Editor : Amethyst00



Leo couldn't help but look puzzled as he saw Azonia referring to Agon, the Guardian of the Azure Sky and Aaron's mentor, as her master.

"Agon is your master?"

"Yes."

["How could you be Agon's student? He lived 5,000 years ago."]

At that moment, Elsie suddenly appeared above Leo's head.

Azonia and Damien were startled.

"Elsie?"

"A shadow elemental in the real world…?"

["You know me?"]

Elsie tilted her head in curiosity.

["Ah! You must've met me through the Hero's World."]

Elsie floated down to Leo's shoulder, lifted a corner of her white dress slightly, and introduced herself.

["Nice to meet you, Heroes of the Dawn. I'm the shadow elemental, Elsie."]

"Are you Elsie from the prologue of Aaron's World?"

["Yes, that's right. In terms of time, I'm that very Elsie."]

"Ah…"

["Why… why are you crying?"]

Seeing Azonia weep while looking at her, Elsie approached, flustered.

Azonia pulled Elsie into a tight embrace and quietly sobbed.

"What happened?" Leo asked Damien.

Damien sighed lightly before answering.

"Azonia's first entry into the Hero's World was the Brave's Path—the prologue."

Leo recalled the time during his first-year summer break when he and Aru tackled Aaron's World. Their goal was to find the 18-year-old Aaron in Raysar.

"That was when Rodia came to the Azo Desert with the Hero Record."

It was a time when calamities ran rampant.

Pieces of Erebos had resurrected, and Tartaros once again bared its fangs at the world.

"Of course, back then, no one knew Erebos had revived."

But it was obvious something ominous was happening.

Rodia, as the first person to discover the Hero's World, was searching for heroes to oppose Tartaros.

"Azonia met Rodia when she was seventeen. She happened to possess a key at the time."

"A key?"

Leo looked puzzled. Azonia, still holding Elsie, responded.

"It was a shard of Schatten. It had been passed down through our family, which descended from elemetalists—a relic associated with a shadow elemental. I only realized it was part of Schatten's sword after entering the Hero's World."

"I see."

Schatten—the sword that devours darkness.

It was the strongest sword once wielded by Agon, Guardian of the Azure Sky.

In truth, it was the sword that housed the shadow spirit Elsie.

Since Elsie resided in it, it likely served as a powerful conduit for shadow spirits.

"Azo City was where Raysar once stood… So it's not strange that a piece of Schatten was there."

"This was where Raysar was?"

"You didn't know? There are even Raysar ruins deep underground here."

Damien looked surprised at Leo's words.

"In any case, I think I understand the general situation."

"Yes. Azonia was the first to conquer the Hero's World, specifically the Brave's Path."

While Rodia discovered the Hero's World first, Azonia was the first to conquer it.

A "key" was required to enter the Hero's World.

Because of that, Azonia, who had a key and entered a relatively low-difficulty world, succeeded first.

The problem was…

["You couldn't save the orphanage children, could you…?"]

Elsie murmured in a bitter voice.

Saving the orphanage children wasn't part of the main objective—it was a bonus.

"I begged Rodia for the prologue page and tried multiple times… but…"

At seventeen, inexperienced Azonia couldn't save the children.

Though she would one day be called a Hero of the Dawn and save the world, she was just a girl then.

"What was the reward?"

"A dagger that young Aaron used."

That contrasted with Aru, who received Aaron's Breath as a bonus reward.

'Well, there is a big difference between a bonus and standard clear.'

Leo realized why Azonia still had an intact page of Aaron's World.

'She left the prologue page in the school she founded before entering the Dawn World.'

Azonia released Elsie and sniffled.

Then she blew her nose—loudly—on Damien's sleeve.

Damien's face darkened.

"In the end, the shard of Schatten disappeared during the mission, and I was never able to save Master Agon or the orphanage children."

During the conquest, she became Agon's disciple countless times and learned martial arts.

Azonia's eyes grew dim.

"So you never challenged Aaron's World again, stuck in the prologue?"

"…Yes, shamefully so."

The next time Azonia met Aaron wasn't in his world, but in another Great Hero's World.

"…If only that coward hadn't been so timid… we could've saved them all…"

Azonia bit her lip.

She knew these thoughts were meaningless.

It wasn't Aaron's fault.

But the respect she had for her mentor, the children like family from the orphanage, and her own powerlessness—all overwhelmed her.

'So she became stuck and couldn't move forward.'

Leo sighed, recalling how Azonia's lesson at the Hero Academy was "Keep moving forward."

"You still managed to learn Aaron's Breath, Hypersensory, and Howling well."

In today's world, Aaron's Breath is known as the Breath of the Brave.

Howling is used by beastfolk leaders with potential.

