Chapter 243
Chapter Title: The Labyrinth of Darkness
-----------------------------------------------------------------
243
After Leo left the annex.
Jane, with a flustered look, tried to stop him.
“W-Wait a moment, Sir Leo. If you wander around carelessly…”
“I believe I told you to call me senior?”
“That’s not what’s important right now!”
Jane blocked Leo’s path.
“This is the Shan Imperial Palace. No matter if you are… I mean, even if you’re the student council president of Lumerne, senior, wandering around without permission could cause a huge problem.”
“That might be true.”
Leo stopped walking and nodded.
Seeing this, Jane sighed in relief, thinking he had given up.
“But just backing down like this doesn’t sit right with me.”
Leo walked past Jane and across the annex’s garden.
“You say something too!”
Jane said, looking urgently at Fritz.
At that, Fritz adjusted his glasses and spoke.
“I can’t possibly stop the senior from doing what he intends to do.”
Fritz followed behind Leo.
“Of course, finding Senior Chen Xia in this darkness will be impossible.”
The Shan Imperial Palace was dark, despite being the heart of the empire.
It wasn't that there were no lights, but everywhere except for necessary areas was shrouded in darkness.
A characteristic of the Shan Empire, called the Shadow Empire.
As the guardians of the dark, the Shadows wield their greatest power within the darkness.
As such, their ability to hide their bodies in the dark was also exceptional.
Hearing Fritz's words, Jane sighed.
“Of course it is. So shouldn’t you be trying harder to stop him from wasting his energy on something pointless?”
Hearing their conversation, Leo stopped walking.
“It seems you both think I can’t find Chen Xia?”
Fritz took a step forward and bowed his head respectfully.
“I apologize if you were offended. However, Heroes and Shadows live in completely different worlds.”
Jane, with her arms crossed, pouted.
“It’s not because you lack ability, senior. Shadows are beings who live in the dark. It’s not easy to find a Shadow in the darkness. And if it’s Lady Xia, it’s impossible. Even other Shadows have a hard time finding her.”
At their words, Leo let out a soft sigh.
Back in his days as Kyle.
When Leo had executed the traitors, it was mostly during the dark of night.
The nights during the Age of Calamity were far deeper and more dangerous than now.
A time when moving at night was extremely difficult in itself.
‘That’s why it was the perfect time to execute the traitors.’
The foolish traitors, thinking the night was on their side, had let their guard down.
‘Has that method been passed down to this day?’
“Are you saying you’re accustomed to the dark?”
“It’s not so much that we’re accustomed to it… The darkness is on the side of the Shadows.”
Jane, arms still crossed, pouted her lips.
“Is that so?”
Leo smirked and stepped forward into the darkness.
“Then it should be surprisingly easy to find her.”
During the Age of Calamity, when he executed the traitors.
The darkness was not Leo’s ally, but his enemy.
The curses and traps unleashed by all sorts of traitors and Tartaros only grew more powerful in the dark.
Leo had navigated a darkness incomparable to the present.
Fritz and Jane glanced at each other, then followed Leo.
*Step— Step—*
Leo approached one of the many entrances to the imperial palace.
An entrance where only pitch-black darkness could be seen.
It was an entrance one would instinctively feel hesitant to approach, but Leo paid it no mind and walked toward it.
*Swoosh—*
Just then, a Shadow materialized before Leo.
Seeing this, Leo asked.
“Am I not allowed to enter?”
“There were no orders from His Majesty to prevent your entry, however.”
“However?”
“His Majesty’s command was to trap you in the darkness if you attempt to find the Princess.”
At those words, Jane’s shoulders flinched.
“Trap him in the darkness? That’s a trial!”
Fritz’s eyes narrowed as well.
“A trial?”
“It is an ordeal for a Shadow Aspirant to be acknowledged as a Shadow.”
“Oh?”
Leo let out a sound of admiration.
“This sounds interesting.”
Jane and Fritz flinched, staring at Leo.
