Chapter 536

“You’re saying there was another attack?”

At the highest point in Eldon, an Elf looked away from the observatory telescope used to watch the stars and smiled gently.

The Elf delivering the report flinched at his reaction and began to tremble.

“I apologize, Father. I will pursue them immediately and—”

“That won’t be necessary. They must have already disappeared underground.”

The gentle-looking Elf shook his head as though it were of little concern.

“Is the underground city still inaccessible?”

“Yes. A mysterious barrier continues to block the way.”

“Hmm. It remains strange no matter how much I consider it. A barrier that even Eldon’s proud descendants of the stars cannot penetrate. Just what has taken up residence down there?”

From atop the towering observatory, he gazed down at the vast city of Eldon.

Although it was the middle of the night, brilliant lights illuminated the entire city.

The radiant city seemed to embody the prosperity of the Elves.

However, Ulein Konea knew the truth.

That prosperity had been built by trampling upon the freedom, will, and futures of others.

Of course, Ulein felt no guilt whatsoever.

'Sacrifice is inevitable for the future and prosperity of the race. If those inferior beings knew they were being sacrificed for a greater cause, they would surely find some small measure of glory in their lives.'

Founder of the Nebula.

The Fairy Knight.

The Comet Mage.

The three legendary Great Heroes of the Elves had left behind the teaching that all were equal.

However, that noble intent had long since been forgotten in Eldon.

Instead, it had twisted into the very form those three would have despised most.

Yet no one in Eldon found it strange.

People were not born equal.

Those incapable of mastering the Star Magic left behind by the great Founder of the Nebula were inferior.

'It is only natural for the superior to stand above the inferior.'

Not all Elves were noble merely because they were Elves.

It was precisely because of that belief that Ulein had never enrolled in Seiren.

The same was true of the rest of the Konea family.

They considered it a waste of time to attend Seiren and study low-level Magic or trivial disciplines such as Summoning and Aura when they already lacked enough time to devote themselves fully to Star Magic.

Thus, the Konea family had practiced nothing but Star Magic within Eldon.

They were people who regarded their special status as only natural.

And Ulein, the head of the Konea family, took that privilege for granted more than anyone.

However, he differed slightly from the previous heads of the family.

“Father.”

Another person appeared beside the Elf kneeling before him.

Yet she was somewhat different from the one who had delivered the report.

More precisely, she was a pure-blooded Elf.

Her ears were noticeably longer than those of the kneeling man, who could not even raise his head beneath Ulein’s gaze.

The man bowing on the floor was a half-Elf.

“Welcome, my daughter.”

Ulein warmly greeted his daughter with a broad smile.

Raylin bowed her head.

As she did, a flicker of disgust passed through her eyes.

It was the typical reaction of a member of the Pureblood Society upon seeing a half-Elf.

However, Ulein reprimanded her.

“Raylin. Revean is your brother.”

“...I am aware, Father. But I cannot tolerate it. To think that the blood of my father, whose lineage is purer than anyone’s, flows together with the lowly blood of another race!”

“From the perspective of the Pureblood Society, I must be a heretic. But this is what I believe. All Stellar Mages are equal. If we wish to discover new possibilities, harmony with other races is also necessary.”

“....”

“Most members of the Pureblood Society likely regard me as a heretic blinded by lust. However, without change, all things eventually decay.”

Ulein considered that his conviction.

For the sake of that conviction, he had slept with any woman capable of using Star Magic, regardless of her race.

As a result, he had fathered countless half-Elves and brought every one of them to Eldon.

What he sought was diversity.

He wished to establish a foundation upon which new forms of Star Magic could bloom from differing values.

This was a secret unknown to the outside world.

A flaw concealed with the utmost care.

Yet no one who knew the truth dared speak of it.

That was entirely because of the genius of Eldon’s current Council Chair, Ulein Konea.

He had never risen to the rank of Hero.

Nevertheless, he had dedicated his entire life to researching and advancing Star Magic.

Because of his accomplishments and influence, the Eldon Council chose not to make his actions a public issue.

As long as no one within Eldon spoke, the secret remained secure.

“My understanding was lacking.”

“I believe you will understand my intentions one day, Raylin.”

Ulein wore a gentle smile.

At first glance, he appeared to respect other races.

In reality, he regarded anyone who was not a Stellar Mage as livestock.

In a way, his madness was even more warped than that of an ordinary member of the Pureblood Society.

“So? Has there been another report?”

“...The students from Seiren who arrived in Eldon today have disappeared. It appears they were abducted by a group of insurgents.”

“...How unfortunate. For such promising students to be taken.”

“It is possible those two were aligned with the insurgents from the beginning.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lunia El Lunda and Eiran Ersar. Although both were born with the blessing of the stars, they openly oppose the will of the Pureblood Society.”