Even in the Age of Calamity, very few could use Howling.

And the Breath? Even rarer.

Azonia redefined the use of Howling and the Breath so beastfolk could use them.

Just as Seiren enabled elves to use star sorcery, Azonia adapted Aaron's techniques for others.

Of course, the effects were weaker than the originals, but still impressive.

"…Master Agon taught me."

"Agon couldn't use Aaron's techniques—he only understood the principles. But you learned it from him and used it? You're a genius."

"…Hardly."

Azonia gave a bitter smile at Leo's praise.

"Genius is a title more fitting for that coward, and you know it, Lord Kyle."

"He's just abnormal."

"…True. Abnormal… That guy always laughed while saying 'Why not just do it?' when I struggled…"

Azonia started trembling.

"I mean—he'd do impossible things like it was easy! And say, 'See? Not so hard,' with a smile! Isn't that infuriating?! I'd rather he mocked me! Or yelled at me! But no! He'd look genuinely confused and say, 'Why can't you do it?' and tell me with full sincerity that I just needed to try a bit harder! I was trying my best!"

Remembering Aaron from another Great Hero's World, Azonia burst out emotionally.

Panting heavily, her outburst finally died down.

Elsie and Melina had hidden behind Leo at some point, and Damien had his face buried in his hands, shaking his head.

Leo stroked his chin as he watched Azonia.

'Aru always said "Of course, Lord Aaron!" and sparkled whenever Aaron said crazy stuff. This is… refreshing.'

Not that he couldn't understand Azonia's feelings.

Actually, he could totally relate.

'I suffered just the same.'

'Kyle, why can't you do this? You totally can. Just try a little harder, Kyle.'

No malice in the words—Leo had almost punched him.

And when asked how to use Breath, Extrasensory, or Howling?

'It's like breathing, focusing, or yelling?'

He nearly did punch him.

'Though I wouldn't have hit him anyway.'

He would've just run away in fear.

"You've been through a lot."

Leo nodded, understanding why Azonia called Agon her master.

'Her movements are similar to Aaron's, but also different.'

It made sense—she had been trained repeatedly in the Brave's World, the prologue.

Her trauma about not revisiting Aaron's World also made sense.

"Unlike Azonia, did you conquer Dweno's World several times?"

"Yes."

Damien nodded.

Leo looked puzzled.

"But according to records, you restored divine artifacts? How's that possible with your poor smithing skills?"

"Restore, you say?"

Damien frowned slightly.

Leo looked at him curiously.

"Though I can't forge well, I do have talent in a different field."

"What is it?"

"…It's embarrassing, but… artistic sense. In short, I'm gifted in art."

"Art?"

Leo tilted his head.

"Lord Kyle, he's amazing. Dweno even said Damien surpassed him in artistic talent!"

"Shut up!"

"What? It's true. Lord Dweno was thrilled. He said he finally found a successor to follow him as an artist."

"What does being an artist matter?! The world's in crisis! Dweno was the Divine Blacksmith! The important thing is crafting weapons, you idiot!"

"What? Did you just call me an idiot? Want me to ruin that pretty face of yours?!"

"Oh, I'd love that! I hate this damn pretty face! Hit me! Go on, crazy mutt!"

"Grr!"

Damien provoked Azonia with harsh words.

But perhaps unable to hit his pretty face, Azonia hesitated.

Leo clicked his tongue watching them.

"Aren't you embarrassed in front of your junior?"

Melina chuckled softly.

"You must've been really embarrassed too, Lord Leo?"

"Why?"

"You often acted like that with other Great Heroes… in front of us… Owowow!"

Melina screamed as Leo tugged her ear.

Meanwhile, Azonia and Damien's fight had calmed down.

Azonia sighed.

"Anyway, the weapons Lord Dweno made are also his artworks."

"Yeah. That old man wouldn't admit it, though."

In life, Dweno only acknowledged Leo's sword, Posteritas, as a true "masterpiece."

"Damien can't restore divine weapons, but he can temporarily manifest them as artworks. Rodia said this was possible because he brushed against the domain of miracles."

"So he's reached the divine realm as an artist and can perfectly recreate anything he considers a true work of art?"

"Yes. Only for a brief moment, though."

Still, an extraordinary ability.

And for heroes of their level, that moment was enough to unleash the weapon's full potential.

Dweno, who reached divine heights as a blacksmith, had great artistic skills too.

But his artistry didn't reach the divine realm.

In that sense, Damien was the ideal successor Dweno had long sought.

'Though he hates it since he's not a blacksmith.'

Leo chuckled.

Aru, who adored Aaron unconditionally. Azonia, who loathed him as a coward.

Drianna, who inherited Dweno's forging talent but lacked artistry. Damien, the opposite.

'These successors are all extremes…'