Editor : Amethyst00



Leo stared blankly at Elsie, who gave an exaggerated “Ahem!” and puffed up her shoulders proudly.

He almost doubted whether this elemental was really the same shadow elemental Elsie who had once made a contract with him.

‘She’s… way too different.’

“So, where is Lysinas right now?”

Elsie clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling brightly.

“She’s on her way to Raysar.”

“Ah! Then I won’t need to go looking for her, will I?”

“Right.”

“That’s a relief! I was actually thinking of heading out today or tomorrow to find her! Glad our paths won’t miss each other!”

At those words, Elsie began fixing her clothes and tidying her hair—like a job applicant preparing nervously for an interview.

Leo asked, watching her with some disbelief,

“Why do you want to form a contract with Lysinas? There are plenty of famous people around, aren’t there?”

“Because I heard she was chosen by the Elemental of Brilliance.”

“Just for that?”

“Of course not! I also heard stories from the wind elementals! That you all defeated the legion commander Jörmungandr! Am I right?”

“Yeah.”

“See!? I knew it!!”

Elsie spun on the spot with a flourish, placing her hands on her waist proudly.

“To defeat a legion commander in times like these, and even declare to subjugate Erebos! Isn’t she exactly the kind of person who deserves to be my contractor?”

‘She’s so different I can’t even get used to it…’

“Why do you want to save the world?”

“I’m a elemental born in the Age of Calamity. So I want to see the stars in the night sky! I heard they’re dazzlingly beautiful!”

Her eyes sparkled as she fell deep into imagination.

In the nights of the Age of Calamity, under the eerie crimson moon, even the starlight had vanished from the heavens.

‘I never knew that…’

Though they had shared a contract, Leo realized he had known almost nothing about Elsie.

Even when he tried to speak to her, she had rarely answered at all.

‘Now that I think about it… whenever I mentioned the night sky, she did show a bit of interest.’

The only times the always-silent Elsie had ever shown curiosity were when he spoke of the world before the Age of Calamity—of starlight.

“So! When is Lysinas coming?”

“It’ll still be quite a while before she gets here.”

“What!?”

Elsie’s face fell in visible disappointment. Leo asked seriously,

“One last thing I want to know—how long have you been here?”

“I’ve been here for ten years. It’s a secret from Agon, though.”

Then, with a playful smile, she winked and said,

“I’m the sword that devours darkness, Schatten.”

bl

“Agon refused my order?”

“Yes, my lord.”

As Levaiten bowed his head, Lord Rodean of Raysar’s trembling hand clenched the armrest of his chair.

“Agon! How could he refuse the request of his own comrade!”

The dwarf lord’s face flushed red with anger—but his fury was pitiful.

Though dwarves were short in stature, they were sturdy, each one a seasoned warrior.

If beastkin warriors were fierce by nature’s strength, dwarves were refined veterans who wielded superior skill and mastery of weapon.

But in the frail, gaunt Rodean before him, there was no trace of such a warrior’s dignity.

He too had once fought bravely on the battlefield and had been hailed as a hero.

It was for that reason the people of Raysar had chosen him as their lord.

In an age of chaos, it was only natural for heroes to ascend to power.

Yet after grasping that power, Rodean changed.

More precisely, after leading his first expedition as lord, he lost his will to fight entirely.

That was ten years ago— when the greatest alliance of heroes in history had been formed.

At the time, people believed that alliance would subjugate Erebos and restore peace to the world.

‘But the result was a devastating defeat.’

Erebos’s power had been terrifying—countless heroes were slaughtered.

Even those who survived had their spirits broken.

Rodean had been one of them.

Terrified, he had withdrawn into the innermost part of the city, living only to protect himself ever since.

“He still cares about those orphans in the Cursed Quarter, it seems!”

“Foolish! To reject the greater cause just to protect those worthless brats!”

“He’s a delusional fool trapped in ideals,” Levaiten said, lowering his head.

“And right now, that so-called Cursed Quarter is said to be ravaged by plague.”

“Plague?”

Rodean’s face turned pale.

If an outbreak spread among the flood of refugees gathered in Raysar, the entire city would collapse into chaos.

If that happened, the defensive lines would falter.

“W-What should we do, Levaiten!?”

“We must cut the problem off before it spreads.”

Levaiten’s eyes hardened with resolve, and Rodean sucked in a sharp breath.

“If the plague spreads, the whole city will be in peril. If we stop it beforehand, the people will rejoice as well. Of course… it pains me to harm those poor orphans…”

Levaiten bit his lip with a sorrowful expression.

“But for the greater good, there is no other choice. The citizens will understand.”

“But Agon won’t stay quiet about this, will he?”

“Agon is your old friend, my lord. If you tell him you wish to seek his counsel for Raysar’s future, he won’t refuse to come to the inner keep.”

“Detaining him isn’t the issue! Once those orphans are all killed, Agon will go mad!”

Even though his prime had long passed, Agon was still considered one of the greatest heroes of his era.

If he were to turn his wrath toward Raysar— the city would suffer catastrophic damage.

“As I said earlier, the cause is on your side, my lord.”

Levaiten spoke with confidence.

