Chapter 473
Chapter Title: The Tomb of the Defeated
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It happened sometime after Dweno joined, when the Great Heroes' party had taken its complete form and some time had passed.
The regions where the Great Heroes were active began to gradually find stability, escaping from despair and chaos.
The first among them to regain stability was Gardsrone, which the Great Heroes had made their base of operations.
It was around that time that Lisinas, long ridiculed as a fool, was inaugurated as the lord of Gardsrone.
One day, while she was busy stabilizing the administration.
Kyle came to Lisinas with a request.
“You want me to teach you Spirit Summoning?”
Lisinas, who had been processing documents, looked at Kyle with a surprised expression.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“I felt it during the last battle after seeing your Spirit Summoning. I think it would be a great help in future fights if I could use it.”
“Hmm?”
At Kyle’s words, Lisinas propped her chin on her hand, her eyes narrowing slightly as she adopted a somewhat cynical expression.
“And now you’re asking? After you told me you didn’t need it when I offered to teach you summoning?”
Lisinas scoffed.
“Because I couldn’t understand the concept of summoning you explained.”
“What about Luna and Ar-on? Aren’t their explanations harder to understand than mine?”
Kyle had already sought tutelage from Luna and Ar-on.
But even before that, Lisinas had offered to teach Kyle Spirit Arts.
He had refused at the time.
‘Your explanation is too complicated, I don’t need it.’
As Lisinas grimaced at the memory, Kyle spoke.
“It’s true that their explanations are full of things I can’t comprehend. That’s why I’m learning with my body, forcibly cramming the formulas into my head. I can understand it to some extent that way. But your concept of summoning isn’t something I can grasp just by memorizing it. Besides, I was already using the Spirit Arts you use, even if only at a superficial level, so I didn't feel the need.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Lisinas responded coyly, but she acknowledged his point.
Kyle had tried to imitate Luna’s and Ar-on’s martial arts without being taught, but he had failed.
In contrast, Leo had been quite good at following Lisinas’s Spirit Arts.
“Why can you imitate my Spirit Arts but not Luna’s and Ar-on’s?”
“Because I’ve watched you the longest, and I watch you the most out of all our comrades.”
“Ah, really?”
Lisinas replied nonchalantly, turning her gaze from Kyle to the window.
At her indifferent response, Kyle let out a small sigh.
It seemed Lisinas had no intention of teaching him Spirit Summoning.
‘He’s watched me a lot?’
But Lisinas’s mood had lightened slightly.
No, it had lightened a lot.
Though Kyle couldn't see it, her legs were tapping happily under the desk.
In truth, Lisinas had been feeling a bit resentful toward Kyle lately.
‘He’s been sticking to Luna the most, saying he’s learning magic.’
He used to visit often when she first became lord, but since he started training with Luna and Ar-on, it had become rare to see his face.
Of course, she had no intention of blaming him for it.
‘It’s definitely a good thing that Kyle has become more motivated. Still, we’re the founding partners of the subjugation squad. Couldn’t he pay a little attention to me?’
She wanted to teach him Spirit Summoning.
She wanted to spend time alone with Kyle.
But before that, she also felt the urge to tease him a little.
“Even if I wanted to teach you, I’m too busy right now to have the time.”
“If it’s okay with you, I don’t mind even if it’s late at night. Should I go to your house? If you don’t like me entering your space uninvited, you can come to my house too.”
‘At night? At my house?’
“Hee-hee-hmm~ hmm~ hmm~”
Her mood improving even further, Lisinas began to hum a little tune.
But to Kyle, it just looked like she was feigning indifference.
Just as his brow furrowed deeper at the sight.
“I suppose teaching you wouldn't be so bad.”
Lisinas grinned.
“Come to my house when you have time at night. I’ll teach you the release formula to open the door.”
“Do you need to go as far as teaching me the release formula?”
“It’s a pain to undo it every time you come. Ah, of course, if you sneak in when I’m not there, I’ll kill you.”
“Do you really think I’d do something like that?”
“It’s fine if you come when you’re bored or have something on your mind. I’ll be your conversation partner or drinking buddy anytime.”
“That’s very kind of you. Ah, but.”
“Hm?”
“Do I even have a talent for Spirit Summoning? I should probably find that out before I start learning.”
At that, Lisinas flinched inwardly.
‘Kyle has no talent for Spirit Summoning.’
She recalled what she had once said to Luna, curious about the All-Class Kyle.
‘Lisinas, can he use Spirit Summoning too?’
‘Kyle has no talent for Spirit Summoning. He’d probably have to die and be reborn to get any.’
‘Oho? So he’s not all-powerful after all.’
Just as she had said, Kyle possessed no talent for Spirit Summoning.
Therefore, there was no way he could use it just by learning.
Lisinas simply wanted to have some private time with Kyle.
Crucially, she was envious of the sibling-like bond between Kyle and Luna.
“Who knows? Your potential as an All-Class is limitless. I think there’s a possibility.”
“I see.”
Kyle nodded.
“Then I’ll come over tonight.”
“Tonight?”
‘My study is a mess. Should I tidy up a bit? No, more importantly, do I have any decent clothes?’
While Lisinas was lost in her various thoughts.
“Hey!”
Luna entered Lisinas’s office.
“Kyle! Tonight, this great one will give you special tutoring! You should feel honored!”
“I don’t need it. You’re just planning to come to my house, get drunk, and make a mess again, right? Don’t ever come to my house again.”
Kyle scowled deeply.
“What kind of attitude is that toward your teacher! How impudent!”
“Teacher my foot. I’m helping you create your magic formulas, too. It’s a give-and-take relationship, you know?”
Kyle irritably pushed away the face of Luna, who was grabbing and shaking him.
Luna pinched Kyle’s hand in return.
