[Translator – Aine ]
[Proofreader – Ash ]
Chapter 73
“What’s going on here?”
“This… this is the Curse of the Dead!”
Arriving at the forest’s heart, Lunia and Eiran paled at the overwhelming energy of the curse.
Even for elves, renowned for their resilience against curses, it was intense.
Lunia gritted her teeth and glanced worriedly at Leo.
‘He seems fine, doesn’t he?’
Leo was unfazed by the curse thanks to his prior encounters with Hell Kaiser.
He turned his head, casting a spell once he saw the two elves becoming distressed.
“Rain Arte.”
Life energy emanated from Leo’s hands, calming Lunia and Eiran.
“This’ll help a bit.”
“Is this Sorcery of the Stars?”
“Yeah.”
“W-we’ve never seen this!”
“You haven’t?”
Leo looked surprised.
“It’s just a basic rejuvenation spell.”
“Incredible. Did you invent it?”
“No, I learned it from a book.”
In reality, he had known it because it was Luna’s favorite.
But that wasn’t something he could admit.
Hearing Leo’s fib, Lunia asked, “Where did you find a book on Sorcery of the Stars that you could teach yourself from?”
Books on the Sorcery of the Stars were rare, even for Seiren students.
‘Plus, Leo was able to solve the incomplete spell that nobody was able to complete for so long… maybe he had a sorcery book written by Luna herself. There are only a few in the world…but even if it wasn’t written directly by her, it might be an older text with more variants of sorcery closer to that of the Sorcery of the Stars originally used by her…!’
Then that would be a big discovery.
“It was in the library of my house.”
Lunia stroked her chin.
‘Leo’s mother is a Zerdinger. Even if she isn’t an active member of the family, it isn’t unlikely that she would have inherited some family heirlooms.’
Lunia’s eyes gleamed.
“Can I see it?”
“I don’t have it anymore.”
“What? What happened?”
“I accidentally burned it while practicing when I was a kid.”
“How could you do that?” Lunia shouted as she grabbed her head in frustration.
Eiran, too, was dismayed, unaware it was all a lie.
“You seem to thrive on shouting.”
Leo smirked, eyes fixed on the heart of the forest.
“Let’s rid ourselves of this cursed mess.”
With determination, Leo led the way.
A few minutes later.
Leo and his party reached the entrance to what was once the Land of the Fairies.
Seeing someone there, Leo couldn’t help but grin.
“What brings you here at this hour?”
“I could ask you the same.”
Arms crossed, Lauta squinted.
“First-years aren’t supposed to wander off on their own.”
“Isn’t that true for you too?”
“Huh? Quite the attitude. Just because we’re from different schools? Lumene has such low standards.”
Leo narrowed his eyes at Lauta’s sly grin.
Lunia interjected urgently, “Lauta, there are undead here right now!”
“I’m aware. I’m investigating it.”
“If you’re looking for the cause, I can tell you: it’s a curse!”
“A curse? You’re saying there’s a curse here?”
“What?”
‘The death energy here is potent… doesn’t he feel it?’
Lunia felt torn.
Instinctively, she knew that Leo was right.
It was clear that Lauta was colluding with Tartaros.
‘No, that can’t be… A Seiren student couldn’t…!’
But logic resisted.
A proud Seiren student turning necromancer didn’t add up.
And Lauta was an upperclassman, too.
Lunia’s confidence wavered.
“I’ll ask again.”
Leo’s tone chilled.
“What are you doing here?”
“Fighting off the undead and investigating the disturbances in the Fairy Forest. Is it believable for a first-year to challenge a second-year?” Lauta retorted, annoyed. “I am a student dedicated to upholding Luna’s legacy as the Poet of the Stars. Tarnishing her name…”
“Lauta Algra.”
Startled, Lunia and Eiran stepped back.
Under Leo’s gaze, Lauta paled.
“Keep Luna’s name out of your mouth.”
“You brat…!”
“First-year Lumene students have accidentally dabbled in Tartaros’ plans, as well.”
“…!”
Lauta’s expression hardened.
“For those students, who were unaware as to what they had stumbled upon, they were merely issued a warning at the school level.”
Leo raised his hand, conjuring beads of light at the tip of his finger, soaring into the sky.
Whishhhh-crackle!
