LHAHS Chapter 369
The dirtiest paradise in the world, huh…
As Leo strolled through the Pleasure District, he observed his surroundings. People's eyes were drawn to him.
Leo stood out here. He didn't belong.
This district wasn't just dirty. It wasn't just the streets, it was everything that made up this place. A district built upon the twisted desires and greed lurking at the very bottom of human nature.
Just like the old woman at the entrance had said.
This was the lowest of the low.
He recalled the dazzling main street he had seen just moments ago.
That must've been for show.
Before being the world's poorest country, Aleham was a place where things deemed illegal elsewhere were fully legalized.
For the powerful, Aleham was the ultimate playground and workplace. That glamorous main street was nothing more than the result of squeezing the life out of Aleham's own people.
If anything, this district was the real face of Aleham.
Well, maybe not the whole country…
At that moment, three burly men stepped in front of Leo, blocking his path.
"What's with the staring? You find us interesting?"
"You look like some fancy noble brat. What brings you to a dump like this?"
"Wait, are we sure this one's a boy? Look at that pretty little face—maybe he's actually a girl?"
"Could be. Should we strip him down and check?"
The three men chuckled darkly as they leered at him. They looked like mercenaries, but their eyes were wild—drowned in alcohol and drugs.
Leo simply stared at them in silence.
The leader of the group scowled. "The hell you looking at, brat? First time seeing rock-bottom losers like us?!"
"Hey, hey, don't scare him too much. He might go crying to his little bodyguards."
"That could be fun too. Not that it matters—once you step in here, all that fancy outside power means nothing."
They were clearly amused by their own words, laughing like maniacs.
Leo smirked. "I'm here looking for someone."
"Who?"
"The master of the Pleasure Palace."
The moment he revealed his purpose, the air shifted. A chilling silence descended.
The master of the Pleasure Palace. The ruler of this district.
No, calling her just the ruler of the Pleasure District was an understatement. She might as well be the true lord of this entire oasis city of Wargella. Her influence easily surpassed the official lord of the city.
"You little shit!"
"Do you even know who you're talking about, you wet-behind-the-ears brat?! You trying to die?!"
The drugged-up mercenaries sobered up instantly, their faces going pale. They shouted furiously as if trying to drive away the very mention of the name. As if they wanted nothing to do with this conversation.
Leo tilted his head. Just mentioning her gets this kind of reaction?
"Where can I meet her?"
"You bastard—!"
"No one meets her!"
The mercenaries' frantic reaction left Leo unimpressed.
"If you don't know, then I have no business with you."
"You son of a—!"
As Leo turned away without hesitation, the mercenaries, furious at being ignored, lunged at him.
Thud!
A dull impact rang out. The mercenaries were sent flying through the air.
Boom!
"Ugh!"
"Keugh!"
"Argh!"
The three of them crashed onto the ground, groaning in pain.
Perched on Leo's shoulder, Elsie muttered. [All of them seem to be unsavory people.]
"This whole district is." Leo replied flatly and continued walking, heading deeper into the Pleasure District.
Run-down taverns lined the streets. But no matter where he looked, there was no palace to be seen.
Leo narrowed his eyes. "Elsie."
[Yes. You're right. This district is covered in an elemental's illusion.]
Leo took out the note Tina had given him. All it had on it was her name.
"An elemental of this level… Is it an Elemental Lord?"
He had expected the master of the Pleasure Palace to be an influential figure, but he hadn't considered the possibility that they might be the contractor of an Elemental Lord.
[Can you find the way?]
"Who do you think I am?" Leo smirked.
For most people, even noticing this illusion would be impossible, but Leo had once been friends with the greatest summoner in history. And that summoner had mastered both spirit beasts and elementals alike.
"Compared to her elemental arts, this is child's play."
[Have you been caught in Lysinas' elemental arts before?]
"Plenty of times."
Leo grimaced as he recalled his friend, who used to lash out at him with elemental magic whenever she got angry. Reaching out, he gripped the air as if grabbing onto a curtain.
Crunch—!
The space at his fingertips distorted.
Whoosh!
With a sharp tug, he pulled apart the illusion, revealing the true path.
Far ahead, a dazzling palace came into view.
Leo raised a brow at the energy emanating from it. "An elemental of light?"
Inside the illusion, he couldn't discern its presence, but now, he could clearly feel it.
The elemental bound to this place was none other than an Elemental Lord of Light.
Among elementals, they were known for their noble and virtuous nature. An Elemental Lord of Light was a manifestation of purity and illumination.
For such a being to reside in a place as depraved as this was surprising, to say the least.
[Oh my… An Elemental Lord of Light…] Elsie covered her mouth in awe, overcome with joy.
Elsie had been born in the Age of Calamity. She had lived in a time when the sky was eternally gray, when even starlight struggled to pierce through the darkness.
That was why she had developed such a deep longing for the light.
Even now, after being brought into the present world by Leo, that longing remained unchanged.
The mere thought of meeting an Elemental Lord of Light filled her with joy.
Leo chuckled at her reaction. "That happy, huh?"
[Yes! I've always wanted to meet one!]
"I'm curious too."
His past memories with an Elemental Lord of Light were… not the most pleasant.