“Then they are wandering souls.”

“Yes.”

“I had my suspicions when I heard they had come to Eldon in pursuit of knowledge.”

“Indeed. There is more.”

“They may have entered the city intending to cooperate with those inciting unrest in Eldon and overthrow the council.”

Hostility flashed in Raylin’s eyes.

“As proof, please look at these.”

Raylin pulled two portraits from inside her robe.

They depicted two female students from Seiren, one with white hair and the other with black hair.

“Beautiful students. Who are they?”

“They are Leo Plov of Lumene and a girl named Chen Xia.”

A strange light appeared in Ulein’s eyes.

“So this is Leo Plov. But I heard he was male.”

“It seems he infiltrated the city in disguise.”

“I see.”

Ulein nodded.

“Father, Leo Plov has repeatedly come into conflict with the Pureblood Society. He must have infiltrated Eldon with malicious intentions. He should be severely punished.”

“Is this not the student who conquered the Founder of the Nebula’s world, inherited Polium, received Seiren-nim’s recognition, and even inherited Cometes? Punishing him severely would go against the will of those two, would it not?”

“That is...”

Raylin could not answer.

Ulein smiled broadly.

“Raylin. All descendants of the stars are family. Differences in belief are merely signs that someone has lost their way.”

“Father...”

“I shall meet Leo Plov myself.”

At those words, Raylin and Revean both widened their eyes.

“Does that mean...?”

“Yes. With the world in such turmoil, it seems I can no longer devote myself solely to magical research.”

Ulein had lived in seclusion within the observatory for ten years.

During that time, he had focused entirely on researching Magic and had remained uninvolved in external affairs.

He had not neglected his responsibilities as Council Chair, but his decision to formally leave the observatory still carried tremendous significance.

Raylin’s face flushed with excitement.

“You have finally achieved your goal!”

Ulein smiled faintly.

“If they meet me, even those wandering children will find their proper path.”

Raylin paused before asking cautiously,

“What if they continue to wander even after meeting you, Father?”

Ulein smiled gently.

“Even the greatest figures can make mistakes.”

“What do you mean?”

“It is the natural order of the universe for a wandering star to scatter into starlight.”

===

“I-I think I’m going to be sick...”

“I can’t... I can’t eat anymore...”

“Uuughhh.”

Chen Xia covered her mouth, while Eiran trembled with tears welling in her eyes.

Lunia had leaned back in her chair, her head hanging over the backrest as she groaned.

Rel had already fled the house.

At first, she had done her best to help them.

However, she had soon reached her limit.

“I-I have to look after the others, so...”

“Yes, run along.”

“W-we should go too...!”

“Not you.”

“W-why?”

“You girls are still growing.”

Thus, the three girls had failed to escape.

The seemingly endless procession of food had finally come to an end.

“Did you enjoy the meal? Shall I make dessert? Would you like some?”

“I-I’m fine! I’m completely full!”

“I can’t eat another bite!”

“V-Velkia-nim, you should rest as well!”

“Is that so?”

Seeing the three of them frantically shake their heads, Velkia looked disappointed.

(T/N: Now my image of Velkia is a doting grandmother. haha. )

She then brewed tea and placed a cup in front of each of them.

“Look forward to breakfast tomorrow.”

'Should we escape?'

'Is escaping from Velkia-nim even possible?'

'I think we need to call Leo-nim.'

The three girls screamed internally.

Amid the despair, Eiran struggled to rise from her seat.

“Velkia-nim. It is an honor to meet you like this. My name is Eiran Ersar... I am your descendant.”

“You are?”

“Yes.”

“You’re my descendant, yet you are friends with Xia?”

“Of course.”

Velkia smiled brightly.

“You didn’t become enemies. That’s a relief.”

Seeing the relief on Velkia’s face, Eiran bit her lip.

“Velkia-nim.”

“Call me Grandmother.”

“No, I mean, calling Velkia-nim Grandmother would be...”

“Call me Grandmother.”

Faced with Velkia’s firm insistence, Eiran hesitated before answering.

“Grandmother.”

Velkia’s face brightened once again.

Joy radiated from the woman who had previously seemed so dry and emotionless.

Seeing that expression, Eiran hesitated before finally asking the question weighing on her mind.

“...Why did you attack Grandfather?”

Lunia and Chen Xia flinched.

Velkia silently stared at Eiran.

“That child was certainly upright. But he stood in my way.”

“Grandfather respected you! That is no reason to cut him down...!”

“I have work to do.”

Velkia’s voice was devoid of emotion.

“I must eliminate every piece of filth defiling this world. Those who are unworthy have no reason to continue living in it.”

A chill ran down the three girls’ spines.

