Chapter 632

632.

“Yeah. I got angry.”

“Got angry…?”

Leo mulled over Chelsea’s words.

What Leo had manifested through Nightmare back then was indeed Lissinas’s illusion.

But…

‘The illusion they saw through Nightmare wasn’t the one I know of Lissinas.’

What they had encountered was likely their own imagined version of Lissinas.

As one song ended,

Leo and Chelsea returned to their original spots.

Other young noblewomen of their age subtly looked at Leo.

However, such gazes were soon drawn away by Chelsea’s twin braids.

After sitting down, Leo silently looked down at his palm.

Since awakening to Spirit Magic, Lissinas’ mana occasionally showed a clear will.

Historically, Lissinas was the strongest summoner, and also one of the most powerful Spirit Magic users.

“You there, deceptive lizard. Are you really dwelling within the mana that I inherited from you?”

There was no answer.

Raising his head, Leo silently gazed at the grand and lavish party.

After observing this for a while, Leo stood up.

“Huh? Big brother Leo?”

With wide eyes, Chelsea followed Leo, who had gone out to the empty terrace.

Leaning on the railing, Leo was soon joined by Chelsea, who leaned close to him and glanced up.

From high up in the royal party hall,

they could see the flourishing capital of Rodren far in the distance.

Looking at it, Leo gave a bitter smile.

“Sometimes I feel it, but the world has improved greatly.”

“Huh?”

“Well… it has been 5000 years.”

“Peace made possible by the Great Heroes.”

Chelsea smiled faintly and spoke.

“What do you think when Big Brother Leo looks at the current era?”

“I feel like this is a world that those guys would probably like more than me.”

“…”

“Sometimes, I also think it would have been good if they could have been revived together. Well, sometimes.”

Leo chuckled faintly as he looked into the distance at the party.

When Aron emerged from the Hero’s World,

and when Luna revealed herself as a spirit to the world,

Leo wanted to help them live as normally as possible.

More than anything, he well understood that these friends deserved this peace more than anyone else.

It felt far too precious to enjoy it on his own.

Of course, Leo didn’t feel guilty or sorry towards his fallen comrades.

‘After all we’ve been through together, I figure I have as much right to this as anyone.’

Still,

‘Sometimes it does feel lonely.’

Friends who were like family.

‘If we could have shared these moments together, there would have been so much more laughter and commotion.’

Long ago,

as Leo thought of these past memories, he let out a bitter smile.

Thud-thud.

Chelsea placed her hand on Leo’s head and gently stroked it.

“What does this mean?”

“Huh? Is this my condolence for Big Brother Leo who looks troubled?”

“Isn’t that a childish way?”

“Well, I am a kid. Don’t you think Big Brother Leo acts like a kid too on the outside? Though, we could always use an adult way to console you?”

Looking at Chelsea’s wide eyes, Leo had a sullen expression on his face.

“Do you even know what you’re saying?”

“Hem! I know everything I should at my age.”

“You’re being cheeky for a kid.”

“Wow!”

As Chelsea struggled, Leo grabbed her nose.

Shaking Chelsea around while holding her nose, Leo let go with a smirk.

“You don’t have time to indulge in the past with how fortunate you are. Besides, it’s not too late to think about all that after finishing everything.”

The blushing Chelsea rubbed her nose and said.

“Feeling a little better?”

“Thanks to you.”

Looking at the moon, Leo spoke.

“Third year will be tough. Be prepared.”

“Yeah.”

“The intensity of our training will also increase.”

“Eek?!”

Chelsea flinched.

“Seeing you surprised, are you worried?”

“Will we get any stronger?”

“Sure. I’ve been going easy on you because you’re still young, but…”

Leo smiled.

“Since you talk big now, it feels appropriate to graduate from treating you as a kid.”

“Aw~ But I’m still young!”

“Not cute.”

“Che! Though it still works for Dad.”

Giving a slightly affected voice in an attempt to act cute, Chelsea stuck her tongue out.

Looking at her, Leo said,

“Guess it’s time to graduate from babysitting kids.”

*

After the party ended and Leo returned to Zerdinger’s mansion, he reclined on the sofa in his room with his arms crossed.

By Leo’s side stood Dragon Lord, Melina.

Sometime later, a door appeared in the air and opened with a whoosh.

Turning his head, Leo sighed deeply.

There, beyond the door, Rian was bowing deeply towards Leo.

“A humble being greets the most noble, respectable, and pure Hero of Beginning in this world.”

After saying that, Rian crawled towards Leo, his head bowed all the way from the door.

“Are you a cockroach?”

An insult of calling even a divine being a cockroach was thrown.

Of course, neither the one making the insult nor the one hearing it paid any attention.

In fact, this crazy god rejoiced at Leo’s words.

“Ah! Big Brother Leo sees me as a being on par with a cockroach! What an honor!”

The one struggling the most here was the Dragon Lord, standing between the Great Hero and a god.

‘What exactly is he…’

The sight of Rian genuinely rejoicing was something Melina could never adjust to.

Melina, who has met Rian a few times with Leo already,

felt overwhelmed each time by the mad behavior of the god standing before her.

In Melina’s comprehension, a god was such an abnormal being.

‘How can Lord Leo act so normal despite witnessing such a sight?’

As a Dragon Lord, she has seen many types of people.

Yet, she would confidently say that none were as bizarre as Rian.

It wasn’t simply because Rian was a god.

To Melina, whenever Rian was connected to Leo, Rian was completely off his rocker.

However, in Rian’s absence of Leo, he was a transcendent absolute being, nothing less.

The coexistence of these two irreconcilable personas was terrifying from Melina’s perspective.

Even now, as Rian rejoices being called a cockroach, Melina felt an indescribable terror.

