Chapter 489
Chapter Title: The Last Festival
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‘It must be a coincidence.’
Throughout the world's long history, strange phenomena that defied the seasons were known to occur from time to time.
For instance, rain fell more frequently near those who possessed a strong affinity for water.
Or, if someone with a powerful fire affinity appeared in a region of heavy snowfall, the snow would cease.
Such cases weren't common, but they occasionally appeared in the annals of history.
This was surely the same.
Especially now, when the Necro King could resurrect heroes of the past.
‘Perhaps powerful individuals have been resurrected by him. Or maybe the local spirits have migrated. The chances of it being related to Luna are extremely low.’
But even so.
‘I should at least check.’
There were no classes at the moment.
Of course, students weren't allowed to leave campus without permission, but creating a pretext for his departure wasn't difficult for Leo.
“What did you talk about with Professor Mel?”
Chen Xia asked with a curious expression as Leo returned to his seat.
Eiran’s ears were also perked, clearly interested.
Looking at the two of them, Leo said.
“You two. Want to go see some flowers?”
At the sudden suggestion, Chen Xia and Eiran’s eyes widened.
***
*Crackle, crackle—*
The firewood was burning.
“Lord Dweno! Have a drink!”
“Mm, thank you.”
“Lord Ar-on, you too!”
“Ah, yes!”
Gardsrone was a city of many festivals.
In an age where the world was spiraling toward ruin day by day.
News of the heroes’ victories against Erebos and Tartaros was enough to send the people into a frenzy.
It was a momentary liberation from the anxiety of not knowing when the world might end.
But today’s festival was not to celebrate a victory.
“Alright, everyone! Attention!”
Luna, having climbed onto a stage, raised her glass.
“Tomorrow, we embark on our final journey to subjugate Erebos!”
The subjugation of Erebos.
It was the fervent wish of everyone in the world, yet a phrase no one dared to utter.
Luna, mentioning this wish in a lighthearted tone, continued.
“Of course, I know many of you are feeling anxious.”
As they looked at Luna speaking with a serious face, the festive atmosphere cooled considerably.
Amidst that atmosphere, Luna grinned.
“But trust in us! We will save the world! We’ll take back the blue sky from that damn fireball! We’ll reclaim the beautiful stars!”
“Woooooah!”
“And I’ll go down in history as the greatest mage of all time! To the great Luna, who will become the greatest mage in history—everyone, a toast!”
“Cheers!”
Luna’s cry blew away the heavy atmosphere.
Watching the people raise their glasses in a toast, Kyle spoke.
“Why on earth did you let her give the important speech?”
“Luna is the best at livening up the mood.”
Lisinas, sitting next to Kyle with a glass in hand, said with a gentle smile.
“If we had Dweno do it, he’d say something weird and perverted. Ar-on would be too nervous to say anything at all. You would’ve just depressed everyone. And if I did it, it’d be boring.”
“This might be our last festival, so enjoy it while you can, eh?”
“There you go again with your damn ominous nonsense.”
“K-Kyle! Do you really think this expedition is hopeless?”
Dweno, who had approached them at some point, clicked his tongue, and Ar-on wore an anxious expression.
“What are you guys talking about?”
Luna, having finished her speech, asked with a curious face.
“About how this might be our last festival.”
“Why would it be the last? We just have to blow Erebos away, right?”
“That’s right. The world will be saved, Kyle.”
Luna looked at Kyle as if he were being strange, and Lisinas spoke as if it were a matter of fact.
Hearing their confident replies, Kyle averted his gaze slightly and said.
“I certainly hope so.”
“Why does this damn human always have to ruin the mood?”
“Would it kill you to just play along for once?”
Luna grabbed Kyle by the collar and shook him, while Lisinas shot him a cold glare.
“Now, now, everyone calm down and enjoy the festival. It’s not the first or second time this fellow has been like this.”
*Thwack!*
Dweno smacked the back of Kyle’s head with his thick hand.
