LHAHS Chapter 303
"Waaaaaaaah!"
"We won!"
"We defeated the Giant King's army!"
On the walls of Godthrone, many people embraced each other, reveling in their victory.
Leo watched them, a faint smile on his lips, as he took in the view of Godthrone.
Back when he had hurriedly returned from Raysar, the situation in Godthrone had been dire. Even the sliver of hope they had barely regained had been taken from them.
But still, the people endured.
Lysinas had undoubtedly been the one to give them hope. But it was these people who had taken that hope and found the strength to rebuild the world.
Leo looked up at the sky.
The Hero Record's conquest.
He could see this world coming to an end.
Step, step—
"Are you okay?"
Aaron approached and asked.
"Worry about yourself."
"You look just as bad as I do."
Leo and Aaron were both in terrible shape. If Aaron had been even a little late in taking down Giath—Leo might have lost his life.
"Why didn't you lower the water barrier?"
At Aaron's question, Leo chuckled.
"Because I believed."
Aaron gazed at Leo with calm eyes.
And then…
"That damn Giant King, he managed to escape in the end!"
With a furious lament, Dweno appeared on the wall.
"Sir Dweno, are you alright?"
"Your injuries are severe."
"I'm fine. Worry about your own wounds instead."
Step, step—
Covered in injuries from head to toe, Dweno approached Leo and Aaron.
Thunk—
Stopping in front of Leo, Dweno spoke.
"The Giant King got away."
"Don't worry about it. We'll be the ones to take him down."
"…I feel bad leaving it to you."
Dweno let out a deep sigh.
"But at least tonight, we can raise a toast to victory."
A warm smile spread across Dweno's face.
"Wouldn't you like to share a drink?"
Leo let out a bitter chuckle.
"I appreciate the thought, but… we have to go now."
"What? In that condition, where are you going?" Aaron was taken aback.
Leo got to his feet.
"Our role ends here."
Feeling Dweno's world closing, Leo turned away. He wanted to talk more. With Dweno and Aaron, his cherished friends and comrades. He wanted to share a drink with them.
But…
Our time here is up.
Leo bit his lip hard.
He hadn't been able to save his comrades. All he could do was watch as they died.
As someone who could do nothing but witness their deaths—Leo couldn't bring himself to tell Dweno and Aaron that he was Kyle.
They wouldn't believe me anyway.
Step, step—
As Leo took a step forward, Dweno spoke behind him.
"Why do you bear guilt over our deaths?"
Freeze—
Leo stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened, and he turned around.
"Why do you look so dumbfounded? Did you really think I wouldn't know?"
Dweno burst into hearty laughter.
"Dweno, so Leo really is…"
"That's right, Aaron. He's Kyle, from the future."
Aaron stared at Leo in shock.
Dweno crossed his arms. "If even Aaron had an inkling of suspicion, did you really think you had fooled us? Now do you understand why I used to call you an idiot?"
"You damn old dwarf."
Leo gave a twisted smile.
Looking at Leo, whose expression seemed on the verge of tears, Dweno smirked and stepped closer.
"I don't know what happened in the future, Kyle."
Thud—!
Dweno's thick hand patted Leo's shoulder.
"But we all set out on this journey following Lysinas, having made our own resolutions. Even if what awaited us was death."
Dweno smiled.
"If the world was saved, then we're ready to accept that future with open arms. So don't burden yourself with guilt."
Leo clenched his fist tightly.
Crackle—!
Cracks began forming in the world.
There truly wasn't much time left.
"Take care of the future."
"I will."
Satisfied with Leo's answer, the dwarf warrior removed his hand from Leo's shoulder. And then, as if to push him forward, he gave him a shove.
"Now, go on and move forward."
"…Yeah."
Step, step—
As Leo took a few steps forward…
The world finally disappeared.
[Conquest Rewards: Dweno's Legacy, Dweno's Flame.]
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a clear sky.
Everyone had dazed smiles on their faces. It was as if the great battle had never happened.
"Uwooooooh?!" Aru let out a scream of shock. "Look at this! These are greaves and gauntlets made by Sir Dweno!" Holding the beautifully crafted greaves and gauntlets, she bounced up and down excitedly.
And it wasn't just Aru.
"Lady Katariou's feathered staff…?!" Lunia stared blankly at the staff in her hands, an artifact so exquisite it seemed like a piece of art.
"Erquint… it's as good as new! And there's even a shield!" Eiran marveled at Erquint, which had been returned to her along with a newly crafted shield.
"I got an alchemy tome." Carl stared in disbelief at the alchemy tome in his hands. When he opened the book, it was completely blank. Initially bewildered, he gasped in shock as words began to form on the pages in response to his touch.
Lastly, Drianna gazed at the hammer in her hands.
Let me tell you one last time. Quit trying to be an artist.
Dweno had worn a scowl as he handed her the hammer.
Drianna had flinched, but Dweno had simply patted her head.
You have outstanding talent as a smith. Don't get distracted—pursue the path of a true blacksmith. I am who I am, and you are who you are.
Recalling the kindhearted Divine Blacksmith who had encouraged her despite her uncertainty, Drianna made a firm resolution.
Sir Dweno. I'll become a blacksmith and an artist worthy of your name.
She added a little extra, something Dweno would have immediately smacked her for if he'd heard. Clutching the hammer tightly, she reaffirmed her resolve.
