Chapter 465
Chapter Title: The Great War and the Tomb Robbery
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465.
Berchia Eisare.
The Founder of the Nebula, the Fairy Knight, and the Wizard of the Comet—the three great figures of the elven race.
She is remembered as the hero who led the reconstruction of the world and the revival of her people after the end of the Age of Calamity.
*But in this day and age, she’s even less known than that Seirun guy.*
Leo rested his chin on his hand, staring at the textbook.
*It can’t be helped. Not many of Berchia’s Hero Records survived. Besides, although she’s classified as a figure from the Age of Heroes, strictly speaking, she was from the same era as us.*
A full 5,000 years.
Tales of Berchia have been passed down through her descendants, the Eisare family, but they are ancient stories.
On top of that, her Hero Record was damaged 3,000 years ago during the process of sealing a fragment of Erebos.
3,000 years ago.
It was only natural that her recognition would pale in comparison to Seirun, who had saved the world from Erebos once again.
Leo, too, had looked up records of his disciple, Berchia.
But among all those records, he couldn't find any specific details related to Berchia’s power.
*But even back then, Berchia’s potential for growth was limitless. She wouldn’t have stopped her training.*
Thinking of his disciple, Leo smiled a little bitterly.
He had no major regrets about his past life.
He had lived in an era on the brink of worldly destruction, but he’d had people who were like family, and in the end, he had saved the world.
Although he had passed it on to future generations in an incomplete state, his new life had given him another chance to end the primordial evil.
The deaths of his friends, who were like family, were tragic.
But not a single one of them regretted their own death.
Not one of them shed tears for the future they couldn't achieve or see.
That was why Leo only grieved for the deaths of his close friends.
He did not pity them.
Kyle’s life had been the same.
A life of being deprived and losing everything.
But he had achieved something meaningful, so there were no regrets.
*However, if there was one lingering regret.*
It was that he couldn't watch his disciples grow to their fullest potential.
Bihar’s life, in particular, was unfortunate.
*Because he lived in darkness, despite being fully capable of living in the light.*
He, too, must have walked that path to protect the world the Great Heroes had left behind, but it left a bitter taste in Leo’s mouth.
The same went for Berchia.
Because it was so long ago, Leo knew nothing about his disciple after his death.
Berchia and Lumerne.
That was why it was difficult to judge who was superior between the two.
How much had Berchia grown?
What realm had she reached? Leo had no way of knowing.
But…
*She was a talent that even Luna and Ar-on acknowledged. Her instincts as a magic swordsman were also incredible. She must have become incomparably stronger than the Berchia I remember.*
Though she hadn't learned Luna’s Star Magic, she had perfected her own firm magical worldview based on the knowledge her master had passed down.
Though she hadn't fully inherited Ar-on’s Aura Skills, she had created her own techniques from the skills her master had taught her.
*Thinking about it again, it’s a great shame.*
Leo closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
*What kind of person did Berchia grow up to be?*
While Leo was thinking about Berchia.
Opinions were divided among the students.
The general consensus seemed to favor the Knight of Twilight, a figure much more familiar to them.
Looking at the students, Mel spoke.
“As you all know, Lord Lumerne was one of those who, following the Great Heroes, saved the world once again.”
*Step— Step—*
“On the other hand, Lady Berchia is known to us mainly for having rebuilt the world.”
The students nodded.
“But was rebuilding the world really that easy?”
“Of course it would have been difficult.”
“It’s obvious it wasn't easy.”
“But that was an era when Erebos was already gone, right?”
Mel nodded at the students’ comments.
“That’s right. But even with Erebos gone, do you think the world immediately found peace?”
“Well…”
As the students trailed off, Mel wrote the words on the blackboard.
“There are few records remaining, but you’ve all heard of the Great War, haven’t you?”
The Great War.
A war initiated by Tartaros after Erebos was vanquished, in an attempt to fulfill Erebos’s long-held ambition.
“Academia doesn’t pay much attention to this war. It was right after Erebos was defeated, and with him gone, Tartaros had suffered a devastating blow.”
The students nodded at Mel’s explanation.
“However, Tartaros’s power was still intact at the time. Even without their authority, a Legion Commander is still a Legion Commander. The forces of Tartaros were formidable back then. According to records, that was the period when Tartaros was at its strongest during the 5,000-year Age of Heroes.”
The battle for the fate of the world did not end even after Erebos was defeated.
“According to the data, the Great War lasted for ten years. The one who led that war to victory was Lady Berchia.”
At those words, one student raised their hand.
“Even when Erebos was around, Gardsrone was able to fend off Tartaros’s attacks, right?”
“Yes. But just as Tartaros was without Erebos, the world had also lost the Great Heroes.”
The students fell silent at that.
Mel smiled warmly.
“The important point of today’s class isn't whether the heroes of the early era were greater, or if the heroes of the later era were. It’s not about whether Lord Lumerne was stronger, or if Lady Berchia was. The main point of today's lesson is for all of you to understand that the heroes of the early era were just as great and powerful as the heroes who came after them.”
*Ding-dong, ding-dong—*
Just then, the bell signaling the end of class rang.
Mel smiled as she gathered her books.
“For our next class, I’d like you to write a report on the heroic tales of the early-era heroes and what we can learn from them. That is all.”
Groans erupted from all over the classroom at Mel’s words.
It was because materials on the heroes of the early era were difficult to find.
“Ugh! What a tough assignment.”
Iliana scratched her head vigorously.
“But I think it’s a necessary lesson. Wasn’t the existence of Hero Records from before the Age of Calamity officially confirmed at the last summit?”
