Chapter 516
Chapter Title: Luna's Legacy
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516.
There was no way to know what happened 5,000 years ago.
‘What’s certain is that a shadow fell over Berchia’s heart.’
Enough for him to be corrupted and resurrected as an undead.
This was beyond simply going astray.
Berchia had come to hate the peaceful world he had so desperately desired.
‘Will my voice even reach him?’
The dead were unstable beings.
He might not believe him, even if he revealed he was Kyle.
And even if he did believe him, it was highly likely the problem wouldn't be solved.
*Step— Step—*
The reason why Berchia, who had once viewed the world with such brightness, had come to despise it.
‘First, I need to find out what that is.’
Leo took a deep breath.
‘Still, if he won’t listen, I’ll have to beat some sense into him. For now, I need to sort out the situation at Lumerne and then pursue Berchia.’
*
“Welcome! Student Leo!”
“I hope I’m not intruding at such a late hour.”
“Hah, of course not. You’re welcome anytime.”
Professor Ren enthusiastically welcomed Leo, who had visited his office.
“So, what brings you to me at this hour? Have you finally decided to commit to the magic department?”
“That’s not it.”
“What a shame.”
Ren shrugged his shoulders.
Despite his words, he didn’t seem particularly disappointed.
In truth, Ren had already given up on the matter of Leo’s department.
And it wasn’t just Ren.
Ain, who had also seen Leo’s talent and tried to recruit him, and even Yura, no longer argued about the issue.
This was because the professors’ greatest concern had essentially been resolved.
In the case of a typical Dual Class, it was rare for an individual to achieve high proficiency in both fields.
Aside from the two greatest magic swordsmen of the Heroic Age—Fairy Knight Berchia and the Twilight Knight Lumerne—no Dual Class had ever elevated both abilities to the realm of a Hero.
Most who tried to chase two rabbits at once often ended up catching neither.
Therefore, they usually chose one primary ability and used the other as a support to enhance it.
That was why the three professors had no choice but to conclude that it would be best for Leo, an unprecedented All-Class, to also choose one primary ability and use the other two as support.
‘In the end, it was nothing but a baseless worry.’
Leo, the All-Class, had reached an exceptional level in all his abilities without falling behind in any.
‘And he did it in less than two years.’
Seeing Leo, who had already reached the realm of a Hero, was enough to leave one speechless.
Worrying about his future path had now become strange in itself.
“So, what is the reason you sought me out? If you wish to discuss magic, I am always ready to welcome you.”
Ren grinned and waved his finger.
A teapot and teacup flew over to Leo.
*Pour—* Warm tea was poured in mid-air.
Leo took the teacup floating before him and spoke.
“It’s about Lady Luna.”
“Lady Luna…”
Ren let out a hollow laugh.
“It would have been better if I had known she was Lady Luna.”
Though Ren had unintentionally become the one and only professor to teach magic to the progenitor of the Nebula, he felt a great sense of regret.
If he had known it was Luna, he could have had a much deeper discussion about magic.
‘This man truly is a born mage.’
Leo, chuckling inwardly at the disappointed Ren, said,
“Still, Lady Luna spoke of you often, Professor Ren.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Lady Luna’s dream was to be remembered forever, in any form.”
Leo took a sip of tea and continued.
“In that sense, you made Lady Luna’s dream come true, Professor.”
“Are you referring to the introductory grimoire on star magic?”
“Yes. She was truly delighted after reading it. She read your thesis over and over, praising you as a genius until she was blue in the face.”
“That is the highest honor. I am truly so flattered, I don’t know what to say.”
Ren said, genuinely pleased.
For a mage, could there be any greater praise than this?
“That’s why I feel I can trust you with this, Professor.”
“Hm?”
Leo opened his subspace and took out four grimoires.
They were magic notebooks one could easily purchase at the Lumerne campus store.
Ren wore a puzzled expression as Leo handed him the incredibly thick notebooks, and he accepted them.
Then, he read the words written on the cover.
“Iliana Raden?”
Tilting his head, he opened the grimoire and began to read its contents.
Ren’s expression immediately hardened.
“This is…”
“It’s a magic formula Lady Luna left behind.”
“Is this magic she created after being inspired by student Iliana?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
Ren began to read the grimoire’s contents with a serious expression.
His eyes darted from left to right at an incredible speed.
A moment later, after reading the initial part, Ren proceeded to read the grimoires labeled Chloe Müller, Abad Llewellyn, and Chelsea Llewellyn in turn.
He then organized his thoughts and took a deep breath.
Then, in a trembling voice, he spoke.
“Student Leo, you must know the significance of these grimoires, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Leo nodded.
“It’s a step forward.”
The grimoires Luna had left behind were magic she had created after being inspired by the four students.
Each was a unique magic that only they could use.
And the magical concepts used in their creation were on a higher plane than the concepts commonly accepted in the current era.
“Of course, since these are formulas for unique magic, it will be difficult to make them widely usable right away.”
Ren said with a serious face.
“Besides, they’re not even complete.”
Even for Luna, hailed as the greatest genius in the history of magic, creating a spell that could change the course of that history in a short time was impossible.
Thus, the magic she created during her time in the present world was still in an incomplete stage.
“Showing me this means you want me to guide the students and help them complete the magic, correct?”
“Yes.”
Ren fell into deep thought.
Normally, he would have accepted the task with glee.
Ren considered himself a genius superior to anyone else in the academic field of magic.
Of course, there were many mages more powerful than Ren.
But in the field of research, Ren was one of the world’s foremost mages.
