LHAHS Chapter 457
Leo froze at Chelsea's words. Holding the bottle in one hand, he lifted his head slightly and looked at Chelsea.
Their gazes met.
Chelsea stared into Leo's red eyes with a tense expression.
After a brief silence, Leo reached for a new glass on the table and poured a drink. Then, he handed it to Chelsea, who was looking at him in confusion.
"Do you want some?"
"Uh, huh?!" Chelsea looked slightly flustered. After hesitating for a moment, she accepted the glass with both hands and brought it to her lips.
"Ugh! Bitter!"
As Chelsea frowned at the taste, Leo rested his chin on his hand, chuckling as he downed his own drink.
"Aaron, that busybody," he muttered.
At Leo's words, Chelsea's mouth fell open in shock.
She had wondered about the relationship between Leo and Aaron. And when she later heard what Aaron had said, she had been even more surprised. But hearing it directly from Leo made the impact completely different.
"Oh my god. What do I do? Does that mean I've been… no, that I've been rude to Sir Kyle all this time? What do I do! What do I do!" Chelsea covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes widening.
Seeing her panic, Leo said, "You don't need to make such a big deal out of it."
"B-but! No, wait. I mean, but still!" Chelsea, who had been speaking casually, hurriedly switched to a more respectful tone, sneaking glances at Leo's reaction. "To think I've been speaking so freely to a Great Hero… isn't that a huge discourtesy…?"
Leo smiled softly. "Nothing changes. Just talk to me however you feel comfortable."
At that, Chelsea gripped the glass in her hands tightly.
Aaron must have had a reason for telling her Leo's secret.
Sir Aaron wanted someone close to Leo to know the truth. He wanted him to have a place where he could rest, even if just a little.
Chelsea couldn't even begin to imagine the path Leo had walked.
Ever since she was young, hearing stories of heroes had always made her heart race. Her favorite, of course, had been the stories of the Great Heroes.
But to Chelsea, the tales of the Great Heroes had always seemed like something from a fairy tale or a distant piece of history.
It wasn't just Chelsea—anyone would have felt the same.
However, after experiencing a fragment of Erebos firsthand, she had come to understand, even if only slightly, what the true terror and despair of Erebos were.
If it weren't for Sir Aaron and Leo, we would all be dead.
And she had realized just how incredible the Great Heroes were, to have fought against the complete Erebos for so long and finally brought peace to the world.
Leo… is going through that ordeal all over again. Alone.
She wanted to help carry even a fraction of that burden.
But right now, I can't possibly do that.
Chelsea was still far too inexperienced. She knew that better than anyone.
Then at the very least, I have to be a place where Leo can rest.
That was likely why Aaron had told her the truth.
Leo was right. Nothing had changed. If her attitude changed, Leo would definitely find it awkward.
Taking a deep breath, Chelsea downed the rest of her drink in one go.
"…Hrk? Cough! Cough! Gah!"
The burning sensation in her throat made Chelsea cough violently.
"Water! Water!"
Panicking, she flailed for water, and Leo poured her a glass.
"Whoo!" Chelsea let out a deep breath. "Why do adults even drink this stuff? It doesn't even taste good!"
Back to her usual self, Chelsea grimaced.
"Right? I wonder that myself."
"Somehow, Leo has always seemed too grown-up."
Now, she understood why Leo seemed so mature. At the same time, she could finally comprehend how overwhelming Leo's strength was.
"At the beginning of school, you showed a lot of interest in the Hero of the Beginning, right? Why was that?"
"Oh, that."
Back when he first enrolled, Leo had tried to start a club to reexamine the Hero of the Beginning. Remembering that time, Leo responded indifferently, "Because it's unfair."
"Unfair?"
"Yeah. The con artist lizard, the ill-tempered elf, the cowardly beastman, and that perverted dwarf are all praised as Great Heroes, but I'm the only one treated as a fictional character."
Chelsea's jaw dropped as she realized who Leo was referring to.
Words that no one would normally even dare to imagine.
"Pfft." Chelsea, who had been gaping in shock, suddenly burst into laughter. "Hearing you say that really makes it hit home that you're the Hero of the Beginning."
Only someone who knew them personally could say such things.
"Leo! Can't you tell me more about the Great Heroes?"
"I'll tell you next time."
"Huh? Why? We still have plenty of time."
"We have a guest. If I ignore them any longer, they're going to start getting strange ideas."
"Strange ideas?"
As Chelsea tilted her head in confusion, Leo stood up and walked over to the door.
BAM! THUD!
"Eeek?"
The moment he opened the door, Eiran, who had been pressing her ear against it, toppled forward onto the floor.
"E-Eiran?" Chelsea was flustered.
Had she been eavesdropping? That thought crossed her mind, but seeing Leo's unbothered expression, she relaxed.
He used magic.
With Leo's skill, he could have easily blocked any sound from leaking outside.
Just as Chelsea was nodding to herself, Eiran scrambled to her feet, her voice trembling with a mix of shock and excitement.
"Leo… are you really the Hero of the Beginning, Sir Kyle?!"
"What?"
"Huh?!"
Leo and Chelsea both stared in surprise at the unexpected situation.
Eiran's ears twitched furiously.
Eiran, walking alone down the hallway, soon arrived near Leo's room.
