Chapter 529

Book 1 Chapter 529

529.

Step- Step-

Leo paced down the corridor, observing his surroundings.

The corpses had already been cleared away, but the pervasive crimson stains bore witness to the slaughter that had transpired within these walls.

Leo quietly gazed at the blood splattered across the floorboards and masonry.

Following closely behind him was Chen Xia.

Under ordinary circumstances, outsiders were strictly forbidden from entering this location.

However, backed by Melina’s explicit authorization, Leo faced no obstacles in examining the area.

Having concluded his inspection of the site, Leo walked back toward the threshold.

Clink-!

With a swift motion, he drew his blade.

It was at that moment that Chen Xia shifted her gaze toward him, her face filled with confusion.

Swish-!

Leo began to deliberately slice his weapon through the empty air, stepping forward as he did so.

Whoosh! Whoosh-!

Though his movements were unhurried, the sharp whistle of the blade cutting through the atmosphere echoed clearly.

Chen Xia’s eyes widened in astonishment as she observed his actions.

‘He is reenacting the battle that took place.’

Wherever Leo’s blade cut through the air, it aligned with where the blood had sprayed.

Tracing the path down the corridor, Leo’s sword eventually came to a halt as he crossed into the grand meeting room.

Lowering his weapon, he gently shut his eyes.

Naturally, Leo possessed flawless knowledge of every single technique within Berchia’s swordsmanship.

‘Because I was the one who instructed her.’

While Arion and Luna had established the foundational principles of Berchia’s martial arts and spellcraft, it was Leo himself who had trained her to perfect that framework.

For this reason, the identity of the perpetrator behind this massacre was immediately obvious to him.

‘It was Berchia.’

“Young Master Leo, please issue your orders. Would you like me to summon the Shadows?”

The primary duty of the Shadows was to locate, pursue, and execute defectors.

As a result, they excelled at tracking targets over long distances.

“No.”

Leo softly declined, shaking his head in response to Chen Xia’s suggestion.

“They won’t be capable of tracking her down… and even if they somehow managed to find her, it would only result in their demise.”

Chen Xia bit her lower lip upon hearing his grim assessment.

She, too, had a lingering suspicion.

She knew exactly who was responsible for this devastation.

“For the time being, we will proceed to the Ersar estate to meet with Eiran.”

“To Young Lady Eiran’s side!”

Chen Xia spoke with an tone of urgency.

“Are we truly going to keep Young Lady Eiran in the dark about this?”

“…”

In response, Leo tightly closed his eyes.

Much like Lunia, Eiran was a future champion whom Leo had personally chosen.

She was destined to carry on Luna’s legacy and stand as a trusted ally by his side in the conflicts ahead.

Furthermore, she possessed an incredibly resilient spirit.

Yet, it was precisely because of her nature that his reluctance grew deeper.

‘Eiran bears a striking resemblance to Berchia.’

This wasn’t merely a matter of lineage or ancestry.

In truth, they shared very few superficial traits.

Given that millennia had slipped away, her physical features did not mirror her predecessor’s.

Their temperaments were quite distinct as well.

Though she had mastered the ancestral combat styles and magic of her lineage, that was simply a consequence of her upbringing.

The solitary bonds connecting Eiran to Berchia were their elven heritage and their paths as magical sword-wielders.

Nevertheless, the reason Leo constantly associated Berchia with Eiran was the mirror-like purity and clarity with which she viewed the world.

Could he truly bring himself to shatter that innocence for Eiran?

‘To tell her that the very forebear she revered above all else has returned as a vengeful phantom consumed by malice?’

Had this occurred in the past, Leo would have disclosed the truth without a second thought.

He would have trusted in Eiran’s strength to endure the revelation.

But witnessing the depths to which Berchia had fallen left him uncertain.

Even Leo found himself wavering.

Breaking his prolonged silence, Leo finally spoke.

“Not at this moment.”

Patter-patter-patter-!

