LHAHS Chapter 499
Beneath the faded gray sky, five people sat around a campfire.
It was nearly sunset. The world was bleak even during the day, but the night was even more dreadful. No matter how accustomed they were to expeditions, moving recklessly at night was never easy.
Luna, having removed her shoes and socks, wiggled her toes near the fire to warm them. During the earlier battle, the blood of the demons had seeped into her shoes.
Fanning her soles to dry them faster, she complained, "Kyle, I want to eat meat. Cook some for me."
Kyle, who was preparing their meal over another fire, frowned as he tilted his head back to look at her. "What kind of elf craves meat this much?"
Despite common perception, elves did eat meat. However, it was rare for them to actively seek it out like Luna did.
"I'd say this elf is a fake elf," Dweno remarked as he sat down by the fire, smirking.
"Hmph! An elf is an elf. What do you mean by fake elf?" Luna clapped her feet together in defiance.
At that moment, Lysinas and Aaron returned from scouting.
"There are no signs of demons or monsters in the surrounding area."
"Then we can rest easy tonight." Kyle let out a small sigh and added another log to the fire.
As night fell, the five of them gathered around the fire to eat.
"If Erebos had never appeared, what kind of lives would we be living?" Aaron suddenly asked, looking curious.
Kyle glanced at him and replied, "There's no such thing as 'what if.' What's the point of worrying about useless things?"
His curt response made Aaron droop his ears, but no one else agreed with Kyle.
"No, Aaron's question isn't pointless," Dweno said, setting down his spoon. "The lives we would have lived if Erebos had never appeared… That's the same as thinking about the lives we'll have after we defeat Erebos, isn't it?"
"I agree with Dweno." Lysinas nodded with a smile.
"Sounds like an interesting thought!" Luna's eyes sparkled.
For those living in a world rushing toward destruction, imagination was a great source of strength.
Dreams of a distant future turned into hope.
Even if such thoughts seemed meaningless now, even if they were mere fantasies in the face of grim reality, if they could inspire them to look toward tomorrow, then they held great significance.
"Aaron, what kind of life do you think you'd be living?" Dweno asked.
Aaron blinked in surprise before scratching his head. "I'm strong, so… I think I'd have taken after my master, opened an orphanage, and lived peacefully as a farmer."
He smiled sheepishly, sharing a simple dream.
To the others, it might have seemed modest, but to those born in the Age of Calamity, it was an unimaginable, grand dream.
Ordinary life had been stolen from them long ago, and those of the calamity generation had lived only in despair.
"That's a good dream." Lysinas smiled warmly.
To a dragon who carried the grand dream of saving the world, the simple life Aaron wished for was one of the things she most wanted to restore.
"What about you, Dweno?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'd be a renowned artist, famous across the world," Dweno said it as if it were the most natural thing.
Luna smirked. "No way. You'd definitely be wanted in multiple kingdoms for saying perverted things to royalty."
She burst into laughter, but it was cut short when Dweno knocked her on the head with his thick fist.
Ignoring Luna as she clutched her head with teary eyes, Dweno turned to Lysinas. "And you?"
"I…" Lysinas rested her chin on her hand and smiled. "I'd probably be silently maintaining order in the shadows."
Lysinas was a black dragon. A guardian who protected the world's balance from the darkness.
However, none of them agreed with her words.
"You can't just hide away the light you carry."
"Yeah. Lysinas, even if Erebos had never appeared, you'd still be doing something great."
"You'd be famous."
Dweno, Aaron, and Luna all denied Lysinas's claim. The idea of Lysinas, the world's savior and its radiant light, living hidden in the shadows was unimaginable.
Lysinas scratched her cheek.
"Ahem! Then, I guess it's my turn!" Luna puffed up her chest. "I'd definitely be the greatest archmage in history, even more famous than I am now! I'd be able to focus solely on magic research! Every mage would kneel before me in reverence!"
Aaron clapped blankly, while Lysinas burst into laughter. Dweno simply shook his head, but none of them denied it.
Luna could easily have achieved that.
"What about you, Kyle?" Luna's eyes sparkled as she asked.
"I'd probably be working as a mercenary somewhere," Kyle replied indifferently.
Lysinas and Dweno smiled bitterly.
