Chapter 290

               

“What in the world… we’re actually going to see the house of a great hero!”

Carr’s voice trembled with excitement.

“Sh-shouldn’t we bring some sort of gift?”

“I suppose? But what could we even buy?”

“We’re penniless.”

Even Eiran, Ar, and Lunia wore stiff, nervous faces.

As the others fidgeted, Driana spoke.
“Sir Kyle isn’t even here at the moment.”

She then pulled a sketchbook from her robes. Leo narrowed his eyes.

“What are you planning with that?”

“If there’s a portrait of Sir Kyle, I’d like to sketch it.”

“With your hopeless drawing skills? Kyle would hate it.”

“Unlike you, Leo, with your barren soul, Sir Kyle would understand my artistic sensibility.”

“No chance.”

Leo scowled back.

Depeser chuckled at their exchange.
“You clearly hold Sir Kyle in deep respect.”

“I respect Lady Luna most.”

“Heh. Sir Arron is unrivaled.”

“No, Master Dweno is the greatest of heroes.”

Lunia, Ar, and Driana each declared their choice—then glared at one another.

Depeser gave a low laugh.
“Many children admire them as you do. And rightly so. They were the proof that hope still existed in this age of despair.”

At his words, Eiran asked hesitantly,
“Could you tell us one of Sir Kyle’s tales?”

The memory of his earlier wrath still lingered, but Eiran’s eyes shone brightly.
For her, who lived in an age where Kyle’s name was shrouded in mystery, to hear a firsthand story was thrilling.

“One of Sir Kyle’s tales…”

Depeser smiled.
“My favorite is when he stood alone against the Death Legion of the Necroking, Hell Kaiser. Though, it’s a famous tale.”

“Alone against the Necroking’s legion…? Do you mean the Battle of Deriola?”

Eiran gasped. Depeser nodded.
“Yes, that’s right.”

“What? But the Battle of Deriola was Lady Luna’s—hiiik?!”

She flinched as Leo jabbed her in the side.

Their eyes met, and she realized her mistake.
In this era, history recorded it as Luna’s battle, but in truth, it had been Kyle who fought alone.

To mention Luna now would draw suspicion.

“What is it?”

“N-nothing. I just really love that story and wanted to hear it again.”

“Very well. I’ll recount it.”

Dragons often took it upon themselves to pass on the legends of the heroes they had witnessed.

As Depeser began, everyone but Leo listened with rapt attention, comparing it to the tale they knew.

Lunia asked softly,
“You speak as if you saw it yourself… did you?”

“Yes.”

All of them held their breath.

‘It was even more incredible than the storybooks said.’

“After annihilating the Skeleton King’s army with a single strike, Sir Kyle shouted, ‘This place shall be your grave, Necroking!’”

At that, Leo couldn’t help but laugh dryly.
‘I never said that.’

Clearly, Depeser had polished the tale when telling it to children.
Grateful in spite of himself, Leo smiled faintly—

“That’s not right. He said, ‘Today, I’ll kill you once and for all, you mangy bag of bones.’”

A slightly sulky voice cut in.

Everyone turned, startled.

Without realizing, they had reached a log house.

In the barren yard, an elf girl stood by a chair.

“My, we arrived already,” Depeser said with a chuckle.

“This is Sir Kyle’s house? Doesn’t look like what I imagined,” Carr muttered, then pointed.
“And who’s she?”

“She is Sir Kyle’s disciple, Velkia.”

“Ghh!”
“What?!”

Eyes widened all around.

After the Age of Calamity, she had led the elves—one of the greatest leaders of her race.

Her appearance left them shaken.

“Depeser, who are these? The ones who trespassed in the Spirit Realm?”

“Yes, Velkia. And they’ll be staying here at Sir Kyle’s residence for the time being.”

Her golden eyes twitched.
“Why here? There are plenty of other places.”

“I can’t say. It was Master Dweno’s order.”

“…Master Dweno’s?”

She could not defy that name. With a sullen face, she let it go.

“It’s late. Rest well. I’ll fetch you tomorrow.”

Depeser bowed and departed.

Only Leo’s party and Velkia remained.

“Don’t you have your own place? Go home,” Leo said flatly.