“That’s right. Hero Records of previously undiscovered heroes are being found. The day might come when we have to conquer their Hero Records. It’s good to be prepared for that.”
Chen Xia smiled brightly, then looked at Leo.
“Young Master Leo, which hero are you planning to write your report on?”
“The Fairy Knight, Berchia.”
He planned to take the easy way out by writing about his disciple.
“Oho, in that case, as a magic swordsman myself, I should also write about Lady Berchia…”
“I’m not showing you.”
“So mean!”
Iliana, who had been stroking her chin, bristled at Leo’s words.
“Hey, everyone! There’s news!”
Just then, Karl, who had been talking to a janitor, suddenly lit up and ran over to where Leo was.
“What is it?”
Iliana’s eyes sparkled as Karl spoke.
“They’ve set up a request board in the second-year dorms’ common garden!”
The surrounding students flinched at his words.
A request board.
It was undoubtedly for the requests that would determine the combat studies evaluation scores for the second semester, as Sedjen had announced this morning.
Just as students began to rush out in a crowd.
*Whoosh—! Thwip—!*
Gak!
A whip flew out and coiled around Karl’s neck.
“Why are you sharing such important information with students from other dorms first, Karl Thomas?”
“What’s the big deal? It’s good if we all know…”
“Have you forgotten you belong to Noble?”
As Eliza spoke coldly, Iliana crossed her arms and scoffed, “Hmph—!”
“Didn’t you know? Karl is our spy. Anyway, guys! Let’s hurry! All the good requests will be taken!”
Iliana dashed off in a flash.
“Hey! If I’m your spy, you should at least take care of me!”
“You’re a Noble student!”
Karl gave a mournful smile as he watched the heartless Iliana shout back.
“Such a tear-jerking friendship.”
Eliza snorted, and Karl replied.
“Still, Leo, Chloe, and Chelsea stayed behind, right? You guys are the only ones I can count on!”
“We only stayed because it doesn’t really matter to us which request we take.”
Chelsea said heartlessly, and Karl chuckled.
“Then I guess you won’t be needing these?”
Karl pulled a few sheets of paper from his coat.
Seeing them, Chloe’s eyes widened.
“Aren’t those request forms?”
“Of course. I asked the staff to set aside the best requests for me once the board was up. See? This is why having a good reputation is important.”
Karl stroked his chin with a smug expression.
“Indeed, did you really think Karl would so readily spill such valuable information?”
Chen Xia smiled warmly as Chelsea asked.
“Then why didn’t you give Iliana a heads-up?”
“It’s revenge for abandoning me.”
Grinning, Karl spread out the request forms.
“For the record, Leo, I just brought a few of the forms over, so it’s not against the rules, right? As long as I put them back, there’s no problem.”
Karl said, looking at Leo.
“I’m not going to arrest you.”
Leo chuckled, and Karl sighed in relief.
“There are certainly a lot of good requests here.”
Among the A-rank requests, there were many good ones with large rewards or easy difficulty but high scores.
“Karl, which request are you going to take?”
“The Northern Magic Tower needs an alchemy assistant. Chloe, you know the daughter of the Northern Magic Tower’s Master, right?”
“Yeah. Anyas is a half-elf, but she’s a good person.”
“Oh my, alchemy. They need three assistants. Would I be able to join?”
Chen Xia showed interest.
Listening to their conversation, Leo recalled Anyas Vegs.
*Anyas? The one with those crazy eyes?*
Her public identity was the daughter of the Northern Magic Tower’s Master, but in reality, she was a Shadow.
Chen Xia, also aware of this fact, showed interest.
“Young Master Leo, what about this request?”
“I have a different request in mind.”
“Is that so?”
As Chen Xia expressed her disappointment, Chloe spoke up.
“Then maybe I’ll go?”
Chloe showed her interest.
“Leo, which request are you planning to take? Were you specifically requested for one?”
Chelsea tilted her head and asked, and Leo narrowed his eyes.
“No, there’s just a request that caught my attention.”
***
A week later.
The area in front of the Warp Gate was crowded with second-year students.
Starting today, the second-years were being deployed on request missions outside the academy.
Leo’s destination was none other than the remote northeastern region of the continent.
The request was the [Investigation of the Hero's Tomb Robbery] he had seen earlier in the central plaza.
*The northeastern part of the continent is where several small kingdoms are vying for supremacy, right?*
It was currently the most chaotic region on the continent in terms of security and political stability.
*The client is from a viscount’s family in the Kanel Kingdom.*
Leo was reviewing the details of the request.
*By the way, there’s another student who took this request besides me?*
Given the strong mystery element of the request, he had thought he would be the only one, but it seemed there was another eccentric who would take on such a task.
*Did someone follow me because they knew I took this request?*
Knowing that some of the female students had been showing him excessive attention lately, he considered the possibility.
After all, no one but a true eccentric would accept a request like this.
As Leo was pondering this.
“Oh? Are you perhaps the one who took the [Investigation of the Hero's Tomb Robbery] request, Leo?”
A familiar voice called out to Leo cheerfully.
Leo turned his head and saw a student approaching him.
The female student with a disciplined gait was none other than the third-year representative, Lil Luce.
“Senior, are you my partner for this?”
“So it is you! Leo! I never would have guessed you were a fan of mysteries!”
Lil smiled brightly as she took Leo’s hand and shook it.
“Senior, may I ask why you took this request?”
“Yes! Because it’s a mystery!”
*I knew it, but she’s a real eccentric.*
Leo let out a dry laugh inwardly.