LHAHS Chapter 526
Leo set foot into a page of history, a past unfolded through the Akasha Record.
He found himself in the middle of the cold, desolate northern continent, silently watching the elves tending to the land.
"This is…"
Leo clenched his fists as he took in the scene before him. These ruins were the very symbol of despair, but now, hope was sprouting from amidst the ruins.
The northern continent that he knew, the home of the elves, was a land of extreme cold, yet it had achieved remarkable development.
5000 years. During that time, the elves had splendidly cultivated their new home, and the beginning of it all was the scene unfolding before his eyes.
Despair had vanished, and hope was taking root.
How much had been sacrificed for this sight? How many people had risked their lives?
What lay before him was the world after Erebos had been destroyed.
The era moving toward the future.
"Hey, you can't do it like that!"
Whoosh…!
Someone brushed past Leo.
A familiar voice, a familiar back.
It was exactly the same as in his last memory.
No, has she matured even more?
The immature figure Leo remembered was nowhere to be seen. The cocky and dependent attitude she only showed in front of her teachers had disappeared.
"You have to do it like this!"
She was now fully capable, and because of that, he could trust her.
Velkia exerted her strength to straighten the pillar of a building.
Somehow, her bold demeanor reminded him of Luna.
"Ah! Thank you, Lady Velkia."
"No, it's something I should obviously do."
She waved at the one who greeted her with a gentle smile.
Did she always have that side to her?
The Velkia he knew was completely different.
Many elves relied on and followed Velkia. Now, in her, he could see glimpses of Lysinas's shadow.
"Lady Velkia~"
"Play with us!"
Just then, elf children swarmed around Velkia.
Velkia gave a troubled smile "I'm a bit busy, what should I do?"
The children's ears drooped.
"Still, should we play for just a little while?"
"Yes!"
Did she like children?
This was more like Aaron.
After playing with the children for a while, Velkia returned to work.
Silently carrying out her duties, she gave others a sense of trust.
The elves, exhausted, found strength again in her unwavering resolve.
Somehow, that reminded him of Dweno.
"……"
"This place has gotten a lot better, hasn't it?" someone asked.
"Bihar?"
Hearing the voice from behind, Velkia's face brightened. "Welcome! How's the east?"
"We're doing fine too." Bihar gave a faint smile.
"You're still avoiding appearing in front of people, aren't you?" Velkia asked in a regretful tone.
Bihar closed her eyes. "There are still too many traitors. Someone like me, drenched in blood every day, doesn't belong in this era."
During the Age of Calamity, Kyle and Bihar had slaughtered countless traitors.
Enemies from within were more terrifying than those from outside. Those who gnawed away at hope appeared like a plague, again and again.
However, after the world was saved, those traitors lived comfortable lives as if nothing had ever happened, hiding their sins, brazenly enjoying peace.
"…We won, didn't we? The world is already at peace. Bihar, don't you think it's a waste to throw your life away chasing after them?"
"No, I can't forgive them." Bihar smiled, but in her eyes, there was nothing but pure hatred and murderous intent. "Do they even understand whose sacrifices they are living off of? And yet they shamelessly enjoy this peace? They must pay the price."
"Bihar…"
"They must know that I am always watching them from the shadows."
Like the moon in the night sky.
"They must live in fear, never knowing when their turn will come."
Bihar had no intention of stopping.
Watching her, Velkia parted her lips. "I…"
In truth, Velkia thought the same as Bihar. She too wanted to eliminate those who had once devoured this world—no, those who would one day do so again.
"You have to stay as you are, Velkia."
"……"
"You are different from me." Bihar smiled faintly.
Like the sun, Velkia had to illuminate the world. Because that was who she was meant to be.
"You don't need to step into the world's darkness. You don't need to know its filth. Just stay as you are."
"Bihar, you need to understand. The world isn't only filled with filth."
Bihar gave a bitter smile. "I can't seem to see it that way."
"……"
Bihar rose from her seat. "Let's not give up in our respective places. Just like our masters."
"…Yeah."
"Shall we visit the graves next week?"
"Shall we?"
With bright smiles, they returned to their daily lives.
Leo murmured, "You're all grown up."
He was seeing a side of his disciples he did not know. Before he knew it, they had grown up and were walking their own paths.
Whether that path led to a bright world or a deep abyss, they had moved forward on the path they had chosen.
Each in their own way, they cultivated the world passed down by their predecessors and dedicated everything to rebuilding the broken world.
Just as we did.
In his past life, he had simply thought they would each live their own lives well.
However, because of that, he had never considered how they would grow.
I figured that since they were reliable children, they would surely be fine.
That was all he had thought, but now that he was facing them like this, he felt strange.
A side of his disciples he did not know.
Was this what a parent's heart felt like?
"Truly… you've grown so much."
Time passed as Leo watched over Velkia's life from beside her.
She rebuilt the elves' home.
She did not hesitate to dedicate herself entirely for the sake of the world.
She worked to make the world that had regained its light shine even brighter.
And then…
Gooooooo…!
The legion of Tartaros unfolded before his eyes.
Erebos had been vanquished, yet Tartaros, which had maintained its power until now, had invaded once more to bring about the world's destruction.
For those who were just barely rebuilding the world, it was truly a disaster.
Traitors, who had been hiding all over the world, destroyed their homes.
The hope they had barely managed to build was trampled and burned.
Years after Erebos was defeated, Tartaros's legion had recovered from the damage inflicted by the Great Heroes and returned, stronger than ever.
Many heroes had already perished during the Age of Calamity, and the Great Heroes were no longer here. All that remained were young sprouts who carried the qualities of heroes.
