Chapter 506
Chapter Title: The Mirror Queen, Kinesi
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"What is this!" Luna exclaimed, her voice rising in agitation.
"To think we'd end up in this ridiculous situation because of that pervert's potion!"
Stripped bare and sitting back-to-back, Luna raised her voice as if to shake off her embarrassment, her face flushed red all the way to her ears.
"You're the one who told him to make it."
Leo's retort left Luna speechless.
With nothing left to say, Luna hugged her knees and lowered her head.
The warmth of Leo's body against her back made her face burn as if it were on fire.
*This is too intense!*
Every time Leo moved, the sensation of their bare backs brushing against each other sent a shiver through her, and she desperately suppressed the moan that threatened to escape her lips.
Her heart pounded wildly, as if it were about to break.
They had fought side-by-side on countless battlefields for ages, standing together until the very end to save the world.
But they had never once been in a situation like this.
The culprit was none other than Dweno.
Regardless of their personalities, Luna and Lisinas were beautiful enough to make goddesses weep, so Dweno had wanted to use them as models for his art.
Naturally, the models for his art were to be nude, and in a certain sense, Dweno was certifiably insane.
As such, Lisinas and Luna had always been wary of their surroundings when bathing or changing clothes outdoors.
Besides, while Luna's words and actions were rough, she had received a high elf's education and had dedicated her entire life to magic.
Being in this situation with the person she liked was incredibly embarrassing.
"Don't you dare turn around. If you do, I won't let you get away with it!"
"I won't."
Luna scoffed at Leo's nonchalant response.
"I have a question."
"What."
Luna answered Leo's question brusquely.
"Why did you hide your feelings from me? I can see Lisinas not openly showing her emotions for the sake of the greater good, but I don't think that's the case with you."
"Haaah."
Feeling a sense of frustration, Luna tilted her head back.
She relaxed completely, leaning her back against Leo's.
Before she knew it, the sun had set, and the night was deep.
Lunia, Eiran, Chen Xia, and Karl had gone out to see the festival.
It was thanks to Leo and Luna making the excuse that they had something to talk about.
The curtains were drawn completely shut.
The faint light of the magic stone lamp cast the shadows of the two.
Luna glanced at their shadows, sitting back-to-back.
Leo was silently staring ahead.
After watching him for a moment and gathering her thoughts, Luna let out a dry laugh.
"I even proposed to you, you know?"
"What? When?"
Surprised, Leo turned around without thinking.
Without hesitation, Luna jabbed him in the face with her elbow.
"I told you not to look."
"Ugh!"
Looking at Leo clutching his face, Luna scoffed primly once more, pouting as she spoke.
"I'll be your future. If you can't picture a future, I'll become your unchanging dream. So that your life can continue through mine."
"That was a proposal?"
"Yes, it was a proposal, you idiot. A proposal. That pervert used to tell you, didn't he? That you're a blockhead. Yep. He was right."
"When did you start having feelings for me?"
"It was from that moment."
Proposing to someone right after you start liking them.
*I guess that's just like Luna.*
While Leo let out a hollow laugh, Luna ground her teeth and said.
"I made a vow then. That I would never again say I like you with my own lips. I would never show it and make you fall for me instead!"
"But you confessed when we were subjugating Jerdiac and Silatuna."
"That was a special circumstance, so it doesn't count."
Seeing Luna speak while grinding her teeth, Leo let out another hollow laugh.
Leo silently gazed at the ceiling.
A clean but old inn that showed the passage of time.
The dead of night.
A faint magic stone lamp flickered.
Being so close, Luna's scent was distinct.
He could feel Luna's tense body flinch.
A brief silence passed between them.
Luna spoke.
"How did you feel when you first realized you'd been reincarnated?"
"Bewildered. I woke up from a long sleep to find my body had become smaller."
"And after that?"
"I was relieved that the world was peaceful even after 5,000 years. And I thought that this time, I had to end it for good."
Leo looked down at his hand.
"Because it was an incomplete peace."
"...Didn't you ever think of just forgetting everything and enjoying life?"
"It's not that I didn't. But I didn't think you guys would."
"No, if I had been reborn in this era, I probably would have ignored the world's threats."
Luna's hands, wrapped around her knees, tightened.
"Because this world is like a dream."
The current era was the very world Luna had dreamed of.
What a delightful world it was.
Luna herself was revered as the greatest mage in history.
Magic that had developed based on the theories she had established, branching out into countless schools and disciplines.
Magical theories that had evolved in ways even Luna herself could never have imagined.
For a mage, could there be a world more worthy of study?
"Ar-on would be the same."
Given his timid nature, he would have chosen a peaceful life.
"Dweno, too."
Though he possessed a will of steel, Dweno would have chosen to cultivate the world's beauty.
"As for Lisinas..."
Luna paused, then burst out laughing without realizing it.
"I think Lisinas would have tried to eliminate Erebos completely."
"Yeah, he's that kind of guy. But."
Leo, agreeing with Luna, added.
"All of you would have eventually chosen to fight Erebos again, just like me."
Luna, Ar-on, and Dweno.
The world they had protected.
They would have ultimately stood against Erebos to protect the peace their friends had sacrificed everything to achieve.
