Editor : Amethyst00



After arriving at the entrance of the Forest of Illusions, the party quickly entered the woods.

Since it was the realm of fairies, there were no monsters or beasts here.

"Our first priority is to reunite with Leo."

Carl spoke seriously as he looked into the forest.

Kiya, sitting on Carl's shoulder, spoke up.

["He's probably at the entrance to Fairyland. Right now, Fairyland is completely cut off from the outside world by my father's magic, so even Leo Plov wouldn't have been able to enter."]

"Hm. But it's Leo. I feel like he would've gotten in anyway."

["My father is a mage who's lived for 5,000 years. Even if Leo Plov bears the title of King of the World, he could never break that barrier."]

Carl scratched his cheek as he looked at Kiya, who was speaking with such certainty.

'But it's Leo… if anyone could do it, it's him.'

If the Fairy King Sylord is a 5,000-year-old magician, Leo is the Hero of the Beginning.

And on top of that, he was a magician recognized by Luna as a great mage.

As they walked through the Forest of Illusions, Carl sank into thought.

"What are you thinking about so hard?"

Chelsea asked with a curious expression. Carl responded.

"If there really is a fragment of Erebos in Fairyland… and we succeed in subjugating it…"

"And if we succeed?"

"That would mean we've already subjugated three fragments."

At those words, Lyl let out a small exclamation.

"That's incredible. Since the Hero of the Beginning sealed Erebos by splitting it into six parts… if that's the case, then we've already conquered half of Erebos's fragments."

While the Heroes of Dawn failed to completely destroy Erebos and could only seal it, Leo's achievements were extraordinary.

"Hyung-nim is truly amazing. He's making good on the words he said back in our first year."

The complete subjugation of Erebos.

Leo was steadily advancing toward the goal he had set.

"The remaining fragments won't be easy."

Chen Xia sighed lightly.

"Especially the ones sealed in the Dawn World…"

According to Leo, Erebos fragments grew stronger the more they burned.

And the fragments inside the Dawn World had been burning continuously through repeated cycles.

Of course, the Heroes of Dawn were constantly battling them, but even they were starting to lose control against their overwhelming power.

"The gods themselves said it's uncertain how strong those Dawn fragments will become."

Carl thought of Rian, the administrator of the Hero Record.

A god, but one who was nearly a fanatic of Kyle—that madness made Carl shiver involuntarily.

"Lately, I've heard a lot more people are idolizing Leo."

"Well, yeah. His feats aren't just legendary anymore—they're mythic. It's like he's a man chosen by destiny."

Carl shrugged his shoulders.

"I wonder… What will we be like in the future?"

Chelsea tilted her head.

"I'll probably be filthy rich, living like a king. I'll buy a luxury mansion and live like royalty."

Carl chuckled and looked at Lyl.

"What about you, senior?"

"Hmm… I want to become an adventurer."

"Huh? But you come from a military family."

"Yes, but I don't particularly like fighting. I'd rather travel the world and help people."

Lyl smiled.

"And I'll help Hyung-nim too, of course. What about you, Xia?"

"I'll probably become the Empress of Xian. Though I won't ever leave Leo's side."

"Then who'll run the empire?"

"There are plenty of capable people among the Shadows."

Chen Xia smiled gently.

Xian was a country founded and sustained purely by its mission.

Those who held the empire's key positions were all Shadows—individuals who had been saved by Leo.

A world where heroes and Shadows are equals.

The master of the Book of Shadows.

That fact alone made Leo a living god to the Shadows.

If anything, the Emperor's rightful place was at Leo's side.

Of course, Chen Xia didn't share the empire's inner workings with her friends.

"What about you, Eliza?"

To Carl's question, Eliza responded indifferently.

"I'll make the Hergin family the greatest summoner clan."

Chen Xia quickly jumped into the conversation.

"And as the head, you'll have an heir too?"

"Of course."

"How many children would you like, Eliza?"

"Hmph. Having too many direct descendants in noble families only leads to problems. One or two is enough. Same goes for you, doesn't it?"

Though the Hergin family was large, Xian was far more massive—almost unimaginably so.

And the more direct heirs a massive family had, the more likely conflict would erupt.

"Well, I suppose so. The Xian royal family doesn't really care much about power or political influence. I also like children… and I've been pretty unlucky when it comes to siblings, so I'd like to have a lot."

Chen Xia touched one cheek and smiled after a bit of pondering.

"Five at the very least would be fun, I think."

The question had been meant to tease her, but she returned it with complete poise.

Seeing this, Eliza clicked her tongue.

"Bold or shameless?"

"Let's go with both."

As a strange atmosphere settled in, Chelsea raised her hand.

"I want…!"

"You want a bigger chest, right, Chelsea?"

"Hey!!"

Chelsea glared and lunged at Chen Xia.

Carl looked at her with pity.

"There's no hope for that, is there?"

"Die!"

Chelsea's dropkick landed squarely in Carl's stomach.

Watching this, Kiya wore a strange expression.

["These… are the so-called next-generation heroes who will lead the world?"]

As they continued their lively chatter through the forest, Chen Xia suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Why are you stopping?"

As Eliza gave her a puzzled look, Lyl's gaze sharpened.

"I sense a monster's presence in the distance."

