Chapter 617

617.

[How surprising. I never expected to be found so quickly, did I?]

“I’ll come to where you are soon, so just wait while cleaning your neck.”

[Hehehe. Waiting slowly can be enjoyable in its own way, but I’m afraid it might get a little boring. So, let me invite you.]

“Invite?”

[Yes. I’ll let you know where I am now.]

“Where?”

[Ho? You don’t have any doubts at all, Dani?]

“Anyway, what you want is my ability, isn’t it?”

[Already knowing who I am? The senile old man Zerdinger? Or those detestable shadows?]

“Location?”

The response from the Hero Slayer hinting at interest didn’t make Leo feel like continuing this conversation any further, and he proceeded directly to the main point.

[Hehe. Hehehe! I want to have a long, slow conversation with you.]

The Hero Slayer smiled with amusement as he said this.

[Flov Family’s territory. I am here. Wait for me.]

With that, the communication was cut off.

Leo’s crimson eyes clearly emitted a sharp killing intent.

Gooouuuuu!

Even the Shadow Lords…

And Legas, the hero of the previous generation and the greatest knight of Rodren…

were overwhelmed by the killing intent emanating from Leo.

The killing intent, which flickered like flames, soon subsided.

“It’s a trap.”

“I know.”

At Algren, the Shadow Lord of the North’s comment, Leo casually remarked:

“It’s a trap we cannot avoid.”

“…”

The Hero Slayer had not only taken Reina hostage but also all the inhabitants of the Flove Family’s territory. That was why he had revealed his location.

‘An act of war.’

Leo sneered grimly.

It meant that the moment he, fully prepared, came to hunt him, he would wait.

“Lord Leo, is it truly wise to bring the Shadows with us…?”

Anya’s words were met with a shake of the head from Algren.

“No. The fiend knows about our existence. Mentioning us was, no doubt, a form of provocation. If we bring along Shadows, the fiend will use it as a reason to massacre the Flove Territory’s residents.”

“Then are you saying Lord Leo should go alone to the Flove Territory? That’s absurd!”

Anya, unable to tolerate it, was told by Kiri, the Shadow Lord of the South:

“Lord Leo, decide…”

“Certainly, he never explicitly said to come alone.”

Leo, looking at the communications crystal in his hand, said so.

“But as the Northern Tower Lord said, if the Shadows move, who knows what he might do. The Shadows are those who hunted him, after all.”

Leo continued.

“The thing the fiend fears the most are the Shadows.”

The Hero Slayer differs from ordinary Hero Hunters who hunt heroes.

They never had the chance to become heroes from the start, as they were traitors.

‘Even if the gods were terrible, they wouldn’t choose such people as heroes, would they?’

And all Hero Hunters hunt heroes due to external factors.

Whether they were raised that way since birth,

Or were forced into the path of a Hero Hunter due to betrayal,

Later, they might go mad or distort willingly, but the origin still lies in external factors.

‘Even if they turn their backs on the world, they will eventually chase after the light.’

But the Hero Slayer is different.

He willingly turned his back on the light.

Merely for his own desires.

Whatever that might be, the fundamentals of the Hero Slayer remain rooted in a hero.

That’s why, despite massacring countless heroes, he was defeated by the Shadows.

‘He probably knows a lot about heroes. That’s why he could massacre them. But not the Shadows.’

A kind of natural enemy.

‘That’s why he is wary of the Shadows.’

Detecting the movements of Shadows, who sneak through the dark, is tricky.

Capturing the Flove Territory as hostages was likely for that reason.

It was to say that if there was any sign of the Shadows, he would massacre the residents immediately.

‘The fiend probably thinks that if things don’t work out, he can just escape.’

And if they gather a large force, he will simply flee. He won’t engage in an unfavorable battle.

‘Then there’s no reason for him to set such a trap.’

“With a small number of people, it should be possible.”

At those words, Legas spoke:

“Send some of Zerdinger’s heroes.”

“No. If he senses the balance tipping, that fiend will escape.”

“…”

“If a group of hero candidates go, it should be possible.”

Legas and the Shadow Lords understood that Leo planned to go with Risk’s group and his friends.

“But isn’t it dangerous for Chelsea, Celia, and Arwa?”

At these words from Legas, Leo responded:

“Yes, it is dangerous. But those kids will be fine. Moreover, I want them to know.”

“Know what?”

“The evil in humans.”

“…”

Legas fell silent at Leo’s words.

Chelsea, Celia, and Abad will grow even more in the future.

Legas thought,

‘The current hero candidates will surpass not only me but even my children. This is the age where such things happen.’

When the Hero’s World was discovered…

The world rapidly gained strength.

3000 years ago, during the Rebirth of Catastrophe,

the scales had practically tipped towards Tartarus.

Though pieces of Erebus were sealed, countless legions led by the Heroes of the Cataclysm annihilated numerous Legion Commanders, and the world suffered massive damage as well.

To fulfill their duties, the Heroes of the Cataclysm were sealed in the Hero’s World alongside Erebus.

And while many Heroes perished in the Catastrophe, the world that they had rebuilt for several millennia again faced turmoil.

Contrastingly, during this period, three Legion Commanders who had survived from the Era of Catastrophe were still active within Tartarus.

Upon the historical turning point following the end of the Era of Catastrophe,

The world, perhaps deciding its own fate,

managed to obtain the newfound possibility of “the Hero’s World” and barely maintained balance with Tartarus.

