Chapter 614

614.

“Knowing that the Hero Slayer was headed toward Payon, I chased after, but it was already too late.”

As Anyas bowed her head to report to Young Master Leo, Abad became lost in thought.

‘Like a king and his subject.’

Despite being the daughter of the northern mage tower’s master, Anyas was acting as if she were a servant reporting to her lord.

‘And the Hero Slayer?’

Abad too was well-aware of the hero killer who once plunged the world into terror long ago.

An era where past Great Heroes were reappearing.

‘In these times, it’s not strange for past villains to emerge as well.’

Yet, Anyas chased after that Hero Slayer.

It was only natural for a villain to be punished.

However, it was strange that the daughter of the northern mage tower master would leave the northern continent, the domain of the Northern Mage Tower, to chase after the Hero Slayer all the way here.

‘A shadow?’

As Anyas speculated about her identity, Abad glanced at Leo.

Leo, listening to the story, remained utterly calm.

“Inappropriate.”

“That’s impossible. How could Aunt be kidnapped right in the middle of Payon?”

Celia’s face showed her shock.

“That guy called Hero Slayer must have some extraordinary abilities.”

Upon Leo’s comment, Celia bit her lip tightly.

Chelsea looked at Anyas.

‘She mentioned earlier that there might be a collaborator inside Zerdinger.’

Anyas didn’t bring up that part.

Perceiving this and wondering, Chelsea’s gaze shifted to Celia.

‘She refrained from saying it out of consideration for Celia.’

If Celia heard that now, it would surely cause her even greater distress.

“Leo? What will you do?”

“First, we need to head to Payon and inspect the scene.”

“Leo-nii, are you okay?”

With a worried face, Chelsea asked that.

Looking at such a concerned Chelsea, Leo nodded his head.

Leo approached the shocked Celia and gave her back a light pat.

“Celia, pull yourself together. The fact that they took your mother as a hostage suggests that at least for now, she’s safe.”

“A…”

Celia startled before tightly biting her lips and nodded her head.

“Lewalyn will help too.”

“But Zerdinger won’t be pleased.”

“This is about the Empire’s respect being at stake rather than just being Zerdinger’s problem.”

An abduction occurred right in the heart of the Zerdinger family, known as one of the two great heroic houses of the Rodren Empire.

It’s definitely a situation that could cause problems.

“Moreover, it’s the mother of a friend who got kidnapped. We can’t just stand by with our hands folded.”

As Abad spoke, Chelsea nodded her head in agreement.

“Lord Leo, the Tuzen Knights will assist as well.”

Siss, who had been quietly listening, spoke.

“Since Lady Reno is Princess Lena’s daughter, there’s no way the Tuzen Knights could consider this as involving an outsider.”

“That’s true. But I think it’s not the time for the Tuzen Knights to step in right now.”

“Why is that?”

“Firstly, for Zerdinger, the Tuzen Knights would represent outside forces. Bringing outside forces into the Rodren Empire due to a family issue would not reflect well.”

Lewalyn and Siss share different standings, but they’re both within the Rodren Empire.

Should things go awry, it could escalate into a diplomatic issue.

“Moreover, the Tuzen Knights have their own duties to take care of.”

Resolving the chaos caused due to the destruction of the royal palace.

And…

“Speaking of Lord Leo’s coronation…”

Legally, all the Tuzen Knights needed to do was to proclaim Leo as the king and their management of the Resenteng region would conclude.

However, to officially announce the revival of the kingdom, proper preparations were necessary.

“I entrust this to you.”

“Leave it to me. I shall prepare and wait for the new throne.”

Siss bowed her head.

“Let’s prepare for departure.”

“Hurry!”

Celia and Abad quickly gathered people from the Zerdinger and Lewalyn house to prepare for their return.

“Could you do me a favor?”

Leo said, sitting back down.

Looking at Leo, Celia hesitated.

‘Yes, the person most shocked would be Leo.’

It was clear that he needed some time to collect his thoughts.

Celia, understanding this, bit her lips tightly.

“Rest a bit, Leo. Chelsea, stay by Leo’s side.”

“Okay.”

Celia left the room with Abad.

Leo, Chelsea, and Anyas were left in the room.

“Leo-nii, actually…”

“Is the Elder Council involved in this incident?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

Surprise filled Chelsea’s face.

“But yes, you guessed right.”

“Because it was strange.”

Leo stared outside the window where the night had fallen.

“The Hero Slayer might target me. A guy like that would naturally covet my abilities.”

Leo’s eyes narrowed.

“He’ll surely use all sorts of tricks to lure me out. Abducting my mother and unsettling me is a strategy he’d probably plan extensively.”

Speaking coldly, Leo continued.

“But the incident happened in Payon.”

Leo had prepared for various contingencies in case anything happened to his parents.

Deid and Reina didn’t know, but the Flove family was under the protection of Dragon Lord Melina.

No one but a Legion Commander-class demon could harm the two people within the Flove family.

And Demon King wasn’t the type to harm Deid or Reina while expending the strength of a Legion Commander for no significant gain.

‘He knows I won’t be disturbed no matter what happens to father and mother.’

While his parents were precious to him,

Right now, as Leo hears that Reina was kidnapped,

He was angrier than ever.

He would definitely eliminate anyone involved in this,

But he didn’t let his anger consume him.

While maintaining his cool, Leo calmly assessed the situation.

Uncontrolled anger harms the one who feels it, but a calm anger harms the one who caused it.

‘He never does something where the losses outweigh the gains.’

Thinking about the Demon King, Leo clenched his fists.