5,000 years ago, the Elemental Lord of Brilliance Luminus, who had been Lysinas' contractee. For both Lysinas and Leo, she was the first companion they had ever lost.
After that, Lysinas had died.
And then, Kyle had perished after defeating Erebos.
5,000 long years had passed before Leo had finally managed to keep his promise.
Leo pulled out the radiant gemstone he carried. The same gemstone that had been the medium for his contract with Elsie. A treasure left to him by Luminus—the legacy of the elementals of light.
Tucking it away, Leo spoke. "Alright. Let's go."
[Yes!]
At the very top of the Pleasure Palace, a woman gazed down at the Pleasure District—no, at the entire city of Wargella.
Her eyes twitched.
"Someone lifted the veil… Who could have done it?"
As her displeasure became evident, the woman beside her closed her eyes briefly before responding. "An outsider has entered the Pleasure District, Lady Laruel."
"An outsider?"
Even if it was an outsider, the situation didn't quite make sense. Was there truly someone in this country capable of seeing through and dismantling her power?
As Laruel pondered, a thought crossed her mind. She had already heard that Lumene had sent hero candidates to investigate the abnormalities in this land.
"So it's the hero candidates?"
The displeasure on her face deepened. She had no fondness for heroes.
"What shall we do?"
"Why are you even asking?"
"The hero candidate who has come here is Leo Plov."
"The one the Comet Mage named as her successor?"
"Yes. The very one you have long been waiting fo…"
"I stopped waiting for anyone a long time ago," Laruel cut in coldly, making the woman hesitate. "And you actually believe that ridiculous story about the Comet Mage returning to this world?"
"The Nebula Pioneer and the Hero of the Beginning have both reappeared. If the Comet Mage were to…"
Laruel scoffed. "The Great Heroes and the Heroes of Dawn are different."
"…Pardon?"
"If the Heroes of Dawn were the same as the Great Heroes, this world would have perished long ago."
"I see your stance remains unchanged."
She murmured as she gazed out the window. "The light in this world vanished long ago."
Leo came to a stop as he made his way toward the Pleasure Palace. At some point, the people in the streets had completely disappeared.
[Leo, this is an illusion,] Elsie said, furrowing her brows.
Leo had already realized he had stepped into the domain of an illusion. The problem was that this wasn't just a trick to distort his vision.
A brilliant flash of light exploded before his eyes.
"Interesting," Leo mused as he saw the figure before him.
It was himself. As if he were looking into a mirror, an identical copy of him stood in front of him.
"You're using some rather tricky elemental arts," he said.
Illusions were a specialty of light elementals. If it was an Elemental Lord, creating illusions as real as this would be easy. But this one was on an entirely different level of refinement.
"Looks like their contractor wields quite the powerful Elemental Lord."
While most Elemental Lords were equal in raw power, their combat abilities varied. The difference came from age and experience. The longer an elemental had lived and the more it had seen, the stronger it became in battle.
Creating realistic illusions was one thing, but crafting illusions that were indistinguishable from reality was something else entirely.
Fwoosh—!
The illusion of light unleashed Zerdinger's Flame.
Elsie, watching, spoke up. [Shall I step in?]
Light and darkness were opposing forces. As a shadow elemental, Elsie could easily distort even the most intricate illusion.
Step.
"No," Leo said firmly, stepping forward.
There was only one reason why such a powerful illusion was trying to block him—whoever ruled this palace hated the very existence of Leo Plov. They were willing to harm him just to drive him away.
If Elsie stepped in, it would mean revealing the power of the Elemental Lord of Darkness.
For now, it's best to keep the existence of a second Elemental Lord of Darkness hidden.
Besides, this illusion wasn't much of a problem for him.
"No matter how real it looks, it's still just an illusion."
A smirk played on Leo's lips as Zerdinger's Flame erupted from his body.
Whoosh!
His crimson eyes gleamed.
Rumble—!
A massive blade of fire surged forth.
Fwoooosh—!
Laruel's eyes twitched as she watched a pillar of fire erupt from one side of the palace.
Already…?
The Pleasure Palace was concealed within five layers of illusions.
The first was the illusion that hid the palace's very existence.
The second—which had just been shattered—was where the real test began. From there onward, the illusions were designed to kill any uninvited guests. They were powerful enough that unless one surpassed their own limits, breaking through was impossible.
They said he was the greatest hero candidate in history.
Laruel had underestimated Leo.
Well, if he's a student of Lumene, this much should be expected…
Flash-!
Before she could even finish her thought, another light burst forth from a different illusionary zone. Her face darkened.
The third illusion, a trial that tested one's belief in themselves, had already been broken.
The words the Comet Mage's successor echoed in Laruel's mind.
No… That's impossible…
Even as she denied it, the fourth illusion shattered.
That trial was meant to be insurmountable to all but those with the unwavering resolve to keep pushing forward.
For three thousand years… No one had ever broken through it.
This boy… Laruel's lips parted in shock. Just who…
Now, only one illusion remained.
Just as she reeled in disbelief—
BANG!
The door to the top floor burst open, and a boy with snow-white hair and crimson eyes locked gazes with her.
"You sure are doing some strange things for a person," Leo mused, tilting his head as he stared at Laruel. "No… you're not a person. Wow, I never expected an Elemental Lord to do all this without a contractor."