Historians say,

3000 years ago,

After the Rebirth of Catastrophe came the true Era of Heroes.

It was the birth of a new type of hero who inherited the strength of the prior generation.

And now is precisely such an era.

Not only do heroes inherit the strength of the past generation,

but even progenitors of heroes known as Great Heroes are reappearing on the world stage.

Gods thought lost in the Era of Catastrophe have re-emerged,

and secrets about the world, thus far unknown, are spreading globally.

Heroes who once had their names recklessly bestowed upon them are losing their qualifications.

Even Shadows, who have been discriminated against in the history’s shadow, are now having their names recorded in the Hero Record.

‘The historical turning point, gambled upon the world’s fate.’

The Hero Candidates, in an era like this,

will surpass the traditional heroes.

With great power comes great responsibility.

The current hero candidates will endure even more threats.

‘Among those will certainly be attempts to crush their potential before they fully bloom.’

Soon…

‘No, maybe starting from the 3rd year. Celia might come under attack from the eyes of Hero Hunters.’

The battle with Tartarus is different from the battle with Hero Hunters.

Fundamentally, coexistence with Tartarus is impossible.

But the treacherous Hero Hunters are different.

‘After all, they walk the same path we do. In a way, they are more dangerous than Tartarus.’

Understanding each other allows for more malicious behavior.

That’s why heroes get hunted by Hero Hunters.

Leo wanted to expose them to such malice.

He was setting a foundation for their further growth.

‘With Reina as a hostage… the entire settlement in peril… Is he seeing into the future?’

Legas silently gazed at Leo.

‘Is he confident he can rescue both Reina and the settlement?’

But Leo’s eyes revealed something else.

Through countless battles, the seasoned warrior Legas observed Leo’s demeanor and murmured.

‘That’s familiar.’

He was accustomed to loss.

What exactly had he lost throughout the ages?

How could this youth, who is not old in years, have experienced such loss?

And also…

‘Even after that, he’s refusing to give up.’

There’s no trace of a hero candidate in Leo’s appearance.

What remains is the emptiness of someone who endlessly fought on battlefields, worn thin to the bone.

Legas, as a knight leading Zerdinger, and as an elder warrior who spent decades on the battlefield, could sense this emptiness.

‘Losing means, at some point, acknowledging and making peace with it.’

You let go partially.

Otherwise, it becomes more torturous.

But there’s no such sign in Leo.

Even though he knows what it means to lose, he shows no sign of giving up.

‘Hero.’

The true image of a hero that Legas has envisioned for a long time.

Breaking his silence, Legas spoke.

“I’m sorry, Leo.”

“What for?”

“You carried a heavy burden because I became complacent.”

“Surely even grandfather couldn’t have imagined someone in a vital position of the family doing such a thing.”

Eggerson had meticulously hidden his desires all his life.

It wasn’t just a lucky timing they stumbled upon evidence.

He couldn’t have imagined someone who fought countless battles under the name of kinship committing treachery for foolish desires.

“I was equally complacent. And… I don’t think of it as a burden. It’s someone precious that I must protect.”

Leo smiled.

“So, don’t worry. I’ll definitely bring Mother back.”

“…I leave it in your hands.”

*

While preparing to head to the Flove Family’s territory, Leo silently observed the scene unfolding before him.

-Mistress Elshi, here’s a tea brewed with herbs collected using morning dew from the purest air in the world.

-Oh, what a wonderful aroma.

-Mistress Elshi! These are fruits plucked from the deepest forest in the world.

-How precious.

The superior fire spirits, who followed the Purifying Spirit, were treating Elshi with rare delicacies.

Having returned to her usual hand-sized form, Elshi looked at the teacup and fruits proportional to her size and wore a perplexed expression.

On her side, only Fiora and Kiran were excited.

Initially, the superior fire spirits had lit a fuse when these two troublemakers, a phoenix and a fairy, targeted the refreshments, but Kiran’s words calmed them.

-We are Mistress Elshi’s immediate aides.

Peep.

The two shamelessly lying drew an awkward expression from Arti.

“Miss Fiora always had a strong appetite, but lately, Mr. Kiran’s cravings have been no joke. I wonder if both of them will put on weight like that.”

In fact, Fiora once turned into an obese phoenix.

-On no! These are all precious things to me! You unfaithful ones! How dare you betray me!

On the other hand,

Ista, confined in a dark prison, clutched the iron bars and screamed.

The superior fire spirits completely ignored him.

“Knowing how strict the elemental spirits’ hierarchy is is one thing, but this might be too much.”

At Leo’s words, Rael exhaled a light sigh.

“Even lower spirits have emotions, so it seems they must have been quite tormented by the Purifying Spirit. What do you plan to do with Ista?”

“Prioritizing the elimination of the Hero Slayer is more urgent. Let’s go.”

At that, Elshi unfurled her shadows.

The superior fire spirits entered them, and Ista, who was suppressed by Elshi, was dragged in with them.

As Leo opened the door, Chelsea, Celia, and Abad stood there with tense expressions.

Behind them were Ris, Ulta, and Jamua, who had already been briefed on the situation.

“Shall we go?”

To Ris’s question, Leo nodded.

“Let’s go.”

Thud— Thud—

As Leo walked ahead, the Hero Candidates followed behind.