Editor : Amethyst00



A place overlooking the vast interior of Seiren at a glance—

The Seiren Student Council President's Office.

Seated at the president's desk, Lunia unfolded a newspaper laid out in front of her.

For any race, newspapers were the most accessible way to grasp the state of the world.

Of course, the newspapers atop Lunia's desk weren't just elven ones.

Human, beastkin, dwarf—

Papers from all the major races were there.

"Just last year, we couldn't even look at other races' newspapers… When I think about that, haven't we improved a lot, Senior Hardin?"

Lunia asked with a soft smile.

The former student council president Hardin, reading the latest issue of an elven paper nearby, nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. It's all thanks to Lady Luna."

"Now hold on. I'm the one who loosened the unnecessary censorship."

"True. But without Lady Luna, that wouldn't have been possible to begin with."

Originally, Seiren—and elven society as a whole—had been completely closed off to outside culture.

Books and newspapers from other races weren't even allowed past their borders.

The Pureblood Society, an ultra-powerful group of elven supremacists, had enforced strict censorship on any non-elven literature.

They spouted absurd reasoning: that foreign culture was inferior and would only tarnish the sophistication of elven society.

But when Luna publicly denounced the Pureblood Society and its supremacist ideologies, their iron grip on elven censorship had finally crumbled.

As soon as Lunia took up her position as student council president, she worked to open Seiren's gates to outside literature.

Of course, some censorship still remained.

There were books banned across all races, and others that could instill warped values in students during their developmental years.

In particular, to the Elves—who had grown up in a culture that prized serenity and tradition—foreign culture could often be too stimulating.

'Just look at Eiran, for instance…'

Lunia let out a quiet sigh and turned a page of the newspaper.

The world had entered an era of upheaval.

And in times like these, information was a powerful weapon.

'There's nothing faster than newspapers when it comes to keeping up with the global situation.'

Given how isolated elven society had once been, it was all the more important now to actively seek out news from beyond.

As Lunia flipped through the paper, her hand stopped.

It was a well-known story by now: that the noble bloodlines of humanity had formed a Hero Alliance and appointed Leo as their Alliance Leader.

Even in Seiren, that news had caused quite the stir.

There wasn't much new to be said about the noble house meetings—but one particular article caught Lunia's attention and made her eyes narrow.

[Former Heroic House Zeltian Accused of Orchestrating Assassination on 'The Herald of Beginning,' Carl Thomas. Alleged Backer: Desire King Ziguas?]

As the next head of the Lunda House, a family that had formed contracts with the phoenix for generations, Lunia knew the Zeltian House well—famed for their summoning magic.

'Even a house like that… is now collaborating with Tartaros.'

Her expression grew grave.

'Though, I suppose we're in no position to judge either…'

Even the Pureblood Society, which once wielded tremendous influence across all elven society, had been found to be in league with the Lich King, Hell Kaiser.

Though they had been expelled, that didn't mean they'd been eradicated.

'And there's no guarantee the Purebloods were the only ones who were secretly colluding with Tartaros.'

The shadows of corruption had already crept into every corner of the world.

'We must remain vigilant as well…'

Just as Lunia was reflecting on this while scanning the article—

Tap tap—

A snowy white bird tapped its beak on the windowpane.

It was a Snowbird, a low-grade spirit beast native to the northern continent.

Lunia opened the window, and the Snowbird fluttered in, extending its leg.

She untied the message fastened to it.

"A report from Eiran?"

"Yes."

After offering the Snowbird a sliver of jerky, Lunia opened the letter and read its contents.

Hardin, watching her complexion shift, frowned in concern.

"What is it?"

Lunia silently handed him the report.

As Hardin read, his expression quickly turned sharp.

'A woman who looks exactly like Lady Seiren… was sighted?'

bl

"Carl."

"Oh! Eliza!"

Carl, who had been holed up in a private room at the library studying magical theory with Chelsea, lit up when he saw Eliza enter.

"Didn't the Summoning Department already finish the theory exam? What brings you here?" Chelsea asked with a puzzled look.

Carl puffed up with pride and answered grandly.

"Why else? She came to see her beloved boyfriend! My darling Eliza!"

He threw his arms wide and strode toward her dramatically.

Chelsea visibly recoiled at the exaggerated display.

"…Gross."

"Eliza wouldn't say that."

"Gross."

Eliza was brutally blunt, but Carl remained unfazed and reached out to embrace her.

Despite his naturally flirty nature, Carl rarely showed affection in front of others. So the fact that he was doing so in front of Chelsea made Eliza narrow her eyes.

Not because she disliked it.

She knew why he was doing it.

Without a word, she shoved a rolled-up newspaper into Carl's face.

"What is this?"

"Bwah! Pft—!"

Carl flailed as the paper hit his face.

"Drop the act."

Eliza folded her arms, her voice ice cold. Carl froze, then looked sheepish.

"…What's going on?" Chelsea asked as she checked the front page of the paper—and gasped.

"What?! An assassination attempt? During the Great Families Assembly? Assassins infiltrated the heart of Lewellin's territory?!"

Carl scratched the back of his head awkwardly as Chelsea gaped at him.

"Yeah."

"How the hell did they even get in? No, more importantly—are you okay? Were you hurt?!"

Chelsea's concern made Carl grin faintly.

"Have you forgotten who I am? The Herald of the Beginning! Carl Thoma—"

"Kneel."

"…Yes, ma'am."

At Eliza's frosty command, Carl dropped to his knees before her.

Dragging a chair over, Eliza sat down and crossed her legs in front of him.

