LHAHS Chapter 432
Aaron looked around, bewildered by the sudden change in scenery. "Where is this…?"
He furrowed his brows. "I was definitely fighting Erebos…"
Recalling what had happened just moments ago, Aaron looked up at the boy rising to his feet beside him. "And you are?"
Catching his breath, Leo glanced down at the small, burned, and tattered piece of the Hero Record in his hand. It was Aaron's Record.
"Leo, how is Aaron here?" Melina asked in shock, her expression unsettled.
Leo whispered, "Let's get out of here first. There are too many eyes on us to have this conversation here."
Leo quickly took control of the situation and returned to the Plov family's territory with Aaron and Melina.
Melina waited patiently for Leo to speak.
Only Aaron struggled to grasp what was happening.
…Stars?
He simply stared at the countless stars embedded in the sky, as if they might spill down upon him at any moment.
His mouth fell slightly open as he gazed at the moon. It was not a chilling, blood-red moon.
Seeing such a beautiful night sky for the first time, he could do nothing but stare in awe.
After a long moment, Aaron pulled his gaze away from the sky and turned to Leo. "You're Kyle, aren't you?"
Just like with Luna.
When the commander of the past, the Poison King Zodiac, appeared in Seiren, and when the Queen of Monsters, Sillatna, invaded Seiren—Leo had used the divine power stored in Polyum to pull Luna out of the Hero World. It was exactly the same now.
As proof, all the divine power that had been dwelling in Leo's body was now gone.
"That's right." Leo met Aaron's gaze and nodded.
"You really are Kyle? Then what about Lysinas? What about Luna and Dweno?" Aaron's confusion only deepened.
I've met Aaron twice in the Hero World.
The first time was last summer break, when he and Aru entered Aaron's world.
The second time was at the start of this semester, when I cleared Dweno's world.
Back then, Dweno had realized that Leo was Kyle from the future, and Aaron had as well.
If he doesn't remember that, does that mean he only remembers the first time we met?
"Aaron."
"Yeah?"
"How many times have you met me looking like this?"
"This is the second time, after that weird beastkin girl."
I see.
Leo nodded.
Luna only remembered meeting me in another page after she saw me here. Looks like Aaron is the same. He doesn't remember what happened in Dweno's world because that wasn't his world.
The owner of Dweno's world was, of course, Dweno.
So memories from someone else's Hero Record don't carry over.
Leo took a deep breath, sorting out the situation in his mind. "Aaron, listen carefully."
"Okay."
"The time we're in right now… is 5000 years after the Age of Calamity we lived in."
"If this is 5000 years in the future, then you…?"
"I was reincarnated."
"You were reborn?"
"Yeah."
Aaron fell into thought at Leo's answer.
If this is the future, and Kyle was reincarnated, then this situation makes sense.
"Then how did I end up 5000 years into the future?"
"In this era, there's something called the Hero Record…"
Leo explained to Aaron how he had come to be here.
After hearing the full explanation, Aaron asked, "Then we won, right?"
If this really was the future, then that alone was proof that the Great Heroes had triumphed over the Primordial Evil, but Aaron wanted to hear it directly from Leo.
Seeing that, Leo smiled. "Yeah, we won."
"Thank goodness." Aaron smiled in relief, genuinely reassured. Then, once again, he looked up at the night sky.
So these are the stars Luna kept talking about.
Leo, watching him, also lifted his gaze.
Seeing a beautiful night sky for the first time, Aaron murmured in awe, "It's beautiful. Now I understand why Luna said she would become a star."
Hearing Aaron mutter those words, Leo couldn't help but laugh. "Doesn't that sound so unfitting for her?"
"Yeah, it really does."
Melina, who had been silently watching the two, also looked up at the night sky. She had seen it for so long that it was just an ordinary sight to her.
But for these two, 5000 years ago, this would have been an unimaginable scene.
As she watched their backs as they gazed up at the sky, Melina lowered her head.
I can't speak for everyone alive today, but… thank you.
Afterward, Leo gave Aaron a brief overview of the past 5000 years of history. Hearing what happened after the Age of Calamity ended, Aaron was stunned.
"Velkia?" His eyes widened. "That brat became the leader of the elves and is respected?"
"Yeah."
"Unbelievable. That guy?"
…Just what kind of Velkia do they remember?
Hearing that Velkia had become a revered leader who rebuilt the elves, Aaron looked utterly incredulous. Seeing that reaction, Melina felt a surge of curiosity.
Velkia Ersar, the Nebula Pioneer and the Brave Hero's apprentice, and a figure renowned among the elves. After Erebos was vanquished, she had led her people and rebuilt their civilization.
But before that, she had devoted herself to restoring the forests of the world. Beyond her status as an elf, she was a hero celebrated worldwide.
Because of that, after getting to know Leo, Melina had once asked him about Velkia.
"She was an annoyingly arrogant brat. Always had this sharp look in her eyes, was rude as hell, and constantly tried to act like she was better than everyone else."
