Chapter 496
Chapter Title: A Mage's Paradise
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496.
Beneath the gray sky.
The Great Heroes, having finished their battle with the Legion Commander, gasped for breath.
“I… I really thought I was going to die this time.”
Ar-on said, his face pale.
“I agree. To think a Legion Commander possessed such an ability.”
Even the usually stoic Dweno muttered with a grave expression as he set down his battle axe.
“Still, following Jormungandr, this is the second major foe we've defeated. Good work, everyone.”
Lisinas said, taking a deep breath to comfort his comrades.
“Where are Kyle and Luna?”
Dweno asked, puzzled.
“Luna took Kyle with her, saying they were going to the library in this area.”
“Tsk. The one who needs the most rest was taken away by the one who's perfectly fine.”
Lisinas gave a bitter smile at those words.
This Legion Commander was, quite literally, a natural enemy to Kyle.
Luna, on the other hand, had a strong resistance to the commander's authority.
*If it hadn't been for Luna, the battle would have been truly dangerous.*
Lisinas, too, felt a chill inwardly.
“But why does Luna always bring back so many grimoires from the libraries in the liberated cities?”
Ar-on, the only one in the party ignorant of magic, asked with a curious expression.
“To study magic.”
“But Luna's already the greatest mage in the world. Is there anything left for her to learn?”
Despite Dweno's explanation, Ar-on retorted, still not understanding.
Looking at Ar-on, Lisinas said,
“There's a saying among mages. Even the greatest mage has something to learn from a street fortune-teller.”
“Aha. So Luna reads other grimoires to improve herself.”
“To put it simply, yes. But beyond that, Luna has a dream.”
“A dream? What is it?”
Ar-on tilted his head.
“Luna wants to know every magic that exists in this world.”
“Isn't that a bit absurd?”
Ar-on's jaw dropped.
Even Ar-on, who knew nothing of magic, understood.
That countless spells existed in this world.
Knowing all of them was a feat bordering on the impossible.
“It is absurd. Magic is the study of exploring the endless unknown, after all.”
Lisinas smiled faintly.
“But for a mage like Luna, learning new magic is surely a joy that can't be traded for anything else.”
Whoooosh-!
A dry wind blew.
“For Luna, a world full of magic she doesn't know must be paradise.”
***
“...Is this heaven?”
Having arrived at the second-year library of the magic department, Luna stared at the countless grimoires laid out before her and muttered blankly.
With a trembling hand, she opened a basic grimoire that modern mages studied. Covering her eyes with her forearm, she let out a groan, “Ahhh-!” and staggered.
“This is so good I could die. No. I'd be happy to die.”
“You're already dead.”
Leo interjected from the side, but Luna ignored him, focusing on reading the grimoire.
*If it's a spell from a basic grimoire, it should be centered around activation formulas.*
Leo's first real encounter with the magic of this era was after enrolling at Lumerne.
And that was when he first saw something called an activation formula.
Despite being a great mage, Leo, with his 5,000-year-old knowledge, couldn't even properly understand what an activation formula was back then.
“Wow, so in the future, there are formulas that activate just by memorizing them.”
But Luna saw the activation formula and, in an instant, grasped its structure.
“I want to try it.”
“This is the magic department's library, so you can use simple spells.”
“Alright then. Hup.”
Luna activated a simple spell using the activation formula.
“Amazing.”
Luna exclaimed in admiration.
A simple Fire spell that created a flame.
Luna then promptly improvised the activation formula, changing the Fire spell into a Fireball.
“Still as amazing as ever.”
“Hmph. Who do you think I am? I'm the great Luna. The one and only Luna.”
Luna wore a triumphant expression.
Mastering an activation formula just by seeing it once.
Dispelling the magic, Luna let out a small cry, “Ah!”
“Could my lingering regret be that I never got to see the infinite possibilities of magic?”
At her words, Leo stroked his chin.
“That could be it.”
“Huhu. Yes. My desire to explore magic was strong, after all.”
“You always did stare greedily at any new grimoire you saw.”
“Your choice of words is so strange. Do you think 'greed' suits someone as pure and innocent as me?”
“It suits you perfectly.”
Luna punched Leo in the side.
Leo, his face contorted in pain, clutched his side and said,
“Anyway, you can read all the grimoires you want later, so let's call it a day for now.”
“But I want to read now.”
Luna said, hugging the grimoire tightly to her chest, and Leo clicked his tongue.
“There's someone you need to meet.”
“Someone I need to meet?”
At Leo's words, Luna blinked a few times.
***
[Ah...]
The Fairy King, who had lived for 5,000 years, trembled as he gazed upon his contractor from the past.
[This... this isn't a dream, is it?]
“You've really grown, Siload. Well, it has been 5,000 years.”
[Luna!]
Siload flew to Luna, who was smiling through her tears.
Clinging to Luna's hair, Siload's shoulders quivered.
“Yes. I'm so proud. So proud.”
Luna smiled, gently stroking Siload's hair with her fingertips.
Tears welled in Luna's eyes.
Watching them, Leo gave a wry smile.
*To think I'd be able to see Luna and Siload together again in this era.*
Luna had been there when Siload was born, and they had formed a pact from that very moment.
Though they were bound by a pact, they were also like family.
*One of Luna's regrets might be that she couldn't keep her promise to Siload.*
Before leaving on her final journey.
Luna had made a promise to Siload.
That she would surely return.
But in the end, she had closed her eyes, unable to keep that promise.
If that had become a lingering regret.
This reunion will surely help Luna.
In the Fairy King's abode, the three who had sought to save the world during the Age of Calamity talked.
“So, who did Berkia marry?”
“She married an ordinary elf. Surprising, isn't it?”
