Editor : Amethyst00



“Damn it.”

From the pain felt all over his body, Leo struggled to raise his body.

Though he barely managed to stand, his body refused to move as he wished.

‘My aura and spiritual power are completely drained.’

He had poured everything he had left into blocking that last attack.

Leo looked around.

“Fairyland…”

Staring at the once-glorious homeland of the fairies, now stripped bare and desolate, Leo staggered.

As he stumbled backward, something at his waist brushed against a small stone pedestal.

And upon it lay a dagger.

Leo’s eyes widened.

It looked like a simple, ordinary dagger—yet he knew this dagger.

‘That cocky brat… back then she said she didn’t need it.’

Before the Great Heroes departed on their final expedition, Kyle had entrusted it to Velkia.

“Use this in a time of dire need,” he’d said, but she had pouted, insisting she wasn’t a child anymore.

It was a relic of the Heroes, tied to the Hero of Beginnings, Kyle.

In other words, the key to opening Kyle’s Hero's World.

‘So this is why Hell Kaiser had his eyes on this place.’

Leo reached toward the dagger.

Despite thousands of years passing, it remained pristine.

He could feel how much its original owner had cherished it.

Crackle—!

As soon as Leo gripped it, Sylord’s mana reacted in rejection.

Vmm—!

But then the mana sealed within the dagger responded.

The power Kyle himself had left behind ages ago was awakening, after thousands of years.

Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!

The Skeleton King advanced, each step shaking the ground.

“Hoo.”

As mana surged violently through him, Leo allowed a faint smile.

Whoosh—!

A massive shadow loomed over his head.

Boom!

Vmmm—!

ROOOOAAAAR!

The surging mana blasted the Skeleton King backward.

Crashhh—!

The towering undead toppled.

Watching, Leo wove together a magic formula.

A massive power—something he could never dream of using in his current state—was answering his call.

‘Any magic… I can cast one spell. Just once. What should it be?’

As he hesitated, his eyes caught the blank, stunned faces of Lunia and Eiran, both watching him.

‘Yes. That will do.’

Ziiing—!

A colossal gray magic circle formed above his head.

Leo’s unique magic—Bible—had activated.

‘It won’t match the original, but for these kids, it’ll be a precious gift.’

The gray mana soon blazed into radiant gold.

It was as if dawn itself had arrived.

“Ah…”

Lunia and Eiran trembled.

They didn’t know what this unfamiliar Star Sorcery was.

But old records said that when this spell was cast, the world would be bathed in dawn’s starlight.

“Star Sorcery, the ultimate spell.”

Lunia murmured without realizing it.

The symbol of the Poet of the Star.

“—Extinction.”

Starlight descended upon the Skeleton King’s head.

“GRRROOOOAAAAHHHHH!”

The overwhelming might of the stars crushed him, his screams echoing as he was shattered apart.

Leo clenched his fist.

Crack—!

The distorted space tore away the fragmented remains of the Skeleton King.

Whoosh—!

Darkness fell, as if everything had been a lie.

Thud—!

Leo collapsed, exhausted.

“L-Leo!”

Lunia dragged her battered body toward him.

Eiran, having regained a bit of strength, crawled over as well.

“Are you two alright?”

“Now’s not the time to worry about us! Look at you—you’re the one in the worst shape!”

“Leo! Lunia! I knew you two would pull it off!”

Eiran sniffled.

“Of course we would! But more importantly, what was that magic just now? It felt like something out of legend…!”

“It seemed like the magic sealed in this dagger.”

Leo raised the dagger, now powerless and plain again.

“It’s something tied to the Great Heroes.”

Both Lunia and Eiran gasped.

If that were true, it was an incredible discovery.

No wonder Tartaros would go so far as to stir up trouble here.

“But… how do we get back now? My mana’s completely drained.”

“I don’t think I can cast any recovery spells either. Let’s at least treat your injuries first, Leo…”

As they fretted—

["Hey! Kyle! Look at this! I found my wing!"]

Kiran came flapping over, holding a small scrap of paper.

["I’m sure this is my wing! But why is it sealed like this?"]

He grumbled, tugging and pulling at the scrap.

Lunia’s eyes went wide.

“Wait! Isn’t that a piece of the Hero Record?”

Kiran froze. Leo’s mind raced.

‘So Sylord sealed away more than just the dagger?’

“Kiran, give it here.”

Leo spoke urgently.

Kiran quickly fluttered over and placed the fragment in his hand.

The moment it touched Leo’s palm—

[Hero Record: Open. ■■’s World. Chapter: ■■–■■■.]

A familiar phrase appeared before his eyes.

Whoooosh—!

Light engulfed everything.

“Ugh?”

“W-what is this…?”

The scenery had completely changed.

They now stood in a lush forest, verdant and alive.

“You’re saying you’ll take down Erebos?”

A voice scoffed, dripping with disbelief.

Lunia and Eiran whipped their heads around—then froze.

Before them stood an elven girl.

And that girl bore an uncanny resemblance to someone far too famous.

The elf huffed, swinging her staff about.

With magic, she healed her wounds, then turned her staff toward Leo’s group.

Their injuries mended in an instant.

And then the beautiful elf girl spoke words utterly unfitting for her face:

“…Are you an crazy?”