“It could be dangerous, Senior Leo. This is completely different from anything you’ve learned at Lumerne…”
Ignoring Fritz’s attempt to dissuade him, Leo stepped into the darkness.
Fritz and Jane, flustered, followed him.
*Thud— Thud—*
The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the silent corridor.
*Thud— Thud— Thu-ud— Thuu—ud—*
But soon, even the sound was swallowed by the darkness.
‘Magic?’
In the darkness where he couldn't see an inch ahead, Leo stirred his mana.
‘Light.’
But no light emerged.
The spell had definitely activated.
It was just swallowed by the darkness before it could emit any light.
‘I see.’
Leo stared straight into the darkness before him.
‘Perfect darkness.’
It was a single, massive labyrinth.
The darkness stole away sight, senses, and hearing.
One could never escape unless they became one with the darkness and revived their senses.
‘So this is why they said the darkness is on their side. Anyone else would have had a tough time, wouldn't they?’
The abyss-like darkness brought forth fear.
But Leo moved his feet without hesitation.
Inside the labyrinth of darkness.
Despite being deprived of all his senses, Leo’s steps were unhindered.
*Whoosh—!*
Leo’s sharp senses spread throughout the entire darkness.
He quickly began to dominate the darkness.
He could clearly feel the exit of the labyrinth.
*Thud— Thud—*
“No way…!”
When he emerged from the darkness, he was in a palace corridor.
The Shadow who had stood before Leo moments ago wore a look of utter astonishment.
“How…!”
The time it took for Leo to break through the darkness was just over ten seconds.
‘I thought I got out immediately, but it took longer than I expected.’
He thought he had escaped the moment he recognized the labyrinth, but it had taken some time.
‘My senses have dulled quite a bit.’
Clenching and unclenching his fist, Leo turned around and asked.
The Shadow was still in shock.
Fritz and Jane emerged from the darkness at the same time.
And upon spotting Leo, their eyes widened.
“You didn’t enter the labyrinth of darkness?”
“I went in and came out.”
“N-No way!”
The two stared at Leo, who had broken through the darkness much faster than them, with looks of astonishment.
“I doubt this is the end of the trial.”
Leo grinned.
“What do I have to do now?”
***
‘Just what are the limits of this person?’
Fritz thought as he followed Leo.
Jane was also trailing behind Leo with a look of disbelief.
Fritz was a Shadow of Lumerne.
To be precise, he was a Shadow Aspirant of the Jer-on family.
Originally, he was the Shadow meant to serve Elena, the heir of Jer-on.
As he grew as a Shadow, there was only one thing he wanted.
To become the Shadow of a perfect hero.
And Elena was the person closest to the perfect hero Fritz had envisioned.
But last year.
His thoughts changed after seeing Leo.
The Chedmurderous incident.
The Gigantes subjugation.
The conquest of the Progenitor of the Nebula's World of Heroes.
And becoming the youngest student council president.
It was the appearance of the perfect hero aspirant he had dreamed of.
Fritz, who had immediately become a devotee of Leo, went straight to Elena.
He told her he wanted to become Leo Flove’s Shadow.
The noble Queen of Lumerne, surprised at first, burst into laughter at Fritz’s words.
‘I knew you’d say something like that.’
Although he was a Shadow raised by the Jer-on family, Elena willingly let Fritz go.
He was surprised at first, but soon considered it an opportunity.
And then, the newly appointed headmaster of Lumerne, a former Shadow.
At Riina's suggestion, he was given the chance to take the entrance exam, which he passed.
He thought he had gotten closer to Leo that way, and he had actually met him.
He was an even more perfect image of a hero than he had imagined.
But now.
Watching him move in the darkness, it was impossible to think of him as a hero aspirant.
‘Like one of us Shadow Aspirants… no.’
A cold sweat ran down Fritz’s back.
‘He is a perfect Shadow himself.’
What in the world was he?
The movements of a person closer to a perfect hero than anyone else were closer to that of a perfect Shadow than anyone else.
