LHAHS Chapter 455
The hero candidates erupted into cheers at the legendary feat that had unfolded before their eyes. The great threat that had sought to bring about the world's destruction had disappeared right in front of them.
They had just witnessed history being written—a moment worthy of legend.
As he listened to the cheers, Aaron smiled.
"As expected of Aaron!"
Aru came running, shouting with excitement. Seeing Aru's beaming face, filled with pure joy, Aaron reached out his hand. "Thank you."
"Huh?"
"I was able to wake up because I heard your voice."
At those words, Aru flushed red, unsure of what to do with herself.
"Aaron, what you said earlier…" Chelsea hesitated.
Aaron turned and gave her a wink. Chelsea silently nodded in understanding.
"Aru, Chelsea. Let's go and tend to the wounded."
"Yes!"
With enthusiastic replies, Aru and Chelsea hurried back to the fortress.
It had been a grueling battle that lasted through the night. While Aaron had fought desperately against Erebos, the hero candidates had also held their ground, resisting an onslaught of monsters that rivaled an entire army. Naturally, there were many wounded.
The hero candidates, who had been cheering in celebration, quickly regained their composure and began treating the injured.
Following behind Aru as she ran toward the fortress, Chelsea glanced back. She saw Aaron walking behind them, and beside him, Leo walked in stride.
Aaron raised his right fist toward Leo, who smirked before bumping it lightly with his left. They looked like old comrades—brothers-in-arms who had fought together for a long time.
So it's true… Leo really is the Hero of the Beginning.
Watching them, Chelsea finally grasped the weight of Aaron's words.
Step, step…
"Kyle, I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I didn't live up to your trust."
As he watched the sun rise, slowly pushing back the darkness, Aaron spoke. "I acted brave during the final battle, but the truth is, I was trembling inside. I saw the future."
"The future?"
"Yeah. I knew we were going to lose that battle. I was about to say we should run away. But then I saw a future where, if we fled, you and Luna would die."
"…So you sacrificed yourself for us?"
"Yeah. And then, I gave up."
"You never gave up."
"……"
"You weren't a burden. Not even once did we stop believing in you."
At Leo's words, Aaron chuckled. "I understand now. Don't worry too much."
"Do I look like I'm worried? I'm scolding you for realizing it so late, you idiot."
Leo scrunched his face in irritation, and Aaron scratched his head awkwardly.
"If Luna were here, would she have hit me?"
"Would it have stopped at one hit?"
"Not a chance."
Aaron shook his head and laughed. Then, he looked down at the sword in his hand. Brave had returned to its original, broken state.
"Earlier, Dweno's flame ignited."
"I know."
Leo recalled the moment Dweno's flame had reacted to Aaron's aura.
"It was Dweno's will responding to help you."
Leo hadn't done anything. Yet, Dweno's flame had ignited naturally.
Perhaps, when Aaron found his courage and pressed forward, Brave had tried to support its master. Even though it was a broken sword, it had borrowed its creator's power to temporarily restore itself, fulfilling its duty one last time.
"That's just the kind of artifact Dweno's creations are."
"Yeah."
Weapons that responded to the will of the Brave Hero. That was why Dweno was called the Divine Blacksmith. And that was why Leo and Aaron had trusted his weapons until the very end.
Step, step…
The two of them had unknowingly drawn close to the fortress.
Leo suddenly stopped walking and looked at Aaron. "By the way, how did you come back?"
Leo had nearly exhausted the divine power he used to pull Aaron out of the Hero World. But it hadn't been completely depleted, so he had believed Aaron would return. Still, he was curious about how.
At Leo's question, Aaron smiled. "I read the future."
"The future?"
"Yeah. I saw it so clearly that, for a brief moment, I reached the realm of the divine. And in return, I think I gained some divine power."
Hearing that, Leo clicked his tongue in disbelief.
He had always known Aaron was incredible. In the long history of heroes, there was probably no one with as mythical a level of combat prowess as him. But even so, he had never imagined Aaron would go even further—touching upon the divine realm of foresight.
"That's insane. So, what did you see in the future?"
"The future I saw didn't really matter."
"What?"
"The future changes depending on what I do."
Aaron looked at Leo and spoke with conviction. "So, Kyle, all you have to do is keep moving forward."
"That's the hardest thing to do."
At Leo's response, Aaron gave him a wry smile.
Before they knew it, they had reached the fortress gates.
