LHAHS Chapter 438
Aaron tensed as he looked at Chelsea, who was staring up at him with sparkling eyes.
"It's truly an honor to meet you! I can't believe I'm meeting a Great Hero in person! It feels like a dream!"
"Uh, uhh. N-Nice to meet you too."
"Gasp?!" Chelsea took a deep breath and gaped at him.
Aaron flinched. "W-What?"
"Leo! Aaron just said he's happy to meet me!"
Clutching her cheeks, Chelsea was completely overwhelmed.
Seeing that, Aaron scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Are you really that happy to meet me?"
"Of course! You're the Great Hero who saved this world! Thank you so much! For saving the world!"
Aaron's eyes widened at her pure, radiant smile.
For a moment, he simply stared at her. Then, he smiled. "Yeah."
Reaching out, he patted Chelsea's head.
Her eyes grew round.
"Thanks for saying that."
As Chelsea looked up at Aaron, her lips curled into a bashful smile.
"Aaron! Me too! Pat me too!" Aru eagerly pushed her head forward.
"Alright, alright." Aaron laughed and patted her as well.
Watching this unfold, Carl spoke up. "Hey, Chelsea. Just to be clear, you do realize that Instructor Akan being Aaron is…"
"I know. Obviously, I won't go around telling people. What do you take me for?" Chelsea scoffed lightly, her voice carrying a hint of playfulness. "But there's something I'm curious about."
At that moment, Lunia wore a thoughtful expression. "Aaron, how did you appear in the present era?"
"Through something called the Hero Record."
"Just like how Luna and Seiren appeared in this world?"
Aaron nodded, and Drianna crossed her arms. "In that case, I have another question. Why do you remember Leo and Aru but not us?"
"I'm not sure." Aaron shook his head.
After thinking for a moment, Lunia raised a finger. "Maybe it's because only Leo and Aru entered Aaron's World?"
"That actually makes sense." Carl stroked his chin. "The only time we met Aaron was in Dweno's World. But when Luna appeared in Seiren, she remembered me."
Recalling the sight of Luna defeating Zodiac in Seiren, Lunia spoke.
Aaron, watching her, looked impressed. "You're pretty smart. You remind me of Luna."
"It's nothing."
"Even your personality seems similar!"
"What an honor." Lunia blushed slightly at Aaron's words.
Hearing that, Aru suddenly shouted, "Aaron! Don't be fooled! You're being deceived right now!"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"This wicked elf is just putting on an act. Don't be deceived by that appearance!"
Drianna, arms crossed, nodded solemnly. "That's right. Aaron! Comparing the kind and benevolent Luna to this brutal elf is an insult to Luna!"
"You brats!"
Lunia's eyes burned with fury as she wrapped her arms around Aru and Drianna's necks, squeezing. Of course, the two of them far outmatched Lunia in physical strength, so they continued talking without issue.
"She really is a brute—ugh!"
Carl, who had been snickering, was promptly kicked in the stomach and collapsed.
"Honestly, comparing Lunia to Luna is a bit…"
"Eiran! Not you too!" Lunia's glare grew even sharper.
Aaron chuckled as he watched. "Yeah, seeing that confirms it. Even your personality is the same."
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
"What do you mean?"
Everyone stared at Aaron, dumbfounded.
"What kind of person do you all think Luna was?"
"She was kind, broad-minded… like a gentle goddess," Eiran replied, looking shocked.
Aaron tilted his head. "Luna wasn't kind, nor was she particularly broad-minded. And gentle? A goddess?"
At the completely unfitting description, Aaron's expression twisted oddly. By the end, he even frowned a little.
"T-That's impossible! That can't be true!" Lunia clutched her head, refusing to accept reality.
"Hey, Leo. You've seen Luna in the Hero World with Lunia, right? What was she like?" Carl asked.
After a brief pause, Leo replied, "A reckless thug?"
"How dare you slander Luna!"
"But you saw her too, didn't you?"
"That was when she was still young and innocent! There's no way Luna had a personality like mine! No way!" Lunia screamed in denial, refusing to accept reality.
Leo looked at her with pity.
"So she does know her own personality is terrible."
"Yeah, she really is Seiren's representative. At least she's self-aware."
Carl nodded in admiration, and Chelsea followed suit.
"You little—!" Lunia, her eyes ablaze, lunged.
Chelsea, however, swiftly grabbed Carl and used him as a shield.
"Hey! What are you doing, Chelsea?!"
"Friend shield."
"Hey! Hey—?! Gahhh!"
Carl's scream echoed through the air.
Leo, watching this, felt utterly refreshed by the Great Hero's divine testimony.
Yes! It won't be long before Luna's true nature is completely exposed.
"Wooah! I can't believe I've been receiving instruction from the Brave Hero!"
Chelsea still looked thrilled, as if her heart was still racing.
Aru puffed herself up with pride. "Hmph! To think a mage would be so genuinely happy about learning from Aaron. At least you're reasonable, Chelsea. Who's your favorite Great Hero?"
Chelsea answered without hesitation, "The Hero of the Beginning, Kyle. I need to ask Aaron about him next time!"
Hearing her answer, Aru pouted.
"But still, it's shocking that Luna had that kind of personality," Chelsea added.
"Yeah. If it came straight from a Great Hero, that means she was just as temperamental as Lunia, right?"
