Chapter 555

555.

Zeruon.

The Zeruon family, known together with Riguard and Turcia as one of the three great houses of Lumeran.

Three thousand years ago, during the Rebirth of Catastrophe, the three heroes who were the ancestors of this family fought alongside the Knight of Twilight, Lumeran, slaying countless demons.

Zeron, the Sage of Twilight, served as Lumeran’s counselor.

Riguard, the Sword of Twilight, was always at the front line, decapitating enemies, while Turcia, the Shield of Twilight, protected Lumeran.

After Lumeran built Rumelia City and established the Lumeran Academy, his close confidants, Zeron, Riguard, and Turcia, were each given responsibilities.

Zeruon became the chairman of Lumeran Academy.

Riguard became the mayor of Rumelia City.

And Turcia became the captain of the knight’s order once led by Lumeran.

The three families upheld Lumeran’s legacy, and all three families have their base in Rumelia City.

And to the east of Rumelia City, not far away, was the headquarters of the Zeruon family.

Squeak!

The carriage led by a griffin opened.

The family servants waiting for the next master of the Zeruon house were taken aback when they saw a white-haired boy step out.

A moment later.

The servants of the Zeruon family easily discerned his identity.

‘White hair with red eyes?’

‘Is that Leo Flove?’

Many eyes turned toward Leo.

Leo reached out toward the carriage.

A pale hand emerged from inside and grabbed Leo’s hand.

Elena stepped down gracefully, smiling faintly after gripping Leo’s hand.

“Did you really have to be such a dependable escort?”

“Someone has been driving me crazy by emphasizing etiquette.”

“Parents?”

“No, Celia.”

While Leo was the heir of the Flove family, he was also acknowledged as a direct descendant of the Zerdinger family on his mother’s side.

Being a direct descendant of the Zerdinger family means more than just adopting the name.

The Zerdinger family, with a long history, possessed vast territories and a large number of people.

Already, five squire candidates had been assigned to Leo.

The knights named “Slayers,” who were also all first-year students of Lumeran Academy, were assigned to Leo.

On top of that, he would soon receive his own territory.

‘You understand, right? Being a direct descendant means you are truly a member of a prestigious family! A member! I know you’re free-spirited, but unfortunately, you have to be mindful of people’s gazes. Understand?’

Thinking of Celia’s nagging, Leo chuckled briefly.

“Come to think of it, Senior Ris is your cousin, isn’t he?”

Elena twirled her hair slightly and walked forward to the family members.

“Today, a very distinguished guest has visited our family. Since they are also benefactors of the Zeruon family, there must be no flaws in how we treat them.”

“Yes! Miss!”

“Floves, I will guide you to your room.”

“Is there no luggage?”

“Leo, I’ll take care of your guidance while you take care of the meal preparations. Let’s go, Leo.”

Elena took the lead and moved her steps inside the mansion.

Leo followed behind.

The mansion of the Zeruon family was enormous.

It certainly felt old, but the architectural style had a slightly eclectic feel to it.

“Has it been expanded over several thousand years?”

“Yes. The motto of the Zeruon family is change.”

“Hmm.”

“You really don’t know the history of our family, do you?”

“Yes.”

“That’s very straightforward of you. Really?”

Families with worldwide renown typically have histories that are equally famed across the globe.

The Zeruon family, however, is not merely the family responsible for the administration of Lumeran Academy.

Indeed, it is a wizarding family that has drawn a line in the history of magic itself.

“It’s because our family is the one that designed and propagated the foundational theories of Hero’s Magic. We must always embrace change.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Yes. Of course, you, Leo, don’t need to learn Hero’s Magic.”

Elena smiled faintly.

That was true.

Leo’s “Bible,” an original and proprietary magic system, allows any magic to be used without penalty, meaning it retains its original state.

“The Bible is not omnipotent either.”

“That’s true. Magic also has a concept of capacity.”

A wizard is like a vessel for magic.

Magic exceeding the capacity of one’s vessel cannot be used, even with the Bible.

“It’s impossible to use magic like Chloe’s Ice World, Abad’s Tempest, and Chelsea’s Heat Storm from the same grade.”

Elena stopped walking in front of a door.

“Still, I think there’s something familiar. The ultimate magic we have pursued in our family and your magic, I mean.”

“Ultimate pursuit?”

“Leo, you can rest here tonight.”

As soon as the door opened, an expanse of a wide and luxurious room greeted their eyes.

“Please rest until dinner.”

With a faint smile, Elena left the room.

After Elena went out, Leo entered the room and sat on the sofa.

He noticed a portrait hanging on a side of the room and spoke aloud.

“Looks like the magic pursued by the Zeruon family is the same as the magic you have been pursuing.”

The subject of the portrait, Lumeran, bore a steadfast expression.

Looking at Lumeran, Leo recalled his conversation with Rian.

