Chapter 502

502

Piiiiing! Pop! Pop!

“Whoooaah!”

Pyrotechnics burst across the sky, and cheers resonated from every corner.

This spectacle marked the official opening of the Twilight Festival.

Countless individuals filling the pathways beamed with joy.

Lumeria City, the heart of the world, maintained a constant energy, but on this particular day, it throbbed with even greater vitality.

Diverse species, typically spotted only in passing, traversed the lanes together.

Due to its title, the Twilight Festival is frequently misconstrued as a celebration dedicated exclusively to Lumerne, but in reality, it encompasses far more.

Monuments dedicated to the foundational heroes are positioned all throughout Lumeria City.

And decorating the main square were the likenesses of the Great Heroes themselves.

Massive gatherings touring Lumeria City left floral tributes at the feet of these Great Heroes.

This specific year saw an exceptionally high volume of tokens presented to Arion.

The previous summer season.

The resonance of Arion manifesting in the current era to subdue a shard of Erebus had left a profound impression.

Youngsters darting through the thoroughfares wore replicas of the Great Heroes’ attire and donned disguises.

“It brings to mind Gadslon,”

Luna murmured, pausing idly amidst the bustling street.

Truly, the spectacle of an urban center where myriad heritages blended harmoniously mirrored the vibe of Gadslon.

“Though, at its core, things are different.”

The celebration itself represented pure tranquility.

Apprehension was entirely absent, and every face was illuminated by a grin.

Luna allowed her eyelids to drop.

‘This is the reality we fought to preserve.’

A sharp emotion tugged at her chest.

She had intellectually understood the concept of redeeming the world previously.

Yet, observing the vast sea of people on the pavement laughing joyfully made a quiet corner of her soul feel comforted.

It was genuinely affecting.

Right at that moment.

Thud!

A youngster sprinting blindly collided directly into Luna.

“Ouch!”

“Are you unharmed?”

Luna’s eyelids lifted in surprise as she assisted the small boy who had stumbled to the ground after striking her.

“Yes. I am okay. Forgive me…”

The youngster, rising while gripping Luna’s hand, caught sight of her features and gasped, ‘Wow!’

“You are an older sister who resembles Lady Luna.”

“I resemble Lady Luna to you?”

“Yes! She is incredibly striking!”

“Aren’t you a candid little one?”

Luna beamed broadly, steadying the youngster on his feet.

As she cleared the dirt from his clothing, she noticed a graze on his palm and mended it using sorcery.

“Incredible! You are a spellcaster, big sister!”

“That is because I bear a likeness to Lady Luna.”

“But big sister. Have you been drinking spirits? You carry the scent of alcohol.”

“Mm, I indulged slightly.”

Luna offered a soft smirk.

“Answer this riddle.”

Luna adopted a solemn expression.

“Which of the Great Heroes stands above all others?”

“Lord Dwenno!”

The boy raised a tight fist, his gaze gleaming with enthusiasm.

“Lord Dwenno fashioned the sacred relics wielded by the Great Heroes! My kin belong to a smithing lineage! For that reason, I believe Lord Dwenno is the ultimate Great Hero!”

Fittingly, the youngster’s garb replicated Dwenno’s appearance.

Resting against his spine was a Dwenno disguise.

Luna offered a brilliant smile and countered,

“Incorrect. You are mistaken. The preeminent Great Hero is Lady Luna.”

“Aw.”

The youngster cast a skeptical glance.

“Do not ‘Aw’ me. Dwenno was nothing but a depraved and peculiar dwarf.”

“How could you possibly know that, big sister?”

“Because I happen to be Luna.”

“Big sister, the alcohol has gotten to you, hasn’t it?”

“On that note, this disguise is being repossessed. Your big sister will provide a Luna disguise to replace it.”

Luna reached out to pluck the Dwenno mask away.

In response, the youngster recoiled with a startled look.

“What business do you have harassing a child, you tippler?”

“Early instruction is vital! It is ridiculous to permit a fresh, unblemished youth to revere such a corrupted old man!”

