Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 392
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
392.
Creeeeeeak—! Thud—!
The walls of Gardstron opened.
Through that gate, the twelve heroes advanced.
“Did they say they’re going to the Elven Forest?”
“Are they really risking their lives on the words of a fool?”
“They’d be better off just guarding this place.”
“Look at that, there are heroes who survive.”
“They might all die.”
People murmured as they watched the scene.
At the mocking voices directed toward Leo and Risinass, Rodia’s cold gaze turned in that direction.
Leo reached out and pressed down on Rodia’s head.
“Don’t mind them.”
“Aren’t you angry when they’re being so blatant about it?”
“I’m used to it. And.”
Leo chuckled softly.
“How should I put it, I got used to being revered as a great figure who saved the world, so coming back to the past and seeing reactions like that is actually refreshing.”
“Since Kail-nim says so, I have no choice.”
“What were you planning to do?”
“I was going to thoroughly punish them.”
At Rodia’s words, Leo clicked his tongue.
While they were having this conversation, Risinass approached.
“Rodia, are you really going to be okay?”
“Of course! Risinass-nim!”
Rodia puffed out her chest as if to say she was fine.
“To be able to follow Risinass-nim and Kail-nim on your journey! It’s an infinite honor for me!”
“Rodia, you said you can use healing magic, right?”
“Yes.”
During their conversation, when Alene asked, Rodia turned toward her.
Watching this scene, Risinass said.
“How on earth did you come to know a kid like that?”
“I happened to meet her by chance.”
“The more I look at her, the more she doesn’t seem like kids these days.”
“You know that comment makes you sound really old, right?”
At those words, Risinass glared at Leo.
Even under his gaze, Leo kept giggling, so Risinass tried to kick him.
But Leo easily dodged the attack as if he had expected it.
“This is annoying.”
“What is?”
“You’re acting like you can see right through me.”
Risinass frowned and grumbled.
Watching such Risinass, Leo burst into laughter.
“I don’t like that laugh either, like you understand everything.”
Risinass rolled his eyes and sighed as he looked down at his trembling hands.
“It’s like you’re trying to ease my anxiety even a little.”
The expedition’s goal had suddenly changed from joining Luna in the Elven Forest to subjugating the Devouring King.
As the leader guiding the expedition, Risinass couldn’t help but feel anxious about that choice.
“Kail, aren’t you anxious?”
“I’m anxious.”
Leo showed his own trembling hands like Risinass.
“But it’s okay. We can do it.”
Leo reached out and grasped Risinass’s hand.
“Even in desperate situations, we’ll meet comrades who will somehow open a path for us.”
At Leo’s words, Risinass felt the trembling in his hands gradually subside.
“We’ll also meet comrades who rush forward without hesitation when facing great fear.”
Risinass’s black eyes captured Leo’s face.
“We’ll definitely meet comrades who will create reliable weapons for us until the very last moment.”
Before he knew it, the trembling had disappeared.
“As expected, my eyes weren’t wrong.”
“Of course. Whose choice was it?”
Just as Risinass was about to burst into laughter at those words.
“Oh? What’s this? This suspicious atmosphere?”
The beastman Alocks approached the two with gleaming eyes.
“There’s some strange current flowing here? You two, are you in that kind of relationship?”
“No.”
Risinass answered curtly and pulled his hand away.
“Hehe! Don’t deny it! Risinass! That’s nothing to be ashamed of… Guh?!”
“Yes, yes. Mister beastman. If you know the mood is good, don’t interfere.”
Rodia, who had appeared at some point, drove her small fist into Alocks’s side.
Dragging away the fallen man, she smiled brightly toward Leo and Risinass.
“Have a good time.”
“Why does Rodia keep telling us to have a good time whenever she sees you and me?”
Watching Risinass tilt his head with a puzzled expression, Leo clicked his tongue.
“I have no idea.”
***
Half a day after leaving Gardstron.
