LHAHS Chapter 479
Leo returned to the Grave of the Vanquished at dusk. In the vast training grounds, the orphaned soldiers were gathered in small groups, eating their meals.
After confirming that none of them were missing, Leo approached Lily, who was eating with Crown Prince Jeremy by the bonfire.
"Oh, this is quite delicious. There must be a special recipe behind it, right?"
"It's just a standard military cooking method. I'm surprised it suits your taste, Prince Jeremy."
"A great king must start with the basics. Hahaha."
"You will surely become a great king, Jeremy."
Jeremy, who had been gazing absentmindedly at Lily's gentle smile, suddenly cleared his throat. "Ahem. But to do that, I must first stabilize the kingdom and find an excellent partner to help build a prosperous nation."
"You will surely meet someone good. Ah! Mas…" Lily, who had been smiling as she spoke, spotted Leo. She was about to call out to him cheerfully, but then hesitated. After a brief pause, she finally smiled brightly and shouted, "Hyung-nim!"
Leo froze in his tracks.
Not only him—Jeremy, who had slumped his shoulders in disappointment at her lack of attention, as well as the knights accompanying him, and even the orphaned soldiers, all stopped eating and turned to look at Lily.
"Hyung-nim, where did you go?"
Thanks to Lily calling Leo that title again, all eyes naturally shifted toward him.
Oh my god, so she's really decided to call me that in front of everyone?
It was certainly strange for her to call Leo, who was her junior, "Master" in front of others. But at the same time, she had agonized over not wanting to address her teacher too casually.
In the end, she had chosen "Hyung-nim".
[She really is something else.]
[Pii.]
[Calling a younger man 'oppa' feels like surrendering in a way, but 'hyung' isn't all that exciting as a title.]
Kiran, Fiora, and Arty reacted indifferently.
[Why? I think it's kind of cute.] Elsie remarked cheerfully.
Laruel gave her an amused look. [You have a rather peculiar sense of taste, Elsie.]
"Lily, you call Sir Leo by quite… an unusual title, don't you?" Jeremy asked with an awkward expression.
Lily nodded seriously. "Yes. As you know, Your Highness, even though he is a year my junior, he is someone worthy of my respect, both in skill and accomplishments. He's the student council president of Lumene and is recorded in the Hero Record!"
Jeremy asked hesitantly, "Indeed, Sir Leo is one of the most remarkable figures in history… but what's wrong with a normal honorific like 'oppa' or 'orabeoni'…?"
Lily's expression turned firm. "There is already someone among my juniors who calls him oppa (Chelsea), and that child is very cute. But since I'm older and not cute, if I were to call him that, people would give me very strange looks."
"They're already looking at you strangely."
Clicking his tongue, Leo sat down next to Lily. He then turned to the orphaned soldiers, who had resumed their meals.
"Looks like you've completely tamed the kids."
"We're not kids! You're not that much older than us!" A girl sitting nearby, hurriedly chewing on her bread, snapped back at Leo.
At that, Lily warned, "Lu. You must not speak so rudely to Hyung-nim."
"Ugh! A-Alright, Captain."
Lily widened her eyes and barked, "Respond briefly and loudly!"
Lu flinched and immediately stood at attention, answering crisply, "Yes, Ma'am!"
Lily nodded in satisfaction. "Hmm, excellent. Now, continue your meal."
"…This is basically a military camp," Leo muttered.
"Establishing a hierarchy was my first priority."
"You did well."
"No. While I succeeded in making them submit, I have not yet changed their way of thinking."
Lily's eyes darkened. Judging by the atmosphere, the orphaned soldiers certainly seemed to follow her. However, she had not changed their core beliefs. They followed her because they acknowledged her strength, and they yearned to grow stronger through her… for one reason alone.
To kill enemies on the battlefield.
The orphaned soldiers were created under the Archduke of Mourning, Artkan's plan. In some ways, they are no different from those who lived through the Age of Calamity five thousand years ago.
Back then, countless individuals, including Leo's own disciples, had suffered through similar tragedies. Even Bihar had been unable to overcome the deep darkness in her heart.
Perhaps they will carry this burden for the rest of their lives.
"Hyung-nim."
"What?"
"May I continue looking after them for a little longer?"
"The contract condition is to change their hearts anyway." Leo glanced briefly at Jeremy. "If you want to look after them, go ahead."
"Yes!"
"And while we're at it, how about training together?"
Lily's eyes sparkled. "Training? I'd love to!"
My first training session with Master!
In the dead of night, Lily stood in the center of the training grounds. Beside Leo, who stood before her, was a silver-haired woman with a tiny fairy and a small chick perched on her shoulders.