“You damn dwarf. You might think you’re hitting me lightly, but it still hurts.”
“I meant for it to hurt.”
“Oh yeah? Then can I punch you hard in the gut?”
As Kyle growled, Dweno replied nonchalantly.
“D-don’t fight.”
Ar-on frantically tried to separate the two.
After that small commotion.
Kyle was left alone, sipping his drink.
‘The mood is good.’
Watching his friends laugh vibrantly and enjoy the festival, Kyle set his glass aside and rested his chin on his hand.
‘Yes, you all will surely be able to advance into the future.’
All five of them knew it was a battle where victory was not guaranteed.
But even so, their mindsets were fundamentally different.
Just as Kyle was smiling gently.
He felt a presence stealthily approaching from behind.
Kyle easily identified the presence as Berkiya.
‘What’s she up to now?’
He watched to see what she would do, and Berkiya dropped something into Kyle’s cup.
“Master Kyle, let’s have a toast with Master Luna.”
Then, as if nothing had happened, she quickly sat next to Kyle, speaking casually as she called out to Luna.
“Master Luna.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Let’s have a toast.”
“Shall we?”
Luna smiled brightly, approached with her glass, and they toasted.
Luna downed her drink in one go and exclaimed.
“Ahh! That’s good!”
“Aren't you going to drink?”
Kyle grabbed Berkiya, who was playing innocent, and forced the drink from his own cup down her throat.
“Ugh!”
“What are you two doing!”
“This idiot put something in my drink.”
“Berkiya, what did you put in it?”
At Luna’s question, Berkiya hastily closed her eyes and said.
“L-Lord Dweno’s love po…tion.”
At her words, Luna clicked her tongue.
“That stuff doesn’t work.”
“What?”
Berkiya’s eyes widened.
“It’s a stupid, perverted potion with no effect whatsoever.”
Luna stated bluntly before turning on her heel and leaving.
At her words, Berkiya pouted.
“Did you want to mess with me until the very end?”
“That’s not it at all!”
Just as Berkiya pouted.
“Master.”
Bihar approached Kyle.
Kyle looked between Berkiya and Bihar for a moment, then spoke.
“You two, sit here in front of me.”
At his words, Berkiya and Bihar sat before Kyle.
Kyle poured drinks into their cups and said.
“You’ve worked hard learning from me all this time.”
“Why do you sound like this is the end?”
Berkiya said with a frown.
“Because it might be.”
“Don’t say such strange things.”
Berkiya pouted, but Bihar lowered his head with a grim expression.
“Thank you… for teaching me all this time.”
“You, stop talking nonsense too! Master will defeat Erebos and come back! Are you saying Master can’t subjugate Erebos?”
Berkiya grabbed Bihar and shook him wildly.
“No, I believe.”
Bihar smiled faintly.
“I believe that Master will defeat Erebos.”
Satisfied with his answer, Berkiya huffed and nodded.
Looking at the two of them, Kyle spoke.
“What will you two do when the age of peace comes?”
“We’ll help you and the other masters rebuild the world.”
Berkiya smiled brightly.
“I want to help those in need and create a world where everyone can be happy.”
“Right. Good luck.”
“Of course.”
“Berkiya. Could you come here?”
“Yes! Master Luna!”
Berkiya heard Luna’s call and ran over.
Luna handed her disciple a large bouquet of flowers.
“This is a gift. They’re my favorite flowers.”
“Wow, they’re so beautiful! Master Luna!”
Watching Berkiya genuinely delight in the bouquet, Bihar smiled and said.
“Berkiya will surely brighten this world.”
Bihar’s gentle smile instantly vanished, replaced by a stoic expression.
“Master.”
“What is it?”
“Even after we’ve reclaimed peace, if there are still those who corrupt the world as they do now… what should be done?”
All emotion had vanished from Bihar’s voice.
“Should I continue doing what I do now?”
Kyle watched Bihar in silence.
Fundamentally, Bihar distrusted others.