Leo came to a stop. "Aaron, while hunting down the remnants of Erebos this time…"
"Kyle, give me a piece of my Hero Record for a moment."
Aaron interrupted him.
Leo, puzzled, handed over the fragment of the Hero Record. Taking a deep breath, Aaron stared down at the fragment in his hand. Then, he stepped toward the fortress.
"It's Aaron!"
"Aaron!"
"The Brave Hero!"
Hero candidates cheered as Aaron entered. Leo followed closely behind.
As Aaron walked inside, the hero candidates gathered around him. Among them, many students from Azonia were openly shedding tears.
"Everyone."
Aaron spoke. "Thank you for holding on, for fighting bravely even in the face of despair."
"If not for you, it wouldn't have been possible, Aaron!"
"We were able to fight because you gave us courage!"
Hearing their words, Aaron shook his head. "Courage isn't something you receive from someone else. It's something you already have inside you."
He tapped his chest lightly, smiling. "Even if I hadn't been here, you all would have fought against Erebos without giving in."
The students looked at him in awe.
"So, really, thank you."
"Huh?"
"What do you mean…?"
"For giving me peace of mind." Aaron smiled gently. "Just like the heroes who stood with us 5,000 years ago, just like the Heroes of Dawn and the heroes who protected their era 3,000 years ago… now, I know that you are here."
"Aaron…"
"Now, it's your turn."
At the Great Hero's words, the hero candidates held their breath. Everyone instinctively understood…
The miraculous moment was coming to an end.
"Will we be able to do it?"
Vanir, the former student council president of Azonia, spoke up. "Can we really… accomplish what the heroes of the Age of Calamity and the heroes who faced the Return of Disaster did?"
The hero candidates who had encountered overwhelming calamity today still could not shake off the lingering despair. And now, even Aaron, who had defeated a fragment of Erebos, was about to disappear.
It wasn't just Vanir. Most of the hero candidates here probably felt the same way.
Aaron hesitated at Vanir's question, then turned to look at Leo. Meeting Leo's gaze, Aaron spoke. "It's going to be really difficult. There will be people you can't protect. There will be moments when endless trials make you want to give up."
Aaron smiled at Leo, then turned his gaze back to the hero candidates. "But even so, you'll make it. Because you are courageous people."
With those very words that Leo had once spoken to his younger self, Aaron declared firmly…
"I guarantee it."
At those words, everyone clenched their fists.
Fwoosh—!
As soon as he finished speaking, golden light poured from Aaron's body.
"Ugh?"
"Aaron?!"
The radiance was so brilliant that everyone instinctively shut their eyes.
"Ugh…!"
Even Aru had to shield her eyes.
"Aru."
"Aaron?!"
Aru's eyes flew open. Aaron, gently ruffling her hair, handed her the broken Brave. "This sword always gave me courage. Even though it's broken… I want you to have it."
"Are you… leaving?"
"Yeah."
Aaron wiped away the tears welling up in Aru's eyes and murmured, "So this is how my friends must have felt."
"Huh?"
"They trusted me, but at the same time, they must have been worried. They must have felt conflicted."
"What do you mean…?"
"I'm just saying you feel like a little sister to me."
Aaron grinned, then took a step back. "I'll be waiting." He spoke to Aru. "For the day we stand on the same battlefield."
No more words were needed.
"Yes!"
That feisty cat would surely charge forward without hesitation.
Aaron's final destination was where Leo and Melina stood. Despite the intense light emanating from him, neither of them was affected in the slightest.
Leo, watching Aaron approach, spoke. "Aaron. You can stay in this time."
Leo's face was filled with concern—the same expression Aaron had worn earlier when looking at Aru.
"You gained divine power while hunting down Erebos's fragment. You can stay here and find something you want to do…"
"I already found it, Kyle."
Aaron shook his head. "If I remain in this world, it'll just waste that power."
At Aaron's firm words, Leo clenched his fists.
"And besides, you know as well as I do that my Hero Record fragment is already at its limit."
Aaron looked at the fragment Leo had given him earlier. It was nearly burned away, on the verge of vanishing at any moment. If Aaron disappeared, the fragment would likely be consumed as well.
"Keeping me here in this state would require too much divine power. Save that power for the day you completely eradicate Erebos."
"……"
"Kyle, you know as well as I do—there are things neither of us can do alone. Someday, when the power of Lysinas, Luna, and Dweno is needed, that power will pave the way. So don't waste it recklessly."
