Chapter 458
Chapter Title: Recruitment War
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It was an evening ten days after the fragment of Erebos was destroyed that guests arrived at the Flove family mansion.
“Eat up, everyone. I put in a little extra effort today.”
Reina served dinner to her son's friends with a warm, beaming smile.
“Wow! Thank you!”
“This looks so delicious!”
Chelsea and Eiran cheered at the feast spread before them.
“Your cooking is amazing, Aunt.”
Celia said in admiration.
At Celia's praise, Reina covered her mouth and laughed. “Hohoho!”
Watching this, Karl muttered.
“I know, right? Most of the people here are hopeless at it.”
The girls’ eyes flashed menacingly.
Karl quickly hid behind Leo.
“Mother, you only made the soup. The chef made everything else.”
“And making soup is very hard work.”
Reina said shamelessly.
And so, a boisterous atmosphere unfolded.
Even though the training retreat had ended, quite a few students were spending their vacation at the Flove estate.
Seemingly enjoying the lively atmosphere, Reina treated her son's friends with great kindness.
“Shall we continue our earlier conversation?”
Abad, sitting next to Chelsea, paused his meal, took a sip of water, and continued.
“About the state of the world following the destruction of the Erebos fragment.”
As Abad broached the subject, a girl named Iliana poked at her salad with a fork and said.
“Won't Tartaros's forces shrink while ours flourish?”
“The whole world is certainly in a festive mood right now.”
Dade also nodded in agreement with Iliana's words.
At that, Celia shook her head.
“I have a slightly different opinion.”
“What do you think?”
“Tartaros might launch a massive attack.”
Celia said with a serious expression.
“From Tartaros's perspective, a fragment of Erebos has been destroyed again, just like 3000 years ago. For them, it's a catastrophic blow.”
“I see. So you're saying we don't know what they'll do now that they're on the defensive?”
Chloe nodded as if in understanding.
Listening to the conversation, Leo was lost in thought.
‘Hell Kaiser won't just charge in recklessly because one fragment of Erebos was destroyed.’
As Celia said, it was true that Tartaros had suffered a catastrophic blow.
But even so, given Hell Kaiser's personality, with the Demon Queen defeated and the Giant King unable to move...
...the chances of him making a rash move now that the balance of power was broken were low.
‘Of course, that doesn't mean he'll just sit back and do nothing.’
Leo let out a deep sigh.
‘Whatever happens, he will make a move.’
Meanwhile, Reina listened to the students' discussion with a gentle smile.
‘How admirable. While everyone else is in a festive mood, they're having such a serious discussion about the future of the world.’
It was just what she'd expect from hero candidates.
“Leo, what do you think?”
Lunia, who had been part of the conversation, asked for Leo's opinion.
“I think…”
Just as Leo was about to speak.
The dining room door opened, and a maid approached Reina, speaking softly to her.
At her words, Reina's eyes widened, and she stood up from her seat.
A moment later, there was a slight commotion outside the dining room.
As all the dining students’ eyes widened in surprise.
The door opened, and several people entered.
Celia's and Chelsea's eyes grew wide.
“Uncle Jis?”
“Lord Rosés, what are you doing here?”
Jis Jerdinger and Rosés Llewellyn had come to visit the Flove family.
Seeing their reactions, the other students also looked surprised.
Jis Jerdinger and Rosés Llewellyn.
Both were graduates of Lumerne.
Furthermore, they were renowned figures of great skill in the Rodren Empire.
Although their names weren't in the Hero Record, they possessed skills equal to that of heroes, and their status and prestige within the Rodren Empire were no less than that of heroes.
It was only natural to be surprised by the sudden appearance of such influential figures.
“I heard there was a major incident. To have overcome such an ordeal... You've done well.”
Jis approached his nephew Leo and Celia, patting them on the shoulder.
“What brings you here?”
“We came to deliver a personal letter from His Majesty.”
“The Emperor?”
Celia, Chelsea, and Abad looked astonished.
The apex of power in the western continent.
A personal letter from the Emperor of Rodren?
“Sir Rosés.”
At Jis's words, Rosés nodded and stepped before Leo.
“Leo Flove of House Jerdinger, receive this letter from the Emperor.”
At those words, Leo stood before Rosés with a puzzled expression.
Just as the solemn-faced Rosés was about to pull a luxurious box containing the letter from a subspace...
...another commotion erupted outside.
“What in the world is going on?”
Karl poked his head out the door with a curious look.
“Gasp!”
And let out a startled cry.
“What's wrong?”
Chloe asked with a puzzled face, and Karl replied.
“The living room is filled with all sorts of races!”
“What?”
“And they're all big shots!”
Karl was right.
Outside the dining room, a crowd of influential figures, the kind whose faces appeared in world newspapers, had gathered.
“I have a pretty good idea of what's going on.”
Reina narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms.
As a graduate of Lumerne, Reina quickly grasped the situation.
“What is it, Aunt?”
“The people visiting our family right now are all members of Hero Guilds.”
“What? Why would Hero Guilds come to the Flove family?”
“To recruit Leo, of course.”
At her words, everyone's eyes widened.
***
“Those Hero Guild folks. What the hell is their game?”
Riina spoke in an irritated voice in her office at Lumerne.
