Chapter 565
Chapter Title: The Role of a Guide
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565.
“Leo Flove?”
“Yes.”
“But isn’t Leo Flove a student, just like you? Of course, he became a hero before you did. But how can someone who is your equal be qualified to judge your abilities?”
“He’s more than qualified. And who said we’re equals?”
From the moment she first saw him, Ar had felt a strong competitive drive toward Leo.
That fighting spirit, the desire to battle the strong, was a perfectly natural instinct for a beastkin.
In her entire life, Ar had only ever seen one beastkin who didn't possess that instinct.
‘The irony is that it was Lord Ar-on.’
Ar-on, the strongest warrior revered by all beastkin.
He was unbelievably timid, yet for that very reason, he possessed a courage greater than anyone else’s. He was the object of Ar’s admiration.
Ar thought of another person she admired.
‘Just thinking of the Black Rabbit makes my heart pound.’
It was a strange feeling, similar to when she thought of Ar-on, yet slightly different.
She still harbored a strong competitive spirit toward Leo.
But she no longer thought of him as a rival.
‘I certainly felt that way at first.’
But Ar was no fool.
She was already aware of the gap between herself and Leo.
If she continued to see Leo as an opponent to be defeated, Ar would never be able to move forward.
‘She’s the one I have to defeat.’
Ar glanced at the red-haired elf beside her.
Lunia El Lundua.
The rival Ar had to overcome.
To Ar, Leo was not a competitor.
He was a goal.
‘A goal to catch up to as a hero… and as a warrior. Yes, just like…’
The image of someone’s back appeared in Ar’s mind.
A dependable back that made her heart tremble and gave her courage just by looking at it.
‘Lord Ar-on.’
She didn’t know why.
But Ar’s intuition was telling her.
‘To me, at least, the Black Rabbit is on par with Lord Ar-on.’
One day, the time would come when she would stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
Until then, and even after, Leo was the only leader Ar would ever acknowledge in her entire life.
Riden was surprised by Ar’s words.
‘Just what kind of person is this Leo Flove?’
In his eyes, Lunia and Ar were special.
Lunia had earned the title [Follower of the Nebula] and ascended to the position of successor to the Progenitor of the Nebula.
‘Ar Tune is the same. She hasn’t received a title as a hero yet… but she inherited the Braver from the Brave Hero who descended upon the world not long ago.’
It was clear that in the near future, she would receive a title proving she was the successor to the Brave Hero.
‘And yet, people like them acknowledge Leo Flove as their leader.’
Riden’s eyes, once surprised, now shone.
“I absolutely must meet this Leo Flove!”
“And what will you do when you meet him?”
“I want to become his guide.”
“What?”
“Of course, my desire to be your guide hasn't changed either.”
Riden smiled gently.
“Throughout history, the heroes who achieved great deeds always had their dragon partners by their side. I may be lacking right now, but I will do my best to become a worthy partner for you all in the future.”
Lunia wore a look of disbelief at his words.
‘He wants to become Leo’s guide?’
Neither Melina, the current Dragon Lord, nor Rhodia, the Dragon of Creation, could become his guide.
Leo’s guide was Lisinas, the King of Wisdom.
And he was saying what?
‘I wonder what kind of face Leo will make when he hears this?’
“He seems like a handful. What should we do?”
Ar whispered softly into Lunia’s ear.
“He said his wish is to meet Leo, so let’s let him.”
Lunia made an indifferent face.
“Once he meets him, he’ll probably give up on his own.”
***
The Dragon Lord’s audience chamber.
Melina was gazing up at the beautiful black dragon painted on the ceiling.
The pride and glory of all dragons in this world.
The great dragon hero, Lisinas, the King of Wisdom.
Closing her eyes, Melina clasped her hands and prayed.
‘Oh, great King of Wisdom. Your friend, the Hero of the Beginning who saved the world with you, is about to walk a difficult path once more. Please, as his guide, watch over his journey. And grant this inadequate servant the strength to be of some small help on the path he walks.’
Melina herself knew that such a prayer was meaningless.
Praying would not reach the long-dead Lisinas.
Even if it did, she could not gain strength from it.
This was simply a prayer she had been offering for the past 100 years to steel herself.
As she thought about what was to come, Melina’s hands trembled slightly.
