Chapter 534

Sreung-!

Leo, who had unsheathed Bihart’s dagger, gazed silently at the metal.

Leo inspected the weapon from side to side before carving it through the open air.

Sak-!

The noise of the blade slicing through the wind resonated crisply.

It was undeniably Dweno’s craftsmanship.

Because of this, even after millennia, the blade had not lost its fundamental nature as an instrument of war.

After making a few test swings in the darkness, Leo lowered his gaze back to the weapon resting in his grip.

‘It wasn’t just my mind playing tricks.’

Only a brief heartbeat ago.

Bihart’s dagger had undeniably shown a response to something nearby.

Simultaneously, he had sensed the distinct presence of Bihart’s aura.

Yet now, the weapon remained completely still, as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

It was during this moment of quiet contemplation that a sound broke the silence.

Knock-knock-

“Young Master Leo, may I enter?”

“Come in.”

Kwang-!

Chen Sia pushed the door open and stepped inside.

She paused, a complicated look crossing her features upon seeing Leo standing rigidly in the center of the quarters.

“Are you planning to stay in those garments?”

Leo was still clad in Lunia’s academic attire.

“I have some matters to weigh in my mind,” Leo replied serenely, folding his arms across his chest.

His stark white locks, artificially lengthened via sorcery for the sake of his masquerade, spilled over his features as he tilted his chin slightly downward, still draped in Seirun’s pale uniform. It gleamed with a snowy brilliance.

Complementing that, his complexion possessed a flawless, pale hue.

His blazing crimson irises appeared far more intense than they typically did.

“It strikes me anew each time I see you, but Young Master Leo is truly striking, and draped in those garments, you possess a remarkably refined air.”

With those words, Chen Sia stepped up behind Leo and began weaving his locks into a braid.

“What do you think you are doing?”

“I simply envisioned that a braided style would become you well.”

In response to her remark, Leo gave his head a firm shake.

The motion caused his locks to spill loosely once more.

Invoking his sorcery, Leo manifested a dimensional rift and retrieved a pair of trousers to slip on.

Leo fastened the long, dangling cords of the trousers and tossed the skirt carelessly toward the mattress.

Following that, he unbuttoned the upper portion of the academic uniform and flung it onto the bedding as well.

The defined musculature and contours of his midsection, previously concealed by the fabric, were fully exposed.

Leo kneaded his shoulders, rolling his neck from side to side to get his joints loose, and began circulating his vital energy.

Udeuk! Udeudeuk! Udeuk! Udeuk!

The crackling of shifting bones resonated through his framework.

Gradually, Leo’s physical build began to expand and lengthen.

Before long, having returned to his authentic physical stature, Leo elongated his limbs and muttered beneath his breath.

“That is incredibly agonizing.”

Chen Sia exhaled a soft sigh of wonder at Leo’s complaints.

“I caught a glimpse of it moments ago, but the sight is genuinely staggering. To alter the very framework of your skeleton utilizing your vital energy. Is this a specialized technique of your own creation, Young Master Leo?”

“Do you truly believe I would expend effort crafting something so utterly impractical?”

“Then whose work is it?”

“There is precisely one individual among our past companions who would devise such an absurd method.”

“Master Dweno?”

“The very same.”

‘Authentic splendor must surpass the linear progression of the physical form! There is absolutely no purpose in relying on fleeting countenances forged through sorcery and illusion! For that exact reason, I have formulated this methodology to reverse the physical aging process by channeling vital energy!’

“It was a methodology born strictly from that eccentric old fool’s bizarre principles. The primary issue is that the execution is incredibly demanding, meaning no ordinary person could hope to acquire it easily.”

“I see.”

Leo had employed Dweno’s unique art to revert his physical form to the state it occupied several years prior.

Because his size had been altered to match a frame similar to Lunia’s, he had been capable of donning Lunia’s academic attire without experiencing significant constriction.

Chen Sia, possessing a deft hand with a needle, had altered Eiran’s garments to suit her own frame.

“Would it be possible for me to acquire that art as well?”

“Certainly, there is no reason you could not master it. What prompts the interest?”

“I merely considered that it would prove highly advantageous in numerous scenarios if I were to command it.”

“Is such a measure truly required? Even in your current state, standing beside a first-year student makes you appear far more youthful.”

“Are you implying that I project the image of a mere infant at this moment?”

Chen Sia narrowed her gaze slightly and jabbed Leo’s flank with her fingertip.