The beads burst above them, and the surrounding area was illuminated as clearly as in broad daylight.
The sudden brightness shocked Lunia, while Eiran unknowingly covered her mouth and recoiled.
Behind Lauta lay the corpses of numerous monsters.
There was a huge summoning of blood and guts drawn from the body.
A mass of blood and guts drawn from the corpses gathered into what appeared to be a meat sculpture.
“Only dark sorcery uses monster remains as a catalyst. Whereas the students at my school didn’t know any better…”
Leo’s gaze sharpened.
“You seem complicit in this.”
“Well, you’re quite the observer.”
Lauta grinned slyly.
“Does it make you feel better that you have your proof now?”
“I can’t believe it… a Seiren student turned necromancer…!”
“Watch your tongue, Lunia El Lunda. Disrespect toward a senior won’t be tolerated.”
“Don’t lecture me while you’re using forbidden sorcery!” Lunia shouted furiously.
“I’m not. I’m just using Tartaros.”
“Tartaros? What do you mean?”
“Do you understand what lies dormant here? A Hero Record page of the Poet of the Stars lies here! Do you understand what this means, Lunia?”
Lauta’s eyes glazed over in excitement.
“That means that we could become like direct disciples of Luna! This is a chance to become one of the greatest heroes in elven history!”
At this point, very few pages of the Great Heroes remained missing.
Discovering a new hero’s page could lead to becoming a legendary hero oneself.
“Why not exploit Tartaros to reclaim our heritage?”
“Have you considered that you’re being taken advantage of?”
Leo’s laughter was icy.
“Hell Kaiser is the commander-in-chief of an organization that fears the Great Heroes more than anything else. Why would he willingly allow you to inherit Luna’s power?”
“No need to worry. With this ring gifted to me by that Hell Kaiser, I control the undead.”
Lauta grinned and brandished his black ring.
“With this, the undead is no threat to me.”
“We can’t communicate with him anymore.”
If Hell Kaiser could’ve been tricked by a mere student, not even yet a hero, there would not have been so many heroes who perished at his hand.
‘Both emotional and cognitive blocks. This is similar to what Sen Liu experienced.’
He remembered how Sen Liu had acted during the Summoner’s Race.
“Leo, let’s take him down. I’m gonna knock in that ugly mug of his and drag him back to the teachers!” Lunia growled.
Eiran, too, bristled with hostility toward Lauta, who was defaming their school’s reputation.
“Don’t let your guard down.”
“What?” “Kill him if you have to.”
Lunia’s eyes widened at Leo’s advice.
“That’s how you have to go into any fight against Tartaros.”
Leaving that comment hanging in the air, Leo approached Lauta.
‘Kill? An upperclassman at my school?’
Just as Lunia was momentarily paralyzed by this thought—
“Hahahahaha.”
Cargore appeared in a burst of black smoke.
“Difficult situation, huh?”
“Cargore. Kill them!”
Cargore dashed forward at Lauta’s command.
“Lunia! Eiran! Deal with him!” Leo directed, charging at Lauta without hesitation.
“You dare challenge a second-year?”
Lauta sneered as Leo approached.
Watching Leo’s direct approach, Lauta began chanting a spell.
Leo quickly recognized his spell.
“Le Tierga!”
“Le Tierga!”
Crackle—crash!
Simultaneously, their sorcery collided, offsetting each other.
Lauta’s expression twisted in frustration.
“You use the Sorcery of the Stars?”
“Of course I would wield Luna’s sorcery against a Tartaros lackey.”
“Shut up! I’m an elf, who inherits her powers. I am different from you and your common blood.”
Lauta, eyes bloodshot, began another incantation.
Leo promptly recognized and mirrored his new spell.
“Liegesernia!”
“Liegesernia!”
Flash!
Shimmer——whoosh!
An intense blitz raged for a moment before dispersing.
“…!”
But Leo countered with the same spell, once again disrupting Lauta’s tactics.
His expression hardened.
‘This punk… I can’t believe this!’
Frustrated, Lauta attempted to defend himself, shouting once more.
And again, Leo copied his spell.
Flutter—
This time, flames erupted from the two’s duel.
Lauta quivered in anger.
“How dare you!” Lauta exclaimed as his spell failed to overtake Leo’s.
It was no coincidence that Leo was producing the same spells as Lauta.