They lacked strength and experience, but…
"This world is our home!"
The Great Heroes had surely foreseen this crisis and left behind hope.
"But! We have only received it!" Velkia, standing at the forefront, shouted, "Now, we must protect the world our predecessors entrusted to us!"
The new heroes, who had been drowning in despair, looked at Velkia, who stood at the front.
Those born in the light but forced to live in darkness longed for the light, but perhaps those who longed for it even more were the ones born in darkness who had come to see what light was.
"We must defend it and pass it on! Just as they did!"
Before despair, Velkia never gave up. Just like her master had done.
"Everyone!" Velkia shouted with determination. "Let's fight!"
"Uooooooooh!"
Thus, the miraculous victory that rendered Tartaros's advance impossible for the next 2000 years, Velkia achieved it here and now.
"Beautiful. So beautiful!" Velkia smiled brightly as she looked at her child in the crib.
Watching her, Myde said, "Of course he is. Look whose son he is."
"My son!" Velkia puffed out her chest with an ahem!—a sight reminiscent of how she used to be in the past, as Leo remembered.
It was a side of her she only showed in front of her beloved partner, Myde.
"He's my son too, you know?"
"Yeah, but he takes after me more."
Leo sat to the side, resting his chin on his hand as he watched them.
She looks happy.
Here, Leo was nothing more than an observer, unable to interfere with the story, yet even to him, Velkia's emotions were vividly clear.
However… his expression was not entirely bright.
"Oh, it's already this late?" Velkia hurriedly got up from her seat.
Myde spoke urgently. "Velkia."
"Hm?"
"Isn't it time for you to retire?"
"……" Velkia, standing still, looked at Myde.
"The world has regained peace. We don't know for sure, but… it's likely that the world has been restored to something close to what it was before the Age of Calamity. I believe peace has already been rebuilt. You've already done so much, haven't you? Isn't it time to enjoy your life now?"
"……" Velkia closed her eyes and smiled faintly. "Yes, you're right. The world has surely regained its light."
The world had already been restored, and was bright and beautiful enough.
The scars left by the Age of Calamity had almost completely faded.
"But there must still be more I can do for the world."
In this era, Velkia had risen to a position equal to that of the Great Heroes of the past.
She had led the way in rebuilding the world, saved a world that had nearly collapsed.
It was never something she had accomplished alone, but…
It was only possible because Velkia was here.
Leo gazed intently at his disciple.
"I want to create an even brighter world." Velkia placed both hands on her stomach and smiled softly. "Just like the Great Heroes… just like my masters did. I want to pass on an even brighter light to my first child… and to our second, who will be born soon… to those who will live in the next era. I can still push myself a little more. Don't worry, Myde. I'm Velkia, after all."
Winking with one eye just like her master used to, Velkia spoke confidently and stepped out of the room.
"……" Silently, Leo rose from his seat and followed behind her.
"Velkia…"
And just before he passed by Myde, who was calling Velkia's name with concern.
Leo stopped for a moment and said, "Thank you."
For staying by my disciple's side.
It was a gratitude that would never reach, but he had to say it, because if not for Myde, Velkia would have long since crumbled.
Leo stepped out of the room and walked down the hallway, gazing at Velkia's back.
Those delicate shoulders were bearing the weight of the world.
Of course, that was something Lysinas and the other Great Heroes had done as well, but…
It's different from our time.
The weight of a world on the brink of destruction and a world that had regained peace and grown was not the same.
And that world was now pressing down on Velkia.
Bang…!
"How dare you say we're only thinking of the dwarves' gains!"
"As if a human steeped in greed has any right to speak!"
"What did you say?!"
There was a grand assembly, a gathering of leaders to discuss the future of the world.
In its early days, it was not a place where voices were raised against one another, but now they had already fulfilled their duty of rebuilding the world.
As those leaders became rulers, however, the assembly transformed into a battleground for personal gain.
There were those who were once noble, but had changed after tasting power. There were also those who had achieved nothing, yet simply inherited their positions and attended the assembly.
They were now the majority.
"……" Seated at the highest position, Velkia let out a deep sigh.
It has changed.
To Velkia, these people, who prioritized their greed over unity, were incomprehensible.
This was a world where power had vanished and then taken root once more. Those who had never seen or understood power had become completely intoxicated by it.
She could not understand them, because she alone remained noble.
"Enough." Velkia said quietly.
Perhaps misfortune was an inevitable conclusion.
"I will mediate."
The power held by the noble Velkia was immense, and she remained fair and just. To those blinded by greed, her innocence and purity had now become an obstacle standing in the way of their desires.
It was only natural that vile malice would turn toward her.
We can no longer stand by and let the Fairy Knight dictate the world as she pleases!
To Velkia's horror, war soon broke out.
How could a war arise between races when just a few decades ago, they had fought side by side against annihilation?
To Velkia, who had never experienced civil war, nothing was more shocking.
Desperate to stop it, she took action, and alone, she ended the war.
The worst possible outcome was avoided, but even then, countless lives were lost.
Step, step.
Under the bright starlight, Velkia walked with a bitter smile, gazing up at the sky. ""…It's hard, Master Luna."
Standing still in place, staring at the night sky, Velkia lightly slapped both her cheeks.
"If it were Master Kyle, he'd kick my ass for whining. Yeah! I need to stay strong. I need to think of a way to prevent war."
Clenching her fists, Velkia steeled her resolve and opened a Warp Gate to return to her mansion.
Fwoooosh—
Her burning mansion greeted her.
"Hi there! It's been a while."
Standing there, waving her hand with a chilling smile was the Queen of Monsters, Sillatna.