Step- step-
Leo and Arron were walking down a circular staircase that led underground, hidden deep within the Fairy King’s residence.
“I see.”
As he descended the long passage, Leo murmured,
“He’s suppressing it completely.”
From the moment they stepped onto the stairs, they could feel the Fairy King’s powerful force.
“This isn’t just a simple barrier.”
Arron muttered quietly.
If the Phoenix of the Three Great Divine Beasts symbolized weapons like swords and spears, and Pegasus symbolized cavalry, then fairies symbolized a shield—meaning a ward.
“It’s literally cut off from the outside.”
‘Beyond physical separation, it’s isolated on a dimensional level too.’
It wouldn’t be wrong to say the staircase itself was a space all its own.
Fairy magic was powerful enough to be classified as Original Magic-level by itself, and the Fairy King was also a mage who had mastered that formidable magic.
This was a domain the Fairy King had kept separated from the dimension for five thousand years.
‘Even so, the structure is completely different from the fairy magic I know.’
It wasn’t like the fairy magic Leo remembered.
“The spell formula structure is totally Luna’s style.”
“Yeah, it really does resemble Luna’s magic.”
Arron marveled at Leo’s words. Silload, who was flying ahead, replied.
-It’s a barrier made based on the fairy spell formulas Luna researched.
“Of course it’s Luna.”
“She was rated the greatest genius in the history of magic.”
As Arron admired her, Leo snorted softly.
They kept descending for a long time.
It felt like half a day had passed.
But according to Silload, time flowed differently in this domain than it did outside.
Eventually, Leo, Arron, and Silload arrived before a massive stone gate.
Leo’s eyes narrowed, and Arron’s expression sharpened.
They had come knowing there was a fragment of Erebos beyond this door.
But facing it like this made their bodies react on instinct.
-I’ll open it.
Ruuumbleeeee-
The instant Silload finished speaking, the stone gate opened with a heavy sound.
Leo and Arron stepped into the stone chamber.
Inside was a black, humanoid mass about the size of an adult man.
It looked like a charred lump of coal, or like melted metal fused into a clump.
What was certain was that it was darker than the night sky, and that they could faintly sense Erebos’s power from it.
Its shape was different, and the aura it gave off was weak.
But Leo and Arron, who had fought Erebos, knew exactly what it was.
“Erebos.”
At Arron’s murmur, Leo stepped closer to the fragment.
It was, quite literally, in a state where the ember had been completely extinguished.
Even so, it was a catastrophic existence that had once driven the world to ruin.
And the fragment of Erebos, three thousand years ago…
Had flared back to life once before.
‘Silload also said he tried to destroy it for the past five thousand years, but it was useless.’
It wasn’t as if Silload had simply left it like this.
For a long time, he had tried to erase the fragment of Erebos using the Fairy King’s power.
But nothing worked.
Even if the flame was gone, Erebos was still Erebos.
A primeval calamity feared even by the gods.
Even Leo had only succeeded in subjugating it by a miracle, and failed to annihilate it completely.
Dividing it into six pieces had been the best he could do.
‘I can’t touch it carelessly either. If I mess with it and end up stimulating it, that’s a problem too.’
To Erebos, Leo’s power was its natural nemesis.
If Leo’s power was added to a sealed Erebos, there was no telling what kind of result it might cause.
‘For now, suppressing it and keeping it out of Tartarus is the best option.’
Thankfully, the fragment showed no sign of awakening.
‘Even the Death King doesn’t know how to awaken the fragments. Whatever happens, leaving it like this is probably best for now.’
While Leo stared at the fragment, Arron sniffed the air.
Sniff- sniff-
“It’s definitely different from the Erebos I remember.”
-How is it?
“It’s still the same disgusting stench at its core, but… it’s gotten even more acrid.”
-Acrid?
“Yeah. Like burnt-out ash.”
Seeing Arron frown, Leo asked,
“Any sign it’ll flare back up?”