The expedition had left the safe territory of Gardstron.
A region teeming with all kinds of monsters and demons.
If unlucky, they might even encounter high-ranking demons.
The expedition advanced while vigilantly watching their surroundings with tense eyes.
As the sun set and night arrived.
After finishing preparations for camping and lighting a fire, they had their meal.
The expedition filled their stomachs with simple preserved food, assigned night watch duties, and went to sleep.
The first to take the night watch were Leo and Alene.
“It’s been a while since we left Gardstron.”
“Right. So don’t let your guard down.”
“I won’t.”
The nights of the Age of Calamity are dangerous.
A situation where the entire world is heading toward destruction.
The night sky, where even moonlight and starlight couldn’t be seen, was enough to instill fear just by looking at it.
Crackle— Snap—
The campfire burned away.
“Kail, I heard you made a contract with the White King, is that true?”
Alene asked with curiosity.
Instead of answering that question, Leo summoned Albus.
Albus in her pure white dress didn’t match the atmosphere of this place.
“This is outside Gardstron.”
Albus said while looking around with an expressionless face.
Watching such Albus, Alene greeted her.
“It’s an honor to meet you, White King.”
“You are Arpeia’s pact maker. Nice to meet you.”
Albus smiled slightly toward Alene.
Was it in response to Albus’s summoning?
Magical beasts and fairies also revealed themselves from Risinass’s side where he was sleeping.
“I thought something had happened since a summoning circle was being deployed.”
Katariou floated his body and flew toward Leo as he spoke.
“Hey, human. I know making a contract with the Beast King is something to be proud of. But could you refrain from using it as a bragging point?”
Katariou spoke irritably, having witnessed the rudeness Kail had committed against Risinass during the past time.
While Luminous, another of Risinass’s pact makers, let it slide with resignation, the contrary-natured Katariou did not.
“Pure White King, you didn’t make a contract with this guy to become a spectacle either, did you?”
“If you continue being rude to me, you’ll regret it, Flame Emperor.”
“Calm down, that chicken leg is always like that. He talks like that but takes care of you when it matters.”
Leo reached out and patted Albus’s head.
Albus, who had instinctively tried to shake off the hand, hesitated at Leo’s touch.
The hand stroking his head felt strangely familiar and pleasant.
Albus’s eyes, which had been sharper than usual, softened slightly and he soon enjoyed Leo’s patting.
“Katariou, your words are too harsh.”
Luminous spoke reproachfully.
Katariou snorted at that.
“That elf named Luna is also the pact maker of the Fairy King’s successor, right? If she’s an elf, she must have refinement. I have more expectations than for Kail.”
“That refined elf would probably suggest deep-frying you and making you half seasoned, half fried.”
“You think elves are an uncultured race like you?”
‘At least among the elves I know, there aren’t many with their heads screwed on properly.’
While Leo recalled the elves he had been close to throughout his past and present lives.
Swoosh—!
Risinass, who had been sleeping, raised his body.
“Sorry, Risinass. Did we wake you with our noise?”
Alene made an apologetic expression.
Risinass didn’t answer and only stared beyond the darkness where the campfire’s light didn’t reach.
Shing—!
Leo got up from his seat and drew his sword.
Alene also realized something had happened and tried to get up from her seat.
“…You guys stay here. I’ll go alone and come back. Katariou, Luminous. Same goes for you two.”
Leaving those words, Risinass disappeared into the darkness.
The most surprised by Risinass’s reaction were Katariou and Luminous.
Watching the two gape at the sudden situation, Leo spoke.
“I’ll follow him.”
“It’s impossible to chase Risinass in the darkness.”
As a black dragon, Risinass was more familiar with darkness than anyone.
The deep night of the Age of Calamity where even moonlight and starlight had disappeared.
Chasing Risinass at this time was impossible, as Luminous said.
“Normally, that’s true.”
Leo said as he headed into the darkness.
“But I can do it.”