Eiran sprinted through the corridors of the Ersar family estate, the color drained completely from her face.

‘Grandfather, Grandfather, Grandfather.’

Her hands shook uncontrollably even as she picked up her pace.

Eiran had suffered the tragic loss of both her mother and father to malicious demons when she was young.

Runia was the solitary family member she had left.

Furthermore, her grandfather had always been a gentle soul who showed deep empathy toward her, even when she had petulantly abandoned her studies at Seirun to isolate herself within their home.

‘While I was acting like a spoiled child, absorbed only in my own feelings…!’

With her eyelids squeezed shut, Eiran finally arrived before the threshold of Run’s private chambers.

The household retainers stationed outside bowed their heads respectfully.

Barely acknowledging their presence, Eiran threw the door open with force.

Slam!

“Grandfather!”

The instant she burst into the room, her eyes locked onto a very familiar head of crimson hair.

Lunia, her closest companion, was seated beside Run’s mattress, looking utterly bewildered.

Catching sight of Lunia’s somber posture caused Eiran’s heart to sink further.

“Lu—Young Lady Lunia. Grandfather… how is he…?”

“Eiran? Is that you, Eiran?”

Run, who was resting his back against the wooden frame of the bed, spoke her name in a heavy, raspy tone.

“Yes! Grandfather! I’m right here! How are you feeling? Are you hurt—”

Eiran’s words died in her throat as she rushed toward his bedside, her body freezing in place.

She had spotted several printed volumes clutched in Run’s hands.

“Eiran, I have no desire to pass judgment on your literary preferences, but this particular genre is rather scandalous—”

“Eeeeeeek!”

Her face flushing a vibrant crimson, Eiran let out a piercing shriek and lunged toward Run, violently tearing the volumes from his grasp.

Run watched his granddaughter’s frantic behavior with an incredibly solemn expression.

“This old soul understands the eccentricities of youth. Your mother used to indulge in similar literature during her younger days. Granted, her specific tastes leaned in a different direction. At any rate, I suppose that explains why you matured so rapidly—”

“Stop! Stop talking! Stop it!”

Eiran bellowed at the top of her lungs, desperately trying to drown out Run’s explanations.

Lunia uncomfortably shifted her gaze toward the floor, trying to look anywhere else.

Having finally retrieved her hidden stash, Eiran collapsed to the floorboards, her breathing ragged as she spoke.

“W-weren’t you gravely afflicted? I was under the impression that you had sustained a fatal wound—”

“What sort of ancient scar could possibly claim my life? The laceration itself has long since knit back together. It is simply that at my advanced age, the lingering aches plague me terribly. Goodness gracious. Old folks truly outlive their usefulness.”

Run remarked while gently massaging his flank.

Had he been a mere mortal, his youthful elven visage combined with such curmudgeonly dialogue might have struck an observer as deeply bizarre.

However, to individuals like Lunia and Eiran, who were well-acquainted with the long lifespans of elves, it sounded like nothing more than the typical grumbling of an elder.

Observing his completely unbothered attitude, Eiran looked as though her spirit had entirely departed her physical form.

“How on earth did you manage to uncover those books?”

“Is an aging grandfather forbidden from tidying up his own granddaughter’s personal quarters?”

“Please refrain from doing so! I am entitled to my own personal boundaries!”

“Rest assured, I left your private journals untouched.”

“That is the bare minimum!”

Exasperated by Run’s counterarguments, Eiran took a succession of deep breaths to compose herself before turning her attention back to Lunia.

“Setting that aside, Young Lady Lunia, what brings you to our family estate…?”

“The director summoned me for a formal consultation.”

“Ah, then I apologize for intruding upon your discussion.”

“No need to apologize, it is perfectly fine. In truth, our conversation revolved entirely around you.”

“Around me?”

“Indeed, we were discussing the rather peculiar nature of your reading habits… cough! Ahem!”

With tears gathering in her eyes from sheer mortification, Eiran began shaking Lunia back and forth in a frantic frenzy.

