LHAHS Chapter 489
It must be a coincidence.
Throughout the long history of the world, there had occasionally been anomalies that defied the seasons.
For example, it is said that rain frequently falls near someone with a powerful affinity for water. Or that snowfall ceases in a region when someone with a strong affinity for fire appears.
Though rare, such cases have been recorded in history.
This could be the same, especially now that the Lich King had the power to resurrect past heroes.
Perhaps warriors of that caliber have been revived by him. Or maybe the spirits in that area have migrated. The chances of it being related to Luna are extremely low.
But even so…
I should check it out.
There were no classes right now.
Students weren't allowed to leave school freely, but for Leo, creating a legitimate reason to go out was hardly a challenge.
"What were you talking about with Teacher Mel?" Chen Xia asked curiously as Leo returned to his seat.
Eiran also perked up her ears, looking just as intrigued.
Seeing the two of them, Leo spoke. "You two. Want to go see some flowers?"
At his sudden words, Chen Xia and Eiran's eyes widened.
Crackle—
The firewood crackled as it burned.
"Sir Dweno! Have a drink!"
"Hmm, thank you."
"Sir Aaron, you too!"
"Oh, yes!"
Godthrone was a city filled with festivals.
In an era where the world was inching closer to destruction day by day, news of heroes claiming victories against Erebos and Tartaros was enough to make people ecstatic. It gave them a brief escape from the anxiety of impending doom.
But today's festival wasn't to celebrate a victory.
"Alright, everyone! Attention!" Luna stepped onto a platform and raised her cup. "Tomorrow, we embark on our final journey to slay Erebos!"
The subjugation of Erebos was the wish of all people, yet something no one dared to say aloud.
Luna, who had just mentioned that grand ambition so casually, continued speaking. "Of course, many of you must be feeling uneasy."
At Luna's serious expression, the celebratory atmosphere turned cold.
In that heavy silence, Luna grinned. "But trust us! We will save the world! We'll take back the blue sky from that damnable fireball! We'll reclaim the beautiful stars!"
"Whoooaaa!"
"And I'll go down in history as the greatest mage ever! Everyone, raise your glasses to the one and only Lady Luna, the greatest mage to ever live!"
"Cheers!"
With Luna's shout, the heavy atmosphere completely dissipated.
As the people raised their glasses, Kyle muttered, "Why did you let that idiot give the most important speech?"
"Because Luna is the best at setting the mood."
Lysinas, sitting beside Kyle with a drink in hand, smiled.
"If we let Dweno do it, he'd say something perverted. If Aaron did it, he'd freeze up and say nothing. You'd just end up making the festival feel depressing. And if I did it, it'd just be boring."
"So you're saying we should enjoy ourselves since this might be our last festival?"
"Ugh, stop saying such unlucky things."
"Tch, Kyle! Do you really think this campaign is hopeless?"
Dweno, who had approached at some point, clicked his tongue while Aaron wore a troubled expression.
"What are you all talking about?"
Having finished her speech, Luna returned with a puzzled expression.
"We were just saying this might be our last festival."
Luna looked at Kyle as if he was saying something strange. "Why would it be the last? We just have to blow Erebos away, don't we?"
"That's right. The world will be saved, Kyle." Lysinas responded as if it was obvious.
Hearing their firm replies, Kyle averted his gaze and muttered, "Yeah… I hope so."
Luna grabbed Kyle by the collar and shook him. "Why do you always have to kill the mood, you damn human?"
"Would it kill you to just agree for once?" Lysinas said, glaring coldly.
"Alright, alright. Enough of that. Let's just enjoy the festival. This isn't the first time he's acted like this."
Thud-!
Dweno smacked Kyle on the back of the head with his thick hand.
"You damn dwarf, you might think you're just hitting lightly, but it actually hurts, you know." Kyle growled.
"I wanted it to hurt."
"Oh yeah? Then how about I punch you in the gut as hard as I can?" Dweno responded nonchalantly.
"D-Don't fight." Aaron hastily tried to calm the two down.
After that small commotion, Kyle found himself left alone, quietly sipping his drink.
The mood is nice.
He leaned on his elbow, watching his friends laugh and enjoy the festival.
Yeah, you guys will definitely make it to the future.
All five of them knew this was a battle they couldn't guarantee victory in, but even so, their attitudes were completely different from his.
As Kyle smiled softly to himself, he sensed someone approaching stealthily from behind.
It wasn't hard for Kyle to tell that it was Velkia.
What is she up to this time?
Curious about what she was doing, he observed her closely.
Velkia quietly slipped something into Kyle's drink.
"Master Kyle, let's have a toast with Master Luna."
Then, as if nothing had happened, she sat beside Kyle and casually called out to Luna.
"Master Luna."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Let's have a toast."
"Shall we?" Luna grinned as she raised her glass, clinking it against theirs. Then, she downed her drink in one go and shouted, "Ahhh, that's good~! Hmm? Aren't you going to drink?"
Kyle, pretending not to know anything, grabbed Velkia and forced her to drink the liquor in his glass.
"Mmph!"
"What are you two doing?"
"This little brat put something in my drink."
"What did you put in it, Velkia?"
Velkia quickly shut her eyes and confessed, "S-Sir Dweno's Love Elixir…"
Hearing that, Luna clicked her tongue. "That stuff doesn't work."
"Huh?" Velkia's eyes widened.
"It's just a useless, stupid pervert's potion."
Luna spoke harshly and swiftly walked away.
Velkia pouted at her words. "Do you just want to mess with me until the very end?"
