Chapter 116
Chapter Title: A Line Not To Be Crossed
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“You bastards!”
“Do you think you’ll get away with this!”
Ar’s killing intent flared as she watched the heroes from Reysar shouting.
“What gives you the right to spout such shameless nonsense?”
Her usual soft, playful demeanor was gone.
Fueled by disgust and rage toward those who had tried to cut down a young girl without hesitation, Ar’s presence was sharp and menacing.
The members of the Hero Corps flinched back from her intensity.
Seeing this, Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘Not the official Hero Corps, but a training corps.’
Putting unprepared soldiers on the battlefield would only get them killed.
Even in this era, there was a process for training heroes.
These people could be considered hero cadets, just like Ar.
‘Though they’re nothing like Ar, of course.’
It wasn’t a matter of coming from a different era.
Even in the Age of Calamity, there were plenty of cadets who dreamed of becoming true heroes.
But not these people.
They had joined the Hero Corps to satisfy a petty sense of superiority or a lust for power.
He could tell just by looking at their eyes.
It wasn't a matter of innate talent or the power they possessed.
‘It’s a fundamental difference.’
“I am Jerin of the Reysar Hero Corps! To interfere with our work is to defy the lord’s command!”
The woman at the front, Jerin, shouted at Ar in a sharp voice.
“The lord’s command? Or Levaiten’s?”
Jerin flinched at Leo’s cold question.
“I see. So he told you to use a nonexistent plague as an excuse, kill all the children, and retrieve Schatten.”
The orphanage children’s faces went pale.
Having grasped the situation from Leo’s words, Ar’s expression turned icy.
*Step— Step—*
Leo stepped forward.
“No matter how messed up the times are, there’s still a line you don’t cross.”
*Shing—*
His expression unreadable, Leo pointed his sword at the Reysar Hero Corps.
“If you want to call yourselves heroes, you should at least uphold that bare minimum.”
Fury flickered in Leo’s eyes.
“Otherwise, it’s an insult to those who are actually risking their lives to save the world.”
“That’s right! People like you have no right to call yourselves heroes!”
Ar shouted in agreement with Leo.
“Insolent… So you intend to interfere with us to the very end.”
Jerin summoned her aura.
“It seems a little skill has made you blind to the world around you. Allow me to teach you just how vast this world is.”
*Clank— Clank— Clank—!*
Armor began to envelop Jerin’s body.
Instantly armed in silver full plate mail, Jerin adjusted her shield and spear and approached Leo.
Seeing this, Leo spoke to Ar.
“I’ll take her. You handle the others.”
“Got it.”
There were five members of the Hero Corps in total.
With their aura, it wouldn't be difficult for them to slaughter the civilian children.
‘It would have been a problem if they’d sent competent ones, but sending these rookies must mean he doesn’t have complete control over the Hero Corps yet.’
The true powerhouses of the Hero Corps were seasoned veterans who had survived the Age of Calamity.
They were formidable opponents who would be difficult for the current Leo or Ar to handle.
‘Well, people like that wouldn’t listen to Levaiten’s orders in the first place.’
Jerin scoffed at the sight of Leo approaching defenselessly.
“Foolish boy!”
*Whoooosh—!*
Readjusting her grip on her spear, Jerin aimed a sharp thrust at Leo.
*Thump—!*
As she kicked off the ground, her feet dug deep into the earth.
Seeing his opponent rapidly closing the distance, Leo swung his sword up from below.
‘As if such a simple move could block my attack…!’
*Clang—!*
“……!”
Jerin’s eyes widened.
Leo, who had so easily deflected her aura-infused spear, spoke.
“And you dare call yourself the Hero Corps with that level of skill.”
“Are you insulting me?!”
The woman shrieked, infusing her shield with aura as she charged at Leo.
Seeing this, Leo raised his empty right hand.
*Fwoosh—!*
A flame of aura formed in his palm.
“A fire-attribute aura? A peculiar ability!”
In the current era, imbuing aura with an attribute was common due to its development, but it was not so in the Age of Calamity.
Surprised by Leo’s flame, Jerin’s lips curled into a smirk.
“But do you really think a flame of that size can stop my shield?”
Leo glanced at the shield and clenched his fist.
“An aura specialized for defense, I see.”
*Fwoosh—!*
Leo’s red eyes flashed.
“So what?”
*KABOOM—! FWOOOOSH!*
The flames raged.
The furious blaze not only blew away Jerin’s aura but also melted her shield.
“Aaaargh!”
Jerin screamed as she was showered with molten metal.
“Your skills and your equipment are both shoddy.”
Sheathing his sword, Leo turned his gaze toward Ar, who was dealing with the other four.
*Thwang—!*
A strange sound echoed as Ar leaped.
*Crack—!*
“Keuk!”
The armor of one Hero Corps member shattered under Ar’s kick.
Baring her teeth like an angry cat, Ar sensed the killing intent of a sword aimed at her back and leaped lightly away.
*Thwang—!*
The peculiar sound rang out again, and Ar’s body shot upward as if bouncing.
*Thwang—!*
She kicked off the air, changing direction in an instant.
‘Elasticity?’
A flicker of interest appeared in Leo’s eyes as he observed Ar’s aura attribute.
Every time she deployed her aura, Ar’s body bounced around freely.
Overwhelmed by her incredible speed and complex movements, the four Hero Corps members she faced were being toyed with mercilessly.
‘Like a cat playing with a mouse.’
She kicked the last Hero Corps member in the back.
The four knights collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
Ar snorted at the sight.
“Hmph. And they call themselves the Hero Corps.”