"I think you would have done something much greater, Kyle," Aaron said, tilting his head.
Kyle only chuckled. "Not at all."
He gave that answer and returned to his meal.
That night, the five of them spoke at length about their dreams for the future after Erebos was defeated.
The grand aspirations they wanted to achieve. The things they longed to do in a time of peace.
They spoke endlessly. Forgetting the despair in front of them and focusing on the distant future.
Kyle, too, occasionally interjected, offering both jabs and agreements as he joined in the conversation, but in the end, he never spoke about what he wanted for his own future.
After dinner, as Luna washed the dishes with Lysinas, who was in the same dishwashing group, she asked, "Hey, Lysinas… What kind of dreams does Kyle carry?"
Lysinas paused. "Hmm…"
Clatter.
She rinsed a spoon and let out a bitter smile. "Maybe none?"
"What?" Luna's eyes widened.
They were five heroes who had gathered by choice. They had different races, ages, beliefs, and ideologies. Had it not been for the Age of Calamity, they might never have come together.
Half a year had passed since they had formed a team, but they still didn't know everything about each other.
Still, Luna knew one thing for sure: These five heroes shared a strong bond. A desire to move forward.
That meant they all had a future they wished to see.
Even though Kyle never spoke about it, Luna believed he must have a vision of his own future. That's why Lysinas's answer was so surprising.
"Kyle is different from us."
"Different how?"
"You, Aaron, and Dweno all willingly joined my expedition, but Kyle didn't."
"He was really difficult at first, wasn't he?"
"Yeah."
"If convincing him was hard, wouldn't it have been easier to start with me, Dweno, or the Guardian of the Azure Sky?"
"I considered it… but the more I pursued Kyle, the more I became certain."
Clink.
Looking at her reflection in the spoon, Lysinas murmured, "The first piece had to be Kyle."
"Because of his mana affinity?"
"No." Lysinas shook her head. "Among us, Kyle is the only one who has been fighting on the front lines from the very moment the Age of Calamity began."
The Surviving Hero. That title didn't just mean he had survived while his comrades fell. Kyle had always fought on the front lines, as if that was where he belonged.
"Kyle was amazing back then." Her cheeks flushed slightly as she smiled.
A rare, innocent emotion from someone like Lysinas.
Luna blinked at her. "Are you sick? Your face is red."
"What?" Lysinas hesitated, then quickly composed herself. She glanced at Luna to check if her emotions had been noticed, but Luna was genuinely worried.
Thank goodness, she's too dense to realize it.
Quoting Kyle, Luna was a magic-obsessed fool who cared about nothing but spells.
"Anyway, maybe Kyle's heart has died because of everything he's been through?"
"Huh?"
"It must be hard for him to even imagine where he wants to go. So he keeps searching for what he really wants."
The flames of calamity had taken more from the Surviving Hero than just his fallen comrades or the world itself. His future had been burned away, leaving only ashes.
"Just like this damned sky."
The faded gray heavens.
"Hmph! I can't stand gloomy things." Luna, having finished washing the dishes, scoffed and suddenly stood up.
"What are you doing?"
"You said Kyle is searching for what he wants, right? Then I'll allow him to share my grand dream." Luna grinned smugly. "He's a mage too, after all. Once he hears about my grand plan, he'll be completely hooked."
With unshakable confidence, Luna marched off toward Kyle.
Watching her go, Lysinas chuckled.
Not bad.
She was a mage too, after all. Luna's dream was intriguing.
Maybe I should join in once the world is saved.
"Kyle!"
Just beyond the campsite, Kyle, who was sitting alone on a rock, glanced at Luna as she suddenly plopped down beside him, grinning.
"I was thinking about something."
"What is it?"
"If we save the world and you still don't have anything to do, how about starting a magic school with me?"
"What?"
"I'll be the principal, and you can be the vice principal. We'll contribute to the advancement of magic together. What do you think? Great idea, right?" Luna's eyes sparkled as she made her offer out of nowhere.
Kyle, utterly indifferent, replied flatly, "Not interested. Too much trouble."
Luna pouted. "Do you really not have anything you want to do?"
"Nothing."
Kyle's blunt answer made Luna plop down beside him.