"But…"
"Don't worry about me."
Aaron grinned—a smile that, in an uncanny way, resembled Leo's own.
"I can't be the little brother who only causes trouble forever, can I?"
At those words, Leo let out a bitter smile.
"We'll meet again."
"Yeah."
Leo nodded.
Aaron turned to Melina. "Melina, help Leo as much as you can."
"Yes, Aaron. I will do my utmost to support Leo."
"Good."
Aaron patted Melina's head, then climbed onto the fortress wall.
Fwoosh—!
And at last, the golden light disappeared.
Everyone looked around, searching for Aaron.
"Ah! Over there!"
Then, they spotted him—standing atop the fortress wall, his back turned. As all eyes turned toward him, Aaron raised his right hand and gave a thumbs-up.
Then, he turned around with a confident smile and declared…
"I will return!"
With those final words, Aaron vanished into radiant light.
Everyone stood frozen, staring at the place where he had disappeared.
And then…
"Wooaaaaahhh!"
A thunderous cheer erupted.
Leaning against the fortress wall with his arms crossed, Leo let out an exasperated sigh. "Took him long enough to use what he learned."
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
Closing his eyes, Leo recalled an old memory.
"You want to know how to inspire confidence in others like me?" Luna, arms crossed, lifted her chin with a smug expression.
Watching her, the young Aaron replied, "Luna, you're not always reliable. Most of the time, you're not. Only during battle…"
"What?!" Luna's eyes bulged as Aaron, in a matter-of-fact tone, spoke the truth.
Shrinking back under her glare, Aaron quickly corrected himself. "…You're always reliable."
"That's right, that's right!" Luna grinned triumphantly. "Luna's Guide to Inspiring Confidence! Lesson one! Always maintain a confident expression!"
"A confident expression?"
"For example, Kyle has that obnoxious, cocky smirk of his."
"Kyle has an obnoxious, cocky smirk?"
"You know the one! This look." Luna grinned smugly.
"Ah! I know what you mean!"
"Right? So irritating, isn't it?"
"Who's irritating and cocky?"
"You."
At Luna's remark, Kyle reached out to flick her forehead. But Luna wasn't one to be taken down so easily. Dodging nimbly, she stuck her tongue out at him.
Frowning, Kyle asked, "What are you two doing?"
"Luna's teaching me how to inspire confidence in others."
"From her? Why not learn from Dweno instead?"
"Are you saying I'm worse than that pervert?"
Luna bristled and lunged at Kyle, but Kyle simply pushed her face away with his palm.
"So, assuming I learn how to smile like that, what's next?"
"Once you master the confident expression, the next step is all about flair. Sweep people up with an impressive performance, strike a cool pose, and deliver a dramatic line. Watch and learn." Luna brushed her hair back with a sharp gaze and spoke in a low, chilling voice, "Prepare yourself. I have arrived."
Then, she cast a piercing look at Kyle.
Kyle turned to Aaron and muttered, "You know what we call that?"
"What?"
"Over-the-top dramatics."
"You little—!" Luna's eyes flared as she swung her staff at Kyle.
Kyle immediately took off running.
"Get back here!" Luna shouted, waving her staff furiously as she chased him.
Watching them, Aaron took out a mirror, testing out a dignified expression and striking a few heroic poses. To his young eyes, Kyle and Luna both looked undeniably cool.
"What are you doing, Aaron?" Lysinas approached and asked.
Aaron beamed. "I'm imitating Kyle and Luna. I want to be someone who gives others confidence, just like them."
"You're already someone people can rely on, Aaron," Lysinas smiled warmly.
"But…"
Just as Aaron was about to say more, Dweno spoke up. "Let me give you a piece of advice, Aaron."
"Yeah?"
Dweno gestured with his chin. Luna had Kyle in a headlock, while Kyle was tugging on Luna's ears.
"If you follow those two, you'll just end up as another fool."
"Who are you calling a fool, pervert?"
"Who are you calling a fool, old pervert!"
Kyle and Luna charged at Dweno, smacking him over the head.
"Fools with sharp hearing," Dweno muttered.
As the three bickered, Lysinas sighed and turned to Aaron. "Aaron."
"Yeah?"
"Whatever you do… don't end up like them. Understand?"
Seeing the strangely sorrowful expression on Lysinas's face, Aaron nodded firmly.