Directing his gaze toward Chen Sia, Leo spoke with a detached air.

“It simply means you possess a youthful countenance.”

“Where exactly is a youth who desires to look even younger? Who exactly looks like a small child here?”

For Chen Sia, who was frequently mocked for appearing to be the identical age as Chelsea, the comment was far from a flattering compliment.

Leo snapped his finger sharply against Chen Sia’s forehead.

Chen Sia massaged the struck spot, let out a sharp huff, and whipped her head away in annoyance.

“Are you throwing a tantrum?”

“I am sure I wouldn’t know.”

Leo observed Chen Sia’s theatrical display of displeasure and spoke up.

“Cease that behavior and step closer. There is a matter of gravity we must discuss.”

“With me?”

Chen Sia adopted a bewildered expression.

As Leo dragged a seat forward and settled into it, Chen Sia took a place on the mattress within Leo’s quarters.

Leo presented Bihart’s dagger to Chen Sia’s view and remarked, “This is the very blade I once bestowed upon Bihart as a token.”

“Ah…”

Chen Sia’s eyelids fluttered open slightly wider at the revelation that the weapon belonged to her forebear.

“Furthermore, the precise instant my feet crossed into Eldon, this steel exhibited a distinct reaction. Though it passed in an instant, I undeniably perceived Bihart’s unique presence. What conclusion do you draw from this occurrence?”

Faced with Leo’s inquiry, Chen Sia pondered the matter for a brief interval before offering her thoughts.

“Master Bihart’s demise was brought about by his conflict with Master Berkia, was it not?”

“That is correct.”

Under normal circumstances, it would have been entirely expected for the Shan Empire and the Ersar lineage to transform into bitter, generational adversaries.

Yet, given the inner workings and temperament of the Shan Empire, they were left with no alternative but to mask the entirety of the affair.

“…Did Master Bihart harbor deep-seated animosity toward Master Berkia?”

“If the Bihart of my memory is any indication, he would have harbored no such malice.”

Leo’s gaze darkened by a fraction.

“Rather, his heart would have been weighed down by profound sorrow.”

“That, too, manifests as a lingering tether to the mortal realm,” Chen Sia murmured, shutting her lids and drawing in a lengthy breath.

“Operating under the premise that Master Berkia resides within these borders. Could it be that Young Master Leo’s art of spiritual invocation was triggered?”

“Is that the hypothesis you have arrived at as well?”

“It is.”

Leo did not possess exhaustive expertise regarding the intricacies of spiritual invocation either.

Naturally, his comprehension surpassed that of standard practitioners, yet because Leo lacked the inherent traits of an authentic spirit medium, he had never explored the subject extensively.

Nonetheless, following the awakening of Lisinas’s latent invocation capabilities, the paradigm shifted entirely.

He committed himself to researching the mechanics of spiritual calling, and Chen Sia, who possessed a command over the elements, joined Leo in delving into the subject.

The underlying motive was straightforward.

She desired to offer meaningful assistance to Leo.

“To begin with, you have successfully called forth Lady Luna in the past, after all.”

Acknowledging Chen Sia’s point, Leo offered a nod and elevated the weapon.

“Do you intend to attempt an invocation at this very moment?”

“I do.”

Leo offered an affirmative nod and began manifesting his spiritual essence.

Wooong-!

Bihart’s dagger, drinking in the spiritual essence channeled by Leo, began to give off a low, vibrating hum.

‘…Should Bihart materialize before me as a spirit, what words ought I to offer him?’

Ought he to reprimand the pupil who ultimately proved incapable of stepping away from the shadows?

Or ought he to offer commendations to the pupil who surrendered his entire existence for the preservation of the realm?

‘Or… should I offer solace to the soul that blames its own inadequacy for failing to hold back Berkia?’

Leo gazed upon Bihart’s weapon with a softened, downcast expression.

A brief span later.

Flash-!

Bihart’s dagger erupted with a blinding radiance.

The instant Leo opened his palm, the blade hovered suspended in the empty air.

Encircled around its frame, an invocation array etched from Leo’s spiritual essence had materialized.

The glowing array was swiftly drawn into the metal of the blade.

And then.

Thud-!

Bihart’s dagger dropped lifelessly onto the wooden planks below.

“…”

“…”

Leo and Chen Sia kept their eyes fixed on the fallen weapon in absolute silence.

“Did it fail to yield any result?”

Chen Sia moved closer to the weapon, dropping into a low crouch, and nudged the steel with her fingertip.