At those words, the party's expressions changed.

Chelsea focused her senses.

Then she spoke.

"It's quite far… but why are there monsters here…?"

["I can't believe this! Monsters have defiled this land!"]

Kiya reacted with fury.

"First, we must reunite with Leo Plov."

Eliza spoke calmly, and the group began heading quickly toward the entrance of Fairyland.

"Eliza! Just in case, please summon the pegasus!"

As Chen Xia moved closer, Eliza reached to summon Rue.

Fwoosh—!

Suddenly, a bright light exploded before them.

"What's this?!"

As Eliza looked around in alarm, Chelsea shouted urgently.

"It's magic!"

["That's my father's magic power?! No! Something's wrong! We haven't even entered the magical range yet…!"]

Kiya's panicked voice rang out.

"Everyone, stay alert!"

With Lyl's voice as the last sound, everything went silent.

As their vision vanished completely, Chen Xia closed her eyes and focused her senses.

After a while…

'What is this? The location changed. We're inside a building?'

Sensing her surroundings, Chen Xia realized the location had changed.

'Eliza's right beside me…'

With that in mind, Chen Xia opened her eyes and said:

"Eliza. You can open your eyes now."

"What in the world is this?"

Eliza opened her eyes at Chen Xia's words.

As their eyes met, both fell silent.

"Oh my, Eliza… you look stunning."

Chen Xia gasped with her hand over her mouth.

"You too…"

Even Eliza was taken aback.

Their youthful innocence was gone.

Even to each other—so familiar—it was shocking how beautiful and mature they looked.

It was as if they were looking at themselves from the future.

"What the…?"

"If this is magic, it's probably an illusion. Fairies excel at that."

As Chen Xia examined her clothes curiously, Eliza calmly analyzed the situation.

Now that they were older, they weren't wearing school uniforms.

Chen Xia wore formal Eastern attire, while Eliza had on Northern-style clothing.

"…I know where we are."

"Where?"

"This is the Hergin family head's reception room."

Eliza looked at the wall.

There, portraits of the heads of the Hergin family were displayed.

Next to her father's portrait…

…was a portrait of Eliza herself.

"Looks like this is the future."

"…But it's just an illusion."

Eliza scoffed.

"Fairy illusion magic shows you what you desire. So it's probably a projection of the future you or I wanted."

"My goodness. Then maybe I'll get to see the children I have with Leo!"

Chen Xia teased, hands to her cheeks.

Eliza clicked her tongue.

"What on earth is so good about Leo Plov?"

"He's cool."

"He is cool, I'll admit that. But he clearly has complicated relationships with women."

"So you do think he's cool?"

"He's not my type. I don't like guys with messy love lives."

"So what? He saved me. That alone makes him likable."

"Hah… You really do think differently."

Eliza shook her head.

Then Chen Xia gave her a sly grin.

"By the way, Eliza… do you think you ended up marrying Carl? The phantom beasts seemed very eager to pair you two up earlier."

"Hmph. Don't flatter yourself, Xia."

Eliza laughed.

"I was just casually dating Carl. A fun distraction from the stress of studying, that's all."

"Aw, don't say things you don't mean."

"Hmph."

"Well, if you say so. We don't even know how far in the future this is. Maybe you aren't married yet…"

Bang—!

"Mom!"

At that moment, a boy around ten with silver hair burst in.

"I heard you had a guest today… Ah!"

He spotted Chen Xia and widened his eyes before bowing respectfully.

"It is an honor to meet the great Empress of Xian. I am Elim, heir of Eliza Hergin."

Chen Xia stared at Eliza.

"There's no proof he's Carl's kid, right?"

Eliza muttered quietly, her voice trembling.

"Brother! When is our guest arriving…?"

Then a girl with orange hair, around Elim's age, entered and halted, quickly bowing.

"Greetings, great Empress of Xian. I am Elim's twin sister, Elly. It's an honor to meet you."

As the girl appeared—whose father was quite obvious—Chen Xia smiled broadly.

Eliza covered her face to avoid eye contact.

"Nice to meet you, Elim and Elly. Say, what's your father's name?"

"Carl Hergin."

"My, my. A dear old classmate. You both look just like your daddy."

Chen Xia chuckled and patted their heads, then turned to Eliza.

"So Eliza, the future you wanted was to have two kids and a happy family with Carl!"

"Enough already…"

"A happy family of four~"

"I said stop."

"Why do you always pick on me so much?"

Eliza complained bitterly.

"Your Majesty, if I may… we're not just a family of four."

Elly spoke firmly, eyes shining as she looked up at Chen Xia.

"Excuse me?"

"I have five younger siblings."

"…"

"…"

Chen Xia's jaw dropped, and Eliza froze in place.

Chen Xia smiled awkwardly.

"Elim, Elly, could you give us a moment? I need to talk to Eliza in private."

The children bowed politely and exited.

As silence filled the room, Chen Xia scratched her cheek and said:

"I guess… if they get married, they'll have great chemistry."

She didn't get a response.

Eliza simply stood frozen, murmuring blankly.

"This… this is… just an illusion. Right… just an illusion…"

Chen Xia walked up to her and said:

"They said it shows what you desire, right?"

"…"

"Be honest with yourself, Eliza."