A hero who lives in the light and a Shadow who lives in the dark cannot coexist.
That’s what he had always thought…
‘How can a person like this exist?’
Fritz stared at Leo’s back with a face of disbelief.
Jane felt the same way.
The darkness that unfolded before them continuously blocked Leo’s path.
Shadows even pointed their blades at Leo from within the darkness to test his strength.
However…
*Whoosh—!*
“Keuk?”
The Shan Shadow, subdued in the darkness, glared up at Leo with wide eyes.
And seeing Leo’s eyes shining in the dark, he felt a chill run down his spine.
‘There’s no escaping those eyes.’
What if this hero aspirant in front of him were to hunt him?
‘In the darkness, I would be helpless!’
The Shadow couldn’t understand.
How could a hero aspirant move better in the dark than a Shadow?
As he subdued the seventh Shadow, Leo muttered.
“There’s no end to this.”
Not all Shadows are as powerful as heroes.
Just as only a few heroes can have their names recorded in the Hero Record.
Only a few Shadows possess power close to that of a hero.
But that didn’t mean the Shadows blocking Leo’s path were weak.
“I don’t know how you can move like a Shadow, senior, but as long as you’re trapped in the darkness, you won’t be able to find Lady Chen Xia.”
At Jane’s words, Leo wore an indifferent expression.
“If you two weren’t here, I think I could find her quickly.”
“What did you say? Are you saying we’re in the way?”
“To be honest, yes.”
“What!”
Jane flared up at Fritz’s words.
“Admit it, El Jane. Senior Leo’s skills, even as a Shadow, far surpass our own.”
Jane gritted her teeth.
“That’s… strange.”
Jane clenched her fists tightly.
“A hero is a hero… a Shadow is a Shadow… they live in different worlds. That’s why Lady Xia gave up on her dream.”
But right before her eyes was a being who denied that fact.
As a hero and as a Shadow.
An extraordinary being who far surpassed them.
If they were to acknowledge such a being, what would become of them, who had lived their lives as Shadows?
What would become of Chen Xia, who had given up her dream of being a hero?
As Jane hung her head low, Leo spoke.
“I’ve heard that spiel ad nauseam from the headmaster and the emperor.”
Leo turned his gaze into the darkness.
“But from what I can see, heroes and Shadows are the same. Just like two sides of the same coin.”
Fritz and Jane looked at Leo.
“Anyone who tries to protect the world is a hero. So, from my perspective, you two are hero aspirants as well.”
“…!”
Fritz’s and Jane’s eyes widened.
They had never thought of it that way.
“Then… then…”
Fritz’s body trembled.
“The reason you told us to call you senior… was it because you acknowledge us as hero aspirants?”
“What have you been listening to all this time?”
“Ah! How can such a great being exist?! To sincerely acknowledge even Shadows as hero aspirants!”
Fritz shouted with a face full of emotion.
He then took a notebook from his pocket and started writing something.
“What on earth is that?”
Jane narrowed her eyes and checked the contents of Fritz’s notebook.
“I’ve recorded Senior Leo’s deeds. Especially since he just uttered such great words, it’s only natural to record them, wouldn't you say?”
“Record?”
“Would you like to see?”
Fritz, his expression turning blank, handed the notebook to Jane.
As she took it and read, Jane’s face twisted strangely.
[The great Senior Leo said that even Shadows can become heroes. Ah, how can such a great person exist? His capacity is something I cannot even begin to fathom.]
*Flip—*
[I saw Sir Leo for the first time today. Sir Leo has hair as white as snow and red eyes that seem ready to burst into flames at any moment…]
[During the dispute with the arrogant Shan Shadow, Sir Leo grabbed my wrist. I must not wash this wrist for a while.]
[Sir Leo…]
[Sir Leo…]
“Are you a pervert?”
Jane looked at Fritz with a repulsed expression, seeing how he recorded every situation and every single one of Leo’s actions with an almost fanatical obsession.
