Chapter 114-114.5
– ‘Do you think this world is worth saving?’
– ‘What do you mean by that?’
– ‘Just what I said.’
Elci stared directly at Leo with an expressionless face.
– ‘Does this world have any reason to go on?’
– ‘Who knows.’
Kyle scratched his head.
– ‘I guess I’ll figure that out after I save it first.’
—
He recalled something from the distant past.
When Kyle first met Elci, the [Erebos Subjugation Force] had already become what people remember today.
After Lysinas pulled Kyle into what seemed like an impossible journey, Luna, Arron, and Dweno joined one after another, forming the party of “Great Heroes” known in the present.
It wasn’t long before they encountered Elci.
There were three members in the party with the talent of a summoner.
Kyle, Lysinas, and Luna.
But Luna didn’t have talent as a spirit mage.
Kyle could handle both contracted beasts and spirits, but he wasn’t as gifted as Lysinas.
So they all expected Elci to contract with Lysinas.
After all, Lysinas, being a black dragon, was surely the ideal partner for the shadow spirit, Elci.
But, against all expectations, Elci chose Kyle.
‘Even now, I never heard why she asked me that question before the contract, or why she chose me.’
Kyle and Elci’s contract didn’t last long.
Soon after, Elci perished in the battle with [Necroking Hell Kaiser].
“Black Rabbit! Why are you just standing there?”
Ar approached with a puzzled look.
“It’s nothing.”
‘I’ll have to talk to her in depth later.’
This wasn’t the right time for a conversation with Elci.
And in the timeline, Kyle meets Elci one year from now.
Besides, Leo isn’t Kyle.
The oldest-looking elf girl handed out bowls, and Leo and Ar took them.
“Could I get one more bowl?”
“Huh?”
“I think that man should eat too.”
“Okay!”
The elf girl smiled brightly and brought another bowl.
As Ar shared her portion, Leo added some of his to Agon’s bowl as well.
“Mister, you should eat too!”
Ar handed the bowl to Agon.
Agon looked between the bowl and Ar.
“What’s wrong?”
A little flustered, Ar watched as Agon gave a bitter smile.
“It’s nothing.”
Agon took the bowl and sat down on one side of the clearing. Leo and Ar sat in front of him.
“You’re outsiders, aren’t you?”
Ar paused for a moment at his words.
‘To be precise, we’re from the future.’
But there was no way to explain that honestly, so Ar nodded obediently.
“Yes.”
“In that case, you’d better leave this city quickly.”
“What?”
Ar’s eyes went wide at the sudden statement.
“I can tell you’re not just ordinary refugees. With that level of skill at your age, you’d be welcomed anywhere.”
Having seen through their abilities, Agon looked troubled.
“There are plenty of places outside this city that would value your skills.”
During the [Age of Calamity], people were desperate for talent and power.
They had no choice—strong fighters were essential to defend against Tartarus’s attacks.
“That’s not possible.”
“Why not?”
“I told you. Arron sent us here.”
As Leo spoke while eating his porridge, Ar’s ears and tail perked up.
“Right, you said Arron sent you here? Do you know where he is now?”
“Don’t you know where Arron is?”
“I don’t. That foolish disciple. I haven’t heard from him for half a year.”
Ar’s eyes grew wide at Agon’s words.
‘Disciple?’
For Ar, Agon’s words were shocking.
Only heroic achievements are recorded in the [Hero Record].
So almost nothing is known about the past lives of the [Great Heroes].
All the [Great Heroes] lived 5,000 years ago, and there are barely any records about their earlier days.
That’s why the revelation that Agon was Arron’s mentor was enough to send Ar’s heart racing.
It was a moment of discovering a new part of history never known before.
“Mister! You were Arron’s mentor?”
Ar asked with sparkling eyes, and Agon sighed deeply.
“Yes, I was that good-for-nothing’s teacher.”
“Do you realize how amazing Arron is!”
“What?”
Agon was caught off guard by Ar’s shining eyes.
“He’s noble, great, and brave—the one who raised such a hero can’t call himself a failure… you’re being too modest.”
Ar praised Arron with a bright smile. Agon looked dumbfounded, while Leo put his face in his hands.
“Miss, I think you’re mistaken.”
“Huh?”
“My disciple isn’t noble. He’s not great or brave, either.”
Ar’s mouth fell open.
“He was certainly strong for his age, but…”
Agon sighed.
