Chapter 556

556.

Leo received lavish treatment at the Zeruon household.

It wasn’t merely because he was Elena’s guest.

“When Lord Flob found Lady Alia’s keepsake, this old man couldn’t stop shedding tears.”

The elderly wizard seated at the dinner table dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief and repeatedly bowed his head to Leo.

Looking at the old wizard, Elena, seated in the most prestigious position, cut her steak with a fork and kn*fe as she spoke.

“That’s indecent behavior in front of guests, Berewin.”

“I am aware, my lady. But when I think of those times, this old man… this old man…”

Berewin Berak.

A hero whose name was inscribed in the Hero Record, the current head of the Zeron household, known as the Infinite Spellcaster Altech Zeruon, and undoubtedly more than the professor of Lumeran, Alby the wizard, and even Elena’s personal mentor, the Great Mage.

If he had taught the direct lineage of the Zeruon household, it was certain that he had also taught Alia Zeruon, whom Leo had saved from the Hero’s World during the 1st year midterm exams.

‘Could her nickname be MaHyeol, which refers to a bl**d mage?’

Judging by the nickname alone, she was undoubtedly a wizard who dealt with bl**d.

Leo thought of Fritz Eddgon, a fellow student of the 1st Year Department of Magic.

A disciple of Shadows who revered Leo was also a bl**d mage.

“Lady Alia was truly a gentle soul. When Lady Alia was alive, both the Lord and Master Alby were much brighter. She was an exceptionally talented individual.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard enough about my aunt.”

Elena propped her chin and sighed.

“Of course, in talent alone, Lady Elena is the greatest.”

Berewin looked at Elena.

“She’s a bit lazy, though.”

Upon hearing this, Elena wore an expression of boredom.

“Do you not agree, Lord Flob?”

In response to Berewin’s question, Leo looked at Elena.

“Indeed, Senior Elena is rather lazy.”

“Huh? You think you can say such things to your senior?”

“It’s the truth.”

Leo cut his meat with a kn*fe.

Simply by talent,

Elena was one of the few geniuses Leo had ever encountered.

In both her past and present life.

The history of heroes bore the names of great figures who carried their eras.

And the hero from the latest era was none other than the Sword Saint, Kalyan.

“If we consider talent alone, she has the potential to surpass even the Sword Saint.”

“Oh, really?”

Berewin, impressed, was also a hero from the same era as the Sword Saint.

Of course, his name pales in comparison to the Sword Saint’s fame.

Nevertheless, he was a comrade who partook in countless battles with the Sword Saint, aiding and supporting each other.

For Berewin, Leo’s claim that there was someone with the potential to surpass the Sword Saint was intriguing.

“What makes you think so?”

“I had a friend who was rather good at reading people.”

Leo thought of Lissinas.

“I learned a little from him.”

“You seem confident in your judgment.”

“I’m not as good as him.”

Leo gave a wry smile.

Elena stared at Leo intently.

Thus concluded the dinner.

*

The deep night enveloped the surroundings.

The sound of soft footsteps broke the silence.

Swish—

When sensing someone climbing onto the bed, Leo opened his eyes.

“Eh? Leo? Is that you?”

Elena grinned.

“Senior, it’s quite late, isn’t it?”

“I know.”

Elena shrugged.

“I just felt like having a chat.”

In her negligee, Elena perched on the edge of the bed, crossing her legs.

The queen of Lumeran.

Sometimes called a witch and regarded as the terror of the students, Elena.

Yet now, she looked like any other young girl.

“Leo, do you know why I so willingly handed over the position of Student Council President to you?”

“Because you were bothered by it.”

“Of course, that’s part of it.”

Elena giggled.

“But more than that, it was because I wanted to see a perfect hero.”

Elena turned her head to face Leo.

Her pink eyes sparkled.

“I believed that you could become that perfect hero.”

Within her gaze was the innocence of a child.

“Why did you want to see a perfect hero?”

“Do you remember what I said after Lady Luna defeated Erebus in her world?”

‘When I was young, I preferred the princesses over the heroes in the fairy tales. I used to look up to them much more.’

Recalling their previous conversation, Leo began.

“Was it the statement about preferring princesses over heroes?”

“Yes.”

Elena chuckled softly.

“When I was little, I kept hearing about becoming a hero, and it started to bore me.”

Without a doubt, Elena was one of the top talents of the Era of Heroes.

An extraordinary background.

And an unrivaled, extraordinary talent.

“I used to keep hearing it since I was young. The constant reminder of needing to succeed Lady Lumeran.”

Elena smirked.

“Did you know? Lady Lumeran faced her own limitations and eventually fell into despair.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It’s written in the inaugural president’s journal.”

“That’s surprising.”

“…”

Elena opened her bleary eyes at Leo’s somewhat indifferent reaction.

“That’s a rather lukewarm response.”

“Did Senior Elena respect the Twilight Knight?”

“….”

At the question, Elena paused momentarily before nodding.

“I do. Even now.”

Elena smirked.

“I was raised rather harshly from a young age.”

From a young age, Elena had lived under the title of the most talented prodigy in the history of the Zeruon family.

The anticipation, perhaps even more ambitious, was that she might surpass the Twilight Sage and reach the level of the Twilight Knight.

In literal terms, she was celebrated as the successor to a new era.

Consequently, her childhood was arduous.

“At those times, I used to read Lady Lumeran’s fairy tales.”

