Chapter 227
Chapter Title: The Fragment of Brave
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227
‘The real thing… no way.’
Leo stared at the fragment of Brave, his hand clenching into a tight fist.
Brave.
It was the Brave Hero Ar-on’s favorite sword and the most famous of all the weapons he had ever wielded.
“You’re saying this is Brave?”
Dorveman narrowed his eyes.
“Brave is known as the Brave Hero’s sword that could never be broken, yet this one is.”
‘The sword that can never be broken…’
Hearing Dorveman’s words, Leo closed his eyes.
He let out a deep sigh inwardly.
“That’s right! I heard it’s a sword that will never break as long as you don’t lose your courage!”
“Hmph! Ar! Spoken like a true descendant of the Brave Hero! Such a magnificent spirit!”
Dorveman crossed his arms, nodding in satisfaction, then spoke.
“If only you’d strengthen those scrawny limbs of yours, you’d gain an even more magnificent presence.”
“I don’t need such needlessly bulky muscles.”
“A powerful physique is a symbol of strength and beauty.”
“My physique is plenty strong and beautiful!!”
Ar said proudly.
‘A conversation between muscle brains.’
Watching the wolf make his suggestion and the cat give her firm reply, Leo sighed to himself.
“There’s no such thing as an unbreakable sword. When any sword reaches its limit, it’s bound to break.”
Leo sighed deeply.
“Besides, if Brave had truly never been broken, the original would still be around.”
“Hmph. There’s some logic to your words, but it’s hard to imagine the sword that symbolizes the Brave Hero Ar-on being broken.”
Dorveman stroked his chin.
“After all, very little is known about the Great Heroes’ final expedition.”
The deeds of the Great Heroes are relatively well-documented.
Kyle’s story, on the other hand, was mostly erased from history by Tartaros.
But only Kyle’s name was omitted.
Records of the major battles in which Kyle played a crucial role still remain.
However, the final expedition was uncharted territory.
‘Even the Hero Records that documented that time have almost nothing left.’
That was why each race had a different story about how the Great Heroes defeated Erebos.
“Ar. And Leo. Didn’t the two of you speak with Lord Ar-on for quite some time?”
‘We did more than just talk; we fought alongside him for a long time.’
Leo smiled bitterly to himself, and Ar nodded her head vigorously.
“The Lord Ar-on I met was from before he had Brave, though.”
“Right. You said it was Lord Ar-on before he joined the subjugation force. What was he like?”
The Ar-on that Ar had seen was a timid boy who had seen her covered in blood and screamed at her to stay away, terrified.
At Dorveman’s question, Ar took a deep breath.
Then she clenched her fists—tight!—and shouted.
“Lord Ar-on was a man full of spirit, dignified and gallant, who never yielded to evil!”
“Hmph! Just as I thought! Exactly as he’s depicted in the stories! He was extraordinary even from a young age!”
Leo felt a headache coming on.
It seemed this simpleton had a severely distorted memory of Ar-on.
‘In any case, beastmen are as simple-minded as ever, past or present.’
Leo pressed his temples as he looked at the Azonia students and spoke.
“Anyway, where did this fragment of Brave come from? Was a new, unknown Hero Record of the Brave Hero discovered?”
At Leo’s question, Ar’s ears perked up.
Dorveman’s eyes widened as well.
He still hadn’t accepted that this sword fragment was Brave.
But if this fragment was indeed from Brave and was deeply related to a Hero Record, then it made sense that the Rodren Empire would invite the two students representing Azonia all the way here.
“A new Hero Record hasn’t been discovered. However, a question related to Brave arose, and we invited you two from Azonia to seek your expertise.”
At Cherna’s words, Dorveman crossed his arms.
“If this is a matter related to Azonia, why is Leo Flove here?”
“Black Rabbit! Are you transferring to our school?”
“No.”
“You were summoned because we believe you can be of help in this matter.”
Cherna said, looking back and forth between Leo and Ar.
“Leo Flove, Ar Tune. You two conquered the World of the Brave Hero last summer. As a reward, Ar Tune, you gained the power to use Beastification at will. Is that correct?”
At Cherna’s words, Ar’s tail shot straight up.
Dorveman stared at Cherna with wide, surprised eyes.
That fact was treated as top secret even within Azonia.
The only students who knew this information were the former student council president, who had already graduated, and the newly inaugurated Dorveman.
