“Luna-nim, what are you doing here?”
Chen Xia smiled brightly as she looked at Carr’s shocked expression.
“I’m more surprised that you recognized Luna-nim right away, Carr.”
Though she had been startled that Carr recognized Luna, Chen Xia, the quickest among the second-years to compose herself, had already returned to her usual smiling face.
“What?”
Flustered by Chen Xia’s words, Carr soon wore an ‘oops’ expression.
“Ooh?”
Luna let out a sound of admiration.
“It looks like he already figured out your identity, didn’t he? Did you know?”
Leo shook his head as he looked at Luna, who was playfully poking his side.
“I had no idea.”
Leo was also quite surprised as he watched his closest friend in this life cover his face in embarrassment.
===
“Since when did you know?”
On the path leading to the club building.
Leo asked the question as they sat on a bench on campus.
“The first time I felt something was strange was in Dweno-nim’s world.”
Carr, sitting next to Leo, looked awkward.
“You were far too familiar with that world. On top of that, you were speaking very casually with Velkia-nim, Arron-nim, and Dweno-nim.”
Acting was essential inside a Hero Record.
One had to behave as naturally as possible, as if they were a person from that era. One had to move naturally, matching the way others treated them.
But even taking that into account, Leo’s attitude had been a little strange.
It was a subtle feeling that only the sharp-witted Carr could pick up on. It was as if Leo were treating them like the friends he knew at school. Or like friends he was meeting again after a long time.
“And then, after seeing you with Arron-nim during summer break, I had a vague inkling.”
He had been putting together the puzzle pieces he had gathered while staying close to Leo.
The extraordinary growth rate.
The continuous connections with Great Heroes.
On top of that, being an All-Class just like the Hero of Beginning.
From the moment the words ‘what if’ crossed his mind, the thought that Leo might be Kyle grew stronger.
Leo let out a hollow laugh at Carr’s words.
“I suppose I was careless.”
“Rather than that, isn’t it just that I’m quick on the uptake?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you’d realized I was Kyle?”
“My tongue was itching to say something, believe me. But the person I know is Leo Plov.”
Carr grinned widely at Leo.
“You’re my friend Leo, not Kyle, the Hero of Beginning.”
From the moment of the entrance ceremony, Leo had been equal to everyone.
He naturally formed friendships with those who approached him. Despite the difference in status, he treated everyone without reserve.
When Carr first suspected Leo’s identity, he wondered why he acted that way.
Was it the composure and broad-mindedness of one who had saved the world?
But as far as Carr could remember, Leo was sincere in everything he did.
When facing trials.
When dealing with those who came at him head-on.
And when he ran first toward the most dangerous places, encouraging those following behind him.
That was why Carr decided to treat Leo as a friend.
Because no matter what his identity was, he was Carr’s best friend.
“You’re saying some pretty mature things, aren’t you?”
“Gah?!”
Suddenly, Luna poked her face out between Leo and Carr.
Seeing Luna appear out of nowhere, Carr clutched his heart and tumbled off the bench.
Luna held her stomach and burst into laughter at the sight of him.
Then, she stepped toward Carr and held out her hand.
“You said your name was Carr Thomas, right?”
“Yes.”
Carr took Luna’s hand and stood up.
As Carr patted the dust off his backside, Luna spoke.
“My name is Luna Lubinence. Feel free to call me Lu.”
“Yes, Lu-nim.”
“No, no. I said feel free to call me Lu.”
Luna grinned and pointed at Leo.
“You said you consider this guy a friend, right?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m his friend too.”
With that, she nonchalantly slung an arm around Leo’s shoulder and hung onto him.
Leo pushed Luna’s face away with his hand as if she were a nuisance.
“Then doesn’t that make us friends too?”
Carr scratched his cheek as he looked at Luna, who was speaking with a bright smile.
“Does it work like that?”
“Of course. I’d like to have another friend besides this insolent guy.”
Luna grumbled, pinching Leo’s hand as he continued to push her face away.
“Our cuties over there treat me with way too much formality.”
Freeing herself from Leo’s grip, Luna approached Chen Xia and Eiran and hugged their arms.
Eiran looked incredibly honored, while Chen Xia wore a troubled smile.
“Is it really okay for someone like me to be your friend?”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“I don’t have much talent for magic, and I don’t have much prospect of becoming a Hero either.”
“Why does that matter?”
Luna chuckled.
Letting go of their arms, Luna stood beside Leo with a huff.
“Do you think we, and the Heroes who lived in that same era, saved the world solely through our own strength?”
“Isn’t that the case?”
Eiran wore a puzzled expression.
“Wrong!”
When Luna laughed cheerfully, Eiran’s ears drooped.
“It was possible because everyone who lived in that era pooled their strength. Neither I, nor Leo, nor Arron, nor Dweno, nor even Lysinas, thinks we saved the world purely on our own.”
There were certainly people who possessed the strength to do greater things than others.
People who lit the way in the darkness and guided others down that path.