“What’s it say?”
Leo also took a look at the contents of Fritz’s notebook.
*Fwoosh—*
And without hesitation, he burned it with his flame aura.
“Aah!”
Fritz fell to his knees before the pile of ashes, a look of despair on his face.
‘What a strange fellow.’
“Is that why you’re trying to go get Lady Xia? Because you think of her as a hero aspirant?”
“That’s part of it. But isn’t it arrogant? A little thing like her, talking about dipping her feet in darkness, saying she can’t become a hero. How can she give up without even trying?”
Leo smirked.
“I want to show her. That the one who doesn’t give up is the one who can become a hero.”
“...You sound just like Sir Kyle, who the Progenitor of the Nebula mentioned when she appeared at Seirun last winter.”
When everyone else had given up, Kyle was the one who never did.
That’s what the Progenitor of the Nebula had said at the time.
“He did say that.”
With a smirk, Leo vanished into the darkness.
Watching his back, Jane took a deep breath and kicked the butt of Fritz, who was still on the floor in despair.
“How long are you going to be like that? You should be helping the senior you admire so much!”
At her words, Fritz stood up and adjusted his glasses.
“You don’t have to tell me.”
The two Lumerne students’ eyes gleamed in the darkness.
“We will eliminate anyone who gets in the senior’s way as much as possible.”
“We have to eliminate anyone who gets in the senior’s way as much as possible.”
The two glared at each other.
“Stop copying me.”
“Stop copying me.”
***
Leo, having broken through the darkness, found Chen Xia in an instant.
And he said.
“I came to get you.”
Leo spoke to his friend who had turned her back on him.
*Swoosh—*
But Chen Xia immediately vanished into the darkness.
Seeing this, Leo’s eyes twitched.
For a moment, he had lost her presence.
All that remained was the Shadow standing next to where Chen Xia had been.
The Shadow approached to block Leo.
In that moment, the Shadow’s eyes shot open.
“No!”
It was because Leo, too, had vanished into the darkness.
The Shadow, who had served the Shan family for a long time, knew what it was.
‘Shadow Stepping?’
A technique passed down only to the Shan imperial family.
And Leo, who had no connection to Shan whatsoever, had used it.
It was also the reason why the emperors of Shan were called the Kings of Shadows.
‘Impossible!’
While the Shadow was frozen in astonishment.
Leo, pursuing Chen Xia through the darkness, narrowed his eyes.
‘The Shan royalty are definitely descendants of Bihar.’
Though the form had changed significantly, the technique of hiding one's presence and moving through the darkness was clearly what Leo had taught Bihar.
‘Well, Ar-on created the basic framework, and I just modified it.’
Finding Chen Xia, who was determined to hide in the darkness, was a difficult task even for the current Leo.
‘She’s more familiar with the darkness than I am.’
Chen Xia was exceptionally specialized in assimilating with the darkness.
‘Finding her is going to be a bit of a pain.’
He now understood why Shau had been so confident.
But soon, Leo smiled.
‘If she has assimilated with the darkness, then I just have to suppress the darkness itself.’
Leo’s senses rapidly seeped into the darkness.
Just as the darkness began to quickly fall under Leo’s senses.
*Swish—!*
He felt a faint killing intent.
In that instant, Leo tilted his head back.
*Whoosh—!*
“Oh?”
Leo stopped walking.
The man who had swung the sword was looking at Leo, letting out a sound of admiration.
He was in his late teens.
But he had a strong, mature image about him.
With black hair and black eyes, similar in height to Leo, he looked at Leo with interest.
“I’ve seen that face before.”
The man’s eyes gleamed.
“You’re Leo Flove, right? The Lumerne student called the greatest hero aspirant.”
Leo wiped the blood flowing down his cheek and narrowed his eyes.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Chen Xian.”
Xian, smiling gently in a way that reminded him of someone, introduced himself.
“I’m the man who will one day become a great Great Hero.”