At Leo’s question, Arron fell into thought.
“None at all.”
At Arron’s answer, Leo nodded.
“Then that’s a relief. It means we don’t need to worry about this fragment right now.”
Leo looked at Silload.
“Silload, keep it up a little longer.”
-If it’s guarding this place, don’t worry.
Silload smiled confidently and thumped his chest.
-I was the comrade of the great heroes, you know?
“Reliable.”
Leo laughed as he looked at him.
-Arron?
Silload looked puzzled as he noticed Arron staring at him in silence.
-Why are you looking at me like that?
“It’s just… you seem like you’ve changed a lot.”
-It’s been five thousand years.
Silload smiled with mature composure.
Watching him, Arron looked down at his own palm.
“If… if I hadn’t died five thousand years ago.”
Arron raised his head and asked,
“Could I have stopped being a coward?”
“What do you mean?”
“Could I have become someone truly brave? Like how people talk about me now. Could I have become a real brave hero?”
-Arron from the stories people tell now… I can’t imagine it. Right, Leo?
“Yeah.”
Hearing Leo and Silload, Arron nodded.
“Good. Then I’ll become a real brave hero.”
“What?”
“That’s my new goal.”
“Do you really need that? Even now, you’re—”
“No. I’m going to be different from who I used to be.”
Arron spoke as he clenched his fist with enthusiasm.
Leo was about to say something, then snorted.
“Do your best.”
“Yeah!”
===
A small pond deep in a dense forest.
“Huff! Huff! You’re amazing! Huff!”
“Hiiiiiiik!”
Arron stared in terror at Ar clinging to his leg.
Leo looked like he’d expected nothing less.
“A real brave hero, huh?”
As Leo muttered, Chelsea—standing beside him with a blank expression—asked with a puzzled face.
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”
Leo answered flatly and yanked Ar by the scruff of her neck.
“Stop it. If you do that, we can’t even have class.”
At that, Ar snapped back to her senses and let go of Arron.
Arron immediately darted behind Chelsea.
Chelsea stared up at Arron with her mouth hanging open.
“I thought his panic attacks were getting a little better.”
“But black rabbit! Look at Arron-nim!”
Ar stared at Arron hiding behind Chelsea.
“Ahhh! Amazing! The best! Beast-transformed Arron-nim is the best! Ugh! He’s too dazzling! I can’t even look straight at him!”
Ar covered her eyes and squealed in excitement.
“Majestic! You can feel the seasoned dignity of the brave hero!”
“Do you need your glasses adjusted or something?”
Leo sighed at the sight of Ar interpreting everything however she pleased, even while Arron hid behind someone smaller than him.
“Leo oppa. I’m curious about something.”
“Ask.”
“Arron-nim is really different from the Arron-nim in the stories I’ve heard. Was he always like this?”
Chelsea asked with a face that screamed she didn’t want to believe it, and Leo nodded.
“Yeah.”
“My god.”
Who would’ve expected it?
That the brave hero Arron-nim—living symbol of courage to people of the present—was actually a coward.
‘Granted, that cat’s eyes are honestly scary.’
Chelsea muttered as she glanced at Ar’s eyes.
“But why are you hiding behind me?”
“Because it feels familiar, so it’s reassuring.”
At Arron’s answer, Chelsea looked even more confused.
In the meantime, Arron stepped up to the transformed Ar.
“Want to try transforming someone?”
At the question, Ar activated her Aura.
Arron nodded as he looked at Ar in beast transformation.
“Good. Then use Howling.”
At that, Ar inhaled.
Chelsea manipulated the air with magic.
“Krrrraaaa—!”
At the enormous roar, Chelsea felt her whole body tingle.
‘That’s incredible.’
Chelsea swallowed hard.
As Azonia’s second-year representative, Ar’s sheer presence was unmistakable.
Arron crossed his arms as he listened to Ar’s roar.
“You said there are different types of Howling in this era?”
“Yes!”