“He’s a coward, unworthy of his strength. Arron left Reysar because he was afraid of fighting.”
Ar was stunned by the harsh reality.
“I-I get it! The Arron I know and your disciple must be two different people!”
Ar hurriedly pulled out a photo of Arron.
“Your disciple doesn’t look like this, does he?”
Agon looked at the photo and replied,
“No, that’s definitely my disciple.”
“Liar.”
“What?”
Ar stepped back.
“T-that can’t be. There’s no way! Arron! There’s no way he’s a coward!”
Wailing, Ar ran off.
Watching her go, Agon asked,
“What’s wrong with your friend?”
“She’s built up a fantasy about Arron.”
‘Well, I guess it’s natural for her to be shocked.’
For thousands of years, Arron had been the pride and symbol of the beastkin.
To the beastkin, Arron was a great [Hero] and a symbol of courage.
There’s even a tradition of praying to Arron before risking one’s life in battle.
To learn that such a person was a coward in real history must have been a tremendous shock for Ar, who dreamed of becoming a hero.
Besides, [Hero World] is actual history itself.
Knowing that, she fled, unable to accept reality.
“So she had a fantasy about Arron. That’s unusual.”
“She was saved—by your disciple.”
“What do you mean?”
“Not just her.”
Leo put down his bowl and looked straight at Agon.
“Of course, Arron was a coward. I know that better than anyone.”
He recalled his friend, trembling before battle.
“But he saved a lot of people when no one was looking. I’m one of the people he saved. So you can be proud of your disciple.”
Even if, from Agon’s point of view, it was a story from a distant future.
Arron saved the world.
“He… has grown that much in half a year?”
Agon was amazed.
A look of pride appeared on his face.
Even if he spoke harshly, to Agon, Arron was like a son.
He couldn’t help but feel proud to hear his son praised.
“I’d better go fetch her before leaving her alone.”
Leo got up to go after Ar.
A little ways away from the clearing, Ar was staring at the photo of Arron and mumbling.
“I can’t believe Arron was a coward. Something’s wrong here.”
“So what if Arron was a coward?”
“Wha—?”
Ar, startled like a frightened cat, jumped and shouted.
“You scared me!”
“No need to get so worked up.”
“Black Rabbit! Doesn’t it bother you that Arron was a coward?”
“Not at all. It happens.”
For a beastkin, being called a coward is an insult.
Especially for a deified [Hero], calling them a coward is almost an insult to the entire beastkin race.
Even if that’s the truth, most people would get angry if told something contrary to their beliefs.
But Ar’s reaction was different.
She looked deeply disappointed, as if she’d lost her way.
The always confident Ar suddenly seemed deflated.
“Is it really so shocking that Arron was a coward?”
“His story gave me courage.”
With her tail drooping, Ar looked at Arron’s photo.
She spoke in a strangely wistful tone.
“I was a terribly timid coward as a child.”
“That really doesn’t suit you.”
“Don’t ruin the mood when I’m being emotional!”
Ar glared at Leo, then drifted back into memory.
“I was a terribly timid coward as a child.”
‘Here we go again.’
Leo gave a wry smile as Ar started her emotional story over.
“My father always emphasized it to me.”
‘You must become the best! My daughter, Ar!’
“Every day was terribly hard.”
She briefly remembered the massive, muscular cat beastkin she’d only met a few times.
“I bet that guy was super strict.”
“I said, don’t ruin the mood!”
With her tail and ears bristling, Ar let out a deep sigh.
“I always wanted to give up. But every time I did, my father would tell me. He named me [Hero] after Arron.”
She was given the name of the greatest hero.
“Hearing that gave me courage for some reason. So I tried to become like Arron.”
So she wouldn’t be ashamed of her name.
“Noble, great, brave… I wanted to be like Arron—never shrinking from anything, always standing tall.”
The Arron she knew was the one from fairy tales.
Recalling the past, Ar’s tail wagged again.
“But to think Arron was a coward…”
Watching her tail droop again, Leo chuckled.
“That’s simple.”
“What do you mean, simple! It’s a complicated problem for a teenage girl!”
Ar shouted, and Leo replied,
“That coward saved the world.”
“…!”
“The fairy tales might be different. But is that really a reason to be disappointed?”
Leo spoke of the Arron he knew.
“That coward showed the most courage when everyone else was in despair. That’s why the gods called him [Hero].”
Leo smiled.
“Shouldn’t you respect him even more?”
