Chapter 343
Chapter Title: The Fairy King's Secret
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“You want me to try summoning the Fairy King again?”
“Yes.”
Leah’s eyes widened.
Summoning the Fairy King.
It was the long-cherished wish of the elves, a dream that had persisted for thousands of years.
In all of history, the last contractor of the Fairy King was a single person.
Luna.
Originally, the Fairy King was a mythical phantom beast that had formed covenants with the Elven Kings for generations.
But when the Age of Calamity began, the Elven King vanished.
The previous Fairy King, Grawin, lost his power in the battle against Tartaros, and the one who took over the duties of the Fairy King was the current one, Silroad.
And Silroad’s first and last contractor was none other than Luna.
Just as Lisinas had his partner, the Phoenix King, Flame Emperor Katariu, Luna had the heir to the Fairy King, Silroad.
Of the two, Katariu had lost his life.
Silroad, on the other hand, survived the final battle.
The last image Leo remembered of Silroad was one of deep despair and guilt over Luna’s death.
As he recalled the past, Leo’s eyes grew somber.
He looked down at the back of his hand.
During the entrance exam.
He had received the [Covenant of the Fairy King] as a reward for clearing it.
Through this covenant, he had formed a contract with Kiruan, who had been sealed by Silroad and banished from Fairy Land.
Although he had contracted with Kiruan, the fact remained that the master of the covenant was Silroad.
Until last year, Leo had lacked the spiritual power to summon Silroad.
But even after his vessel had grown and he had gained enough spiritual power to call upon the Fairy King, Leo had been unable to summon him.
‘It’s probably because this is a covenant I obtained through the Hero Record.’
Although he had acquired the Covenant of the Fairy King as a reward, Leo, as a summoner, was not compatible with the spiritual power of a phantom beast like a fairy.
‘The blood of the Jerdinger family flows through this body, making my spiritual power compatible with phoenixes… and my original mana attribute of ‘purity’ is compatible with pegasi… but not with fairies. Not in my past life, and not now.’
The only reason Leo had been able to form a contract with Kiruan was purely thanks to the reward from clearing Albi’s world.
Therefore, even with the Covenant of the Fairy King, Leo could not call Silroad.
This was because, although it was a covenant, Silroad himself was unaware of its existence.
‘But if someone else creates a pathway, the story changes.’
If Silroad himself became aware of the covenant's existence, summoning him would be possible from that moment on.
At Leo’s words, Leah spoke hesitantly.
“Senior Flove, it’s true that I heard Lord Silroad’s voice… but that was only possible because I borrowed the power of Cometes. With my current skills, there’s no way I can call the Fairy King again. Hearing his voice was just a coincidence, you know?”
“A coincidence?”
“Yes.”
Leah carefully explained what had happened at the time.
“When the first-year advanced class had a lesson in the Hall of Comets, I was given the qualification to hold Cometes.”
Leah smiled awkwardly.
“I wasn't even trying to summon the Fairy King originally. The instructor leading the class at the time suggested I try summoning a fairy. He was the one who drew the summoning circle, too. And then, I suddenly heard Lord Silroad’s voice.”
Watching Leah scratch her head shyly, Leo tilted his head.
“The rumor among the lower-class students was that you drew the summoning circle yourself.”
“That’s not possible.”
As Leah waved her hands in denial, Leo asked.
“Who was the instructor?”
“Acting Headmaster Lehagen.”
Leo stroked his chin.
‘This kid definitely has talent as a summoner.’
She was still an inexperienced first-year.
Even so, she possessed the skill and talent to be called promising.
She was a bit strange in some ways, but she was an excellent hero-in-training with a bright future.
Still, as a summoner, she was far from ready to summon the Fairy King.
Both her vessel and her knowledge were lacking.
“Cometes only activates its power when held by someone from the Tingel family, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Cometes, the staff Seirun had brought back as a reward for conquering the World of Heroes.
Only those from the Tingel family could fully utilize the power of the mighty magical staff, which held the mana of both Luna and Seirun.
‘She summoned the Fairy King as if it were all staged. Does he know something?’
Feeling a sense of suspicion, Leo said.
“Whatever the case, the fact that you heard the Fairy King’s voice means you have talent.”
Leo roused his spiritual power.
“I’ll take the place of Cometes.”
“Then.”
At Leo’s words, Leah took off her socks.
She took a deep breath and stepped onto the magic circle Leo had drawn.
Long ago, elves performed summoning rituals with fairies in lakes.
Now that tradition has faded, and the rituals are held freely anywhere.
But the act of baring one’s legs before entering the water had remained to this day.
“I’ll give it a try.”
Smiling awkwardly with a trembling voice, Leah cautiously reached her hand out to Leo.
Leo took her hand and unleashed his spiritual power.
*Woong.*
The summoning circle glowed.
A brilliant golden light burst forth, filling Leo’s entire dorm room.
Leah’s body swayed for a moment.
Summoning the Fairy King without the power of Cometes required an immense amount of mana.
It was only natural.
Officially, the Fairy King was the strongest phantom beast in existence in the current era.
Now that the lineages of the Phoenix King, the Flame Emperor, and the head of the pegasi, the Thunder King, had been severed.
The most powerful phantom beast was undoubtedly the Fairy King.
No matter how much Leo assisted her, Leah’s vessel, that of a mere first-year, could not handle the Fairy King.
In the first place, even activating the summoning circle should have been impossible.
However…
‘There are always workarounds.’
Leo looked down at the back of his hand, which was glowing with a golden light.
What Leo, who already possessed the Covenant of the Fairy King, needed was a pathway to reach Silroad.
And Leah just needed to serve as that pathway.