Having lived a thoroughly unhappy life without parents from birth was an unavoidable consequence of the times.
Erebos, Tartaros.
They had robbed everyone of their happiness and thrown them into misery.
But it was his fellow humans who had inflicted the tragedy of being a sick orphan upon his life of misery.
Leo looked at Berkiya.
Despite being born into a dark world, Berkiya was a bright young woman.
If she was like the sun, then Bihar was like the moon in the night sky.
“I… cannot tolerate it. In a world that found peace through the sacrifices of so many heroes… a world built by your hands and the hands of the Great Heroes… the thought of maggots who eat away at the world being allowed to live… I don’t think I could ever forgive that.”
Bihar spat out the words, exuding a twisted killing intent.
“If I see those who don't deserve to live in an age of peace... if there are many such people, what should I do?”
“There will probably be many.”
Kyle said calmly.
Those born in the age of despair thought that a world without Erebos would be nothing but beautiful.
But having lived before the age of despair, Kyle knew.
He knew that a world without Erebos wasn't entirely beautiful.
That sometimes, it was even more hideous than the age of despair.
“You’ll see a lot of filth.”
At Kyle’s words, Bihar clenched his teeth.
“But don’t get too hung up on it.”
Kyle smiled.
“Because many people, myself included, risked their lives to save the world, knowing all of that.”
“…”
“When the age of peace arrives, you’ll surely meet all sorts of people. I bet even that Lisinas fellow will have regrets. He’ll say, ‘Did we save the world for scum like that?’”
Kyle glanced at the distant Lisinas and smiled faintly.
“But even so, there will surely be more good people. The era you’ll live in will be a world where the light is brighter than the darkness is deep. So.”
Leo reached out and roughly ruffled Bihar’s hair.
“When the world finds peace, don’t spend your whole life living only in the shadows.”
“…Yes, Master.”
***
Deep in a forest in the eastern part of the continent.
Here stood a village of considerable size.
“Melanu Village. It’s a village that outsiders visit for tourism or recuperation because of its beautiful natural scenery. It’s famous for its hot springs.”
Chen Xia explained about the village.
“But… this is astonishing.”
Chen Xia stared at the scene unfolding before her with a dazed expression.
“Look at this! I’ve never seen these flowers before, but they’re so beautiful!”
Eiran beamed as she gazed at the flowers blooming profusely on the ground.
“What kind of flowers are they, I wonder?”
As Chen Xia also looked puzzled, Leo answered.
“Statice.”
“Young Master Leo, you know these flowers?”
“They’re a flower that has vanished in this era.”
To be precise, they all disappeared during the Age of Calamity.
‘Luna’s favorite flower.’
Now, it was a flower that could only be bloomed through the ‘Magic of Blossoming.’
The moment Leo picked a flower.
*Vwoom—!*
Leo’s spiritual power reacted, and his vision went dark.
In that instant, he saw.
*Thud— Thud—*
Bihar was walking, holding a large, withered bouquet of Statice.
[Where is Master?]
[…Here.]
At Bihar’s question, Berkiya, who was beside him, showed him a small urn.
[Is it right to bury Master next to Lady Luna?]
At Bihar’s question, Berkiya clutched the urn tightly.
[…We couldn’t find the graves of the others. I want to at least let the two of them not be lonely.]
Seeing Berkiya lower her head, Bihar nodded.
[Let’s go.]
Unlike Bihar, who started walking forward, Berkiya couldn’t move.
She just stood there, staring at the ground.
*Whoosh—!*
“Young Master Leo?”
“Lord Leo!”
Chen Xia frantically supported Leo.
Eiran hurried to his side.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
Leo shook his head, clutching it.
‘That was Spirit Arts. But whose memory was it?’
Berkiya or Bihar.
It was certain to be one of them.
‘Is it related to this flower?’
Leo looked at the profusely blooming flowers.
He didn't know the source of the memory.
Only that it was connected to this flower.
‘So, what I can gather now is… Luna's grave, and my own, are somewhere around here?’