Ar’s eyes widened as she looked at Arron’s photo.
The dignified figure in the picture was surely the image created for people of later generations.
But the fact that Arron was [Hero], the one who accomplished great feats, never changed.
Ar’s ears perked up, and her tail swayed gently.
“Hearing you say that, I think I like Arron even more!”
Ar shouted with a blush, and Leo clicked his tongue.
“Such a pushover.”
“I said, don’t ruin a girl’s feelings!”
Leaving the yelling Ar behind, Leo returned to the clearing.
The children were tidying up.
Seeing that, Leo’s expression darkened slightly.
‘Come to think of it, all these children die from the plague, don’t they?’
Leo remembered that this clearing was a huge graveyard.
When Kyle’s party arrived, all the children Agon cared for had already died from the plague.
Knowing history, Leo found it painful to look at this place.
Wearing a bitter expression, Leo suddenly felt something was off.
‘Wait. The plague?’
Judging by the timeline, Kyle, Lysinas, and Luna arrive in Reysar one month from now.
‘By the time we arrived in Reysar, everyone in this district except the [Guardian of the Azure Sky] had already died of the plague.’
Even with a powerful plague, it was strange for this many children to die within a month.
Thinking that far, Leo remembered something from the past.
– ‘Aren’t you going to persuade the [Guardian of the Azure Sky] any further?’
– ‘No. He’s already lost his will.’
– ‘But will can be restored. Wouldn’t it be a waste to leave someone like that behind?’
– ‘Luna, you’re right that lost will can be revived. But…’
Lysinas wore a dark expression.
– ‘A person filled with hatred can’t save the world. Let’s find someone else.’
After that, they met Arron, and Agon gave his blessing to the subjugation force.
Back then, Leo just let those words pass by.
‘Could it be, there’s something more going on?’
Just as Leo’s expression hardened,
“Well. What a filthy place, as always.”
An arrogant voice rang out.
Leo turned his head.
And when he saw the face there, he scowled.
Leo knew this person, too.
A man who, in the distant future, refused to help the subjugation force before their battle with Tartarus, only to join them later and parade himself as a hero, claiming credit.
The lord of Reysar,
‘Levaiathan .’
* * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * *
Chapter 114.5
(T/N: This missing chapter takes place between Chapters 114 and 115, so I’ve labeled it as Chapter 114.5. This helps maintain the original numbering without needing to adjust later chapters.)
“Who’s that?”
Ar looked puzzled as he watched Levaiathan arrive with a group of knights clad in extravagant armor.
“Someone important, probably.”
“Important?”
“Yeah, even in times like these, there are still ranks.”
“That makes sense! But Black Rabbit, you don’t look too happy.”
Leo couldn’t possibly feel positively about Levaiathan, knowing the kind of person he was.
Agon, too, showed open hostility toward the handsome young man.
The children, frightened, ran to the side of the clearing.
“Filthy things.”
Levaiathan sneered and approached Agon, bowing his head.
“It is an honor to meet you, Guardian of the Azure Sky, Sir Agon.”
Agon only looked at him coldly.
Unfazed by the reaction, Levaiathan spoke as if it didn’t matter.
“The Lord has long awaited the day you would present yourself at the central court. Even the departed gods would not permit a great hero like you to waste away in this accursed land during such difficult times.”
He raised his voice with conviction.
“Why not end your long seclusion and join the Hero Legion of Reysar?”
“I told you last time—if the Lord can promise the safety of these children, then I’ll consider it.”
“You still fail to grasp the simplest logic, I see.”
Putting on a sympathetic face, Levaiathan soon smiled gently.
“Very well. I shall report that the Guardian of the Azure Sky is not yet ready. However…”
Levaiathan grinned.
“I was ordered to retrieve the Sword that Devours Darkness, Shatten.”
Shatten.
A sword praised as one of the strongest during the Age of Calamity.
Leo tilted his head at Levaiathan’s words.
‘Agon had Shatten? Arron never mentioned anything like that.’
If Agon had truly possessed such a sword, he would have handed it over to Arron before their journey.
‘He said many times that Shatten broke during the battle ten years ago.’
“That’s a lie!”
“Are you refusing the Lord’s command for personal greed?”
The knights surrounding them raised their voices in response to Agon’s words.
Agon chuckled.
“Why would I lie? And even if I am lying, what will you do about it?”
His voice sank low.
The change caused not only Levaiathan but also the knights to flinch.
