Editor : Amethyst00



Sid felt goosebumps rise all over his body as he met Leo’s gaze.

‘What is that gaze?’

There was no discernible emotion in Leo’s eyes.

No hostility toward demons, no fear—none of the feelings a normal person should have.

They were simply calm.

Only a faint trace of disgust, like someone sweeping away trash by the roadside.

Sid could say for certain—he had never seen eyes like that before.

Not even the so-called heroes had eyes like his.

For an instant, overwhelmed by Leo’s killing intent, Sid felt fear.

When he came to his senses, cold sweat was streaming down his body.

“What do you think you can possibly do?”

With a sneer, Sid quickly regained his composure.

“This world is under our complete control. You may have managed to notice our presence somehow… but that’s all. What could you possibly do?”

“I can do far more than you think.”

Seeing Leo’s cold smile, Sid’s face twisted.

‘Should I kill him right here, right now?’

The thought flickered through his mind, but he soon glanced around.

‘Too many eyes watching.’

Sid currently inhabited the body of Balharun Academy’s vice principal.

He had long dominated the entire school from the shadows.

He did indeed have the power to manipulate Balharun at will.

But that power only held in the background.

He couldn’t use force openly in front of others.

Erebos and Tartaros had long been hostile toward the gods and the surface races— even before the Age of Calamity.

If his identity were exposed here, everything they had built would go up in smoke.

Leo had seen straight through that and acted accordingly.

He couldn’t use power in public.

Nor could he use authority to suppress Akint without cause.

Knowing that, Leo had declared war to his face.

Leo turned away, his cold eyes brushing past Sid.

Watching his retreating figure, Sid’s lips curled upward.

‘You won’t be able to do anything.’

He had prepared for this for a long time.

‘You’ll watch as the great hero you revere burns helplessly into nothing!’

Tartaros’s goal wasn’t merely to ruin Luna’s world— it was to burn it away completely, leaving nothing behind.

So that its power could never again be inherited.

Imagining that face twisted in despair, Sid shuddered with ecstasy.

‘I’ll be the one to cut off your head as you watch your great hero burn!’

Even as madness flickered in Sid’s eyes, Leo paid him no mind.

He simply walked toward Luna.

‘The conquest of this world will be complete the moment Luna lays the foundation for the Stars Sorcery.’

As he saw Luna approaching after greeting the princess, Leo fell into thought.

‘But it must be completed by Luna’s power alone.’

The Stars Sorcery was literally the creation of something from nothing— a completely new magical law that had never existed before.

A magic completed purely by one person’s strength.

No help could be given in its creation.

If anyone aided her, the magic would no longer be hers—it would lose its light.

“Luna. Did you speak with the princess?”

“Yes! But she seems really different now.”

“Different?”

“Yes. She used to dislike me, but now she greeted me with such a bright smile.”

At her words, Leo turned toward the princess.

Most of the elves at the party had already greeted her, so there weren’t many left in line.

Eyes glinting, Leo stepped into the line to greet her.

A short while later—

When his turn came, Leo bowed his head.

“Akint greets Her Highness the Princess.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Akint.”

“Yes. But, Your Highness, do you know anything about Lumene?”

Kneeling, Leo looked up at Sergia with a smile.

For a brief moment, her eyes changed.

“Yes. I do. It’s a name I’ve heard before. And Akint, do you know of Seiren?”

“Of course I do.”

With that, Leo smiled and stepped back.

To others, it must have sounded like a strange exchange.

Indeed, the people around them looked at Leo in confusion.

But for the two, it was an efficient code of recognition.

‘No one in this era should know about the future Hero Academy.’

As he returned to Luna’s side, Leo thought to himself,

‘So the princess is Lunia. This might make things easier.’

At the same time, Lunia’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Leo’s back.

‘It’s definitely Leo.’

It could have been Elena, but from his tone and presence, it had to be Leo.

Lunia took a deep breath.

‘I need to tell Leo about Erebos.’

While she was thinking that—

The music in the hall stopped.

Then, from the entrance, the star of the evening appeared— the Elf King, Ergen.

Every elf in the hall knelt respectfully.

“Congratulations on your birthday.”

“Congratulations, Your Majesty!”

At the elders’ blessings, Ergen smiled.

“To think you’ve all gathered to celebrate my birthday… Thank you. I appreciate each of you for brightening this occasion. Don’t mind me—please enjoy the party to your hearts’ content.”

With that, Ergen took his seat at the head table.

The elves lined up before him to offer greetings.

Music began again, and the party resumed.

In a corner, Luna was taking deep breaths.

“You’re nervous. That’s not like you.”

“Of course I am! Whether or not I regain His Majesty’s patronage is decided tonight!”

Luna clenched her fists.

She had come to this party to present her research results to the Elf King and seek renewed sponsorship.

Though isolated, she had struggled tirelessly to overcome her circumstances.

“It might turn out easier than you think.”

“Huh?”

Luna blinked at Leo’s words.

Then she looked where he pointed—and her eyes widened.

Lunia was approaching.

Luna bowed politely.

Taking a deep breath, Lunia turned to Leo.

“Would you… care to dance?”

Then as now, elves loved music and dance.

Dancing together at parties was part of their culture.