*

“Transcend your limits. This was the educational philosophy Lumeran instilled when founding the Academy.”

Rian took out a gemstone statue of Lumeran from his bosom and placed it on the desk.

“That was also a message he left for future generations.”

Rian, rolling the head of the Lumeran statue with his fingers, continued.

“The message: ‘Do not become like me.'”

“How strange.”

Leo muttered, bewildered.

“I haven’t met Azonia and Demian. But Rodia and Seirun were always challenging their own limits.”

The heroes of the Cataclysm undeniably failed to slay the fragment of Erebus.

However, despite enduring endless despair, they chose to sacrifice themselves for future generations.

That alone proved the heroes of the Cataclysm were people who never gave up.

Five thousand years ago, they had acted the same way.

Could they, in an endlessly repeating cycle of time, confine themselves?

‘The rest of us dare not even think about what they accomplished.’

The fact that such a person criticized himself was hard for Leo to accept.

“Are the lessons other heroes left also filled with such meanings?”

Shaking his head, Rian responded to Leo’s question.

“The other educational philosophies left by the Cataclysm’s heroes reflected what each of them idealized as perfect.”

Rian took out dolls representing the Cataclysmic Heroes and Great Heroes one by one from his bosom.

“Seirun admired Luna’s unwavering belief in herself and wished the children who would succeed him would have strong faith in himself.”

Seirun’s doll was placed behind Luna’s.

“Azonia truly admired Aron’s courage to move forward without retreating, even when terrified, which is why she wanted to learn that courage.”

Arion’s doll was placed behind Azonia’s.

“Demian admired Dwenno’s ability to find possibilities even in a desperate situation and aspired to be like him.”

Dwenno, much like Leo, perceived the world as a place without hope.

However, differing from Kyle, Dwenno believed in finding possibilities.

Luna’s… Aron’s… Lissinas’s… Even his own, Kyle’s possibility which he himself had denied.

The gaze of Dwenno was fundamentally different from Lissinas, who foolishly believed in hope, or Luna, who possessed unwavering belief in herself, and Aron, who courageously moved forward in the face of fear.

Placing Demian behind Dwenno, Rian took out dolls of Lissinas and Rodia.

“Rodia might not have left any words, but he was deeply moved by the sight of Lissinas carrying the world.”

Rian smiled faintly.

“They genuinely wished to become like the Great Heroes they looked up to. They truly rejoiced in the slight fact that they might succeed them as their successors.”

“Is Lumeran different then?”

“Lumeran admired Leo-sama as much as these four did. Leo-sama’s spirit of never giving up was the ideal Lumeran chased.”

Rian slightly tapped the figure of Lumeran, placed behind Kyle’s figure.

“Following in Leo-sama’s footsteps, Lumeran succeeded in defeating Erebus, and repeatedly thwarted Erebus’ resurrection whenever it showed signs of revival.”

Even then, Lumeran never gave up.

Just like the person he admired, Leo-sama.

“But then, Lumeran realized something.”

“What?”

“That his companions were transforming to resemble other Great Heroes, whereas Lumeran himself wasn’t.”

While the Cataclysm Heroes continued the power of former heroes through conquering their worlds,

Lumeran could not.

“When Lumeran attacked Leo-sama’s world again and again, he couldn’t get any rewards.”

“Why couldn’t he get anything?”

“Because Leo-sama’s power is not something that can be inherited through conquest rewards.”

“Hmm.”

The power holding infinite possibilities.

Pure mana praised as special even by the gods must be a power beyond inheritance.

“But just because he couldn’t inherit my power, it shouldn’t mean he couldn’t fulfill his part, right?”

“No. Lumeran was far from weak when compared to other Cataclysm heroes. He just came to understand something.”

“What?”

“That he couldn’t fill the role of the Hero of Beginning.”

“…”

Rodia and Seirun, Azonia and Demian could replace Lissinas, Luna, Aron, and Dwenno.

But Lumeran couldn’t.

“Lumeran thought he needed to obtain the power to slay Erebus. His obsession with Leo-sama’s swordsmanship and magic began from that time.”

Leo recalled the Lumeran doll that Rian had created before.

The swordsmanship identical to his own.

“Even knowing it was impossible, Lumeran tried to become like you.”

Rian tapped the gem doll of Lumeran.

The toppled gem doll shattered with a “tinkling” sound.

“Wishing to become something and actually becoming it are different. As he clung to something he could never become, Lumeran lost the ability to see possibilities.”

Rian sighed deeply.

“Eventually, he hit his limit and collapsed. He couldn’t even become like you anymore. That’s when he came to find me, who was at the center of the world.”

After that, Lumeran obtained the wisdom to stop Erebus from Rian and sealed Erebus within the world of heroes alongside the Cataclysm Heroes.

“If the other Cataclysm Heroes viewed the Great Heroes they admired as hope… To Lumeran, Leo-sama was despair.”