“An ordinary elf?”
Luna's eyes widened.
It was the first time Leo had heard this story as well.
“Didn't she go around boasting that she would never marry a man weaker than her?”
“Yes. She certainly did.”
Luna also looked amazed.
“He was ordinary, but a very simple and kind young man. The kind of person who suited the new era.”
Siload reminisced, recalling the past.
“He was an elf who brought a sense of comfort just by being near. Perhaps that's why Berkia chose Ma-id.”
“What do you mean, that's why she chose him?”
Luna tilted her head.
“Berkia was very weary at the time.”
Siload sighed softly.
“Rebuilding the world was not easy. The collapsed order had to be re-established. The order of Gardsrone, which Lisinas had built, turned to chaos after he disappeared.”
If the Great Heroes who saved the world had lived, perhaps there would have been no major incidents even after peace was found.
They all vanished during the final subjugation of Erebos.
The Great Heroes were certainly the saviors of this world.
But before that, they were also a deterrent.
Not everyone is righteous.
Some possess a good nature, while others have a twisted one.
But with the world on the brink of ruin, a twisted nature is a shortcut to its destruction.
Lisinas did not tolerate such individuals.
*I was the one who took care of those who operated in the shadows.*
[Even among the residents of Gardsrone, many turned into villains faithful to their desires.]
“I can't believe it. Everyone in Gardsrone was so good.”
Luna looked bewildered.
[Thinking back now, I believe everyone might have been suppressing their true natures.]
The Great Hero and countless other heroes sacrificing themselves for the world.
Because they set an example, the world on the brink of destruction was, in a sense, a very good and orderly place.
Many people put others before themselves.
“Are you saying they hid their true nature because they feared our power?”
At Leo's murmur, Luna fell into thought before speaking seriously.
“I don't think that's all there was to it. Perhaps they just wanted to live meaningful lives in a world that could end at any moment.”
Luna gave a bitter smile.
“Whenever Gardsrone faced a crisis, everyone helped each other. There was no falsehood in what we saw.”
Hearing Luna's words, Leo recalled the past.
To the reincarnated Leo, it felt like a distant memory, but to Luna, it was as vivid as yesterday.
“It's ironic. That the people of a world on the verge of collapse would possess a more virtuous nature.”
“That must be why the world was saved from destruction.”
Luna replied earnestly to Leo's words.
“So, she fell for a man she met while rebuilding the world and restoring order?”
[Yes.]
“Was she happy?”
Leo asked bluntly, and Siload smiled faintly.
[She looked very happy whenever she was with Ma-id. Just like when she was with the two of you.]
“That's a relief.”
Leo let out a short laugh.
“What's this? After all that bickering with Berkia? You, who spouted nonsense about how she needed to suffer with some weird guy to mature, are suddenly worried about your disciple?”
“What do you take me for?”
“A degenerate.”
Luna replied without hesitation, a bright smile on her face.
Leo clicked his tongue at her.
“I worry about those we left behind, too. Besides...”
“Besides?”
“It seems she thought of me as a father.”
At the unexpected words, Luna's eyes widened.
“You... as a father?”
“Yeah.”
“How do you know that?”
“She said it herself. I heard it in the World of Heroes.”
At that, Luna stared at Leo for a moment, then burst out laughing, “Pfft-”
“It strangely fits.”
*They certainly did have the vibe of a nagging dad and a teenage daughter.*
Luna, still giggling, looked slightly excited.
“Does that make me the mom?”
“Mom, my foot. You two played around on the same level, so she probably saw you as more of an older sister.”
Luna kicked Leo's butt.
Of course, Leo dodged it.
As Luna fumed, Siload said with a smile,
“Berkia thought of you both as her parents.”
“See! I told you I thought of Berkia as a daughter!”
Luna crossed her arms with a triumphant look.
“If you thought of her as a daughter, you should have disciplined her. You spoiled her rotten, so she got more arrogant by the day.”
Luna covered her ears and pretended not to hear the grumbling Leo.
Leo clicked his tongue at her and turned to Siload.
“Siload, let's talk for a moment, just the two of us.”
[Yes.]
“What secrets are you two going to discuss?”
“It's about Bihar.”
Leo and Siload moved to a corner of the Fairy King's abode.
Leo crossed his arms and said,
“You said the world was in chaos after we died, right?”
[Yes.]
“I'll ask you straight. I have a hunch, but what kind of life did Bihar live?”
[...]
At Leo's question, Siload closed his eyes.
And then, he spoke heavily.
[She lived a life of executing those who brought harm to the world. She lived as if she could not tolerate their existence. Wherever she appeared, there was always a sea of blood. That's why people came to fear Bihar more than the demons.]
***
“I see. That Berkia... she thought of me and Leo as her mom and dad?”
The morning they departed on their expedition.
She recalled the disciple who had come to see her.
*Thank goodness she lived happily.*
*I will never tarnish my masters' names. And if anyone else dares to do so, I will never forgive them.*
*We will definitely return, Berkia.*
*Still! Even after you return, there will be people who badmouth you in secret, won't there? I will never, ever, ever forgive those bastards!*
Berkia's words came to mind.
*What a shame. I wish I had known sooner.*
Luna's vision blurred.
*I really wanted to see Berkia find happiness.*
Even knowing she had lived happily didn't bring satisfaction.
Like a deepening thirst, she felt an even greater sense of regret.
Feeling a new regret well up over not being able to see Berkia's happiness, Luna thought,
*Still, this is really nice.*
The world they had saved was truly beautiful.
Magic had advanced.
She had only been alive for a few days, but it was truly a happy world.
*This is bad.*
Luna looked at Leo.
*I think I'm developing a new lingering regret.*