Editor : Amethyst00



Star Plaza.

This room was located at the highest point of Seiren and was used for important meetings.

And currently, two elves were using it.

One of them was none other than Seiren, the very person who created this place and the founder of the school.

Seiren stroked her chin as she looked at the magic circle Lunia had spread.

"How is it?"

Lunia asked cautiously.

Seiren glanced at the clearly tense Lunia and spoke.

"Impressive."

"Pardon?"

"How should I put it? It feels like a crystallization of this era's magic."

That morning.

Seiren had read books in the library related to the magic of the current era.

Seiren's speed-reading was so fast it astonished even Lunia.

Seiren had swiftly devoured several modern magical theses and succeeded in rapidly catching up with the magical theories of the current age.

Watching that, Lunia could understand why Seiren had been chosen as Luna's successor.

Magicians, surprisingly, are not good at accepting new things.

But Seiren had bridged thousands of years in an instant.

It felt just like watching Luna.

Just as Lunia was realizing how much of a genius Seiren was—

"You're a genius."

Seiren said, gazing at Lunia in admiration.

The foundation of Lunia's magical formulas was the star sorcery system that Seiren had developed.

But Seiren's magical theory was merely the groundwork.

The magic that Lunia built upon it was extremely similar to the magic of Luna, which Seiren had aimed to replicate.

'Lady Luna…'

The aspiration that Seiren had chased.

Moreover, Lunia hadn't merely mimicked Luna.

Even Luna's magic was just a stepping stone for Lunia.

Seeing the essence of Lunia's constructed magic, Seiren could tell—

Lunia was carving her own path.

"Your goal must be the sun."

If Luna had sought the countless bright stars in the night sky—

Lunia was pursuing the sun.

A flame that endlessly burned to drive away the world's darkness.

"My goal is… to create a flame that can stand against the fire of calamity."

"Yes."

Lunia nodded.

"As you know, Lady Seiren, the only one with the power to defeat Erebos now is Leo."

The primordial evil's only natural enemy was the pure power that Leo possessed.

That meant one thing.

"Leo had no choice but to bear countless burdens alone in the fight against Erebos."

During the Age of Calamity.

In the final journey, the reason Luna had sacrificed herself to save Kyle—

It was not only because she cherished Kyle more than her own life, but also because he was the only one capable of defeating Erebos.

"Whether Leo wants to or not, it's inevitable that he'll end up alone."

"That's true… After all, we couldn't defeat Erebos because we lacked the power of purity."

Seiren gave a bitter smile.

The Heroes of the Dawn did save the world from Erebos.

But they failed to eliminate him.

Hearing Seiren's words, Lunia spoke.

"I don't want Leo to carry everything on his own anymore."

Lunia looked at the magic essence she had created in midair.

Flame Emperor.

A flame Luna had created, but one that never bloomed in her hands.

That pure white ember had been passed down to Lunia through Leo.

This magic was the very embodiment of Luna's desire for Kyle to not bear the burden alone.

'I feel the same. I don't want Leo to carry everything.'

That's why she was completing this unfinished magic into a perfected spell.

'My goal isn't just to defeat Erebos. It's to not lose anyone.'

What Leo truly desired—was to lose no one else.

Lunia wanted to make that wish of Leo come true.

That's why she chose to become the natural enemy of the black flame.

She wanted to be like the sun, shining brightly on the world even after the primordial evil vanished.

'I want to live in a new era with Leo.'

Lunia's magic was created for that purpose.

Seeing Lunia's firm resolve, Seiren smiled softly.

"That's a beautiful conviction."

"Pardon?"

"Someone who can believe in themselves and move forward can shine alone. Like a star or the sun."

"You're the same, aren't you, Seiren?"

"No. I can't shine alone."

Seiren's eyes grew faint.

"What's the motto of our school?"

"Believe in yourself."

"That's right. But I couldn't believe in myself."

"What?"

"Lunia, what does magic mean to you?"

"…"

Lunia fell into thought at Seiren's question.

Magic.

Defining it was endlessly complicated.

Every magician would probably give a different answer depending on their perspective.

After a brief pause, Lunia shared her thoughts.

"I think it's a torch that lights the path I want to walk."

To Lunia, magic was a tool to find her way forward.

