By the time Leo returned to the Graveyard of the Vanquished, the sun was already setting.
Across the vast training grounds, the Orphan Soldiers were gathered in small groups, eating their meal.
After checking their faces, Leo walked over to Lily, who was sitting by a campfire with Crown Prince Jeremin as she ate.
“Ooh, this is incredibly delicious. You must have used some secret recipe, right?”
“It’s just a standard military recipe. I’m surprised it suits your palate, Jeremin-nim.”
“It’s a basic qualification for becoming a great king. Hahaha.”
“I’m sure you’ll become a wonderful king, Jeremin-nim.”
Jeremin, who had been staring blankly at Lily’s gentle smile for a moment, cleared his throat and said,
“Ahem. In order to do that, I first have to stabilize the nation as quickly as possible and find a wonderful partner to build a good country with.”
“I’m sure you’ll meet someone wonderful. Ah! Mas—”
Lily, who had been answering with a bright smile, spotted Leo.
She was about to call out to him happily, but hesitated for a moment before shouting,
“Hyung-nim!”
Leo stopped in his tracks at the sight of Lily smiling brightly and calling out to him.
It was not only Leo. Jeremin, who had been drooping because Lily showed no interest in him, the knights escorting him, and even the Orphan Soldiers all stopped eating and looked up at Lily.
“Hyung-nim, where have you been?”
And with Lily calling Leo that again, everyone’s gaze naturally shifted toward him.
'So she really decided to call me that in front of other people?'
Certainly, it would have been strange for Lily to call her hubae “Master” in front of others.
Even so, she had agonized over it, insisting that she could not just casually call the person she regarded as her master by name.
It seemed she had finally settled on this title.
She really is strange.
Peep.
Calling a younger man Oppa feels a little too much like submission... but Hyung-nim isn’t exactly an exciting title either.
Kirran, Fiora, and Arti reacted indifferently.
Why? Isn’t it cute?
I’ve been feeling this for a while, but Elci, your taste is really unusual.
When Elci spoke with a bright smile, Laurel responded in surprise.
“Lily-nim. That title you’re using for Leo-nim is rather... no, quite a peculiar one, isn’t it?”
When Jeremin asked with an awkward expression, Lily nodded seriously.
“Yes. As you know, Your Highness, while Hyung-nim is one year below me, in terms of skill and accomplishments, he is someone more than worthy of respect. He is, after all, Lumene’s student council president and a hero listed in the Hero Record!”
“Certainly, I do believe Leo-nim is one of the most remarkable figures in history... but there are titles like Oppa or Orabeoni...”
At Jeremin’s hesitant remark, Lily’s expression turned stern.
“There is already a hubae who calls Hyung-nim Oppa. That girl is very cute. If I, who am older and not cute at all, called Hyung-nim that, people would think it was very strange.”
“They’re already looking at you strangely enough.”
Clicking his tongue, Leo sat down beside Lily.
Then he looked toward the Orphan Soldiers, who had gone back to focusing on their meal.
“It looks like you completely broke the brats.”
“Who are you calling brats?! You’re not even that much older than us!”
At Leo’s words, Lu, who was sitting nearby shoving bread into her mouth, shouted angrily.
At that, Lily said,
“Lu. Don’t speak carelessly to Hyung-nim.”
“Ugh! O-okay. Boss.”
“Loud and clear.”
“Yes!”
When Lily barked that out with a glare, Lu flinched and sprang to attention before responding properly.
“Mm. Good. Continue eating.”
Watching Lily nod in satisfaction, Leo muttered,
“This is a full-on military camp.”
“I thought establishing a chain of command had to come first.”
“You did well.”
“No. I may have succeeded in subduing them, but I still haven’t been able to change the way they think.”
Lily’s eyes darkened.
Judging by the atmosphere, the Orphan Soldiers seemed to follow Lily.
However, their core had not changed.
The Orphan Soldiers followed Lily because they acknowledged her strength.
And through her, they yearned to become stronger themselves.
For only one reason.
'To kill enemies on the battlefield.'
They were Orphan Soldiers created through the design of Atkan, the Archduke of Funeral.
'In a way, these kids may be living through something similar to the Era of Calamity 5,000 years ago.'
5,000 years ago, many had suffered tragedies like that, including his own disciples.
Even Vihar had not been able to completely overcome the darkness deeply rooted in her heart all at once.
'They may carry it with them for the rest of their lives.'
“Hyung-nim.”
“What is it?”
“Would it be all right if I looked after those children a little longer?”
“Well, turning their hearts was the condition of the deal in the first place.”
