Editor : Amethyst00



Leo and Chelsea, with Luke, Aina, and Haviden, continued their reconnaissance mission.

Their destination was south, beyond the borders of Tartaros.

"Don't you think the frequency of demon and monster appearances has increased compared to before?"

After annihilating over 200 orcs, Luke, catching his breath, asked the question. Chelsea, pulling out a short magic staff, answered.

"It has increased."

The stench of orcs, combined with the smell of corpses and blood, assaulted their noses.

Frowning slightly, Chelsea lightly swung her staff.

Whoosh—

A gust of wind blew away the stench.

Breathing in the now clean air deeply, Chelsea made a refreshed expression.

"It's better now. Though the scenery's still not to my liking."

Luke looked closely at Chelsea as she grumbled lightly.

"What?"

"Well… I was reminded of Aina's Clesis. That staff of yours is amazing too, isn't it, Chelsea-sunbae?"

"Yeah. It's Flamen. A heirloom of the Lewellin family. It can't quite compare to Aina's Clesis, since that was made by Dweno."

She shrugged nonchalantly, but a magic staff of the Flamen class was exceedingly rare.

Relic-class artifacts were created solely by Dweno.

Even among them, properly functioning relics were extremely scarce.

Plamen was ranked just below that—legendary grade.

Throughout the long era of heroes, very few legendary weapons had ever been forged.

Even Lightning Storm, the damaged artifact from this journey that had once been a national treasure of the Kingdom of Moira and belonged to Duran, was only heroic-grade—one rank below legendary.

"Wow."

Luke's eyes sparkled.

"Want a fine weapon?"

"Well…"

Luke scratched his head awkwardly at Chelsea's question.

Overreliance on powerful gear was not good—but going in without any preparation was a problem too.

Equipment also counted as part of a hero's fighting power.

Chelsea smiled faintly.

"Even if a legendary or heroic-grade is too difficult, should I teach you how to get a top-tier magic-grade weapon?"

"Haha… I don't really have the money for that."

Luke scratched his head with a sheepish smile. Chelsea grinned mischievously.

"You can get one for free."

"Huh? How?"

Magic-grade weapons could only be crafted by 4th or 5th years even at Damien.

The idea of getting one for free made Luke perk up.

"Just become Drianna's model."

"E-Eeh?!"

Luke turned bright red.

"M-Miss Drianna's model? That's…"

"Yup. Nude model. She'd gladly make you one."

"Auuu…"

Luke's mouth opened and closed wordlessly, his ears going red. At that moment, Aina reached out a hand.

"No, Luke. Value yourself."

She said this with a serious face, as if genuinely concerned, and Luke smiled awkwardly.

"Come on, Aina… It's not like I would…"

"Oh ho? Willing to do whatever it takes for a powerful weapon—an admirable mindset, Luke."

"Haviden, you know I wouldn't really do it…"

Luke and Haviden had grown close enough to exchange jokes now.

Of course, Aina, who often missed the mood, narrowed her eyes.

"What? It's not like showing it off wears it down…"

Whack!

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Aina smacked Haviden on the back of the head with her sheathed sword.

"Stop saying weird things to Luke. I won't let that happen to him."

"No, I told you, I'm not going to be a nude model."

Chelsea watched the chaos and laughed so hard she held her stomach.

'Honestly, what a wicked girl.'

Leo, observing all of this, shook his head and looked ahead.

A thick fog was spread far in the distance.

Seeing it, Leo frowned.

"Ah! That was fun! Luke and Aina are so innocent—it's a joy to tease them!"

Chelsea, who had stirred up the second-years, approached Leo.

"Anyway, the fog's really thick."

"That's a curse."

"Huh?"

Chelsea blinked in surprise at Leo's words.

"Seems like something a legion commander-level creature cast."

"A Lich King or the Giant King?"

Chelsea asked, horrified. Leo shook his head.

"If it were one of them, it wouldn't be this crude."

Hearing that, Chelsea clicked her tongue.

She hadn't even realized it was a curse.

