Chapter 490
Chapter Title: A Fleeting Respite
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Beautiful flowers were in full bloom throughout the town.
The town, which had been filled with the ambiance of autumn just a few days ago, seemed as if spring had arrived.
Just as Chen Xia had described it as a resort town, it was a rural village, but it had a large inn.
“Wow, we can rent out the entire annex?”
Eiran exclaimed in admiration as she was guided to their lodging.
Thanks to renting the whole annex, they even had a garden.
In the garden was a small pond.
“It has such a nice atmosphere.”
Eiran seemed quite pleased with the Eastern-style inn, a rare sight in elven society.
Eiran went out into the garden, her eyes sparkling as she watched the ornamental fish in the pond, then hummed a tune as she picked the flowers blooming all around.
Watching her innocent display, Chen Xia, who was sitting on the living room floor overlooking the garden, rested her chin on her hand.
“Miss Eiran is such a lovely girl.”
“Why are you talking like someone who’s seen it all? You and she are the same.”
“...The one treating us like obvious children is the youngest one here, Young Master Leo.”
Chen Xia squinted and glared at Leo as he sat down.
“Anyway, this is amazing. A scene like this.”
Fallen leaves lay on the ground.
Literally, spring and autumn coexisted.
‘An elven girl in a flower garden... what a beautiful picture.’
Chen Xia smiled as she watched Eiran, her chin still in her hand.
Then she looked back at Leo.
“...”
Leo was sitting stock-still, arms crossed, staring at the ceiling.
Seeing this, Chen Xia let out a small sigh and stood up.
She knelt behind Leo and began to massage his shoulders with both hands.
“What’s this? All of a sudden?”
Leo tilted his head back to look at Chen Xia.
Chen Xia looked down at him and smiled brightly.
“I’m giving you a massage. How is it? Feel good?”
“You’re skilled.”
Leo nodded, feeling the gentle touch of Chen Xia’s hands on his shoulders.
Then he tilted his head.
“But why?”
“Because I felt... that Young Master Leo was about to face something difficult again.”
Chen Xia said, gently kneading Leo’s shoulders.
“I was surprised when you suddenly suggested we go flower-viewing, but I was also relieved. I thought Young Master Leo was finally taking a break.”
“I always get enough rest.”
“That’s not the kind of rest I mean.”
Chen Xia said in a slightly sulky voice.
“I mean resting completely, forgetting everything. You’ve been caught up in major incidents ever since you enrolled, haven't you, Young Master Leo? And this break hasn’t exactly been a time to relax either.”
He could feel her small hands tensing up.
“Hasn’t it always been like that?”
“I suppose so. I’ve never really thought I needed a break.”
“Yes. But I think it’s very important.”
Chen Xia’s hands gently caressed his shoulders again.
“Judging by your expression, you came here for a reason, didn’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“I won’t ask what it is.”
Chen Xia lowered herself to sit beside him, looking up at Leo.
Leo looked down at her.
“Still, for today at least, please forget everything and rest. After all, this is a place where the Shadows come to rest their minds and bodies when they’re weary.”
“I see. I was thinking that for a remote village, it’s quite large and has good lodging, no matter how beautiful the scenery. So that’s the reason.”
“Yes. Despite its appearance, it’s a place that boasts a long history and tradition. It’s also where Lord Vihar once lived in seclusion.”
“Vihar?”
When Leo showed a hint of surprise, Chen Xia gave him a gentle smile and started massaging his shoulders again.
“Leo! Miss Chen Xia! Look at this!”
Just then, Eiran, who was in the garden, called out to them with a brilliant smile.
Turning his head, he saw Eiran holding up the hem of her skirt with both hands.
Since she was in casual clothes, her skirt was long.
As a result, her skirt was filled with flowers, like a basket.
“Aren’t they so pretty?!”
“They are.”
Chen Xia smiled brightly.
“Like you said, I’ll rest well today, so you go play too.”
“Huh? But I’m not done with the massage yet.”
“Thanks to you, I feel plenty refreshed.”
Leo let out a small laugh.
“Young Master Leo, do you want to play with us?”
“Yes! Leo! Come play with us!”
