Chapter 289
At the heart of Guardslone.
Leo stood by the parlor window of a grand estate, gazing at the night view of the city below.
‘…To think I’d see this sight again.’
It was nearly the same as the view he had engraved in his memory before departing on the final expedition against Erebos.
“Pitch dark.”
Carr came up beside him, clicking his tongue.
“For such a massive city… it’s way too dim.”
“That was the era.”
Leo spoke calmly.
“An age that couldn’t shine as brilliantly as now.”
“True. The Age of Calamity.”
As the world hurtled toward ruin.
Carr shivered, staring at the crimson moon hanging in the sky.
“Still… they guided us here, but.”
He glanced around the parlor, then hunched his shoulders as his eyes landed on Lunia and Ar.
“Pretty tense.”
“Have some confidence. Why those gloomy faces?”
With her arms crossed, Driana spoke coolly. Lunia pressed a hand to her forehead, her expression dark.
“Our opponent was none other than Master Dweno. The fact you resisted at all is incredible. I couldn’t even move from fear.”
“…Black Rabbit said he stood against Master Arron alone.”
Ar, her cheeks and forehead patched with Carr’s potion packs, bit down angrily.
“While the two of us couldn’t even properly resist Master Dweno.”
Carr gave a sheepish laugh at her frustration.
“C’mon, Leo’s on another level entirely—”
“Are you saying you grew arrogant?”
Driana cut in coldly. Both girls lowered their heads.
Carr covered his face, whispering sharply to her,
“Hey, you should be comforting them, not cutting them down.”
“They seemed to want honesty, so I gave it.”
With a dainty hand, Driana shoved Carr’s face away from her ear.
“If you look upward, you must understand the gulf between yourself and those above.”
“Well said.”
Leo chuckled faintly, settling into a chair.
“I never truly fought Arron. He didn’t strike back. Dweno, on the other hand, seems to have wanted to test you.”
“Test?”
Lunia lifted her head, startled.
“What test?”
“That, I don’t know.”
Clack—!
The parlor door burst open, and Eiran entered.
“Everyone!”
“Eiran! You’re safe?! Are you hurt anywhere?”
Lunia rushed over, fussing over her.
“I’m fine. But you two… you’re the ones who look more badly hurt.”
Eiran examined their injuries with worried eyes.
“I’m fine,” Ar muttered flatly.
But Eiran raised fairy mana and cupped Ar’s cheek. The swelling faded instantly.
Quickly, she healed the wounds Lunia and Ar had taken from Dweno.
Then, two others entered the parlor.
Dweno and Depeser.
At Depeser’s presence, everyone but Leo stiffened, recalling the oppressive, murderous aura from before when he had dragged Eiran away.
Leo murmured inwardly,
‘As expected. He must’ve raised hell over Velkia.’
Depeser had been Lysinas’s trusted confidant. Leo knew him well.
Eiran shrank back nervously.
Depeser adjusted his glasses, his golden, expressionless eyes sweeping over each of them.
“My apologies.”
He approached Eiran, dropped to one knee, and bowed his head.
“Noble child of the forest, I placed you in hardship over a small misunderstanding. I know not how to atone.”
“N-no, it’s fine. I’m just glad the misunderstanding is cleared up.”
Startled by his sudden courtesy, Eiran waved her hands. Lunia, Ar, Carr, and Driana stared wide-eyed at his drastic change.
‘Good to see you again.’
Leo remembered. Depeser’s greatest legacy in Guardslone had been founding orphanages.
“The young are the hope of the future,” he always said, cherishing the city’s children.
So if Velkia had truly been harmed, his fury would’ve been real.
As the mood eased somewhat, Dweno spoke.
“You’re cleared of suspicion. Now tell me—where are you from?”
The group, Leo excluded, flinched.
“Your clothes are all woven with mana threads, the designs alike.”
His eyes narrowed.
“And your skills are far beyond your years.”
He stroked his beard, scrutinizing each of them.
“Hard to imagine you aren’t famous.”
‘This is bad.’
‘How do we explain?’
The first rule of conquering the Hero’s World: never tell its inhabitants that this world is false.
For the conqueror, the Hero’s World was artificial.
But to its people, it was reality.
Anyone who revealed their status as a conqueror was branded a failure—and failure here meant death.