“I need to tidy my master’s house.”

“Tidy?”

‘What could there be to tidy?’

Still puzzled, Leo entered the house.

‘Home…’

It was once his own, long gone to the past. A strange feeling washed over him.

Creak—

Inside, the place was a pigsty. Leo glanced at Velkia.

“Wow… this is excessive.”

“Sir Kyle clearly wasn’t one for cleaning.”

“Still, it’s oddly humanizing,” Carr muttered, while Eiran gave a weak laugh.

Lunia smiled softly.
“Really, to leave it like this… Master Kyle was too much.”

Velkia, arms folded, stepped in.
“Guests are here, so it can’t be helped. Since you’ll be staying, why not help me clean?”

“Yes, Lady Velkia,” Eiran bowed politely, stealing nervous glances at the elf.

Her childhood idol stood before her.

But as she began to move, Leo raised a hand to stop her.

He stared at Velkia.
“Hey.”

Everyone froze.

“Leo!”
“How rude!”
“That’s Lady Velkia, you Black Rabbit!”
“Mind your tongue,” Driana hissed.

Leo said simply,
“You made the mess. You clean it.”

“T-that was all Master Kyle’s doing!”

“Was it?”

He picked up a garment from the floor.

“Doesn’t seem like something Kyle would wear.”

“G-give that back!”

Velkia lunged, her face scarlet.

Leo tossed it to her.

“And that book over there? No way Kyle read ‘Secret Romances of the Forest—’”

“Ahhh! Stop!”

Velkia shrieked, crimson-faced.

“Should I call Dweno and Arron? See what they say about this mess?”

Her ears drooped at once.
“…I’ll clean it.”

So her plan to make the guests clean fell apart.

As she sulkily began tidying, the others stared in disbelief.

The elf later revered as one of the three greatest heroes… acting like this.

Lunia covered her face, muttering in despair,
“My image of Lady Velkia is ruined…”

“Scrub harder,” Leo said mercilessly.

He glanced at Eiran.

She looked startled, yet oddly warm as she watched Velkia.

“Doesn’t seem too shaken,” Ar said, tail swishing.

Eiran smiled awkwardly.
“She’s different from the stories, but… I think I like her more this way. She feels… familiar.”

“Familiar?”

“Yes.”

“She does remind me of someone,” Leo smirked.

“Really? Who?”

“Messing up rooms like pigsties, getting lost in weird fantasies…”

Eiran lunged at him to shut his mouth, blushing furiously.

Leo dodged, then turned back to Velkia.

‘Yeah. She used to wreck my place just like this.’

He let out a hollow laugh at the memory.

“…Still, too barren,” Driana murmured, surveying the house.

Carr shrugged.
“Doesn’t look barren with this mess.”

“That’s Velkia’s doing. Look closely—the furniture is only the bare minimum. Everything else is stripped away.”

“Now that you mention it… it feels more empty than neat,” Ar said.

“Perhaps he never attached his heart to this space.”

“Why not? It was his home.”

“Because he lived as if death could come at any time. Always ready to leave everything behind,” Driana whispered.

Leo grimaced.
‘Even the kids can see it.’

He had always cleaned everything when leaving Guardslone—never knowing if he’d return.

‘I had nothing to leave behind.’

He looked at the stark room.
Others had so much to leave, so many dreams. They’d shoved the burden onto him and gone first.

‘Even now, I’m the only one left.’

He gave a bitter smile—

“Lady Velkia, may I help you?”

“…Really?”

Lunia asked timidly.

Though she’d sworn rebellion at Seiren, she was still a model student. She couldn’t bear to watch the elf heroine clean alone.

“I-I’ll help too!” Eiran chimed.

Velkia’s ears perked.
“You will?”

Eiran beamed.
“Yes!”

An impish grin crossed Velkia’s face—

“Don’t help. She’ll just get spoiled,” Leo cut in.

Velkia glared.
“And who are you to say that? Are you Sir Kyle himself?”

Leo answered with a sharp flick to her forehead.

“I’ll tell Master Arron tomorrow!”

“Go ahead.”

Unfazed, Leo flicked her again.

Carr whistled.
“Unbelievable. How can he treat a figure from history like that?”