This information was so strictly guarded that very few instructors knew about it.
Since constant Beastification was known to be an ability exclusive to the Brave Hero Ar-on, Azonia had decided to hide the fact for the time being, fearing it could cause chaos if it were revealed to the public.
He couldn’t help but be surprised that an outsider like Cherna knew about it.
“Don’t be surprised. Azonia provided us with this information.”
Cherna’s expression turned serious.
“This Brave is a spoil of war, obtained after defeating a ‘Hero Hunter.’”
The moment the words ‘Hero Hunter’ were spoken, a murderous aura emanated from Dorveman.
Hero Hunters.
They were a faction that formed one of the pillars of Tartaros’s power.
Hunters of heroes.
They were not demons.
They were a group of traitors, stained by darkness.
They were those who had once aimed to become heroes but had fallen and turned their blades against them.
‘Well, there were always guys like that in the past, too.’
Leo crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.
“This is Brave, but it’s not the genuine article. It’s a replica obtained as a reward for conquering a World of Heroes.”
At Cherna’s words, Dorveman’s face stiffened.
Ar flinched, her shoulders trembling as she asked.
“Does that mean… the Hero Hunters conquered a world of Lord Ar-on’s that wasn’t known to the public?”
Brave’s appearance was already famous.
Not only was it one of the most renowned swords in the world, but its power was also well-known through the Hero Records.
Brave, shining with a brilliant golden light in Ar-on’s hand, was a symbol of the Brave Hero and the courage of all heroes.
But until now, there had never been a conquest reward that was Brave itself.
“Yes, and the important part starts now.”
Cherna took a deep breath.
“The Hero Hunter who used the sword was a beastman. And he used Beastification on a day without a full moon.”
“……!”
At those words, everyone’s eyes shot wide open.
“Ar Tune. This means there’s another beastman in this world, besides you, who can use Beastification whenever they want.”
At Cherna’s words, Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘Constant Beastification.’
It was a technique that any beastman who had mastered Ar-on’s breathing could use.
But 5,000 years ago, there were no such beastmen.
The same was true even after thousands of years had passed since Ar-on’s death.
Even Ar had only obtained the ability of Beastification with the help of a Hero Record.
Leo examined the fragment of Brave closely.
He could feel Ar-on’s Aura, faint as it was.
“If the Hero Hunter was able to use Beastification… was it because of Brave’s power?”
“Exactly.”
At Leo’s question, Cherna narrowed her eyes.
“The fiend used Beastification to go berserk. But as soon as Brave was broken, his Beastification was undone.”
Cherna tapped the fragment of Brave.
“Ar Tune. I heard your Beastification awakens your beastman blood through a special flow of Aura. I’d like you to investigate whether this fragment of Brave possesses such power. And Leo.”
Cherna looked at Leo.
“I also heard you obtained the same conquest reward as Ar Tune. Though you’re not a beastman and can’t use Beastification, I thought you might be able to help uncover the secret of this sword’s properties, so I arranged this meeting.”
“May I touch it?”
“Of course.”
With Cherna’s permission, Leo reached out and grasped the fragment of Brave.
Ar-on’s Aura, which had been faintly dormant in the sword, reacted.
‘If a mere fragment contains this much power… in its complete state, it’s no exaggeration to say it would have contained Ar-on’s Aura itself.’
Leo knew Brave well.
It was one of the strongest swords Dweno had ever created.
Although it had broken during Ar-on’s final battle, he was well aware of its power, its durability.
And its effects.
‘Brave never had the ability to induce Beastification in beastmen. Was a new ability added when it became a Hero Record conquest reward?’
It happened sometimes.
The three rewards one could obtain from conquering a Hero Record.
Hero Skill, Hero Ability, Hero Weapon.
Among them, when a Hero Weapon was obtained as a reward, it would sometimes be imbued with an ability that the original weapon did not possess.
“Black Rabbit, let me touch it too.”
Ar came up beside Leo and reached out, placing her hand on the fragment of Brave.
In that instant.
*Fwoosh-!*
“Mrow?”
A golden light flashed, and at the same time, Ar let out a scream.
Everyone stared at Ar with surprised eyes.
Sharp claws had grown from Ar’s hands.
Her eyes had turned into those of a cat.
Her overall impression had become more feral.
‘Beastification?’
Ar hastily pulled her hand away from the fragment of Brave.
