Chapter 534
Chapter Title: Bihar's Dagger
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Shing-!
Leo drew Bihar's dagger and stared blankly at the blade.
After examining the dagger from various angles, Leo swung it through the air.
Swish-!
A sharp sound cut through the air.
It was the work of none other than Dweno.
As such, despite thousands of years having passed, the dagger had not forgotten its essence as a weapon.
After swinging it a few more times, Leo looked down at the dagger in his hand again.
'I wasn't imagining it.'
A moment ago, for just a fleeting second.
Bihar's dagger had clearly reacted to something.
At the same time, he had felt Bihar's presence.
But now, the dagger was silent, as if nothing had happened.
As Leo stared at the dagger in silence.
Knock, knock-
"Young Master Leo, may I come in?"
"Come in."
Creak-
Chen Xia opened the door and entered.
She found Leo standing blankly in the middle of the room and made a peculiar expression.
"Aren't you going to change?"
Leo was still wearing Lunia's uniform.
"I had a few things to think about."
Leo said nonchalantly, crossing his arms.
As Leo, dressed in Seirun's white uniform, slightly bowed his head, a cascade of pure white hair fell over his face.
The hair, magically grown for his disguise, sparkled like snow.
Added to that was his pale white skin.
His red eyes, which seemed ready to burst into flames at any moment, were more striking than usual.
"I'm realizing it again, but since you're such a handsome young man, Young Master Leo, you look quite lovely dressed like that."
Saying so, Chen Xia moved behind Leo and began to braid his hair.
"What are you doing?"
"I thought braided hair would suit you too."
At her words, Leo shook his head.
His hair came undone.
Opening a subspace with magic, Leo took out a pair of pants and put them on.
After tying the loose, long drawstrings of the pants, Leo took off the skirt and tossed it onto the bed.
Next, he took off the uniform top and threw it on the bed.
The firm muscles and abs hidden beneath the uniform were revealed.
Leo rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck from side to side, channeling his Aura.
Crack! Cruuunch! Crack! Crack!
The sound of bones cracking echoed from his entire body.
Then, Leo's physique began to grow larger.
Soon, having returned to his original size, Leo stretched and muttered.
"Damn, that hurts."
Chen Xia marveled at Leo's grumbling.
"I thought so before, but this is incredible. To change your entire bone structure with Aura. Is this an Aura skill you created, Young Master Leo?"
"Do I look like I'd create something this useless?"
"Then?"
"There's only one person among us who would make something like this."
"Dweno?"
"Correct."
'True beauty must transcend the time of the body! There's no need for past appearances created by magic and illusions! That's why I created this technique, to turn back the body's time using Aura!'
"It was a technique born from that old man's perverted ideals. The problem is that it's so difficult to learn that not just anyone can master it."
"Hmm."
Leo had used Dweno's Aura skill to revert to his appearance from a few years ago.
Thanks to returning to a time when his physique was similar to Lunia's, he had been able to borrow her uniform without it feeling out of place.
Chen Xia, being good with her hands, had altered Eiran's clothes to fit herself.
"Can I learn that, too?"
"Of course. You'd be able to learn it easily enough. Why?"
"I thought it might be convenient to know in various situations."
"Is there a need for that? Even now, when you're with the first-years, you look younger than them."
"Are you saying I look like a child right now?"
Squinting, Chen Xia poked Leo's side with her finger.
Looking at her, Leo said calmly.
"I mean you look young for your age."
"How can a teenager look young for their age? How?"
For Chen Xia, who was often teased for looking the same age as Chelsea, it was an unwelcome comment.
Leo flicked Chen Xia's forehead with his finger.
Rubbing her forehead, Chen Xia scoffed and turned her head away sharply.
"Are you sulking?"
"Whatever."
Watching Chen Xia's prim reaction, Leo said.
"Don't be like that. Come here. I have something to discuss with you."
"With me?"
Chen Xia looked puzzled.
Leo pulled over a chair and sat down, while Chen Xia sat on the bed in his room.
Leo showed Bihar's dagger to Chen Xia and spoke.
"This is the dagger I gifted to Bihar."
"Ah..."
At the mention of a dagger used by her ancestor, Chen Xia's eyes widened slightly.
"And the moment I entered Eldon, this dagger reacted. It was brief, but I felt Bihar's presence too. What do you think about that?"