Just as anticipated, no response came from the object.

Observing this outcome, Leo knitted his brows together.

“This defies logic. That was indisputably Bihart’s unique essence.”

Chen Sia gingerly gathered the weapon into her hands.

The steel remained entirely inert.

“Young Master Leo, take this.”

Chen Sia glided over to Leo’s side and held out the blade toward him.

Leo, who had been staring absently at the steel, remarked, “That item belongs to you from this day forward.”

“To me?”

“It is an artifact of your forebear, is it not?”

Leo spoke while pulling his tunic back over his torso.

“You possess proficiency in blade arts, do you not?”

“I do, though the primary difficulty lies in the fact that my killing intent becomes excessively volatile.”

“Dedicate yourself to mastering the suppression of that instinct.”

“Understood!”

Chen Sia replied with a bright spark of enthusiasm and safely tucked Bihart’s dagger away.

Leo, now completely dressed, inquired, “Where have Lunia and Eiran ventured?”

“They departed for the Eldon Council assembly. They noted that since they represent significant entities from Seirun, it was imperative they present themselves formally.”

“Is our presence not demanded at this gathering?”

“Miss Lunia indicated that matters should progress smoothly with just the two of them in attendance. They requested that we utilize the time to scout the layout of the settlement.”

“Is that so?”

Leo, donning his outerwear, cast a gaze through the glass pane.

Flakes of white had commenced drifting down without anyone noticing.

“In that case, shall we begin our scouting?”

“Let us proceed!”

Leo and Chen Sia stepped past the threshold of their quarters.

Hwiooooo.

“Brrr-choo!”

Deep within the night hours.

A fierce, biting gale swept through the thoroughfares.

Lunia, stepping beyond the threshold of the structure, elevated her crimson gaze to look back upon the architecture.

The edifice that Lunia and Eiran had just vacated was, in the most literal sense, a residence of boundless opulence.

Members of separate heritages might have marveled at its sheer grandiosity.

However, the elven race is a collective that prioritizes understated grace as their ultimate artistic standard.

Consequently, any elf who revered ancestral customs would likely have viewed the ostentatious display of the residence with deep disapproval.

Furthermore, this specific structure served as the core stronghold for the Pureblood Council, the faction that positioned itself as the fiercest defender of ancestral ways.

‘They endlessly decry the estates of foreign heritages as crude, yet look at the display they put on for themselves!’

Lunia’s features twisted into an expression of sheer irritation.

“For what reason must we stroke the egos of Eldon’s ancient relics the very moment we set foot here!”

As Lunia let her anger flare, Eiran offered in an exhausted tone, “It seems there was no alternative path available to us. If our objective is to freely scout the secrets of this settlement, that is.”

“Honestly! It feels as though I have been dragged backward into the opening months of my second academic year!”

Lunia exhaled a sharp breath.

“We will be forced to participate in their gala as well, won’t we?”

“…That appears to be the case.”

It was precisely as Lunia was buried in her own frustration, covering her face with her palms.

Kwang-!

All at once, Lunia and Eiran’s eyelids snapped wide at the resonance of a massive detonation.

Even through the thick of the swirling snowstorm, brilliant tongues of fire erupted violently from the fractured stone fortifications of the settlement.

Beholding the sight, both Lunia and Eiran’s countenances turned entirely rigid.

“An assault?”

“Could this signify a strike orchestrated by Tartarus?”

An unannounced, brutal strike of this nature felt akin to an act of outright terror.

The phrase “unholy malice” immediately surfaced in the minds of both young women.

Without a shred of hesitation, the pair sprinted directly toward the origin point of the fiery blast.

And upon their arrival…

“Move quickly! Move quickly!”

“Clear it out before the Pureblood enforcers arrive on the scene!”

Lunia and Eiran stood frozen, their jaws dropping as they observed elves plundering a storehouse situated just past the shattered fortifications.

“E-elves?”

Lunia’s mind raced as she watched the cloaked elves strip the repository of its contents.

‘What sort of madness grips the foundations of this settlement?’

Elves executing a heist against their own kind! The notion was entirely unprecedented!

As Lunia stood paralyzed by shock.

“Who stands there?!”

“Are you lackeys sent by the Purebloods?!”

Elves brandishing cold steel, who had been maintaining a perimeter around the site, swiftly closed the distance and hemmed Lunia and Eiran in.

“Miss Lunia. What course of action should we pursue?”