"If you were the type to say, 'Someone else will do it for me, I've already done enough,' you never would have embarked on that arduous journey 5,000 years ago."
"Is that so?"
Luna burst out laughing.
"There were certainly a lot of tough times."
"Yeah."
"Do you remember that time? When Lisinas and Ar-on together..."
They began to reminisce.
Long ago.
They shared stories that had now become memories.
As they did, the tension naturally eased.
"Ah... this is really nice."
Luna leaned her back more deeply against him and looked at the ceiling.
"By the way, do you still not have anything you want to do after saving the world?"
Luna changed the subject.
"I want to bring about the future you all wanted."
"Huh?"
"I want to find those who will carry on your will, so the future you dreamed of can continue."
Leo smiled gently.
"So that my future can become your future. I want your stories to continue through my life."
*Aah... this guy, really.*
How can he be so altruistic when he has such a rotten personality?
*That must be why Lisinas fell for him, too.*
Understanding her friend's heart, Luna spoke.
"Close your eyes."
At her words, Leo obediently closed his eyes.
Luna stood up, moved in front of Leo, and leaned her back against his chest.
"If you try anything funny, I won't let you get away with it."
"It's hard not to, in this position."
As Leo spoke with a troubled tone, Luna leaned her back even more firmly against his chest and said.
"Let's just stay like this for today."
Luna said in a trembling voice, closing her eyes.
Her heart was pounding and she felt like she would die of embarrassment, but she wanted to feel Leo's warmth just a little longer.
The night deepened.
The strange time brought on by the potion flowed by.
***
The next day.
Leo and Luna went out into the streets.
"What's the occasion? You didn't go to the academy."
Lunia, who had come with them, asked while linking her arm with his.
Leo replied.
"I was feeling tired."
"You?"
Lunia narrowed her eyes suspiciously, glaring at him.
Looking at her, Leo grinned.
After a moment of watching Leo, Lunia spoke.
"Can I get some advice?"
"About what?"
"It's about Lady Luna."
Leo spoke while watching Luna enjoy the street festival by herself.
"What about her?"
"The other day, those Pureblood Society punks were rude to Lady Luna."
Lunia seemed troubled, still bothered by the incident.
"I'm worried that she might have been disappointed in the current era because of it."
It had been weighing on Lunia's mind.
At Lunia's words, Leo chuckled.
"I doubt it."
"Huh?"
"You saw it too, didn't you? The kind of place Luna grew up in back in the past."
"Mmm."
"She's not going to be disappointed by something as trivial as the Pureblood Society. She's more likely to focus on the bright side."
"You're right. I'm glad I talked to you about this."
Lunia brushed off her worries and smiled brightly.
Then, her eyes narrowed slightly.
"By the way. You talk as if you understand Lady Luna better than I do."
"Is there a problem with that?"
"Not really, but I was personally acknowledged by Lady Luna as her successor."
Lunia puffed out her chest with a proud expression.
"I should be the one who understands her better."
"And I was acknowledged by Lady Seirun, wasn't I?"
"Ugh. That's different."
It seemed Lunia wanted to understand Luna on a deeper level.
*Well, she is the object of her admiration.*
"You're a human and an All-Class, so you can be Lord Kyle's successor."
*I am Kyle.*
Just as Leo let out a hollow laugh at Lunia's words.
"Hmm! I feel like this plaza would look amazing if it were full of flowers!"
At that moment, Luna folded her arms with a disappointed look.
Seeing her, Lunia said.
"Shall I buy all the flowers in the city?"
As befitting the successor of the Lundua family, one of the most prestigious elven houses, Lunia was a young lady of immense wealth.
If she set her mind to it, she could buy out every flower in the entire city.
"But then other places wouldn't have any flowers."
Luna said with a grin, glancing at Leo.
In response, Leo made a nonchalant face and held out his hand.
Magic began to shimmer, and flowers started to bloom profusely throughout the plaza.
Gasps of admiration erupted from all around.
Watching this, Lunia's jaw dropped, while Luna beamed and walked over to Leo's side.
Leo chuckled, conjured a flower in his hand, and placed it in Luna's hair.
"Do I look pretty with a flower in my hair?"
"You look like a crazy lady with a flower in your hair."
Leo replied to Luna's question with a snicker.
Luna's expression turned icy, and she threw a punch at Leo.
Leo dodged the blow with practiced ease.
Watching the two of them bicker, Lunia was a little surprised.
*It was like this in the World of Heroes, too. They really seem like best friends.*
She was envious of their bond.
Just as Lunia was watching them with envious eyes.
*Swoooosh—!*
A wind blew past.
Leo and Luna froze.
Their expressions hardening, they turned their heads in unison.
And there, they saw a strange woman.
Nothing could be felt from the woman with transparent hair and eyes.
But the vibrant flowers began to wither, starting from the ground where she stood.
"It has been a long time, noble heroes."
Seeing the woman greet them in an emotionless voice, Leo's face contorted.
"The Mirror Queen, Kinesi."
At the appearance of a Legion Commander they had subjugated 5,000 years ago, killing intent poured out from Leo's body.
Seeing him, Kinesi smiled.
"Shall we settle the score we couldn't 5,000 years ago? Surviving hero, Kyle."