Chapter 533

The northern part of the continent was the territory of the Elves.

Of course, not every inch of the northern region belonged to them, but it remained an unchanging fact that Elves occupied the vast majority of that territory.

Consequently, countless Elven nations existed in the North.

“Among them, Eldon is a peculiar country,” Lunia said as they headed toward Eldon.

“More accurately, it’s an eccentric place.”

Hearing Lunia’s words, Leo wore a puzzled expression.

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

“How should I explain it? Ah, right. You can think of it as a place similar to Barharun.”

“So, a town of nutcases.”

“Exactly.”

When Leo clicked his tongue, Lunia let out a small sigh.

Listening to their conversation, Eiran asked curiously,

“What were Luna-nim’s school days like?”

“From what I heard from Luna, her school days weren’t exactly smooth. For starters, she grinds her teeth whenever Barharun is mentioned.”

“How bad was it?”

“That place was literally a city built to cultivate High Elves. And those High Elves treated even their own kin, regular Elves, as an inferior race.”

“Ah...”

At those words, Lunia and Eiran naturally thought of a certain group.

'The Pureblood Society.'

“I suppose it’s similar to the concept of royalty or nobility these days.”

“Similar. And Luna, who was an orphan, entered Barharun solely on her pure talent for Magic.”

In Barharun, where most students were children of prestigious families that had produced many High Elves, Luna was bound to be an outlier.

'An invasive species, in a sense.'

Her ideas and ability to apply Magic transcended common sense.

And the Magic Power that made it all possible.

To be blunt, in the history of Magic’s existence, there had never been a Mage as great as Luna.

Witnessing the growth of such a Mage firsthand could be considered immense luck.

By the very nature of Magic, simply observing such a person could influence one’s own growth and help build a foundation for moving forward.

However, the Elves of Barharun only sought to keep Luna in check.

Another reason for Barharun’s existence was to cultivate the Elf King.

They could not tolerate the possibility, however slim, of Luna, a lowly orphan by birth, becoming the Elf King.

Chen Xia nodded.

Though her experience was different in form, she was familiar with the discrimination between Heroes and Shadows, so she could empathize with Luna’s feelings.

“I see. Having spent her school days in such difficulty, it’s no wonder she hates that place.”

“Not at all. She didn’t hate Barharun just because the people around her picked on her back then.”

“Pardon?”

“She wouldn’t be Luna if she let something like that discourage her. In fact, I heard she went around headbutting anyone who tried to pick a fight with her.”

“Uhh...”

Chen Xia was flustered, not knowing what to say.

“She seemed quite proud of the fact that she was the school’s biggest troublemaker, didn’t she?”

At Leo’s remark, the three girls fell silent.

Certainly, based on the personality of the Luna they had seen, she was the type to thoroughly retaliate if provoked, not one to just take it.

“Well, and there was one good person.”

Akint.

The man Leo had previously possessed was someone who had taken good care of Luna when she was alone.

He had heard that to Luna, he had been like a father figure.

“The reason Luna hates Barharun is because they failed to fulfill their duty.”

When Erebos appeared and Tartarus ran rampant, Barharun, the most powerful force at the time, collapsed far too pathetically.

To make matters worse, they even stabbed the Elves who were risking their lives for the world in the back just to preserve their own wealth and glory.

The countless betrayals committed by the High Elves to preserve their power were enough to enrage many.

Even later, when the world was rapidly tilting toward ruin after the Elven forces had been decimated, the High Elves were the ones who caused internal strife and became a major obstacle to racial unification.

“They are my kin, but... in good conscience, I can’t say the Pureblood Society wouldn’t do the same.”

Lunia grimaced and ground her teeth.

In fact, the Pureblood Society had a history of colluding with the Death King.

'Though they stubbornly insist they didn’t.'

The evidence was clear.

Because the Pureblood Society’s influence within Elven society was not small, the investigation into those involved was slow, but the dragnet was currently tightening.

“Their headquarters is right there, Eldon.”

Lunia said, pointing with a slight scowl.

A tall tower could be seen in the distance.

“Is that an observatory?”

“Yes, Eldon’s observatory is famous for being the second tallest after Seiren’s,” Eiran replied to Leo’s murmur, nodding.