That's how precise and powerful it was.

'If it's from a legion commander, it makes sense…'

But Leo had called the curse crude.

"It's a curse cast by those fledgling legion commanders born in this era."

"Sometimes, Leo-oppa, your standards are absurdly high."

To call legion commanders—the strongest demons—fledglings?

"It's a different era."

Leo smiled faintly, staring into the cursed fog.

"It's a curse related to illusions. It's blocking outside access."

"So the reason communication magic doesn't work is because of that?"

"Most likely."

Leo had led a scouting party precisely because communication with the outside had been cut off.

They had ventured out with a small team to request backup.

"Leo-oppa, can you dispel that curse?"

"I can."

Leo stepped toward the cursed fog.

"From the beginning, curses don't work on me."

In his past life, Leo had experienced countless curses.

Even unfamiliar demon curses could be interpreted and easily dispelled.

Not immunity—but absurdly fast response.

A skill gained through overwhelming experience.

Before long, the second-years gathered behind him, tense.

Leo, stepping forward, suddenly stopped.

Then he took several steps back.

"What is it, Leo-oppa? What's—haugh?!"

Chelsea, walking ahead with a puzzled expression, suddenly screamed and clutched her face, stumbling backward.

"Wh-What? A wall?"

Chelsea looked flustered.

The second-years reached out their hands into the air near her.

An invisible wall was blocking their way.

"A barrier?"

"But if it were, I wouldn't have failed to detect it."

Frowning, Chelsea swung her staff.

A strong wind blew forward but scattered naturally against the wall.

Seeing that, Chelsea furrowed her brow.

"Leo-oppa… Don't tell me…"

"Your guess is probably right."

Leo swept his hand across the invisible wall.

"It's the Wall of Limitation."

The Hero's World, a power of the Hero Record, allows present individuals to experience the past as lived by heroes.

It perfectly recreates past eras.

However, no matter how perfectly it reproduces the past, it's ultimately a false world.

The space rendered is only what's recorded on that page of the Hero Record.

Go too far outside that range, and you're blocked by the Wall of Limitation.

"So the communication block wasn't due to the curse."

Leo narrowed his eyes.

"We're trapped in here."

bl

By the time the reconnaissance mission ended, it was night.

Leo headed toward the tent where the party was staying.

Five people, including Artienne, were seated around the campfire.

"You're back, Leo!"

Artienne greeted him with a smile.

Leo sat in front of Artienne.

Those who had accompanied Leo on the mission also gathered around the fire to relax.

"You haven't had dinner yet, right? I've prepared it."

Artienne smiled and gestured to the stew pot bubbling over the fire.

"Wow! Thank you, Professor Artienne!"

"Thanks for the meal."

"Appreciate the care."

Luke, Aina, and Haviden expressed their gratitude and began eating.

Before eating, Chelsea glanced toward Carl.

"Carl, how many kids do you want?"

"I said I don't plan on getting married, remember?"

"I'm just asking, geez."

Kania, despite looking young and small due to her dwarf heritage, was older than Carl.

"We've been suffering, and you guys are living easy, huh."

Chelsea squinted and muttered, and Carl replied with tired eyes.

"Hey, I've been slaving away with alchemy, it hasn't been easy."

Chelsea shook her head and glanced toward Eliza.

Eliza was quietly enjoying herbal tea with her eyes closed.

Though she drank from a thick, common mug due to the lack of a fine teacup, her elegance radiated the air of a noble heir.

Though labeled a delinquent for her aloof attitude, her behavior was that of a proper aristocrat.

'That prideful girl likes Carl?'

Chelsea tilted her head.

She recalled Eliana two days ago, fussing wildly.

'I knew it! I knew it! Eliza likes Carl!'

'Wipe off your blood first.'

'I'm reporting this to the newspaper club! I'll be rich off this scandal—'

'Wait, Eliza's beeping.'

Crunch—!

'Aaaaaagh!'

Eliana, who had teased Eliza and nearly gotten swallowed up, then once again got chewed on by the Wind Wyvern after her second outburst.