Late at night… alone… in Leo's room.
She recalled a novel she had read before.
A maid secretly visiting the young master's room in the middle of the night…
Her face turned red, and she quickly shook her head.
Leo is a gentleman, so there's no way that would happen.
As she approached Leo's room, her ears twitched.
She could hear voices coming from inside.
Huh? A woman's voice?
Eiran's hand trembled slightly. Swallowing dryly, she held her breath and crept closer, pressing her ear against the door.
This voice… Chelsea? N-no way! A secret rendezvous at night?!
Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly.
I-I mean, Leo and Chelsea are in the same school, the same year… and Chelsea is pretty, so it wouldn't be strange if they were dating. B-but I thought human nobles didn't fall in love so easily? And besides, Leo's maternal family and Chelsea's family are bitter enemies… Ah! A love that defies their families' opposition?!
Her head spun. She pressed her ear even closer to hear the conversation better.
But strangely, the sounds were muffled, as if something was blocking them.
Why can't I hear anything?
Even with her elven hearing, she couldn't make out the words clearly, which frustrated her.
After a moment, she closed her eyes and focused all her senses on her hearing. Still, the voices remained blurred, as if something was muffling them.
Eiran concentrated even more, gathering her mana. Moments later, the muddled voices slowly became clearer. It felt as if the barrier blocking her hearing was melting away.
What is this?
Eiran was surprised by the unfamiliar sensation. It felt as if her hearing had surpassed its normal limits.
…Hyper Perception?
The moment she realized that what she was experiencing was the Hyper Perception technique Aaron had taught her…
"Hearing you say that really makes it hit home that you're the Hero of the Beginning."
Chelsea's voice snapped Eiran back to her senses.
"What?!"
BANG!
The door suddenly opened, and Eiran tumbled into the room.
Before she could even react to the fact that she had been caught eavesdropping, she blurted out in a panic, "Leo, are you really the Hero of the Beginning, Sir Kyle?!"
And that brought her to the present moment.
Leo, watching Eiran sit before him with sparkling eyes, muttered, "Hyper Perception, huh."
"Hyper Perception?" Chelsea tilted her head in confusion.
"I used magic to block any sound from leaving the room, but Eiran still managed to hear our conversation. That means there's only one explanation."
The only possible reason was that Eiran had stepped into the realm of Hyper Perception.
"Ah, so it really was Hyper Perception." Eiran's eyes widened in puzzlement. "But why was I the only one who succeeded in activating Hyper Perception? Aru, the other Azonia students, and even the students of Lumene haven't managed to use it yet."
Leo replied, "It's probably Velkia's influence."
"The influence of my ancestor?"
"Yeah. Velkia constantly trained to reach the realm of Hyper Perception."
However, at the time, aura theory wasn't advanced enough to fully develop Hyper Perception, which was Aaron's unique technique. But Velkia's research had been passed down through the Ersar family's aura, continuing to evolve over the generations.
The independently developed Ersar family aura, combined with Aaron's guidance, must have allowed Eiran to complete Hyper Perception.
It seemed that, due to her elven nature, her sense of hearing had awakened first.
Hearing Leo's explanation, Chelsea and Eiran both nodded.
"I see! So Leo was amazing because you were actually the Hero of the Beginning, Sir Kyle!" Eiran smiled brightly.
Chelsea reminded, "Eiran, this needs to stay a secret for now…"
"I know, Chelsea." Eiran winked. "If Leo's identity were revealed, it would cause a lot of chaos. Let's keep this secret between the two of us for now."
Chelsea nodded in agreement.
Eiran looked at Leo. Right in front of her sat the Great Hero who had saved the world—someone she had admired since childhood.
For Eiran, who had always looked up to Leo and wanted to witness his feats, this was thrilling beyond words.
"I want to help Leo in any way I can. I want to lighten your burden."
"Then, shouldn't you grow a bit more first?" Leo smiled gently.
"Yes. I may not be capable of sharing your burden yet. But just as Sir Aaron said, I can at least create a space where Leo can rest, even if only for a moment." Eiran clenched her fist firmly. "So please, Leo. When things get tough, rely on me!"
"That's a kind offer."
"I'm not just saying it! No matter when or where, I'll dedicate my body and heart to comforting you!"
Her flushed face and determined voice carried a strong sense of resolve. She truly wished to support the Hero of the Beginning, who was once again setting out to save the world.
But Chelsea, listening from the side, felt an odd sense of secondhand embarrassment.
"Eiran, depending on how you say it, that could be… misunderstood…"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
As Eiran stared blankly, her expression gradually stiffened—then, all at once, her face turned bright red.
"That's not what I meant at all!"
She nearly shrieked, flailing in panic.
"I-I mean! I mean! If you ever need anything, just call me anytime—no, no, no! That sounds weird too! Use me? N-no, that's not right either!"
"Haven't you been reading too many strange novels?"
"I have not!"
On the verge of tears, Eiran shook her head furiously, then crouched down and covered her face with both hands. Chelsea patted her back to comfort her.
Watching the scene, Leo couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
Their personalities are different, but why do they have the same taste in books?
Feeling unexpectedly amused, Leo propped his chin on his hand and gazed out the window. He didn't show it, but his heart felt a little lighter.
Not bad.
A faint smile crept onto his lips.