Chapter 432
“Where…?”
Arron stared, stunned by the sudden change in scenery.
“I was just with Erebos…”
As the memory caught up to him, Arron looked up at the boy who was getting up beside him.
“Who are you?”
Facing Arron’s confusion, Leo caught his breath and glanced down at his hand.
A small, tattered piece of a Hero Record, scorched by fire.
It was Arron’s record.
“Leo. How is Arron here?”
“Let’s get out of here first. There are too many eyes and ears to have a proper conversation.”
Leo spoke quietly to the stunned Melina.
—
Leo quickly got the situation under control and returned to the Plov family’s territory with Arron and Melina.
Melina waited for Leo to speak.
Arron was the only one who couldn’t make sense of anything.
He just…
“…Stars?”
He could only stare at the countless stars embedded in the sky, as if they might pour down at any moment.
He gazed at the moon, mouth agape.
It wasn’t a creepy, red moon.
He was simply captivated by the beautiful night sky—a sight he had never seen before.
A moment later, Arron tore his gaze from the sky and asked Leo.
“You’re Kyle, right?”
‘It’s just like with Luna.’
Back when the former Legion Commander, Poison King Zerdeac, appeared in Seiren and Monster Queen Sillatna invaded, Leo had used the Divine Power contained in the Polium to bring Luna out of the Hero Record.
It was the same as then.
As proof, all the Divine Power that had been dwelling in Leo’s body was now gone.
“That’s right.”
Leo met Arron’s eyes and nodded.
“You’re Kyle? Then what about Lysinas? And Luna and Dweno?”
Arron’s confusion only deepened.
‘I’ve met Arron in the Hero Record twice.’
The first time was during last year’s summer vacation, when he entered Ar and Arron’s world.
‘The second time was at the beginning of this semester, while clearing Dweno’s world.’
At that time, Dweno had realized that Leo was Kyle from the future—and so had Arron.
‘He doesn’t have memories of that time. Does that mean he only remembers our first encounter?’
“Arron.”
“Yeah?”
“How many times have you met me in this form?”
“This is the second time since I met you with that strange cat-like kid.”
‘I see.’
Leo nodded.
‘Luna also said she remembered meeting me in other pages after she met me for real.’
It was the same for Arron.
‘Is the reason he can’t remember what happened in Dweno’s world because it wasn’t Arron’s world?’
The master of Dweno’s world was, after all, Dweno.
‘So memories from someone else’s Hero Record don’t carry over.’
Having sorted it out, Leo took a deep breath.
“Arron, listen carefully.”
“Okay.”
“This era we’re in now… is 5,000 years after the Era of Calamity we lived in.”
“If this is the future, 5,000 years from now, then you…?”
“I was reincarnated.”
“You were born again?”
“Yes.”
At Leo’s answer, Arron fell silent, thinking.
‘If this is the future and Kyle was reincarnated, then this situation makes sense.’
“Then how did I get here, 5,000 years into the future?”
“In this era, there’s something called a Hero Record.”
Leo explained the process that had brought Arron here.
After hearing everything, Arron asked quietly.
“So we won, right?”
If this timeline was truly the future, that alone was proof that the great heroes had triumphed over the primordial evil.
But Arron wanted to hear it directly from Leo.
Leo smiled at him.
“Yeah, we won.”
“Thank goodness.”
Arron smiled in genuine relief.
Then he looked up at the night sky once more.
“So these are the stars Luna was always talking about.”
Arron marveled with pure wonder at the beautiful night sky he was seeing for the first time in his life.
Watching him, Leo also looked up at the sky.
“It’s beautiful. I get why Luna said she wanted to become a star.”
At Arron’s murmur, Leo burst out laughing without realizing it.
“Doesn’t suit her at all, does it?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t.”
Melina, who had been watching their conversation, also looked up at the night sky.
Having seen it for so long, the sight held no particular emotion for her.
But this ordinary view must have been an unimaginable scene 5,000 years ago.
Watching the two men’s backs as they gazed at the stars, Melina bowed her head.
‘I can’t speak for everyone living now, but… thank you.’
(T/N : Its reallll! OMG, I will call it, Lysinas will also cross over!! )
—
Afterward, Leo briefly told Arron about the 5,000 years of history.
Arron was amazed as he heard what happened after the Era of Calamity ended.
“Velkia?”
Arron looked genuinely shocked.
“That kid became the leader of the elves and is respected?”
“Yeah.”
“Good heavens. Her?”
‘…Just what kind of person do they remember Velkia-nim as?’
Hearing that Velkia-nim was praised as a great figure who rebuilt the elves, Arron reacted with disbelief.
His reaction made Melina burn with curiosity.
Velkia Ersar.
The great elven figure, renowned as a disciple of the Founder of the Nebula and a Hero, was one of the heroes Melina respected as much as the Heroes of Genesis.
After Erebos was subjugated, she was a great figure who led the elves and revived their race, but even before that, she had poured her efforts into rebuilding the World Forest.
She was a global figure, beyond just the elven race.
That was why, after getting to know Leo, Melina had once asked about Velkia-nim.
‘She was a very cheeky brat. Her eyes were crooked, her attitude was delinquent. She’d talk back at the drop of a hat.’
It was an evaluation from someone who had actually known Velkia-nim, but it was also a very personal one.
That was why she had taken Leo’s words with a grain of salt.
