Editor : Amethyst00



"You've got to be kidding me. Don't you guys have anything better to do?"

Celia stood with her arms crossed, staring in disbelief at her friends—most of whom avoided her gaze. The only one who met her eyes confidently was Chen Xia, her expression completely unbothered.

"But it looked fun," Chen Xia said cheerfully.

Celia narrowed her eyes and reached out, pinching both of Chen Xia's cheeks.

"You've been way too chaotic lately, you know that?"

"Ow—!"

"It's supposed to hurt!"

With a sigh, Celia let go. Chen Xia rubbed her now-reddened cheeks, blinking her big eyes.

"So? What was the reason for tailing me?"

"Well… we had a feeling Garin might confess to you today."

"Huh? Wait, what? What are you even talking about?"

"I think it's time for us to make our exit," Chen Xia said with a sweet smile, nudging the others to retreat.

"I just wanted to see that idiot get rejected—mmph?!"

"Alright, that's enough. We're leaving before we ruin the moment."

Chen Xia clamped a hand over Alice's mouth and dragged her away.

While Celia stood confused and flustered by everything, Garin covered his face with both hands.

And then, only the two of them were left.

Celia turned to him. "What was all that about?"

Garin cleared his throat once, then again—and straightened his posture with a serious expression.

"Celia Zerdinger."

"Yeah?"

"I think I've fallen for you. Your beauty, your strength… it all got to me."

Celia's red eyes went wide.

"I'd like to be more than friends. And if that's not possible right now, then I want the chance to get to know you better."

It was so sudden and unexpected that Celia was completely thrown off. But after a moment, she calmed herself and took a breath. Then, with all seriousness, she gave it some thought.

Garin stood in silence, waiting patiently as she weighed her answer.

Eventually, Celia looked him in the eyes and spoke.

"I'm sorry, Garin. I thought about it carefully, and… I think I already have someone I care about. I can't return your feelings."

She bowed her head slightly, her words sincere.

Garin gave a quiet, bittersweet smile.

"Thanks for being honest with me. I hope we can still be good friends."

"Of course." Celia smiled gently and extended her hand.

Garin looked at it, then reached out and shook it firmly.

"Ugh, what the hell! I was expecting tears!"

A voice shouted from behind—Alice, of course, fuming with disappointment.

A vein popped on Celia's forehead.

"You little—! You thought this was some kind of joke—?"

"Leave her to me."

Garin calmly turned and charged straight at his sister.

"Aaah! No, wait—wait! I'm sorry! I messed up! Ahhhh!"

Alice's scream echoed through the night as her arm was twisted in a dramatic, sibling-style takedown.

bl

The darkness deepened, and lights flickered on along the streets.

In a shabby corner tavern—a favorite haunt for regulars unwinding over drinks—Leo and Lysinas sat quietly, sharing a mug.

"There are far nicer places than this," Leo remarked.

Lysinas grinned. "Why bother? I like places like this. They feel cozy."

She took another big gulp, wiped her mouth, and dug into the shared snacks. Despite her beauty, her magical concealment kept prying eyes away, allowing them a private moment.

Clink—another toast to friendship, and Lysinas finished her beer.

"Hey, barkeep—another round, please!"

"Right away!"

The owner appeared, placing fresh mugs on the wooden table.

"Something good on your mind, miss?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Lysinas replied, chin in hand and a soft smile. She scanned the noisy crowd and whispered, "Feels like a Hero's Sanctuary."

"Sanctuary, huh? Funny word for an ordinary tavern," Leo quipped.

"Ordinary? That place sheltered us—the so-called 'symbols of misfortune,'" she said with a nostalgic glint.

Leo recalled Godthrone—his usual bar run by an elf. It was where Kyle first joined Lysinas's party, the single tavern that welcomed the Surviving Hero and the Fool. As the Arhi party grew—with Luna, Aaron, Dweno—it remained their sanctuary. It even hosted their final feast.

"Wonder how Enea's doing," Leo mused.

Lysinas nodded. "Knowing her, she probably still runs the place."

She sipped again and murmured, "Maybe she's still waiting for us…"

The founder's belief was simple: even heroes needed a rest in a collapsing world.

"She used to promise free drinks whenever we returned," Leo said.

"But we never got them," Lysinas laughed.

"And she must felt threatened by Luna and Dweno if they came back—said they'd bankrupt the place."

They laughed together, filling countless mugs.

"…5000 years have passed in a heartbeat," Lysinas whispered, swirling the last drops.

Their golden beer sloshed.

"Kyle, how did you feel when you realized you were reborn?"

"It sucked."

"Why?"

"Because that damned Erebos had to be finished—for real this time. I hated that I'd have to do it all over again."

Lysinas laughed, but she called him out: "Stop lying."

Lysinas met his gaze. "You were hoping the others were reborn too."

Leo set down his mug. "I was. I hoped they'd returned."

The miracle of rebirth—and the expectation that maybe they'd all returned, so they could finally enjoy peace.