Master's spirit beasts.
It was well known that Leo was a contractor of all three Great Summons: the Phoenix, Fairy, and Pegasus.
"Will today's training be with your spirit beasts, Master?"
[Hm? No, we're just here to watch.]
"Pii. Pii."
"Do your best, Lily!"
Kiran, Fiora, and Arty each responded in turn.
After answering, Arty pulled a snack out of her pocket, and Kiran and Fiora immediately pounced on her.
Caught in their chaotic energy, Lily was bewildered. The Three Great Summons were supposed to be awe-inspiring beings, but these three gave off no sense of dignity whatsoever.
[Hey! That's mine!]
"Pii! Pii! Pii!"
On top of Arty's head, Kiran and Fiora were tugging at a piece of snack, each trying to claim it.
At that moment, Laruel appeared, having shrunk her body to palm size. She swung her hand and smacked both Kiran and Fiora on the backs of their heads.
[Kek!]
"Piiuk?"
Laruel scolded coldly, [Maintain the dignity of the Three Great Summons. Don't go shattering the dreams of hopeful summoners.]
[Oh, please. You're the biggest dream-killer of all, you old hag!]
"Piiak! Piiak! Piiak!"
[Are you asking to die?] Expressionless, Laruel conjured a whip of light and mercilessly lashed it at Kiran and Fiora.
Arty's mouth fell open at the scene before her. Then, her eyes sparkled as she shouted, "K-Kiran! Call me 'old lady' too! Laruel! Whip me with that whip!"
"…Is this a dream?" Lily muttered blankly as she watched the absurd situation unfolding before her.
Sssmirk—!
Shadows rose from the ground and seized Fiora and Kiran. Laruel, who had been shrouded in darkness, let out a "Guh!" before becoming unexpectedly docile.
"Elsie! Bind me too!" Arty shrieked.
[Alright, alright.]
"Kyaa~" Arty giggled as she sank into the shadowy swamp.
Once the situation settled, Elsie turned to Leo with a smile.
Leo then stepped in front of Lily. "Shocking, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"We'll be seeing each other often, so I figured I'd show you their true natures first to prevent any unnecessary illusions," Leo said flatly. "The earlier you wake up from a dream, the better."
"Hahaha." Lily laughed awkwardly and scratched her cheek.
Watching her, Leo lifted both Elsie and Laruel into his palms. "Say hello. This is the Elemental Lord of Darkness, Elsie. And this is the Elemental Lord of Light, Laruel."
"Huh? The Elemental Lord of Light, Laruel?!" Lily's face froze in shock.
Since the Dawn Dragon, Rodia, no one had made a contract with the Elemental Lord of Light in the past three thousand years. And yet, here she was, standing right before her.
"As expected of Master!"
For an elemental user, the Elemental Lord of Light was both a legend and a dream. But at the same time, it made perfect sense—it was Leo, after all.
At this point, nothing Master does surprises me anymore.
As Lily looked at Leo with admiration, she suddenly paused. "Wait a moment. The Elemental Lord of Darkness? But isn't the Elemental Lord of Darkness supposed to be the Abyssal Elemental Lord, Ignit?"
Recalling the Elemental Lord of Darkness she had encountered with Leo last year, Lily was confused.
[Elsie was an esteemed senior who fought alongside the Great Heroes during the Age of Calamity five thousand years ago. Comparing her to that reclusive shut-in is an insult,] Laurel said.
Lily flinched.
[Aren't you also a reclusive shut-in, Laruel?] Elsie tilted her head in curiosity, but Laruel ignored her.
"Elsie was a reward from a Hero World conquest."
"Ooooh! So that's possible too!" Lily clapped in admiration.
Leo then spoke as he watched her. "Lily, what do you think your biggest weakness is?"
"Um… That I'm too average?"
"I'd like to ask what part of you is 'average,' but let's put that aside for now." Leo folded his arms. "Your weakness is that you don't have one. Because of that, however, you also don't have any particularly outstanding strengths."
"Yes, I've thought the same."
"In that sense, you're the same as me."
As an All-Class, Leo was proficient in everything, but unlike his friends, he had never reached the ultimate level in any single field.
"For people like us, the training method is extremely simple. We need to expand our vessel itself."
"Is it possible for an elemental summoner to expand their vessel in a short time?"
"There's one way. It'll be painful, though."
"What is it?"
"By wielding the power of a higher elemental."
"What?" Lily was completely caught off guard by this unfamiliar concept.