‘Should I ask? No.’
She wanted to ask Arron more about Velkia-nim, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She didn’t want to ruin the image of the noble elven hero in her imagination.
While Melina was shaking her head—
“So Erebos wasn’t completely annihilated.”
Arron’s expression clouded over.
“I feel sorry for those people called the Heroes of Genesis. And I’m sorry to you, too. We ended up leaving such a difficult task to you all.”
“No! You don’t need to say that, Arron-nim!”
Melina waved her hands in surprise.
“Still, I want to help. I don’t know how long I can stay in this era, but is there anything I can do to be of assistance?”
“In that case…”
Melina began cautiously.
“In this era, there are Hero Candidates who wish to follow in the footsteps of the great heroes. Right now, those children are training hard on this mountain. Would you be able to guide them?”
“Like Velkia did?”
“Yes.”
“Alright.”
“Thank you so much, Arron-nim!”
Melina beamed.
Watching her, Leo said, “It would be best to give Carr, Lunia, Eiran, Driana, and Ar a heads-up.”
In the current era, many official records of Arron, known through the Hero Record, still remained.
But it would be difficult for people of this era to recognize Arron.
‘His impression is completely different.’
Leo had burst out laughing when he first saw Arron’s portrait in a history book that recorded the deeds of the great heroes after he was reincarnated.
‘He looks like a completely different person because of his impression.’
Leo shook his head, recalling the sharp eyes depicted in the portrait.
On top of that, his expression was firm, and the aura he exuded was sharp.
Literally a seasoned warrior who had been through thick and thin.
He radiated the force of a god of war.
The portraits of Arron that remained in the modern era were the product of immense correction and beautification.
Unlike the known portraits, the real Arron was a gentle, handsome young man.
His eyes were soft, and he always wore a gentle smile.
‘Though he does sometimes show a side similar to the portraits in battle.’
But it was much easier to see him get scared by even the smallest things.
According to Luna’s claims, he was the so-called “type you want to protect,” or something like that.
‘If people of this era saw the real Arron, they’d probably just think he’s someone who resembles the Hero.’
It might be a different story within the Hero Record where Arron exists.
But at this point in time, where he was a figure from the distant past, it wouldn’t be easy to recognize the real Arron just by seeing him.
However, it was a different story for the five people who had witnessed Arron’s true form in Dweno’s world.
‘If the fact that Arron has appeared in the present day becomes known, it’ll be a headache in many ways.’
In the case of the elves, countless elves were still making pilgrimages to Seiren.
The Beastmen’s feelings toward Arron were not much different from the elves’.
‘The virtues of the Beastmen are courage and strength.’
And Arron, who could be called courage and strength incarnate, was an object of worship.
Countless Beastmen would flock to the Plov family’s territory.
Leo didn’t want to make things difficult for his father.
On top of that, the news that Arron had appeared in reality might provoke Tartarus.
Hearing Leo’s words, Melina nodded.
“I’m excited to see what kind of kids are waiting.”
Arron likes children.
The reason he wanted to save the world was because he wanted a world where children could smile brightly.
“They must all be kind, innocent, and passionate kids, right?”
He seemed to think that since they lived in an era of peace, all the children would be cheerful.
‘There are plenty of kids who are just as eccentric as Luna or Dweno.’
Leo didn’t want to shatter his friend’s illusion just yet.
‘He’s going to get another big scare because of Ar.’
Seeing Arron’s bright smile, Leo lightly shook his head.
—
The next day at dawn, Leo returned to the training retreat where the second-years were staying.
En, who had been acting as Leo’s stand-in, came to a secluded part of the forest to greet him.
“You worked hard. Nothing happened while I was gone, right?”
“No, Leo-nim. Nothing major. However.”
“However?”
“The Lord’s Guardians attacked all night, so most of the students are unable to shake off their fatigue.”
Hearing En’s words, Leo let out a dry laugh.
‘Those bizarrely shaped, giant stuffed dolls?’
The grotesque appearance of the Guardians was enough to make even Leo feel a chill.
Leo shook his head and headed back, thinking of those who must have been tormented by them all night.
A few people, looking haggard, were standing in front of the campfire, apparently having set up a watch because of the Guardians.
“Did you take care of your business?”
Carr greeted Leo with hollow eyes.
“It’s been total hell since the first day. Hahaha.”
Leo chuckled at Carr’s mournful laugh.
“Get some sleep. I’ll take over for you until morning.”
“You’d do that? Thanks! Leo!”
Normally, Carr would have refused, but he was so exhausted now that he didn’t decline Leo’s kindness.
Leo stared into the campfire.
‘To think Arron crossed over to this era.’
The Divine Power had worked a miracle.
Reaching out to Arron at that moment had been pure instinct.
Even if he saved Arron in that moment, nothing would change.
Arron was already dead.
‘But I wanted to give him even a little peace of mind.’
He wanted to show his friend what he had achieved.
It seemed the Divine Power had responded to that will, performing the miracle of bringing Arron to the present era.
‘I don’t know how much time Arron has been granted. But since it’s come to this, it would be nice if we could enjoy this era of peace together, even for a little while.’
Leo took a deep breath and looked around at the students.
‘Arron as an instructor.’
Leo muttered, looking at the dawn sky.
“Well, it wouldn’t be so bad for them to taste a new kind of despair.”