In that sense, her view on magic was completely different from Luna's.

To Luna, magic was possibility.

A vast world that satisfied her boundless curiosity.

Hearing Lunia's answer, Seiren smiled wryly.

"So magic is a means to help you achieve what you want? In that sense, we're alike."

Seiren looked at Lunia's magic.

"Of course, your dream is far greater than mine could ever be."

"Pardon?"

"You see, I wanted to be like Lady Luna."

"Well, all elves did…"

"It's different."

"…"

"I wanted to be Luna herself."

Seiren gazed down at her hands calmly.

"I was lucky to have a talent for magic, so they called me Luna's second coming. I even conquered Luna's magical world several times… When they started calling me the second Luna, I was proud."

Seiren closed her eyes and recalled the past.

To her, magic had been a way to become like Luna.

"So when I got the chance to defeat Erebos— something even Luna couldn't achieve… Honestly, I was happy. I thought it was my chance to fulfill Luna's wish in her place."

But once she faced Erebos, Seiren realized—

She, who believed she could shine so brilliantly, could not shine on her own.

"No matter what I tried, I couldn't think of a way to defeat Erebos."

"Well… without the power of purity, it's impossible to fight him…"

"Did Luna think the same?"

Lunia cautiously spoke, but Seiren's words silenced her.

Luna had found a way to defeat Erebos without the power of purity, and Lunia was now walking that path.

"My dream… my ideals… my light was something I borrowed from Luna. And that was my limit."

"…"

"When Lumene suggested sealing Erebos in the Hero's World, I agreed without hesitation."

Seiren gave a self-deprecating smile.

"I couldn't trust myself, nor even my comrades."

When faced with a towering wall, it is the magician's duty—not anyone else's—to find the solution.

If it had been Luna, she would have searched for a way, leaving the seal as a last resort.

She would've done everything she could to find a solution.

But Seiren gave up.

"It's fortunate that Luna's successor wasn't someone like me, but someone like you."

"That's not true."

Lunia responded firmly.

"I'm just like you, Seiren. I'm only who I am today because I received so much from Leo. Honestly, I'm worse. Without Leo, I'd just be another troublemaker elf."

"Considering your rebellious streak, I doubt that."

"A-anyway! It was the same for Luna! She shone so brightly because she received so much from others! And!"

"Hm?"

"What's wrong with shining because of someone else's help? What matters is that you shine."

Even the moon in the night sky cannot shine on its own.

Yet no one denies the moon's light.

"You say it's fortunate that I'm the successor, not someone like you? Luna didn't think that! When she saw your magic, she said she was glad you were her successor!"

Luna had said it herself.

That the starlight magic Seiren reinterpreted, though based on what she had created, was an entirely different magic.

She rejoiced, saying it was magic at the level of creating something from nothing.

"She was overjoyed when she saw your magic!"

"…"

Seiren's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Yes! So please, don't belittle yourself. Besides, you did believe in yourself."

"What?"

"You believed that an elf capable of defeating Erebos would be born someday, and so you left everything of yourself in this school. That's proof you believed in yourself."

At Lunia's words, Seiren felt her heart stir.

"Thank you, Lunia."

Seiren said with a faint smile.

"By the way, you said Luna acknowledged me as her successor? When?"

"She appeared in this era once, as a spirit."

Lunia smiled shyly.

"She even gave me the title, 'The Chaser of the Star.' It's a bit much for me, honestly, still kind of overwhelming."

"Your title is 'The Chaser of the Star'?"

"Yes."

"And Luna gave you that name?"

"Yes."

"Th-this… this… thiiiiiis!"

"S-Seiren?"

"You lucky brat!"

"Pardon?"

Lunia looked confused as Seiren suddenly changed.

"You're saying Luna herself gave you a title? Are you bragging right now?!"

"N-no, I wasn't trying to—"

"How was she?!"

"Huh?!"

"How did Luna react to modern magical systems?!"

"Well… she created a bunch of new unique spells for us?"

"She even created spells?! Who were they?! Who are those lucky bastards?!"

Blinded by jealousy, Seiren grabbed and shook Lunia wildly.

Watching her, Lunia realized something:

Just like Aru and Drianna had said—

Her classes with Seiren were not going to be easy.