“Me? Play with flowers?”
At Leo’s indifferent response, the two girls went to the garden without a second thought.
‘No matter how you look at it, kids are still kids.’
Leo chuckled at the sight of the two girls enjoying the flowers like any other girls their age.
‘Rest, huh.’
5,000 years ago.
From the moment he took Lisinas’s hand, it was a word far removed from Leo.
It wasn't just Leo.
It must have been the same for his other friends.
‘Well, back then, no one could forget everything and rest easy.’
It’s been the same since his reincarnation.
He has lived solely with the thought of subjugating Erebos.
His body never grew tired, nor did his mental fortitude wear down.
He was meticulous about his personal care to always maintain peak condition.
But, as Chen Xia said, he had never once allowed himself peace of mind.
There are still many things that haven't been sorted out.
‘This is a place Vihar often visited. And just a while ago, through Spiritualism, I read a memory whose owner I couldn't identify.’
Leo sorted through the clues one by one.
‘Also, statice, which should have gone extinct long ago, is in full bloom. And somewhere around here are Luna’s grave, which Lisinas and I made... and my own grave, which Verchia recovered and built for me.’
Leo picked up a flower petal that had drifted in through the large door connected to the garden.
‘This flower must be related to the one Lisinas gave Verchia the night before the final expedition.’
The various clues complicated his thoughts.
‘Did the Necro King resurrect Vihar as an undead?’
He recalled the disciple who couldn't let go of his hatred for people.
But he soon shook his head.
‘No, like Chen Xia said, let’s just rest well for today.’
The sight of Chen Xia weaving flowers into a crown and Eiran clapping and laughing at it caught his eye.
Watching the two play happily, Leo smiled softly.
***
‘This has turned into a relaxing trip before I knew it.’
Soaking in the hot spring, Leo stared blankly at the sky.
The night sky was filled with stars that looked as if they could pour down at any moment.
“Seeing this, Miss Chen Xia, you’re amazing. It’s, well, incredible.”
“Huhu, thank you for the compliment.”
From over the wall, he could hear the laughter-filled conversation of the two girls.
“Young Master Leo, how is it? It’s nice, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“Leo, the night sky is so beautiful.”
“It is.”
Leo replied leisurely, affirming their words.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, Chen Xia pouted.
Eiran was gazing at the sky in admiration.
“Isn’t Young Master Leo being a little too much?”
“What is?”
At her slightly sulky tone, Eiran tilted her head.
“We’re in an open-air bath, and just over one wall, two beautiful young ladies are bathing. He’s being way too nonchalant.”
Eiran smiled awkwardly at her words.
“Not even a tiny bit nervous. He’s like a jaded old man.”
Watching Chen Xia grumble in a vaguely dissatisfied tone, Eiran scratched her cheek.
The way he treated her like a kid during the day, too.
Chen Xia was a little miffed by Leo’s attitude.
‘Well, Leo is definitely not a child.’
He may look young on the outside, but inside, he’s an adult.
And not just any adult, but the Great Hero from 5,000 years ago.
He’s also the master of Verchia and Vihar, the founders of her and Chen Xia’s families.
‘It’s no wonder he sees us as children.’
She submerged her lips in the water and exhaled.
Bubble, bubble—
Amidst the bursting air bubbles, Chen Xia spoke.
“We’re older than him.”
“We... are, aren’t we?”
Eiran gave a vague smile, watching Chen Xia suddenly assert her pride as the older one.
“Don’t you want to hear Young Master Leo sound flustered?”
“How?”
Chen Xia winked playfully and said.
“Young Master Leo. Since we’re on a trip, want to bathe together? I’ll scrub your back!”
At Chen Xia’s bombshell declaration, Eiran gasped and her mouth gaped open.
She had blurted it out, judging that anything less wouldn’t fluster Leo at all.
“Should I?”
Splash—!
But Leo was unfazed.
He heard the sound of someone getting out of the water, followed by footsteps approaching the wall.
Splish— splish—
“Are you guys coming over? Or should I?”
Chen Xia was flustered by Leo’s unexpected response.