“Refrain from shattering the youth’s aspirations.”

“Truth is unyielding! Youth must be educated on the facts! Besides, that old fellow was never an admirable individual to begin with!”

Luna bellowed.

Consequently, the focus of nearby onlookers naturally shifted toward the pair.

The youngster, who had been observing with a stunned expression, gestured with his arm.

“Farewell, lovely big sister who resembles Lady Luna! Enjoy your outing with your partner!”

The boy beamed cheerfully and vanished among the shifting masses.

“Did you locate Lu-nim?”

Right then, Chen Xia and Eiran hurried forward, looking frantic.

The duo had been accompanying each other and felt immense alarm when Luna suddenly vanished from sight.

“Observe for yourselves.”

Leo gripped Luna by the back of her collar, forcing her to stand balanced.

Chen Xia remarked, observing Luna in that position,

“Lady Luna, it appears you have overindulged significantly. It might be wise to cease your drinking for now.”

“I am perfectly fine.”

Luna gave a careless shrug.

In truth, inspecting her countenance alone suggested she was entirely sober.

Had it not been for the potent aroma of spirits enveloping her, no one would suspect she had been imbibing at all.

Nevertheless, her demeanor lacked inhibition and was boisterous.

It was undeniably the conduct of an intoxicated individual.

The instant the festivities commenced, Luna had been unreservedly swallowing liquor purchased from roadside merchants.

And only the most potent varieties.

Given that Luna possessed a massive tolerance to begin with, she flourished in the festival environment like a fish returned to water.

“Merchant! Another round over here!”

When Luna requested another beverage from the seller, the man chuckled softly and slid a glass forward.

“Elven maiden! Such vitality!”

“Kyahaha~ This is true freedom!”

Eiran noted, observing with apprehension as Luna joyfully consumed her drink with zeal.

“Um, will she remain unhurt acting in that manner?”

“Once her momentum builds, there is no restraining her.”

Leo clicked his tongue in disapproval.

He then retrieved a chart from his attire and spoke,

“For now, let us head toward the lodging Kal claimed to have secured.”

In preparation for the Twilight Festival, Kal had previously arranged accommodations.

Kal’s associations spanned both within the academy walls and beyond them, leading him to brag about securing a premier spot.

“Listen. We must depart now.”

“Just one more drop to swallow.”

Ignoring Leo’s command, Luna displayed zero inclination to stir.

Finding himself unable to tolerate the delay further, Leo closed the distance to Luna, snaked his arm about her midline, and hoisted her beneath his arm like a piece of luggage.

Yet, as though entirely accustomed to Leo’s methods, Luna gripped a container in each palm and kept imbibing.

Chen Xia murmured, observing the spectacle.

“I recognized her eccentricities… yet she remains astonishing.”

The authentic nature of the legendary figure she had venerated since her youth was simultaneously familiar and entirely baffling.

Chen Xia glanced askance with a hint of concern.

For Eiran, a naive elf, Luna’s inebriated state could prove quite jarring.

Upon shifting her gaze, she found Eiran with her digits locked together, beaming radiantly.

“Lady Luna… your elegance is truly boundless.”

‘That spectacle?’

The image of her suspended from Leo’s side, being hauled along, was a far cry from elegant.

‘Well, Miss Eiran possesses rather eccentric inclinations.’

Chen Xia reconciled with this thought, grasped Eiran’s hand, and trailed after Leo.

A brief interval later.

The destination Leo and his companions reached comprised a blend of a tavern and a lodging house.

Chen Xia tilted her head in confusion upon observing it.

“Is this truly the correct location?”

“It matches the description.”

Leo muttered, scanning the sign of the tavern.

Kal had asserted he secured an excellent lodging, yet this establishment deviated greatly from what Chen Xia or Eiran would deem acceptable.

Just at that moment.

“Ah! You have arrived! You finally made it!”

The tavern barrier swung wide, and Kal bounded outward with an appreciative expression.

“Advance inside! Do not simply linger on the threshold!”

