Chapter 687

“Isn’t it a bit peculiar?”

Later that evening, following the completion of their scouting duties.

Eliza, who had rested, woken up, and was currently having a meal, knit her brows as she spoke.

Tilting her head while observing her, Chelsea inquired,

“What do you mean?”

“At this point, we have scouted nearly every region contained within the Wall of Restraint.”

“True.”

“Yet we still haven’t located the gateway to the World of the Legion. Furthermore, we haven’t even crossed paths with the Giant King’s Legion.”

“Putting it that way, it definitely is peculiar.”

Chelsea’s countenance grew serious.

She brought to mind the immense power of the Giant King’s Legion that had launched an onslaught on this location.

It was an overwhelming weight that had sent shivers straight through her entire frame.

‘Would we have been capable of halting their advance if Lord Dweno and Leo weren’t present?’

With that thought, she swallowed hard.

“Is it possible that it is deeply concealed?”

Luke offered cautiously, prompting Duran to speak up.

“That is a possibility. However, given the circumstances… there is also a high probability that it lies within this very fortress.”

“Inside the fortress?”

As Luke registered his astonishment, Drianah interjected,

“That makes no sense.”

Gesticulating with her finger, Drianah declared with immense pride,

“Have you forgotten who commands this city? It is none other than Lord Dweno! Lord Dweno!”

“Drianah speaks the truth. Lord Dweno would have been the absolute first to comprehend the state of affairs inside the fortress.”

Ar nodded along, signaling her concurrence.

Karl, who had been quietly monitoring the exchange, directed a question,

“Leo, what are your thoughts?”

“Well…”

With a fork resting between his lips, Leo lapsed into deep contemplation.

The gateway to the dungeon was situated within this very fortress.

In fact, Leo possessed a strong inkling regarding its precise coordinates.

However, the declarations made by Dweno caused him to hesitate to clear the dungeon.

‘I wish to transport them, even if only briefly, into the times ahead. Is it truly so wrong to grant him that single desire?’

It was a yearning not for Dweno’s own benefit, but to grant the inhabitants of Ivaldi a brief glimpse of what was to come.

Moreover, it wasn’t as though he demanded that the populace of Ivaldi reside permanently in the future.

He merely wished to display to them a world that had achieved absolute serenity.

In the same manner they had been permitted to gaze upon a sky filled with stars.

He simply desired to grant them a view of beautiful sunlight as well.

‘Naturally, it is an impossibility.’

Transporting entities from bygone days into the future.

It was a preposterous desire.

Yet the individual harboring that desire was more earned of having it realized than anyone else across the land.

Leo, alongside the entirety of this world, owed an immense debt of gratitude to Dweno.

For Dweno was the person who never wavered in offering up and sacrificing his own well-being for a harmonious tomorrow he would never live to witness.

Calling to mind Dweno’s modest yet incredibly profound unfulfilled yearning, Leo shifted the fork in his mouth a few times before offering his input.

“They may have concealed it masterfully, but… I believe there is a strong chance it resides within.”

With those words, Leo pushed back from his seat and stood.

“Black Rabbit, where are you heading?”

“To the defensive walls.”

“Oh! I shall accompany you!”

Bounding up from her seat, Ar hurried to catch up with Leo.

‘I was under the impression Leo would have unearthed some form of lead by this point.’

Staring at his departing figure, Karl tilted his head in confusion.

‘Then again, I suppose it makes sense. Leo isn’t some all-powerful deity.’

Mulling this over, Karl tilted his head once more.

‘Hold on. Come to think of it, isn’t he practically a deity?’

He boasts a legacy of preserving the world once before and is currently striving to accomplish it a second time.

Furthermore, he is a mortal whom even divine entities revere.

‘At this stage, it practically feels as though he is a deity…?’

As Karl was sincerely dwelling on such absurd notions, he caught sight of Chelsea gazing fixedly toward the path Leo and Ar had taken, prompting him to smirk mischievously.

“Does it trouble you that Leo and Ar are out on a date?”

“Does that appear to be a date to you?”

Faced with Chelsea’s utterly exasperated expression, Karl looked sheepish.

Letting out a soft sigh, Chelsea stood up.

“Karl, step aside with me for a brief moment.”

“What for?”

“Because there is something I must discuss with you.”

Guiding Karl along, Chelsea made her way to an isolated spot devoid of any human presence.

Sharpening her perceptions, she scanned the vicinity to verify they were entirely alone before speaking.

