Chapter 174
The Forbidden Library.
A place where countless forbidden books lie dormant, a place not even most professors, let alone ordinary students, are allowed to enter.
The contents of those forbidden books varied widely.
Records of the world that people must never know, dangerous forbidden magic and aura skills, even summoning techniques.
It was, quite literally, a trove of knowledge unknown to the world.
That’s why, even for Elena, the acting director, it took a long time to secure permission for Leo to enter the Forbidden Library.
With Elena, Leo ascended to the top floor of the Grand Library.
Leo hesitated in front of the entrance to the Forbidden Library, where regular students were forbidden to go.
The one waiting at the entrance was none other than the vice principal, Lieven.
“Hello, Vice Principal.”
Elena smiled as she greeted him.
Neither students nor professors knew Lieven’s true identity.
But as the Zeron heir and acting director, Elena knew he was a dragon.
“It’s been a while, Elena Zeron.”
As always, Lieven addressed Elena in a flat, emotionless manner.
Elena, accustomed to Lieven’s attitude, simply shrugged.
“This is as far as I can go. Only the director, principal, and vice principal can open the Forbidden Library.”
Even as acting director, there were limits.
“Wait here, Elena Zeron.”
“Okay~”
Though she wore a prim expression, Elena answered obediently.
Lieven placed his hand on the entrance to the Forbidden Library, and a bright light flared out.
At the same time, Leo felt his body being pulled in.
When he regained his senses, he found himself standing in a vast, circular room.
Books filled the walls, shelf after shelf.
When Leo realized what they were, he was shocked.
“Hero Record?”
Everything in this space was a record of heroes.
And in the center of the room,
A giant book sat on a pedestal.
It was the true ‘Hero Record’ possessed by Lumene.
“The Hero Record is kept in the Forbidden Library. And—”
Step—step—
Lieven crossed the room.
Leo followed behind him.
Lieven stopped in front of a door.
“The knowledge you’re seeking is beyond this door.”
At Lieven’s words, Leo stared at the door.
And said, “The Forbidden Library isn’t actually inside Lumene, is it?”
“Correct. Although it’s known as the Forbidden Library, in reality, it’s connected to the deepest part of Dragonia. The same goes for the other hero academies.”
Leo had always wondered why knowledge so well hidden wasn’t even harder to access. Now, the secret was revealed.
Leo nodded and reached out his hand.
Clack—!
The door opened.
He stepped inside.
“I’ll wait here.”
Lieven did not follow Leo into the Forbidden Library.
Click.
The door closed.
Leo looked at the mountain of books before him.
“It’s going to take a while to find what I’m looking for.”
“Don’t worry.”
Someone replied to his muttering, and Leo turned his head.
He asked the person who’d come to meet him, “The Dragon Lord isn’t exactly a job with a lot of free time, is it?”
“No, but for you, Leo, I should always make time, shouldn’t I?”
Dragon Lord Melina, in the form of a young girl, smiled brightly.
Leo gave a wry smile as he looked at Melina.
“Then I want to learn about the history of how the Hero Record was split.”
“Alright~ I’ll guide you to the section with the records about the Hero Record.”
As his guide, Melina gently conjured up some magic.
A flat, square platform of magical energy formed beneath Leo’s feet.
With his body gently floating, Leo and Melina moved swiftly.
After traveling through the vast Grand Library of Dragonia, they stopped in front of a certain section.
“Here we are.”
Dispelled her magic, Melina pointed at a massive bookshelf.
“These are all books related to the Hero Record.”
The amount of information on the Hero Record was overwhelming.
“Which book explains why the Hero Record was split?”
“I’ll find it for you. Please have a seat, Leo.”
Melina had Leo sit at a desk nearby, then floated up and searched for the book he wanted.
A moment later, Melina returned with a book in hand.
“This is a memoir written by Rodia, the Dragon Lord, 3000 years ago.”
An item of immense historical value.
A book that could only be read in the Forbidden Library.
It was a source that would make the circumstances of that time clear.
“Have you read it?”
“……Yes.”
“Then you know why the Hero Record was split.”
“Yes. I could explain, but if I did, my own opinion might get mixed in. I think it would be better for you to read it yourself.”
“Alright.”
“Since Rodia’s memoir is written in Dragon Speech, I can help—”
Melina began to offer her help with interpretation.
Flip—
But Leo quickly read through the memoir.
Melina let out a helpless laugh as she watched him.
‘How silly of me.’
The boy before her might look young on the outside, but inside, he was a great hero.
He had even inherited the power of Lysinas, King of Wisdom.
‘Reading Dragon Speech is probably nothing for him.’
Melina smiled softly.
‘Rodia, the Dragon of Genesis.’
Three thousand years ago.
The one who ushered in a new era by uncovering the true value of the Hero Record when a fragment of Erebos was resurrected.
Flip—
‘I see. So at that time, it was almost a repeat of the Age of Calamity.’
As he read the account, Leo let out a sigh.
The memoir also contained stories of the heroes who fought against a fragment of Erebos and Tartarus.
Lumene, the Knight of Twilight.
Seiren, the Mage of the Comet.
Azonia, the Great Warrior.
Damienne, the Unyielding.
Heroes revered second only to the greatest heroes.
If not for them, the world might have faced another calamity.