During his stay in Zerdinger, Leo told Melina not to worry much about protecting the two since Payon was a safe place.

It was safe enough for the Zerdinger’s defenses to be breached.

‘There must be a collaborator within.’

“Indeed, there were suspicious movements among Zerdinger’s knights at the time. Though it’s hard to confirm betrayal solely based on that, it’s quite possible.”

And deducing that the possible collaborator was the Elder Council wasn’t difficult.

Of course, it’s just a hypothesis for now.

“Thinking we’re on the same side and relaxing was reckless of me.”

Leo let out a wry smile tinged with self-derision.

His crimson eyes flickered.

Seeing this, Anyas bowed her head.

“What should we do?”

“Elimination should only happen after clear evidence is obtained. Right now, saving mother is the priority.”

“Yes.”

“Gather the Shadow Lords in Payon.”

“Understood.”

Anya left.

“Ms. Anyas, you’re a shadow.”

Now realizing this, Chelsea whispered and hesitated while looking at Leo.

“Why?”

“Leo-nii… is it okay even though Reina-sama was kidnapped?”

Through Chelsea’s eyes, Leo seemed strangely calm.

Of course, when the news broke, his terrifying aura made Chelsea herself scared for an instance.

But it was just a fleeting moment.

Since then, Leo had remained stoic.

Chelsea and Celia had developed respect and admiration for Reina after hearing stories of her past.

Thus, hearing Reina’s plight made them feel like they were burning inside.

Abad was also anxious about Leo’s well-being and was visibly unsettled.

But Leo remained serene.

‘Is Leo-nii not considering Reina-sama as a mother?’

Leo is the Hero of Beginning, Kyle.

He’s older than Reina.

Yet, he was too calm.

Chelsea began to fear.

It felt like Leo was from a completely different world.

Chelsea chuckled bitterly at her question.

“Not okay. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“Something about losing has become… familiar to me.”

Leo looked down at his hands.

“Before I was called the Hero of Beginning, I was called the Hero of Survival.”

“The Hero of Survival?”

“Yes. In every battlefield, I was the sole survivor. Everyone else left before me.”

“…”

Chelsea held her breath.

Leo—the person she had admired.

She couldn’t help but admire him since the moment she first met him because he was the most heroic person she’d ever seen.

After learning Leo’s secrets from Aron, her admiration deepened.

His shining achievements were indeed impressive.

However, she had never deeply considered what he lost to achieve them.

‘Thinking Leo-nii carries an unbearable load was all I did.’

She wanted to be a source of strength for him and share his burden.

‘But I never truly considered how heavy his burden was.’

Has Leo ever treated someone—not as an adult—like his juniors from Lumaran?

As a future colleague he would face battles with.

As an ally who would protect the world.

Leo sincerely encountered the children who came across him, hoping they would become heroes.

‘How could such a Leo not value Reina-sama?’

Chelsea clenched her fists tightly.

‘I don’t understand Leo-nii well.’

She disliked herself for feeling distant after seeing a side of him she was unaware of.

“Chelsea.”

“…Yeah.”

While succumbing to anger and ruining things may be foolish, it’s undeniably a human trait.

“Don’t become like that.”

Leo’s words made Chelsea bite her lips tightly.

*

That night.

Arriving in Payon via the warp gate, Leo immediately headed to the crime scene.

The surrounding area was heavily guarded by Zerdinger knights.

“Master Leo.”

A knight from Zerdinger approached Leo.

“At the crime scene, there’s only Lord Plow. Despite us urging him repeatedly to come inside due to the cold, he’s not moving an inch.”

“…I’ll go alone.”

Saying this to Chelsea, Celia, and Abad, Leo entered the crime scene.

As he approached, Leo narrowed his eyes.

‘Mother resisted as much as possible.’

Even though Reyna couldn’t use mana anymore, she could still use her swordsmanship.

He noticed some destroyed objects around.

Then, upon seeing some scorched marks, Leo halted.

“…Zerdinger’s flames?”

Kneeling down, Leo inspected the burnt ground.

It carried an unfamiliar residual mana trace, yet it was oddly familiar.

“…Mother?”

After this thought, Leo straightened up.

He then headed to where Deid was.

“Father.”

“…Leo.”

Deid looked at Leo with unfocused eyes.

“Because of my incompetence… your mother…”

“…Not Father’s fault. Mine.”

“No… my fault… my fault…”

Deid mumbled, gripping his sword tightly.

“…I’ll definitely bring Mother back. So please take care of yourself, Father. If you fall too, I cannot predict how I’ll be.”

At this, Deid clenched his lips and nodded his head.

“I have to investigate more, so finish up and then I’ll follow.”

“…Alright.”

Deid nodded and slowly walked away.

“Father, did Mother have any wounds on her right chest?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“…I needed to confirm.”

Leo smirked bitterly.

“…Be careful not to overdo it.”

Dayd, looking worryingly at his son, left.

Whoosh.

Winter wind blew.

Being alone now, Leo spoke.

“There’s a task for you all.”

At that moment,

From the darkness, countless elves, beastmen, and dwarves appeared.

The Shadow Lords and the shadows they led.

“Speak, O Lord of Shadows.”

The Lord of the Northern Mage Tower,

No, the Northern Shadow Lord, Algren Begus, knelt down. The shadows all followed suit.

Leo slightly turned his head, looking at the castle far in the distance.

“Investigate the darkness of Zerdinger Castle. Find those involved in this incident.”

“Are you ordering us to find and eliminate them?”

To the question from the Southern Shadow Lord, Kirin, Leo casually replied.

“No.”

The crimson eye flickered.

“I’ll k*ll them.”