Carl stroked his chin, keeping an eye on Lunia in case she lunged at him—but she was still too stunned to react.
Back in Dweno's world, they had refrained from asking too much about the Great Heroes out of concern for influencing the conquest.
So she was able to maintain her illusion up until today, only for it to be shattered now.
Leo clicked his tongue.
Drianna turned to Eiran. "By the way, Eiran, you don't seem particularly shocked."
"Huh? About what?"
"That Luna's personality is similar to Lunia's."
"Well, Lunia may have a rough side, but she's still a very righteous elf." Eiran smiled brightly. "Besides, Aaron told us, didn't he? That Luna was incredibly curious and always serious about magic. I can imagine what kind of person she was. She must have been confident in everything she did, always carrying herself with pride… She must have been an amazing person."
Lunia's ears twitched at Eiran's words.
"Yeah, if she had a personality like mine, she must have beaten up all the bad guys. That makes sense."
Starting to think positively, Lunia's mood lifted.
Seeing this, Leo recalled how Luna used to get absurdly cocky when praised, only to spiral into despair whenever something didn't go her way.
Reminded of the past, Leo spoke. "Go ahead without me. I'll catch up soon."
Eiran approached as he stepped into the thicket. "Should I come with you?"
"I'd be a little troubled if you did."
"Huh? What do you… Ah! S-Sorry!"
Eiran, looking puzzled, suddenly turned bright red and frantically backed away. Left alone to wrestle with her thoughts, she let out a soft whimper and covered her face.
Inside the thicket, a dragon who looked exactly like Leo—En—lowered her head. "Welcome, Leo."
"I'll leave it to you."
"Understood."
En, playing Leo's double, stepped out of the thicket.
"Huh? That was fast."
"I just saw something wrong for a moment."
When Carl asked curiously, En, still in Leo's form, simply shrugged.
Leaving En to handle his role, Leo immediately returned to Aaron.
Aaron was already staring at the night sky, now full of stars after the sun had set.
[He really does love the night sky.] Kiran, who had revealed himself, crossed his arms and murmured.
"Seems like it. Guess he never gets tired of it." Fiora, now in human form, chewed on a candy with curiosity.
[You're going to get fat again if you keep that up.] Kiran teased, but Fiora didn't care.
[You just wouldn't understand.] Elsie said. [For someone born in the Age of Calamity, the beauty of this night sky is… beyond imagination.]
She smiled softly.
As Leo approached Aaron, he asked, "Did you have a nightmare? Why did you suddenly transform earlier?"
"I don't know. I think I smelled something strange. Did anything happen while I was asleep?"
"There was an earthquake."
"Was that the cause?" Aaron tilted his head. "Also, that girl, Chelsea. She reminds me of the kids from the orphanage."
"Chelsea still has a bit of innocence left in her."
Despite being only a year younger than the others, she was noticeably more carefree. At the same time, she was surprisingly sharp.
"So? Did it make you feel glad you saved the world?"
"Yeah. I really felt that my wish had come true." Aaron smiled brightly.
Chelsea didn't realize it, but the gratitude she had expressed had been a salvation to him.
"That's why I want to find it now."
Having come to the future and seen what he wished for, Aaron found himself seeking another goal.
"Kyle, that thing you told me about—finding something I want to do for myself."
"Yeah."
"How much time do I have left?"
"……"
At Aaron's question, Leo fell silent.
When Luna left the Hero World for the present, she couldn't stay for long.
Unlike Luna, however, Aaron had remained in this era for quite some time.
The reason was simple.
Luna used an immense amount of mana to defeat Zodiac and Sillatna.
As a result, the divine power that made up her body had been consumed at an alarming rate.
Unlike Luna, Aaron had barely used any aura. That was why his divine power was depleting so slowly.
But if he ever joined a battle… Aaron would disappear too.
"Enjoy this peace while you can."
"I will." Aaron nodded with a smile. "Oh! There's something I want to do."
Aaron stood up with a bright grin. "Sylord is still alive, right? I want to meet him!"
"That's a great idea. Sylord will definitely be happy too."
Opening a Warp to Fairyland through Melina wasn't difficult.
[Welcome, Leo Plov. His Majesty has been expecting your arrival.]
Fairyland was a place where outsiders were rarely permitted, but Leo and Aaron received a warm welcome.
Guided by the fairies, Leo headed to the Fairy King's dwelling.
Fiora remarked, [Kiran must be disappointed he couldn't come. It's his homeland, after all.]
Perched on Leo's shoulder, Elsie murmured. [What can you do? He's an exile.]
Kiran, unable to return to his homeland, was sulking.
[It's his own fault.]
[Wow! Fiora! You're using difficult words now!]
[Ehem!] Puffing up her chest, Fiora stood proudly with her hands on her hips.
Inside the Fairy King's dwelling, only Sylord was present.
[It really is you, Aaron.]
"You've been well? You're still a crybaby."
[And you're still a coward.]
Sylord, who had flown up to Aaron, wiped his tears.
Aaron, watching him with a soft smile, suddenly frowned.
"What's wrong?" Leo asked, noticing Aaron's odd expression.
"No, it's just… Sylord smells strange." Aaron wrinkled his nose slightly.
Sylord exclaimed, [Ah. That must be because of this.]
"This?"
[Yes.] Sylord gave a heavy nod. [It's a fragment of Erebos.]