***
During the Age of Calamity.
Using magic to illuminate one’s vision in the deep night was a very dangerous act.
But darkness posed no obstacle to Leo.
In the darkness where he couldn’t see an inch ahead, Leo sharpened his senses.
‘Super senses.’
He opened his super senses using aura.
Hero Arron’s technique.
Despite being in darkness, everything was clearly visible.
Leo stealthily but quickly followed the traces of mana that Risinass had left behind.
After a while.
‘Just how fast did he go!’
Leo shouted inwardly while chasing after Risinass.
Even Leo found it difficult to keep up with the current Risinass.
‘Risinass, why is he suddenly acting like this?’
5000 years ago and now.
The expedition’s route was exactly the same.
But there had been no battle in this area 5000 years ago.
‘Even if there were enemies, I didn’t sense them at all.’
Literally an unexpected situation.
Leo, who had been making a flustered expression, moved even faster.
Everything was clearly visible in the darkness thanks to his vision sharpened by super senses.
Due to moving at high speed, he had already strayed far from the campsite.
Then Leo saw scattered corpses.
They weren’t monsters or magical beasts.
Nor were they Tartaros Demons.
‘Humans who use black magic.’
Traitors who had turned their backs on the world.
Such people had been turned into gruesome corpses as if cut by something sharp.
Leo found the mana emanating from those corpses very unfamiliar.
But on the other hand, he could clearly sense whose mana it was.
‘Risinass.’
For a moment, Leo felt bewildered.
King of Wisdom Risinass.
The wise and benevolent leader of the Erebos Expedition.
The noble great hero who brought hope to the world.
She was originally a black dragon.
A dragon race that had eliminated traitors in the darkness even during the Age of Gods.
But Risinass was too kind to carry out the black dragon’s duty.
While she never showed mercy to traitors, she felt sorry about taking their lives.
‘If it weren’t for times like these, these people might have had other paths too.’
Leo knew this as well.
That’s why Leo had taken Risinass’s place.
So that her hands wouldn’t be stained with the blood of traitors.
Because he neither pitied nor felt sorry for traitors.
Because he thought he was suited to be a judge.
‘Because I was afraid that Risinass might be tainted by darkness.’
Leo raised his head.
Kuooooooooo!
A roar filled with pain echoed.
Along with it, a black dragon soared high into the sky.
The black dragon’s body, emanating an ominous dark red aura all over, was in tatters.
The black dragon, covered in gruesome wounds, let out a roar filled with hatred and drew in breath.
A massive wave of mana swept over the surroundings.
Breath attack.
The moment Leo recognized that fact.
Whoosh—!
Darkness sharp as a blade shot up toward the sky.
Clang—!
The blade of darkness beheaded the black dragon.
Whoooosh—! Crash—! Splash—!
The nameless black dragon’s body fell helplessly.
Leo unconsciously swallowed his dry saliva.
That magic just now.
‘Risinass’s mana.’
But it was magic Leo didn’t know.
Leo approached where the black dragon had died.
And then he saw it.
A woman in the middle of a sea of blood, her entire body drenched in the blood of her kin.
Risinass, in a form that even Leo—who had fought alongside her for ages to save the world—had never seen before, wore an uncharacteristically cold, expressionless face.
And soon, noticing Leo’s presence, she showed a slightly surprised expression.
“Kail?”
“What have you done, Risinass.”
Leo asked, swallowing hard.
Risinass calmly answered.
“I did what had to be done.”
“Yes, I know it had to be done. But you didn’t need to do this kind of thing. Executing traitors in the darkness isn’t your job…”
“That is my job, Kail. I’m a black dragon.”
Risinass answered as if asking what he was talking about.
“You should give people hope in the light. That’s what you should be doing, isn’t it?”
Risinass said with wide eyes.
“Kail, that’s what you should be doing.”
“What?”
Risinass, with that face full of faith and conviction, said.
“Because you’re going to save the world.”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————