Chapter 614
Chapter Title: The Surviving Hero
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614.
“I learned that the Hero Slayer was heading for Peion and gave chase, but… I was already too late.”
Watching Anyas report to Leo with a bowed head, Abad was lost in thought.
‘They’re like a king and his subject.’
Despite being the daughter of the Northern Magic Tower’s Lord, Anyas was acting like a vassal reporting to her sovereign.
‘And the Hero Slayer, no less?’
Abad, too, was well aware of the hero-butcher who had once plunged the world into terror.
An era where the great heroes of the past were reappearing.
‘In an age like this, it’s not surprising that villains from the past would reappear.’
And yet, Anyas had been pursuing this Hero Slayer.
It was perfectly natural to punish a villain.
But it was strange that the daughter of the Northern Magic Tower’s Lord would leave the northern continent—the domain of her tower—and chase the Hero Slayer all the way here.
‘A Shadow?’
Abad glanced at Leo, guessing at Anyas's true identity.
Leo listened to the report with utter composure.
“That is all.”
“This is insane. How could Aunt Reina be kidnapped in the middle of Peion?”
Celia wore a look of shock.
“It just means that fellow, the Hero Slayer, is that skilled.”
At Leo’s words, Celia bit her lip hard.
Chelsea looked at Anyas.
‘Just a moment ago, she said there might be a collaborator within Jerdinger involved in this incident.’
Anyas hadn’t mentioned that part.
Puzzled, Chelsea’s gaze shifted to Celia.
‘She must have left it out for Celia’s sake.’
If Celia were to hear that now, she would surely be even more devastated.
“Leo? What are you going to do?”
“First, we need to go to Peion and check the scene of the incident.”
“Leo, are you okay?”
Chelsea asked, her face etched with worry.
Leo looked at her and nodded.
With a faint smile, he walked over to the shocked Celia and gave her a firm pat on the back.
“Celia, you need to pull yourself together. The fact that they went to the trouble of taking Mother as a hostage means her life won't be in immediate danger for a while.”
“Ah.”
Celia flinched, then bit her lip and nodded.
“Llewellyn will help too.”
“The Jerdingers won’t be pleased about that, will they?”
“This is more than just a Jerdinger problem; the Empire’s prestige is on the line.”
A kidnapping had occurred in the heart of the Jerdinger family, one of the Rodren Empire's two great heroic houses.
It was certain to cause trouble.
“Besides, a friend’s mother has been kidnapped. We can’t just stand by and do nothing.”
At Abad’s words, Chelsea nodded vigorously. “Mhm!”
“Sir Leo. The Tussen Knights will also lend their aid.”
Sis, who had been listening in, spoke up.
“Your mother is Princess Lena's daughter. To the Tussen Knights, she can never be considered a stranger.”
“I understand. However, I don’t believe this is the time for the Tussen Knights to step in.”
“Why is that?”
“First, from the Jerdinger family's perspective, the Tussen Knights are an external power. It wouldn't look good for them to involve an outside force in a family matter within the Rodren Empire.”
Their position was different from that of the Llewellyn family, who were also part of the Rodren Empire.
A misstep could easily escalate into a diplomatic issue.
“Besides, the Tussen Knights have their own duties right now, don’t they?”
Managing the chaos caused by the collapsed palace.
And…
“You mean your coronation, Sir Leo.”
From a purely administrative standpoint, all that was needed was for the Tussen Knights, who governed the Lessentung region, to proclaim Leo as king.
But to officially announce the kingdom’s revival, proper preparations were necessary.
“I’m counting on you.”
“Leave it to me. I will prepare a new throne and await your return.”
Sis bowed his head deeply.
“Let’s get ready to leave.”
“Hurry!”
Celia and Abad began hastily preparing for their departure, gathering the retainers of the Jerdinger and Llewellyn families.
“I need a moment.”
Leo said, sitting back down.
Celia paused, looking at him.
