Chapter 420

"A Hero Record?"

"The Book of Shadows? What in the world is that?!"

A commotion spread throughout the assembly hall.

"What do you think?"

Altec Zeron, head of the Zeron family—one of Lumene's three great houses and the chairman of Lumene—turned to his younger brother.

Albi, who had been granted mystic eyes by the Fairy King, possessed the ability to discern falsehoods.

At Altec's question, Albi studied the Book of Shadows and spoke. "I can sense the same power as the Hero Record we are familiar with."

At his response, Altec stroked his chin. "A new Hero Record, huh."

Altec gazed at the Book of Shadows with intrigue. And he was not the only one. Beside him, Dajian Rigard, as well as Niscella Tursia, let out exclamations of astonishment as they closely examined the Hero Record.

Dajian Rigard. Head of the Rigard family, rulers of Lumeria City. In other words, he was effectively the master of Lumeria, the center of the world.

Niscella Tursia, the Guildmaster of Twilight, the largest hero guild in the world. Twilight had its origins 3000 years ago in the Twilight Knights, an order once led by Lumene.

The Zeron, Rigard, and Tursia families—known as Lumene's three great houses—had all once been disciples of Lumene.

Zeron inherited the academy Lumene founded, Rigard inherited the land Lumene cultivated, and Tursia inherited the order Lumene once led.

For the past 3000 years, these three houses had preserved and managed the Hero Record of Lumene Academy. Thus, among all present, the heads of these families were the most knowledgeable about the Hero Record. Even concerning its history.

"Altec, have you ever heard of something called the Book of Shadows?"

"Never."

"And you, Lord Dajian?"

"I have not either, Lady Tursia."

The mid-twenties Niscella observed the Book of Shadows with great interest.

Niscella Tursia. At the age of 26, she had become the head of the Tursia family. A pact-holder of the Elemental Lord of Wind and the Phoenix, she had earned her place in a Hero Record after leading the successful subjugation of the Undead Legion five years ago.

With all eyes fixed on the Book of Shadows, the King of Lucket snorted. "The Book of Shadows, you say. And what is that supposed to be?"

"A Hero Record in which the names of Shadows are recorded."

"That's absurd…! Even if it were real, it must be a forgery!"

Syau chuckled, "King of Lucket, do you believe you have the right to determine whether a Hero Record is real or fake? You are neither a Hero nor a Shadow, are you?"

"Urgh…!" The King of Lucket's face twisted with frustration.

A hero was someone who overcame hardships through their own strength and earned the right to recognition. A king, on the other hand, inherited their position through bloodline.

While the existing nations had all been founded by those whose names were recorded in a Hero Record, making their rulers the descendants of great heroes—being the descendant of a hero did not automatically make one a hero.

Thus, many of the kings present at the summit were not heroes themselves, and the King of Lucket was among them.

As the assembly struggled to accept what they were seeing, Melina raised her hand. One of the dragons standing by her side stepped forward, sought Syau's permission, and retrieved the Book of Shadows before presenting it to Melina.

Handling it carefully, Melina opened the Hero Record. All present held their breath as they watched. The power emanating from the Book of Shadows was unmistakably that of a Hero Record.

After 5000 years of never once recording the name of a Shadow, their history is now being revealed? And in such a pristine state?

Even with proof before them, accepting a truth that had been held for 5000 years as false was not easy. However, if the Dragon Queen, Melina, acknowledged it—then they would have no choice but to accept it as well.

That Shadows, too, were equal to Heroes, with the right to have their names recorded in a Hero Record.

As Melina examined the Hero Record, she finally declared, "…Indeed, these are the Hero Records of the Shadows."

"That's…!"

"Impossible…!"

"You mean it's not a fake?"

"This is real. And furthermore…"

"Furthermore?"

"The deeds of the Hero of the Beginning, Kyle, are recorded here."

"A record of a Great Hero?"

"K-Kyle's records are in there?!"

A reaction even more shocked than the one when the Book of Shadows was first revealed spread through the room. Many shot to their feet in utter disbelief.

"Yes." Melina smiled softly and nodded.

"Are you saying that the Hero of the Beginning was a Shadow?"

"If that were true, it would explain why the records of the Hero of the Beginning have remained unknown until now."

The heroes showed expressions of shock.

Melina then turned to Syau and asked, "Emperor Syau of Xian. Where did you find this Hero Record?"

Melina already knew the truth behind the Book of Shadows. Not only that, but she had already heard from Leo how this Book of Shadows had come to be. However, she could not state that truth outright.

Syau glanced at Leo briefly, then explained, "It was discovered in the depths of Xian, where it had been stored for ages. After undergoing various verification processes, we determined that it was a Hero Record that had never before been revealed to the world. Thus, we decided to bring it to light."

Rune, the acting headmaster of Seiren, remarked, "This is a welcome development. The Shadows have long been discriminated against simply because they had never been recorded in a Hero Record."

Though Rune appeared youthful, he was an elder even within elven society. His expression carried the weight of years.