Arron’s Howling makes enemies tremble in fear and grants allies courage.
But in this era, depending on the user, it had various effects.
Momentarily boosting physical abilities, confusing enemies, and more.
“And the beastkin with those traits are mostly mages or summoners, right?”
“That’s correct!”
At Ar’s spirited answer, Arron, deep in thought, drew a breath.
“Krrrraaaah!”
A roar far more powerful than Ar’s shook the air.
Overwhelmed by the spectacle, Ar and Chelsea went limp and dropped to the ground.
“A-Amazing.”
“So cool!”
Chelsea shuddered, and Ar trembled with excitement.
While the two of them marveled at Arron’s aura, Leo narrowed his eyes and looked down at his own hand.
His body felt noticeably lighter than before.
“You added a buff effect to the Howling?”
“Yeah.”
“What?”
“Wait, my body feels…?”
Arron answered Leo casually, and Ar and Chelsea’s eyes went wide.
“I mixed the way Howling is used in this era with the mana flow mages use when they cast buff magic.”
The Howling used by modern beastkin and the Howling Arron used had different Aura techniques.
The original Howling was also Arron’s unique technique.
Later generations of beastkin studied that Howling, refined it, and learned it.
In the process, it changed a lot, and other effects Arron couldn’t originally produce began to appear.
After hearing Ar’s vocalization and the characteristics of modern beastkin Howling, Arron recreated an effect on the spot—one that hadn’t existed for him before.
“Y-You can do that?”
“Guess you can, if you try.”
“As expected of Arron-nim!”
Arron laughed at Chelsea’s stunned expression, and Ar’s eyes sparkled as she hurried to praise him.
“But Ar, I don’t feel any special power from you that can force transformation.”
“I only did it once, by accident…”
“Yeah? Then maybe it’ll appear if you train your Howling vocalization. There’s a special training method for Howling.”
“Oooooh! What is it?!”
Ar’s eyes gleamed.
Arron stepped behind Ar, slid his hands under her armpits, and lifted her up.
Then he carried the utterly confused Ar toward the pond.
Ar’s face went a little pale.
“D-Don’t tell me…”
“Yeah. You just need to fall in.”
Whoosh! Splash!
“Meowaaaah?!”
Watching Ar flail while shrieking like a cat, Arron shouted,
“Shout as loud as you can underwater!”
“B-bubble bubble—gurglegurglegurgle!”
Ar hated water, but she still shoved her face under and roared as best she could.
“Puhah!”
When Ar surfaced, gasping to breathe, Arron said,
“Back in!”
“Meh-hk?”
“This is the training method Luna used to help me strengthen my Howling. It’s miserable, but it works. In that split second, inhale as deeply as you can.”
“Yes! Hup!”
Ar shoved her face back into the water.
Bubble bubble bubble!
“Kuh-hk!”
Thump!
“Eek?!”
Ar’s eyes went wide as she saw Arron gripping her head and pushing it back into the water.
“I-I can’t breathe— Kuh-hk!”
“If you want to live, breathe!”
“Gurglegurglegurgle!”
Splash splash!
“…Isn’t that just water torture?”
“It is.”
“Arron-nim… is he so scared of that idiot cat that he’s trying to drown her?”
Thinking back to how Arron had trembled in fear earlier at the sight of Ar, it didn’t seem impossible.
“Probably not. Look at his face—he really doesn’t want to do it.”
Despite the cruel hands, Arron was pushing Ar into the water with a pained expression.
Like he hated doing it too, but was forcing himself for Ar’s sake.
‘He’s doing exactly what Luna did to him.’
Back then, Arron was still a teenager.
As a result of that training, Arron gained full control over Howling.
Luna’s training method had helped him a lot.
‘Of course, after that, Arron stopped trusting Luna.’
“Do you think it’ll work?”
At Chelsea’s uneasy question, Leo rested his chin in his hand.
“If the brave hero is the one making her do it, it’ll probably work.”
***
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