LHAHS Chapter 383
Leo's question made Rodia's eyes widen.
The Dawn Dragon, Rodia.
Rodia was indeed her name, but the title Dawn Dragon did not belong to her in the present. It couldn't.
I was only called the Dawn Dragon in the future.
At this point in time, she wasn't yet known by that title, nor had she met the comrades who would one day fight alongside her.
No, this was the moment when she had first discovered the infinite possibilities of the Hero Record.
And now, an unfamiliar human boy had appeared, calling her by that name.
Rodia's amber eyes widened as she studied Leo closely.
White hair and ruby-red eyes…
"This can't be…" she murmured, her mouth slightly agape.
A miraculous tale, almost too unbelievable, had once reached her and her companions—hope delivered amidst the despair that had repeated endlessly.
Guys, just hold on a little longer.
At some point, eyes that had dulled with exhaustion had begun shining once more, like stars in the night sky.
I found hope.
That was what Seiren had said, smiling as brightly as she once had.
Hearing that impossible story, the Heroes of Dawn had been able to stand up again.
"Kyle…?"
"You really are Rodia," Leo said.
Recognizing that she wasn't a mere projection within the Hero Record but the real Rodia, Leo nodded.
Rodia, however, abruptly shoved him toward the window.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I'll explain later! Humans aren't allowed here!"
Knowing what was about to happen, Rodia hurriedly pushed Leo outside.
At this moment in time, she was neither the Dawn Dragon nor the Dragon Queen. She was still a young dragon of her clan—and, at this particular moment, a troublemaker.
This was a sanctuary, a place where no outsiders were allowed. If she was caught harboring a human, things would become very complicated.
Leo frowned but didn't resist as he was forced out of the room.
Once he was gone, Rodia quickly straightened her clothes.
Bang!
"Rodia! What happened? We sensed a massive surge of mana!"
"This is the sanctuary where the Hero Records are stored! How many times have we told you not to cause trouble?"
The dragons who burst into the room glared at Rodia with piercing gazes.
Lowering herself to the ground, Rodia bowed. "I sincerely apologize. Elders of my clan, it seems my foolish curiosity has caused unnecessary concern."
She offered her apologies multiple times before finally leaving the room with the dragons.
Left behind, Leo realized the presences in the room had completely disappeared.
Without hesitation, he climbed back inside., then turned to look out the window.
Dragonia.
The land of dragons.
Unlike Seiren's world, it doesn't seem like Erebos is trying to use this place as a passage into reality.
Unlike Seiren's fractured Hero Record, Rodia's world was almost intact. It seemed that the remaining fragments weren't enough for Erebos to exploit.
Now alone, Leo reflected.
The monsters appearing in the Monster Forest aren't connected to the Monster Queen's curse.
Just in case, he had checked for traces of the curse, but there was nothing left.
The strange phenomena occurring in the Monster Forest could only mean one thing: a Hero Dungeon was encroaching on reality.
And then there's Rodia's world…
Her Hero Record was intact.
The moment I decided to open a Hero World, the world responded. So if I decide to close it…
[Would you like to close the world of the Dawn Dragon, Rodia?]
As soon as he thought it, a message appeared before his eyes.
Leo shook his head, and the message disappeared.
So I can open and close an intact Hero Record at will.
It made sense. Since the Hero Record itself belonged to him, it wasn't bound to the same constraints as a runaway Hero Dungeon.
Feeling intrigued, Leo turned his attention to the center of the room.
A single book sat there, its crimson cover bearing the words "Hero Record," emanating divine energy.
An intact Hero Record.
That book contained the recorded stories of Rodia and her comrades.
After gazing at it for a moment, Leo leaned against the wall.
I guess I'll wait until Rodia returns.
Meanwhle, in the Monster Forest, a one-eyed beast let out a thunderous roar.
"Groarrrrr!"
Carl muttered under his breath as he watched the cyclops approach. "Duran."
"What is it, Carl Thomas?"
"Didn't we agree yesterday that only monsters like ogres were showing up?"
This wasn't just a monster—it was something superior.
A beast summoned by Tartaros, a demonic beast.
And among those, the cyclops was classified as an upper-rank demonic beast, a creature that existed on a completely different level than an ogre.
Carl frowned. "So what's going on?"
Duran smirked. "If anything, this makes things clearer."
Crackle—!
Electric aura crackled around Duran's body.
"Just yesterday, we suspected a Hero Dungeon might exist here. And the very next day, this filthy creature appears. You know what that means, don't you, Carl Thomas?"
"Bullseye," Carl said.
"Exactly." Duran's eyes gleamed. "We'll cut these filthy things down and hold Aleham accountable for the mess."
Carl glanced at him, unimpressed. "You seem oddly excited about this."
"There's nothing more entertaining than watching arrogant fools bring about their own destruction."
"You're awful."
Suddenly, all throughout the Monster Forest, top-tier monsters and demonic beasts began appearing.
The Hero Dungeon had started rampaging at an alarming rate.
And as the crisis unfolded, the hero candidates stepped forward to meet it.
"It is an honor to meet you, the Hero of the Beginning, Kyle. I am Rodia. Though I'm still lacking, I lead the Heroes of Dawn," Rodia said, tapping her left chest three times before bowing in the dragonkin's formal greeting.