Seeing her confusion, Leo continued, "From now on, I'm going to cast Elemental Armor on you."
Elemental Armor was an advanced summoning technique that imbued an elemental into one's body, turning it into an armament.
Lily, too, could use Elemental Armor. However, she had only ever used it to imbue a contract elemental into her own body. She had never heard of someone bestowing their contracted elemental onto another person.
"Is that even possible?" she asked.
"It is, but maintaining the Elemental Armor will be entirely up to your own ability. Furthermore, since you're forcing it, just keeping it active will be excruciatingly painful."
Laruel, who had been resting on Leo's palm, suddenly transformed into a sphere of light.
"If you give up midway, all of this will have been for nothing. Will you still go through with it?"
"…This will make me stronger quickly, right?"
"Yeah."
Lily clenched her fist and spoke firmly. "Then I'll do it."
Leo, smiling slightly at her determination, stepped toward her. "Turn around."
Lily turned her back to Leo.
"Then, let's begin."
Leo placed his hand on Lily's back.
As the immense presence of the Elemental Lord entered her body through Leo's touch, Lily's body trembled.
"Huuh?!" Gritting her teeth, she let out a pained groan.
At that moment, Elemental Armor activated.
"Uuup!"
The Elemental Armor dissipated as Lily clutched her mouth and dashed toward the corner of the training grounds.
"Uweeegh!"
Her head and stomach twisted painfully. The overwhelming power of the Elemental Lord far exceeded her limits, exhausting her in an instant.
"Haa… Haa… Haa…"
Panting heavily, Lily struggled to stand but soon collapsed. Not only her body but her mind had also been pushed to the brink.
"Want to give up?" Leo asked.
Lily looked up and grinned. "No."
She gripped her trembling legs and forced herself up.
"Please, let's try again, Master."
Clank— clank—
A man walked through the battlefield, his hood pulled low over his face.
Kiiiing! Kwaaaang—!
In the distance, a massive explosion rang out. With each step he took, the sound of metal scraping against metal echoed.
Eventually, he arrived at the center of the battlefield. There, an undead hero was locked in battle against a group of heroes.
The heroes of the Justice Guild noticed the hooded knight and shouted, "A new undead!"
"What wretched blasphemy. We will purge those who tarnish the name of heroes!"
As the heroes muttered in resolute voices, the knight drew the greatsword strapped to his back.
Srrng—!
With a chilling sound, a jet-black greatsword appeared, exuding a presence that seemed to devour even souls. The sheer beauty of the blade was like a work of art.
"And I am the one who tarnishes the name of heroes?" Scoffing, the knight adjusted his grip on his sword and muttered, "If not for the power of the Hero Record, you worms wouldn't even be called heroes…"
Whoosh—!
The knight swung his greatsword, and a black streak sliced through the air. The heroes of the Justice Guild, who had been charging toward him, suddenly froze.
"What…?"
"Something is…"
Splurt—!
Their heads flew off in an instant. With a single swing of his blade, the so-called heroes crumbled.
Clank— clank—
The knight approached the undead hero who had been caught in his attack. "…The heroes of this era are pathetic. Not one of them could block a single strike?"
"You are simply too powerful, Nether Knight."
"Archduke of Mourning."
"Did you not once stand alongside the Heroes of Dawn?"
"Once… stood alongside them?" The Nether Knight whispered dangerously.
Sssk—!
A swift slash severed Artkan's head.
"Don't spout nonsense, Archduke of Mourning."
"That was my mistake."
Even as his head rolled across the ground, Artkan remained unaffected. His body reached down and picked up his own head.
Whoooosh—!
A fierce wind blew, and the Nether Knight's hood was blown away. Inside the helmet, there was no head.
Observing this, Artkan asked, "Is that why you cut off the heads of heroes?"
"That's right. The Twilight Knight arrogantly decapitated me." Thamus tapped the empty space where his head should have been. "I heard most of this era's heroes come from those ridiculous academies founded by so-called heroes."
"That is correct."
"Then I shall sever all their heads. Those who follow the one who defied me deserve nothing less than bloody retribution."
"If I find the grave where your lost head and legacy lie, will you add these heroes to your legion?" Artkan asked.
"These weaklings are not worthy of being called heroes." Thamus's eerie voice echoed. "Only those I acknowledge are true heroes."
"Then there is one hero I would like to introduce to you."
Thamus turned his gaze toward Artkan. "I have no interest in the so-called heroes of this pathetic era."
"No, in a way, he is your senior among heroes."
"Oh? Who is it?"
"One of the Great Heroes, the Hero of the Beginning, Kyle."