Chapter 292
Chapter Title: A Legacy of Jewels and Flames
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292
Lisinas, the King of Wisdom.
Leader of the Great Heroes.
The wise dragon who guided the world down the path of salvation with her foresight.
The one who selected and united the heroes.
Adorned with countless titles, Lisinas was the most revered Great Hero, regardless of race.
Her existence was that special.
But beyond all else, there was one thing about her that was most special.
'The beginning of everything.'
Everyone in the world had given up and accepted its impending doom.
It was a time when all anyone could do was pray for one more day to survive.
A world even the gods had forsaken.
Yet, she never doubted the world's salvation and drew up a grand design.
Even when mocked as a fool, she silently took one step forward at a time.
In this way, she gathered the Great Heroes, created hope, and gifted it to the world.
That is why, among all the Great Heroes, everyone considered Lisinas to be special.
She was, in every sense, the symbol of salvation.
Leo reached for the door of Lisinas’s mansion.
*Thump—creak—!*
The door opened with the sound of old hinges.
As Leo stepped inside, the familiar scenery of Lisinas's mansion appeared once more.
He had opened the door and entered, only to find himself back where he started.
The uninvited cannot enter Lisinas’s mansion.
That rule applied even to the Great Heroes.
There was only one way in.
To break the illusion magic Lisinas had created.
But with Leo’s current mana, dispelling the magic was impossible.
Nevertheless, Leo opened the door once again to enter Lisinas’s mansion.
Leo knew.
He knew how to undo the illusion magic guarding the mansion.
Lisinas had taught the dispelling formula to Kyle, and only Kyle.
'Why did she only tell me, and not Luna, who was like her best friend?'
A long-held question resurfaced, and Leo paused his steps.
The memory of Lisinas’s gaze, which sometimes held blatant disdain, flashed through his mind.
Naturally, the way Dweno would look at him with sincere pity also came to mind.
Lisinas’s mansion, a place no one could enter without her permission.
It meant that he could have entered whenever he pleased.
'No. She said she'd kill me if I entered without permission.'
Recalling the image of his incomparably ferocious friend, Leo opened the mansion door again.
As the magic activated, he immediately used the dispelling formula.
*Vwoom—!*
*Creak—thud—!*
The door closed, and the interior of the mansion was revealed.
'It's been a while since I've been here, too.'
Leo gazed for a moment at the calm atmosphere inside Lisinas's home before starting to walk.
His destination was set.
'Lisinas's study.'
The treasure trove of knowledge belonging to the King of Wisdom.
A space that, 5,000 years in the distant future, would be passed down through generations of Dragon Lords, eventually reaching Melina.
Of course, the true scale of Lisinas’s study was far grander than this small mansion.
But the study itself was a space created by Lisinas.
With familiar steps, Leo walked through the mansion and reached the library.
*Click—!*
The door opened, revealing the space of the study.
*Thud.*
Leo closed the door.
This study didn't just contain the literature and data Lisinas had collected.
'Lisinas kept one of the Spirit Jewels here.'
The Spirit Jewels.
They were a kind of emblem held by the Great Spirits, who could be called the kings of the spirits of each element.
Among them, the Jewel of Light and the Jewel of Dark no longer existed in this world.
The Jewel of Dark was destroyed during the Age of Calamity.
The Jewel of Light had been sealed away along with luminous—the Great Spirit of Light who had faced extinction long ago when Kyle and Lisinas defeated the Legion Commander, Jormungandr, the King of Voracity. Kyle eventually obtained it.
However, the jewels of the other Great Spirits had been passed down to this day.
The jewels themselves held no special power.
But their historical value and symbolism were immensely important.
And during the Age of Calamity.
The owner of those jewels was not a Great Spirit, but Lisinas.
'To be precise, the Great Spirits entrusted them to Lisinas.'
During the Age of Calamity.
The Great Spirits had given the jewels to Lisinas as a token of their contract.
And Lisinas had sealed the Great Spirits within those jewels.
Of course, they weren't imprisoned, but rather made to dwell within the jewels.
Sealing the Great Spirits in the jewels came with significant risks.
First, the Great Spirits' range of activity was drastically reduced.
Their sphere of influence was limited to Gardsrone at best.
Second, even Lisinas, the contractor, couldn't use the Great Spirits' power without the jewels.
Finally, no one other than Lisinas could form a contract with the Great Spirits.
Literally, no matter how talented a spirit user was in this age, contracting with a Great Spirit was impossible.
The reason for sealing the Great Spirits in the jewels, despite these risks, was none other than to protect Gardsrone.
In the Age of Calamity.
Gardsrone, as the world's last bastion, had taken in many people.
Though Reysar was called a city of refugees, Gardsrone’s population was far larger.
And to sustain Gardsrone, it needed light, water, fertile land, and clean air.
'The Spirit Lake, where Karl, Ar, and Eiran went. The Realm of Fire, where Lunia and Driana went. All are key to sustaining Gardsrone.'
And at the heart of each of these places was a Spirit Jewel.
Jewels that only Lisinas could handle.
'And these jewels are the key to conquering this World of Heroes.'
The Spirit Jewels were the embodiment of Lisinas's spiritual power and the might of the Great Spirits themselves.
If he could use them, he could wield Lisinas's power.
Of course, since no one but Lisinas could ever use them, they were, in a sense, her exclusive weapons.
But…
'I have inherited Lisinas's power.'
Although the power itself had long since vanished.
The proof of the pact Lisinas had made still existed within Leo.
'If I can summon Katariu… it means I can also use the Spirit Jewels.'
*Thud.*
Leo stopped walking.