“Rumors of the plague have already spread throughout the city. Stopping it is exactly what the people want. Even if Agon is a fool, he wouldn’t endanger thousands of lives for mere sentiment.”

Levaiten’s lips curled into a grin.

“After all, he’s still a hero, isn’t he?”

“Y-Yes… quite right…”

“And should anything go wrong, I’ll take full responsibility.”

Hearing those firm words, Rodean’s anxious face relaxed in relief.

“Very well. I’ll leave it in your hands, as always!”

“A wise decision, my lord. And once this is over… about Schatten…”

“You shall have it. Who else but you, who cares so deeply for me, deserves that mighty sword?”

“I will do everything I can to prove worthy of your grace.”

Bowing deeply with feigned gratitude, Levaiten left the chamber.

A once-great warrior, now just an old, broken coward…

A mocking smile spread across his face.

Levaiten— the man who truly held the reins of Raysar from the shadows.

The people hailed him as a hero.

He had never once set foot on a battlefield, yet they believed he had saved the city time and again.

The reason was simple: Levaiten was a man who hungered for fame— a parasite who craved glory without ever earning it.

Every so-called achievement of his had been fabricated or stolen, inflated during times of chaos.

‘Idiots. Dangle a bit of hope before their eyes, and they’ll worship you blindly.’

The plague rumor was no different.

‘I’ve been spreading tales about that “Cursed Quarter” for years now.’

The southern edge of Raysar wasn’t cursed at all.

He didn’t know why the land had changed, but it had never posed a problem.

The rumors existed solely to isolate Agon.

People forget easily—even the hero who once risked his life to protect them.

‘The rumors of plague have already taken hold. Now I have the perfect justification to sweep away that filthy district. Heh heh heh.’

Whether the plague was real or not didn’t matter.

‘As long as I ease their fear, the people won’t care. And they’ll praise me again—“As expected of Levaiten!”’

Ambition gleamed in his eyes.

A savior of the world?

‘I couldn’t care less about such nonsense. As long as I keep power, I’ll live comfortably—even in this Age of Calamity.’

Levaiten laughed quietly to himself.

‘It won’t be long before this city—and everything in it—is mine.’

bl

After speaking with Elsie, Leo immediately left southern Raysar to gather information.

He wandered the streets and taverns, listening for rumors about the orphan district.

“The cursed place? It’s insane! A plague, they say!”

“What’s the lord doing!? If it spreads here, we’re doomed! He needs to act now!”

‘The city’s already full of plague rumors.’

Back at the orphanage, Leo frowned, lost in thought.

‘Elsie’s the elemental dwelling in the sword Schatten. After the sword broke ten years ago, she settled here.’

She said she’d been waiting here ever since—waiting for the hero who would save the world.

And today, she had planned to leave for Godthrone to meet Lysinas.

Leo’s eyes caught sight of her, tending to the other orphans in the yard.

Because her appearance resembled the elf girl Leah, the children treated her as their big sister.

Elsie smiled warmly as she looked after them.

Watching her, Leo recalled the Elsie he would meet a year later.

‘She had grown disillusioned with the world—and so had Agon.’

When they’d first met, Agon’s will had already been broken.

Lysinas had said that man carried hatred in his heart.

And with that thought, Leo’s face hardened.

‘These kids… didn’t die of plague.’

His fist clenched tightly.

‘Levaiten—that bastard killed them.’

Leo knew that man all too well— and could easily guess his motive.

It must have been to obtain Schatten.

He had always been armed with countless weapons, but compared to his arsenal, his skill was pathetic.

He craved achievements only to climb higher in public praise, and when things turned dangerous, he abandoned his comrades without hesitation.

He mocked those who spoke of saving the world.

*‘And in the end, he was exposed for colluding with Tartaros and executed by the people.’

A fake hero.

A traitor.

Leo’s face twisted in disgust as he recalled Levaiten’s last moments, crying pitifully for mercy as he died.

‘I never understood how that bastard became a lord in the first place…’

Leo looked toward the children.

To Aaron, those children had been like younger siblings.

He had hated himself for being too much of a coward to protect them.

A fierce light flickered in Leo’s eyes.

“Black Rabbit, you’re here! Come help with dinner.”

“Before that—where’s Agon?”

“Agon? The lord’s messenger came and called him to the keep a while ago.”

“What?”

The sun was already sinking below the horizon.

Clack— clack— clack—

The sound of metal echoed faintly.

Aru’s ears twitched sharply, her gaze turning feral.

Moments later, the same knights from earlier appeared at the edge of the yard.

The children trembled under their icy killing intent.

The elf girl Leah hurriedly stepped forward.

“M-my lords, Mister Agon went to the keep just a while ago—”

“Don’t you dare approach, you filthy plague-ridden brat!”

One of the knights shouted and swung his sword at her.

Leah shut her eyes tight—

—but before the blade could fall,

“Are you insane?”

Aru’s cold voice sliced through the air.

The knight froze, his face turning white.

Leo caught Leah, who stumbled back, nearly falling.

He steadied the trembling girl and said softly,

“Don’t worry.”

“Eh?”

“We’ll protect you.”