Editor : Amethyst00



Whoosh—!

Leo dashed through the desert beneath the night sky at an incredible speed, holding Chen Xia in his arms.

Cradled within Leo's cloak, Chen Xia kept her eyes open, scanning her surroundings.

Then, she looked up at the desert night sky stretching before her.

A sky so beautiful, it looked as if the stars might fall at any moment.

As she silently took in the breathtaking scene, her gaze shifted to Leo.

Leo's face, illuminated by the moonlight.

As Chen Xia admired it for a moment, she noticed Elsie perched on Leo's shoulder.

While watching Elsie, Chen Xia asked:

"Miss Elsie, is something bothering you?"

["Huh? No, not really."]

Tilting her head, Elsie looked at Chen Xia.

Their black eyes met—hero and elemental staring silently at one another.

Just then, Leo came to a halt in the middle of the desert.

A gap between large rocks.

The area, ideal for camping, bore signs of a recent campsite.

Using his heightened senses, Leo easily discovered that Freyna had stayed here.

"There were two people here, right?" Chen Xia asked as she examined the traces.

"That's right."

"But… there's no trace of the other person."

Chen Xia had found evidence of Freyna's presence.

However, no matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find any trace of the dwarf who had supposedly been with Freyna.

"Did you find out anything, Leo?"

"No. Nothing besides Freyna's traces."

'What the hell is this guy?'

He had completely erased his presence.

'I can't even tell where he went.'

The desert winds had erased any footprints.

'But just because footprints are gone doesn't mean all traces of movement vanish.'

Leo possessed the ability to track signs invisible to others.

But this time, he couldn't find a single trace.

'He knows the shadows well.'

It wasn't done intentionally.

'He's someone who's naturally accustomed to erasing his tracks.'

Realizing this chase wouldn't be easy, Leo clicked his tongue.

'And there are no signs of resistance either.'

From what he could infer from the remnants of the campsite, something felt off.

Even if Freyna mistook the man for Damien, she was a shadow cadet.

Shadows always leave signals that other shadows can follow in case of emergencies.

But there were none here.

'Either he erased even those signals… or Freyna completely trusts him.'

"If it's the latter, then maybe he's using mental manipulation."

"Mental manipulation?"

"Let's split up. I'll search this way—Xia, you take the opposite side."

"Okay."

"Elsie, help Xia."

["Yes."]

Elsie flew off Leo's shoulder and settled atop Chen Xia's head.

"If you sense anything suspicious, call me immediately."

"Got it."

["Understood."]

At Leo's words, Chen Xia and Elsie nodded.

Soon, they parted ways and walked through the desert.

Chen Xia heightened her senses—especially her touch and hearing.

'Please let her be okay.'

Worried about Freyna, Chen Xia asked:

"Miss Elsie, are there still no suspicious signs around?"

["…"]

"Elsie?"

["Ah, yes. No suspicious signs."]

Elsie, who had been staring blankly at the sky from atop Chen Xia's head, snapped to attention and replied.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?"

Realizing Elsie was acting differently, Chen Xia asked.

["I was just thinking of the past. This place is Aaron's homeland… but it's also mine."]

"Ah…"

["And it's also where my family lost their lives."]

"Your family…?"

["Yes, Aaron's family too."]

This Elsie was a reward from the Hero Record.

The real Elsie had died during the age of calamity long ago.

She also suffered a terrible loss when her family disappeared.

Though the current Elsie didn't experience that pain, the fact remained that the children from the orphanage—like family—had died tragically.

She had tried hard to forget it, but now that she'd returned to this land, the memories resurfaced.

["They were killed by traitors. Both mine and Aaron's families."]

"……"

As Elsie gazed at the night sky and gave a bitter smile—

"…Chen Xia-sunbae?"

A sudden voice startled Chen Xia.

To her surprise, Freyna was closer than she'd expected.

"Freyna?"

"What brings you here?"

"You disappeared on your own. I came to find you."

"Huh? But I've been with Damien the whole time."

Freyna tilted her head, puzzled.

"The person you've been with isn't Damien."

"What? That's not possible."

Freyna shook her head.

She clearly trusted her companion completely.

That blind trust made Chen Xia uneasy.

Freyna was a shadow candidate too.

Shadows are trained to be suspicious.

Yet, despite her senior's warning, Freyna didn't question the dwarf at all.

'Mental manipulation…'

Just as Chen Xia recalled Leo's words and prepared herself—

"Are you a shadow too?"

A beautiful voice came from behind, and Chen Xia flinched.

Without thinking, she turned toward it, as if entranced.

"…Ah."

Seeing the beautiful boy standing before her, Chen Xia gasped unconsciously.

A beauty that left one dazed.

She felt her guard melt away like snow.

And trust in the stranger bloomed.

'Who was it…? Someone gave me this same feeling before…'

As she approached the dwarf with a puzzled expression—

'Right.'

She remembered someone else with this kind of irresistible charm.

'Senior Elena.'