"This proves that the Shadows have also defended the world for the past 5000 years."

"Hmph."

"That may be true, but…"

Some remained visibly displeased.

"The Hero of the Beginning was a Shadow… A surprising revelation indeed. So that's why both the Shadows' records and his history have been concealed until now."

The King of Lucket did not bother to hide his discomfort.

"A Shadow being regarded as equal to a Great Hero?"

"That's something that requires further discussion, don't you think?"

Several kings showed clear unease.

Even though the Dragon Queen had acknowledged the Shadows and a Hero Record bearing their records had been discovered, the perception that had persisted for millennia was not so easily overturned.

For as many heroes who viewed the Shadows in a positive light, there were just as many who did not.

"The Hero of the Beginning—do you know why he is called that?" Melina suddenly asked.

All eyes turned to Melina.

She closed the Book of Shadows and spoke in a calm tone. "You may not be aware of this, but… The first among the Great Heroes to lose his life was Aaron."

A heavy silence fell over the assembly.

The story of how the Great Heroes defeated the primordial evil, Erebos, was well known. The very existence of this world was proof of it.

However, no records remained of the Great Heroes' final battle against Erebos.

3000 years ago, during the process of sealing away Erebos's endlessly resurrecting fragments within the Hero Record, many records had been burned and lost.

In the ensuing division of power, even more records were destroyed. The countless missing records had been consumed in flames by Tartaros.

And among them, the chronicles of the Great Heroes' last journey vanished into the depths of history.

That was why no one knew who had ultimately struck down Erebos. The only known fact was that all the Great Heroes had perished in the process.

Since each Great Hero had become a figure of reverence among their respective races, the final battle had different interpretations across different cultures.

However, hero scholars and historians generally agreed on one theory, that in the final battle, all the Great Heroes had fought together to barely subdue Erebos, losing their lives in the process.

The truth of history was something no one truly knew.

A tale lost to the past.

A tale that Melina had heard from those who had lived it.

And now, she spoke the forgotten truth.

"The Brave Hero, fearing the death of his comrades, chose to sacrifice himself. He entrusted everything to the Hero of the Beginning."

Leo shuddered.

He became our shield… because he was afraid of seeing us die.

It was not the kind of grand, noble sacrifice that people imagined. Aaron had remained true to himself until the very end—a coward. Terrified, he had met a fate unbefitting of the Brave Hero.

"I'm sorry… I couldn't keep my promise to protect you all."

Recalling the tearful apology of that coward, Leo closed his eyes.

"Even after Aaron's sacrifice, the Great Heroes did not stop."

Melina's solemn words left everyone speechless. They all understood. What Melina was revealing now was the forgotten truth of history.

"The second to fall was Dweno. He left behind a weapon capable of slaying Erebos before he closed his eyes."

"Move forward, Kyle. Pave the way for those who will follow… This sword was made for that purpose."

Leaving behind the only masterpiece he had ever crafted, Dweno passed away.

"The third was Luna."

"Sorry for pushing this onto you as well."

Between the two of them, she had chosen to entrust everything to him.

"The fourth was Lysinas."

"We will save this world."

Even in her final moments, she never doubted that truth.

"After all the Great Heroes had fallen, Kyle alone struck down Erebos…" Melina gazed at the heroes, who held their breath. "…and became the last hero."

She took a deep breath.

"That is why he is known as the Hero of the Beginning—the one who ushered in the Age of Heroes."

"How… do you know this?" a trembling voice asked.

Melina smiled faintly. "In Dragonia, many truths of the world lie dormant."

She gently ran her fingers over the Book of Shadows as she continued. "I'm certain that, back then, distinctions like Hero or Shadow didn't exist. Someone simply had to bear the burden… and the Hero of the Beginning took it upon himself."

Rising from her seat, Melina personally placed the Book of Shadows upon the podium.

"The world is in turmoil. The return of the Hero of the Beginning and the Nebula Pioneer… followed by the reappearance of the Comet Mage."

She looked toward the Seiren delegation, then turned to the Damien representatives.

"And now, the emergence of hero candidates who have inherited the legacy of Dweno."

Finally, her gaze briefly landed on Leo.

"And the rediscovery of the Hero of the Beginning's records."

Melina took a deep breath.

"The forgotten legacies of the Great Heroes and the Heroes of Dawn are returning to us. In response, Tartaros is stirring once more. How long do you intend to remain shackled by the misguided customs of the past?"

"Ugh…!"

"T-That's…"

"A hero is not merely someone who wields great power and accomplishes feats recognized by the gods…"

Deliberately, one word at a time, Melina continued, commanding the full attention of all present.

"A hero is a force of change."

Step by step, with each declaration, she pressed forward.

"This is no time to be fixated on matters of Hero or Shadow. Now is the time to uproot the disaster that has plagued us for 5000 years. As the Dragon Queen, I hereby proclaim…"

The entire hall fell silent.

"From this moment forward, Shadows are equal to Heroes."