Chapter 227
‘The real thing… No, that’s unlikely.’
Leo tightly clenched his hand as he looked at the fragment of Brave.
Brave.
It was the beloved sword of Hero Arron and the most well-known weapon among those he wielded.
“This is Brave?”
Doberman narrowed his eyes.
“Brave is known as the Hero’s sword that could never break, but this one is broken.”
‘A sword that can never break…’
Hearing Doberman’s words, Leo closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
“That’s right! I heard it would never break as long as you didn’t lose your courage!”
“Hmm! Ar! That’s the spirit—so fitting for a descendant of the Hero!”
Doberman crossed his arms and nodded in satisfaction, then added,
“If only you could strengthen those scrawny limbs a bit more, you’d truly have an impressive presence.”
“I don’t need unnecessarily bulky muscles like that.”
“A powerful physique is a symbol of strength and beauty.”
“My body is already plenty strong and beautiful!!”
Ar replied proudly.
‘A conversation between muscle brains.’
Watching the insistent wolf and the firm cat, Leo sighed inwardly.
“There’s no such thing as an unbreakable sword. When pushed to the limit, any blade will break.”
Leo sighed deeply.
“If Brave truly never broke, the real one would still exist.”
“Hmm. That may be, but it’s still hard to believe that the sword symbolizing Hero Arron broke.”
Doberman stroked his chin.
“Besides, not much is known about the final expedition of the Great Heroes.”
Much is known about the exploits of the Great Heroes.
Kyle’s story was largely buried by Tartarus in the depths of history.
But only Kyle’s name was erased.
Records of the major battles he participated in still exist.
However, what happened during the final expedition remains a mystery.
‘Even the Hero Record barely covers that time.’
Because of this, stories about how the Great Heroes defeated Erebos vary from race to race.
“Ar. And Leo. Didn’t you two speak with Arron directly for a long time?”
‘We didn’t just talk. We fought together for ages.’
Leo smiled bitterly inside, while Ar nodded vigorously.
“The Arron I met was before he had Brave, though.”
“Right. You said it was before he joined the subjugation force. What was he like back then?”
The Arron Ar remembered was a timid boy who screamed at the sight of her blood-covered self, telling her not to come near.
At Doberman’s question, Ar took a deep breath.
Then, clenching her fists, she shouted.
“Arron was a spirited, dignified man—bold, brave, and never yielded to evil!”
“Hmm! Just like the stories! Exceptional even in his youth!”
Leo felt a headache coming on.
Clearly, this fool had heavily distorted her memories of Arron.
‘Beastkin are as simple now as they were in the past.’
Looking at the students from Azonia, Leo pressed his fingers to his temple.
“Anyway, where did you get this fragment of Brave? Was a new Hero Record about the Hero discovered?”
Ar’s ears perked up at Leo’s question.
Doberman also widened his eyes.
They hadn’t acknowledged that this fragment was truly from Brave.
But if it really was, and was closely connected to the Hero Record, then it made sense that Lordren had invited Azonia’s representative students all the way here.
“No new Hero Record was discovered. But questions arose regarding Brave, and we invited you from Azonia to consult.”
At Cherna’s explanation, Doberman crossed his arms.
“If this concerns Azonia, then why is Leo Plov here?”
“Black Rabbit! Are you transferring to our school?”
“No.”
“We invited you because we believed you’d be helpful in this matter.”
Cherna glanced between Leo and Ar.
“Leo Plov. Ar Tune. Last summer, you both cleared the Hero’s World. As a reward, Ar Tune, you gained the ability to transform at will, correct?”
At Cherna’s words, Ar straightened her tail.
Doberman looked at Cherna in surprise.
That information was top secret within Azonia.
Among students, only the previous student council president and Doberman, who had just taken office, knew.
Even among the instructors, only a select few were aware.
Since the ability to transform at will was known to belong only to Hero Arron, revealing that fact would cause a stir, so Azonia had kept it hidden.
It was no wonder they were shocked that an outsider like Cherna knew.
“No need to be surprised. Azonia’s leadership informed us.”
Cherna’s tone turned serious.
“This Brave was taken as a trophy after defeating a Hero Hunter.”
At the mention of Hero Hunters, a chilling aura flashed across Doberman’s face.
Hero Hunters.
A faction under Tartarus.
They hunted heroes.
They weren’t demons.
They were a group of corrupted traitors.
Once aspiring heroes, they turned their blades against heroes after falling to darkness.
‘Well, there were scumbags like that in the past too.’
Leo narrowed his eyes, arms crossed.
“This may be Brave, but it’s not the real thing. It’s a replica gained as a reward for clearing the Hero’s World.”
Doberman’s face stiffened at Cherna’s explanation.
Ar flinched and asked,
“Does that mean… the Hero Hunters cleared a world of Hero Arron that hasn’t been revealed to the public?”
Brave’s appearance was already widely known.
It was one of the world’s most famous swords, and its power was well documented through the Hero Record.
In Arron’s hands, it shone brilliantly in gold—a symbol of the Hero and of heroic courage.
But never before had Brave been given as a reward.
“Yes, and what’s important comes now.”
Cherna took a deep breath.
“The Hero Hunter who wielded the sword was a beastkin. And they transformed on a night without a full moon.”
“…!”
Everyone’s eyes widened at once.
“Ar Tune. That means there’s another beastkin in this world besides you who can transform at will.”
At Cherna’s words, Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘Transformation at will.’
A skill any beastkin who learned Arron’s techniques could perform.
But five thousand years ago, no such beastkin existed.
Even after Arron’s death, through the millennia, none had managed it.
Ar only gained the ability with the help of the Hero Record.