"I don't get it. You're good at everything. You could be anything you want."
The ability to master all classes. To Luna, it was an omnipotent talent that could make someone whatever they wished.
"…What a waste."
Kyle chuckled at her muttering. "Yeah, I suppose so."
"But you've kept fighting, haven't you? And you'll keep fighting in the future."
"Yeah."
"Why?" Luna tilted her head, puzzled. If he had nothing he wanted, then what meaning did the future hold for him?
"You're unusually persistent today."
"I'm just curious. You know how it is, mages can't resist their curiosity." Luna grinned.
Kyle replied, "I don't have anything I want to do or become, but I do have a future I want to see."
"What is it?"
"I want to see all of your futures." Kyle smiled.
Luna's eyes widened slightly.
"If we defeat that damn primordial evil, then you'll undoubtedly become the greatest archmage in history."
"Ah." Hearing Kyle affirm her dream, Luna unconsciously let out a small gasp.
"And when that happens, I'll make sure to expose how much of a cranky pain you are." Kyle snickered as if the mere thought amused him.
Normally, Luna would have punched him right then and there, but the smile that had flashed through her mind moments ago had left her completely dazed.
He had no ambitions of his own, yet he acknowledged her dreams. It stirred something in her heart.
All of a sudden, her chest pounded. Her ears kept twitching. By the time she realized her face was heating up, she had already turned her head away.
She had never felt this before, but Luna knew exactly what it was.
Oh no. I can't even look at him.
Luna realized it then. She had fallen for this stubborn idiot.
She steadied herself and glanced at Kyle. As always, he wore that indifferent expression. A man who could no longer dream but never stopped fighting. A man searching for a place to go.
Luna cleared her throat. "I'll be your future."
"What?"
"If you can't picture a future, then I'll be your unwavering dream." Luna, her face slightly flushed, said with a small pout. "So that your life may continue through mine."
She could feel the warmth spreading up to her neck.
"Hah, that was impressive. Luna, you claim to dislike high elves, yet you've mastered their refined speech."
"Hiik?!"
At the voice behind her, Luna jumped in shock.
"W-When did you…?"
"I've been here for a while." Dweno smirked, his grin as smug and irritating as ever.
Luna's mouth opened and closed like a fish.
Then again, confessing her feelings the moment she realized them… Luna really does charge straight ahead.
The words she had just spoken were part of a high elf courtship ritual. Even if Kyle didn't understand their full meaning, he must have felt something from Luna's demeanor.
Lysinas is going to have a hard time.
Dweno stroked his chin in amusement.
Kyle, utterly oblivious, said in his usual deadpan voice, "Why are you suddenly acting like a high elf? Did you drink or something?"
"Huh? You… don't understand what I just said?"
"What was that supposed to mean?"
Thud!
Luna punched Kyle in the face, fuming as she stomped away.
"You little…" Kyle rubbed his face and moved to retaliate.
Dweno shook his head. "Kyle, I just have to say one thing."
"What?"
"You, my friend, are a complete idiot."
Recalling that distant past, Luna rubbed her cheek.
I swore back then that I'd make this bastard fall for me first.
Luna pouted. Of course, that plan had completely collapsed when she confessed first in her Hero World.
Still, she had no regrets. She still wanted to color Kyle's gray, lifeless heart with every shade of emotion.
Could this be my lingering attachment?
For a moment, the thought crossed her mind. But then, as she watched Kyle walking ahead, chatting with Eiran and Chen Xia, she shook her head.
No, that's not it.
She had once declared herself to be Kyle's future. Had promised to bring him into her dreams. Yet, in the end, she had entrusted her dreams and future to him instead.
The moment she gave him her everything, this feeling had ceased to be mere lingering attachment.
Still… I miss her.
Luna smiled faintly as she watched Kyle talking with the descendant of her former disciple. The sight brought back memories.
I miss Velkia.
Her ears twitched as she absentmindedly murmured, "Velkia?"
Her disciple, whom she had left behind. The thought of her still lingered in her heart.
"Ah." Luna's eyes widened. "Aaaaah!"
Leo turned around. "What? Why are you screaming?" he asked, looking puzzled.
Luna stared at him and shouted, "I get it! It's Velkia!"