“What do you mean, what course of action?”

Lunia’s expression turned iron-clad.

“We have no intention of surrendering without a fight, bring them down!”

“Understood!”

Leo and Chen Sia persisted in their scouting endeavors through the darkened thoroughfares late into the midnight hours.

And their efforts yielded several distinct revelations.

“This settlement possesses immense prosperity,” Chen Sia remarked.

Exactly as Chen Sia observed.

The elven citizens navigating the pathways bore every marker of significant wealth.

In spite of the piercing winter temperature, each individual was clothed in remarkably thin attire.

This phenomenon was not merely a byproduct of their nature as spellcasters.

The garments they donned were crafted from woven essence, known as ‘Mana Cloth.’

The most premium grade of Mana Cloth was typically reserved for the fabrication of academic uniforms within the Hero Academy.

Yet here, every civilian traversing the stone paths wore garments composed of that very material.

For this reason, they remained entirely unaffected by the freezing air despite the minimal layers.

Highest-grade Mana Cloth was a luxury that even the grandest aristocrats within human civilization struggled to acquire.

Reflecting on the fact that the district Leo and his allies had chosen for their lodging was far from an affluent neighborhood, the sheer prosperity of this settlement was unmistakably clear.

“Furthermore, the display is excessively lavish. It feels quite detached from the elven societies I am familiar with.”

She scanned the surrounding paths, a look of profound confusion painting her features.

On the surface, this settlement projected an air of impeccable order.

The pathways were completely free of debris.

Given that the entire citizenry consisted of star mages, establishments dedicated to mystical wares lined the avenues.

Those moving along the paths carried themselves with the dignified bearing expected of sorcerers.

Yet, every single elf was draped in glittering ornaments designed to broadcast their station.

Their countenances were marked by an unmistakable air of ‘elitism.’

What was more, as darkness settled over the land, the entire character of the district shifted.

The avenue of dedicated scholars who had spent the daylight hours immersed in mystical research vanished entirely, replaced by an endless strip of taverns.

The entirety of the district became steeped in indulgence and decadence.

Beholding this transformation, Leo came to a realization.

‘This settlement is fundamentally no different from Barharun.’

A glittering exterior concealing a thoroughly decayed core.

Leo’s eyebrows drew together.

An intangible, wretched stench seemed to hang in the air.

‘If Berkia were in his current state of mind, would he not have reduced this entire settlement to ash the moment his eyes fell upon it?’

Yet, the settlement remained untouched.

While Leo was lost in these calculations.

“Shall we extend our scouting a bit further for the time being?”

“Very well. Perhaps we ought to separate for a short interval?”

“Yes. We have traveled as a unit up to this point, so let us diverge and scout different sectors of the settlement now.”

Throughout the daylight hours, their primary strategy had been to approach pedestrians and inquire if any peculiar events had transpired within the borders.

In response to those probes, every elf had offered a radiant smile, insisting that Eldon remained entirely tranquil.

But what of the night hours?

‘Once the spirits flow, the truth might reveal itself differently,’ Chen Sia murmured under her breath, navigating the pathways after parting company with Leo.

Kwang-!

She ground to an abrupt halt as the resonance of a minor detonation echoed from a distance.

‘A blast?’

The exact moment Chen Sia instinctively pivoted her gaze toward the origin of the noise.

“What an exquisite shade of midnight hair.”

“…!”

Chen Sia felt a piercing chill race down her spine at the sound of the hollow, flat voice manifesting from directly behind her.

Saraarak-

An icy palm began to idly drift through Chen Sia’s locks.

Despite the contact, Chen Sia remained rooted to the spot, entirely paralyzed.

The palm brushing against her hair lacked even a single spark of vital warmth.

Chen Sia’s frame shuddered involuntarily.

The palm that had been threading through her hair gradually shifted down to touch Chen Sia’s tapered ear.

Saa-

In that precise instant, the concealment sorcery Leo had placed upon her dissolved entirely.

The individual controlling the cold palm clamped a firm grip onto Chen Sia’s shoulder.

And forced her frame around to face him directly.

Chen Sia, her visage drained of all color, elevated her gaze to look upon the figure positioned beneath the falling flakes of the night sky.

“Bihart’s lineage remains entirely unchanged.”

A voice saturated with profound yearning.

Within his eyes rested a deep well of melancholy and remorse.

Chen Sia breathed out the title of the most exquisite elf within her memory.

“Ber… kia.”