"When did you first learn there was a threat to your life?"

"Uh… right before the Great Families Assembly."

Eliza's temple twitched with barely contained fury.

She pinched her brow and spoke in a low voice.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

'If Carl knew, then that means Father knew as well.'

"I wanted to handle it myself."

"By yourself? Father didn't help you?"

Eliza asked, alarmed. Carl nodded.

Chelsea's eyes widened too.

"Even if the Zeltian House fell from grace, it's still a noble family with influence. And you were going to handle it alone?"

"Well, if I'd been caught off guard, sure—it would've been dangerous. But the first attack was in the Lordren Empire, and after that I stayed in Lumene."

Carl shrugged lightly.

"At first I wanted to gather solid evidence while I was still in Lordren. But Zeltian's a big enough house that half-baked proof wouldn't do a thing."

"So?"

"So I played bait. I made myself look vulnerable, and kept tempting them to make another attempt."

Carl had made himself a lure.

Even if someone hides in the dark, if they strike first, they leave a trail.

"With the intel I have, I secured proof that Zeltian was targeting me. And that they were connected to Tartaros. Xia helped me a bit along the way."

He was the one who had drawn the net and caught the prey.

The Zeltian House—completely undone.

Chelsea couldn't help but be amazed.

'He acts timid half the time, but when it counts… he's surprisingly bold.'

Even knowing assassins were after him, he'd remained calm and set a trap.

Not something just anyone could do.

'He let them try to kill him, just to bait them.'

And this was a force tied to a Tartaros legion commander.

She was starting to understand why Carl had been recognized as a hero.

"But still—it was too reckless! What if you'd gotten hurt?!"

Eliza finally exploded.

"And Father! He calls you his son-in-law—so why didn't he help you?!"

Watching her fume, Carl answered with a wry smile.

"He would've helped if I'd asked. But…"

Carl thought of the letter he'd received from Elkan that morning.

It praised Carl's abilities but ended with a grumble: "Still not a single endearing trait."

"But?"

"This was my problem, and I wanted to solve it myself."

"What?"

"If I just leaned on you every time, I'd never feel like I could stand beside you as an equal."

Carl scratched his head awkwardly.

"It was something I could handle on my own. So I wanted to do it on my own. Even if my house and my power are far beneath yours, I wanted to catch up. Just a little."

"…Haah."

Eliza clutched her head and sighed.

'He does have pride. Only when it comes to me, though.'

It was frustrating and sweet all at once.

"Stand up."

At her words, Carl leapt to his feet.

"Whatever the case, the Zeltian family is done for."

If it were just an assassination attempt, it might be different.

But evidence of dealings with Tartaros?

That was fatal.

Being such a large house, the Zeltian family had plenty of assets to scavenge.

Countless surrounding powers would descend upon them now like vultures.

"Still. It's annoying. You were the one in danger, and you're not even getting anything out of it."

"Huh? Who says I'm not?"

Carl grinned ear to ear.

"What?"

"You think Zeltian was the only house that had it out for me?"

Maybe they hadn't tried to kill him outright, but there were definitely other houses that had supported Zeltian behind the scenes.

Some even gave them direct aid.

Carl had intentionally dragged things out to flush all of them out.

"I've got their weaknesses now."

'Not that they ever imagined Zeltian was in bed with Tartaros. But who cares? My life was in danger, and that's more than enough reason.'

Carl snickered to himself.

"I'm gonna squeeze everything I can out of them."

He had no intention of letting others profit from his risk.

"And after that?"

"I'll drag them down to the abyss."

Carl's smile disappeared.

His life had been threatened.

There would be consequences.

"Eliza. Is there anything you want?"

He asked with a wide grin.

Eliza and Chelsea both glanced at each other—then thought of Hersia, the future city built by the Hergin family.

A rising metropolis to rival Lumene.

Seeing how capable Carl was, they couldn't help but feel…

Maybe that future wasn't just a dream after all.

bl

Step, step—

As soon as Lunia heard that Eiran had returned from her mission, she made her way swiftly to the underground chambers.

She was headed to see the ice statue Eiran's party had brought back.

"Principal, Teacher Herdium. Is this it?"

"That's right, Lunia."

Principal Rune of Seiren nodded with a grim expression.

Lunia hurried over and stood before the ice sculpture.

Within it was the unmistakable figure of Seiren, cradling a young girl in her arms as though protecting her.

Lunia's eyes widened.

"We cannot yet confirm whether the one sealed in here is truly Lady Seiren… but there is no doubt that both elves encased in the ice are alive."

Adjusting his glasses, Herdium's voice was grave.

"And this ice is a seal forged from star sorcery. It seems to have been hastily cast to protect against an external threat."

"So they failed to release the seal."

"Yes."

Lunia's expression grew tense.

If this was truly Seiren, then the situation was dire.

It would mean a hero dungeon had manifested near the location where she was found.

Lunia, closely inspecting the frozen sculpture, turned her gaze toward the young girl cradled in Seiren's arms.

Her face obscured, the girl appeared peaceful, embraced within the protective grasp of the hero.

But then—

"Huh?"

Lunia blinked in surprise.

"What is it, Lunia?" asked Herdium.

"The girl's clothes…"

"Her clothes?"

"That's definitely a Balharun uniform!"

"Balharun…?"

"You mean the ancient educational institution for High Elves during the era of the gods?"

"Yes. That's right."

It was the same uniform Lunia had seen once before—in Luna's world.

"Wait… then this girl is…?!"

Everyone turned to the frozen girl, their eyes wide in shock.

"Could it be… Lady Luna?!"