Editor : Amethyst00



Click.

Leah's door opened.

Rune stepped inside, and Leo followed behind.

"Excuse me…"

Chelsea mumbled nervously, practically tiptoeing into the room. As expected, there was no reply—its owner wasn't here.

"Phew… my heart's pounding," Eliana whispered as she entered.

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Lunia asked.

"Of course it is! I told you—this place is like sacred ground for Lumene students!"

Eliana gestured dramatically once inside, then frowned slightly at the room's plain interior.

"Aw, what? This is… surprisingly normal."

"What were you expecting?"

Chelsea gave her a look of disbelief.

"Well, you know how it is. The more perfect someone looks on the outside, the more of a disaster their personal space is?"

"Did you really think Leah would be a mess like you?"

"And wait—don't you think your personality's completely changed all of a sudden?"

Carl raised a brow, and Eliana put her hands on her hips.

"From now on, I'm being authentically me!"

"Honestly, weren't you more tolerable back in first year?"

"At least she was quiet back then."

Carl whispered, and Chelsea nodded in agreement.

Lunia smiled softly watching the Lumene students banter.

"You Lumene folks are always so close."

"Now's not the time to be impressed. Did you forget Senior Rune said she was going to scold you?"

At Lunia's words, Eiran's face crumpled.

While the students chatted, Leo quietly scanned the room.

It was more of an apartment than a simple dorm room— A spacious living room, connected to a kitchen, and three separate rooms. Far more space than one person needed.

Leo himself had once occupied the largest room in the clocktower dorm. Though his had been absurdly oversized.

"Big place."

"Huh? It's about the same as any Lumene student's room, isn't it?"

"Don't students usually share rooms?"

"Of course not. They're all private."

"…"

"Leah was incredible at managing the academy. She made sure things were comfortable for the students, no matter how small."

Rune smiled as she said it, and Leo let out a small laugh.

'She always did care about people, even back in Godthrone.'

Despite the hardships, Lysinas always made time to hold a small celebration after every ordeal.

"Alright, time for the kids to get some sleep."

Rune started ushering students into rooms.

"Girls, you'll sleep in Leah's room. Carl Thomas? You take the study."

"Um… is it really okay for us to just sleep here?"

"She's not the petty type to fuss over something like this."

Rune smiled and gently pushed them along.

Then she cast a light sleep spell.

A few moments later, after confirming the students had all dozed off, she turned to Leo seated on the couch.

"Was it really necessary to knock them out like that?"

"They must be exhausted. Besides, this is grown-up talk now, isn't it?"

She winked and sat down beside him.

"Finally, just the two of us."

"Yeah."

"A Kyle from a parallel world… weird, but fascinating. So how exactly did you get here?"

Rune leaned in, and Leo began recounting how he'd crossed over from a parallel world.

When the story was over, Rune sat in silence.

"…You said in your worldline, we weren't reincarnated?"

"That's right."

"…That's strange."

"Yeah."

Rune gave a bitter smile. Then her brow furrowed.

"The magic Chelsea and Eliana used… it's mine. That was clearly one of my spells."

She couldn't imagine Kyle creating it. Even if he'd studied Star Sorcery, it was never his style. She hadn't made it herself, but it was unmistakably her magic—created by another version of herself.

Leo responded flatly.

"I summoned you—well, versions of you—using the Hero Record."

"You can do that with the Hero Record?"

"Yeah. The second time, I summoned you through your own heroic spirit."

Rune's eyes widened.

"You made me a heroic spirit?"

"You and Lysinas both."

"…Seriously, what lingering regret could we possibly have left behind?"

Rune looked dumbfounded.

Sure, things were frustrating back then, but she didn't think it was anything worth turning into a spirit over.

Leo said quietly, "Velkia."

"…Huh?"

"Your regret was about Velkia."

When her student's name was spoken, Rune gave a rueful smile.

"Well… that would make sense, I guess."

"And maybe also because of me."

At Leo's words, her smile froze and she narrowed her eyes.

"Kyle. Let's get one thing straight."

"What?"

"I do feel bad about leaving everything on your shoulders. And yeah, I hated that you couldn't reincarnate. But don't flatter yourself—I definitely didn't stick around because of you."

She stared at him with deadpan sarcasm.

"Why the hell would anyone want to cling to a foul-tempered, emotionally-stunted wreck like you? If I had regrets, it was about Velkia. Maybe."

"…"

Leo stared at her blankly for a moment.

Then he spoke.

"I'll be your future."

Rune's face turned to stone.

"If you can't see your own future, then let me be your unchanging dream. Let my life carry on what yours left behind."