Watching this, Lunia crossed her arms and muttered.

“The problem starts now.”

“A problem?”

When Chen Xia tilted her head, Lunia clicked her tongue.

“Eldon is a city-state, but its influence is massive. It’s special because it’s the headquarters of the Pureblood Society. And I don’t mean special just in the sense that they’re nutcases.”

“Then?”

“Eldon is a country where only users of Star Magic are allowed to live.”

This meant the entire population were Mages, and Stellar Mages at that.

This came about because the Pureblood Society considered even fellow Elves who could not use Star Magic to be inferior.

“And there’s one more problem. No race other than Elves is allowed to enter Eldon.”

“They conduct inspections on outsiders to a nauseating degree.”

“Would it be possible for Leo-nim and me to sneak in?”

“It’s possible, but it won’t be easy.”

Eiran nodded at Leo’s answer.

“That’s right. The entire city is protected by Magic, so sneaking in is nearly impossible.”

The fact that everyone in the country could use Magic also meant that their Magic was incredibly advanced.

“Come to think of it, I believe I’ve heard it being called the Magic Tower of the Elves.”

As Leo spoke indifferently, Lunia nodded.

“Right. I hate to admit it, but Eldon’s Star Magic is undeniably advanced. After all, the principal of Seiren was an Elf from that country.”

“Then what should we do? Even with a disguise, it doesn’t seem like it would be easy.”

Velkia had not learned Star Magic, but it was hard to imagine she would not have been able to enter.

Even if swordsmanship was her main strength, her magical talent was something she had been personally taught by Luna.

Moreover, did she not possess overwhelming power incomparable to their own?

Lunia approached Leo and asked.

“Leo-nim, can’t you do something with your power?”

“Well. If we have to sneak in, it won’t be fast.”

If the Magic protecting all of Eldon was made of Star Magic, dispelling it itself would be easy.

However, if they had to infiltrate secretly, that was a different story.

'Usually, those kinds of spells are extremely sensitive.'

No matter how proficient Leo was in Star Magic, he was not at Luna’s level.

'If my Stellar Mana were at Seiren’s level, it would be possible, but my current Mana isn’t quite there yet.'

Leo looked down at his hands.

“If not fast, how much time would you need?”

“I’d have to see the barrier myself to be sure, but considering the size of the city, wouldn’t it take about a week?”

Because a city-scale Spell Formula was so vast, it took a long time to decipher.

“So it’ll take at least that long?”

As Lunia pondered seriously, Chen Xia asked,

“Can you two enter Eldon right away?”

“Yes. We can.”

Lunia took off her coat, revealing her Seiren school uniform underneath.

“Seiren students don’t really need a permit to enter Eldon... Ah!”

Lunia snapped her fingers.

“Leo-nim! You can use Magic to disguise yourself as an Elf, right?”

“Hmm? There’s that method.”

As Leo stroked his chin, Eiran tilted her head.

“But wouldn’t disguise Magic have a high chance of being caught during the entry inspection?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to? Leo-nim is the most proficient in Star Magic after Luna-nim!”

Lunia gave him a trusting look.

“He should be able to easily fool something like a magical tool used for inspections.”

“What about me?”

When Chen Xia pointed to herself and asked, Lunia replied,

“It’ll be easy to fool them if Leo-nim casts Illusion Magic on you. Because of the Stellar Mana on you, the inspection tool will perceive you as having Stellar Mana. Of course, you’d be caught if we changed your entire appearance drastically, but just changing your outward appearance to an Elf’s should be enough to fool it!”

No matter how sophisticated a magical tool was, it was ultimately just a tool containing sophisticated Magic.

If so, it could be easily deceived by even more sophisticated Magic.

At Lunia’s words, Chen Xia fiddled with her ears.

Lunia’s eyes sparkled.

“If you wear our school uniforms, you’ll look like perfect Seiren students, so they won’t question you too deeply! What do you think?”

“I think it’s a great idea!”

Eiran smiled brightly.

“Alright! Leo-nim! You still have the uniform you got when you came as an exchange student last time, right?”

“I returned it.”

“Ugh! It was a perfect plan!”

Lunia clutched her head.

“Can’t we just make a fake uniform?”

