Chapter 117
[Quest Objective (Hidden): Rescue Agon, Guardian of the Azure Sky.]
Leo narrowed his eyes as he looked at the quest objective that hadn’t disappeared.
‘The quest objective still hasn’t been fulfilled.’
The course of events must have already changed greatly from actual history.
Yet the hidden quest objective hadn’t disappeared. That meant the orphanage was still not safe.
Leo used [Fire Magic] to reduce the corpses to ashes.
Fwoosh—!
‘Does this mean if things continue as they are, the result will be the same?’
The original quest objective had been easy to complete thanks to Kyle’s memories, but achieving the hidden objective was not so simple.
‘Do I have to bring Agon here?’
All of this happened because Agon was away from the orphanage.
‘But right now, Agon is at the lord’s castle.’
He might not return tonight.
Leo, frowning, looked at The Shadow Spirit, Elci.
‘Or maybe, even if Agon were here, it might not be enough.’
The hidden quest objective had appeared ever since Leo met The Shadow Spirit, Elci.
In other words, even though The Shadow Spirit, Elci hadn’t left Guardslone, the children of the orphanage still hadn’t escaped death.
A death even a [Great Spirit] couldn’t stop.
Leo didn’t know what Levaiathan was hiding, but for now, bringing Agon back wouldn’t guarantee the children’s survival.
‘The only one who could truly resolve this is that guy.’
Thinking of his friend, Leo headed to where Ar was.
There, Ar was comforting the frightened orphans.
“You’re here?”
Ar, who had been thinking of Leo just before, hesitated.
She already knew what Leo had done to them.
Of course, she had no intention of blaming him.
They didn’t deserve sympathy.
They had tried to kill innocent children, and if they’d been let go, they would have attacked again.
Besides, this was the [Hero’s World].
No matter how real it felt, they were fakes.
But to Ar, a fifteen-year-old girl, the act of getting blood on her hands was still a huge burden.
She worried about the fact that Leo had killed people.
“Black Rabbit. Are you okay?”
Leo tousled Ar’s hair as he smiled faintly at her cautious question.
“You don’t have to worry about me.”
His rough hand, unlike a typical boy’s, lightly pressed on Ar’s neck.
‘He feels like an adult.’
Feeling a strange maturity, Ar slipped away from Leo’s touch like a cat.
“But this isn’t the end, is it?”
“Probably not.”
“It’s fine! As long as Black Rabbit and I hold out until Uncle Agon comes back!”
“It won’t be that easy.”
Ar flinched at Leo’s words.
“Stronger ones will come than the ones we just took down.”
“Umm! But if Black Rabbit and I work together…!”
“Maybe if it was just about defeating them, but it’s not easy to protect the children while holding out.”
“Th-that’s…”
Ar’s ears and tail drooped.
Leo spoke as he saw that.
“But it’s not like there’s no way.”
“What is it?”
Her tail perked up.
“We have to find Arron.”
“Arron? But Agon said Arron left Reysar…”
“Arron is still in Reysar.”
Leo looked toward the city walls.
“I checked last night—they couldn’t get out past the city walls.”
“You couldn’t leave the city? Then that means our area of activity is limited to inside Reysar?”
“That’s right.”
“Then like you said, it’s certain that Arron is still in Reysar!”
Ar’s face brightened.
But only for a moment.
“But how are we supposed to find Arron in this huge city? Those guys could attack any moment.”
It was almost impossible to find a single beastkin in this vast refugee city.
Leo glanced at the orphans.
‘I’ve already cleared the [Hero’s World].’
The hidden quest objective is, just as it says, optional.
There’s no need to complete it.
Of course, clearing it would earn a greater reward.
But risking it for that might be a foolish move.
Especially since those in the [Hero’s World] are people who, in the original history, already died and disappeared.
Saving them won’t bring back the dead.
But…
He remembered his friend crying as he spoke of his orphanage siblings.
If the man named Agon was the one who made the hero Arron who he is now—
These children were the source of the courage that let Arron keep fighting.
Arron’s wish to create a world where everyone could smile was born from the hope that children like his siblings wouldn’t suffer unhappiness.
That’s why Leo couldn’t turn his back on these kids.
‘It’s not just these children.’
No matter what anyone said, Leo had lived through this era.
He couldn’t say it had nothing to do with him.
“Ar.”
“Hm?”
“We’ve already cleared the quest. So there’s no need for us to take any more risks.”
Ar’s eyes widened at Leo’s words.
She stared at him, then snorted.
“Hmph! You say that, but you’re not going to back out, are you? Planning to act cool all by yourself? I know you!”
“It could be really dangerous.”
“Do you think I’m scared of that? I dreamed of becoming a hero because I admired Arron’s story.”
Ar straightened her chest proudly.
“Someone like me isn’t going to run away like a coward. Besides!”
“Besides?”
“If you do everything yourself, Arron will only like you!”
Ar’s expression was determined.
“I’m going to do my best too! I’ll work hard so Arron will praise me and pat my head!”
Maybe she was imagining Arron praising her, as Ar squirmed and twisted.
Then, catching Leo’s dumbfounded look, she cleared her throat.
“Anyway! So you have a way to find Arron?”
“Yeah.”
“Then go find them! I’ll protect this place until you get back!”
Leo had originally planned to evacuate Ar and ask The Shadow Spirit, Elci to protect this place, but let out a wry laugh.