It was a firsthand account, but clearly a very biased one, so Melina had taken Leo's words with a grain of salt.
Should I ask? No…
She wanted to ask Aaron for more details about Velkia but held back. She didn't want to ruin her image of a noble elf hero. As Melina shook her head at herself…
"Erebos hasn't been completely destroyed, has it?" Aaron's expression darkened. "I'm sorry to the Heroes of Dawn. And to you. We left behind such a burden for you all to bear."
"No, you don't have to say that, Aaron!" Melina frantically waved her hands in denial.
"Even so, I want to help. I don't know how long I'll be able to stay in this time period, but isn't there something I can do?"
"In that case…" Melina hesitated for a moment before speaking cautiously. "In this era, there are hero candidates who aspire to follow in the footsteps of the Great Heroes. Right now, those children are training diligently in this very mountain. Would you be willing to guide them?"
"Like Velkia?"
"Yes."
"Alright."
"Thank you so much!" Melina beamed.
Watching her, Leo spoke. "It'd be best to give Carl, Lunia, Eiran, Drianna, and Aru a heads-up."
In this era, there were many remaining records of Aaron in the Hero World. But it would be difficult for people to recognize Aaron just by looking at him.
His face looks completely different.
When Leo was first reincarnated and saw a historical record depicting the Great Heroes, he had burst out laughing at Aaron's portrait.
The expression alone makes him look like a completely different person.
Leo recalled the sharp gaze depicted in the portrait and shook his head. On top of that, his expression was firm, and his entire demeanor radiated an imposing aura. A seasoned warrior who had braved countless battles—The very image of a war god.
The modern-era portraits of Aaron were the product of immense embellishment and idealization. In reality, Aaron was a gentle and handsome young man. His eyes were soft, and he always wore a warm smile.
In battle, he did sometimes resemble the portraits.
But more often, he was frightened by the smallest things. According to Luna, he had the kind of face that made people instinctively want to protect him.
If people from this era saw the real Aaron, they'd just think he resembled the Brave Hero.
Maybe in the Hero World, things would be different. But now, when Aaron was just a distant figure from the past, it was unlikely that anyone would recognize him. However, the five who had witnessed Aaron's true self in Dweno's world would be different.
If word got out that Aaron had appeared in the present, it'd be a huge headache.
Even now, countless elves made pilgrimages to Seiren in her honor. And beastmen weren't much different.
For beastmen, courage and strength are the greatest virtues.
Aaron, who embodied both, was an object of reverence. If word spread, countless beastmen would flood into the Plov Family's territory.
Leo didn't want to make things difficult for his father. Moreover, news of Aaron's return to the present could provoke Tartaros.
Hearing Leo's words, Melina nodded.
"I wonder what kind of children will be waiting," Aaron said excitedly.
Aaron loved children. The reason he had fought to save the world was because he wanted to create a world where children could smile freely.
"They must all be kind, pure, and full of passion, right?"
Since they lived in an era of peace, he assumed they would all be cheerful and bright.
There are plenty of kids just as eccentric as Luna and Dweno, though.
Leo didn't want to shatter his friend's illusions too soon.
And he's going to be startled by Aru for sure.
Watching Aaron's bright smile, Leo lightly shook his head.
At dawn the next day, Leo returned to the training site where the second-years were staying. His stand-in, En, met him in a secluded part of the forest.
"You did well. Nothing major happened while I was gone, right?"
"No, nothing significant. However…"
"However?"
"The Queen's guardians have been attacking throughout the night, and most of the students are too exhausted to shake off their fatigue."
Hearing this, Leo let out a dry chuckle.
Those grotesquely huge stuffed dolls?
Even Leo found the guardians' eerie appearances unsettling. Imagining the students suffering through the night, he shook his head and walked on.
Several students stood by the campfire, their faces utterly worn out. It seemed they had set up night watches because of the guardians.
"Did you take care of your business?" Carl greeted Leo with sunken eyes. "This place is hell from day one. Hahaha."
Seeing Carl laugh so miserably, Leo smirked. "Get some sleep. I'll stand guard until morning."
"You will? Thanks, Leo!"
Normally, Carl would refuse, but he was too exhausted to decline Leo's offer.
Leo gazed into the campfire.
Aaron has crossed into this era.
It was divine power that had made this miracle possible. Reaching out to Aaron in that moment had been pure instinct.
Saving him at that moment didn't change anything. Aaron was already dead.
But I just wanted to reassure him, even a little.
He wanted to show his friend what they had accomplished. That desire must have resonated with the divine power, creating the miracle that brought Aaron to the present.
I don't know how much time Aaron has here, but… now that it's happened, I hope he gets to enjoy even a little bit of this era of peace.
Taking a deep breath, Leo looked around at the students.
Aaron as an instructor, huh.
Leo stared up at the dawn sky and murmured, "Well, experiencing a whole new level of despair isn't necessarily a bad thing."