“Regarding Leo. Doesn’t something strike you as off?”

“Leo?”

Hearing Chelsea’s query, Karl folded his arms and tilted his head.

After a lengthy period of reflection, Karl shook his head in the negative.

“Nothing struck me as particularly out of the ordinary. Why do you ask?”

“No. It is more that Leo’s countenance appeared burdened with anxieties, wouldn’t you say? It felt distinct from his customary demeanor.”

“Huh. You possess the ability to perceive such subtle shifts?”

“Naturally! Because I am constantly observing Leo.”

“That practically borders on stalking…”

“Pardon? What was that?”

“Please spare my life.”

Karl swiftly threw up both hands in surrender as Chelsea’s staff was thrust directly toward his jaw.

Narrowing her gaze at him, Chelsea pulled back her staff and pressed on,

“If it were the customary Leo, he would have unearthed a lead given the sheer scope of our scouting, wouldn’t he? Is that not peculiar?”

“That carries weight. However, Leo is not an all-powerful deity, is he? Is it not perfectly natural for him to require a bit of time when confronted with a complex scenario?”

“That is true, but…”

Conceding to Karl’s logic, Chelsea brooded for a moment as if plagued by an unsettling thought, then questioned,

“Leo approached you earlier this afternoon, did he not? Was there anything out of place?”

“Anything out of place? Let me see! Well, he arrived at the orphanage manor, invoked his magic to cause blossoms to emerge a single time, and promptly went to sleep, so there was nothing out of place worth mentioning.”

“That comprises everything?”

“Yes. There wasn’t much of anything to scrutinize regarding his condition, as I only crossed paths with Leo for a fleeting moment.”

“What are you implying? Recount it to me precisely.”

“Leo did not travel straightway to the orphanage. He arrived after spending time alongside Lord Dweno within the workshop.”

“With Lord Dweno?”

“Why?”

“Meaning Lord Dweno witnessed the magic that causes blossoms to emerge?”

“Yes. The youngsters from the orphanage displayed the flower illustrations they had crafted to Lord Dweno, and upon witnessing that, Leo invoked his magic to manifest actual blossoms.”

Chelsea’s features darkened considerably upon receiving that piece of information.

At that reaction, Karl manifested a bewildered expression.

“What troubles you?”

“Karl. What if. Hypothetically speaking.”

“Hmm?”

“The recollections from the period when you and Leo journeyed to Lord Dweno’s world… is it possible that Lord Dweno retains them?”

“What?”

Karl appeared completely stunned.

“You stated yourself that Lady Luna and Lord Arion retained Leo’s recollections, did you not?”

Recalling the instances involving Luna and Arion that she had learned of from Leo, Chelsea spoke.

“There is no way. This is not the World of Heroes; it is the World of the Legion, is it not?”

“Indeed. It is the World of the Legion. Nonetheless, it was fundamentally Lord Dweno’s world originally, was it not?”

Faced with Chelsea’s reasoning, Karl’s countenance turned grave.

Folding his arms and brooding intensely, Karl inquired,

“What serves as the foundation for your hypothesis?”

“What was the nature of Lord Dweno’s response when he beheld the magic that causes blossoms to emerge?”

“He appeared somewhat taken aback, I suppose?”

“He was merely somewhat taken aback and nothing further? Is that not highly peculiar?”

Chelsea extended both of her hands.

In that instant, an arcane diagram materialized in the space above them.

It was none other than the formula required for the blossom-manifesting magic.

“Karl. As a practitioner of the mystic arts, you understand full well. How preposterous the blossom-manifesting magic truly is.”

The core legacy of Luna Rubynance, the progenitor of nebulae.

“The blossom-manifesting magic represents an architecture far more sophisticated than any standard spellcraft. In truth, it is a practice that has already crossed into the territory of miracles.”

The ultimate outcome is merely the blooming of flora, yet the underlying methodology is unimaginably intricate and arduous.

A domain of miracles that overrides the established regulations of reality, bordering even upon the act of genesis.

“This magic is of the sort that astounds an individual more profoundly the deeper their comprehension of the arcane runs.”

Whoosh!

The arcane diagram that had formed above Chelsea’s palms dissolved into nothingness.

“And Lord Dweno’s capacity to analyze arcane diagrams is extraordinary.”

Granted, his expertise is restricted to the realm of magi-tech engineering, yet Dweno remains an undeniable master of the mystic arts.