People called those who could step further into the darkness ‘Heroes.’
However...
“It’s the people’s role to follow that path.”
Luna gently twirled the ends of her hair with her finger.
“In the end, it was the many people who supported us.”
Just because one carried the weight of an era did not mean that era was merely a burden. Rather, it held you up when you were about to fall. You received as much help as you gave.
In that sense, Luna believed everyone living in the same era stood on equal footing.
“What’s important is that you and I share the same time. In that sense...”
Luna held out her hand to Carr once more.
“My name is Luna Lubinence. And yours?”
At Luna’s words, Carr took her hand.
“I’m Carr Thomas.”
Knowing what Luna wanted, Carr decided to cast aside his various reservations.
‘Regardless of anything else, a merchant caters to the customer’s wishes, and a supporter caters to the Hero fighting on the battlefield.’
“In that spirit.”
Carr pulled a Subspace out of his pocket and took something from it.
Thwack!
“Heh?!”
“Wow.”
Eiran let out a gasp of shock, and Chen Xia uttered an exclamation of admiration.
What Carr had pulled out was none other than a Collection Book. It was an album filled with various cards depicting famous Heroes, popular among humans.
“That must be incredibly expensive.”
When Chen Xia asked while looking at the completed Collection Book, Carr grinned.
“It is.”
Eiran swallowed hard.
“Ooh, this is pretty.”
Luna smiled brightly as she looked at the card with her own illustration on it.
Carr pulled a pen from his pocket.
“I’m asking as a friend. Give me your autograph.”
“Autograph?”
Luna looked bewildered.
“Yeah. Just because we’re friends doesn’t mean I don’t respect you. As a mage, I greatly respect Luna Lubinence, Founder of the Nebula.”
Carr spoke nonchalantly.
At that, Luna nodded and carefully signed every single card.
“By the way, is there something good about having an autograph?”
Luna, ignorant of such culture, asked with an innocent face.
Carr gave a broad smile at the question.
“Of course. This is going to make me rich.”
(TN: HAHAHA, never change Carr. Never.)
At those words, Chen Xia narrowed her eyes.
“Carr.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re going to be struck by divine punishment.”
“It’s fine. I’m asking as a friend.”
Carr spoke shamelessly.
After receiving all the autographs, Carr shouted in a great mood.
“Alright! Dinner’s on me tonight!”
“Ooh! Is that really okay?”
When Luna asked while clapping her hands, Carr laughed.
“Yeah. I’ve become a rich man, after all.”
Luna and Carr walked away, exuding a harmonious atmosphere. Chen Xia and Eiran hurriedly followed behind them.
Leo smiled as he watched their retreating backs.
===
Whooooosh!
In the northern part of the continent, a frozen land that had now become the domain of the Elves, there were numerous nations.
However, in the Elven nations, there were no kings like those in the human nations.
Back during the Era of Calamity.
The reason the Elves, who were evaluated as the most powerful race and held immense influence on the continent, had crumbled helplessly under Tartarus’s onslaught was because of the pride they held in their bloodline.
They had established a powerful centralized government centered around the Elf King, but once that central power became corrupt, it collapsed far too easily.
And after the Era of Calamity ended.
Fairy Knight Velkia Ersar, who had taken the lead in rebuilding the world, abolished social classes in Elven society.
There were those who cried out for tradition, but the Elf King and High Elves had already fallen.
Elven society was reconstructed under the ideology that all Elves were equal.
But as time passed, intentions grew dull.
Thousands of years had gone by, and the Elves were once again intoxicated by their own perceived uniqueness.
Their appearance, more beautiful than other races, their outstanding magical abilities, and their affinity for spirits were enough to give them the perception that Elves were more special than other races.
Later, as Seiren appeared and the Elves became the masters of magic, they grew even more convinced of their superiority.
Starting from that, something called the Pureblood Society was born.
However, that Pureblood Society had also lost its power recently.
None other than by the very existence that was the reason for their birth, Seiren.
A single word from Seiren had denied the very existence of the Pureblood Society.
The foundation of the Pureblood Society was shaken, and as the treacherous acts of several key Elves were revealed, the society’s status plummeted even further.
Even so, it was nearly impossible for a group rooted in Elven society for thousands of years to disappear overnight.
“I cannot tolerate this. To think a human possesses an Elven treasure!”
One Elf wore an expression of indignation.
“Even if Seiren-nim recognized Leo Plov as the successor, Cometes is a treasure of the Elves.”
“Some fools say that since it is Seiren-nim’s staff, we must follow Seiren-nim’s will... but Cometes originally belonged to Luna-nim. It is preposterous to hand it over to a human based solely on Seiren-nim’s will.”
“I have sent a delegation to Leo Plov to coincide with this Twilight Festival. I intend to formally request the return of Cometes.”
A heated debate was in full swing at the meeting of the Pureblood Society.
One Elf listening to the discussion knitted his brows.
“By the way, why was I summoned here?”
Lune Ersar.
He was currently the acting principal of Seiren and one of the elder Elves.