But the boy's allure far surpassed Elena's.

Whoosh—!

Grab—!

"Hm?"

Damien caught Chen Xia's hand just as she reached for his neck.

"So it doesn't work on you?"

"Why did you take Freyna?"

"I just had some questions. I meant no harm."

"And the mental manipulation?"

"I had a lot I wanted to hear from her. But once it wears off, it shouldn't cause lasting effects. If you want, I can even erase the memory."

As Damien answered indifferently, he stared at Chen Xia's face and nodded.

"I see. So you're Chen Xia."

A soft smile appeared on his face.

"A shadow who rose to be a hero—impressive."

"…?"

Chen Xia was taken aback by Damien's sudden warmth.

Shing—

A sword appeared behind Damien, touching his neck.

"You're pretty handsome… for a dwarf."

Leo's cold voice warned him.

"Let go of her. I won't ask twice."

At his words, Damien released her hand.

Whoooosh—!

Gray mana surged from Leo's body.

Chen Xia quickly pulled Freyna away from Leo's range.

Once they were out of sight—

"Are you… Lord Kyle?"

Leo's energy paused at Damien's question.

"You know me?"

"So what Rodia, Seiren, and Lumene said was true."

Realizing who Damien was, Leo withdrew his blade.

"…Damien?"

"Yes. I'm Damien, successor to Lord Dweno."

Damien turned and respectfully bowed his head.

Just as Leo was about to ask why he was out in the world—

A massive surge of mana rippled through the air.

Leo turned his head toward the campsite.

Damien scowled and looked in the same direction.

"That damned mad dog… She should've known she was outside, yet she's rampaging!"

"Mad dog?"

Leo looked confused.

"Yes. Azonia. She must've also left the world of heroes."

"She must be quite the aggressive type. That direction… our kids are there."

Realizing this, Damien grimaced.

"If you don't stop her, the students may get hurt. That mad dog loses control when excited."

Nodding, Leo lowered his stance.

Crack—!

Then, he disappeared in a flash, heading toward the campsite.

bl

"What… is this monster…?"

Lunia gritted her teeth.

Eiran and Drianna, who had desperately defended Lunia and Elena, had been rendered unable to fight.

The only one who could somewhat keep up with Azonia's overwhelming speed was Aru.

Which meant Aru had taken the brunt of her attacks.

She was in the worst shape of anyone in the party.

Elena had repeatedly used Sacrifice to heal Aru's wounds.

As a result, she too was completely drained.

Despite the pain and mana exhaustion, she watched the battle with a blank expression.

"You're tough, huh?"

As Azonia approached Elena with genuine admiration—

Aru staggered forward and blocked her path.

Azonia sneered.

"Why not give up? You can't win."

"They say true courage is standing firm when you want to break."

Enduring the pain, Aru asked:

"Don't you know that best, Miss Azonia?"

"…What?"

Lunia's jaw dropped.

Elena's eyes widened.

Azonia looked surprised for a moment, then smiled.

"When did you figure it out?"

"Just now."

"How?"

"Because of the hypersenses you're using."

"Oh?"

"The only person I know with senses that rival the Black Rabbit's… is you."

"You're sharper than I thought. So? You'll fight even knowing who I am?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the successor of the Brave Aaron and the Grand Warrior."

Aru's eyes burned with determination.

"A fight once begun must be seen through to the end."

"Impressive. But…"

"…?"

"Don't compare me to that coward."

Azonia's smile vanished, replaced by a chilling air.

"It's annoying."

"What…?"

"If you insist on fighting, I'll go all out."

Whoosh—!

Without warning, her fist shot toward Aru's face.

At that moment—

Boom—!

A palm struck her fist from the side.

The sand beneath exploded upward.

Her punch's power had been redirected into the ground.

Azonia turned to face the person who blocked her.

Then, she withdrew her fist and lowered her hood.

Brown hair tumbled down.

With golden eyes lowered in respect, she bowed politely.

"It is a great honor to meet you, Hero of the Beginning—Lord Kyle. I am Azonia, successor to the Brave."

"Pleasure's mine. But…"

Leo's red eyes turned to Aru.

"For a test, that was a bit harsh, wasn't it?"

"I wanted to see what the juniors were capable of. Maybe I went overboard."

Watching her playful smile, Leo said:

"Aru's in particularly bad shape."

"Maybe I got too intense since she's my direct junior."

Leo stared at her and let out a small laugh.

"You didn't rough her up because you hate her, did you?"

His voice was barely a whisper, audible only to Azonia and Aru.

Aru blinked, flustered.

"What do you mean…?"

But Azonia said nothing and just looked at Leo.

"You mad she cleared Aaron's world when you couldn't?"

"Wait, what did the Black Rabbit just say…?"

Aru was stunned.

Azonia simply kept smiling.

"You're sharp as always, Lord Kyle. But…"

"…"

"You were never this gentle with others before, were you?"

At that, Leo smiled faintly.

"Death changes a man."