‘A great battle for the world’s survival will soon begin. And in that battle, a confrontation with Erebos will be unavoidable.’
Melina unknowingly bit her lip hard.
100 years ago, Melina had challenged the final chapter of the World of Creation with the heroes she had chosen, and the result was devastating.
Only one person returned with their life.
And even he passed away shortly after.
Those who died during the final chapter’s conquest couldn’t even leave behind their last words.
That Melina alone was able to return unharmed was, quite literally, a miracle.
‘I am sorry, Melina. Because of our shortcomings, we leave you with this great burden. But… we believe in you. That you will challenge it again. That you will defeat that great evil.’
Those were the last words of Ludvi, the elven magic swordsman who had returned with her.
Melina clenched her fists.
‘Ludvi, Halok, Demen, Tiel… You weren’t the ones who were lacking. It was I, in my foolishness.’
An elven magic swordsman and a dwarven warrior.
A beastkin mage.
And a human spirit master.
They were the heroes who had commanded the era 100 years ago, some of the greatest heroes counted since the Second Coming of Calamity.
However, they were forced to close their eyes before their potential could fully blossom.
‘Because of me…’
From a young age, Melina had been special.
Her talent was so immense that she was called the second coming of Rhodia, the Dragon of Creation.
But that talent made Melina arrogant, and it ultimately led to the tragic outcome of losing all her most precious friends.
It was because of that incident that she became so cautious she was called the Silent Dragon.
The Silent Dragon was not Melina's original title.
It was more of a derogatory name for Melina, who had done nothing for a hundred years despite ascending to the position of Lord.
To prevent a repeat of the tragedy where her friends’ potential was buried due to her arrogance, Melina willingly accepted that derogatory name.
The crushing defeat of 100 years ago still remained in Melina’s memory, reminding her of her fear of Erebos.
Although she had succeeded in subjugating the third piece of Erebos that had recently been resurrected, it was not her own doing.
‘I merely relied on Lord Leo and Lord Ar-on.’
Erebos was still a terror that made Melina tremble.
‘But I can’t remain trapped by failure forever.’
Clasping her trembling hands, Melina gritted her teeth.
‘It’s a promise I made to everyone.’
If only to atone to the friends she had driven to their deaths.
‘I must defeat Erebos, dedicating my all to the cause.’
*Knock, knock—*
A small knock broke Melina from her thoughts.
Instantly reverting to her role as the Lord, Melina sat in the audience chamber.
“Come in.”
The one who opened the door and entered was a girl with blonde hair and golden eyes, Enkinias.
As Melina’s successor, she was also the dragon assigned to assist Leo since the summer vacation.
She had returned temporarily for Leo’s visit to Dragonia.
“En, what is it at this hour?”
Looking at Melina’s gentle smile, Enkinias bowed her head and spoke.
“It seems the students of Wisdom have made contact with the hero candidates visiting Dragonia.”
Wisdom.
After the end of the Age of Calamity.
It was an educational institution created by dragons to carry on the will of Lisinas, the King of Wisdom.
Just as countless heroes who left their names in the world were graduates of hero academies, the dragons who guided those heroes to great deeds were all from Wisdom.
Not only the great Dragon of Creation, but Melina herself had also studied at Wisdom.
“This must be a good opportunity for the students of Wisdom. It’s not easy to meet hero candidates while still a student.”
A guide selects a hero and leads them to great deeds.
A partner who helps the hero and shows them the way.
As such, meeting hero candidates would surely be a good learning experience for the students of Wisdom.
Melina, who had been smiling gently, tilted her head as she read the worry on Enkinias’s face.
“Is something troubling you?”
“Ah, yes. The students from Wisdom who went to meet the hero candidates this time are exceptionally talented. However, as they are talented, they have strong pride and are still emotionally immature in many ways.”
“Ah. I see what you’re worried about.”
Dragons are the strongest race.
As such, they held great pride in their race.
‘In other words, they have high self-esteem, to put it nicely, or are arrogant, to put it poorly. Just as I once was.’
“You used to be like that too, didn’t you, En?”
Enkinias blushed at Melina’s chuckle.
“Th-That’s a memory I’d rather forget.”
“It’s alright. I was the same. Children are naturally immature, and it’s normal to have a memory or two you’d like to forget.”
