Editor : Amethyst00



Everyone stared blankly at Leo, now crowned as the King of the World.

Truthfully, it was an incredibly strange thing.

The King of the World did not rule over others.

He did not sit on a throne and wield absolute power, nor did he command or dominate.

From the very beginning, accepting someone so suddenly as the World's King was something that defied all logic.

And yet, in this very moment—it had become reality.

He had defeated a fragment of the resurrected Erebos and led them to miraculous victory.

He stood now before countless warriors who had risked their lives for the world.

And above all, this was a coronation performed by the Wise Queen herself.

All of this granted legitimacy to a succession that defied common sense.

Watching from a distance, Elena narrowed her eyes.

A faint light flickered in her pink irises.

And in that instant, the people around her found themselves shouting without even realizing it.

"All hail the Wise Queen!"

"All hail the new King of the World, Leo Plov!"

Elena had stirred their emotions with the charm of her bewitching charisma.

That was all it took.

The mood surged to its peak.

The sense of awe they all felt toward the World's King had reached its breaking point.

Now, as the new King of the World was born before their eyes, their cheers echoed louder than ever.

Then, from among them, the Dragon Queen Melina stepped forward and knelt before Lysinas.

"Great Wise Queen. I swear to uphold your will and serve Leo Plov, the King of the Beginning, as the new King of the World."

Her vow was the final seal.

Leo had been recognized here and now as the true King.

At that moment—

A radiant pillar of light descended from the sky, enveloping Leo, Lysinas, and Melina.

It was Lysinas's magic.

Upon seeing it, Leo's face stiffened slightly.

"…So, the time's up."

Lysinas smiled faintly.

Her form was beginning to fade.

The time she had left as a spirit was over.

It was the aftereffect of having faced Nyx—one of Erebos's fragments.

Melina's expression darkened with sorrow.

"…Its feels nice."

"What does?"

"That you'd show me that kind of expression… just for me."

Looking at Leo's trembling eyes, Lysinas laughed cheerfully.

Then, she stepped in close, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

"How was that? I practiced a bit since you said I couldn't do it back then."

"……"

Lysinas pulled back with a teasing smile and said:

"Kyle, don't forget."

A mischievous grin spread across her face.

"You're mine. The one I chose to be my partner."

"You could've announced that along with everything else."

"Hmm? Maybe I should have… But then…"

Lysinas smiled gently again.

"…That would've been too unfair, don't you think? Luna would have been mocked by the world."

She shook her head.

"To me, Luna is also incredibly precious."

Like a little sister.

In those days long past, having shared such time together, she had become someone irreplaceable.

Quite literally…

"We're family, aren't we?"

At her words, Leo chuckled softly.

"Yeah, well, that family said you've got a poor excuse for a chest."

"…Melina. One more official announcement. Kyle and I are married."

As she said this with a straight face, Melina moved to step outside the pillar of light in a panic—but Leo grabbed her by the nape.

"She's joking."

Melina let out a soft sigh of regret.

Leaving her behind, Leo stepped up to Lysinas.

He reached out his hand.

Thinking it a handshake, Lysinas reached for it.

Fwoosh—

A soft light bloomed from Leo's hand—flowers, in full blossom.

Magic to make flowers bloom.

As they poured gently from Leo's palm, Lysinas stared, her expression dazed.

Leo spoke softly.

"I realized… I never gave you flowers. Not even once."

"Oh? Does that mean you gave some to Luna?"

"It just… kind of happened. In the Hero's World."

Leo gave an awkward smile.

Looking up at him with a slightly pouty expression, Lysinas asked, "So you're giving me a flower made from Luna's magic?"

"Don't like it?"

"…It's not that."

Muttering a bit petulantly, she took the bouquet in her hands.

"It's beautiful."

And then, she smiled brightly.

Leo smiled gently in return.

"Kyle."

"Yeah?"

"We'll meet again."

"……"

"Until then… take care of the world."

Wuuung—!

Having said her final goodbye, Lysinas's body slowly rose into the air.

And with that, the pillar of light vanished.

Everyone's gaze followed her ascent into the sky.

It was, in every way, a performance.

A theatrical farewell meant to leave a lasting impression.

"My beloved people,"

Lysinas's voice rang out once more.

"Please take care of this world, our dearest descendants."

As the former King of the World.

As the leader of the Great Heroes.

As the Wise Queen who had brought salvation to the world.

Her final message to the future.

Though it was just a play to close the curtain on a historic moment—

Every person on the battlefield found themselves kneeling, unknowingly paying respect to the great legend.

Lysinas watched with a serene smile.

And finally, she locked eyes with Leo one last time.

With the bouquet in her arms, Lysinas vanished—wearing a radiant smile.

Melina stood silently, watching Leo's back as he looked up at the sky.