"That's not true!" Luna shouted back.
Velkia pursed her lips.
"Master," Bihar said, approaching Kyle.
Kyle glanced at Velkia and Bihar for a moment before speaking. "You two, sit down in front of me."
At his words, Velkia and Bihar sat down across from him.
Kyle poured them drinks and said, "You've both worked hard learning from me all this time."
"Why are you talking like this is the last time?" Velkia frowned.
"Because it might be."
"Don't say weird things." Velkia pouted.
Bihar bowed her head with a hardened expression. "Thank you for teaching me… all this time."
"Don't say weird things too! Master is going to defeat Erebos and come back! Are you saying Master won't be able to subjugate Erebos?" Velkia grabbed Bihar and shook her fiercely.
"No, I believe in him." Bihar smiled faintly. "I believe that Master will defeat Erebos."
Satisfied with that answer, Velkia let out a huff and nodded.
Watching the two, Kyle asked, "What will you do when the era of peace comes?"
"I'll help you guys rebuild the world." Velkia beamed.
"I want to help those in need and create a world where everyone can be happy." Bihar added.
"Good. Keep at it."
"Of course!"
"Velkia, come here for a moment." Luna called out.
"Yes! Master Luna!"
Hearing Luna's call, Velkia ran over.
Luna handed her a large bouquet of flowers. "This is a gift. My favorite flower."
"Wow, it's so pretty! Thank you, Master Luna!"
Seeing Velkia genuinely delighted with the bouquet, Bihar smiled and said, "Velkia will definitely brighten up the world."
However, in the next moment, the soft smile disappeared from Bihar's face. "Master."
"What?"
"If, even after peace is restored, there are still people who corrupt the world… what should we do?" Bihar's voice was devoid of emotion. "Should I continue doing what I do now?"
Kyle silently looked at Bihar.
By nature, Bihar did not trust others. She had been born into a world of despair, raised without parents, and subjected to a cruel fate dictated by the era.
Erebos, Tartaros… They had stolen happiness from everyone and cast them into misery.
However, it wasn't just calamities that had given Bihar a tragic life as an orphan soldier. It was humans like herself.
Kyle looked at Velkia. Despite being born into a dark world, Velkia shone brightly.
If she was like the sun, then Bihar was the moon in the night sky.
"I… cannot forgive them. The world that you and the other Great Heroes fought for, the world reclaimed at the cost of so many heroes' sacrifices… I will never forgive the parasites that fester in that world." Bihar spoke through gritted teeth, her words laced with twisted bloodlust. "If I see people who do not deserve to live in an era of peace… If there are many of them… What should I do?"
"There will be many." Kyle spoke calmly.
Those born in the age of despair believed that a world without Erebos would be a paradise, but Kyle, who had lived before the era of despair, knew otherwise.
A world without Erebos wasn't necessarily a beautiful one. At times, it was even more vile than the age of despair.
"You'll see plenty of filth."
Hearing Kyle's words, Bihar clenched her teeth.
"But don't let yourself get too caught up in it." Kyle smiled. "Many people, myself included, knew all that and still risked our lives to save the world."
"……"
"When peace comes, you'll meet all sorts of people. I'm sure even Lysinas will regret it. She'll say things like, did we really save the world for trash like that?"
Kyle glanced at Lysinas in the distance and smiled.
"But even then, there will definitely be more good people than bad. The era you will live in will be one where the light shines brighter than the darkness. So…"
Kyle reached out and roughly ruffled Bihar's hair.
"When the world finds peace, don't live your whole life in the shadows."
"…Yes, Master."
Deep in the forests of the eastern continent, there was a sizable village.
"Melanu Village. Its natural scenery makes it a popular destination for tourism and recuperation. The village is famous for its hot springs." Chen Xia explained. "But… this is surprising."
With an awed expression, she looked at the scene before her.
"Look at this! I've never seen a flower like this before—it's beautiful!"
Eiran gazed at the flowers blooming in full across the ground, her face lit up with joy.
"What kind of flowers are these?" Chen Xia tilted her head, puzzled.
Leo replied, "Statice."
"Sir Leo, you recognize them?"
"This flower has vanished in the current era."
More precisely, it had gone extinct during the Age of Calamity.
Luna's favorite flower.
Now, it was a flower that could only bloom through the Magic of Blooming Flowers.
The moment Leo plucked a flower…
Bzzz—!
His spiritual energy reacted, and his vision turned dark. Then, he saw…
Step, step—
Bihar walked forward, holding a withered bouquet of statice flowers.
"Where's Master?"
"…Here."
At Bihar's question, Velkia, who was beside her, held up a small urn.
"Should we really lay Master to rest beside Lady Luna?" Bihar asked.
Velkia clutched the urn tightly. "…We couldn't find the others' graves. At the very least, I don't want them to be alone."
Seeing Velkia bow her head, Bihar nodded. "Let's go."
Bihar took a step forward, but Velkia did not. She simply stood still, staring at the ground.
Flash—!
"Sir Leo?"
"Sir Leo!"
Chen Xia hurriedly supported Leo, and Eiran also rushed to his side.
"I'm fine. It's nothing." Leo held his head and shook it off.
Was that spirit summoning? But whose memory was that?
It was certainly either Velkia's or Bihar's.
Is it connected to these flowers?
Leo looked at the field of blooming flowers. He didn't know the exact source of the memory, only that it was tied to these flowers.
The only thing I can confirm… is that somewhere around here lies Luna's grave… and mine as well.