Editor : Amethyst00



"It's an honor to meet the famous student council president of Lumene, Leo Plov!"

The commander from the Diviana front, Duke Diel, spoke with a face full of admiration.

He was a thin man whose most notable feature was a pointed goatee.

A duke is by no means a lowly rank.

It's a position that can sway an entire nation.

But for someone in such a position, Duke Diel was excessively obsequious.

His face practically had the word "sycophant" written on it.

Seeing him rubbing his hands together, Leo clicked his tongue.

'Has this country's fate started to decline?'

He couldn't shake off the thought.

To Leo's eyes, Duke Diel didn't seem capable of handling a battle of this scale—and in fact, he wasn't.

"With a great hero joining the battlefield, those vile rebels will soon be crushed!"

At Duke Diel's words, Leo responded.

"It seems the heroes of this country have decided not to intervene in this civil war."

Even if Xian didn't engage in international affairs and took control over the eastern part of the continent, a powerful nation is still a powerful nation.

When Davienne was split and a civil war erupted, countries with ties to it across the eastern continent also found themselves embroiled in conflict.

In this era, the power of a nation isn't determined solely by national strength or the size of its army.

The number of heroes.

That's what allows a nation to remain powerful.

And Davienne possessed the largest number of heroes in the eastern continent.

Yet those heroes have remained silent during this war.

"Those people?"

Duke Diel frowned in displeasure.

"After the previous king passed away and the crown prince tragically died in battle, they declared silence."

"I see."

"How could they! Even if they are heroes chosen by the gods! They've still been nurtured by this nation and received the late king's grace! How can they so heartlessly turn a blind eye in the nation's time of need! And to think, juniors from Lumene are watching right here! Seems they feel no shame at all!"

Duke Diel exploded in anger.

But Leo thought positively of the heroes of this country.

'At least they don't seem like people who act out of personal greed.'

Heroes, by definition, must achieve feats acknowledged by the gods, and thus are fundamentally beings of immense power.

But possessing overwhelming power doesn't make them all noble.

Over the past 5,000 years, heroes have been chosen by the gods.

Only those selected based on divine preference.

In an era where gods are no longer known, people tend to think of gods as perfect beings, but they're not.

Their attention isn't reserved only for the virtuous.

Even villains, if they achieve great deeds, can be chosen as heroes.

Even knowing that someone may change once elevated and bring harm to those around them, the gods don't care.

The gods' criteria are often skewed from the human perspective.

Some are driven solely by the pursuit of amusement.

That's why heroes of the past, though powerful, weren't always noble.

Leo had stripped many such heroes of their status.

And he intended to continue revoking the title from those who weren't worthy.

Leo was the Hero of Beginnings.

A representative of all who had risked their lives for a new era.

'I don't have any particular attachment to the title of hero. But I can't stand to see that name tarnished.'

He believed that was the only duty left for a hero of the past still living in the present.

In that sense, Leo thought the heroes of Davienne were acting rightly.

Heroes are those who change the tide of battle.

They are said to lead the times and possess powerful charisma that draws people in.

The mere appearance of one hero can greatly intensify a war.

Currently, the forces of both the First Princess and the Second Prince are suffering from severe morale issues.

'Because there's no just cause for this war.'

It's a meaningless conflict, driven only by the greed of those at the top.

There's no way soldiers can fight with conviction.

But what if a hero enters such a battlefield?

Just fighting alongside a hero would significantly boost morale.

In an era where heroes represent justice, ordinary soldiers would unknowingly find justification for their participation in the war just by being on the same side as a hero.

The name of "hero" in this age carries such weight.

Emotions are contagious on the battlefield, and the war would only become fiercer.

'And when that happens, it'll truly be irreversible.'

Davienne, which possesses the most heroes in the eastern continent, is also the country at the forefront of the eastern front against Tartaros.

If Davienne falters, the eastern front itself will collapse.

'That's why the heroes can only observe the civil war.'

To begin with, the death of the crown prince on the battlefield signals how dire things are on the Tartaros eastern front.

Davienne's heroes are on high alert regarding Tartaros's movements.

Most likely, all the capable commanders have also been dispatched to the Tartaros front.

'A small mercy, perhaps—that only the incompetent seem interested in this civil war.'

It's a serious matter that the nation is split in two, but at least the intensity of the war has been restrained.