Reading the account of those fierce days, Leo could feel the hearts of those heroes.
Midway through the memoir:
[I alone among the party was able to inherit the power of a great hero.
That’s right, I inherited the power of Lysinas.]
‘So they cleared Lysinas’s world?’
Flip—flip—
[We defeated seven legion commanders. We may not be as great as the legendary heroes who once saved the world, but we are making progress, step by step. At last, it feels like we can see the exit.]
Seven legion commanders.
That would mean Tartarus was nearly annihilated.
‘Even so, those disgusting things managed to survive.’
Leo, appalled at the tenacity of his ancient enemies, kept turning the pages.
[Today, we fought against Erebos. I thought it was just a fragment. But I have no idea how we’re supposed to defeat this terrifying monster.]
As he neared the end, he found detailed accounts of the battle with Erebos.
[Many heroes died in today’s battle. Only five of us survived and barely managed to escape. We cannot withstand Erebos’s black flames. The sky above its lair is turning black. It feels like the Age of Calamity is coming again.]
Flip—
[We finally defeated Erebos. We stopped its advance, and it retreated. We barely managed to drive back the Necromancer King’s army as well. It feels like a new path is opening up.]
Flip—
[We succeeded in subjugating the fragment of Erebos. The sky has regained its blue. Thank you, great Lysinas. Thanks to your power, we were able to subdue this hateful Erebos.]
Leo paused, confused.
‘Some of this is different from what’s commonly known, but the main story is the same. So why was the Hero Record split? Was it simply to establish the four hero academies?’
Thinking this, he turned to the last page.
[Despair. Today, the black flame has risen again. This accursed flame of calamity is beyond our power to extinguish.]
Leo’s expression hardened.
[If this continues, the fragment will resurrect again. The world will surely be swept away by despair once more. We have no choice. We consulted with Lumene, Seiren, Azonia, and Damienne. Let’s banish this hateful flame to ‘another world’… Let’s raise heroes who will one day subjugate the fragment of Erebos. Surely, heroes greater than us will be born and fulfill the mission we could not complete.]
That was the end of the memoir.
Leo looked at Melina with a hard expression.
“They failed to subjugate it, didn’t they?”
“……Yes.”
Melina gave a bitter smile.
“They failed. Even the single fragment of Erebos you destroyed couldn’t be completely wiped out.”
It wasn’t because they were incompetent.
Erebos’s power was simply that despairing.
An undying flame of calamity.
An immortal monster.
For the legendary heroes, there had been ‘Kyle,’ Erebos’s nemesis, so they could win.
Thanks to that victory, the world enjoyed two thousand years of peace.
But three thousand years ago, it was different.
They won, but ultimately failed to subjugate Erebos.
They couldn’t shatter the peace they had barely reclaimed by letting despair return.
So those who knew the truth kept it hidden.
‘And they sealed the fragment of Erebos in their Hero Records.’
They tore up the sealed Hero Record to weaken the fragment of Erebos.
Now it made sense.
Why the Hero Record was split.
Why a shard of Erebos was in Luna’s world.
For the heroes of three thousand years ago, this was the best they could do.
Thanks to their efforts, peace was preserved for three thousand years.
‘But… even that peace is now starting to waver.’
Tartarus realized it was much faster to take the already awakened Erebos out of the Hero Record than wait for another fragment to awaken.
Having seen the real history that had to be hidden, Leo curled his lips into a smile.
“The timing’s perfect.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know,” Leo said, closing the memoir, “because I’m here in this era.”
The heroes of three thousand years ago left behind their unfulfilled mission, pouring their hopes into future generations.
And fortunately,
In this era, the Hero of Beginnings, Kyle, was reincarnated.
“I want to bring this fated enmity—one that’s lasted through lifetimes—to an end.”
Leo gently stroked the memoir left by a future hero filled with regret.
He didn’t think of blaming them—he couldn’t.
No one knew the despair of that monster better than Leo.
‘Leave the rest to me.’
He handed the memoir to Melina.
“As expected of you, Leo.”
When Melina first read that memoir, all she could do was tremble in fear.
But not anymore.
With the great hero reborn in this age, what was there to fear?
“Alright, let’s go back and prepare for midterms.”
Leo stood up.
His curiosity finally satisfied, he felt at ease.
‘The later generations really had it tough, too.’
Step—step—
As Leo walked away, he suddenly stopped.
Melina, following behind, also stopped and looked up at his back in confusion.
“Leo?”
Leaving the puzzled Melina behind, Leo approached a bookshelf.
There was an old book there.
It was impossible to tell what age or era it was from.
It had no title, no author, just a well-worn leather cover.
But to Leo, it felt strangely familiar.
He could even faintly sense a lingering mana that stirred nostalgia.
He reached out and took the old book.
Flip—
There was nothing written in it.
“…Melina. How long has this library existed?”
“The library dates back to before the Age of Calamity. It belonged to Lysinas and was passed down to the later dragons.”
Over the long years, it had been expanded and filled with more books, so the original form was long gone.
But no book had ever left the Grand Library.
“I see… So this was Lysinas’s private collection.”
“Yes. But what is that book?”
At Melina’s puzzled question, Leo answered in a somewhat wistful voice.
“It’s Lysinas’s memoir.”