Leo watched and commented, "So this is how you greeted each other three thousand years ago."
"Of course. Do they not do this in your time?" Rodia asked.
"They laughed at it, saying it made people look like old geezers."
"What? This is a formal tradition passed down for generations. Future children… they have no sense of heritage," she muttered, looking genuinely disappointed.
Leo smirked. "Is that so? But you're doing it wrong, too."
"Huh?"
"Your posture is off. Do it again."
"Eh? Ah, yes!"
Leo corrected Rodia's form just as Lysinas had once taught him. "No, bend a little more. Keep your back straight. Who even taught you this?"
She blinked. Was she really being reprimanded for etiquette at this age? The last time she'd received this kind of correction was in childhood.
But how could she protest? The person in front of her was a Great Hero from two thousand years ago.
"S-Sir Kyle, etiquette isn't that important, is it?"
"I endured many sleepless nights just to learn this," Leo muttered. "Future generations really are hopeless."
Rodia forced a smile, clearly struggling to respond, but Leo smoothly changed the topic. "You must have heard about me from Seiren."
"Yes. That is why I'm so happy. Thanks to you stepping into my world, I can finally meet you like this."
She beamed, preparing to offer another formal dragonkin bow, but she stopped herself mid-motion and quickly lowered her head instead. If she wasn't careful, she might get another critique.
"Can I not meet the other Heroes of Dawn in this world?" Leo asked.
"No. Even if you were to see Seiren, Lumene, Azonia, or Damien in my Hero World, they wouldn't be real. They'd just be echoes of the past, recorded in the Hero Record."
"In other words, only the owner of each Hero World is real."
"Exactly. Well, at least my world hasn't been invaded by Erebos," Rodia said, smiling in relief. "That's why we can talk peacefully like this."
Leo nodded. "That's good. I've wanted to have a proper conversation with you all for a long time. And I've always wanted to see a Hero Record in its complete form."
He turned his gaze toward the book.
"This is the first time you've seen an intact Hero Record, isn't it?" Rodia asked.
"Yeah."
"…I'm sorry."
"It's not like it was your fault. Back then, this was the only way," Leo said, shaking his head.
Rodia looked at the Hero Record before stepping forward. "Would you like to take a look? This is just a replica within the Hero World, so it can't actually open Hero Worlds like a real Hero Record, but…"
Hero Records were magically protected, allowing only those granted permission to touch them. Leo knew this and had refrained from making contact.
Rodia, however, had once been a scholar studying the Hero Records, making her one of the few permitted to handle them.
That's how she first entered a Hero World.
That was the beginning of Dawn.
Step, step.
Rodia lifted the Hero Record and walked toward Leo. "This is the first Hero World I entered."
"The battle against the King of Gluttony," Leo noted.
"Yes. One of yours and Lysinas' greatest achievements."
Leo reached for Lysinas' page, a bittersweet smile on his lips.
This was where everything began. A horrifying memory, yet also the moment he had met Lysinas—the most precious memory he had.
The moment Leo's fingers brushed the page…
[Hero Record Open. Lysinas' World. Prologue—The Beginning.]
A message flickered before his eyes.
Leo and Rodia both stiffened.
"What? Hold on. We're inside a Hero World, so why is another one opening…?" Rodia's expression turned to shock as the message distorted.
"A runaway?" Leo's brows furrowed, but before either of them could react, the Hero World activated, swallowing them whole.
Flash—!
A familiar light engulfed them, and when the light faded… they stood in the middle of a battlefield.
The fight had ended, leaving behind a land littered with the corpses of demons, monsters, and abominations.
The acrid stench of burning flesh filled the air.
Leo instinctively looked up.
A sky dyed in ashen gray.
Then, he turned his head.
Godthrone.
An all-too-familiar sight.
Leo lowered his gaze. These were not the hands of a boy. They were rough, scarred, and covered in dried blood, but they weren't unfamiliar… no, they were far too familiar.
"This is my foolish wish, Kyle."
Leo clenched his hands into fists.
"But Kyle… we will save this world."
He turned toward the speaker.
There stood an old friend, exactly as he remembered.
Wearing the same unwavering smile as always.
"Come with me. You'll never have to watch your comrades die in front of you again. Because this time, I'm strong too."
Leo's gaze drifted down to the outstretched hand before him.
It was a promise. A promise he now knew had become a lie.
Lysinas stared at him, her expression unreadable.
"Are you going to reject me again?"
Leo recalled what he had said back then.
I wanted to grant her wish, just once.
Yet, despite that thought, he had sighed and said, as if it were nothing but a hassle:
"Fine. I'm sick of all this nonsense. I'll tag along on your ridiculous journey."
Back then, Lysinas had shaken her head, exasperated, but this time…
Step—
When Leo did not take her hand, she slowly began to lower it.
Grab—!
"…!"
Lysinas' eyes widened as Leo firmly grasped her hand.
"Alright. Let's do this. You're right. You…" Leo smiled. "No, we will save this world."
Lysinas stared at him, stunned.
Then, slowly, her expression melted into a radiant smile.