Chapter 469
Chapter Title: A Twisted Sense of Justice
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469.
Leo let out a light breath as he looked up at the five figures staring down at him from the sky.
“Are you with the Justice Guild?”
At Leo’s question, the mage who appeared to be their leader readjusted his grip on his staff.
“My name is Setian. I am a royal court mage of the great Petiman Kingdom. A mage who executes justice under the king's command.”
“You’re quite skilled for a royal court mage from a backwater kingdom.”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Well, does it matter?”
At Setian's feigned ignorance, Leo drew his sword.
*Shing—!*
“I’ll just capture you and interrogate you then.”
The moment he spoke, a large man standing beside Setian gripped the giant battle axe on his back with both hands and flew toward Leo.
“Hyaah!”
With a fierce cry, a red aura formed around the battle axe.
Seeing this, Lil downed the wine in her hand in one shot and roughly tossed the bottle aside.
*Crash—!*
As the wine bottle shattered, a battle hammer materialized in Lil’s hand and cut through the air.
*Whoosh—!*
*Clang—!*
“Oh? I heard the third-year representative of Lumerne wasn't a knight class.”
“That's right. I'm a spirit user.”
“Hmph. And yet you intend to face me, a knight, in close combat?”
“I'm decent enough at close combat.”
“Insolent!”
The man, who looked to be about three heads taller than Lil, unleashed an even more powerful aura.
With it, the space around them distorted.
Lil’s body seemed to stagger for a moment before she was unable to withstand the man’s strength and was sent flying.
*Craaaash—!*
A thick cloud of sandy dust rose from the spot where Lil was thrown back.
“Youth truly is a wonderful thing! To think a spirit user would try to face a knight! But it's no use!”
Laughing heartily, he grinned at Leo.
“Now then, shall we see the skills of the famous Leo Flove?”
As the man displayed his thirst for battle, Leo pointed a finger behind him.
“I don't think you're in a position to worry about me.”
“What?”
*Boom! Fwoosh—!*
The knight who had charged in so boldly was engulfed in a powerful explosion.
It was the same flame that had swept over Leo and Lil just moments before.
Lil had been controlling it with her spirit arts, but she had just released her command.
*Fwoosh—!*
Leo brushed off the flames that had wrapped around him and protested.
“That’s a bit much.”
“I figured a little flame like that wouldn't hurt you, Leo.”
Lil walked over nonchalantly, her battle hammer slung over her shoulder.
Even though Leo had been caught in her counterattack, she didn't seem to mind at all.
‘True, most fire-attribute attacks don't work on me.’
After all, he wielded the Jerdinger family's flame aura and had a pact with a phoenix.
But even so, to counterattack without a hint of hesitation showed that Lil was no ordinary person either.
‘Does she have exceptional, innate combat sense?’
He already knew Lil was an incredible talent, but Leo had never seen her fight in a real battle.
While Leo watched Lil with growing interest.
“Well, this is impressive.”
The knight who had attacked him laughed boldly as he pushed himself up.
“You may be just a young girl, but you're a strong warrior!”
The knight, his battle axe resting on his shoulder, grinned.
“My name is Joren! I am a member of the Petiman Kingdom's Royal Knights! I have come to execute justice under His Majesty the King's command!”
He shouted boisterously, raising his battle axe and beginning to spin it.
*Whum, whum, whum, whum—!*
“I hope this will be a glorious battle that makes the blood boil!”
*Whoooosh—!*
The red aura created a massive storm.
It was a natural disaster created by overwhelming physical force.
Seeing this, Lil’s eyes twitched.
She summoned a wind spirit to offset the gale Joren had created.
The Kanel soldiers, who had been taking damage from the typhoon he created, breathed a sigh of relief.
“Viscount Eshmon.”
Lil called out to Viscount Eshmon in a heavy voice.
“Yes.”
Eshmon swallowed dryly.
He had experienced countless battlefields since he was young.
Battlefields where aura, magic, and summons ran rampant.
As such, he had witnessed countless times how a single, overwhelmingly powerful individual could influence the tide of battle.
Even so, he had never personally witnessed a fight between those with such transcendent abilities.
But after seeing the brief exchange, he knew instinctively.
‘A battle that far transcends the standards of ordinary people.’
When the Justice Guild intervened in the war between Kanel and Petiman, the situation had become completely one-sided.
The Kingdom of Kanel had been ravaged by those with overwhelming power.
‘But if we get caught up in this battle… the damage will be incomparable to what we’ve suffered until now…!’
“Please lead the soldiers and retreat. Leo and I will handle this battlefield.”
“Understood.”
Viscount Eshmon quickly began to organize his troops.
Watching them, Lil felt a sense of relief.
‘It’s a good thing Viscount Eshmon is a capable commander.’
Having seen many commanders since her childhood in a prestigious military family, Lil could tell just from this short time that Eshmon was competent.
Seeing the troops retreat in an orderly fashion, Joren scoffed.
“Are you running from the battlefield now? A race that knows nothing of honor.”
“You're the one who knows nothing of honor.”
Lil’s voice dropped to a low growl.
A moment ago, Joren had tried to kill the surrounding soldiers.
And having experienced battle, Lil instantly saw through his reason for trying to massacre them.
It wasn't to gain an advantage in a future battle.
It was simply self-aggrandizement.
A massacre meant to make people fear and revere him.
Lil had seen this type of person on the battlefield several times before.
And she despised and hated this type of person the most.
At Lil’s words, Joren nodded as if he understood.