At Chen Xia’s suggestion, Leo shook his head.

“They’ll realize it’s a fake. There’s a reason the Seiren uniform itself acts as an entry permit. All sorts of Magic are woven into the uniform.”

“Ah, certainly, even Lumene’s uniforms aren’t made normally.”

“Right. But I heard Seiren’s uniforms aren’t even made by a tailor shop. They’re produced and distributed by the school itself.”

“That’s troublesome.”

It was then, just as Chen Xia wore a disappointed expression.

“Ex... ex... excuse me.”

Eiran raised her hand.

Then, hesitating, she spoke with a look of gathered courage.

“I... I have an idea.”

Looking at Eiran, who spoke while gulping nervously, the group wore puzzled expressions.

===

In front of the Eldon checkpoint.

Outsiders were being inspected to enter Eldon.

Two girls, whose turn had come, walked up to the inspector, who was checking people with sharp eyes.

“What business do... huh?!”

The inspector, who had been asking professionally, flinched.

“Are you... students from Seiren?”

“You’re working hard.”

The silver-haired girl, Eiran, greeted him with a beaming smile.

Beside her, the black-haired girl, Chen Xia, simply followed suit with a bright smile.

“We’ve come to Eldon for our Magic studies.”

The inspector checked the crystal ball on his table.

Due to the Mana in the uniforms the two were wearing, a golden light indicating they were Seiren students appeared.

“Ah, yes! Your names...?”

“I am Eiran Ersar. This is Sirin Rel.”

“Gasp! E-Eiran-nim!”

The inspector’s attention shifted to Eiran at the visit of the student who ranked second in her year.

“We sincerely welcome you to Eldon!”

He jumped up from his seat, bowed, and opened the gate.

Eiran gave the inspector a bright smile and said,

“Please take good care of my friends who will be coming after me as well. Let’s go, Ms. Sirin.”

“Yes.”

Eiran entered Eldon along with Chen Xia, who was using a pseudonym.

'To think the second-ranked student of Seiren would visit at a time like this! Something good must be about to happen in Eldon!'

The inspector wore an excited expression.

“I’m going... to be struck... by lightning. I’m... going to be... punished.”

A red-haired girl walked up, muttering unintelligible words under her breath.

Confirming her appearance, the inspector inhaled sharply.

'C-Could it be? The Student Council President of Seiren, Lunia El Lunda!'

Someone who had become a Hero as well as the Student Council President of Seiren at such a young age.

The inspector’s hands trembled at the appearance of Lunia, who was evaluated as the successor to Luna, Founder of the Nebula.

“Aren’t you going to inspect us?”

A white-haired female student poking her head out from behind Lunia asked with a puzzled look.

“Hup! Y-Yes! You two students! Y-Your names?”

“I am Leona, and this is Lunia.”

“L-Lunia-nim and Leona-nim! You are confirmed! We sincerely welcome you to Eldon!”

“Let’s go.”

“I’m going to be struck by lightning. I’m going to be struck by lightning. To think I’ve made a Great Hero look like this. The Gods are bound to be enraged.”

“Hurry up and move.”

Leo pushed Lunia’s back.

Once they were clear of the checkpoint, Lunia asked with a bright red face,

“Why are you so calm?!”

“Is there a problem? We got through easily thanks to this. It’s efficient and good.”

Leo, wearing Lunia’s uniform, shrugged as if it were no big deal.

As Lunia looked at Leo with trembling shoulders,

“Le-Leo-nim... you are beautiful... haa... haa... A ph-photo! I must leave a photo!”

“Perhaps because Lady Reina is so beautiful, but Leo-nim is also very beautiful now that you’re dressed up. Should I call you Lady Leo now?”

Eiran muttered while covering her face, and Chen Xia teased him with a bright smile, only to get a flick on the forehead from Leo.

“Those two are definitely weird. They’re weird!”

Lunia alone clutched her head with a flushed face.

“Get us a place to stay first. I want to change out of these clothes as quickly as possible.”

Leo, who had been walking calmly, came to a halt.

Vrum—!

He felt a small vibration at his waist.

In that moment, Leo’s face stiffened slightly at a familiar aura.

'Vihar?’

***