Her Beastification undone, Ar looked back and forth between her hand and the fragment in astonishment.
Dorveman carefully picked up the fragment of Brave that had fallen to the floor.
There was no particular reaction.
“Why did it only react to Ar?”
Watching Dorveman’s puzzled expression, Leo narrowed his eyes.
Afterward, the investigation of the Brave fragment continued for several more hours.
In the end, they reached a single conclusion.
The fragment of Brave only reacted to Ar.
“The data we can gather is limited.”
Cherna narrowed her eyes.
“Could you stay in the Empire for a few more days?”
“If it’s a matter concerning Lord Ar-on, I will cooperate in any way I can as a student of Azonia.”
Watching Dorveman bow his head, Cherna gave a grateful smile.
“Ar, let’s return to our quarters.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ar snapped a salute and was about to follow Dorveman.
“Yeeowww?”
She shrieked and leaped into the air.
“You, I need to have a word with you.”
Leo had grabbed Ar’s tail and was pulling on it.
“Pulling a lady’s tail!”
Ar hissed and lunged at Leo.
Leo caught Ar’s face to hold her back and spoke to Dorveman.
“May I speak with Ar for a moment?”
“If it’s a consultation about transferring, you can talk to me.”
“It’s not about that.”
“Hmm.”
Dorveman, his massive muscles twitching, looked back and forth between Leo and Ar, then gave a sly smile that didn’t suit his large frame.
By then, the sun had set.
“A good time for it.”
Dorveman waved and left.
Ar’s eyes widened, and her tail swayed gently.
Once the two of them were alone in the hallway, Ar asked.
“What is it, Black Rabbit? What are you planning to do, just the two of us at this hour?”
“You.”
Leo clicked his tongue.
“You still can’t properly control your Beastification ability, can you?”
“Huh?”
“Let me check. Just how well you’ve learned to handle it.”
***
“This seems to be the place.”
Late at night.
Sedjen clicked his tongue softly as he looked at the cabin before him.
A Lumerne professor standing next to Sedjen spoke to him.
“Professor Sedjen. Outsiders will never understand this.”
Looking at his junior professor’s worried question, Sedjen replied.
“The opinions of outsiders don’t matter. Only the Chairman’s permission is important.”
Having spoken calmly, Sedjen approached the cabin.
*Knock. Knock.*
“Riina. It’s Sedjen. Open the door.”
There was no response to Sedjen’s words.
Light was seeping out from the cabin window.
She wasn’t absent.
The Lumerne professor looked puzzled, and Sedjen clicked his tongue and opened the door.
*Creek-! Clatter- Rattle-rattle-rattle-*
The moment the door opened, an empty liquor bottle rolled out.
The foul stench of alcohol assaulted their noses.
Sedjen sighed deeply. In the middle of the living room, a woman was slumped over a log table, clutching a bottle.
“Riina. Wake up.”
“Sedjen?”
The woman called Riina was a young woman with beautiful features.
Silver hair and golden eyes.
But she was a contemporary of Sedjen.
“What do you want with me?”
Watching Riina, who was yawning languidly and reeking of alcohol, Sedjen took out a letter of appointment from his coat.
“Read this.”
Riina, her face still groggy from the alcohol, read the letter.
“Principal? Me?”
She let out a short laugh, then carefully folded the letter and put it back in the envelope.
“Look, Sedjen. I’m not a famous professor like you or Halind. I haven’t had my name recorded in a Hero Record, and I’m certainly not famous in the world.”
With a listless smile, Riina popped open a bottle of liquor—*pop*—and began to chug it down.
“The only thing I know how to do is slit the throats of traitors.”
Riina Flix.
She was a woman who had graduated from Lumerne in the same year as Sedjen and Halind.
But she had not chosen the bright path laid out for a hero candidate, but the darkness.
She was a hunter who had hunted traitors who threatened the world from the shadows—the Hero Hunters.
“That’s precisely why you’re needed.”
Sedjen smiled faintly.
“Right now, Lumerne needs a strong principal who can protect the students.”
At those words, Riina sighed and scratched her head vigorously.
“Fine. But I’m going to do things my way. The fact that you were willing to recommend me as principal means that’s okay, right?”
“Be my guest.”
Watching Sedjen’s faint smile, Riina narrowed her eyes.
‘I’ve felt this since the old days. Sometimes, this guy seems like more of a problem than Halind.’