Hero Guilds.
Organizations comprised of those who walk the path of a hero, led by the heroes whose names are in the Hero Record.
Many Hero Guilds exist throughout the world.
And their affiliations are just as varied.
Some are founded and led by nations to support their heroes, while others are formed by alliances of noble hero families.
Still others are established by graduates of hero academies.
The Hero Guilds associated with the hero academies are particularly historic.
In the case of Hero Guilds affiliated with hero academies, their founders were all taught by the Heroes of Genesis.
With a 3000-year history and deep ties to the Heroes of Genesis, they hold immense influence, and many aspire to join them.
However, gaining admission is just as difficult.
“They're graduates of this school, so they should all know the rules perfectly well.”
“I'm told the Guild Alliance made a proposal to the board. Indeed, a number of Hero Guilds are currently making their move.”
The news Halind brought to Riina was none other than the Hero Guilds' intention to make membership offers to students.
Members of a Hero Guild are dispatched to the front lines in the battle against Tartaros.
The activities of a Hero Guild are exceedingly dangerous.
For that reason, students are forbidden from joining Hero Guilds.
And yet now, the Hero Guilds were petitioning to have that rule lifted.
Riina saw right through the reason for the Hero Guilds' actions.
“Is it to win over Leo Flove?”
The reason the Hero Guilds had gone so far as to petition a change to Lumerne's rules was to recruit Leo.
An All-Class, just like Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning.
On top of that, the youngest, most unprecedented student council president in Lumerne's history.
That alone made him a talent that any Hero Guild would covet.
‘But Leo Flove's value has surpassed even that.’
Riina narrowed her eyes.
A boy of only sixteen.
An age brimming with immense potential.
And yet, he was already being evaluated as possibly having power that surpassed Lumerne's strongest and rivaled that of a hero.
But during the recent revival of the Erebos fragment, Leo fought on the front lines alongside the Brave Hero Ar-on and the Dragon Lord.
Most people focused on the exploits of the resurrected Brave Hero and the ‘Silent Dragon’ who had broken its silence, but the Hero Guilds focused on Leo, who was still just a student.
“Because he proved he doesn't just rival heroes—he has the strength to surpass most of them. Just what is the identity of that student of yours?”
“It's a stretch to even call him my student. There's not much I've taught him.”
Halind had taught many students during his long tenure as a Lumerne instructor, but he'd never had a student with so little left to teach as Leo.
“Skill, personality, disposition, goals. It's no exaggeration to say the kid was literally born to be a hero.”
Riina nodded at Halind's words.
It was no wonder the Hero Guilds were coveting him.
“Still, there's a line.”
Riina scowled, looking down at the documents.
The Hero Guilds' objective was to recruit Leo.
In addition, it was to bring the 'golden generation,' appraised as having promising futures, under their respective guilds' wings.
“To think they're seeing this situation, where we don't even know what disaster might befall the world, as an opportunity.”
Just as Riina was highly wary of Tartaros's movements...
...the Hero Guilds were also wary of Tartaros.
And there were those who saw the current situation as an opportunity.
“The general public usually spouts on about heroes being noble beings.”
Riina narrowed her eyes.
A hero is a great being who can only be born by overcoming ordeals.
And it's also true that they appear noble, as they have the gods' acknowledgment.
Truly noble heroes do exist.
But...
“Where there is light, there is also shadow.”
The gods have little interest in the character or ideology of those who accomplish great deeds.
One can have their name inscribed in the Hero Record simply by achieving a feat praised as great.
“That's why so many heroes have eccentric personalities.”
Riina clicked her tongue at Halind's words.
“Eccentric would be a relief. The problem is that there are also madmen who never doubt their own sense of justice for a second.”
Heroes are not the noble and great beings people think they are.
Among them are those who commit cruel acts without hesitation for the sake of their own justice.
Those who don't hesitate to sacrifice the few for the many.
And there are countless heroes with their own ambitions.
Heroes are the ones who lead the world.
There are plenty who become intoxicated with the fact that they were chosen by the gods.
Riina rested her chin on her hand.
‘This must be why Tartaros hasn't been defeated in 5000 years.’
After the Age of Calamity ended.
The forces of Tartaros dwindled rapidly.
The Age of Heroes began, and the heroes' power grew dramatically.
Of course, Tartaros had its three catastrophic Legion Commanders.
But even so, it would have been difficult to raise the waning power of Tartaros's army back to the level of the Age of Calamity.
It was a situation where their power should have diminished, if anything.
Yet, despite countless large-scale wars over the past 5000 years, the power of Tartaros has only grown stronger.
The reason was simple.
‘It's because they all want different things.’
Countless heroes exist, and with them, countless ideals and forms of justice.
Therefore, even if their ultimate goal is the same, the path to it is never smooth.
The world has been kept in check by its various conflicting interests more than it has been brought together by cooperation.
In contrast, Tartaros has always moved with only a single goal in mind.
That was the biggest reason the world is in its current state.
It's the same now.
They want Leo Flove and the other outstanding hero candidates to realize their own versions of justice.
‘And that justice isn't necessarily right.’
“Leo Flove truly isn't just a student anymore.”
Riina sighed.
“He's the center of the era.”