So the request was nothing unusual.

“It would be an honor.”

Leo smiled softly and led Lunia to the center of the hall.

As the music played, the two began to dance.

“You’re Leo, right?”

“Yeah, Lunia.”

At his answer, Lunia sighed in relief.

“How much have you learned about this world?”

“That it’s before the Age of Calamity—and that it’s Luna’s world.”

“I figured that much too. Do you have any idea about the clear condition?”

“Yeah.”

“What is it?”

“It’s when Luna creates the Stars Sorcery.”

“I thought so.”

Lunia nodded at Leo’s words.

“And one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“Tartaros is in this world.”

Her face stiffened slightly at that.

“They’re here in this very hall.”

Lunia’s hand tightened in Leo’s.

“You mean… the Tartaros of the past?”

“No. Outsiders like us have entered this world.”

Her expression hardened.

“That’s… possible.”

“‘Possible’? So you know something too?”

Leo looked at her curiously.

Never before had demons invaded a hero’s world.

It was an event that could shake existence itself.

Yet Lunia accepted his words without hesitation.

Leo was certain she knew something he didn’t.

Taking a deep breath, Lunia said,

“Leo, don’t be shocked when you hear this.”

“What is it?”

“Erebos… is in this world.”

Her trembling voice left Leo momentarily speechless.

“Erebos… is here?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

“I saw him myself.”

As they danced, her grip tightened around his hand.

The composure he’d barely regained after seeing Luna began to tremble again.

“Lunia.”

At his call, she looked up.

In their original forms, they weren’t much different in height— but now the difference was clear.

Looking down at her, Leo smiled.

“It’s okay.”

It wasn’t the voice she remembered.

It was the voice of someone from a past she didn’t know.

But the strength in that voice was unmistakably Leo’s.

Just like when he’d seen Luna earlier, her fear and anxiety melted away.

Feeling Lunia’s trembling still, Leo spoke gently.

“Can you tell me everything you know?”

bl

“This is boring. Such a waste of time.”

Elena waved her fingers lazily.

Crackle—!

Blue lightning scattered in every direction.

Bang, bang, bang, bang—!

Screeeech—!

Skeletal knights screamed as electricity surged through them.

Snap—!

Crumb—!

With a flick of her finger, the skeleton knights crumbled into dust.

The alley was literally a paradise of corpses.

Endless undead kept pouring out.

Not just their numbers—their variety too.

From low-grade to high-class undead— this was a nest, plain and simple.

Grrraaaah!

From deeper within the alley, a ghoul emerged.

But it wasn’t a typical ghoul— it wore armor and wielded a crude weapon.

“A ghoul soldier.”

Frowning at the stench, Elena furrowed her brows.

Hardin tightened his grip on his sword.

A soft breeze blew, carrying away the foul odor.

The ghoul’s stench carried poison.

Of course, for fighters of Elena and Hardin’s caliber, it posed no threat.

But they weren’t alone—they had Merin with them.

At this point, it was too late to send her back—she was already too involved.

‘If she’s discovered, things could get ugly.’

Elena gently patted the terrified Merin’s head.

She was merely a figure of the past—someone who no longer truly existed.

There was no reason to protect her.

And yet, neither Elena nor Hardin abandoned her.

Even the greatest heroes couldn’t save everyone.

But at the very least, they could protect those striving to live right before them.

That was the duty of a hero candidate.

Even if the person they protected belonged to a past long gone.

‘That’s how Hardin thinks. Always so stiff and proper.’

Taking her hand off Merin’s head, Elena pointed her finger toward the ghouls.

Ziiing—!

Particles of light gathered at her fingertip.

There was no other reason she protected Merin— she had simply been taught to do so.

Flash—!

A blinding beam of white light burst forth, annihilating the ghoul soldiers.

‘And because I have the power to protect.’

Step— step—

Walking ahead, Elena twisted a strand of her hair.

“This is getting annoying.”

Irritation flickered in her eyes.

“Maybe I should just blow up this filthy alley.”

“You can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“If you use that kind of magic, the entire area will be destroyed.”

“Hmph. It’s just a trash pit anyway. What’s the harm?”

“Hmph— not a very hero-like thought.”

Click— clack—

A lilting voice echoed from deeper within the alley.

With the sound of heels tapping, an elf stepped out of the shadows.

But both Elena and Hardin immediately recognized the girl in the academy uniform.

“Finally decided to crawl out, huh?”

Elena smiled brightly.

“How rude. ‘Crawl out’? What am I, some kind of dog?”

Elena widened her eyes, then gave a pitying look.

“Oh my, did I make you misunderstand? Did you really think of yourself as a dog? I was thinking more… cockroach.”

“What?”

“At least dogs are cute. You’re just a disgusting little pest. Cockroach suits you perfectly.”

“You filthy-mouthed brat!”

The necromancer’s face twisted with rage—but then she smirked.

“Go ahead, talk all you want. You’ll be dead soon anyway.”

“Oh dear, no matter how disgusting you are, a cockroach is still just a cockroach. Have you ever seen anyone killed by a bug?”

Elena smiled sweetly, and the necromancer scoffed.

“No, you’re definitely going to die.”

The necromancer grinned coldly.

“Because soon… the god will awaken.”