The knight who never gave up, the hero of the slave class who saved the world—Lumeran’s epic was an endless tale of challenges.

“That knight who never gave up gave me hope. To me, when I was young, Lady Lumeran was the epitome of a perfect hero.”

And she discovered…

The story that even Lumeran had eventually fallen into despair.

“Were you disappointed?”

“Hmm… I wouldn’t say disappointed, more like deeply disheartened.”

Elena’s eyes darkened.

“The logs of my ancestors clearly recorded it. Images of Lady Lumeran screaming in despair.”

This was shocking to young Elena.

“Realizing that even the person I looked up to wasn’t a perfect hero left me at a loss.”

Beneath the guise of harshness and severity lay a truly terrible life.

Of course, the Zeruon household didn’t make Elena endure such a life to torment her; it was because they believed in her potential.

Elena, too, believed in her potential and relied on Lady Lumeran’s story throughout her childhood.

“When Uncle Alby returned to the household, that tedious training was no longer needed. For that, I am truly grateful.”

Elena smiled faintly.

“But afterward, I became thoroughly twisted, turning into a rather arrogant and disdainful brat.”

“That’s true.”

“Shouldn’t you argue against that?”

Elena, slightly frowning, glared at Leo for a moment before sighing.

“Recently, I learned why she fell into despair.”

“…”

“Ultimately, Lady Lumeran despaired at the realization that she could never defeat Erebus.”

Uncrossing her legs, Elena looked toward the ceiling with a sigh.

“How futile. What was I even attempting to become a hero for?”

Ploof.

Elena leaned over onto the bed and turned her gaze toward Leo.

“I made you the Student Council President because I wanted to help create the perfect hero which I couldn’t be. Of course, without my help, you were destined to become like that anyway.”

Elena smirked faintly.

“All my motivation is gone now. Should I just drop out of school?”

“That’s inconvenient. You need to be the Vice President.”

“Hmm? Does that mean Leo values my help?”

Elena’s expression twisted into an unusual smile as she stood up and moved closer to Leo.

“What do you think of me, Leo?”

“What?”

“Aren’t I incredibly beautiful? I have the Zeruon background. Outstanding abilities. That’s why you want me as your Vice President.”

By now, Elena had crawled onto the bed and was hovering over Leo.

“It’s common in fairy tales, isn’t it? The princess marries the hero who saves her and supports his endeavors.”

Elena’s pink eyes gleamed.

“What do you think?”

At her provocation, Leo reached out lying on the bed.

The tip of Leo’s finger barely touched Elena’s abdomen, causing her belly to twitch.

Then, when his fingers crept toward her side, her body trembled slightly each time.

And then…

Thud!

“Ahhh?!”

“How dare a kid who hasn’t even lost his baby fat try to emulate an adult?”

Leo mercilessly pinched Elena’s side with a smirk of disbelief.

“This is assault! Assault, I tell you!”

“Who’s the highest-ranking person here at school? Isn’t it me, the Student Council President?”

Subduing Elena with ease, Leo hopped off the bed with a sigh.

Alone on the bed, Elena held her side, trembling slightly.

“Do you teach Lil this roughly too?”

“Don’t say things others might misinterpret.”

Leo crossed his arms and spoke.

“And if you ever prank me again like this, next time the consequences will be much worse. Don’t tempt me.”

“Aah, so boring. What kind of senior acts so much like an old geezer? You can’t even tease him.”

Elena snorted.

‘An old geezer? This arrogant girl.’

Leo suppressed a quiet chuckle and continued.

“Surely the Twilight Knight had moments where he became disheartened and gave up.”

“…”

Elena wore a bittersweet smile.

“But he likely rose again.”

“What?”

“Does anyone in this world not experience despair and never abandon anything? If such a person existed, they’d be crazy.”

Leo clicked his tongue.

The Era of Catastrophe.

No one had faced as much despair or abandonment as he had, as the Hero of Survival.

But…

“The crucial question is whether one can rise again.”

He eventually did rise.

To Leo, not giving up didn’t always mean clinging indefinitely to an impossible task.

Rising again to circumvent unscalable walls and charging down other paths was also an act of perseverance.

“He may have given up on defeating Erebus himself, but he certainly didn’t abandon the fight against Erebus altogether. That’s why the Twilight Knight has been blocking Erebus from the Hero’s World for 3000 years.”

‘He likely believed he had given up.’

Leo thought about his supposed successor, someone he never met or spoke with.

‘Don’t despair, Kyle. The reason you are called the Hero of Survival… Even though you’ve faced despair and let go in moments, you’ve risen time and again to forge new paths. That’s not giving up; it’s far from it.’

Lissinas’ words came back to him.

‘If you respect me… You don’t need to imitate such things.’

Leo gave a wry smile as he looked at the dazed Elena.

“If you truly respect the Twilight Knight, there’s no need for you to give up just because he did. So…”

Leo looked directly into Elena’s eyes and continued.

“Rise again, spoiled princess. Get up and rise.”

“Rise…?”

“Be the true queen you’re supposed to be. How long are you going to indulge in childish antics because you had a tough childhood?”

Elena froze with surprise.

Then she burst into laughter and asked,

“Are you not asking for a new slave, perhaps?”

“New slaves are always welcome.”

At that, Elena chuckled.

“Truly… I’ve such a ridiculous junior.”

Elena sighed heavily as she dismounted the bed, crossed her arms.

“But in return, I’ll run things my way.”

Leo nodded.

“As you wish.”