Editor : Amethyst00



Leo returned to the clock tower when it was already late at night.

Sitting on the sofa, Chen Xia offered him some tea and said, "Since it's already late, can't I just stay the night here?"

"Xia, if you sleep early, you'll grow tall."

Leo chuckled at Lysinas's remark.

"Too late for her. She's already grown, probably."

At that, Chen Xia looked at Leo with a protesting gaze.

Leo completely ignored her and sipped his tea.

Lysinas gently pressed her foot on Leo's and said, "I understand how you feel, but you should head back now."

"Can't I stay just a little longer?"

"I'd like to talk with you more too, but… from here on, it's adults' time."

"Ah."

Chen Xia looked flustered, then quickly bowed her head.

Seeing that, Leo got up and opened a portal to the Knight Department through a door that could lead anywhere.

"Have a… good time!"

Chen Xia bowed again and hurried back to the dormitory.

Watching her go, Leo clicked his tongue.

"Kids these days are strangely imaginative."

"Why? I just find her cute."

Lysinas giggled and savored the tea Chen Xia had poured.

"This is nice. Bihar used to brew tea well too."

Lysinas, briefly lost in old memories, set her teacup down.

"So? What happened while I was gone?"

"How much do you remember?"

"My memory is fragmented. Some parts are clear, but because I existed in an incomplete spirit form, the rest is gone."

"Then it's best I start from the beginning."

So Leo began recounting everything that had happened since his reincarnation to Lysinas.

How he was born into the Plov family and entered Lumene Academy.

His school life that followed.

The existence of the Hero Record.

The events in Aaron, Luna, and Dweno's worlds before he met Lysinas in the Hero's World.

And after meeting her, how Aaron, Luna, and Dweno came to appear in the present world.

"I see… so it was a Record System."

True to her title as the Wise Queen, Lysinas immediately grasped the essence of the Hero Record upon hearing Leo's story.

"You knew about the Record System?"

"Yes. It was one of the divine powers passed down since the Age of Gods. I've seen something similar before. Though I never imagined it would be implemented like this."

At that point, Lysinas looked at Leo.

"To think you defeated Sillatna, the Giant King, and even a fragment of Erebos. Impressive."

"I gave it my all."

"You must've felt wronged. After going through all that and being reborn, you were treated like someone who never even existed in history."

"At first, I was furious. But I proved my existence with my own hands, so I don't care anymore."

"If it were me, the moment I learned my existence had been erased from history, I'd have been heartbroken. And furious too."

"But it's all resolved now. It's not that big a deal."

"No, it is important."

Lysinas looked straight at Leo.

"History is very important. You can learn so much from it."

"You really do think differently. I was just upset that all that suffering was forgotten."

"There's a reason I'm the leader, you know?"

"Yes, yes, leader. I shall follow you forever."

As Leo shrugged his shoulders, Lysinas laughed and propped her chin on her hand.

"So, how is it, playing my role? Hard, right?"

"It's so hard that I miss you like crazy."

"You should've appreciated me while I was still around."

Watching her smile faintly, Leo clicked his tongue.

"Still, you're doing really well on your own."

"Thanks to what I learned over your shoulder."

"Whoever taught you must've been good."

"Nope. I was just a good learner."

Leo and Lysinas exchanged playful banter.

At that moment—

Knock knock—

Someone tapped on the window of Leo's room.

Leo looked and saw Elsie poking her head in.

["Um, Leo. You have a guest."]

Lysinas was startled and stood up at the sight of Elsie's face.

"The Shadow Elemental Lord, Elsie?"

["Ah, nice to meet you, Lysinas. Although you probably wouldn't say the same."]

Elsie lifted her skirt slightly and greeted her with a bright smile.

Lysinas looked taken aback.

Five thousand years ago.

To find an elemental lord that had perished in battle with the Lich King still alive was shocking enough. But to see her now with a pure and gentle expression, so different from the gloomy, sharp image she remembered, was disorienting.

Leo said, watching her reaction, "This is Elsie from before we met."

Leo had glossed over the details when explaining Aaron's story earlier.