"Maybe you even scoured old records, hoping to find their names,"

Lysinas said. "After all, they were heroes."

"I bet when you found out they hadn't, it hurt—loneliness and sorrow."

Leo said nothing but drank.

'He's holding back, so I won't worry,' Lysinas thought.

She sighed, voice soft: "I miss them."

Faces of fallen allies floated through her mind—heroes who glimpsed this peaceful world through the Hero Record. But… moments like this, when they could laugh and forget everything? Probably never again.

"Enough with the gloomy talk," Leo said.

"Okay. So—Kyle, tell me your first love story."

Lysinas smiled at him.

Leo sighed and replied, "I don't have one."

Lysinas pouted. "Aw, you're not giving up that easily? Fine—I'll go first."

She straightened and said playfully: "My first love was… you, Kyle."

He stared. "…Really?"

"You drunk?" Leo smirked.

"Yeah. Super drunk."

She giggled, clutching her sides. Leo shook his head.

"Let me at least hear yours—before you died, that is."

She tapped Leo's foot under the table.

Leo sighed. "I said I don't have one."

"Come on."

"I mean it."

He drained his mug. "Every person I could've loved died before I did."

Lysinas fell silent, then sighed deeply and leaned over the table.

"Who's more tragic? Kyle, who lost first love before it even began— or the Wise Queen who died unloved?"

Leo offered dry comfort "I was reborn. So you're more tragic."

Lysinas pouted. "No fair! You can't count your life as Leo Plov. Only Kyle counts."

Leo shrugged. "Tough call."

"It is tough."

She slammed the table. "Hey, barkeep—one more round!"

"Coming right up!"

"So? What's the story—who died before becoming your first love? Was it me? Luna?"

"You think you two were the only ones who liked me?"

Lysinas scrunched her face.

"How'd you even know she liked you?"

"Her, unlike you, she didn't bother hiding it."

Lysinas widened in shock: "Wait—you turned her down?"

Leo clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Feelings don't need a confession to exist."

"So… who was she?" Lysinas asked.

He answered quietly: "She was my first teammate."

"A duo party?"

"Five people."

"Oh, like us."

"Not exactly—we were all human."

Leo gazed out the window. "I met her when I was seventeen."

A sweltering summer… just before everything ended.

"Seventeen-year-old Kyle," Lysinas said with wonder. "Hard to picture."

Lysinas lifted her new mug. "Did you have a goal back then?"

"I did."

"Tell me."

"If I say it, you'll laugh."

"I won't."

"Don't lie."

"I swear on my dragon heart."

She placed her hand over her chest, sincere.

Leo gave her a skeptical look and said "To be a hero who saved the world."

Completely drunk, Lysinas howled with laughter, clutching her stomach. "A world-saving hero? You?!" She slammed the table in delight. "That's so not you!"

"You damn lizard! What happened to that dragon heart oath?!"

"I don't even have one—it's yours now."

"You con artist!"

They laughed into the night.

When the tavern was empty, they rented the upstairs room.

Leo carried Lysinas like a sack of potatoes and climbed the stairs.

"Kyle was going to be a world-saving hero~ How cute~"

Lysinas teased as he opened the door, dropped her on the bed, and tried to leave.

Grab!

Suddenly, Lysinas caught the hem of his shirt.

With surprising strength, she pulled him down onto the bed beside her.

"Kyle."

"…Yeah?"

She sat beside him, then leaned into his chest.

Leo's eyes widened as he suddenly found her in his arms.

"…It must've been hard."

She gently stroked his hair, white as snow.

"Fighting Erebos alone… in the end."

"……"

"Being reborn and preparing to fight again… all by yourself."

"……"

"It must've been so hard."

"You're drunk."

"Yep. Super drunk."

Lysinas pulled away, then pressed her forehead gently to his.

Their breath mingled.

And then—her lips met his.

Her arms wrapped around his neck.

Just as the distance between them closed—

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion rang out, shaking the ground.

Both of them froze.

"It's fine… probably nothing…"

BOOM! CRACK!

"…Probably—"

BOOM! BOOM!

A massive shockwave rattled the entire building.

Leo stood up, covering his face.

Lysinas rose silently and began fixing her clothes.

Leo burned the alcohol from his system with mana.

Clarity returned. His dulled senses sharpened again.

"I'll check outside—"

"…Kill…"

"Huh?"

"…Kill them. Kill them all. I'm going to kill them."

Lysinas ground her teeth, her voice dripping with venom and rage.

Leo instinctively took a step back.

Then, in a single motion, she kicked open the window—her outfit now perfectly immaculate once again.

"I'm going to rip them apart!"

With a roar laced with draconic fury, her voice echoed over the night skies of Daeng.

The sheer force of a king's wrath cowed the very air around them.

It was a howl worthy of the mightiest dragon.

FWOOOSH—!

As she leapt through the window, Leo rushed after her.

"I'm coming too!"