‘If that guy had even half your courage, I wouldn’t have gone through all that hell.’
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Just talking to myself.”
Shaking his head, Leo spoke seriously.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. If things get dangerous, don’t push it—just retreat.”
“Don’t worry!”
Leo dashed away as Ar confidently flexed her arm.
Watching his back, Ar raised both hands.
“Alright! I’m going to do my best and get lots of praise from Arron! Let’s go!”
—
“Still no word from Jerin?”
The lord’s castle of Reysar.
It had already been an hour since Agon met Lord Rodean.
And still, there was no word from Jerin, who had been sent to the orphanage.
“Not yet.”
“Useless! Did something happen?”
“Weren’t there only helpless kids at the orphanage?”
“When I checked earlier, there were two outsiders there. It seems they were defeated by them.”
“Outsiders, huh.”
A woman who showed some interest soon returned to a bored look.
“So? Are you going to let this golden opportunity to get Shatten slip away?”
“Of course not. Now that Agon knows the orphanage was targeted, he won’t stand by.”
Levaiathan’s expression flickered with anxiety as she spoke.
“But are you really sure Agon is hiding Shatten?”
“I’m sure. Have I ever lied? Or are you just getting nervous now?”
“N-no, it’s just… the opponent is…”
“I don’t get why you’re so scared of a hero who’s lost his wings and gone into hiding.”
The woman who was sneering soon spoke flatly.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re afraid. As long as the Guardian of the Azure Sky is a hero, he can’t do anything. That’s what heroes are.”
Her ominous golden eyes gleamed.
“A foolish breed who will uphold the greater good, even at the cost of their own lives. He’ll never put Reysar at risk. So relax, Levaiathan.”
“Y-yes. Then I’ll go to the orphanage myself and retrieve Shatten.”
As Levaiathan hurried out, the woman muttered to herself.
“So Shatten really is broken, huh. That makes it easier to eat.”
She had seen through exactly what Shatten was—a spirit.
She licked her lips.
“I wonder if a [Great Spirit] tastes as good as a fairy king?”
—
Once on the streets of Reysar, Leo immediately considered where Arron might go.
‘If it’s him, he’ll be holed up somewhere and won’t budge.’
Leo recalled conversations from the past.
Reysar was where Arron had lived for ten years.
There would be plenty of places that held memories where he could gather himself.
Leo dug through the memories of his previous life.
Five thousand years ago, after first arriving in Reysar, he’d wandered around for a month and gotten to know the city well.
He compared those memories with the places Arron had talked about.
‘The place he went to most was the bell tower, right?’
Leo ran toward the huge tower with the bell.
It was the place where the giant bell would ring out as a warning during Tartarus’s invasions.
At the top of the tower, Leo searched for Arron, but didn’t see him.
Realizing Arron wasn’t there, Leo immediately went to the next place.
The park he frequented.
The back alley where he used to train alone.
Leo searched every place Arron had mentioned, but couldn’t find him anywhere.
“Huff. Huff.”
Leo panted heavily.
Even Leo, who rarely ran out of stamina, was out of breath from running all over the place.
‘I can’t think of anywhere else.’
Leo clenched his teeth.
He recalled more old conversations.
– ‘Arron, even though you’re so strong, did you never think of fighting Tartarus while you lived in Reysar?’
– ‘I was afraid of the demons.’
– ‘Shouldn’t the demons have been afraid of you?’
Luna’s curious comment was met with Dweno’s response.
– ‘Don’t be so harsh. Arron’s not as tough as you are.’
– ‘What? I’m sensitive too!’
– ‘The only sensitive thing about you is your pretty face. Though even that loses its shine next to your personality.’
– ‘Dieeee!’
An angry Luna swung her staff wildly.
But Dweno, as always, blocked every attack with ease.
The group just let the two of them fight as if they were used to it.
– ‘But haven’t you ever wanted to fight?’
When Lysinas asked, Arron smiled awkwardly.
– ‘I have. One day, I tried to muster up the courage from a place where I could see all of Reysar.’
– ‘Didn’t you hate heights? Why did you go to such a place?’
– ‘Because I wanted to protect the city where my master and my siblings lived. I thought if I could look out over the place I wanted to protect, I might feel brave.’
Arron made a bitter face.
– ‘I was too much of a coward, and by the time I found my courage, my siblings were already gone.’
Leo’s gaze naturally turned to the tallest spire in Reysar.
If there was anywhere you could see the whole city, it would be there.
—
Inside the spire, Leo ran up the stairs and quickly reached the top floor.
Creak—!
The door, which should have been locked, was open as if there’d been a visitor.
Step—
Leo moved forward, catching his breath.
The large spire was round.
Step—step—
Walking along the curved railing toward the opposite side from the entrance, Leo stopped.
Tap—
He saw white wolf ears twitching as Arron leaned on the railing, looking out over the city.
Then, as if startled, Arron turned to look at Leo.
“Who’s there?”
He still looked young and nervous.
‘He was eighteen at this time, wasn’t he?’
The only one of the great heroes actually born in the Age of Calamity.
Ridiculously timid, but possessing unbelievable courage.
Looking at the comrade he had fought beside for so many years, Leo felt his throat tighten.
He never thought he’d have another chance to talk with this friend.
Even if it was just the [Hero’s World].
Even if his friend didn’t recognize him.
Grateful for this moment, Leo spoke.
“I came to get you, Arron.”