Rune's shoulders trembled.

A long time ago—so long she'd nearly forgotten—those were the exact words she had once proposed to Kyle with. And back then, he had completely failed to understand.

But now—those very same words were coming from Leo.

"…What kind of cheesy idiot proposes with a line like that?"

"How long have you known?"

"Does it matter? What does matter is that you liked me. Hell, you still like me."

Rune's face turned crimson.

"And what was it you said again? Something like, you fell for me because I never gave up?"

"I never said that!"

"You did. The version of you summoned by the Hero Record did."

"No! That doesn't count! That wasn't really me! That was just some random spirit babbling nonsense!"

"You even confessed publicly after you revealed your identity."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!"

Rune screamed and clutched her head.

The secondhand embarrassment crawled up from deep inside her chest.

She definitely hadn't done that herself. But if she had been in that position…

'Damn it! That's totally something I would have done!'

Hiding her face in her hands, Rune trembled and muttered:

"If you keep teasing me, I will kill you."

Her words were laced with very real menace—despite her fragile appearance.

And Leo knew she wasn't bluffing.

"Alright, alright. Then let me tell you something you do need to know—about Velkia."

"Sylord already told me. He said she found a good partner and lived happily."

"There's more."

"…?"

Leo gave a bitter smile and began to tell her the rest of Velkia's story.

When it was over—

"Velkia became an undead…?"

Rune's face darkened.

A moment of silence passed.

"…I never imagined she'd end up carrying such a burden."

Her voice was quiet.

Then, with hesitation, she asked, "How… did it end?"

"…They called me 'Dad.' Those little brats."

"…Dad?"

"Yeah. Told me to be strong. Damned kids."

Rune burst out laughing.

"Velkia, huh… sounds exactly like her."

Even her last goodbye had a quirky twist.

'Well, I guess Kyle was her dad. And I… was her mom.'

Rune nodded at the thought—then suddenly froze.

"…Wait."

"…?"

"You said 'they' called you that. Even Bihar did?"

"Yeah."

"…Why?"

Rune's eyes narrowed.

Leo answered plainly.

"Because I raised her. Since she was little."

"…Still. You were just her teacher."

"Apparently not. She saw Lysinas as her mother."

"Wait. Hold on. Hold on."

Rune started waving her hands frantically.

"If she thought of Lysinas as her mom… then why would you be her dad?!"

"Because—"

Leo trailed off, realizing something.

'…Right. Luna never found out Lysinas had feelings for me.'

If she still didn't know…

"…Wait. Don't tell me… Lysinas also liked you?!"

"Uh…"

"She did, didn't she?! That two-faced lizard! She played dumb every time I asked!"

Rune's eyes blazed with fury.

Leo quietly thought to himself:

'If she ever finds out I actually signed a marriage contract with that two-faced lizard… all hell's gonna break loose.'

He turned to glance at Rune, who was now practically breathing fire.

"Lying snake! You sly reptile!!"

Leo nodded silently to himself.

'Yeah. Definitely taking that one to the grave.'

bl

In the frontier kingdom of Delad, nestled in the western reaches of the continent—

It was a small, quiet realm. Most of its lands were rural, peaceful stretches untouched by strife.

Among them was the territory of House Plov.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!

The villagers tending to their vineyards felt the earth begin to tremble.

"Is the ground shaking?"

"Could it be… an earthquake?"

"So this is what one feels like, huh?"

They looked around with curious faces, fascinated by a natural phenomenon they'd never experienced before.

The tremors were small but unmistakable.

But then—

KUUUU-GUGUGUGUGUUNG—!

"Waaahhh!!"

"Heavens above!"

The shaking grew stronger, until people had to steady themselves just to remain standing. No homes collapsed, but the furnishings inside were knocked over. Startled, the villagers crouched low, covering their heads.

Eventually, the tremors ceased.

Then, moments later—

FWOOOOOOSH—!

A massive flock of birds suddenly took flight from the mountains that occupied part of the territory.

The ominous sight made one villager shout in alarm.

"Shouldn't we be telling the lord about this?!"

"This is a terrible sign! Come on, let's move!"

The villagers scrambled in a panic.

At that same moment, chaos had engulfed the ecosystem deep within the mountain.

Birds fled the forest entirely, while animals darted frantically downhill. The plants—though silent—seemed to scream in distress.

Flick—FWOOSH—

At the heart of the mountain, black flames suddenly erupted.

The fire, dark and unnatural, began to take the vague shape of a burning human form.

And then—slowly, deliberately—

The black fire vanished into the forest, leaving nothing but dread in its wake.