“Are you planning to do something to me?”
A murderous aura erupted from Agon’s body.
Levaiathan turned pale, and the knights recoiled.
The Hero Legion.
A force formed by the surviving cities to defend against Tartarus’s invasion.
But not all members of the Hero Legion were true heroes.
One thing hadn’t changed—past or present—the defining trait of a hero was their [deed].
Being called a hero wasn’t something one could claim themselves. Whether human or god, recognition by others was required.
The ones standing here, including Levaiathan, weren’t those kinds of people.
While real heroes laid their lives on the line to fight Tartarus, they clung to safety under the pretense of protecting cities and leeched off others’ achievements.
To Agon, who had fought on the front lines since before the Age of Calamity, they weren’t even worth sneering at.
“I-I understand. I’ll deliver your message to the Lord. W-we’ll take our leave now!”
Levaiathan and the knights hurriedly retreated.
Watching them leave, Agon let out a deep sigh.
“That was disgraceful.”
“Not really. I’m used to dealing with guys like that.”
Leo responded calmly.
“Cowards. But what did he mean by joining the Hero Legion?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. He wants me to join the army that’ll fight Erebos.”
Ar gulped.
Even in this era, the name Erebos evoked fear.
These days, one could even experience that terrifying presence firsthand.
Three thousand years ago, when a fragment of Erebos was resurrected, five heroes defeated it.
Humeron, Seimol, Azonia, Damienne, and Dragon Lord Granas.
Their [Hero Record] remained perfectly preserved deep within the land of dragons.
And their page was the only one among intact [Hero Records] that had yet to be conquered.
It was one of humanity’s great aspirations to conquer the Page of the Heroic Spirits.
Knowing this, Ar couldn’t help but swallow dryly.
Heart pounding, she spoke.
“You’re strong enough to be wanted by such a prestigious legion!”
“There’s not a soul who doesn’t know the Guardian of the Azure Sky.”
An elf girl who had been observing, Ria, spoke with a bitter smile.
“Guardian of the Azure Sky?”
“You don’t know about Uncle Agon?”
“O-of course I do! The G-Guardian of the Azure Sky, Sir Agon!”
Leo sighed deeply.
‘You’re so obvious.’
Not knowing the Guardian of the Azure Sky in this era was absurd.
In the world of heroes, one had to pay attention to everything.
Even small details like this could derail a conquest.
“Then wouldn’t joining the Hero Legion be a good thing?”
“I can’t do that.”
Ar looked startled by Agon’s response.
“What?”
“If I join the Hero Legion, who will take care of these children?”
“The orphans would naturally be taken in by the state…”
Agon sighed.
“Reysar won’t look after them. They’ll be abandoned.”
“Abandoned?!”
Ar flared up, and Agon replied calmly.
“The sacrifice of the few for the many. Isn’t that just expected in times like this?”
“Expected? How can someone call themselves a hero and think like that?!”
Ar was truly furious.
Agon stared at her, then said:
“How strange.”
“Huh?”
“You kids… were you really born during the Age of Calamity?”
Ar flinched.
“To cling to dreamlike ideals so detached from reality.”
Ar’s values clearly didn’t belong to this era.
Agon saw right through it.
‘W-What do I do! I lost my temper!’
While Ar panicked at how things had escalated—
“So what if they’re dreamlike ideals? If they’re right, then we should follow them. Isn’t that why you’re taking care of the kids, Sir Agon?”
Agon stared intently at Leo.
‘They only look fifteen or sixteen at most.’
Compared to Agon, who had fought for years, they were mere fledglings.
‘But this depth… what is it?’
He could sense a depth forged by trials greater than his own.
“What are your names?”
“I’m Ar! And this Black Rabbit is Kyle!”
“Kyle, huh… That must be hard. Sharing a name with the ‘Surviving Hero.'”
“Well, I’ve gotten used to it.”
Leo replied nonchalantly with a smile.
Ar, on the other hand, looked shocked.
“Surviving Her—wha?”
From a spot Agon couldn’t see, Leo yanked Ar’s wagging tail.
Any more careless talk could really mess up their conquest.
“What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing.”
Agon watched Leo speak calmly and said:
“You’re right. Even if it’s a dreamlike ideal, if it’s the right path, then it’s worth following.”
Agon looked somehow relieved.
“So, what brings you to Reysar?”
“To meet Arron.”