"Her personality is really different."

"Elsie went through the same things the Guardian of Azure Sky did."

After hearing a brief explanation about Elsie, Lysinas closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

Agon, the Guardian of Azure Sky whom Lysinas once tried to recruit into her party.

A hero whose mental fortitude far surpassed his personal strength.

If such a hero could be broken by something, then even an elemental lord might not be immune.

'Especially a young elemental like her.'

It made sense that she once despised the world.

Yet in the end, she'd sacrificed herself for it.

Thinking of that Elsie, Lysinas smiled warmly and reached out her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Elsie. I'm Lysinas."

["It's such an honor to meet you too. I always wanted to form a contract with you."]

"…It would've been nice if we'd met a little earlier."

Seeing Lysinas' slightly regretful expression, Elsie grinned.

["I don't think it's a regret at all! In the end, thanks to all of you, the world was saved, and now we've met like this."]

"If Luminus were still here, she would've loved you."

Recalling her oathbound partner, Lysinas turned to Leo.

"Leo. Do you know what happened to Luminus?"

Leo handed her a necklace adorned with a glowing gemstone from his coat.

"The Jewel of Light…"

"She was still sealed until I arrived."

Leo continued as Lysinas stared at the necklace.

"She saw the world of this era before passing, so don't worry too much."

"That's a relief."

Lysinas smiled in relief.

"By the way, didn't you say there was a guest?"

["Yes, someone here to see Lysinas."]

"Me?"

Just as Lysinas looked surprised—

A small fairy flew in through the open window.

With every flap of his wings, golden dust scattered through the air.

Dust from a fairy king's wings—treasured by alchemists.

Lysinas saw her face and gasped.

"Good heavens! Sylord!"

["It's so good to see you again, Lysinas!"]

Sylord flew into her arms, tears in his eyes.

"You've been alive all this time!"

To meet someone who remembered her in this world, after five thousand years—it moved Lysinas deeply.

Sylord rejoiced sincerely, reunited after millennia.

"You've become a proper Fairy King. Katariu was so worried you'd lose your personality because of Luna."

["No way could I ever act like Luna. That's just not who I am."]

"Good job. No need to learn bad habits."

'If Luna had heard that, she'd have gone berserk.'

Watching the two talk, Leo spoke.

"Sylord."

["Yes, Kyle?"]

"Is there something wrong with the Erebos fragment sealed in Fairy Land?"

The mood turned serious at Leo's question.

["No. It's still sealed. No unusual activity either. Why?"]

"Well—"

Just as Leo was about to explain—

Crash—!

The door to his room burst open, and a beautiful child with silver-gray hair and eyes tumbled in, impossible to determine their gender.

Seeing this, Elsie and Sylord instinctively hid behind Leo and Lysinas.

As sensitive elemental and mythical beasts, the pressure from the figure before them overwhelmed them.

Lysinas tilted her head.

"Gods usually dislike gray, don't they?"

"You spotted it instantly?"

"I've met a lot of gods. This one seems like a god… but also kind of different."

As Lysinas narrowed her eyes—

The fallen Rian stood up, looked at Leo—

Then screamed, "Kiiiiii!" and backed away, covering their face as if blinded.

["W-what's wrong with that person?"]

Elsie asked in a frightened voice, and Sylord, peeking from Lysinas's hair, whispered,

["Is that really a god? I don't remember any god that insane."]

["Are most gods crazy?"]

["Yes."]

'Pivau would be so offended to hear that.'

Leo thought of the only sane god he remembered, Pivau, and clicked his tongue.

"Ahhh! So dazzling! The Wise Queen who guided Kyle! The summoned beings who walked with him! Yes! This place is a museum! The world's greatest museum! Ah! We must preserve this place forever and declare today a global holiday! A whole week! Yes! A week sounds good!"

"He seems to be getting more insane by the minute."

"Ahhh! The sun! The sun approaches! Brighter than usual! I'll go blind if I stay like this!"

"Put on sunglasses."

"Aha!"

Rian put on sunglasses at Leo's advice.