After a moment of thought, Chen Xia opened her mouth to answer Leo's question.
"Lord Bihar passed away because of his fight with Lord Berkia, right?"
"Yes."
Normally, it wouldn't have been strange for the Shan Empire and the Ersar family to become mortal enemies.
But due to the nature of the Shan Empire, they had no choice but to hide everything about themselves.
"...Do you think Lord Bihar holds a grudge against Lord Berkia?"
"The Bihar I know wouldn't."
Leo's eyes darkened slightly.
"He would have felt it was a pity instead."
"That's also a form of lingering attachment."
Chen Xia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Assuming Lord Berkia is here... could it be that your Spirit Summoning was activated, Young Master Leo?"
"You think so too?"
"Yes."
Leo didn't know much about Spirit Summoning either.
Of course, he knew more than the average summoner, but since he lacked the abilities of a Spirit Summoner himself, he hadn't delved too deeply into it.
But things changed after Lisinas's Spirit Summoning abilities awakened.
He began to study Spirit Summoning, and Chen Xia, who could use Spiritism, also started studying it with him.
The reason was simple.
She wanted to be of some help to Leo, even if just a little.
"After all, you did summon Lady Luna before."
Hearing Chen Xia, Leo nodded and raised the dagger.
"Are you going to try summoning him now?"
"Yes."
Nodding, Leo stirred his spiritual power.
Vwoom-!
Having absorbed Leo's spiritual power, Bihar's dagger began to resonate.
'...If Bihar appears as a spirit, what should I say to him?'
Should I scold my disciple who could never escape the darkness?
Or should I praise the disciple who dedicated his entire life to the world?
'Or... should I comfort the one who blames himself for not being able to stop Berkia?'
Leo gazed at Bihar's dagger with slightly somber eyes.
A moment later.
Flash-!
Bihar's dagger erupted in a brilliant light.
When Leo let go, the dagger floated in mid-air.
A contract circle, drawn with Leo's spiritual power, formed around it.
The contract circle was soon sucked into the dagger.
And then.
Clatter-!
Bihar's dagger fell limply to the floor.
"..."
"..."
Leo and Chen Xia stared at the dagger in silence.
"Nothing happened."
Chen Xia approached the dagger, crouched down, and poked it with her finger.
As expected, there was no reaction.
Seeing this, Leo narrowed his eyes.
"Strange. I was sure it was Bihar's presence."
Chen Xia carefully picked up the dagger.
The dagger remained unresponsive.
"Young Master Leo, here."
Chen Xia scurried over to Leo and handed him the dagger.
Staring blankly at the dagger, Leo spoke.
"It's yours now."
"Huh?"
"He was your ancestor, wasn't he?"
Leo said as he put on his shirt.
"You can use daggers, can't you?"
"I can. The problem is that my killing intent gets too strong."
"Train to control it."
"Yes."
Answering energetically, Chen Xia carefully put away Bihar's dagger.
After he finished dressing, Leo said.
"Where are Lunia and Eiran?"
"They went to the Eldon council. They said that since they're big shots from Seirun, they needed to make an appearance."
"Do we not need to go?"
"Miss Lunia said it would be enough if just they went. She asked us to investigate the city."
"Is that so?"
Leo, putting on his coat, looked out the window.
Snow had begun to fall at some point.
"Shall we start our investigation then?"
"Yes!"
Leo and Chen Xia left their lodgings.
***
Whoooosh.
"Achoo!"
Late at night.
A biting, blade-like wind blew fiercely.
Lunia, having exited the building, glared back over her shoulder, her red eyes flashing.
The building Lunia and Eiran had just left was a palace, the very pinnacle of splendor.
Other races might have marveled at its magnificence.
But elves were a race that valued elegant simplicity as their aesthetic.
Therefore, an elf who valued tradition would likely have frowned at the sight of such a lavish palace.
And this building was the center of the Pure-Blood Society, which championed that very tradition.
'They curse the palaces of other races as vulgar, and yet look at them!'
Lunia's face fell.
"Why do we have to suck up to Eldon's old geezers the moment we arrive!"
As Lunia fumed, Eiran spoke in a weary voice.
"I don't think we have a choice. Not if we want to investigate this city freely."
"Seriously! I feel like I'm back in the first semester of my second year!"
Lunia seethed.
"I suppose we'll have to attend the party, too?"