The entire party had received rewards personally prepared by Dweno. It was an unprecedented reward. Since they had come from the Divine Blacksmith himself, every piece was an artifact of divine rank. And yet, they were completely new artifacts, never recorded in history.
They had returned to reality carrying that magnificent legacy.
Just as everyone was struggling to believe it…
"Where's Leo?"
Fwoooosh—!
Leo stared at the black flames before him with an emotionless gaze.
The Giant King Giath had long since vanished. But Erebos's remnant still lingered, burning with hatred toward Leo.
"You're ridiculously persistent."
"Leo!" At that moment, the air split open, and Melina appeared.
"After the sudden appearance of the Giant King Giath, a horde of Gigantes invaded Tarkam…"
Sensing Leo's mana, Melina had quickly warped over, only to freeze at the sight of Erebos's remnant.
Long ago, Melina had fought against a fragment of Erebos when she had conquered the Hero Record of the Heroes of Dawn. That was why she recognized it at a glance.
Seeing the killing intent in Melina's eyes, Leo raised his hand to stop her. "I'll handle it."
"Leo?" Melina looked at him in surprise.
Step, step—
Leo approached Erebos's remnant. Then, he reached out his hand and spoke.
"Posteritas."
Flash—!
With a golden light, a half-melted longsword materialized.
Melina's eyes widened in shock.
The sword named Beginning had returned to its original form, aside from the broken blade.
Did it respond to Leo's flame and regain its old form? But that sword wasn't able to return to its original state back then…?
Leo's Dweno's Flame possessed the ability to briefly restore weapons forged by Dweno to their past state. The Divine Blacksmith had used that power to restore damaged weapons as if they were new.
However, Leo could only return Dweno's weapons to their past state for the briefest moment. After all, the flame he carried was but a small ember.
But now, things were different. As a conquest reward, he had inherited the complete Dweno's Flame.
Of course, if something's lifespan had completely ended, even Dweno's power couldn't restore it.
The sword Dweno had forged for Leo, Posteritas, had long since reached the end of its lifespan. But when Leo called upon it, it returned to its past state.
Because it still had unfinished business.
Fwoooosh—!
Golden flames wrapped around Posteritas.
"I'm counting on you. And…" Leo bid farewell to the sword that had been with him in his final moments.
"Thank you."
Hummm! Hummm!
As if responding to his words, Posteritas exhaled a gray aura. A lingering trace of the last power Kyle had wrung out.
Thrust—!
Leo drove Posteritas into Erebos's remnant.
Crack—!
A fissure ran through Posteritas. The fragment of the sword containing the remnant also began to crack.
Gwoooaaaaaah!
As if making a final struggle, the remnant spewed black flames.
Snap—!
But soon, Posteritas shattered into fragments of light.
Guooooooh!
A mass of black flames emerged in midair, writhing in agony before beginning to scatter.
Grab—!
Just before the remnant was completely annihilated, Leo reached out and seized it by the throat. His eyes flashed sharply as he spoke.
"This time, things won't repeat like they did 5,000 years ago."
A deep killing intent filled Leo's gaze.
"Prepare yourself. Because this time…"
With a voice dripping with fury, Leo declared, "I'll kill you for good."
The black-haired woman gazed at the city undergoing reconstruction with somber eyes.
Many had died.
No doubt they suffered critical losses as well, so in the end, this was our victory. Even so…
She saw the gloom of despair in the eyes of the people in the streets. A city that had been brimming with hope just moments ago now seemed as if it had lost it once again.
…Can we really do this?
Her intelligent, jet-black eyes wavered.
Returning home, the woman—Lysinas—walked into her house, exhausted. She entered her study and collapsed into the chair in front of her desk, letting out a deep sigh.
Then, she suddenly noticed her personal journal sitting atop her desk and looked puzzled.
Did I take out my journal?
As she flipped it open, she abruptly froze.
"……"
Recognizing the familiar handwriting, the corners of Lysinas's lips curved into a soft smile.
[Lysinas, don't let this shake you. Like you said, we will save the world. So stay strong.]
"When did he start encouraging others like this?"
The dark cloud in her heart lifted. Resting her chin on her hand, Lysinas smiled gently—before her expression stiffened.
Wait a minute. How did that guy know this was my journal? No, more importantly, when did he even enter my house?
Lysinas's shoulders trembled. Her face turned bright red.
If he wrote this, that means he read my journal…
"Lysinas, we've cleared away all the wreckage. Good thing that crazy old man is an expert in civil engineering. Phew~ hard labor really is exhausting."
"You only used magic. Aaron, Dweno, and I did all the actual work, so why are you acting like you did something?"
"Mana consumption is serious labor too, you know?"
Luna glared at Kyle.
"Hey! Kyle!"
At that moment, Lysinas shot up from her seat, her face flushed red.
"You! Y-you-you-you-you! When did you sneak into my house?! And you went through my stuff to secretly read my journal?! Do you have a death wish?!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?! Why the hell would I do that?! Sneak into your house and rummage through your stuff?! You literally told me I could come in whenever I wanted! You even showed me how to open the door!"
"When did I ever! The only time I showed you how to open the door was… Ah! Whatever! That still doesn't mean you can just waltz in and snoop around my study!"
"I told you, I never went in!"
As the wise dragon who would one day lead the world to salvation and the human who would save the world engaged in a childish fight…
The elf who had created the spell that would save the world fell into deep thought.
…Why did Lysinas teach Kyle how to open her door?