“Then stay here until he returns. That rascal hasn’t sent word in half a year… but this is his home. He’ll come back someday.”
“Thank you.”
Leo bowed, now having permission to stay.
“Alright, kids. Let’s finish cleaning up.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Agon’s words, the children happily resumed clearing the breakfast dishes.
“Tails are sensitive, you know! Why’d you grab it!”
“Because you were about to say something stupid without thinking.”
“And that gives you the right to grab a lady’s tail? I’ll get you for this!”
“Then grab mine if you want revenge.”
Leo shoved his tail toward her with a deadpan expression.
Ar, baffled, shouted with a reddened face.
“How am I supposed to grab that without embarrassment! More importantly, when are you going to let go?! Let go already!”
Ar yanked her tail out of Leo’s grip with a snap.
Just then—
[Conquest Objective: Meet Arron, who will return home in three days.]
‘So finding Agon really was the right move?’
Leo smiled faintly.
In truth, the objective of Arron’s page wasn’t that difficult.
‘The problem is that the person we need to find is Arron.’
Though Agon thought Arron had left Reysar six months ago, that wasn’t true.
‘He hasn’t taken a single step outside Reysar.’
Even the system’s allowed range for Leo and Ar only covered Reysar.
This was when Reysar’s government was drafting every able-bodied person aged eighteen and older for the Hero Legion.
And Arron was exactly eighteen at the time.
Fearing the battlefield, he had gone into hiding.
Even if there were many swords, Arron’s skill hadn’t diminished.
‘Even for me, finding someone who’s purposefully hiding isn’t easy.’
Only because Leo knew about Agon and Arron’s relationship was he able to progress. Anyone else wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Black Rabbit! Black Rabbit! The objective changed! We’ll see Sir Arron in three days!”
As Ar shouted excitedly—
[Conquest Objective (Hidden): Save Agon, Guardian of the Azure Sky.]
‘A hidden objective?’
Leo looked at Ar in surprise.
But Ar showed no reaction.
She was simply overjoyed at the thought of seeing Arron.
‘So Ar didn’t get the objective?’
“Black Rabbit! I’m gonna go ask Uncle Agon more about Sir Arron!”
Eager to satisfy her curiosity, Ar ran off to Agon.
Left alone in the clearing, Leo began to think.
‘Changing past events in the world of heroes qualifies as an overachievement.’
Overachievements grant greater rewards.
The problem was the content.
‘From what I saw, Agon’s spirit wasn’t broken. Helping him means making sure that resolve doesn’t falter.’
At first, Leo assumed otherwise.
Heroes with broken spirits were common in the Age of Calamity.
Even the Guardian of the Azure Sky losing hope against Erebos and Tartarus wasn’t unusual.
In fact, Leo had believed that Agon, having fought them for so long, had sunk even deeper into despair.
But before meeting Kyle and the others, Agon had been different.
He might’ve been weary, but he wasn’t defeated.
‘And one more thing I hadn’t known—Reysar’s government claims Agon possesses Shatten.’
The Sword that Devours Darkness.
A famed blade that had slain countless creatures of Tartarus.
If their claim was true, then it was no wonder Levaiathan wanted it.
‘But Shatten vanished three years ago, didn’t it?’
Just as Leo furrowed his brow, someone appeared in front of him.
‘Elci?’
The spirit of shadows from the past stared at Leo and smiled.
Her smile startled him.
‘Elci… is smiling like that?’
The Elci Leo remembered had always been a gloomy spirit.
“You know I’m not human, right?”
Elci asked bluntly, and Leo, after a moment of thought, nodded.
“Yeah, you’re a spirit.”
“As expected of a top-class spirit user. And an All-Class, no less.”
As a great spirit, Elci saw through Leo’s abilities with ease.
“You really are the Surviving Hero, Kyle.”
“I might not be, you know.”
“Don’t try to fool me. An All-Class who holds the [Jewel of Light]? There’s no one else like that except the Foolish One’s companion, Lysinas.”
Leo fiddled with the Jewel of Light he received from Luminous during the interdepartmental competition.
‘So this thing made Elci mistake me for Kyle?’
Leo chuckled at the strange feeling, and Elci continued.
“I heard a rumor. That Lysinas took Kyle, the Surviving Hero, and left Guardslone to subjugate Erebos. So I was thinking of going to find you.”
“Why?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Flipping her black hair confidently, Elci smiled brightly.
“To help save the world, of course!”