Chapter 303
Chapter Title: Dweno's Legacy and a Promise
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303
“Waaaaaaaaah!”
“We won!”
“We’ve defeated the Giant King’s army!”
Atop the walls of Gardsrone, many embraced each other, reveling in their joy.
Watching them, Leo offered a faint smile as he gazed out at the city.
When he had rushed back from Leisar, the situation in Gardsrone had been desperate.
The hope they had barely managed to reclaim had been stolen away.
‘Still, the people overcame it.’
Lisinas had undoubtedly been the one to give them hope.
But it was thanks to these people, who took that hope and found the strength to rebuild the world, that it had all been possible.
Leo looked up at the sky.
The completion of the Hero Record.
He could see this world coming to an end.
*Step— Step—*
“Are you okay?”
Ar-on approached and asked.
“Worry about yourself.”
“You’re just as much of a mess as I am.”
Both Leo and Ar-on were in a sorry state.
Perhaps if Ar-on had been even a moment later in finishing off Gias…
Leo might have lost his life.
“Why didn’t you drop the Water Shield?”
At Ar-on’s question, Leo let out a smirk.
“Because I trusted you.”
Ar-on looked at Leo with a calm gaze.
Just then.
“That damned Giant King, he ended up getting away!”
Dweno appeared on the ramparts, letting out a furious sigh.
“Lord Dweno, are you alright?”
“Your wounds are severe.”
“I’m fine. Look after your own injuries.”
*Trudge— Trudge—*
Dweno, covered in wounds, walked over to Leo and Ar-on.
*Thud—*
Stopping in front of Leo, Dweno spoke.
“The Giant King… I let him get away.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll be the ones to take him down.”
“...I’m sorry to pass the burden to you.”
Dweno let out a long breath.
“Still, we can raise a toast to victory tonight.”
Dweno smiled warmly.
“Won’t you join us for a drink?”
Leo smiled wryly.
“Thanks for the offer, but… I think we have to go now.”
“What? Where could you possibly go in your condition?”
Ar-on was taken aback.
Leo pushed himself to his feet.
“Our role here is done.”
Feeling Dweno’s world begin to close, Leo turned his back.
There was so much he wanted to say.
Dweno and Ar-on, his friends and comrades who were more precious than anyone.
He wanted to share a drink with them.
But…
‘The time allotted ends here.’
Leo bit his lip hard.
He hadn’t been able to save his comrades.
For Leo, who could only watch them die…
He couldn’t bring himself to tell Dweno and Ar-on that he was Kyle.
‘They wouldn’t believe me anyway.’
*Tap— Tap—*
As Leo began to walk away, Dweno called out to his back.
“Why do you feel guilty for our deaths?”
*Halt—*
Leo stopped in his tracks.
His eyes wide, he turned around.
“What’s with that dumbfounded look? Did you really think I wouldn’t know?”
Dweno burst into hearty laughter.
“Dweno, so Leo is…”
“That’s right, Ar-on. He’s Kyle from the future.”
Ar-on stared at Leo, his eyes wide with shock.
Dweno crossed his arms.
“Even Ar-on had a faint suspicion, yet you thought you fooled us well. Now do you see why I called you a blockhead?”
“You damn old geezer.”
Leo managed a twisted smile.
Seeing the look on Leo’s face, as if he were about to cry, Dweno chuckled and stepped closer.
“I don’t know what will happen in the future. But Kyle.”
*Thump—!*
Dweno’s thick hand clapped Leo’s shoulder.
“We all followed Lisinas on this journey with our own resolve. Even if what awaited us was death.”
Dweno smiled.
“If the world was saved, we are prepared to gladly accept that future. So don’t feel guilty.”
Leo clenched his fists tightly.
*Crack—!*
The world began to fracture.
There was truly little time left.
“The future is in your hands.”
“I know.”
Satisfied with the answer, the dwarven warrior removed his hand from Leo’s shoulder.
Then he pushed Leo, as if to send him off.
“Now, go forward.”
“Yeah.”
*Trudge— Trudge—*
After Leo had taken a few steps…
The world finally faded away.
[Clear Reward: Dweno’s Legacy, Dweno’s Flame.]
***
When he opened his eyes, he saw a clear sky.
Everyone wore dazed smiles.
It was as if the colossal battle had never happened.
“Whoaaaaa?!”
Ar screamed in astonishment.
“Look at this! These are the greaves and gauntlets Lord Dweno made!”
Ar jumped up and down, looking at the beautiful greaves and gauntlets in his hands.
He wasn't the only one.
“A staff imbued with Katariu’s feather…?!”
Lunia stared, mesmerized, at the staff in her hand, a work of art.
“Erquint… it’s as good as new! And a shield, too!”
Eiran marveled at the restored Erquint and the new shield in her hands.
“I got an alchemy book.”
Karl stared in disbelief at Dweno’s alchemy book in his hands.
When he opened it, the pages were blank.
Confused at first, Karl’s eyes widened in surprise as text began to appear, reacting to his touch.
Finally, Driana gazed at the hammer in her hands.
‘I’ll say it again. Quit being an artist.’
Dweno had worn a stern expression as he handed her his hammer.
He had then gently patted the head of a flinching Driana.
‘You are a child with outstanding talent as a smith. So don’t get distracted. Focus on your path as a blacksmith. I am me, and you are you.’
Remembering the benevolent god-smith who had encouraged her when she was lost, Driana made a vow.
‘Lord Dweno. I will become a blacksmith and artist who won't bring shame to your name.’
Driana clutched the hammer tightly, adding a footnote that would have made Dweno snatch the hammer back and swing it wildly had he heard it.
The entire party had received gifts prepared by Dweno as their clear reward.
