Legendary Hero is an Academy Honors Student - Chapter 688
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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688.
“Let me summarize the story – you didn’t come to the past, but we came to the future?”
“Yes.”
“And currently, this place is the boundary between present and past?”
“You understand it perfectly.”
Chelsea nodded at Ennitha’s words.
“Wow. So that’s possible. As expected of a divine artifact.”
Ennitha exclaimed in admiration.
Chelsea, who had been watching Ennitha with anxious eyes, looked at Cal.
Cal was also looking at Ennitha with tense eyes.
Characters within the Heroes’ World collapse and go berserk the moment they realize they’re fake.
As far as Cal could remember, there were only two cases where characters from the Heroes’ World maintained their sanity despite recognizing the existence of raiders.
‘Dweno and Rodia.’
Among them, Rodia maintained his sanity by destroying his own ego just before his self collapsed.
It was only possible because he was someone like Rodia, called the Dragon of Cataclysm.
‘Rian said that Dweno was able to maintain his reason because he was the owner of Hero Record and recognized the existence of raiders himself, right?’
Cal looked at Ennitha, recalling the story told by the fake Rian he had met in Lumern’s World before.
‘Then what about Ennitha? Is it because this is the Legion’s World?’
“I thought something was strange. To suddenly regain the night sky. As expected, gods are amazing. To cause miracles that transcend time and space.”
For Ennitha, who lived in the age of gods, divine miracles were surprising but familiar territory.
Watching Ennitha’s appearance, Cal formed a hypothesis.
‘Hero Record doesn’t exist in this era. So is she fine because she thinks of us as simply people from the future rather than raiders?’
For someone living in the post-Cataclysm era, it would be natural to think of raiders when discovering someone from the future.
But what if they simply thought of them as people from the future?
‘Is she not having a mental breakdown because she doesn’t think she’s fake?’
While Cal was considering various hypotheses.
Ennitha spoke.
“How should I put it. I’m feeling motivated? It means that in the future, Erebos is eventually defeated, right? And Dweno becomes one of the five heroes who defeat Erebos.”
At those words, Chelsea made a bitter expression.
“We didn’t completely defeat him.”
“Even that much is amazing! How far in the future are you from?”
“5,000 years later.”
“Oh! That’s incredible! What does the future look like? Are there lots of beautiful things? How’s the art world?”
Ennitha poured out innocent questions.
Chelsea and Cal answered each of those questions one by one.
“It’s an unimaginable world.”
Ennitha looked up at the sky.
“Let’s set aside future stories for now. What I understood first is correct, right? That entrance is a passage connecting past and future, and if it remains connected, Tartaros from the Age of Calamity is planning to invade the future?”
“Yes.”
“If we destroy it, they’ll return to their original time period?”
They had explained Hero Record’s ability as time travel, and Ennitha understood all of that explanation.
Chelsea carefully nodded.
“It’s simple.”
“Ennitha. If that happens, not only you but also the people of Ivaldi will…”
“I know. We’ll also return to the past.”
“…”
“Ivaldi was destroyed in history, right?”
“Probably.”
“Probably means… we didn’t even leave our name for future generations.”
“Th-that’s because the demons erased all records of the past! If not for that, records would surely have remained…”
“It’s okay. Everyone in Ivaldi knew what kind of end we would meet.”
Ennitha brushed herself off and stood up.
“Everyone was prepared for it. There was just anxiety. Whether our sacrifice would be in vain.”
Ennitha placed her hands on her hips and smiled brightly.
“But it turned out to be meaningful after all, right? That’s enough.”
“Aren’t you resentful?”
At Chelsea’s tearful question, Ennitha, who had been silent, carefully opened her mouth.
“If I said I wasn’t resentful… that would be a lie.”
“Then let’s find a way! Surely Leo and Dweno will find a method…”
“Chelsea is a kind child.”
Ennitha gently stroked Chelsea’s head and smiled.
But then she spoke firmly.
“But we can’t do that.”
Seeing Ennitha’s stern expression, Chelsea held her breath.
“The warriors of Ivaldi, including myself… the people of Ivaldi thought to resist to the end without breaking even knowing our fate, not for the honor of leaving our names in history, nor because we believed there was hope.”
“Then… why?”
“Because Dweno’s unbreaking back led us.”
“B-but… Dweno surely fought for hope…”
“That dwarf was the one who used to say like a habit that there was no such thing as hope.”
Ennitha smiled bitterly.
“I thought it was strange that he stopped saying such things after coming here… He must have seen hope in the future. That’s why he talked about taking us to the future and such.”
“Then… why did Dweno fight?”
“No matter how desperate the era, he must have wanted to let his people live even a little longer.”
“For such a reason?”
“That reason would have been enough. That dwarf was alone from birth.”
“From birth?”
“Yes. He was famous as a cursed dwarf. Dweno’s golden flames turned everything around him to ash.”
And after meeting Ennitha, Dweno’s life changed.
“He thought it was enough if he could fight for his people.”
Not breaking and not giving up are different things.
If Kail, the Hero of the Beginning, fought without giving up to find invisible hope.
Dweno, the Divine Blacksmith, fought hoping that the time of those he cherished and loved would last even a little longer.
From the start of the Age of Calamity and throughout.
Until the moment he met his end.
“He must have fought dreaming of a world where precious people share beautiful time in a beautiful world… With such a fool around, how could we break?”
Ennitha, who had been sighing deeply, gritted her teeth.
“That’s why I’m angry now. We ended up becoming a burden after all.”
Ennitha struck her palm with her fist.