Leo listened to Lauta’s incantations and chose to simultaneously cast the same spell back at him.
For a sorcerer, there was no greater humiliation than having their spells countered.
Observing Lauta’s agitation, Leo remarked, “You’re pretty bad at sorcery.”
Whoosh
Leo vanished in an instant.
Frustrated, Lauta searched for Leo, only to find him behind him.
“It’s like you can’t control your own power,” Leo remarked as he struck Lauta’s ankle with an Aura-powered kick.
Thwack—Crack!
“Ugh!”
Lauta crumpled to the ground with a broken bone.
“You struggle even with borrowed power,” Leo noted, eyeing Lauta’s black ring.
‘Some demonic help, hm?’
Schwwwwwing!
Leo drew his sword.
Lauta’s face turned white.
Fear gripped Lauta as he pleaded, “Spare me! I’m a Seiren student! Don’t ruin Lumene’s relationship with Seiren!”
Stab—
Choke?
Leo raised an eyebrow at Lauta’s sudden change in demeanor.
Leo’s sword pierced Lauta’s neck without hesitation.
A proper second-year at Seiren might have struggled, but for Leo, Lauta was merely a powerful fool.
Whoosh
“Hahahaha.”
Cargore suddenly appeared before Leo.
Lunia and Eiran, engaged in battle with Cargore, halted at the sight of Leo.
Seeing Lauta with a fatal wound, they held their breath.
“Did you finally kill him? Hahaha! Killing one of your own kind—someone who dreamed of becoming a hero! How cruel! And you call yourself a hero candidate! Hahahaha!”
Cargore mocked Leo with a sinister glare.
Lunia and Eiran’s eyes widened in shock.
Although she anticipated this outcome, seeing it unfold made Lunia pale.
Cargore, still lost in his own laughter, locked eyes with Leo.
But Cargore felt goosebumps when he saw his eyes.
‘He’s just slain a fellow hero candidate, corrupted or not. Shouldn’t he be reacting more like those elven girls?’
But he couldn’t sense any emotion behind Leo’s eyes.
‘What is that look in those eyes?’
Just calmness.
‘Those aren’t the eyes of any hero. No, those are…’
The eyes of a hunter.
“You’re next,” Leo declared calmly, devoid of any emotion.
No fear, no malice, no anger.
Even having already transcended death, the knight was horrified by Leo’s dry voice.
It felt as if facing Hell Kaiser, the Giant King himself.
‘I must end him here!’
Cargore’s instincts screamed at him.
With determination, Cargore drove his sword into the ground.
Rumble, rumble-!
A dark red energy surged from his sword into the ground.
Lauta’s black ring reacted to the energy.
Lauta’s corpse swelled.
Leo quickly retreated upon seeing Lauta’s transformation.
Boom! Crash! Crash! Crash!
Lauta’s body exploded, scattering bone fragments and flesh like shrapnel.
Leo activated his Aura Armor, shielding himself from the blast.
‘It’s self-destruction!’
Leo grimaced.
Despite the explosion, Lauta’s hand, adorned with the remaining black ring, clenched into a fist.
Squelch, scrape—
His broken bones and chunks of flesh, strewn all about, clumped together.
Gag
Lunia and Eiran gasped in shock.
They watched in horror as the scattered pieces reformed into Lauta’s body, like clay molded back into a shape.
With wide eyes, Lauta stared at his hand in disbelief.
“I… I survived?”
“Haha. In experiencing death, you’ve signed a contract with the commander-in-chief.”
Cargore’s eyes gleamed with intensity.
“Lauta Algra! Don’t you aspire to be a hero who transcends death?”
Lauta’s overwhelming desire filled his eyes.
“Accept it! The power of the dead!”
Rumble, rumble, rumble-!
Dark energy surged from Lauta’s body.
Roooooooar-!
An ominous light exuded from his body, along with the summons he had created.
Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble—!
The world trembled around them.
Lunia and Eiran stumbled and fell to the ground.
Leo’s expression hardened as a colossal skeleton emerged from the earth.
‘Has Lauta’s sorcery strengthened the summoning…? That Death Knight was planning on killing Lauta all along.’
Groooooooooan!
[What is that!]
Kiran exclaimed in shock.
“It’s the Skeleton King.”
Leo’s response was firm.
“One of the most powerful undead.”
