LHAHS Chapter 528
The dungeon door opened.
"Sir Leo!" Mel, who had been waiting, rushed over. "Are you alright?"
"You think I'd lose to some green rookies?"
"Of course not, but…" Mel shook her head as she watched Leo chuckle.
She knew that Leo had yet to fully regain the power of his past life. Purely in terms of strength, the Heroes of Dawn had the advantage, but…
He has too much battle experience.
The Heroes of Dawn were heroes who had saved the world from destruction. They had stabilized a crumbling world, repelled the remnants of Erebos, and driven out Tartaros.
They were incredible heroes, but Leo was a Great Hero who had saved the world when it was on the brink of annihilation. He had lived through an era far more desperate than the Heroes of Dawn and had survived endless battlefields.
It wasn't that the Heroes of Dawn lacked experience. It was simply that what Leo had accomplished was too immense to compare.
Because of that, even with the clear difference in power, Mel believed that Leo could easily compensate for it.
"Well, if it had been the real ones, even I'd have had a hard time, but with mere puppets…"
Mel was in awe. She knew Leo was Kyle, but even so, it was astonishing.
"By the way, what kind of Hero Dungeon was this that it created puppets mimicking the Heroes of Dawn?" Mel asked, her expression turning serious.
The situation had been contained without much damage thanks to Leo's presence, but without him, the consequences would have been disastrous.
Seeing her reaction, Leo thought to himself.
If I told her that a god created the puppets to test me, but they went berserk and escaped, what kind of face would she make?
"What exactly was inside?" Mel asked again.
Leo recalled what he had seen.
"Oh, great Hero of the Beginning! Please stay a little longer! This lowly servant of yours wishes to serve you more! I long to gaze upon your noble visage a little longer! Please, I beg you, do not leave! Just one more cup of tea!"
He remembered Rian desperately clinging to his pant leg, wailing even as Leo kicked him away.
"A madman… no, a religious fanatic was inside."
"Pardon?" Mel was bewildered. Even though she was the Dragon Queen, a descendant of the Wise Queen Lysinas, she could not comprehend his words.
"I'll explain what happened inside later." Leo took a deep breath. "For now, I need to start searching for Velkia myself."
"Ah…" Mel's eyes widened.
The next day, during hero studies class, Eliana, seated among the gathered second-year students, whispered while cautiously watching Leo, "Class rep, something feels off about you since yesterday."
It wasn't just Eliana. Not only the students from the same dormitory, but the entire second-year class was silently observing Leo, whose face was devoid of expression.
"He looks like he's in a bad mood. Chloe, Xia, do you guys know anything?" Eliana turned to Chloe and Chen Xia, the dormitory representatives who shared a dorm with Leo.
The two girls exchanged glances before shaking their heads.
Did something happen yesterday?
Chen Xia studied Leo with a grave expression. The Leo she knew was someone who never lost his composure.
A Great Hero like him wouldn't even blink at most things.
What others might perceive as a raging storm was nothing more than a gentle breeze to Leo.
That was why the heavy atmosphere surrounding him now weighed heavily on Chen Xia's heart.
It must be related to Lady Velkia.
There was nothing else that could make Leo react this way.
Chen Xia clenched her fists tightly.
I'm still not strong enough.
Currently, Xian's Shadows were tracking Velkia's movements.
Of course, the possibility that Velkia had been revived as an undead was being kept a strict secret, but even for the empire of shadows, this was no easy task.
I need to be of help.
Chen Xia bit her lip.
She wasn't the only one. Chloe, Celia, and Abad also watched Leo with concern. Even Duran, Eliza, and Walden stole occasional glances at him, clearly unsettled.
The atmosphere was heavy.
Everyone knew that Leo had never wavered, no matter what hardships and trials he faced, but that same Leo now carried a weight that pressed down on the entire second-year class.
No matter what anyone said, Leo was their leader, just as Lysinas had been the leader of all heroes, 5000 years ago.
Chelsea sat down beside Leo. "Leo?"
She cautiously called out to him, but Leo, lost deep in thought, did not hear her.
The events of that morning replayed vividly in his mind.
His disciple, who had ultimately been swallowed by darkness.
Velkia didn't end up like that because of Tartaros.
It had indeed been the Queen of Monsters who took the lives of Velkia's loved ones, but in the end, the true root of it all was the malice of humans consumed by greed.
She had lost herself, driven by rage, seeking to judge every single sinner.
Leo had no intention of showing mercy to those who trampled others for their own gain, but even so, he could not simply judge every sinner.
They, too, are a part of the world.
However, Velkia sought to judge every single wrongdoer without exception.
That was clearly wrong.
The world's interests were deeply intertwined.
If someone had asked Kyle whether the world had been bright before the Age of Calamity, he would have answered without hesitation: No.
The same applied to the present.
Even now, corruption festered throughout the world, but if every rotten piece were cut away, nothing would remain of the world.
I myself am not exactly a virtuous person.
Even good people committed evil, and even evil people performed good deeds.
The world was tangled in complex relationships that could not be divided into simple good and evil.
Velkia had to have known that as well. She had simply lost the ability to see ahead.
The gods once said that the Age of Calamity began because their era was too bright.
The gods had banished the Primeval Evil, Erebos, into the darkness for the sake of the world. Because of that, the world did not face destruction for countless years, but that very act brought forth the disaster that reduced the world to ashes.
The same was true for Velkia. The more she tried to lead the world toward the light, the more the shadows thickened in response.
However…
I can't tell her that what she did was wrong, because it wasn't entirely wrong.
And that was what made it so difficult.
What words could he say to Velkia, who had once known nothing of darkness but had now gazed into an abyss deeper than any other? Would his words even reach Velkia, who had closed her ears?