At best, the two factions are skirmishing over major cities near the capital.

If this situation continues too long, the problems will grow.

But for now, maintaining the balance of power and preventing escalation is better than one side gaining a decisive advantage.

Having inferred the situation based on the heroes' attitude, Leo looked out beyond the walls and then turned to the Lumene students.

Aside from Elena, Lyl, and Runeba, the other students all wore tense expressions.

They had experience fighting people.

But this was their first large-scale battlefield where thousands of soldiers would bleed.

It wasn't war itself that they feared.

But this fight was different from those they'd had before.

Until now, most of their enemies had been demons and monsters from Tartaros.

When fighting humans, it had been clear villains who harmed others.

Or even if not, most of the cases had been within the context of the hero world.

But now, their opponents were ordinary people forced into war.

That fact weighed heavily on the hero candidates' hearts.

"Leo, aren't you nervous?"

Celia approached and asked.

Leo replied calmly.

"Not really."

"As expected… you're amazing."

Celia smiled bitterly.

Same age.

They took the Lumene entrance exam together, enrolled together, and studied together.

Yet Leo always seemed more mature.

"It's normal for you to be nervous."

"Huh?"

"Never forget the weight you're feeling right now."

Boom—boom—

Drums echoed.

Fwooooooo—!

A horn trumpet sounded.

From afar, thousands of soldiers aligned with the Second Prince's faction appeared.

"It's natural to be afraid of harming people. Those who lose that fear can never get it back."

Leo glanced briefly at Chen Xia.

As a Shadow, she had executed countless traitors.

She was used to killing.

But at least she hadn't become numb.

Leo, however, was different.

He had executed far more traitors than Chen Xia could imagine.

It wasn't wrong.

Someone had to do it, and it was for the world.

He never regretted stepping into the darkness.

'If the same situation came again, I'd make the same choice every time.'

But because of that, Leo had become numb to hurting people.

He didn't want the next generation of heroes to become like him.

Not just heroes.

Shadows, too.

'A world without heroes like me… would probably be a better place.'

Thinking that, Leo spoke.

"There's one thing I need to say."

Leo climbed to the top of the wall.

Everyone's eyes turned to him.

"In this mission, do not kill any regular soldiers."

"What?"

"We're here to mediate the civil war. There's no need to shed blood."

"But what if we're forced to use strength?"

Celia looked a bit flustered.

Leo smiled at her expression.

"That's why I'll demonstrate first. So just watch from here."

With that, Leo looked toward the advancing soldiers.

Then Chen Xia stepped beside him and whispered softly.

"Shall I assist?"

"You just stay quiet and watch."

"I know you're worried about something. But I…"

"I'm not worried about you."

Leo smirked.

"I just feel like doing it."

"…"

Chen Xia stared at Leo.

Leo looked back at her and burst out laughing.

"What is it?"

Chen Xia was startled by his sudden laughter.

"No, just… I suddenly remembered I used to be like you guys."

Leo looked out over the battlefield.

"Hard to imagine."

"What's hard to imagine? I had companions like you guys too."

"Were you like this even back then?"

"What, did you think I was born an old man?"

"You were born an old man, though."

Leo chuckled at Chen Xia's murmur.

"Your companions back then… were they the Great Heroes?"

"No. Just my first companions. We were inexperienced. All of us."

"…"

Chen Xia fell silent.

She understood what "first companions" meant.

"No need to look so wary."

Leo smiled and leapt down from the wall.

'…Back then, I thought everything would work out.'

It was a childhood he barely remembered.

Back when he was still Kyle, he must've been about this age.

When he recalled himself then, he shone like Chen Xia or Celia did now.

So did his companions.

It was a time when they believed they could become anything.

'Am I getting sentimental?'

With a bitter smile brought on by sudden memories, Leo looked toward the soldiers.

'Anyway, what on earth is Lysinas doing?'

Didn't she say she was going to test the Seiren students?

Just as Leo wore a puzzled expression—

Goooooo—!

A massive energy stirred at the forefront of the enemy formation.

With it, a black dragon revealed itself.

Lysinas released a breath attack toward someone.

Leo looked a bit taken aback.

Even when she tested the Lumene students before, she hadn't used breath attacks of that intensity.

"Wait… isn't that a bit too much?"