Leo glanced briefly at Jeremin as he spoke.
“If you want to look after them, then do it.”
“Yes!”
“And while we’re at it, should we do some training together?”
“Training? I’d love to!”
Lily’s eyes lit up.
'My first training with Master!'
===
Late at night.
Lily stood in the middle of the training grounds.
Beside Leo, who stood before her, was a small white-haired girl, and on the girl’s shoulders sat a tiny fairy and a little chick.
'Master’s Summoned Beasts.'
It was already a famous story that Leo was [Oathbound] to a Phoenix, a fairy, and a Pegasus.
“Master, are we training with your Summoned Beasts today?”
Hmm? No. We just came to watch.
Peep. Peep.
Show us something cool, Lily.
Kirran, Fiora, and Arti replied one after another.
As soon as Arti finished speaking and pulled a bag of snacks out of her robe, Kirran and Fiora lunged at her.
Lily stared blankly at the unbelievably chaotic scene.
The Three Great Summoned Beasts were supposed to be dignified beings, but there was not even a trace of that.
Hey! That’s mine!
Cheep! Cheep! Cheep!
Above Arti’s head, Kirran and Fiora fought over a piece of snack.
Then Laurel, who had shrunk down to palm size, appeared and smacked Kirran and Fiora on the backs of their heads.
Ack!
Cheep?
Maintain the dignity of the Three Great Summoned Beasts. Don’t go shattering the illusions of a wide-eyed summoner.
Laurel spoke coldly.
Are you serious?! Out of all of us, you’re the one with the least dreams and hope, you old hag!
Peep! Peep! Peep!
You want to die?
With an expressionless face, Laurel began mercilessly whipping Kirran and Fiora with a lash of light.
At the sight, Arti’s mouth fell open, her eyes sparkling as she cried out,
'...Am I dreaming?'
Just as Lily blankly muttered that while staring at the surreal scene—
Sss—!
Darkness surged up from the ground and seized Fiora and Kirran.
Wrapped in the darkness, Laurel let out a low “Ugh!” before obediently going still.
Elci! Use your bondage play on me too!
Yes, yes.
“Kyaaa~”
Caught in the swamp of darkness, Arti rejoiced.
Once things had settled down, Elci looked at Leo and gave him a faint smile.
Leo then held Elci and Laurel up on his palms.
“Say hello. This is Elci, the Great Spirit of Darkness. And this is Laurel, the Great Spirit of Light.”
“What? Laurel, the Great Spirit of Light?!”
Lily’s face filled with shock.
For 3,000 years, ever since Rodia, the Dragon of Genesis, no one had formed a contract with the Great Spirit of Light.
And yet here she was, right in front of her.
To a Spirit Mage, the Great Spirit of Light was a legendary being, the object of longing itself.
“As expected of Master!”
But at the same time, because it was Leo, it somehow made sense.
'I guess nothing Master does can surprise me anymore.'
As Lily looked at Leo with eyes full of respect, she suddenly paused.
“Wait a moment. But the Great Spirit of Darkness? Isn’t the Great Spirit of Darkness Ignite, the Spirit of the Abyss?”
Lily looked bewildered as she remembered the Great Spirit of Darkness she had encountered with Leo the previous year.
Lily flinched at Laurel’s cold voice.
Elci asked with a curious look, but Laurel ignored her.
“Elci is a Spirit I obtained as a [Conquest Reward] from the Hero Record.”
“Ooh! So that’s even possible!”
Lily clapped her hands in admiration.
Watching her, Leo spoke.
“Lily. What do you think your weakness is?”
“Hmm... That I’m too ordinary?”
“I’d like to ask which part of you is ordinary, but let’s put that aside.”
Leo crossed his arms.
“Your weakness is that you don’t really have a weakness. Which also means you don’t have any outstanding strength.”
“Yes. I think so too.”
“In that sense, you resemble me a bit.”
Leo, as [All-Class], was good at everything.
But unlike his friends, he could not reach the absolute pinnacle.
“The training method for people like us is simple. We just have to expand the vessel itself.”
“Is it possible for a Spirit Mage to expand their vessel in a short period of time?”
“There is one way. Though it will hurt.”
“What is it?”
“It involves handling the power of a Great Spirit.”
“Pardon?”
Lily looked bewildered at the completely unfamiliar concept.
Looking at her, Leo said,
“From now on, I’m going to cast [Spirit Armor] on you.”
[Spirit Armor].
A High Spirit Art that allowed a Spirit to dwell within the body and take the shape of an Artifact.
Lily could also use [Spirit Armor].
