Crash! Crack!
The battle axe shattered beneath the force of the battle hammer Lily swung.
“……?!”
Joren’s face twisted in horror.
Thwack! Crunch!
“Keugh!”
Struck head-on by the hammer, Joren collapsed to the ground.
Lily rushed toward him and raised her battle hammer.
“W-wait! You, someone who wants to become a hero, are you really going to strike a defenseless opponent without mercy…?!”
He desperately begged for his life.
“Shut up!”
Crunch!
Lily’s hammer mercilessly crushed Joren’s head.
“Hah… Hah…”
Lily pulled back her battle hammer, breathing heavily.
Thud.
Leo approached Lily, who had dropped to the ground and was panting, and held out his hand.
“As expected, Lily-sunbae, you’re amazing.”
“Haa… Haa… But didn’t you take down four of them in an instant all by yourself, Leo?”
Lily took Leo’s hand with a trembling one and pulled herself up.
“Hoo. Hoo.”
After taking a deep breath to steady her ragged breathing, Lily spoke.
“Besides, I got a lot of help from you. I still have a long way to go.”
Leo had only watched from the sidelines during Lily and Joren’s fight.
But Joren had already witnessed the shocking sight of Leo wiping out four Justice Guild members as if they were nothing.
The moment Leo stepped into the fight, it would have ended.
That pressure had shattered Joren’s concentration.
“No matter what, it’s still true that you defeated an opponent who was clearly stronger than you, Lily-sunbae.”
As remarkable as Lily was, she was still only a third-year at Lumene.
Her opponent, on the other hand, had attended Lumene all the way to his fifth year.
On top of that, he was a powerful fighter who had never neglected his training in his pursuit of becoming a hero.
The fact that she could defeat someone like that was proof of Lily’s potential.
'She would’ve won even if I hadn’t been here in the first place.'
It was true that Leo’s presence had pressured Joren, but even taking that into account, Lily’s combat ability was beyond imagination.
She had displayed skill that surpassed her own limits.
'That’s clearly the quality of a hero.'
While Leo was inwardly evaluating Lily, she looked over the battlefield with a troubled expression.
“It’s shocking to think there were people in the Justice Guild with ideas like that.”
An ideology that treated others as sacrifices for the sake of becoming a hero.
It was something Lily could never accept.
“This probably isn’t something these people came up with on their own.”
“You’re right. There must be people among the higher-ups with insane ideas like that. I want to smash their heads open, pull out their brains, and examine them to see how they came up with such delusions.”
“……”
Leo stared blankly at Lily.
Lily covered her mouth and cleared her throat. “Ahem, ahem.”
“I got a little carried away. My mouth gets a bit rough when I’m drunk.”
“That seems like more than just a bit.”
“Please just think of it as drunken rambling.”
Leo nodded as he watched Lily feign innocence.
Just then, Viscount Eshimon Tibun, who had withdrawn his troops, approached them.
“Leo-nim, Lily-nim.”
“Viscount Eshimon. Are the soldiers safe?”
“Yes, thanks to you two, the soldiers are safe. Truly, how can I ever repay this kindness…?”
“We only did what was natural as students of Lumene. Please don’t worry about it!”
Lily waved both hands dismissively.
“Truly, thank you. By the way, there is someone who wishes to meet you.”
When Viscount Eshimon spoke while glancing around cautiously, Lily made a puzzled face.
'It looks like someone from the top has arrived.'
Leo had no trouble understanding the situation.
Viscount Eshimon was said to be the commander of this front.
He was not a low-ranking figure.
For him to act so cautiously could only mean one thing.
'Did the King of Carnel send an envoy to us?'
Leo’s guess was correct.
In the middle of the battlefield, a man who looked like a high-ranking official came walking toward them while stroking his goatee.
He wore ornate armor that was completely unsuited to a battlefield.
Armor that showed no sign of practicality.
It was clothing meant purely for display.
'The war situation is bad, but if someone from the capital is strutting around like that… I can already tell what kind of country this is.'
Leo let out a hollow laugh.
Lily, who seemed to be thinking something similar, slightly furrowed her brow.
Unaware of their thoughts, the high-ranking official shouted with a moved expression.
“My name is Duke Kernville Dotarn. I heard that Lumene had dispatched Leo Plov-nim and Lily Luce-nim to aid our Kingdom of Carnel, so I rushed here at once!”
At those words, Lily corrected him.
“That’s not right. We came here to search for the group robbing the Hero’s Tomb…”
“Now, now! Isn’t that a trivial matter?”
“A trivial matter?”
The color drained from Lily’s face.
The Hero’s Tomb in this land was, in the end, the grave of a heroic spirit who had fought to protect this land long ago.
Even if they were figures from ancient history, from before this country had even been founded.
To the people of this land, they were not beings that could be treated lightly.
Digging up their graves was an act of desecrating their memory.
Lily had accepted this request partly out of personal interest, but also to punish those who committed such shameless acts.
The expression disappeared from Lily’s face, but Duke Dotarn failed to notice and kept chattering excitedly.