While Rian continued to bow and crawl towards him, Leo clenched his teeth.

“Get up and come here already.”

“That is impossible! How could a lowly being like me dare look up to the great Hero of Beginning!”

“Getting irritated, so just come quickly!”

“Huh! I have made Lord Leo irritable! What disrespect!”

Rian gasped and rushed over to Leo.

He then began beating his own head against the floor muttering, “Ah! I am not even worthy of being a cockroach!”

At this, Melina unknowingly flinched and hid behind Leo.

‘There you go. It’s scary when you consider how much you know.’

There was none other than Dragon Lord Melina herself.

To her understanding of the transcendent power wielded by Rian, the sight of such power being displayed chaotically only increased her fear.

Of course, as Leo was accustomed to divine beings to the point of familiarity, he had already reached a level where he accepted even such appearances.

Leo’s values in dealing with gods of this era and the people were fundamentally different.

As Rian stopped moving, he pulled out a small box from his robes.

“Lord Leo! Though humble, please accept my tribute!”

“What is this?”

“A crown carved out of the most beautiful gemstones I possess!”

Rian’s eyes twinkled.

“Isn’t it time Lord Leo ascends to the throne of the world’s king?”

“What? I’m just supposed to become king of a small country.”

“Not at all! This world belongs entirely to Lord Leo! To become a king means to become the king of the world! It implies Lord Leo will become the absolute ruler of the world!”

At Rian’s continued exaggerations, Leo sighed, opened the box.

A crown was made out of gemstones, atop which were intricately carved figures of Kyle and Leo.

It was less of a crown and more like a piece of sculpture designed to be worn on the head.

“What do you think? Isn’t this a crown befitting the king of the world…”

Clang! Crack!

“Aaaaaaaaah! My masterpiece!”

As the unceremoniously thrown crown shattered, Rian’s cries echoed as if he had lost the entire world.

Seeing this, Melina quickly approached him.

“Uh, uh, are you alright?”

“So, shall we get to the point?”

“Yes.”

At Leo’s words, Rian abruptly stood straight in front of Leo as if nothing had happened.

Melina, meanwhile, looked exasperated.

It was impossible to adapt to the chaos of the god standing in front of her.

Taking a deep breath, Melina stood beside Leo.

“What would you like to know about the Hero Record?”

At Rian’s question, Leo responded,

“I learned about something called the Legion’s Record during the process of dealing with the Hero Slayer.”

At this, not only Melina’s face but even Rian’s stiffened.

“The Legion’s Record?”

“Yes. Similar to the Hero’s World, I also entered a place called the Legion’s World.”

Leo told Rian about his experiences.

After listening, upon adopting a serious expression, Rian was asked by Leo,

“Lastly, some of the traitors looked like they had turned into monsters. So, does that monster, Erebus, know about the Record system?”

At this, Rian nodded his head.

“Yes. That abomination possesses knowledge of the Record System.”

“Got it? Could that abomination possess the strength to realize a Record system similar to the Hero Record?”

“No. That monster is indeed an enemy to us gods. However, that doesn’t mean it can conjure up the Record system crafted by the collective strength of all gods. Even if its power has grown from incinerating this world, creating a system akin to the Hero Record is impossible.”

At this remark, Melina carefully asked.

“Does that mean… Erebus has transformed the Hero Record into the Legion’s Record?”

“That’s right, Dragon Lord.”

Rian’s displeased expression deepened.

“With the power of that abomination… there’s a possibility.”

The Hero Record, a manifestation of the gods’ wishes.

Not only was it desecrated, but the fact that their sworn enemy was utilizing it filled Rian with an innate rage.

“Most likely, the Demon King, a creation of that abomination, must have created the Legion’s Record.”

Said Rian with a blank face.

“Since that creation possesses a piece of that abomination.”

Upon hearing Rian’s statement, Leo gave a nod.

He had suspected this.

Still, hearing it confirmed by Rian, a manager of the Hero Record who had also assisted in its creation, carried a different weight.

“Would it be possible to change the pages of other Hero Records into Legion Records?”

“It might be possible. But I don’t think such a thing will happen.”

“Why?”

“Even with the abomination’s immense power, altering the Hero Records, which are the quintessence of the gods’ strength, would drain an enormous amount of power.”

“Hmm.”

“Moreover, the demons of the Heroic Era wouldn’t be of much help to Tartarus now.”

Rian bowed deeply towards Leo.

“They couldn’t even triumph over the Great Heroes during their prime in the Era of Catastrophe. The Demon King surely knows that the power of the demons born in the Heroic Era is useless against you.”

“That’s right.”

The current Legion doesn’t possess the power of the previous Legion.

For that reason, what they need to inherit now is the power of their prime.

“Since numerous Hero Records of the Great Heroes have been destroyed, the number of Legion Records they can create is likely limited.”

Still, even that was a massive threat.

“Melina, prepare an announcement through the name of the Dragon Lord about the truth of the Legion Records. Also, conduct research on methods to counter it.”

“Yes.”

Melina bowed her head and teleported back to Dragonia.

Watching her go, Leo sighed and rested his chin on his hand.

“Looks like things will get busier from now on.”

“Indeed. Especially since you’ll soon be crowned the world’s king.”

“Another world dominator speech?”

“There is a wish involved, but… the king I speak of now isn’t of that sort.”

Rian smiled faintly.

“Do you remember that previous talk? About the King recognized by the gods as the world’s king, the King of Wisdom being the only one.”

“…”

“It’s finally beginning. The first step of the world’s will coming under you. No god will object. To the fact that you have become the second king of this world.”

Rian bowed deeply.

“Truly, a new era is about to begin.”