LHAHS Chapter 533
The northern continent was the territory of the elves.
Of course, not the entire northern region belonged to the elves, but it was an undeniable fact that they occupied most of its vast lands.
Because of this, numerous elven nations existed in the northern continent.
As they made their way toward Eldon, Lunia introduced, "Among them, Eldon is, to put it nicely, a special nation. To put it bluntly, it's a weird place."
Leo frowned. "What exactly do you mean?"
"How should I explain it? Ah, right. Think of it as being similar to Balharun."
Leo clicked his tongue. "So, it's a place full of stubborn fools."
"Exactly." Lunia let out a small sigh.
Hearing their conversation, Eiran curiously asked, "What was Lady Luna like during her school years?"
"From what Luna told me, her school days weren't smooth sailing. If it's Balharun we're talking about, they bare their teeth at you first before anything else."
"What was it like?"
"That place was literally a city designed to cultivate high elves, and high elves treated even other elves as inferior beings."
"Ah…"
Lunia and Eiran naturally thought of one group.
The Pureblood Society.
"So, it's similar to the way royals and nobles behave these days."
"Pretty much. And Luna, being an orphan, was admitted to Balharun solely on her pure magical talent."
In Balharun, where most students were descendants of prestigious families that had produced many high elves, Luna was naturally an anomaly.
A kind of invasive species.
Her understanding and application of magic surpassed conventional wisdom, and her immense mana made it all possible.
It was an indisputable fact that, in the entire history of magic, no mage was greater than Luna.
Observing the growth of such a mage firsthand would be an incredible fortune, no, simply being near such a mage could influence others and provide a foundation for their own growth, yet the elves of Balharun did nothing but try to suppress Luna.
That was because the other reason Balharun existed was to cultivate an elven king, and under no circumstances could they allow a lowly orphan like Luna to become the elven king.
Chen Xia nodded. Though her circumstances were different, she was familiar with the discrimination between heroes and Shadows. She could understand how Luna must have felt.
"I see, then she must really hate that place after having such a difficult school life."
"Not at all. Luna never hated Balharun just because people mistreated her during her school days."
"Huh?"
"If that kind of thing could make her cower, she wouldn't be Luna. Instead, she went around headbutting anyone who picked a fight with her."
"Uh…" Chen Xia was at a loss for words.
"She was quite proud of the fact that she was the worst delinquent in school."
The three girls fell silent. Indeed, based on what they knew of Luna, she wasn't the type to simply endure mistreatment, she would retaliate thoroughly.
"Besides, she did have some good people around her."
Akinte, the man Leo had once possessed was someone who had looked after Luna when she was alone. To Luna, he was like a father.
"Luna hated Balharun because they failed in their duty."
When Erebos appeared and Tartaros rose to power, Balharun, the most powerful force at the time, collapsed too easily. Not only that, but they even betrayed the elves who risked their lives for the world, all to preserve their own wealth and status.
The countless acts of betrayal committed by the high elves to maintain their influence enraged many. Even after the elven forces were annihilated and the world began to fall apart, the high elves continued to create internal strife, becoming a major obstacle to the unification of the races.
Lunia scowled and ground her teeth. "They're my kin, but I can't in good conscience say that the Pureblood Society wouldn't pull the same kind of treachery again."
In fact, the Pureblood Society had a history of colluding with the Lich King.
They vehemently deny it, of course.
Still, the evidence was undeniable. Due to the Pureblood Society's significant influence within elven society, the investigation was slow, but the net was gradually closing in on them.
"And their headquarters is right there—Eldon." Lunia scrunched her face slightly and pointed at a towering structure in the distance.
"An observatory?"
"Yes, Eldon's observatory is famous for being second only to Seiren's in height."
Leo glanced at Eiran, who nodded in response.
Lunia crossed her arms and muttered, "Now comes the problem."
"The problem?" Chen Xia tilted her head.
Lunia clicked her tongue. "Eldon is a city-state, but its influence is immense. Being the headquarters of the Pureblood Society makes it unique, and not just in the sense of being a place full of stubborn fools."
"Then what do you mean?"
"Eldon is a nation where only Stellar Magic users are allowed to live."
Since the Pureblood Society viewed even other elves as inferior if they couldn't use Stellar Magic, the entire population consisted of mages, specifically those who used Stellar Magic.
"And there's one more problem. Non-elves are forbidden from entry into Eldon. They have ridiculously strict inspections on outsiders."
"Can't Sir Leo and I just sneak in?"
Leo shook his head. "It's possible, but not easy."
Eiran nodded. "That's right. The entire city is protected by magic, so sneaking in is nearly impossible."
If every citizen could use magic, that also meant magical advancements in the city were at an exceptionally high level.
"Now that you mention it, I think I've heard it called the elves' magic tower before," Leo remarked nonchalantly.
Lunia nodded. "Yeah. As much as I hate to admit it, Eldon's Stellar Magic is extremely advanced. They even produced a headmaster of Seiren."
"Then what should we do? Even if we disguise ourselves, it won't be easy."
Velkia hadn't learned Stellar Magic, but it was unlikely that she had trouble entering. Even if swordsmanship was her main strength, she had been personally taught magic by Luna, and her strength was overwhelming.
"Leo, can't you do something with your power?" Lunia asked.
"Not sure. If we have to sneak in, speed isn't an option."
If Eldon's protective magic was based on Stellar Magic, then disabling it wouldn't be too difficult. However, if they needed to enter without detection, that was another story.
Magic like that is usually extremely sensitive.
No matter how skilled Leo was in Stellar Magic, he wasn't on Luna's level.
If my mana was at Seiren's level, it might be possible, but right now, I'm not at that point.