Once the chaotic display had subsided, a thoroughly drained Eiran questioned Run once more.

“Why did you conceal the gravity of the situation from me?! Do you have any conception of the terror I felt!”

Run offered his granddaughter a gentle, sorrowful smile.

“Eiran, you are well aware that my standing within the elven hierarchy carries significant weight.”

Run Ersar served as the presiding leader of the Elsarbic Parliament and had taken on the mantle of interim director for Seirun.

“At this current juncture, Seirun is plagued by severe internal discord. If word of an assassination attempt on my life were to leak out under these fragile conditions, Seirun—no, our entire civilization—would descend into absolute anarchy. I implore you to understand my reasoning.”

Eiran clenched her jaw tightly at his explanation.

She was well aware of the validity of his words.

It wasn’t merely Seirun; the entirety of elven civilization had been subjected to an overwhelming cascade of societal upheaval in a remarkably brief window of time.

Up until the previous winter season, those transformations had seemed entirely positive.

‘It all commenced with the arrival of Luna-nim.’

It was a monumental phenomenon that defied all previous expectations.

It could be viewed in no other light.

The physical return of a legendary savior who had delivered the world from ruin five millennia ago?

Who could have possibly anticipated such a miracle?

Because of this event, the elves, a race already deeply rooted in cultural superiority, found their vanity swelling to even greater heights.

Why had Luna been the sole figure among the ancient champions to manifest anew in this modern era? Could it perhaps signify that the elven race possessed a higher destiny than all others?

Such self-aggrandizing thoughts naturally took root in the minds of the elves who bore witness to the divine event.

Consequently, the political faction advocating for pure-blooded supremacy gained immense leverage and authority.

Eiran had observed this ideological shift directly within the halls of Seirun.

It was precisely during that volatile period that a new factor emerged.

The publication of the ‘Introduction to Star Magic’ occurred, democratizing star magic—an art form long deemed the exclusive, birthright domain of the elven race—and rendering it accessible to the masses.

That particular volume, penned by Len, was immediately categorized as a sacrilegious text by the elven authorities and fiercely condemned the moment it began circulating globally.

For countless generations, the elves had been revered as the preeminent masters of arcane arts.

The foundation for that esteemed reputation was the very star magic bequeathed to them by Luna.

Len’s revolutionary magical framework directly challenged the absolute authority that the elven race had guarded fiercely for thousands of years.

The vast majority of the elven populace adamantly refused to even acknowledge the existence of the Introduction to Star Magic.

The elves, who had historically maintained a highly isolationist stance, began erecting even more rigid barriers against external civilizations.

It was in the midst of this freezing cultural climate that a second miraculous event transpired.

The manifestation of Seirun, the legendary Comet Mage.

That monumental figure of elven history, celebrated as the true heir to the progenitor of the nebula, had returned to the living world.

Under normal circumstances, such an auspicious event would have served to bolster the pride of the pure-blooded supremacists to an absolute peak.

Yet, that defining historical milestone was completely upended by Seirun himself, who openly denounced the foundations of contemporary elven culture.

Rather than choosing an elite pupil from Seirun Academy—individuals who could legitimately claim to be his direct cultural descendants—he bestowed the title of his ‘true successor’ upon a student hailing from Lumerne.

As a direct consequence, the structural shifts within elven society mutated into absolute bedlam.

Those individuals possessed of a broader, more progressive outlook adjusted their courses rapidly to align with the shifting tides.

However, a vast number of citizens lacked the capacity to adapt.

Paralyzed by the realization that their revered forebear had utterly rejected their current way of life, and gripped by the terrifying anxiety that their core beliefs were fundamentally flawed, the elven populace began to drift aimlessly.

During this period of profound existential dread, the progenitor of the nebula made yet another appearance.

As continuous reports and firsthand testimonies of a violent clash between Luna and the leadership of the Pureblood Society flooded in, the collective psyche of the elven race plunged into deeper disarray.