Lunia and Eiran’s jaws dropped. Leo couldn’t help but laugh.

“What in the world did you eat to come up with something that dumb?”

Though she looked bewildered, the elf girl’s eyes shone with genuine interest in the human before her.

“Well, whatever. Erebos subjugation, huh? That’s a perfect goal for me! I like it. I’ll join your party.”

With a confident grin, she extended her hand.

“You said your name was ■■, right? Mine’s Luna! Someday, I’ll shine bright like the stars in the night sky. You should be honored I’m joining your party!”

Whooosh—!

The world warped, and they were back.

“Th-that was…!”

“That was Lady Luna! Could this be her Hero Record?”

Lunia and Eiran were bursting with excitement.

‘No… this is my Hero Record.’

It was the same as what he had seen during Hero Studies practice.

‘A record of the time Luna and I first met.’

Feeling strength returning to his body, Leo gazed at the Hero Record.

‘Now it’s certain.’

He let out a long sigh.

‘The bastards of Tartaros are erasing the records of the Great Heroes.’

bl

By the time Leo’s group had recovered and left the forest, soldiers dispatched from the Grand Council of El-Salvekia had arrived.

Sensing the immense mana from Leo’s Extinction, they realized something had gone wrong in the Fairy Forest and sent reinforcements.

Among them were Harrid and Herdium.

When Harrid spotted Leo, his eyes were colder than ice.

Herdium, meanwhile, was dismayed to hear that the academy’s honor students had snuck out of their dorms at night.

The three were placed under disciplinary confinement in the Council chambers.

Officially, it was “reflection time,” but the real reason was different.

“…You mean, a student of Seiren cooperated with Tartaros?”

Herdium’s face turned pale.

“Yes. We didn’t want to believe it either, but…”

“Ahh…”

Seeing Lunia’s careful reply, Herdium buried his face in his hands.

It was hard to accept, but the unrecognizable corpse found in the forest turned out to be Rauta.

The ring that had devoured him had spat out what remained of his body, discarding it after consuming him.

And traces of necromancy were found on that corpse.

Meanwhile, listening to the story at the side, Harlinth made a grave expression.

“So Seiren had such a case as well.”

“As well…? Then something similar happened at Lumene?”

“Yes. Something similar. The higher-ups at Lumene suppressed the information, but…”

As a long-time professor at Lumene and Leo’s homeroom teacher, Harrid had been briefed about the incident that occurred during the midterms.

“How this will be handled will be decided by Seiren’s upper council. Lumene will abide by their ruling.”

“…..”

Herdium nodded stiffly.

“And Leo Plov.”

At Harrid’s icy stare, Lunia and Eiran hiccupped involuntarily.

The “Wailing Wall of Lumene.”

Harrid’s overwhelming aura, the terror of the even for upperclassmen, it was felt for first time by the two girls, and they instantly shrank in fear.

But Leo, used to it, calmly awaited his teacher’s words.

“As class president, you know the gravity of sneaking out of the lodging house without permission, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Normally, this would mean immediate expulsion and a disciplinary hearing.”

“…”

“But… given your contributions, it’ll be reduced to one hundred hours of school service.”

“I understand.”

“And—if there’s something you want, say it now.”

At that, Leo almost smiled.

‘No matter what, Professor Harrid really does look after his students.’

Strict as the rules were, Leo could see the pride his teacher felt in his student’s accomplishments.

“On the last day, I’d like the entire class to have free time. It is a school trip, after all.”

Normally, the itinerary was packed to the last moment.

Harrid paused, then nodded.

“Very well. Starting from the previous evening, you’ll be granted free time—so long as no lines are crossed.”

If Class 5 heard this, they’d lose their minds with joy.

While Leo smirked, Herdium cleared his throat.

“Lunia, Eiran—you two must also be punished.”

“What? Teacher, come on—we found the Founder’s Hero Record and relics tied to them! Cut us some slack!”

“N-no! Rules are rules…!”

“Teacher~”

Lunia whined.

Though Herdium was respected as a teacher and adored by his students, his kind nature often made them coddle him.

And since he frequently gave in, he lacked the overwhelming charisma someone like Harrid had.

Glancing at Harrid with a hint of envy, Herdium sighed.

“Your reflection ends today. From tomorrow, return to class—but speak to no one of what happened here.”

With those final words, Harrid and Herdium left the room.

In truth, “reflection” just meant they could rest here for the day.

“Phew! I thought we were done for!”

Lunia flopped down dramatically.

“Still… it was amazing. It felt like living through a hero’s tale.”

Eiran’s voice trembled with excitement.

“Right? Especially since we actually saw the Poet’s face!”

Lunia shot up, her tone buzzing with thrill.

“Leo! That was your first time seeing a Great Hero too, right?”

“No.”

“…What?”

“Have you seen another Great Hero?”

“At Lumene, I saw Lysinas in the Hero’s World.”

“No way. Incredible.”

“I’m jealous!”

Lunia gasped, while Eiran’s eyes sparkled like stars.

The two chattered endlessly about Luna.

‘So your wish came true, huh?’

Leo thought of her.

His old friend, who once said she wanted to shine like the stars in the night sky, to bring light to a dark world.

And with that memory, Leo laughed.