Kal, wearing his characteristic cunning smirk, guided the assembly toward the rear of the tavern.

“Is this the ‘excellent lodging’ you boasted about?”

“Precisely. I secured the entire highest level! Furthermore, it requires no payment!”

Kal flashed a brief wink and hoisted a thumb upward.

“To be precise, it belongs to an establishment I assisted previously. I managed to acquire the space owing to that bond. However, a term applies.”

“A term?”

“Indeed. Leo, presiding as the student council head of Lumerne, must assist as a attendant for a single day!”

Aligned with his statement, Kal was outfitted in an attendant’s garb.

Chen Xia knit her brows, glaring at Kal.

“Are you implying you intend to force Young Master Leo to labor as an attendant at this moment?”

Chen Xia’s gaze turned chilling.

Kal recoiled slightly, noting Chen Xia’s reaction.

Kal was well aware that Chen Xia attended to Leo with utter devotion.

Naturally, she would take no pleasure in hearing that Leo was expected to perform service work.

“Not merely the room charge… but they guaranteed sustenance and beverages are complimentary. I presumed it would yield an amusing recollection…”

“The liquor is free of cost?”

Right beside them, Luna’s eyes flashed with intensity.

“Let us proceed with it.”

“Pardon? Lady Luna, performing service tasks?”

Eiran felt thoroughly dumbfounded.

To expect the greatest champion of the elven lineage to act as a tavern hand!

What a scandalous proposition!

“What does it matter! The drinks cost nothing! Leo! You will participate as well, correct?”

Yet Luna remained untroubled.

Hearing Luna’s declaration, Leo let out a quiet chuckle.

“That promises to be amusing.”

“Ohh!!”

Kal shouted in celebration.

“Given that both of you concurred, no obstacles remain, correct?”

Kal smirked, glancing toward Chen Xia and Eiran.

The two maidens, who typically offered pleasant expressions, glared fixedly at Kal.

“Why, what causes you to look at me so?”

“Kal.”

“Retribution will surely find you.”

Kal shuddered as the pair scrutinized him with narrowed eyelids.

Step-step-

Though darkness had fallen, Lumeria City’s lanes remained vibrant with activity, fitting for the celebration. A crimson-haired elf navigated the thoroughfare.

As the striking elf glided past, the gathering separated.

They instinctively created a path for the commanding aura the elf radiated.

The elf, Lunia, moving unbothered through the opening, let out a soft huff.

The energy radiating from her vivid crimson locks and gaze had intensified further.

‘I ought to have journeyed alongside Eiran initially.’

Lunia harbored an internal pang of regret.

She felt envious of her companion who had transitioned to Lumerne as an international scholar beforehand.

Granted, Seyrune, functioning as a champion academy akin to Lumerne, provided ample instruction.

Even so, Lunia coveted her companion’s position.

‘Eiran must have spent her days alongside Leo, surely?’

Leo Flob resided within Lumerne.

And Lunia desired to demonstrate to Leo her transformed state following the recess and within such a compressed timeframe.

The duration had been brief, yet Lunia had unquestionably gathered greater power.

She had secured an alliance with the Phoenix, a feat she had desperately pursued.

Furthermore, the sorcery Leo had imparted to her, the Flame Emperor, had been elevated to greater heights.

She yearned to present her altered self to him at the earliest opportunity.

She felt certain she had drawn a step nearer to Leo Flob.

Regrettably, she only found availability now after relinquishing her role as the student council head.

‘My initial plan was to reach here during the morning hours.’

Lunia clicked her tongue in annoyance.

An unforeseen occurrence transpired at the academy today.

Intelligence circulated through the grounds that Rune, the temporary headmaster, had collapsed.

At first, the academy was plunged into chaos, but the panic subsided once Rune himself declared that the matter lacked severity.

‘He maintained he would recover following a brief period of rest, yet Lord Rune’s expression appeared grim.’

Though he masked his feelings, Rune’s countenance had been heavy.

Experiencing a nagging doubt, Lunia paused in her tracks.