Fortunately, there remained a select few leaders capable of navigating this profound chaos and steering the civilization toward stability.

Foremost among those stabilizing forces was Run Ersar, the venerated patriarch of the Elven Council.

If the public were to discover that he had been found incapacitated within the blood-drenched chambers of the Pureblood Society’s assembly hall, it was a certainty that elven society would shatter under the weight of the scandal.

Given the delicate nature of these geopolitical factors, a substantial delay had occurred before the news finally trickled down to Eiran, his immediate descendant.

“Even taking all of that into account, you still should have confided in me! You cannot fathom the absolute dread I experienced!”

Her voice wavered with an undercurrent of sorrowful indignation.

Yet, the moisture pooling in her eyes clearly betrayed that her anger stemmed entirely from her profound dread of losing him.

“So, who is the entity responsible for this atrocity?”

An uncharacteristic, lethal coldness flashed within Eiran’s tear-streaked gaze.

Beholding that dark expression, Run’s features grew notably tense.

He was entirely certain of the culprit’s identity.

Yet, he questioned the wisdom of revealing such a horrific truth to his own flesh and blood.

After a brief period of internal deliberation, Run deftly steered the conversation down a different path.

“We shall deliberate on the identity of the assailant at a later time. Did Student Leo not accompany you here? I am quite certain I requested his presence alongside yours.”

“If you are referring to Lord Leo, he mentioned that he had an errand to attend to prior to coming here.”

“An errand?”

Run tilted his head slightly, a look of mild bewilderment crossing his face.

“Yes, he indicated that he intended to personally examine the location where the incident took place.”

“The theater of the crime, you say.”

Run murmured those words in a soft, contemplative undertone.

Knock knock—

“Lord of the House, a visitor has arrived seeking an audience.”

“Permit them entry.”

Following Run’s verbal assent, the heavy wooden door swung inward, granting entrance to Leo and Chen Xia.

“Lord Leo!”

“Oh, you have managed to… Ah. Forgive me. Welcome, Leo.”

Eiran offered Leo a vibrant, enthusiastic greeting, while Lunia managed a somewhat strained, awkward smile as she acknowledged his arrival.

Run fixed his gaze intently upon Lunia’s posture.

The absolute instant Run’s discerning eyes locked onto her, Lunia swiftly averted her gaze toward the periphery of the room.

Turning his focus back to the boy, Run questioned Leo.

“Did you thoroughly inspect the site of the altercation?”

“I did.”

“I see. Tragically, there is no room for doubt that it was indeed her handiwork.”

“Her handiwork?”

“Grandfather, do you truly possess definitive knowledge regarding the assailant’s identity?”

Both Lunia and Eiran felt their eyes widen in profound shock at Run’s abrupt pronouncement.

Chen Xia likewise exhibited a look of sudden anxiety and internal panic.

Leo merely maintained a silent, unblinking gaze directed at Run.

His countenance remained entirely impassive, revealing nothing.

Nevertheless, the elderly elf standing across from him had clearly deduced a momentous truth.

Run’s eyes, radiating the deep sagacity acquired through centuries of existence, gleamed with sudden, brilliant comprehension.

“I must request a brief, private consultation with Student Leo, so I ask that the rest of you young ladies kindly vacate the premises for a short duration.”

Run requested with a warm, comforting smile directed toward the three female companions.

Caught off guard by the sudden dismissal, the three girls exchanged bewildered glances before quietly filing out of the quarters.

Creak— Click—!

The moment the lock engaged and the door settled into its frame, Run rose from his seated position.

Once on his feet, he immediately cast a complex spell to completely insulate the chamber, ensuring that not a single syllable could bypass the walls.

Having finalized these protective measures, Run dropped to both knees before Leo, lowering his forehead to the ground in an attitude of absolute reverence.

“Run Ersar, the 38th patriarch of the Ersar lineage, humbles himself before the Great Hero of the Beginning.”