“Our Kingdom of Carnel needs the salvation of great heroes. The vile Kingdom of Pettiman is using the Justice Guild to oppress our kingdom! Shouldn’t Lumene naturally help us?”
Duke Dotarn said this while stroking his beard.
“This is not a subject to discuss in such a filthy place. His Majesty wishes to meet you personally and explain the kingdom’s circumstances.”
At those words, Leo looked at Lily.
In any case, they needed to hear the details to fully understand the situation.
When Lily nodded, Leo spoke.
“Understood.”
“Haha! The Kingdom of Pettiman is finished now!”
Duke Dotarn laughed heartily as though Lumene’s support had already been secured.
They then used a temporary Warp Gate and arrived at the royal palace.
The moment they arrived, a huge number of male and female attendants were already waiting for them.
The palace staff grabbed Leo and Lily and pushed them straight into a dressing room.
“It is an honor to serve you. We will prepare you at once.”
“What are you talking about? Why are you touching my clothes? W-wait! Leo is right next to—”
A curtain was drawn as Lily’s flustered voice rang out.
Soon after, the sounds of a struggle could be heard from behind it.
“I can undress myself…”
“That will take too long!”
“Then at least explain the situation first!”
Rustle. Rustle.
It sounded like the maids were forcibly changing her clothes.
Leo caught Lily’s school uniform jacket as it flew out.
'What is this situation?'
Leo narrowed his eyes at the sudden turn of events.
Meanwhile, the male attendants quickly took Leo’s measurements, prepared a splendid suit, and dressed him in it.
“His Majesty has prepared a welcome banquet for you.”
A man who appeared to be the head chamberlain stepped over to Leo and whispered.
Swoosh!
A moment later.
The curtain was pulled back, and Lily, magnificently dressed in a gown, walked out.
She stumbled a few times, clearly unaccustomed to crystal shoes, and scowled.
“This is uncomfortable. Give me back my shoes.”
“No way! You look so beautiful right now, and you want to wear shoes fit for a soldier?”
The maids stubbornly hid Lily’s shoes behind their backs.
Sighing at the sight, Lily linked arms with Leo and stood beside him.
“You look handsome, Leo.”
“You’re beautiful too, Lily-sunbae.”
“I know you’re just saying that to be polite, but it still feels nice to hear.”
Lily said this with a slightly softened expression.
Of course, Leo was being sincere.
Lily, all dressed up, was breathtakingly beautiful.
“Anyway, what exactly is all this? From what I heard from Viscount Eshimon, the country itself is in a dangerous situation. We should be having a serious discussion about state affairs, but instead it’s a welcome banquet? And with the money they spent on these expensive dresses and accessories, they could have supplied the soldiers instead…”
“Since they’re formally asking for help, they probably want to show proper courtesy. People in high positions love that kind of formality.”
Leo calmed the agitated Lily.
At that, Lily also took a deep breath.
“I suppose that’s true. Since the situation is serious, we need to have a serious conversation and then report the circumstances back to the school.”
Lily straightened her back and puffed out her chest.
She had gone back to being the dignified representative of her year at Lumene.
Leo adjusted his necktie and stood beside Lily.
The two were guided to the banquet hall.
A moment later.
The doors of the magnificent banquet hall opened.
And what unfolded before their eyes was, in the truest sense, the height of luxury.
The first thing that caught their attention was the fountain in the center of the hall.
Wine flowed from it instead of water.
The food as well was laid out lavishly with every kind of delicacy, regardless of season.
The entire hall was decorated with brilliant flowers, jewels, and gold.
The nobles attending the party were also dressed in absurdly extravagant clothing.
To the point that even Leo and Lily’s outfits looked plain by comparison.
A massive orchestra played music.
This was not merely a welcome banquet but a social gathering, with nobles even gambling in one corner.
In every sense of the word, it was a playground.
It seemed that most of the nobles of the Kingdom of Carnel had gathered there.
This time, Lily’s face truly became expressionless.
Just then, the king seated on the highest platform pointed at Leo and Lily.
“Behold! My loyal subjects! The heroes who will save this country have arrived! Everyone, welcome them with the utmost hospitality!”
A thunderous cheer erupted from the nobles.
If one saw only that scene, one might think this country was enjoying an era of peace and prosperity.
Leo let out a deep sigh.
“Leo.”
“Yes.”
“The king of this country… no, the nobles of this country are definitely insane.”
“I agree.”
===
In the end, Leo and Lily were unable to exchange even a single word with the King of Carnel about the current situation.
The king was too busy enjoying the banquet to spare them any attention.
Whenever Leo and Lily tried to approach him, nobles blocked their path and started conversations with them.
In the end, judging it impossible to discuss important matters, Lily could only swallow her anger.
As she did, she radiated an aura that warned the surrounding nobles not to come near her and kept chugging wine straight from the fountain.
After the banquet, the two were escorted to a room reserved for honored guests.