“Besides, I have a prior engagement tonight.”
“A prior engagement? A drinking appointment with that perverted old man and Ar-on?”
“No, with Lisinas.”
“Lisinas?”
Luna looked slightly taken aback, glancing back and forth between Kyle and Lisinas.
“Kyle asked me to teach him summoning.”
“Really? Then I want to learn too.”
Luna smiled brightly.
She was also a summoner who had made a pact with fairies.
Lisinas was flustered by Luna’s reaction.
“Luna, I’ll teach you separately next time.”
“Right. You can learn separately next time. I’m going to learn Spirit Summoning today.”
At Kyle’s words, Luna’s eyes widened.
“You, you pestered Lisinas and forced her to teach you, didn’t you? Dream on.”
“What?”
“Lisinas said it before. That you using Spirit Summoning would only be possible in your next life.”
Luna crossed her arms with a triumphant look.
“Stop your futile efforts and just learn magic from this great one!”
At Luna's words, Kyle narrowed his eyes and stared at Lisinas.
“You damn fraudulent lizard. You were just trying to mess with me, weren’t you?”
“No, I was just… considering your unknown potential…!”
“Isn’t Lisinas just being malicious toward you because of your usual bad conduct?”
Luna clicked her tongue and looked at Kyle with pity.
Kyle grabbed one of Luna’s cheeks and pulled.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
Her eyes flashing, Luna tore at Kyle’s hair.
Lisinas looked at Luna with a hint of resentment in her eyes.
The opportunity to learn Spirit Summoning never came again.
***
Recalling the past, Leo pondered.
‘Was that an auditory hallucination?’
In his past life and this one, he had not been born with a talent for Spirit Summoning.
‘But for a hallucination, it was far too vivid.’
It felt as if Lisinas herself had spoken to him.
Just as Leo was frowning.
“Master, is something wrong? You look serious.”
Lil, who had approached his side, asked in a small voice.
“I was thinking about Spirit Summoning.”
“Spirit Summoning?”
Lil’s eyes widened.
“Isn’t that completely in the realm of talent? Don’t tell me, Master. You can even use Spirit Summoning?”
“No.”
‘If I could have used Spirit Summoning, I might have been able to finish off Erebos completely.’
Leo wore a bitter expression.
‘The reason I couldn’t finish him off completely was because I was lacking.’
When they subjugated Erebos.
The essence of the power his comrades had built up was all poured into the vessel that was Kyle.
Kyle defeated Erebos based on that power.
But it was merely borrowed strength.
Kyle had not been able to make that power entirely his own.
‘The vessel was filled, making the power stronger, but the vessel that was me hadn’t grown stronger.’
In terms of pure combat ability.
Kyle’s martial skill could never reach Ar-on’s.
It was impossible for him to reach Luna’s domain in magic, and his summoning was no match for Lisinas’s.
‘And I couldn’t have taken Dweno’s place as the shield either.’
If he had reached the ultimate realm that even one of his comrades had, it wouldn’t have ended with just sealing Erebos.
Leo looked down at his hands.
‘Only by gathering all my abilities as an All-Class could I stand shoulder to shoulder with them.’
In a way, that too was not achieved purely by his own strength.
‘I was just following the paths they had forged.’
He lacked the ability to pioneer uncharted territory.
‘Whenever I hit a limit, it was always them who pioneered a new domain and created a path for me to follow.’
He had always been good at watching and imitating.
Even in the final battle with Erebos, Leo had only been mimicking his friends.
A prime example was that Ar-on’s true power came from his extrasensory perception.
Ar-on’s ultimate extrasensory perception was a state where he could even glimpse fragments of the future, but Leo had yet to step into that domain.
Similarly, to perfectly understand Lisinas’s summoning, one needed to be able to use Spirit Summoning.
‘If that wasn’t a hallucination but truly Lisinas’s voice.’
Previously, as a reward for conquering Lisinas’s world, Leo had obtained her mana essence.
If that power had awakened and given him the talent of a Spirit Summoner.
‘Doesn’t that mean I can reach the same level as Lisinas?’
While Leo was lost in thought.
“We’re here.”
Jeremin stopped his horse.
The ruins known as the Tomb of the Defeated.
Once an old fortress, the ruins contained a place surrounded by vast walls.
Upon entering, they saw many boys and girls in the open space, holding spears and shouting with spirit.
It was like a military drill.
Leo and Lil looked at Jeremin with puzzled faces.
“These children are all war orphans. They are the darkness of this country, who have lived their entire lives having things taken from them.”
Jeremin’s expression hardened.
“Those who hold military power in this country have been running orphanages for a long time.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
Lil tilted her head.
“On the surface, it is a good thing.”
A look of disgust crept onto Jeremin’s face.
“But their orphanages were a type of military facility.”
“What?”
“A training ground for raising strong soldiers. The reason they gather young orphans is to send them to the battlefield when they come of age.”
The expression vanished from Lil’s face.
Leo crossed his arms.
“I will state the terms of our deal.”
Taking a deep breath, Jeremin stood before Leo and Lil and spoke.
“Stop those children from going to the battlefield.”
“That’s easy. We just need to smash the heads of the higher-ups right now!”
As Lil growled, Leo opened his mouth.
“It won’t end with that.”
“What?”
Lil faltered.
“Those kids will want to go to the battlefield voluntarily.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s how they were taught and raised.”
Leo, answering the bewildered Lil, looked at Jeremin.
“Crown Prince Jeremin, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“This plan to raise war orphans into soldiers. Did it start several years ago?”
“It would have been five years ago.”
“Are those children the first generation?”
“How do you know that fact?”
Leo had seen this scene before.
5000 years ago, in the refugee city of Reisar.
And he knew very well whose work this was.
‘The Grand Duke of Funerals, Artkan.’