leo was biting his lips when Lur spoke, calm and measured.

“I can guess what the Hero of Beginning is thinking, but you do not need to worry.”

“What?”

Leo looked up at Lur with a slightly surprised expression. Lur smiled gently.

“I was not disappointed in Lady Berkiya. Neither would anyone else in the Eresar family be.”

Leo silently gazed at Lur, sensing no falsehood in his words.

“You must understand, Hero of Beginning, I am an old man.”

Chaa— Rising stiffly, Lur tapped his lower back twice. Despite his youthful appearance, his physical form was old. His eyes revealed decades of experience, and the mana he faintly emitted carried the weight of time.

“I’ve lived long enough to know the world isn’t always beautiful, and there are no perfect people.”

Lur’s gaze softened.

“I’m just sad. Lady Berkiya that I met had very clear, pure eyes.”

As head of the Eresar family, Lur had once ventured into Berkiya’s world and met her there. Because of that, Lur knew how great their ancestor was. And how kind.

Fighting back a profound sadness, Lur asked:

“Hero of Beginning, do you know what happened to my ancestor?”

Approaching the portrait of Berkiya hanging in the office, Leo spoke, recounting the truth that even the Eresar family archives failed to reveal, gleaned from the Akasha Record.

When Lur finished listening to the entire story, his hands were trembling. Closing his eyes tightly, Lur said:

“If only it were possible, I’d like to alleviate some of her sorrow and pain.”

Lur squeezed his lips together.

“But my voice won’t reach Lady Berkiya, will it?”

Clasping his fists tightly, Lur then bowed deeply towards Leo.

“Hero of Beginning, this may be an impudent request, but I humbly ask—please, save Lady Berkiya. Please comfort her pain.”

‘Even after 5000 years, your descendants don’t fully understand you, yet still they respect and deeply love you, Berkiya.’

Lur’s unwavering respect for Berkiya was palpable. It wasn’t merely because she was the progenitor of the Eresar family.

Lur knew well she was someone who deserved respect for so many reasons.

The world has forgotten Berkiya’s great feats. How she rebuilt the world in the wake of other Great Heroes and saved it once again during its hour of despair.

It’s not that the world deliberately turned its back. Time erases everything naturally.

But none of the Eresar family forgot. From generation to generation, the Eresar family passed down the great deeds of Berkiya.

‘The strength and history of the Eresar family could’ve ensured Berkiya’s place in history. But they chose not to.’

There was no one among them who did otherwise.

‘They must have wanted to respect your wishes, Berkiya.’

Her life of quiet sacrifice for the world, one that wouldn’t seek recognition even if no one noticed, must have been respected by her descendants who followed.

‘The Eresar family, stubborn as ever, respected such a legacy and followed it steadfastly. I’m proud of you. If I had descendants, mine wouldn’t have been as admirable as yours. But …’

Leo clenched his teeth.

‘But it would’ve been okay to be selfish at least once, wouldn’t it?’

In the life of Berkiya that Leo saw, there wasn’t even a moment where Berkiya was selfish or valued her own achievements. There wasn’t a moment where she didn’t remain humble, always striving for improvement.

The image of Berkiya as seen through the Akasha Record was etched deeply in his mind. If Berkiya had been naturally like that, the loss wouldn’t have hurt as much.

‘And I’ll be more famous than Master Kyle in a peaceful era—famous enough to overshadow him. Future generations will say Master Kyle isn’t as great as the other Great Heroes. Just wait and see!’

The bothersome image of her sticking her tongue out and complaining came to mind.

‘She always talked about becoming a great person in the peaceful era, like Luna, and being remembered by later generations.’

But after achieving extraordinary feats that should have been widely celebrated, she kept her head bowed, as if seeking forgiveness. She couldn’t allow herself to enjoy what she’d earned and constantly pushed herself harder. It was as if she was always driven by some unseen force, dedicating her entire life to the world.

Bihar must have been the same way.

‘We have burdened you with our burdens.’

Upon defeating Erebus and taking their final breaths, neither Leo nor Berkiya nor Bihar worried about the world—because they trusted their disciples.

They believed, without a doubt, that even without them, the world would be able to reclaim its former glory.

The two had placed the world on solid footing, from both light and darkness, for their entire lives.

Neither Leo, Berkiya, nor Bihar expected that they would be forever bound to the duty of saving the world they had built.

Like Lissinas.

Like Luna.

Like Aron.

Like Dwenno.

Like Kyle.

They thought they must dedicate their lives to the world.

‘You didn’t have to live that way either.’

If the era deprived the other Great Heroes of the things they could enjoy, for Berkiya and Bihar, there never even was an era to enjoy.

They were so desperate because they had already lost so much.

Even if the Great Heroes had survived, even Lissinas might not have lived as desperately as Berkiya and Bihar.

What Kyle regarded as a given world was a foreign concept for the two of them—a reality Leo had overlooked.

Someone needed to tell them: there was no need for them to bear all the burdens. They could find happiness together in life.

The lives of the two, who had not learned this, were unbearably harsh.

‘We have taken your lives away.’

And now the descendants of the disciples were shouldering that heavy burden.

The descendants of Bihar lived their lives in darkness forever.

The descendants of Berkiya lived their lives humbly forever.

Could Berkiya and Bihar be considered less than the Great Heroes who came before them?

Could they be overshadowed by the Hero of the Cataclysm?

“There is one condition.”

“Say it.”

“Do not live like Berkiya.”

“E-excuse me?”

Startled, Lur raised his gaze from his bow to meet Leo’s eyes.

“I get the gist of how the Eresar family has lived for 5000 years.”

Leo’s eyes darkened.

“You’ve upheld the race of elves as a cornerstone of the world.”

Turning his gaze from Lur to Berkiya’s portrait again, he added:

“I never taught you to sacrifice everything. Your family has done their best. You, the Eresar family—you are among the greatest hero lineages in this world. So…”

Leo declared firmly.

“You don’t need to keep undermining yourselves anymore.”

“…”

Unable to help himself, Lur bowed lower, his eyes moistening.

‘Too old for this nonsense.’

But knowing their actions over 5000 years—their stories and history—had been acknowledged by someone outside their family made his heart tremble.

“Berkiya surely would have wanted this too.”

‘To the founders of our family. Could anything be more glorious than this?’