“Don’t be ridiculous. The dice have probably already been rolled. Our fate is decided. To weigh the peace he risked his life to regain against our future that ended long ago? Really, that stupid dwarf! I want to find him right now and give him a piece of my mind!”
Ennitha, who had been fuming, looked at Chelsea and Cal and spoke firmly.
“Anyone in Ivaldi would think the same as me. Even the children at the orphanage!”
At that unwavering steel-like will, Chelsea and Cal could only be stunned.
“I refuse to become a burden! The same goes for you two.”
“Huh?”
“You don’t want to become a burden to Leo either. The surviving hero, I mean?”
“Of course not!”
“Then when that guy wavers, hit him to make him come to his senses! You have to prevent him from making the wrong choice. That’s what you were worried about too, wasn’t it?”
No one is perfect.
Even great heroes who saved the world have moments when they waver.
That’s why companions exist.
Chelsea and Cal’s eyes changed at Ennitha’s words.
Seeing that, Ennitha smiled slyly.
“Good expressions. Now then, find the entrance.”
“The entrance has distortions. If it were in a visible place, there’s no way Ennitha wouldn’t have known about it. Isn’t there somewhere that wouldn’t catch people’s attention?”
Ennitha answered Cal’s question.
“This fortress has an underground area. If so, there are two suspicious places.”
“Where?”
“First, the Underground Labyrinth in the center of the fortress. Second, the secret space beneath the City Wall’s moat.”
“What’s the reason?”
“Both places are where Dweno explored alone when he first came here. And no one has been there since then.”
Certainly, if they were places no one but Dweno had visited, they were suspicious.
“Considering the complex structure of a labyrinth, it would be better for someone fast to go.”
Cal said to Chelsea.
“Chelsea. Please explore the labyrinth with Ennitha. Even though it’s called a labyrinth, it’s probably just a simple maze with no magic. I’ll explore the underground chamber beneath the moat.”
“Leave it to me.”
Chelsea said, thumping her chest.
“The moat area will be heavily guarded. Are you confident you won’t get caught?”
If Dweno had hidden the entrance’s existence, he might try to stop Chelsea and Cal if they showed suspicious movements searching for something within the fortress.
“Don’t worry. I’m confident I won’t get caught.”
***
After parting with the two, Cal immediately approached the thicket around the City Wall.
And he took off his shirt.
‘It’ll be hard to move if my clothes get wet.’
He knew some diving magic, but the sentries guarding the City Wall were battle-hardened veterans.
‘If I carelessly use magic, I’ll obviously get caught.’
Cal, having removed his shirt, made a smug expression.
“Heh. I really am well-prepared.”
He pulled out a swimsuit from a corner of his Extradimensional Space.
It wasn’t an ordinary swimsuit.
It was a product Cal had made with alchemy, a special swimsuit that wouldn’t be hindered by water currents.
Just as Cal was changing into the swimsuit.
“Who’s there?”
A sharp voice was heard.
Cal flinched and held his breath.
“It’s no use pretending you’re not there. I can smell you! I can smell you!”
What appeared from beyond the thicket was the Cat Beastman, Kanea.
She seemed to be on patrol.
Kanea’s tail stood straight up as she looked around with a sharp expression.
Then she rushed toward the thicket where Cal was hiding.
“Got you! You suspicious… Huh? Cal? What are you doing half-naked?”
Kanea, who had pinned Cal down, tilted her head.
“Half-naked, you say. Anyone would think I’m a pervert.”
“Yeah. You’re only wearing underwear at night. Anyone would see you as a suspicious pervert.”
“This is a swimsuit.”
“What’s a swimsuit?”
‘Is it something that didn’t exist in the Age of Calamity? No. Even in our era, if a man was wandering around in a swimsuit at night, he’d look like a pervert.’
Cal was pondering how to explain this situation when.
“Bippi. Cal went this way, right?”
Chirp.
Eliza was walking over with her summoned Wind Wyvern shrunk to palm size.
She had come looking for them because she was worried when Chelsea and Cal didn’t return even late at night.
Arriving at the deserted City Wall, Eliza discovered Cal lying in the thicket wearing only a swimsuit with Kanea mounted on top of him, and her face took on its characteristic bored expression.
“Eliza. What brings you here?”
“I was taking a walk, Cal Thomas. It seems I’ve interrupted your fun time.”
“Why are you suddenly talking like that? Anyway, this works out well. We can do it with three people.”
At those words, Eliza’s face turned cold.
“I treat you well and you just keep pushing your luck. To make such vulgar demands of me now…”
“We’re going to search for the entrance from now on… what are you talking about?”
When Cal made an incredulous expression, Eliza fell silent.
“It seems you had some strange misunderstanding.”
Kanea shrugged and stood up.
“I was just on patrol. I only subdued Cal because he was doing suspicious things dressed like a pervert.”
“I told you it’s a swimsuit. Anyway, Eliza. Unless I’ve gone crazy, I wouldn’t with you…”
“Shut up. If you say any more, I’ll kill you.”
Eliza spoke in a murderous voice.
Watching this, Kanea was impressed.
“I heard that before the Age of Calamity, humans were the most numerous among the races. Hmm. Indeed. So this was why.”
“What does that mean?”
“Now, now. Let’s put aside the embarrassing talk. It definitely seems like there’s an entrance somewhere in this fortress.”
At those words, Eliza and Kanea’s eyes widened.
“So. I’d like to ask for your cooperation, ladies.”
Cal smiled slyly and reached into his Extradimensional Space to pull out two women’s swimsuits.
“Let’s move right away.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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