It was, quite literally, an unprecedented reward.
As they were items from the god-smith, Dweno, they were all Divine-grade artifacts.
But they were entirely new Divine artifacts, unrecorded in history.
They had returned to reality bearing this great legacy.
Everyone was still staring in disbelief when it happened.
“Where’s Leo?”
*Fwoosh—*
Leo stared with impassive eyes at the black flame before him.
The Giant King Gias was long gone.
But the thought-form of Erebos remained, burning with hatred for Leo.
“Stubborn as hell.”
“Lord Leo!”
Just then, the air tore open and Melina appeared.
“The Giant King Gias suddenly appeared, and a horde of Gigantes invaded Tarkam…”
Melina, who had warped immediately upon sensing Leo’s magic, froze when she saw the thought-form of Erebos.
Long ago.
When Melina had cleared the Hero Record of the Heroes of Genesis, she had fought against a fragment of Erebos.
She recognized it in an instant.
Seeing the killing intent flare in Melina’s eyes, Leo raised a hand to stop her.
“I’ll handle it.”
“Lord Leo?”
Melina wore a look of bewilderment.
*Step— Step—*
He approached the thought-form of Erebos.
He reached out a hand and spoke.
“Posteritas.”
*Flash—!*
With a flash of golden light, a half-melted longsword appeared.
Melina’s eyes widened in surprise.
The sword named ‘Beginning’ had returned to its original form, save for the blade that had been broken in half.
‘Did it react to Lord Leo’s flame and regain its old form? But that sword couldn’t be restored back then, could it?’
Dweno’s Flame, which Leo now possessed, had the power to momentarily restore any artifact Dweno had made to its former state.
The god-smith, Dweno, had often used this ability to make broken artifacts good as new.
But Leo had only been able to restore Dweno’s artifacts for a brief instant.
The Dweno’s Flame he’d possessed was nothing more than a tiny spark.
But now, things were different.
He had inherited the complete Dweno’s Flame as a clear reward.
‘Of course, even Dweno’s power can’t restore an item whose lifespan has completely ended.’
The sword Dweno had made for Leo.
Posteritas, too, had long since reached the end of its life as an artifact.
But Posteritas had returned at Leo’s call, summoned back to its former glory.
It was because it still had a job to do.
*Fwoooosh—!*
A golden flame enveloped Posteritas.
“I’m counting on you, and…”
Leo bid farewell to the sword that had been with him at his end.
“Thank you.”
*Vmmm! Vmmm!*
As if responding to Leo’s words…
Posteritas spewed forth a gray mana.
A remnant of the last vestiges of power Kyle had squeezed out.
*Stab—!*
Leo pierced the thought-form of Erebos with Posteritas.
*Crackle—!*
Cracks spread across Posteritas.
The fragment of the sword containing Erebos’s thought-form also began to crack.
*Guwooooooooaaaaar!*
The thought-form let out a final, desperate roar, spewing black flames.
*Shatter—!*
But in the next moment, Posteritas broke apart into fragments of light.
*Guooooooooooh!*
A mass of black flame appeared in the air.
The flame writhed in agony, then began to dissipate.
*Grab—!*
Just before the thought-form vanished, Leo grabbed it as if seizing it by the throat.
His eyes flashed as he spoke.
“What happened 5,000 years ago won’t be repeated this time.”
A deep killing intent flowed from Leo’s eyes.
“Get ready, because this time…”
Leo declared, biting off each word.
“I’m going to kill you.”
***
The black-haired woman stared with somber eyes at the city where reconstruction had begun.
So many had died.
‘They undoubtedly suffered a fatal blow, so in the end, it’s our victory. Still…’
The woman saw the gloomy despair reflected in the eyes of the people on the streets.
The city, which had been so full of hope just a short while ago, seemed to have lost it all over again.
‘…Can we do it?’
Her wise, shining black eyes wavered.
The woman, Lisinas, returned home, exhausted.
She went into her study, collapsed at her desk, and let out a deep sigh.
Then she noticed her journal lying on the desk and frowned in confusion.
‘Did I leave my journal out?’
As she opened the journal, Lisinas froze.
“…”
A familiar script was written in the journal, and the corners of Lisinas’s mouth curved into a gentle smile.
“When did he learn to cheer people up like this?”
Her gloomy mood lifted.
Resting her chin on her hand, Lisinas smiled softly, but her expression suddenly hardened.
‘Wait. How did that guy know this was my journal? No, when did he even come into my house?’
Lisinas’s shoulders trembled.
Her face flushed crimson.
‘He wrote this, which means he read my journal…’
“Lisinas, we’re done clearing the debris. Good thing that pervy old man knows a thing or two about civil engineering. Phew~ Manual labor is tough.”
“You just used magic. Ar-on, Dweno, and I were the ones who did the hard work. Why are you taking the credit?”
“Consuming mana is hard labor too!”
Luna glared at Kyle.
“Hey! Kyle!”
At that moment, Lisinas shot up from her seat, her face beet red.
“You! Y-y-y-you! When did you sneak into my house! And you rummaged through my things to secretly read my journal? Do you have a death wish!”
“What nonsense are you spouting? Am I crazy? Sneak into your house and rummage through your things? Besides, didn’t you say I could come in whenever I wanted? You even taught me how to open the door!”
“When did I…! The time I taught you how to open the door was… Ah! I don’t know! Anyway, I didn’t tell you to go through my study!”
“I’m telling you, I never went in!”
In the distant future, the elf who created the spell to save the world watched the childish fight between the wise dragon who led the world to salvation and the human who saved the world, and fell into deep thought.
‘…Why did Lisinas teach Kyle how to open the door?’