"Ooh. Now I can see Leo's face clearly… no! How could I wear such black glass over Leo's divine face! This is blasphemy!"

He flung the sunglasses away and knelt before Leo.

"Leo, I shall atone by plucking out my eyes—"

"You're especially over the top today."

"How could I not be? The Wise Queen is with you!"

"Me?"

Lysinas asked with a sour face, and Rian nodded fervently.

"Yes, Lysinas! Your presence makes Leo shine brighter!"

"Why me?"

"You gave light to Leo when he was in darkness! You guided him onto the path of a hero!"

Looking unimpressed, Leo grabbed Rian by the back of his neck and tossed him onto the sofa.

But he immediately got back up and offered Lysinas a figurine.

"Wise Queen, please sign this."

"…"

With a reluctant look, Lysinas signed it, and Rian beamed.

"Another one for the collection."

He happily stored the figurine in his pocket dimension and introduced himself at last.

"It's an honor to meet you, Great Wise Queen and King of the World, Lysinas. I am Rian, administrator of the Record System."

Having shed his fanatic tone, Rian introduced himself politely.

"Lysinas. Nice to meet you."

"I seek your wisdom, embodiment of wisdom."

At that, Lysinas looked puzzled.

"Even if gods aren't omnipotent, they're omniscient, aren't they? Why would you need wisdom from someone earthly like me?"

"Gods are omniscient only in inherited knowledge. But they are ignorant of knowledge not passed down."

Rian, kneeling, spread his arms.

"And knowledge is different from wisdom. Of all beings, you know that best."

"You want to ask about… records of the ancient gods?"

"Yes. Since their records no longer exist in the divine realm."

"Ancient gods? What's that?"

Leo asked, confused, and Lysinas answered, "They're the gods who ushered in the Age of the God. Some remained until the end of that era, but… with the start of the Age of Calamity, they all perished."

"Aren't gods eternal?"

"Yes. But not immortal."

Lysinas answered plainly.

"Eternity is a divine authority. Before a being who can nullify that authority, even gods lose their existence."

And that being was none other than the Primordial Evil—Erebos.

"Just as even immortal Erebos lost his immortality before your Purity."

Leo crossed his arms.

"So you're saying you know about these ancient gods?"

"Possibly."

"'Possibly'?"

"I mean, it might be stored in dragon knowledge."

Lysinas tapped her own head.

"I have a rudimentary Record System in my head too."

"What?"

"I told you—I've seen something like the Record System. This one was made not by gods, but by dragons."

She turned to Rian.

"So, what do you want to know?"

"You know that the Flame of Calamity existed since the beginning, right?"

"Yes. That's why it's called the Primordial Evil."

"Before the Age of God began, the Primordial Evil briefly lost its power. At that time, the gods drove it out beyond the world."

"I've heard that too."

Leo, however, was hearing it all for the first time.

"What I want to know is—did that monster devour something back then?"

Leo understood what Rian was asking.

"Devour something?"

Lysinas looked puzzled, and Leo answered, "I found an unmelting ice."

"…?"

"Like an eternal flame, but ice that never melts."

"What?"

Lysinas's face stiffened.

Leo explained to her about the unmelted ice and Rian's hypothesis.

After listening, Lysinas finally spoke.

"If, before the divine era, there were many evil gods besides Erebos… and Erebos devoured them… then it's possible one of his fragments could resurrect in the form of one of those gods?"

"Exactly."

"…That's serious."

Lysinas took a deep breath.

"Then let's try finding out. I'm not sure if it'll work though."

She stood in front of Leo.

"What for?"

"Put your hand on my right chest."

"Are you crazy?"

"You think I want this?! I need to open the Record System in my head, and for that, I need my Dragon Heart!"

"So?"

"Did you forget? I gave you my Dragon Heart! You're the master of my mana! Like it or not, your body has to touch it!"

Lysinas scowled. Leo scratched his cheek and placed his hand on the right side of her chest.

At that moment, dark mana began to flow from Leo's body.

Wooooooong—

As Lysinas's mana wrapped around Leo, his vision went completely black.