‘Right, Leo must be the one who’s most shocked.’
Thinking he needed time to compose himself, Celia bit her lip.
“Rest for a bit, Leo. Chelsea, you stay by his side.”
“Okay.”
Celia left the room with Abad.
Leo, Chelsea, and Anyas were now the only ones left.
“Leo, actually…”
“This incident… is it connected to the Council of Elders?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
Chelsea looked bewildered.
Anyas, however, remained unfazed and bowed her head.
“Yes. As I thought, you were aware.”
“It’s strange.”
Leo gazed out the window at the night sky.
“The Hero Slayer might target me. A guy like that would surely covet my abilities.”
Leo’s eyes narrowed.
“He’d use any trick to draw me out. Kidnapping my mother to rattle me and lure me into a trap is certainly a plan he’s capable of devising.”
Leo spoke, maintaining his composure.
“But it happened in Peion.”
Leo had made various preparations in case anything happened to his father and mother.
Dade and Reina were unaware, but the Flove estate was under the protection of the Dragon Lord, Melina.
Unless it was a Legion Commander-class demon, no one could harm the two of them at the Flove estate.
And the Necro-King was not one to expend a valuable asset like a Legion Commander to harm Dade and Reina.
‘That bastard knows. He knows that even if something happened to my father and mother, I wouldn’t be easily shaken.’
It wasn’t that his father and mother weren’t precious to him.
In fact, upon hearing that Reina had been kidnapped, Leo was more furious than he had ever been.
He would eliminate everyone involved.
But he would not be consumed by that anger.
He maintained his calm and assessed the situation coolly.
Mindless rage harms the one who feels it, but cold fury destroys the one who caused it.
‘That bastard would never do something where the losses outweigh the gains.’
Leo clenched his fist as he thought of the Necro-King.
Leo had told Melina that there was no need to protect them while they were with the Jerdinger family.
Peion was supposed to be that safe.
Yet the Jerdinger defenses had been breached.
‘I can only assume there was an inside collaborator.’
“There were indeed suspicious movements among the Jerdinger knights at the time. Of course, that alone isn’t enough to conclude there’s a traitor, but the possibility is certainly high.”
And it wasn't difficult to deduce that this potential collaborator was the Council of Elders.
Of course, it was all just inference for now.
“To think I let my guard down, assuming they were on my side. I’ve gotten soft.”
Leo let out a dry, self-deprecating smile.
His red eyes flashed.
Seeing this, Anyas bowed her head.
“What are your orders?”
“Punishment comes after we have concrete evidence. For now, rescuing my mother is the priority.”
“Yes.”
“Summon the Shadow Lords to Peion.”
“Understood.”
Anyas withdrew.
“Anyas… she was a Shadow.”
Chelsea murmured softly as if she finally understood, then hesitated as she looked at Leo.
“What is it?”
“Leo… Reina was kidnapped. Are you okay?”
To Chelsea’s eyes, Leo appeared surprisingly calm.
Of course, when he first heard the news, he had exuded an aura so terrifying that even Chelsea had been momentarily frightened.
But that had lasted only for an instant.
Since then, Leo had remained composed.
Chelsea and Celia had come to admire and respect Reina after hearing stories of her past.
That was why the news of Reina’s abduction felt like a fire burning inside them.
Abad, too, was deeply concerned for Leo and visibly agitated.
But Leo was serene.
‘Does Leo not think of Reina as his mother?’
Leo was the Hero of the Beginning, Kyle.
He was actually older than Reina.
Even so, he was far too calm.
His composure frightened Chelsea.
It felt as if she and Leo were people from different worlds.
At Chelsea’s question, Leo smiled bitterly.
“I’m not okay. It’s just…”
“Just?”
“I’ve just grown used to losing things.”
Leo looked down at his hands.
“Before I was called the Hero of the Beginning, I was known as the Surviving Hero.”
“The Surviving Hero?”