Leo examined the fragment of Brave more closely.
Faintly, he could sense Arron’s aura.
“The reason the Hero Hunter was able to transform… was it because of Brave?”
“Exactly.”
Cherna’s eyes thinned in response to Leo’s question.
“They went berserk using the transformation. But once Brave was damaged, it ended immediately.”
Cherna tapped the fragment.
“Ar Tune. Your transformation awakens the beastkin blood through a special flow of aura. I want you to examine whether this fragment holds such power. And Leo.”
Cherna looked at him.
“I heard you also received a similar reward. You’re not a beastkin, so you can’t transform—but we thought you might still help uncover this sword’s secrets.”
“May I touch it?”
“Of course.”
With Cherna’s permission, Leo reached out and grasped the fragment.
Arron’s dormant aura within the sword responded faintly.
‘If a mere fragment holds this much power… then in its complete form, it may well have housed Arron’s full aura.’
Leo knew Brave well.
One of the strongest swords forged by Dweno.
Though it was broken in Arron’s final battle, Leo was well aware of its strength, durability, and effects.
‘Brave didn’t have the ability to trigger beastkin transformation. Did it gain that ability after becoming a Hero Weapon?’
It happened sometimes.
Clearing a Hero Record could yield one of three rewards:
[Hero Skill], [Hero Ability], or [Hero Weapon].
Sometimes, a Hero Weapon would gain new abilities it didn’t originally have.
“Black Rabbit, let me touch it too.”
Ar stepped up beside Leo and reached out.
The moment she touched it—
Flash—!
“Wahyaaak?!”
A golden light burst out, and Ar let out a scream.
Everyone turned to her in shock.
Her hand had grown sharp claws.
Her eyes turned feline.
Her overall appearance became more feral.
‘Transformation?’
Ar quickly pulled her hand away from the fragment.
The transformation ended, and she looked back and forth between her hand and the fragment in surprise.
Doberman cautiously picked up the fallen shard.
No reaction.
“Why did it only react to Ar?”
Doberman asked with a puzzled look, while Leo narrowed his eyes.
Over the next few hours, the group continued investigating the fragment.
Eventually, they arrived at one conclusion.
The Brave fragment only responded to Ar.
“The available data is too limited.”
Cherna’s eyes narrowed.
“Could you stay in the empire for a few more days?”
“If it concerns Hero Arron, I’ll cooperate as a student of Azonia in any way I can.”
Cherna smiled gratefully as Doberman bowed his head.
“Ar, let’s head back to the dorm.”
“Yup.”
Ar saluted crisply and started to follow Doberman—
“Wanyaaaa?!”
She yelped and leapt up.
“You. Stay here.”
Leo was tugging her tail.
“Grabbing a lady’s tail?!”
Ar hissed and lunged at Leo.
Leo held her face at bay and turned to Doberman.
“Can I have a moment to talk to Ar?”
“You could consult with me if it’s about transferring.”
“It’s not about that.”
“Hmmm.”
Doberman, flexing his massive muscles, glanced between them and smirked with a mischievous grin that didn’t suit his size.
The sun had already begun to set.
“Enjoy yourselves.”
Waving, Doberman departed.
Ar blinked and flicked her tail.
Now alone in the hallway, she asked,
“What’s up, Black Rabbit? Just the two of us at this hour?”
“You.”
Leo clicked his tongue.
“You still don’t have full control over your transformation, do you?”
“Huh?”
“Let’s check. I want to see how well you’ve mastered it.”
—
“So this is the place.”
Late at night.
Sedgen clicked his tongue as he looked at the cabin ahead.
A professor from Lumene beside him said,
“Professor Sedgen, outsiders wouldn’t understand this.”
Sedgen replied while glancing at the younger professor.
“What outsiders think doesn’t matter. What matters is the principal’s approval.”
Speaking indifferently, Sedgen approached the cabin.
Knock—knock—
“Reena. It’s Sedgen. Open up.”
There was no reply.
But light leaked through the window.
She wasn’t out.
The Lumene professor looked puzzled, and Sedgen clicked his tongue and opened the door.
Bang— Clatter— Roll—
As soon as the door opened, an empty bottle rolled out.
A strong stench of alcohol hit their noses.
Sedgen sighed deeply.
There, at the center of the log table in the living room, lay a woman clinging to a liquor bottle.
“Reena. Get up.”
“Sedgen?”
The woman called Reena was a beautiful young woman.
Silver hair, golden eyes.
But she was from Sedgen’s generation.
“What do you want?”
Yawning and reeking of booze, Reena looked at Sedgen as he took out a letter of appointment.
“Read this.”
With a hangover-dazed face, Reena read it.
“Principal? Me?”
She let out a short laugh, folded the document, and tucked it into its envelope.
“Hey, Sedgen. I’m not some famous professor like you or Professor Harrid. I’m not in the Hero Record, nor am I anyone noteworthy.”
With a dry smile, Reena popped open another bottle and drank.
“All I know how to do is slit the throats of traitors.”
Reena Flix.
She graduated from Lumene the same year as Sedgen and Harrid.
But instead of walking the bright path of a hero candidate, she chose the shadows.
A hunter who tracked and killed traitors and Hero Hunters threatening the world from the darkness.
“That’s exactly why we need you.”
Sedgen smiled.
“Lumene needs a strong principal who can protect the students.”
At that, Reena sighed and scratched her head.
“Fine. But I’m doing things my way. Recommending me for principal means you’re okay with that, right?”
“As you like.”
Sedgen smiled as Reena narrowed her eyes.
‘I’ve always thought this, but sometimes this guy’s more dangerous than Harrid.’