*Fwoosh-!*
The gate of the summoning circle opened.
The moment she saw it, Leah collapsed as if fainting from mana exhaustion.
*Thud-*
Leo caught Leah in his arms and looked at the gate.
-Is it you again, descendant of Seirun?
A familiar voice came through.
At the familiar voice, Leo felt a stir in his heart.
-Descendant of Seirun. You are not yet worthy.
Silroad, seeming to think it was Leah who had called him, spoke in a chiding tone.
-After you have grown your vessel more…
“Silroad.”
-…Who is that? How are you able to interfere in this conversation?
Hearing a voice meant a provisional contract was in place.
In other words, only the contractor could hear Silroad’s voice and speak to him.
So for a third party’s voice to be heard in this situation, even Silroad was surprised.
“It’s me, Kyle.”
-What did you say?
A moment later, the closed gate of the contract opened, and a fairy appeared.
The fairy, wreathed in golden magic, looked up at Leo with an expression of disbelief.
As his eyes met Leo’s, Silroad’s eyes trembled.
A completely different appearance.
But the look in Leo’s red eyes was identical to the Kyle that Silroad knew.
-You’re Kyle?
Silroad’s voice trembled.
Watching Silroad ask in disbelief, Leo extended his hand.
A pure white light burst from Leo’s palm.
Seeing it, Silroad’s hand shook.
This pure white light.
He knew it.
5,000 years ago.
The light left behind by his first and last contractor.
The one miracle that had defeated the calamity.
-Innocent…
Seeing the pure white light that proved the boy before him was Kyle, Silroad flew toward Leo.
Clinging to Leo’s white hair, Silroad sobbed.
-You promised! You promised that after you defeated Erebos! That Lisinas and Kyle, at least, would return! But why now… only now! Why… after 5,000 years…!
Watching Silroad cry his heart out, Leo managed a twisted smile.
“…Is it proper for a Fairy King who’s over 5,000 years old to cry so shamelessly?”
Even at Leo’s words, Silroad did not stop sobbing.
The fairy, whose endless wait had finally come to an end after 5,000 years, shed tears endlessly, just like the young fairy he had once been.
***
-Ahem! I see. I knew something was strange. So the much-rumored Leo Flove was you, Kyle.
Sitting before Leo, Silroad blew his nose with a tissue and nodded.
He seemed to have calmed down somewhat, regaining his composure despite his sniffles.
Leo rested his chin on his hand as he looked at Silroad.
-Why are you looking at me like that?
“There are people who know my identity, but you’re the only one in this era who can share the events of 5,000 years ago with me. I find that fascinating.”
-Could it be more fascinating than this? You, who died 5,000 years ago, have returned.
Silroad let out a hollow laugh.
His way of speaking was exactly the same as it had been 5,000 years ago.
Watching him, Leo burst into laughter.
“Have you heard my story?”
-Yes, tales of Leo Flove have even reached Fairy Land. At first, I thought they were surely exaggerated… but if it’s you, it makes sense.
Silroad smiled faintly.
-Luna coming out of the Hero Record was because of you, wasn’t it?
“That’s right.”
-…I’ve always missed Luna… but seeing you makes me miss her even more.
Silroad’s expression turned bitter as he thought of his contractor who had passed away long ago.
“I have a question. You haven’t had a single contractor for the past 5,000 years, have you?”
-Officially, yes.
“So you’re saying you had one, unofficially.”
At Leo’s words, Silroad glanced at Leah.
-Yes. Just as you guessed, Kyle. The Comet Mage, Seirun, was my second contractor.
At that, Leo tilted his head.
“Then why did you hide that fact?”
-It was a decision made after discussing it with Seirun. We destroyed all the catalysts used in the summoning ritual as well. Except for Cometes.
“Why?”
-If it were officially revealed that I had a contractor, countless summoners would try to form a contract with me.
In the current era, the Fairy King was revered as a phantom of phantoms, nearly impossible to contract with.
There were no catalysts in this world to summon the Fairy King.
According to Silroad, he had intentionally not taken a contractor.
“What’s the reason for not making a contract? Your power would have been essential to the Heroes of the New Age 3,000 years ago. Why didn’t you lend them your strength?”
As one who had experienced the Age of Calamity.
Silroad feared and hated Erebos more than anyone.
That was why, if he had made a contract with Seirun, he would have lent his power to the Heroes of the New Age.
But Silroad did not leave Fairy Land, not even during the Second Coming of Calamity 3,000 years ago.
At Leo’s question, Silroad answered in a heavy voice.
-It wasn't that I didn't lend my power, but that I couldn't.
At that answer, Leo’s expression hardened.
“…Don’t tell me, the reason you moved Fairy Land was?”
After the Age of Calamity ended.
The northern land where Fairy Land was originally located had turned into a land of extreme cold.
Fairies dislike the cold.
But that level of cold was not reason enough to abandon the homeland they had lived in for eons.
Moreover, fairies were phantom beasts that wielded powerful magic.
They had the ability to maintain Fairy Land as a warm, verdant forest if they so wished.
And yet, Silroad abandoned Fairy Land without a second thought.
At Leo’s words, Silroad’s expression became grim.
-It’s just as you suspect, Kyle. The reason I don’t take a contractor is that I cannot leave Fairy Land for long periods.
“Could it be…”
-Yes. Just as you thought.
Leo covered his face with his hands.
5,000 years ago.
In the final battle, Kyle had sealed the primordial evil by splitting it into six pieces.
The first of those pieces was resurrected 3,000 years ago during the Second Coming of Calamity, and the Heroes of the New Age stopped it.
And the second piece was…
“It’s in Fairy Land, then.”