"...I guess so."
Just as Lunia covered her face with her hands.
KABOOM-!
The sudden sound of an explosion made Lunia and Eiran's eyes go wide.
Even amidst the blizzard, flames were blazing from a collapsed section of the city wall.
Seeing this, Lunia and Eiran's faces hardened.
"An attack?"
"Could it be an attack from Tartaros?"
A sudden, ruthless attack akin to terrorism.
The word 'demons' naturally came to the two girls' minds.
Without hesitation, the two of them ran toward the site of the explosion.
And then...
"Hurry! Hurry!"
"Quick, before those Pure-Blood Society bastards show up!"
Seeing the figures climbing over the destroyed wall and looting a warehouse, Lunia and Eiran's jaws dropped.
"E-Elves?"
Watching the masked elves committing robbery, Lunia thought.
'What in the world is wrong with this city?'
Elves robbing other elves! It was unimaginable!
As Lunia stood there in shock.
"Who goes there!"
"Are you minions of the Pure-Blood Society!"
The sword-wielding elves who had been keeping watch quickly surrounded Lunia and Eiran.
"Miss Lunia. What should we do?"
"What do you mean, 'what should we do'?"
Lunia's face hardened.
"We can't just stand here and take this. Subdue them!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
***
Leo and Chen Xia continued their investigation on the streets late into the night.
And they were able to learn a few things.
"This is a very wealthy city."
It was just as Chen Xia said.
The elves walking the streets looked wealthy at a glance.
Despite the freezing weather, they were all dressed in light clothing.
It wasn't simply because they were mages.
The clothes they wore were made of 'Mana Cloth,' a fabric woven from mana.
The highest quality Mana Cloth was the material used for uniforms at hero academies.
And everyone on the streets was wearing clothes made from such Mana Cloth.
That was why they were fine in the cold despite their thin clothing.
In human society, high-quality Mana Cloth was something that even most nobles would find hard to come by.
Considering that the area where Leo's group was staying wasn't even an affluent district, one could tell just how wealthy this city was.
"And they're very extravagant. A little different from the elves I know."
She looked out at the street with a bewildered expression.
On the surface, this city looked quite respectable.
The streets were very clean.
Since the entire populace were star mages, the city was full of shops related to magic.
The people on the streets also had the air of mages about them.
But every single elf was adorned with jewels to show off their status.
Their faces were filled with the awareness of being a 'privileged class.'
Moreover, when night fell, the entire street transformed.
The ascetic's street, where mages had been studying magic until daytime, vanished, replaced entirely by pubs and bars.
The entire street was sinking into luxury and pleasure.
Seeing this, Leo realized.
'This city is essentially the same as Barharun.'
Splendid on the outside, but rotten on the inside.
Leo wrinkled his nose.
He felt as if he could smell an unidentifiable stench.
'The Berkia of today would have probably burned this city to the ground the moment he saw it.'
But this city was perfectly fine.
While Leo was lost in thought.
"Should we investigate a bit more for now?"
"Yeah. Should we split up for now?"
"Yes. We've been moving together this whole time, so let's split up and investigate the city separately."
During the day, they had mainly stopped people on the street to ask if anything strange was happening in the city.
In response to that question, every elf had replied with a smile that Eldon was peaceful.
But what about at night?
'Things might be a little different if they've had a drink.'
Chen Xia, having parted with Leo, was muttering to herself as she walked down the street.
KABOOM-!
A faint explosion in the distance made her stop in her tracks.
'An explosion?'
The moment Chen Xia instinctively turned her head toward the sound.
"What pretty black hair."
"...!"
The flat voice coming from behind sent a chill down Chen Xia's spine.
Rustle-
A cold hand toyed with Chen Xia's hair.
Yet Chen Xia could only stand frozen, unable to move.
The hand touching her hair was lifeless.
Chen Xia's body trembled.
The hand soon moved from her hair to touch her pointed ear.
Saa-
In that instant, Leo's magic was dispelled.
The owner of the hand placed it on Chen Xia's shoulder.
And turned her around to face them.
With a pale face, Chen Xia looked up at the person standing beneath the snowy night sky.
"The descendant of Bihar is just the same."
A voice tinged with longing.
Their eyes held a profound sadness and apology.
Chen Xia uttered the name of the elf more beautiful than any other.
"Lord... Berkia."