Editor : Amethyst00



"Then you guys don't really know anything about the entrance to the Hero Dungeon either, huh?"

"Yes. When I came to my senses, I was already in the outside world. I didn't even realize what 'outside' meant until I met the students."

Damien answered Leo's question politely.

Leo asked him another.

"So the Hero Dungeon opened separately?"

"No. Only one Hero Dungeon opened."

"I thought the Hero's World was just an illusion created by the world's owner?"

"Yes, normally that's the case. But sometimes, a single page records the stories of two heroes. In that case, the world has two owners. That's how it is with me and Azonia."

Leo's face showed surprise.

"That actually happens?"

"Only when the bond between the heroes is very strong! Like when they're lovers!"

Azonia cheerfully grinned as she suddenly hugged Damien from behind and lifted him up.

Damien, with a straight face, swung his left elbow and struck Azonia in the temple.

Smack—!

"Grk?!"

Azonia let out a strange sound and collapsed with a thud.

Damien scoffed and brushed off his clothes.

Leo tilted his head at the cold reaction.

"I thought there was something weird between you two. Are you actually a couple?"

"Huh? Leo, did you just pick up on that subtle vibe between a man and woman?"

Melina clapped both hands over her mouth in shock.

As Leo's gaze met hers, she quickly hid behind Elsie.

Then Damien spoke.

"We've just been friends since childhood. As friends and comrades, we'd trust each other with our lives, but we're not lovers."

"That's harsh. We even shared a bed…"

Whack—!

"Gah?!"

Thud—!

Without hesitation, Damien punched Azonia right in the jaw.

Melina looked at the foaming and fainted Azonia and asked seriously:

"Is it okay to hit her like that?"

"Don't worry. She's as tough as I am. She'll be up again in a moment."

Leo chuckled at Damien's cold response.

"Why? You two actually seem like a good match."

"Thank you, but I have no intention of taking a woman with a promiscuous past as my partner."

"Promiscuous?"

"Azonia is strong and beautiful."

Damien sighed.

"She showed the qualities of a Grand Warrior from a young age, so many suitors pursued her. As the great chieftain ruling over many beast tribes, she also needed a successor for political reasons. Of course, she was sealed along with the Erebos fragment before having any children."

At the time, it wasn't considered a problem in beastkin society for a powerful leader to have many mates to produce excellent successors.

Even if many children were born, the most outstanding one would inherit power.

So many beastkin chieftains had numerous lovers.

"Did Azonia have many lovers too?"

"Yes."

"You don't like her because of her complicated romantic past?"

"It's not that I dislike it, per se."

Having many children was just part of the beastkin culture at the time.

"But I want only one partner. Azonia is impulsive. And above all…"

"Above all?"

"I thought she needed a pure-blood beastkin heir."

"I don't mind a half-blood at all!"

Azonia jumped up with a big smile and hugged Damien tightly.

"If you don't want me to see other men, then I won't! I'll only ever look at you!"

"Hoo…"

Damien smirked coldly.

Then he elbowed her in the jaw again.

Thud!

"There's no way you could give up alcohol, gambling, and men."

Watching cold Damien, Leo glanced at Azonia.

'For someone who's had so many men, she reacts pretty innocently…'

Leo brushed off the thought and said:

"Melina."

"Yes."

"Keep looking for the entrance to the Hero Dungeon."

"Yes."

Melina bowed politely to Damien and Azonia, then left to continue her search.

Azonia opened and closed her mouth a few times, touched her jaw, then stood up.

"Follow me."

Leo stepped out of the tent.

Shortly after…

Sitting by the campfire with Lunia and Eiran, Aru and Drianna's eyes sparkled as they saw Azonia and Damien approaching with Leo.

"You probably already know, but let me introduce you again. This is the Grand Warrior Azonia and the Unyielding Damien."

Clap clap clap clap—!

Aru and Drianna clapped enthusiastically at Leo's introduction.

Caught up in the energy, Lunia and Eiran clapped along awkwardly.

Azonia, who had been all smiles moments ago, returned to an expressionless face.

Damien's previously cold expression had softened slightly.

"Drianna."

"Yes?"

"No more talk about modeling from you starting today."

"Eep?!"

Drianna flinched at Leo's words.

Then, clenching her fists tightly, she declared:

"Argh, art shall not be oppressed!"

Leo smiled at that.

Seeing the smile, Drianna shrank her neck.

"O-Okay, I won't."

Her usual theatrical tone gone, she responded in her natural voice—Leo's smile had pressured her that much.

After quelling Drianna's tiny rebellion, Leo introduced the four to Azonia and Damien.

"This elf is Lunia El Lunda. Her title is 'The Chaser of the Star.'"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lunia."

"This cat beastkin is Aru Tune. Title: 'The Heiress to the Brave's Will.'"

"I'm Aru Tune!"

"This dwarf is Drianna. She doesn't have a title yet, but she's the successor of Dweno."

"I'm Drianna."

"This elf is Eiran Ersar, descendant of my disciple, Velkia."