In the center of the study.
A round, light silver gem the size of a thumbnail was carefully stored there.
'The Jewel of Wind.'
The jewel in which Celesta, the Great Spirit of Wind, was sealed.
Leo approached the jewel and reached out his hand.
*Vwoom—!*
The jewel reacted to Leo's touch.
But the slumbering Celesta did not awaken.
'Three more to go.'
Leo tucked the jewel away.
'The Giant King's invasion is in one week.'
Leo took a deep breath, checking his past memories against the current timeline.
'I got the Jewel of Wind easily, but the others won't be the same.'
The Spirit Lake, the Realm of Fire.
And the Temple of Earth were all heavily guarded.
Breaking through their defenses to retrieve the jewels would not be easy for the current Leo.
'Still, I have to do it.'
As he was leaving the study, Leo stopped in his tracks.
He had spotted a desk not far from the entrance.
Approaching the desk, Leo reached for a familiar book.
'Lisinas's journal.'
Leo gazed at the journal for a moment, then burst out laughing.
***
Lunia, Driana, and Karl looked around with extremely tense eyes.
The room was filled with all sorts of weapons.
'This is the workshop of the God's Blacksmith… Lord Dweno.'
'Does this mean all of these are divine artifacts?'
The thought made them swallow nervously.
The three calmed their trembling bodies and watched Dweno, who was sitting at a table drawing something.
“Um… Lord Dweno.”
Lunia spoke cautiously.
Dweno paused his hand and looked at Lunia.
“Why do you call?”
“Um… you said you had something to teach us…”
“Indeed. I have something to teach you all.”
Dweno stopped what he was doing.
Watching him, Driana asked with a curious voice.
“What are you drawing?”
Lunia and Karl stared at Driana as if she had lost her mind.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Driana narrowed her brows.
“Hey, can you just pick one way of speaking? It's really hard to adjust when you switch from that solemn tone to a cute girl's voice all of a sudden.”
At Karl’s question, Driana crossed her arms.
“This manner of speech is a sign of my respect for Lord Dweno. Therefore, I absolutely cannot change it!”
“What's the point of mimicking the stuffy speech of an old dwarf? Just talk like you normally do.”
“Yes! I will!”
“She really has no backbone.”
“Tell me about it.”
Seeing Driana instantly switch back to her usual way of speaking, Lunia shook her head, and Karl agreed with her.
Dweno chuckled at the sight.
“As for what I'm drawing, I'm designing the appearance of a weapon I'm going to make.”
*Flutter—*
Dweno held up the paper and said.
“Would you like to see?”
At Dweno's question, the three of them hurried over to his desk, their eyes shining.
“Wow—it's beautiful.”
“This is a complete work of art, isn't it?”
“You’re amazing, Lord Dweno!”
Dweno chuckled as he listened to their admiration.
“Beauty is akin to the truth of this world.”
“That’s right! I believe art is the driving force that sustains this world.”
“Oh, you're a dwarf who knows a thing or two.”
Dweno nodded, looking satisfied.
“On that note.”
Dweno glanced at Lunia.
“Lunia, was it? I have a request for you.”
“Yes? For me? What is it?”
Lunia’s expression grew tense.
“You are a very beautiful elf. As beautiful as Luna, I'd say.”
“What? How could someone like me possibly compare to Lady Luna? Oh, my.”
Lunia blushed, not knowing what to do.
Even so, hearing a Great Hero like Dweno personally say she was as beautiful as Luna made a smile bloom on her face.
“Her personality seems completely different from Lady Luna’s, though.”
“What did you just say?”
“I'm just saying, you don't have to become a delinquent just because you quit being a model student! Why are you so extreme!”
Karl screamed as Lunia grabbed him by the collar and raised a fist.
Dweno laughed heartily at the scene.
“It's good to see such liveliness.”
Dweno, still smiling cheerfully, looked at Lunia.
“Anyway, the request I have for you is this.”
Lunia’s expression tensed again.
“Would you be willing to be a model for my work?”
“A model for your work?”
Lunia smiled shyly.
“It would be an honor if you’d have me…”
“By having you as a nude model, I intend to pass your beauty down to posterity.”
At the added words, Lunia's face turned beet red.
“A n-nude model?”
As Lunia hugged herself in alarm, Driana spoke up.
“Should I strip her?”
“Strip her? What are you talking about, you pervert!”
Lunia’s eyes widened as she smacked Driana on the back of the head.
Karl laughed playfully.
“I'm for it.”
“What did you say?”
“A slip of the tongue. I'm against it.”
Seeing Lunia's eyes turn so murderous it made his skin crawl, Karl quickly corrected himself.
“Well, I can't force you if you don't want to.”
Dweno clicked his tongue slightly in disappointment.
Lunia breathed a sigh of relief at his words.
“Then let’s get to the main point.”
Dweno’s expression turned serious.
“Karl. To you, I will pass on my alchemy.”
“What?”
Karl looked utterly surprised.
“Driana. To you, I will teach the art of crafting weapons.”
Driana wore a bewildered expression.
“And Lunia, to you…”
*Bang—!*
“What is it, you perverted dwarf? If you're spouting more rude nonsense about nude models, I'll really burn you to a crisp this time.”
A woman with white hair and flamboyant clothes entered.
'A phoenix…?'
Lunia, whose family had contracted with phoenixes for generations, instantly saw through the identity of the being before her.
And she felt a tremor.
'The royal bloodline…!'
“Hmph? An elf who wields the flames of a phoenix. Interesting.”
Katariu looked at Lunia with amusement.
Seeing this, Dweno said.
“I will teach you the essence of flames.”