But that only involved allowing one of her own contracted Spirits to dwell within her body.
She had never heard of someone forcibly placing their own contracted Spirit inside another person.
“Is that even possible?”
“It is. But maintaining the [Spirit Armor] will depend entirely on your own ability. And since it’s being forced on you, enduring it will be extremely painful.”
Laurel, who had been on Leo’s palm, suddenly transformed into a sphere of light.
“If you stop halfway through, it’ll all be meaningless. Will you still do it?”
“...This is a way to get stronger quickly, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll do it.”
Lily answered as she clenched her fists tightly.
Smiling at that, Leo stepped up behind her and said,
“Turn around.”
Lily turned her back to Leo.
“Then let’s begin.”
Leo placed a hand on Lily’s back.
Lily’s body trembled as the overwhelming presence of the Great Spirit entered her body through Leo’s hand.
“Guh?!”
Lily let out a groan and bit down hard.
In that instant, [Spirit Armor] manifested.
And then—
“Urgh!”
As the [Spirit Armor] immediately came undone, Lily covered her mouth and ran to the corner of the training grounds.
“Bleegh!”
It felt as if her head and stomach were being twisted apart.
The power of the Great Spirit, far beyond what she could handle, instantly exhausted her.
“Haa... haa... haa...”
Gasping for breath, Lily tried to stand on wobbling legs, only to collapse again.
It was not just her body that had overloaded, but her mind as well.
“Do you want to stop?”
At Leo’s question, Lily turned her head.
Then she grinned and said,
“No.”
She pulled herself upright on trembling legs.
“Please do it again, Master.”
===
Clank. Clank.
A man with his hood pulled low was walking through the middle of the battlefield.
Kiiiiiing! Boom!
In the distance, the sound of enormous explosions echoed.
With every step he took, the sound of metal scraping rang out.
Soon, the man arrived at the center of the battlefield.
There, an undead hero was fighting a group of heroes.
The heroes of the Justice Guild spotted the hooded knight and shouted,
“Another Undead.”
“What a foul aura. We must subjugate the one defiling the name of a hero.”
Looking at the heroes muttering in grim voices, the knight drew the greatsword from his back.
Shing—!
With a chilling metallic sound, the pitch-black greatsword that seemed capable of swallowing even souls revealed itself.
The beautiful blade looked like a work of art in itself.
“So I am the one defiling the name of a hero?”
In a voice filled with contempt, the knight adjusted his grip on the sword and muttered lowly,
“Vermin who would never even be called heroes without the power of the Hero Record, how dare you...”
Whoosh—!
The knight swung the greatsword.
A black line traced through the air.
The heroes of the Justice Guild, who had been rushing toward him, froze in place.
“What...?”
“Something’s—”
Spurt—!
Their heads flew off in an instant.
Those who were called heroes collapsed from a single strike.
Clank. Clank.
The knight walked toward the undead hero who had been caught in his attack.
“...The heroes of this era are pathetic. Is there not a single one capable of withstanding even a single blow?”
“It is simply because you are too strong, Nether Knight.”
“Archduke of Funeral.”
“Were you not once a hero who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Genesis Heroes?”
“Once... you say?”
The Nether Knight’s voice sank low.
Slash—!
A sharp blow sent Atkan’s head flying.
“Do not spout nonsense, Archduke of Funeral.”
“It seems I misspoke.”
Even with his head rolling across the ground, Atkan remained perfectly fine.
His body calmly picked up its own head.
Whooooosh—!
A powerful gust of wind blew.
The hood he had been wearing was blown away.
Inside the helmet, where a face should have been, there was nothing.
At the sight, Atkan said,
“Is that why you take heroes’ heads? Because you yourself have no head?”
“Indeed. That insolent Twilight Knight took my head.”
Tamuss tapped just below his neck.
“Did you say that most of the heroes of this era come from the academies founded by those pitiful heroes?”
“That’s right.”
“Then I must take all their heads. Blood must be repaid with blood for those who followed the one who defied my will.”
At Tamuss’s chilling words, Atkan asked,
“If we recover your lost face and find the tomb where your legacy sleeps... do you intend to make them part of your Legion?”
“Weaklings like these are not worthy of being called heroes.”
Tamuss’s eerie voice echoed.
“Only those I acknowledge are true heroes.”
“There is a hero I would very much like to introduce to someone like you.”
Tamuss looked at Atkan.
“I have no interest in the petty heroes of this age.”
“In a sense, he is your great senior.”
“Hoh? And who would that be?”
“The Great Hero, the Hero of Beginning, Kyle.”
***
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