After the introductions, Azonia looked at Drianna and asked:

"Damien's junior hasn't made it into the Hero Record yet?"

"No. I haven't done enough to be called a hero yet."

"Oh?"

Azonia smirked as she glanced down at Damien.

Pleased at the thought that her junior had surpassed his.

Though Damien didn't seem to care in the slightest.

"But Damien, you look different from what we know."

Eiran cautiously asked.

Damien replied calmly.

"The version of me known publicly is actually my shadow."

"Oh, then unless someone sees the Hero Record, they wouldn't know your real face?"

"No. My real appearance isn't even recorded in the Hero Record."

"Huh?"

"I made a deal with the Hero Record's administrator."

"…"

At that, Leo recalled the Damien Rian had manifested before.

'Come to think of it, he did look like a portrait then.'

Though he found it curious that Damien had handed over his achievements to his shadow, Leo didn't pry.

"You've probably guessed, but a Hero Dungeon has opened somewhere in the Azo Desert, and Melina's searching for the entrance."

"Is it a serious situation?"

Lunia asked with concern, and Leo replied:

"There haven't been any signs so far, so… it's probably not urgent."

If a piece of Erebos had tried to cross over, there would have been warning signs.

"Still, if it gets out that the heroes of Dawn have appeared in reality, it'll cause massive confusion. Keep this a secret. I'll tell Xia and Elena separately."

The four nodded.

"And this is also a chance."

"A chance?"

"Yeah. Now you've got teachers besides me who can teach you about the Great Heroes."

Hearing that, Aru and Drianna looked at the founders of their schools.

"Azonia, Damien. Teach them what you know."

"Understood, Lord Leo."

Damien nodded right away.

"Please take good care of me, Damien!"

Drianna smiled shyly.

Azonia crossed her arms and looked at Aru standing before her.

Watching them, Lunia felt something strange.

'Didn't Eiran say Azonia is a dog-type beastkin?'

The now-extinct beastkin race.

Similar to wolves, but also subtly different.

'She said she hated cat beastkin too. That's probably why.'

Dogs and cats don't get along.

So it made sense beastkin races might dislike each other too.

'But… this is the complete opposite.'

Aru's eyes sparkled as she wagged her tail like a puppy.

'Anyone would think she's the dog here.'

Meanwhile, Azonia wore an indifferent face, her tail twitching slowly and irritably.

Just like a cat in a bad mood.

Their roles seemed reversed.

"I'm Aru Tune! Azonia! I respect you!"

"Mm. Okay."

Azonia picked up a stick from the ground and threw it far away.

"Wanna fetch it?"

"Yes!"

Aru eagerly ran after it.

"Does she really think she's a dog?"

Lunia looked dumbfounded.

But she also felt a bit jealous.

Learning from a Dawn Hero was something to be envious of.

Then Leo said:

"Lunia, Eiran. You two learn from Azonia too."

"Huh? Us too?"

"Is that okay?"

"Of course."

Azonia answered instead.

Leo added as she smiled gently:

"Eiran, you'll learn a lot about hypersensory perception from Azonia. Lunia can study summoning magic."

"Summoning?"

Lunia looked puzzled, and Leo glanced at Azonia.

"Yeah. In elemental art, Azonia far surpasses Seiren."

Lunia's eyes widened in surprise.

It was well known that the Grand Warrior had learned elemental art, but no one knew she surpassed Seiren.

But Leo wouldn't lie.

"Um, Leo… but what about exam supervision?"

Eiran cautiously asked.

Leo answered:

"Of course, we'll do it. The training will happen in Raysar."

Azonia's eyes sparkled.

"I wonder what our future students will be like? Aren't you curious, Damien?"

"Not really."

Damien replied bluntly.

Just then—

"Azonia! I brought it!"

Aru held up the stick she threw and returned.

Azonia took it and threw it again.

"Fetch it again."

Swish—!

"Is this stamina training?!"

Aru smiled brightly and ran off again.

"…They're not all as stupid as that kid, right?"

Azonia asked seriously.

Eiran shook her head.

"They're all brave and admirable people."

"Really? That's a relief."

Azonia smiled.

Lunia covered her face as she watched Aru chasing the stick.

"That stupid cat…"

Then she whispered to Leo.

"Leo, are you sure this is okay? Azonia… she really doesn't seem to like Aru."

"Really? Looks to me like she's quite fond of her."

"What?"

"I'm more worried about the other pair."

Leo glanced toward Damien and Drianna.

Drianna was enthusiastically asking questions, and Damien was smiling as he answered.

'Doesn't seem like a problem.'

Lunia tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

bl

Whooooooo—

A dry wind blew across the land.

A gray, ashen sky.

In the middle of a ruin dotted with small graves, a scruffy, middle-aged wolf beastkin sat drinking.

Gulp gulp—

He drank straight from the bottle and looked up at the sky with dull eyes.

"The world's about to end, huh."

A hopeless situation.

But there wasn't the slightest fear on his face.

Only a cynical smirk lingered.

"This damn world… might as well go ahead and perish."