“Seriously! Does this make any sense?! The soldiers are risking their lives for this country! And the people who sent them to the battlefield are wallowing in luxury and pleasure!”
The moment she entered the room with Leo, Lily exploded in fury.
“They’re insane! There’s something wrong with their heads! Don’t you think so too?! Leo!”
The drunken Lily shouted as she turned toward Leo.
'She’s drunk.'
Lily, who normally spoke politely and respectfully even to her hubae, had shockingly dropped all formality.
“It’s always like this.”
“I know it’s always like this! I know the world is filthy! But there should still be a limit to this kind of madness!”
Lily, revealing the full force of her emotions, irritably yanked off her hair ornaments.
“I barely held myself back from smashing all their heads in!”
“We’ll probably be able to have a proper conversation tomorrow.”
“What if they’re still like this tomorrow morning?”
“Then we’ll have to move on our own. We can’t just leave the Justice Guild alone.”
No matter what happened, Leo intended to wipe out the Justice Guild itself.
“Right.”
Lily nodded.
Looking at her, Leo spoke.
“Then you should return to your room and rest. You’ve been through a lot today.”
“Before that.”
Lily walked over to Leo.
She came right up to him, cupped his face with both hands, and pulled him toward her.
They were close enough for their breaths to mingle.
Leo said,
“Sunbae, you’re drunk right now.”
“Yeah, so I’m going to say it while I’m drunk.”
Lily, reeking of alcohol, spoke with slightly unfocused eyes.
“Leo Plov.”
“Yes.”
“Take me as your disciple.”
(T/N: Phew! I thought it was for something else!! Hahaha)
Leo burst out laughing at the sudden remark.
“I’m your hubae, Lily-sunbae. How could I possibly take my sunbae as my disciple?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Returning to the way she normally spoke, Lily walked over to the bed, flopped down on it, and kicked her feet.
Her crystal shoes came off and flew away.
“One should always learn from the more skilled.”
“Did you want to become my disciple from the beginning? Were you thinking that?”
“No. If I had been a user of Summoned Beasts, I might’ve felt that way, but I was a user of Spirit Magic.”
Publicly, Leo was known to be better at handling Summoned Beasts than Spirits.
“But after seeing your Spirit Magic earlier, I changed my mind.”
Lily had watched Leo fight during the battle.
“Your Spirit Magic was too perfect.”
'Of course it was. I was copying that woman, Lysinas.'
After wiggling her newly freed feet a few times, Lily pushed herself up with a grunt and came to stand in front of Leo.
Then she looked up at her hubae and said,
“I know perfectly well that it isn’t right to suddenly ask you to teach me Spirit Magic. That’s why I’m making this request. I have to become your disciple. A disciple does whatever their master tells them to do. You can leave anything to me. If you tell me to do homework, I’ll do it. If you tell me to buy bread, I’ll buy bread.”
“That’s not a disciple, that’s a gofer.”
“Anyway.”
Lily smiled brightly.
“I want to be Leo’s disciple. I’ll serve you well as my master.”
“I don’t want to become the shameless hubae who orders his sunbae around.”
“Make me your disciple.”
Lily grabbed Leo by the collar.
“I said, make me your disciple.”
Looking at the drunken Lily stubbornly insisting with unfocused eyes, Leo looked up at the ceiling and sighed.
'I should avoid drinking with her from now on.'
===
Soldiers of the Kingdom of Pettiman, carrying shovels and pickaxes, dug into the ground.
The monument erected to honor the hero had already been destroyed and lay scattered across the ground.
The soldiers’ faces were full of guilt.
“Stop dawdling and dig faster!”
The knight acting as supervisor shouted.
“Ah, to think we have to dig up this person’s grave like this.”
“He was someone who sacrificed himself and shed blood for this land 3,000 years ago.”
The soldiers let out sighs.
He was a hero from the heroic tales they had heard ever since childhood.
A hero whose heroic tale was famous throughout the northeastern region.
The soldiers felt overwhelming guilt at the fact that they were digging up such a person’s grave.
“You idiots, if you get caught talking, you’ll be dead!”
A veteran soldier beside them hissed in a low voice.
A moment later.
A single coffin was unearthed from the dug-up grave.
The supervisor pried open the coffin lid.
Crack!
“Not this one either.”
Inside the coffin, there was nothing but dust.
The knight clicked his tongue and shouted at the soldiers who were at least trying to restore the grave a little.
“What are you all doing?!”
“Yes? Sir. We should at least restore it a little…”
“There’s no time for that! We’re moving on to the next grave!”
At those words, the soldiers departed after offering a deep, silent apology to the hero from 3,000 years ago.
Rumble!
A moment later, lightning flashed across the sky.
Patter, patter—whoosh!
Rain began to pour, turning the excavated grave into a muddy pit.
A moment later.
Squelch!
A hand burst out from the mud.
Slosh. Slosh.
A man emerged from the mud and pulled himself up.
[How dare you….]
The man’s mud-caked eyes glowed with a dark red light.
[Unforgivable!]
***
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