“I can’t imagine it.”
“Everyone’s like that. Dragons who don’t know the world are all arrogant. But that also means they become humble once they learn about the world.”
Melina knew.
That humility was the greatest virtue Lisinas possessed.
“During the Age of Gods, dragons were… even more revered and noble than they are now.”
The honor of being the gods’ agents.
It had made the dragon race arrogant.
During the Age of Gods, there were even instances of nations being destroyed simply for insulting a dragon.
“Back then, we were beyond arrogant; we were insolent. We took it for granted that we reigned above other races. We were clearly twisted in some way.”
Even among such dragons, Lisinas was special.
In a world that mocked him as a fool, Lisinas humbled himself and continued to speak of hope.
He never lost his smile, even to the Hero of the Beginning who laughed at and scorned him, reaching out his hand until the very end.
That virtue saved the world.
“A guide is not simply a being who leads heroes.”
Melina said firmly.
“There are certainly times when a guide stands before heroes and gives commands.”
Just as the King of Wisdom, Lisinas, and the Dragon of Creation, Rhodia, were the leaders of the Great Hero and the Heroes of Creation.
“But you must not always be in a high place. You must also know how to serve the hero from the lowest position, sometimes lead from the very front, and at other times, follow from behind. And you must be there to support the hero so they do not fall.”
“That sounds incredibly difficult.”
“That’s right, it is a very difficult and arduous task. But remember this. Even in the Age of Gods, our ancestors brought about a world crisis because they merely reigned as guardians.”
They considered themselves the only supreme race and did not believe in the potential of other races.
They merely reigned and commanded.
The advent of the Age of Calamity was certainly the fault of the entire world.
All races failed to unite, unable to resolve their internal conflicts, and walked a path of self-destruction.
“Lord Lisinas said that our race is born with great power because we have a duty to fulfill for the world.”
Lisinas made that his race’s pride and conviction.
‘It was because of Lisinas that I didn't give up until the very end.’
Melina smiled faintly as she recalled the words Leo had once told her.
“Remember that. That is what a leader is.”
“Yes. But still, is it alright to let the students of Wisdom be rude to Lord Leo?”
“It will be a good experience for those children. Though they might have a bit of a rough time.”
Enkinias, who had learned of Leo’s identity from Melina, sighed and changed the subject.
“It’s strange, though.”
“Hm?”
“So Lord Lisinas commanded, served, led, followed, and supported Lord Kyle?”
“Yes. Though I’m sure Lord Kyle treated Lord Lisinas the same way.”
“An ideal relationship of trust… It’s almost like they were a married couple.”
“I’ve never thought of it that way, but you’re right. Though of course, that would never have happened.”
When Melina showed a slightly regretful expression, Enkinias nodded as well.
“Lord Kyle has Lady Luna, after all.”
The heroic tales of the Great Heroes were the most famous and popular stories in the world.
That was why, even after thousands of years, fairy tales and novels related to the Great Heroes were still being published in droves.
Their popularity transcended time, place, and race.
And the story the world was most focused on recently was the relationship between Kyle and Luna.
The great incident where the Progenitor of the Nebula, who had revealed herself to the world, shouted that she liked Kyle in front of countless onlookers.
Thanks to that unprecedented and dramatic cry, novels about Kyle and Luna were still pouring out.
“Lord Lisinas and Lord Kyle. I thought they suited each other very well, too. But since he’s in a relationship with Lady Luna…”
“Have you ever asked him about that?”
“I haven’t been able to ask, thinking it would be difficult for him.”
Melina smiled bitterly.
The world now treated their relationship as an established fact.
Considering that a figure as great as Luna, the Progenitor of the Nebula, had descended upon the world and declared it so boldly, it was in a way, a given.
Even Melina, who had heard nothing from Leo about Lisinas or Luna, thought so.
“Next time, could you perhaps ask him about Lady Luna?”
Watching Enkinias ask with sparkling eyes and a flushed face, Melina pondered for a moment before nodding.
“I’ll ask him, carefully. For now, shall we go meet the students from Wisdom?”
“You said it would be a good experience for them to meet the hero candidates. Are you planning to intervene?”
“Yes. A good experience is fine, but it shouldn’t become a trauma.”
“Ah.”
Enkinias nodded and followed behind Melina.