Editor : Amethyst00



Crackle—Crackle—

In front of the campfire at the campsite.

Aru, who was wrapped in bandages all over, looked at the tent where Elena was sleeping and asked:

"So… you're saying the healing magic Elena used on me… was magic that transferred my wounds to herself?"

"Yeah. Sacrifice. It's a forbidden magic in elven society."

Lunia let out a small sigh.

"She used such a dangerous spell on me multiple times?"

"Something like that. When Elena wakes up, make sure to thank her. Maybe even grant her a wish, if it's not too much."

"A w-wish?"

"Yeah. Maybe not an actual wish, but at least show her some sincere appreciation."

Drianna stirred the fire as she spoke.

At that, Aru fidgeted with her tail and asked hesitantly:

"D-Do I have to let her touch my tail?"

"That's it?"

At Lunia's comment, Aru's fur bristled.

"What do you mean that's it?! Tails are sensitive, okay?!"

"But Leo grabs it all the time."

Lunia, looking puzzled, reached out toward Aru's tail.

Immediately, Aru's tail dodged her touch in an annoyingly nimble way.

"……"

"……"

Lunia tried to grab it again but failed once more.

'…Now I really want to grab it just because it's so evasive.'

Lunia shook her head sharply, feeling an odd allure from Aru's tail.

"Anyway, about Lady Azonia…"

Drianna stared at the fire, her face full of astonishment.

"It really was her, wasn't it?"

"Seems like it. This is bad."

Lunia sighed deeply.

"You're telling me the Hero Dungeon that's open somewhere in the Azo Desert belongs to one of the Heroes of the Dawn."

An abandoned hero dungeon slowly erodes the world.

As the erosion intensifies, elements from the Hero's World begin to manifest in reality.

The fact that Azonia was here was one such phenomenon.

"This is serious."

They couldn't just be happy about meeting a living legend.

At that moment—

Aru, arms crossed, fell into deep thought.

"What are you thinking about so hard?"

"Well, that black rabbit earlier…"

Aru blinked her blue eyes.

"Lady Azonia said she came from Lord Aaron's world… nyaaaaa?!"

Suddenly, Aru screamed and jumped up.

"What are you talking about?"

With a fierce glare, Aru turned around—

—and saw Leo tugging on her tail.

"I said—don't pull my tailllllll!!"

Aru hissed and tried to claw at Leo.

Of course, Leo caught both her wrists and held her still.

Watching the scene unfold, Drianna shook her head—then her eyes widened as she spotted two people behind Leo.

Lunia was also taken aback when she saw the small figure standing next to Azonia.

"Y-You!"

Drianna jumped to her feet and approached Damien with a trembling voice.

Seeing her, Damien thought:

'Is this the girl Lord Kyle spoke of? The successor to Master Dweno?'

She had a small frame and a cute face, but her hands were scorched and covered in hardened calluses.

From that alone, Damien easily deduced she was a dwarf who diligently worked at the forge.

A faint warmth flickered in Damien's eyes.

Truthfully, he wasn't the nicest person.

He disliked showing himself to others and wasn't fond of forming close relationships.

Though the Heroes of the Dawn were like family, he wasn't exactly kind even to them.

Rodia used to joke that Damien "looked the part" of a cold man.

But there were a few people Damien was warm to, the Great Heroes and the Shadows.

Damien gave a gentle smile to Drianna as she approached.

"So, you're Drianna?"

"You know about me?! Then you must know about my fame too!"

"Huh?"

Damien looked puzzled at her reaction.

'Ah, she doesn't know who I am? Well, I guess my face isn't widely known.'

Damien nodded slightly and recalled what Leo had said about Drianna.

'Didn't he say Master Dweno might have reincarnated as a girl? She must be a prodigy craftsman…'

"Hey! Have you ever considered being a nude model?!"

"……"

Damien's brain shut down for a moment.

Azonia, who had been watching Leo and Aru with amusement, turned to look at Damien and Drianna with a stiff expression.

"There she goes again."

Lunia clicked her tongue at the scene.

At that moment—

"Lord Kyle, Lord Kyle!"

Azonia urgently called Leo.

"What's the matter, Lady Azonia?"

Still held by Leo, Aru looked curiously at Azonia.

Then, seeing her face go pale with fear, Aru realized something serious was happening.

The Grand Warrior Azonia.

Renowned enough to be called the second coming of the Hero Aaron, she was the legendary beast warrior who rekindled the value of courage among the beastkin.

The very image of a brave warrior that today's beastkin revered all stemmed from Azonia.

'If she's scared, then something truly terrifying must be approaching!'

Thinking that, Aru activated her hyper-senses.

"We have to stop Damien!"

"Huh?"