Even then, Chelsea had doubted it.

'Eliza's reaction was strange, but… does she really like Carl?'

No student was unaware that the two had grown closer after last year's Festival of Heroes.

But most assumed they had become just friends.

After all, Eliza Hergin was one of the most prideful third-years.

She didn't even acknowledge those she deemed beneath her.

As the heir of the Hergin family, that attitude was expected.

That such a person acknowledged a commoner like Carl was already surprising. But romantic interest?

'No way.'

Even if Carl had become a hero at a young age, it was unimaginable.

To the Hergin family, the title of "Hero" wasn't especially attractive.

'What's so great about that annoying guy?'

The prestigious heir of Hergin and a commoner.

It was a scandal straight out of a novel.

"How about having a kid before getting married?"

Crack—!

The mug in Eliza's hands made an ominous sound.

Only Chelsea, who had been watching her closely, saw what happened.

Ptuh—! Eliza spat out a piece of the broken mug she'd bitten through and locked eyes with Chelsea.

"What are you looking at?"

"N-Nothing."

A completely different tone from usual.

And her demeanor was several times more intimidating.

Even Chelsea, usually unfazed, shrank back and averted her gaze.

Eliza stood up and walked away with her mug.

'Wow. Wow. This is huge.'

Chelsea, now certain of Eliza's feelings, stuck out her tongue at Carl's confused expression.

'How the hell did he win her over?'

bl

"The Wall of Limitation appeared… That must mean the dungeon's corruption is beyond what we imagined."

"Yes."

Its presence meant the real-world space had been overwritten by the Hero's World.

"External aid won't be possible, then."

"No. Either we disrupt their assault… or destroy the Legion Record."

"Hmm…"

"Starting tomorrow, I'll ask Dweno to help scout the area around the fortress."

Normally, the Hero Record sustaining a Hero Dungeon is located in its deepest core.

To reach it, they'd need to return to the recreated past—the Hero's World.

The same applied to the Legion Record.

In this case, they'd be returning to Ivaldi of the past.

And since this was a dungeon, somewhere there would be an entrance to that past—the page's stage.

"That entrance must be guarded by the demons of Tartaros, right?"

"…Most likely, the Giant King himself."

"…"

Artienne's face turned grave.

"Can you defeat the Giant King, Leo?"

"If they have Giath, there's no need to worry."

Leo reassured Artienne with a calm voice.

"After all, we have a god's blacksmith on our side."

bl

Whoooosh—!

Clang! Clang!

Golden flames whirled around.

His hammer struck the broken sword.

Enniha watched from a distance.

Ssssss—

Dweno dipped the broken sword into the coolant and let out a breath.

"What are you staring at, Enniha?"

"I've never seen you this serious while forging a weapon."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You don't really like making weapons, do you?"

Though Dweno had unmatched smithing skill, he didn't enjoy crafting weapons.

His powerful creations always brought destruction.

Once, unable to control his power, he'd turned everything around him to ash.

To him, making something that brought ruin—even to save the world—was not a joyful act.

"So what's gotten into you?"

"…I've found a goal."

"A goal?"

"Yes."

Dweno nodded heavily.

"To let the people of Ivaldi enjoy even a glimpse of true peace. That's my goal. Trust me, Enniha."

"…"

Enniha looked at him in shock.

"You… you've changed a little since coming here."

"Have I?"

Dweno chuckled heartily.

As she looked at him, Enniha asked, "Then why did you build your forge in a place like this? Back in Ivaldi, it was in the city center."

"I just liked it here, that's all."

Dweno plopped down onto the solid floor.

"When I quietly gaze at the starlight like this, inspiration comes."

"Why do you need inspiration?"

"I told you. I've grown interested in art. I'll show you a painting I made soon."

Dweno smiled gently.

"So please, Enniha. Don't die."

"I won't. Not until I see the sun."

"Trust me. No matter what, I'll get you to the future."

His clenched fist trembled slightly.

"…No matter what."