Karl’s expression darkened considerably following Chelsea’s breakdown.

‘It makes sense.’

When Dweno bore witness to the blossom-manifesting magic, he registered surprise, but it went no further than that.

‘From Lord Dweno’s vantage point, it ought to have appeared as an art bordering on an incomprehensible miracle.’

Having followed that line of reasoning, Karl’s expression dissolved into panic.

“B-but! For what reason would Lord Dweno conceal the reality that he possesses these recollections? Did he disclose it solely to Leo?”

“Perhaps Leo himself was oblivious and only uncovered the truth today?”

“That makes even less sense! If Leo was aware, what motive would he have to conceal such a fact?”

“He might be wavering out of consideration for Lord Dweno.”

“What?”

“Reflect upon the manner in which Lord Dweno interacts with the populace of Ivaldi. You voiced it yourself, Karl. He is remarkably distinct from how he carried himself during the Gadstron era.”

Even through Karl’s own observations, the Dweno from the future he had encountered and the current Dweno were vastly different.

The present Dweno exuded a colder aura.

Be that as it may, the present Dweno interacted with every single citizen of Ivaldi as though they were kin, rather than merely subjects requiring protection.

The inhabitants of Ivaldi shared that exact sentiment.

They regarded Dweno as a paternal figure, an uncle, or an elder sibling.

“Lord Dweno gave his word to present the sun to the populace of Ivaldi.”

Karl had personally witnessed Dweno utter such proclamations on numerous occasions.

“B-but if it is Leo… if Leo was aware…”

The Leo that Karl knew was an individual who would stop at nothing to preserve the world.

A quintessential champion, akin to one pulled from a fable.

It could not manifest any other way.

For Leo was truly one of the magnificent champions who served as the very blueprint for all heroes inhabiting this age.

The immaculate champion of the dawn.

That individual was Leo.

“Karl. You voiced it mere moments ago.”

Chelsea bit her lip with force.

“Leo is not an all-powerful deity.”

“……”

“Leo is likewise a mortal. A human being who laughs in moments of joy and weeps in moments of despair.”

He had simply lived through an immense number of trials, causing his emotional responses to become blunted.

She refused to believe Leo possessed a heart so cold that he would disregard the yearning of a companion who was akin to family, above all others.

“Leo is an individual who yearns, more intensely than anyone, for the legendary champions to be granted the chance to reside in a serene era, precisely like himself.”

Hearing Chelsea’s declaration, Karl buried his face inside his palms.

“Hah… what course of action remains for us then? If Lord Dweno and Leo are aware of the gateway’s position but refrain from breaking it because they desire to display even a fraction of our era to the populace of Ivaldi? What in the world are we supposed to do?”

“……I am at a loss.”

‘…Lord Arion. What is the correct path for me?’

Arion, who had unmasked Leo’s true identity as Kyle, had left behind a plea for her to serve as Leo’s pillar of support.

She desired to offer strength to Leo, who was likely enduring a massive internal conflict.

‘What am I to do?’

It was in that precise moment of doubt that Chelsea bit her lip firmly.

“Hmm? So. You individuals arrived here from the days ahead, is that the gist of it?”

In that instant, Chelsea and Karl were startled by a voice descending from above and snapped their gazes upward.

Enniha was peering down from the peak of the defensive walls, gripping a paintbrush.

“H-how?”

Observing Chelsea’s panic, Enniha offered a faint grin and tapped her own ear with a finger.

“Because I am an elf. I am highly attuned to the currents of the wind.”

It signified that she had eluded Chelsea’s detection arts by witnessing her invoke the spell the moment she arrived.

“Thus, if I am to condense your dialogue, that dwarf holds recollections of the future. And that youngster named Leo is the dwarf’s companion.”

Slipping her paintbrush back into its container, Enniha leaped down from the defensive walls and executed a graceful landing squarely between Chelsea and Karl.

“That dwarf has no desire to shatter the trial even amidst a catastrophe, correct? All on account of us.”

Enniha scowled fiercely.

“That wretched dwarf, honestly. Does he view us as some sort of dead weight? Uttering nonsense about transporting people to the future or otherwise? How conceited.”

“W-well, the matter we were analyzing…”

“It lacks any semblance of beauty! I, a creator who lives for aesthetic perfection, absolutely refuse to permit such a travesty!”

“Huh?”

Directing her gaze toward Chelsea and Karl, Enniha commanded,

“Let us unearth that gateway ourselves.”