“Huh? Ah! W-well! I-it was a jo— I-I don’t mind, but I’m not alone... no, no! I was just kidding! I was trying to tease you a little, Young Master Leo...”
Chen Xia, who normally wouldn’t bat an eye at most things, was flustered.
Her face turned bright red as she stammered out a hasty reply.
“Don’t joke about things like that.”
From the other side of the wall came Leo’s amused voice, followed by another splash.
‘Ugh... I fell for it. He really never loses.’
Chen Xia dunked her face into the hot spring to hide her reddened cheeks.
“Ah, what a shame.”
“Huh?”
She lifted her head in surprise at Eiran’s voice.
Seeing Chen Xia’s stunned expression, Eiran flinched and quickly made an excuse.
“I-I read in a book that in human society, there’s a culture of men and women with no relation to each other bathing together at resorts! It, uh, seemed like a chance for a cultural experience. I thought it was a good opportunity...”
“What do you take humans for? There’s no such promiscuous culture. No, what kind of book would even have something like that written in it? Unless it was some strange novel, that sort of content...”
Eiran whipped her head around, avoiding her gaze.
Watching her, Chen Xia muttered blankly to herself.
‘She looks so innocent, but her taste in books is dangerous.’
***
Gwooooooo—!
The world was filled with black flames.
The colossal primordial evil spewed flames that seemed to engulf everything.
Boom—! Flash—!
A golden aura shot high into the sky, as if to cleave the gray heavens.
The gray-haired man wielding a sword flew forward, his eyes flashing.
“Ky-Kyle! Not alone!”
Luna called out to Kyle urgently.
“Luna, your shoulder is the priority. Kyle will buy us time, so hurry.”
Lisinas rushed to Luna’s side.
Luna gritted her teeth and healed the wound where her right shoulder had been pierced.
Zwaak—!
In that moment, a sword strike powerful enough to split the world plunged toward Erebos.
Bwoooosh—!
The golden aura slashed through the giant spewing black flames.
Kyle’s gray eyes and Erebos’s crimson ones met in midair.
[Indeed.]
Erebos murmured softly.
[Have you resigned yourself to death, surviving hero.]
Erebos scoffed at the resolve reflected in Kyle’s eyes.
Grasp—!
Erebos grabbed the golden aura embedded in its body.
And as it pulled it out, it raised its other hand.
Fwoosh—!
A sword of black flame materialized.
Seeing this, Kyle swung his own sword upward.
Flash—! Kwagagagagang—! Fwoooooosh—!
The sword swung by Erebos bore down on Kyle.
Kwagagagang—!
The ground Kyle stood on shattered and sank.
Kyle, blocking Erebos’s sword, looked so small.
He looked so precarious it wouldn't have been strange if he were crushed and vanished at any moment.
But Kyle’s gray eyes were not stained with despair.
Instead, they burned with an even fiercer killing intent.
Fwoooooosh—!
From Erebos’s sword, a wave of all-consuming black flames poured out.
The black flames raged with enough force to turn Kyle to ash in an instant.
Kyle’s sword-wielding hand was engulfed by the black flames.
His face could be seen contorting in extreme pain.
Seeing this, Luna cried out.
“This is no time to be tending to my wound!”
Staff in hand, Luna dashed forward.
Jolt—!
Leo shot up.
“A dream?”
Leo’s shoulders were heaving, a rare sight.
His entire body was drenched in a cold sweat.
It had been a dream as vivid as reality.
Recalling the dream’s content, Leo took a deep breath.
‘The third battle of the final expedition.’
It was none other than the battle where Luna had died.
‘How strange. To have such a vivid dream of that time.’
It was so vivid, it felt as if he had just been on that battlefield himself.
The moment Leo tried to push himself up with his right hand.
“Kuhk?!”
A searing pain shot through his right shoulder, and his strength gave out.
Squelch—!
Falling back, Leo felt the bedding was wet.
‘Blood?’
At the metallic scent of blood, Leo placed his left hand on his right shoulder.
He felt a wound.
But the wound healed in an instant.
As if it had never been there.
The pain vanished as well.
Only the pool of blood proved that Leo had been injured just moments before.
Leo wore a bewildered expression.
“What in the world?”