‘Foremost, I must inform Eiran.’

She reasoned Eiran needed to be aware, given it involved her grandfather.

Consequently, Lunia turned down a side street.

‘Kal indicated he definitely secured rooms in this vicinity, did he not?’

As it was the Twilight Festival, throngs occupied every space.

Numerous elves who typically avoided entering human settlements were spotted scattered about.

It was during Lunia’s search for the location.

“Tsk. Donning a human server’s garb and waiting on humans.”

“It brings dishonor to all elves.”

“Furthermore, becoming intoxicated and creating a disturbance in a side lane. As kin, we feel humiliated.”

From a short distance away, she overheard elves expressing their discontent.

‘Those sorts of elves exist everywhere.’

A variety who, possessed by inflated heritage pride, look down upon their own kind who fail to satisfy their criteria.

Lunia clicked her tongue.

They represented elves she held little regard for.

It occurred while Lunia continued her search for the inn.

“Ugh! Uweeek!”

The sound of retching reached her ears from a nearby spot.

Strollers snickered as they bypassed the alleyway.

Lunia, shifting her gaze toward the disturbance involuntarily, let out an empty chuckle.

In that space, an elf clad in a server’s dress was bracing herself against a stone barrier and vomiting.

“Uweeeeeeek!”

‘That is undeniably mortifying for a member of our race.’

Lunia experienced a sudden wave of awkwardness.

Just as she prepared to look away from the elf who cast such dishonor upon their lineage and depart.

“Are you alright?”

An elf possessing a recognizable face emerged hastily into the alleyway.

‘Eiran?’

Lunia’s eyes expanded in shock, and she closed the distance to Eiran.

Eiran quickly patted the distressed elf’s back.

“Eiran… Ugh… I thank you… Uweeeeeeek!”

The elf failed to halt her retching, even while voicing her appreciation.

“Eiran, what task are you performing there…”

“Lady Luna. Perhaps you should cease absorbing any further liquor…”

“What?!”

Catching Eiran’s words, Lunia let out a dismayed gasp.

Eiran, her eyes wide, noticed Lunia and beamed joyfully.

“Miss Lunia!”

“What? Luni… Aeeeek?!”

Luna likewise shifted her head, then returned her gaze toward the earth.

Lunia’s expression turned rigid as she identified those features.

“Indeed. This is an illusion. An illusion. Yes, I am experiencing a dream.”

Lunia rejected the evidence before her.

‘Correct. Would Lady Luna truly be present in reality? Would a marvel resembling the era of Lord Arion manifest so casually? Yes. This is a dream. A dreadful hallucination. It lacks all logic for Lady Luna to be emptying her stomach in such a manner to begin with. Yes. Let us awaken from this slumber.’

The Luna Lunia revered was an exquisite, unblemished, and charitable elf.

Naturally, an impeccable elf, possessing an endearing quality despite a somewhat peculiar streak.

It was during Luna’s desperate attempt to dismiss the truth.

“Regrettably, this represents reality.”

Leo, who had surfaced within the side lane, spoke in an even tone.

“This constitutes Luna’s authentic character.”

“Deceiver!”

Lunia, devastated, shook her head in refusal.

“One attains maturity by witnessing a multitude of unpleasant truths.”

“No!”

“Accept my congratulations on reaching maturity.”

“If this defines what maturity entails, I decline to mature!”

Lunia, who continued to frantically reject the situation, faltered on her feet.

Eiran, alarmed, caught and stabilized Lunia.

Leo took over patting Luna’s back from Eiran and remarked,

“You are casting absolute disgrace upon our species. Does shattering a youngster’s fantasy bring you contentment?”

“What?”

“Disregard it, resume your activity.”

Following his statement, Luna directed her attention back to the dirt.

Rhythmically striking Luna’s back, Leo murmured under his breath,

“You conduct yourself with such lack of inhibition, having witnessed all there is to behold, that I could not possibly have failed to notice, could I?”

“Pardon? What did you just utter…?”

“Nothing of importance, merely addressing myself.”