They couldn’t simply say, “We’re from five thousand years in the future.”
Yet they had no convincing answer at hand.
Then—
“We’re from the slums of Reisar.”
Dweno’s eyes fixed on Leo.
“Slum brats don’t usually look so well-kept.”
“We were taken in by the lord of Reisar, trained under him.”
Leo met his gaze squarely.
“To hunt down Erebos.”
“…”
It was well-known: the lord of Reisar gathered orphans to prepare against Erebos and Tartarus.
‘Though in truth, he was a traitor.’
The harsh training had been for his own survival.
Even so, it was fact he raised orphans and gave promising ones high positions.
Depeser pushed his glasses up.
“Still, why would the lord send talents like you here to Guardslone?”
Leo’s eyes narrowed.
‘That’s right—Arron and Velkia said I, Lysinas, and Luna were absent.’
Arron had claimed they were dispatched to Reisar as support.
Such deployments were common.
But…
‘I, Lysinas, and Luna are away. The lord of Reisar is alive. Depeser is alive. Velkia is seventeen.’
He pieced together the information.
‘And the Giant King is in this world.’
Why?
Back in Luna’s Hero’s World, only lieutenants of the commanders had appeared.
‘For the cautious Giant King to act personally…’
Either this world was that critical, or he bore a personal grudge.
Leo reached the conclusion.
‘The Giant King bears deep hatred for Dweno. The only event fitting is the battle where he was utterly crushed. At this time.’
The Siege of Guardslone.
Then the system prompt appeared:
[ Dweno’s World. Chapter: Middle—Siege of Guardslone. ]
[ Objective: Repel the Giant King’s invasion. ]
“Ghh!”
“Wh-what?!”
“Ugh?!”
The party gasped.
“Why the sudden outburst?”
Dweno frowned. Leo shook his head.
“Bad memories resurfaced.”
He had confirmed the timeline.
“The lord of Reisar… we couldn’t trust him. So we fled to Guardslone.”
“You mean… you came here as refugees?”
Depeser’s eyes sharpened. Leo nodded.
“I see. Then Kyle was right.”
His golden eyes gleamed.
At this time, Kyle’s reason for leaving Guardslone was singular:
‘To eliminate the traitor lord of Reisar.’
Lysinas and Luna had gone as support, but Kyle had planned to remain.
Yet, in secret, he left as an assassin—
and fell for the Giant King’s trap, leaving Guardslone weakened.
Leo clenched his fist.
Depeser’s face twisted with sorrow.
“To have suffered under that vile man… at such a young age…!”
He covered his mouth, swallowing tears.
“Master Dweno! These children are surely destined to be great hopes for the future! No doubt abused and tormented daily by that wicked lord!”
“…They seem far too pampered to me.”
“How cruel! How could you say such things to children who’ve suffered so?!”
Depeser’s imagination ran wild, instantly siding with them.
He had always doted on children.
“You saw how they trembled when the lord of Reisar was mentioned!”
In truth, their fear had been at the conquest notice.
But Depeser mistook it for trauma.
Carr groaned inwardly.
“…It was hard. Every day, relentless competition.”
He forced out the words.
Lunia and Ar quickly joined in, wearing pained expressions.
“We had to trample others just to survive.”
“It was horrible! Truly horrible!”
‘What kind of awful acting is that?!’
Carr screamed inwardly.
Their overblown performance would fool no one—except Depeser, blinded as he was.
“I’m sorry! I had no idea of your tragic past!”
Dweno let out a heavy sigh.
“Suspicious though you are, you’re clearly no threat to the city. With your strength, you may even aid in saving the world.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Give them quarters.”
“Yes!”
Depeser bowed.
“The empty place… yes.”
Dweno pulled a pipe from his robe.
“Kyle’s house will do.”
“What? Kyle’s home? It’s vacant, yes, but would he approve?”
“I’ll handle him. Unlike Lysinas or Luna, he has no great secrets hidden there. Besides, that boy is an All-Class.”
His eyes flicked toward Leo.
Depeser’s eyes widened.
“When Kyle returns, he should meet him first of all.”
“…As you say.”
Depeser bowed.
The party exchanged startled looks.
To be sent to the home of a legendary hero—
one whose life was veiled in mystery—
was astounding.
Even Leo’s heart stirred strangely.
‘My… home.’