While Aru looked dumbfounded—

"What? Nude?"

Damien growled with a chilling tone.

"That's right! Your beauty must be preserved for future generations—!"

"You little—who the hell are you asking to be a nude model?!"

Leo and Azonia managed to hold Damien back before he could attack Drianna.

Though Damien's strength was monstrous—as expected from a legendary dwarf—those restraining him were either legends themselves or even greater ones.

Eventually, Damien was subdued and pinned to the ground.

"C'mon, calm down! She just blurted it out! Let it go!"

Azonia tried to calm him down.

"If you hate the idea of posing nude that much, then how about semi-nude—"

"GRAAAHHHH!"

At Drianna's continued suggestion, the veins on Damien's forehead bulged again.

Watching it all, Leo finally understood why Damien reacted so violently.

'That damn old man… what did he do to this kid?'

"Aru, Lunia. Get Drianna out of sight."

Only after the three left did Damien finally calm down.

At that moment, Eiran, whose wounds had been treated by Melina, approached.

Looking at the chaos around him, a frightened Eiran asked:

"W-What… just happened?"

"A bunch of things."

bl

By dawn, Lunia's treatment had finished.

Inside Leo's tent, only three others remained besides Leo: Damien, Azonia, and Melina.

"Sorry for the disgraceful scene earlier, Lord Kyle."

"It's fine. Judging by your reaction, Dweno—that damn old man—must've been the cause."

Leo clicked his tongue.

Damien covered his face in frustration.

Azonia spoke as she watched him.

"Thank you for understanding. Damien never liked his looks—not even as a child."

She sighed softly.

"Being beautiful can be a blessing, but if it's too much… it becomes more trouble than it's worth."

Leo nodded.

"I get that."

A certain level of power or position might make beauty an advantage, but before that, excessive beauty was often a burden.

Then Melina, listening quietly, asked:

"Wait, you've known each other since childhood?"

"Yeah. Both Damien and I were born in the Azo Desert. We're childhood friends."

"Childhood friends, my ass. Move over."

"Don't be so crabby."

Damien shoved off Azonia, who had playfully thrown an arm around him and was grinning.

Leo, watching them, asked:

"But Damien, why is your public image so different from how you actually look?"

Most of the records of the Heroes of the Dawn had been erased, and their real faces were unknown. But their statues and portraits still existed all over the world.

And the face attributed to Damien was a classic dwarf—exactly what you'd expect from Dweno's successor.

But the real Damien was so beautiful, it was hard to believe he was a dwarf.

Leo had only seen three people in both his past and present life who could compare to Damien in terms of looks.

Damien's face turned bitter.

"Did you use some kind of disguise?"

Leo asked, but it was Azonia who answered.

"No. He never used a disguise."

Azonia glanced at Damien and asked:

"You want to explain, or should I?"

Damien sighed deeply.

"The one known to the world as me… is actually my shadow."

"Your shadow?"

"Yes. Technically, I was supposed to be his shadow…"

Damien gave a bitter smile.

"But I became the hero, and he became my shadow."

Melina's eyes widened at the unexpected revelation.

"I didn't have the kind of appearance people expected from Dweno's successor. So for public matters, I had my shadow stand in."

"Even if you didn't like your appearance, wasn't that a bit much?"

"It wasn't just because of that. There was another reason."

"What was it?"

Leo asked, and Damien took a deep breath before answering.

"It's embarrassing, but… I have zero talent as a blacksmith."

"What?"

"Pfft. This guy is hopeless as a blacksmith."

Azonia couldn't hold back her laughter, tapping Damien on the head.

Damien elbowed her in the side.

"Guh?!"

Ignoring Azonia collapsing to the ground, Damien said:

"Dweno wasn't just a hero—he was also the blacksmith responsible for his party's weapons. With my skills being so poor, I couldn't rightfully present myself as his successor. Fortunately, my shadow was an excellent blacksmith. That's why I had him take the spotlight."

"It wasn't a bad decision. Just a bit lacking."

Azonia chuckled as she stood back up.

Leo stroked his chin, thinking.

He then looked at Azonia.

"Why didn't you conquer Aaron's world?"

Azonia pouted.

"Because I didn't need to."

"Why not?"

"I didn't need to conquer it to use that coward's—no, Lord Aaron's—techniques."

At that, Damien smirked.

"You were so jealous of Lord Aaron."

"Shut up!"

Azonia glared at him.

"Did you learn Aaron's techniques from him directly?"

"Nope."

She made a slightly sulky face.

"As if that man could teach anything properly."

"True enough. Then who taught you?"

Leo asked, now convinced.

"My master."

"Your master?"

"Yes."

Azonia took a deep breath.

"My master was the Guardian of the Azure Sky… Lord Agon."