He was an Elf who possessed immense power.
However, he had lived his entire life far removed from the Pureblood Society.
No, from the Pureblood Society’s perspective, he was an unwelcome Elf. His way of thinking was considered very progressive even among Elves.
Because of that, Lune was currently feeling quite displeased.
‘I was in the middle of reading Eiran’s letter!’
Having been summoned to listen to such trivial talk while reading a letter sent by his granddaughter, he couldn’t help but have a headache.
‘I thought it would be a constructive meeting, like the dissolution of the Pureblood Society.’
Addressing the displeased Lune, an Elf from the Pureblood Society spoke.
“Are you not the descendant of Velkia-nim, the great Elven Hero, Lune-nim?”
“Should you not follow the will of the one who was Luna-nim’s disciple?”
Lune let out a silent, hollow laugh at the Pureblood Society’s words.
‘Since Seiren-nim denied them, do they intend to put Velkia-nim at the forefront now?’
In the first place, the reason why Velkia, who was evaluated as one of the three great Elven Heroes, had a relatively small standing was also because of the Pureblood Society.
Velkia, who rebuilt the world, was an Elf who emphasized bonds with other races. Naturally, from the perspective of the Pureblood Society, the ancestor’s teachings would have been unacceptable.
Because of that, despite holding the title of Luna’s disciple, Velkia was gradually being forgotten among the Elves.
The Ersar family was still prestigious, but considering Velkia’s achievements and status, their standing was on the smaller side.
Of course, the Ersar family had never cared about such things throughout the generations. They simply displayed a progressive tendency according to their ancestor’s will.
But now that Seiren had denied the Pureblood Society.
The Pureblood Society intended to change the Elven Hero they revered to Velkia.
After all, it would be easier to twist the teachings of Velkia, a figure from 5,000 years ago, to suit their tastes than it would be to deal with Seiren, who had directly rejected them.
Just as Lune was wearing a cold smile while watching the Pureblood Society attempt to desecrate his ancestor...
Creeeeeak!
The door to the meeting room suddenly swung open.
“We are in the middle of a grave discussion for our race! How dare you open the door so recklessly!”
The Elf from the Pureblood Society sitting in the seat of highest honor shouted with an enraged expression.
Step... step...
The sound of footsteps, as if something were wet, could be heard.
Appearing along with the sound was an Elven woman holding a sword dripping with blood, her entire body drenched in it.
“W-What!”
“Who the hell are you, woman!”
Voices filled with shock and rage erupted from all over the Pureblood Society.
Along with them, powerful Magic Power surged. They were all powerful mages. Even if their ideology was twisted and problematic, it did not mean their skills were lacking.
Slash!
But before the magic could even be completed.
In an instant, the heads of the Pureblood Society Elves were the first to fly.
From that moment on, it became a literal slaughter.
The sword of the Elven woman, who had massacred the Pureblood Society with terrifying speed, finally pointed toward Lune.
Clang!
However, Lune parried her sword.
And the moment sword met sword.
Lune’s eyes filled with horror.
Spurt!
Blood splattered onto Lune’s chest.
Splat.
The Elven woman stroked her own chest.
If Lune had swung his sword with full intent, she would have been cut, even if it would not have been a fatal wound. That was how skilled Lune was.
But he could not bring himself to swing his sword fully. Of course, the same was true for her.
“...I’m glad... You resemble Maid more than me.”
With a voice tinged with relief and bitterness, the Elven woman moved her feet.
Squelch.
Lune pushed himself up as he watched her.
“Since you aren’t a traitor... won’t you step aside?”
Looking at her as she spoke in a benevolent voice, Lune coughed up blood and spoke.
“Why...”
“Isn’t it a job someone has to do?”
Seeing her bitter smile, Lune shook his head.
“Great Ancestor... This... This is wrong. The person I knew was not like this.”
Lune spoke to Velkia in a desperate voice.
“You say the same things as Vihar.”
She thought of the friend who shared the same master, the one who had lived his entire life in the shadows.
“I wonder if Vihar felt this way when he looked at me back then?”
She knew.
That the descendant before her eyes was a noble Hero. He must have lived as a Hero who embraced the world with a light more brilliant than anyone else’s.
In order not to tarnish her name.
In order to follow her will.
But...
“I’m sorry. But this is who I am.”
Velkia’s figure vanished.
Creak.
Thud!
Lune collapsed.
Velkia left the Pureblood Society.
He would not die.
But...
‘I’ve gone and disappointed him.’
Recalling Lune, who had been unable to swing his sword in the end, Velkia wore a bitter smile.
Under the night sky, Velkia looked down at her hands.
Sift... sift...
Snow was falling.
The snow that touched her body did not melt.
Sift.
A snowflake fell onto her palm.
How wondrous it had been when she first saw white snow.
“I cannot tolerate it.”
A dark emotion welled up in Velkia’s eyes.
“Those who insult their sacrifices... and live on... I cannot tolerate them.”
***
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