And…
Will I be able to stop Velkia's rampage that had even taken Bihar's life?
Of course, he had no intention of giving up on Velkia. No matter what it took, he wanted to bring her back to her senses, but…
In the worst case, I might have to grant her rest.
Even for Leo, that thought was terrifying. He had spoken confidently to Rian, but deep down, he feared that he would fail to pull his disciple from the abyss.
What if I can't save Velkia?
Leo bit his lip.
Suddenly, someone forcefully pulled him closer to them, and a pair of sky-blue eyes filled his field of vision.
Around them, students gasped or covered their mouths in shock.
Even Leo, surprised, stared blankly at the one who had grabbed his face with both hands.
Chelsea, meeting his gaze, blinked her large eyes several times.
Their lips were almost close enough to touch, and their eyes remained locked, tangled together for several moments.
Chelsea slowly released her grip.
Leo, who had been forcibly drawn into her gaze, rubbed his neck. "My neck kind of hurts."
"I didn't have a choice. You weren't answering no matter how many times I called you," Chelsea pouted and grumbled.
It was a somewhat childish action, but for someone her age, it was more than fitting.
Chelsea glanced around, her eyes narrowing. "What are you all looking at? Do you think this is a show?"
At once, the gazes that had gathered scattered in all directions.
The only people Chelsea was ever obedient to were Leo and her older brother, Abad. She might be a little angel in front of them, but to everyone else, she was a little devil.
Though, even when she listens, it's not quite the same as just being obedient.
Chelsea had a naturally strong-willed personality. Even during training with Leo, there had been times when she charged at him with reckless determination.
And then she'd go right back to smiling as if nothing happened.
Like an unpredictable gust of wind.
Chelsea tilted her head. "What were you thinking about for so long?"
Celia, Chloe, Duran, Abad, Eliza, Walden. Those who did not know Leo's true identity looked at him with solemn expressions today.
Chen Xia and Carl, who did know, appeared even more serious, but Chelsea paid no mind to any of that. Like a passing breeze, she simply approached and asked.
And that, in a way, was comforting.
Come to think of it, Chelsea is the only one whose attitude hasn't changed, even after learning the truth about me.
Lunia, Eiran, Chen Xia, and even the easygoing Carl treated him slightly differently now.
Of course, they still acted friendly, as before, but…
How should I put it… right, they look at me with respect.
It was something inevitable, but Chelsea was different. She was the same as ever.
Whether he was a Great Hero or not, whether he had saved the world or not, she simply saw him as someone to admire, someone to follow, and eventually stand beside.
Chelsea recalled the words Aaron had left before he departed.
"Kyle has taken on far too much. He'll never try to share that burden. So please… as his sister, be Leo's strength. Create a place where Leo can truly smile."
Chelsea lightly swung her legs.
Well, I just do what I want.
If possible, she wanted to help carry the weight Leo bore, but if he refused to share it, then at least she would support him so he wouldn't fall.
She knew that she could never be his equal. The time they had lived and the paths they had walked were too different.
For her whole life, he would remain someone to look up to and follow.
For her whole life, she would remain in Leo's shadow, but that was exactly why.
I can support him.
If others heard her, they might have scoffed, asking what help she could possibly be to a Great Hero, but Chelsea didn't care.
She smiled brightly and looked up at Leo.
Because Leo is Leo.
The first hero she had ever admired.
Leo looked at Chelsea. Something about that innocent smile reminded him of Velkia.
He reached out and absentmindedly gently ruffled her sky-blue hair.
"Ehehehe…" Chelsea grinned like a pleased cat, enjoying the touch.
"Chelsea, if you ever went down the wrong path, how do you think I should make you listen to me?"
"Huh?" Chelsea's eyes widened at Leo's question. She rolled her eyes around a few times, thinking, then finally answered, "Would I be completely out of my mind?"
"Yeah."
"Hmmm…! That's a tough one!" Chelsea crossed her arms and furrowed her brows in deep thought. "First of all, since it's you, you'd definitely smack me on the head, right?"
"Of course."
"And you'd kick my ass too, wouldn't you?"
"Naturally."
"Can you stop harassing my butt already?"
"When have I ever harassed it?"
"During the entrance exam, you tried to set it on fire in front of a crowd! My reputation's ruined, you better take responsibility."
"Then maybe you should've listened to me back then."
That was the only time Chelsea had ever been openly rebellious against Leo.
She pouted at Leo, who remained unfazed and smug, and fell into thought again. "But if I still didn't come to my senses, that'd be scary."
"Hm?"
"Even if I did, you'd probably still rough me up."
"You know me well."
"Just to avoid that, I'd probably snap out of it."
Leo rested his chin on his hand and chuckled, "That so?"
His heart felt noticeably lighter.
Yeah, I just need to keep at it until she comes to her senses.
Why had he been overcomplicating things?
Leo burst into laughter, and his expression softened.
Though that damn disciple of mine will probably resist, thinking she's stronger now.
The power Velkia had shown in the Akasha Record was overwhelming even for Leo as he was now.
Right, instead of worrying about how to convince her, I should be thinking about how to beat some sense into her.
Just as Leo stroked his chin in thought…
Bang…!
The classroom door swung open, and Eiran entered.
The entire second-year class looked at her in confusion.
As a foreign exchange student, she was known as an exceptionally diligent top student.
Being early to class was the bare minimum for her, but now she had arrived just barely on time?
On top of that, all of her close friends were already in the classroom.
As the students pondered this strange turn of events, Eiran, her face deathly pale, rushed toward Leo.
With a voice on the verge of breaking into tears, she cried out, "Sir Leo! My grandfather… my grandfather!"
At the sight of Eiran's distraught expression, Leo's face hardened.