“That’s right. No matter the battlefield, I was the only one who survived. Everyone else left before I did.”
“…”
Chelsea held her breath.
She had only ever admired Leo.
It was impossible not to.
From the first moment they met, he was the most hero-like hero she had ever seen.
After learning Leo’s secret from Ar-on, her respect for him had grown even deeper.
His accomplishments shone so brilliantly.
But she had never deeply considered what Leo had lost to achieve those feats, to earn the praise he received today.
‘I only ever thought that the burden Leo carried was too heavy.’
So she wanted to be by his side, to support him, and if possible, to help shoulder that burden.
‘I never considered the true weight of that burden.’
When had Leo ever not treated her—the students of Lumerne—with sincerity?
As future comrades who would stand on the battlefield together.
As heroes who would fight against the world’s crisis.
Hoping they would become such people, Leo had sincerely engaged with the young, inexperienced children who challenged him.
‘There’s no way someone like Leo wouldn’t cherish Reina.’
Chelsea clenched her fists.
‘I don’t know Leo well at all.’
What she knew of Leo was just a tiny fraction of who he was.
She hated herself for feeling a sense of distance just because she had seen a side of him she didn’t know.
“Chelsea.”
“…Yes.”
Being consumed by anger and making a mess of things might be foolish, but it was certainly a human trait.
“Don’t you ever become like this.”
At Leo’s poignant words, Chelsea bit her lip hard.
***
That night.
Leo arrived in Peion via a warp gate and headed straight for the scene of the incident.
The surrounding area was heavily guarded by Jerdinger knights.
“Young Master Leo.”
A Jerdinger knight approached Leo.
“At the scene… Marquis Flove is there alone. We’ve pleaded with him to go inside out of the cold, but… he refuses to move.”
“…I’ll go alone.”
Leo said to Chelsea, Celia, and Abad before entering the crime scene.
As he approached, Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘Mother resisted as much as she could.’
Reina may have been unable to use Aura, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t wield a sword.
He could see half-destroyed objects scattered around.
Then, spotting a scorched mark, Leo stopped in his tracks.
‘…The Jerdinger Flame?’
Kneeling, Leo swept his hand over the charred ground.
From the burnt traces, he felt the residue of an unfamiliar mana.
And yet… it was a familiar residue.
‘…Mother?’
With that thought, Leo rose to his feet.
He then walked toward where Dade was.
“Father.”
“…Leo.”
Dade looked at Leo with unfocused eyes.
“Because of your useless father… your mother…”
“…It’s not your fault, Father. It’s mine.”
“No… it’s my fault… it’s all my fault…”
As Dade muttered, lost in a daze, Leo spoke.
“…I will definitely save Mother. So please, take care of yourself first. If you collapse too, even I don’t know what will become of me.”
At those words, Dade bit his lip and nodded.
“I have a few more things to investigate. I’ll follow after I’m done.”
“…Alright.”
Dade nodded and began to walk away with heavy steps.
“Father, does Mother happen to have… a scar on her right chest?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“…I needed to confirm something.”
Leo smiled bitterly.
“…Don’t push yourself too hard.”
Dade gave his son a worried look before leaving.
*Whoooosh.*
A winter wind blew.
Left alone, Leo opened his mouth.
“There is something you must do.”
In that instant.
Countless elves, beastkin, and dwarves emerged from the darkness.
The Shadow Lords and the Shadows who followed them.
“Your command, O God of Shadows.”
The Lord of the Northern Magic Tower.
No, the Northern Shadow Lord, Algren Vegs, knelt, and the Shadows all knelt in unison, bowing their heads.
Leo glanced over, his gaze falling upon the distant castle.
“Uncover the darkness within Jerdinger Castle. Find those involved in this incident.”
“Are you ordering us to find and execute them all?”
At the question from the Southern Shadow Lord, Kirin, Leo replied dispassionately.
“No.”
His red eyes flashed.
“I will kill them.”