Then she narrowed her eyes at Leo.
“So, a fire aura is your attribute.”
As a beastkin, the race most adept at handling aura, Ar could gauge the strength of Leo’s aura just by seeing it.
“It looks like we’d have a fun fight if we ever went at it.”
Having confirmed Leo’s strength, Ar flashed a combative smile.
The playful air about her had vanished, replaced by the dignified presence befitting a recommended student from Azonia.
“Well, we’ll be going to the same academy, so I’m sure we’ll get a chance to settle things soon. School life is going to be a lot of fun with you around.”
Ar turned to Leo with her usual bright smile.
“You and me! And that wimpy wolf! Together, we can beat Lumerne!”
Ar huffed and clenched her fists.
‘She’s so excited, I almost feel bad telling her I’m from Lumerne.’
Leo scratched his cheek.
“Hmph, you fools.”
Jerin let out a sneer.
Her body was a mess of burns, and her eyes were filled with venom.
“How dare you touch us, the Hero Corps? Do you think Lord Levaiten will let you get away with this?”
*Grit—!*
Jerin ground her teeth and spewed curses.
“Idiots! You’ve made an enemy of Reysar for the sake of some filthy orphans!”
Ar, who had been staring blankly at the taunting Jerin, cracked her knuckles.
“Is that your way of asking for a beating?”
Jerin flinched at the sight of the growling, murderous cat approaching her.
Leo raised a hand, stopping Ar.
“Could you take the kids and get out of here for a bit?”
“What?”
“I have something to discuss with this one.”
The moment Ar saw Leo’s smiling face, she felt a chill run down her spine.
‘Something feels dangerous.’
Her wild instincts sensed danger.
As Ar stood there, ears and tail twitching, unable to move, Leo said,
“Please.”
“Alright. Kids, let’s get away from here for a moment.”
Unable to refuse the power in his words, Ar led the children out of the clearing.
Jerin sneered at Leo.
“Ha! After playing the hero so foolishly, I guess you’ve started to value your life? Are you going to beg me to spare you? Is that why you sent them away, so they wouldn’t see? You’re just as pathetic as the rest…”
“I think you’ve misunderstood something.”
*Shing—*
Leo drew his sword and walked toward Jerin.
“I only told them to leave because this isn’t something for children to see.”
As Leo spoke with a nonchalant expression, Jerin felt goosebumps crawl all over her skin.
The moment she met Leo’s red eyes, Jerin understood.
The boy before her had no qualms about killing.
“D-Don’t come any closer!”
Jerin scrambled away, her face pale.
“I-If you kill me, Lord Levaiten won’t let you get away with…”
“He’s not going to let me be, whether I kill you or not. If your report doesn’t come in by the appointed time, he’ll come himself.”
Leo’s icy gaze fell upon Jerin.
“And I have no intention of letting him do as he pleases. There’s no reason to keep you alive.”
“Th-Then you could use me as a hostage…”
“Are you worth that much?”
Leo raised his sword.
Beneath the gray, sunset-streaked sky.
Leo’s eyes, devoid of any emotion, were terrifyingly cold.
His sword descended like a guillotine.
“Wai—!”
*Slice—!*
After cleanly beheading her, Leo ended the lives of the remaining four without a moment’s hesitation.
Leo flicked the blood from his sword.
If they had simply been following orders, he wouldn't have taken their lives.
‘But these ones came here knowing everything.’
There was no reason to spare them.
“You show no hesitation.”
“I’m used to it,”
Leo said calmly in response to Elsie, who had appeared behind him.
“Dealing with turncoats and traitors like these.”
Erebos and Tartaros weren’t the only ones who made the Age of Calamity a living hell.
People like Levaiten and Jerin, who called themselves heroes while killing the innocent to satisfy their own desires, were a dime a dozen.
And the one who had ended their lives was none other than Kyle.
He hadn’t wanted to burden his friends, who each had their own goals to achieve, with such dirty work.
“……Were they really going to kill my friends just to get Schatten?”
Elsie’s voice trembled slightly.
“Yes.”
“……”
Although she was a Great Spirit, Elsie was still young and inexperienced.
She had fought Tartaros on the battlefield since birth, and afterward, she had waited with Agon for the true hero who would one day appear.
She’d never had the chance to encounter human malice.
This was likely the first time Elsie had seen the ugly side of the world.
‘Originally, she would have seen Ar-on’s siblings murdered.’
Leo’s expression grew somber as he realized why she had asked if this world was worth saving when they first met.
‘Saving the world means saving people like them, too.’
In the end, she didn't even form the contract with Lisinas that she had longed for.
‘Do you believe this world is worth saving?’
‘Of course.’
Lisinas hadn’t hesitated for a second.
It was the same for Luna, Ar-on, and Dweno.
Only Kyle had hesitated.
He was the only one who hadn't given Elsie a proper answer.
And that was why Elsie had chosen him.
‘The reason She joined our journey, despite her disappointment with the world… was because She still wanted to save it.’
He remembered Elsie smiling for the first and last time as she faded away after the battle with Hell Kaiser.
‘Still, I hope you find it.’
‘Find what?’
‘A reason to save the world.’
Recalling his contractor’s last words, Leo spoke.
“Elsie.”
Elsie’s face had become as expressionless as it was when Kyle first met her.
“I promise you.”
Leo smiled, remembering the night sky he had seen from his cradle on the day he was reborn.
“The starlight in the night sky is more beautiful than you can possibly imagine.”
Elsie’s eyes widened slightly.
“So this world is worth saving.”
Elsie, who had been staring blankly at Leo, broke into a radiant smile.
“Yes!”