Leo looked down at his hands.
Lunia asked again, "What if we don't rush? How long would it take?"
"I'd have to see the barrier directly to know for sure, but considering the size of the city, at least a week," Leo replied.
City-scale spells were vast in scope, requiring significant time to analyze.
"So, we'd need at least that long?" Lunia fell into deep thought.
Chen Xia asked, "Can the two of you enter Eldon right away?"
"Yeah, we can." Lunia took off her coat, revealing the Seiren uniform underneath. "Seiren students don't need a special pass to enter Eldon… Ah!"
Lunia snapped her fingers. "Leo! Is it possible to use magic to disguise yourself as an elf?"
"Hmm? That's an idea." Leo stroked his chin.
Eiran tilted her head. "But wouldn't a disguise spell have a high chance of being detected during the entry inspection?"
"Who do you think is standing here? Leo is the second most proficient in Stellar Magic after Lady Luna!" Lunia declared confidently. "He can easily fool those entry inspection artifacts."
"What about me?" Chen Xia pointed to herself.
"If Leo casts an illusion spell on you, it'll be simple," Lunia answered. "Because of the mana of the stars within you, the inspection artifact will recognize you as having Stellar mana. Of course, if we change your entire appearance, it might be noticeable, but just altering your outer features to look like an elf should be enough to fool them!"
No matter how sophisticated an artifact was, it was still just an enchanted tool, so it could be deceived with more refined magic.
Hearing Lunia's explanation, Chen Xia touched her own ears.
Lunia's eyes sparkled. "If you wear our uniform, you'll be a perfect Seiren student! They won't question us too much! What do you think?"
"That sounds like a great idea!" Eiran beamed. "Alright! Leo! You still have the uniform you received when you came as an exchange student last time, right?"
"I returned it."
"Ugh! It was the perfect plan!" Lunia clutched her head.
"Can't we just make a fake uniform?" Chen Xia suggested,
Leo shook his head. "They'd see through it. There's a reason the Seiren uniform itself acts as an entry pass. It's enchanted with all sorts of magic."
"Ah, that makes sense. Lumene's uniform isn't just ordinary fabric either."
"Exactly, but in Seiren's case, their uniforms aren't made in regular tailor shops, they're created and distributed directly by the school."
"That's a problem." Chen Xia sighed in disappointment.
"Uh! Uh! Excuse me!" Eiran suddenly raised her hand. She hesitated for a moment before gathering her courage. "I-I have an idea."
Seeing Eiran nervously gulp and speak up, the group looked at her curiously.
At the Eldon checkpoint, outsiders were lining up to undergo inspections before entering Eldon.
With sharp eyes, the inspectors conducted their checks when two girls stepped forward.
"What's your business… huh?!" The inspector, who had been speaking formally, flinched.
"A-Are you students from Seiren?"
A silver-haired girl, Eiran, greeted him with a bright smile, "Thank you for your hard work."
Beside her, a black-haired girl, Chen Xia, smiled along with her. "We're visiting Eldon to study magic."
The inspector glanced at the crystal ball on his desk. Due to the mana embedded in their uniforms, a golden light indicating their status as Seiren students shimmered.
"A-Ah, yes! May I have your names…?"
"I'm Eiran Ersar, and this here is Sirin Rel."
"Huh?! E-Eiran?! Lady Eiran!" Hearing the name of the second-ranked student in the second year, the inspector's attention immediately focused on her. "Welcome to Eldon! We are honored by your visit!"
He immediately stood up and bowed before opening the entry gate.
Eiran smiled and said to the inspector, "Please take care of my friends who'll be coming after me. Let's go, Sirin."
"Yes."
Eiran, using a fake name for Chen Xia, stepped into Eldon.
For a top-ranked Seiren student to visit at such a time…! Something good must be coming to Eldon!
The inspector was filled with excitement.
"Pun… ish… ment… Gods… will…" a red-haired girl muttered unintelligible words as she approached.
The inspector gasped as he recognized her.
C-Could it be? Seiren's Student Council President, Lunia El Lunda?!
The youngest to ever hold the title of Seiren's Student Council President, as well as a hero! The one considered the successor of the Nebula Pioneer, Luna!
The inspector's hands trembled at her arrival.
"Aren't you going to inspect me?" a white-haired girl poked her head out from behind Lunia and asked curiously.
"Ah! Y-Yes! Your names, please?"
"I'm Leona, and this here is Lunia," the white-haired girl said.
"L-Lady Lunia and Lady Leona! You've been verified! Welcome to Eldon!"
"Let's go."
"I'll be punished. I'll be punished for this. Turning a Great Hero into this… The gods will be furious."
"Hurry up and go." Sighing, Leo pushed Lunia forward.
As they exited the checkpoint, Lunia turned red and demanded, "How are you so calm?!"
Leo, now wearing Lunia's uniform, shrugged as if nothing was wrong. "What's the problem? We got through easily, didn't we? Efficient and effective."
Lunia trembled with frustration.
"Sir Leo… You're beautiful… Haa… Haa… A-A picture! I need to capture this moment!" Eiran mumbled, covering her face.
Chen Xia smiled mischievously. "Since Lady Reina is stunning, dressing you up makes you look quite beautiful as well. Should we start calling you Lady Leona now?"
Leo flicked her forehead.
Lunia clutched her head in distress. "Those two are definitely strange. They're weird, I tell you!"
"Find a place to stay first. I need to change out of this quickly."
As Leo casually moved forward, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Bzzzt…!
In that instant, a familiar energy washed over him, and he felt a faint vibration at his waist.
Leo's expression hardened slightly.
Bihar?