This time, however, the responsibility was too great.
‘This is the study of magic left behind in this world by none other than Lady Luna herself.’
After some deliberation, Ren opened his mouth.
“Why did you choose me?”
“If it were Lady Luna, she would have chosen you, Professor.”
“Me?”
“Yes. She spoke of you often. Besides, you are someone who cares for your students and thinks only of magic with a sincere heart.”
“Hmm.”
Though it was Leo who had chosen Ren, Luna would have likely made the same choice.
After hearing Leo’s words, the deliberating Ren nodded.
“Very well. I shall take on the task.”
“Thank you.”
*Knock, knock—*
Right on cue, a knock came from the door.
“Come in.”
As Ren finished speaking, the door opened, and Karl, along with Iliana, Chelsea, Abad, and Chloe, entered the professor’s office.
“Chloe, Abad, Chelsea, Iliana. You four, please have a seat here.”
Ren gestured for the four to sit.
As the four took their seats with looks of confusion, Leo stood up from his.
“I’ll be on my way now.”
“Alright.”
Leo waved to the four and left with Karl.
*Creeak— Thud—*
As the door closed, Karl asked while they walked down the hallway.
“Why did Professor Ren want to see those four?”
“To teach them the magic Luna left behind.”
“Whoa? Magic left by Lady Luna? That’s insane.”
“Don’t go telling anyone.”
“Tch~ It’s hard to keep my mouth shut about this.”
Karl said playfully.
Of course, Karl wasn’t the type to speak carelessly about such things, so Leo just chuckled.
“Anyway, what kind of magic did she leave behind?”
“It’s still incomplete. What form it takes will depend on each of them.”
“Still, there must be a general concept for the magic, right?”
Karl asked, full of curiosity.
The reason he asked was simple.
‘In any case, a mage is a wild card on the battlefield.’
A mage was a being capable of turning the tide of battle.
This was magic left by Luna for the top three students of the magic department, excluding Leo.
On top of that, Iliana was also a formidable magic swordsman.
‘It seems like it could be a good ace in the hole later on.’
Although Karl aimed to be a supporter, his talent for reading the flow of battle, commanding, and strategizing was the best among the second-years.
‘He acts like it’s nothing, though.’
The more powerful one becomes, the harder it is to cooperate with others.
Heroes, being individuals with strong personalities, were bound to have some discord.
Karl’s command could resolve those issues on the spot.
‘You need not only keen observation but also flexible thinking. He’s the best as a commander.’
Leo, seeing through Karl’s abilities, explained.
“In Iliana’s case, it’s a type of acceleration magic.”
“Acceleration? That sounds surprisingly ordinary.”
“It is ordinary. But it’s a different story if you become so fast that it’s hard to perceive with normal senses. The greatest advantage of light-attribute magic is speed, after all.”
Leo thought of Iliana.
“Iliana’s impetuous and rough personality prevents her from utilizing her strengths.”
“True, she is a reckless idiot. You need to be delicate to handle light magic, which is impossible with her personality. In the end, she just spams large-scale magic that relies on firepower until she runs out of mana.”
“Exactly. That’s why she tends to rely on her swordsmanship, but from what I’ve observed, Iliana has more talent for magic than for Aura.”
Leo continued as they walked down the hall.
“So, it would be better to use that magical ability to maximize her swordsmanship.”
“I see.”
Karl stroked his chin.
“What about Chloe?”
“Spatial control magic.”
“Ooh. An upgraded version of Ice World?”
“That’s right. Looking at the spell’s design, it seems to interfere with the spirit realm.”
“Huh?”
“You could say it’s a magic that allows her to enter a spirit-like state the moment she deploys it.”
“Whoa, whoa, hold on. Chloe doesn’t have any talent for spirit arts, does she?”
“She doesn’t. She enters the domain of spirits through magic.”
“Wow… just hearing about it makes my head spin.”
“That’s if she completes it.”
‘Which she will, of course.’
The Chloe that Leo knew was more than capable of completing that magic.
“What about that Abad fellow?”
“Chantless casting, limited to wind magic.”
“What? Chantless?!”
Karl’s jaw dropped.
Chantless casting.
A dream realm that no one had ever achieved.
Even Luna was just fast.
She still needed the incantation process.
“That’s crazy.”
“It is.”
“Then what about Chelsea?”
“In terms of magical effect, it’s similar to Chloe’s.”
“Oh?”
“It’s a magic that allows her to freely control all the wind in a space through song.”
“Every single one is fantastical.”
“They’re ideas that only a nutjob like Luna could come up with, and spells that only she could bring to life.”
Leo himself was astounded.
He knew Luna was amazing, but this was a fresh surprise.
“Well, that’s all assuming they can complete them.”
“Man. If they can actually use them, it’ll be a game-changer.”
Karl was expressing his continuous admiration when he spoke up.
“By the way, you guys fought against the heroes of the past this time, right?”
“We did. Wow, it was seriously brutal.”
Karl shook his head from side to side.
“From the perspective of someone who fought alongside them, how were your peers’ skills?”
“What a question. They were monsters, of course.”
Karl, clicking his tongue, continued.
“They were already monsters, but I guess the training retreat spurred them on. In a short time, they all far surpassed the level of a second-year.”
“Kids sure do grow fast.”
“Wow! You really sound like an old man.”
Karl said in pure admiration.
Leo chuckled at him.
“However.”
“However?”
Leo looked puzzled at Karl’s following words.
“There’s one person who seems to be standing still, so to speak.”
Karl wore a worried expression.
“Eliza hasn’t changed much at all.”