“Such pure, untainted student values. How nostalgic. I had days like that, too.”
“What did you say?”
“I was a Lumerne student myself, you see.”
“Someone like you?”
Lil showed her disbelief.
Seeing her reaction, Joren’s lips twisted into a smirk.
“Right. I didn't graduate, though. Got expelled in my fifth year. You know him, right? Professor Halind. That bastard expelled me.”
Joren pointed his battle axe at Lil.
“Lil Luce, was it? As the student representative, you must know this, but heroes are chosen beings. They are the ones who overcome trials and achieve great deeds for the sake of the world, to realize justice, and are thus chosen by the gods. They are, quite literally, agents of the gods.”
“What does that have to do with massacring people?”
“Are you familiar with the concept of karma?”
“Karma?”
Lil’s brow furrowed.
Hearing the word, Leo’s eyes twitched.
“Karma? You mean like karmic debt? How do you know about that?”
“Oho, as expected of the youngest student council president. You're aware of a concept that only appears in ancient texts.”
Karma.
It was a concept spoken of by the gods before the Age of Calamity.
During the Age of Gods.
Every time a life is taken, karma accumulates.
‘He said that during the Age of Gods, there were those called heroes who accumulated an immense amount of karma, right?’
Leo recalled Lisinas’s words.
‘Some gods used to say insane things, like how killing one's own kind was also a great deed. That's why there were so many gods who excessively praised war heroes.’
Lisinas had shown his disgust.
‘In this current era, where the gods have vanished, they are considered beings of absolute good. But that's not the reality.’
Leo sighed.
There were certainly good gods.
Pibua, whom he had met in Luna’s world, was a god who truly cared for the world.
But the gods were not beings of absolute good.
‘In fact, many of them had dispositions closer to chaos.’
The absolute beings who managed the world.
Omnipotent, immortal beings.
That was what a god was.
Among the gods who had lived for an unimaginably long eon managing the world, many were hedonists who sought extreme stimulation.
And as pleasure deepens, it twists into bizarre forms.
That was why, in the Age of Gods, there were righteous heroes like Ar-on’s master, the Guardian of the Azure Sky, but also those twisted by their own desires who were nothing like heroes.
And Leo had buried such people during the Age of Calamity.
‘In our era, there was no standard for what a hero was.’
After the Age of Calamity ended.
As the great deeds of the Great Heroes were recorded in the Hero Record and passed down to later generations, the standard for a hero changed to those who were dedicated to the world.
However…
‘Still, the Hero Record includes those chosen by the gods.’
Leo knew that twisted heroes like those from the Age of Gods certainly existed.
They were just acting, as they didn't fit the modern image of a hero.
And hearing Joren’s words, Leo understood.
‘These guys are that kind of hero.’
“Karma. I still don't understand.”
As Lil frowned, Leo explained.
“Think of it simply. The gods can see how many lives you've taken. The number of kills seen through the eyes of the gods is called karma.”
“Incredible. You know even that?”
Setian, who was facing off against Leo, expressed his admiration.
“As expected of one who reached the rank of hero at such a young age. Leo Flove. Could it be that you, too, have received the teachings of the gods?”
Setian’s eyes gleamed as he asked.
Looking at him, Leo let out a hollow laugh.
‘I see. Now I know what kind of people these Justice Guild members are.’
The picture was becoming clear.
Even now, he couldn't feel any malice or killing intent from the people before him.
‘Their claims of executing justice are also true. They show no hesitation, no emotion, not even a shred of guilt while committing massacres. Even the most crazed murderer shows some kind of emotion when they kill, be it pleasure or something else.’
But these people had none of that.
‘What I feel from them is conviction.’
Leo let out a hollow laugh.
A very twisted conviction at that.
He had seen something similar in the elves.
Their blind worship of Luna.
Their pride as a race.
But the Justice Guild was even more blatant.
The phrase ‘teachings of the gods’ confirmed it.
A group that couldn't be found in the modern era.
‘A kind of religious group. And not just any religion, but a cult.’
Leo let out a hollow laugh.
“You think massacre is some kind of will of the gods?”
“It is not the will of the gods. It is a trial to become an agent of the gods,” Setian said.
“They are ‘experience points’ for forging our vessels into heroes.”
“You're insane…”
“You sons of bitches.”
About to curse, Leo instinctively glanced to his side.
Lil, her head bowed low, was trembling.
“What do you think human lives are? You trash.”
*Gwoooooo—!*
An ominous spiritual power began to rise from Lil’s body.
*Flash—!* Lil lifted her head, her eyes flashing with a dangerous light.
“You crazy psychopathic bastards! I'm going to smash every one of your heads in!”
Seeing Lil rampage, spewing curses so vulgar you'd never believe they came from the usually gentle and polite girl, Leo was taken aback.
‘A kid who's usually so calm is terrifying when she loses it.’
Even Leo flinched for a moment.
But now that he knew exactly what the Justice Guild was…
There was no need to hesitate.
*Gwoooo—*
A chilling killing intent flowed from Leo’s eyes.
Seeing him, not only Setian but the other Justice Guild members flinched.
“You will never become heroes.”
“Foolish one! Do you intend to defy the will of the gods?”
“The gods?”
Leo smiled coldly.
“Have you ever even seen a god in person?”
“What?”
“Because I know a thing or two about those beings called gods. If they saw this situation, I'm sure they'd say something like this.”
All expression vanished from Leo’s face.
“That you don't even deserve to breathe, so I should just slit your throats.”