There was no anger in Velkia’s voice.

Nor was there hatred or sorrow.

Her tone was entirely mechanical.

'This isn’t the Velkia-nim I know.'

Eiran squeezed her eyes shut.

Her fingertips trembled.

The Velkia she knew was gone.

The woman before her was merely someone consumed by a terrible emptiness.

Eiran’s voice would never reach her.

The only person who might be capable of stopping Velkia was someone who had lived through the same era.

'Leo-nim.'

Eiran thought of Leo.

Just then, Velkia spoke.

“By the way, you girls are rather interesting.”

Velkia tilted her head.

“The Star Magic used by Elves in this era resembles Master Luna’s Magic, yet its foundation has strayed far from hers. But you two...”

Velkia looked at Lunia and Eiran.

“...are close to the source. It is almost as though you learned Magic directly from Master Luna.”

At those words, Lunia and Eiran exchanged glances.

Chen Xia’s eyes sparkled.

“It seems like a good opportunity to tell you about Leo-nim.”

“Leo? Who is that? A friend?”

“Yes. He is currently here in the city with us.”

“Is he skinny too?”

“...He is slender.”

“Then he must be skinny. Children need to eat properly.”

Chen Xia laughed awkwardly as Velkia clicked her tongue.

Until now, Chen Xia had deliberately avoided revealing Leo’s existence to Velkia.

Lunia and Eiran had done the same.

The current Velkia was Undead.

She moved solely for the sake of her purpose, and that purpose was rooted in terrible hatred.

She appeared stable at present, but her mind was deeply unstable.

One of the reasons Velkia had become this way was her complicated relationship with the Great Heroes.

Her feelings toward Kyle in particular were tangled beyond measure.

What would happen if she learned that Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning, had been reincarnated?

Her reaction was impossible to predict.

She might respond positively.

In the worst case, however, she could lose control and run rampant.

It was impossible to expect an Undead to think normally.

Velkia retained this much rationality only because she had been an exceptional Hero in life. An ordinary Undead was little more than a monster that rampaged in pursuit of its purpose.

Velkia was a bomb that could explode at any moment.

Even so, this was a valuable opportunity.

The Star Magic Leo had taught Lunia and Eiran was close to the source itself.

Velkia had recognized that immediately.

It was Magic that could not be learned in the present era.

What if they told her that Leo was the one who had taught them?

'Naturally, she’ll become curious about Leo-nim’s identity.'

Then they could reveal that Leo was the reincarnation of Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning.

There was a strong chance Velkia would believe them.

'Even if she doesn’t believe it immediately, she should at least consider the possibility. Their Star Magic alone should prove that it could only have been taught by Kyle-nim or Luna-nim.'

Lunia and Eiran appeared to have reached the same conclusion and nodded at Chen Xia’s suggestion.

They cautiously spoke.

“Velkia-nim, there is something we need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“The person who taught us Magic is Kyle-nim, the Hero of the Beginning.”

“What?”

“He was reincarnated in the present era and taught us Star Magic.”

Eiran spoke with a tense expression.

Velkia stared intently at Lunia and Eiran.

“Is that true?”

“Yes.”

“Then show me the Magic you learned.”

The two gathered their Magic Power.

Fwoosh!

Wooooom—!

Star Magic : Flame Emperor, a spell Luna had never managed to complete.

The Sword of Animus, a spell Luna had left for her disciple at the very end.

Both were spells that could only have been taught by someone intimately familiar with Luna’s Star Magic.

In the present world, Leo was the only such person.

“....”

Velkia’s eyes widened.

Then she spoke.

“I have never seen either of those spells.”

“What?”

“T-that can’t be.”

Lunia and Eiran stared at her in confusion.

Velkia nodded.

“It seems there is an impostor in this era claiming to be my Master.”

Fortunately, she did not fly into a rampage.

However, clear distrust had appeared in her eyes toward Leo, despite never having met him.

Lunia and Eiran did not know the truth.

Flame Emperor had been incomplete, and Luna had never shown its full spell formula to Velkia.

The Sword of Animus had been created during Luna’s final expedition, so Velkia had never even known of its existence.

“You said his name was Leo?”

Velkia rose from her seat.

“Xia, he is the skinny friend you mentioned, correct?”

“Um... Velkia-nim?”

“He dares impersonate my Master and deceive both my descendant and Vihar’s descendant? I cannot forgive this.”

The three girls realized that something had gone terribly wrong.

“I will find him and teach him a lesson.”

Growling quietly, Velkia strode out of the house.

“W-wait!”

“Velkia-nim!”

“Please listen to us!”

The three girls desperately tried to stop her, but she had already passed through the doorway.

“W-what do we do?”

All three of their faces turned pale.

***