There was something lonely in his silhouette.

She didn't know what to say to that quiet sorrow when—

"Leo!"

"You're awake!"

"Do you know how worried we were?!"

The friends who shared the present with him came running.

Leo looked at them with a calm, casual face—as if nothing had happened.

"Good work, everyone."

Watching Leo act as if everything was normal, Melina whispered silently in her heart.

'Lord Leo… You truly are… unbelievably strong.'

bl

The monumental incident that occurred in the Kingdom of Davienne shook the entire world.

A crisis of such magnitude that even the royal civil war in the mighty eastern nation of Davienne paled in comparison.

The Wise Queen and the Hero of the Beginning joined forces to stop the resurrection of a fragment of Erebos.

And as if that alone wasn't enough to set the world ablaze, came a romance for the ages that shook the world all over again.

"I mean, seriously, what kind of person was Sir Kyle for both Lady Lysinas and Lady Luna to fall for him?"

At the shocked words of a magic department student, Carl replied flatly,

"He was really cool."

"Come to think of it, you saw him up close in Lord Dweno's world, didn't you? What was he like?"

"Well… just insanely cool."

Carl shrugged.

At that moment—

"Join the Church of Kyle! The Church of Kyle welcomes new believers!"

Eliana roamed the dorm hallways, spreading flyers as she promoted her new club.

Carl glanced away from the newspaper and shook his head as he watched.

Then he turned the page and murmured,

"King of the World, huh…"

The front page was dominated by a massive article about Leo.

A few days after the incident, the Hero Record, which had only recorded his name, was updated with the title King of the Beginning, throwing the world into another uproar.

The second hero after the Wise Queen, Lysinas, to ever bear the title of King.

With the recognition of the gods and the Dragon Queen, Leo's status as the World's King had become an undeniable fact.

"Things must be a mess politically, too."

Juen, a younger student from the magic department, clicked her tongue.

"There's no way world leaders can ignore it now…"

"Isn't he the most successful alumnus our school's ever had at this point?"

"Probably on a level far above even Lumene."

Even Lumene had never been granted the title of King.

While everyone chattered—

Creaaak—

The dormitory door opened, and the students who had been dispatched—including Leo—returned.

The once noisy school fell into total silence.

"…Why's it so quiet in here?"

Leo asked nonchalantly.

The students didn't know how to respond.

Even Carl hesitated.

But not because Leo had become the World's King.

It was because Lysinas was gone.

'He must be heartbroken…'

That was what everyone else felt as well.

Even Chen Xia and Elena, who knew Leo's true identity, hadn't spoken to him since the incident ended.

Lunia and Eiran, who had returned to Seiren, were the same.

They couldn't begin to guess how devastated Leo must be.

"Leo!"

At that moment, Chelsea ran up to him.

She smiled brightly as she stopped in front of him.

"Welcome back!"

"Yeah."

Leo gave a small chuckle and ruffled her hair.

"Heehee!"

Laughing like usual at his touch, Chelsea suddenly glanced at Celia and Abad.

Frowning deeply, she threw herself between the two.

"Back off! Who do you think you're cozying up to?! Shoo! Shoo!"

"Why you little—!"

Just like that, the awkward atmosphere vanished.

As Chelsea and Celia started growling at each other, everything returned to normal in an instant.

Leo, looking a bit tired, settled onto a couch in the dormitory lounge.

Carl came and sat beside him.

"Welcome back, Your Majesty the World's King."

Leo gave him a flat look.

"Just act normal."

Carl burst out laughing.

"President! President!"

Eliana came running.

"You should join the Church of Kyle too! If Kyle's successor joins, our church will explode in popularity!"

"Yes, yes. Miss Eliana, Lord Leo is tired. Let's talk later."

Chen Xia gently dragged her away with a smile.

"Carl. You managed the student council while I was away, right?"

Elena sat down next to Leo and asked with a grin.

"Of course."

"As expected of my slave."

"Excuse me?! Did you just say slave?!"

Carl gave her a look of utter disbelief, while Elena calmly nodded with a hum.

The students of Lumene Academy were growing rowdy again.

Leo looked over them and let out a laugh.

"You seem to be in a good mood."

Chloe, who had just walked over, looked at him curiously. Leo nodded.

"Just feels like… I'm finally back."

He stroked his chin.

"Which means… it's time for a surprise practical test—"

"Don't."

"Don't you dare."

Chloe and Carl both shook their heads, deadly serious.

Elena smiled sweetly.

"If you pull that crap here again, I'll bite my tongue and die. You cursed old man."

Her words were filled with venomous sincerity.

Leo chuckled at her grudge-filled tone, then suddenly looked to a corner of the dormitory lounge.

Where the portraits of the Great Heroes hung.

He looked at them for a moment.

Then smiled quietly.