Chapter 109 : Diary
Chapter 109: Diary
Slash-!!
With the sound of metal splitting apart, a single book sprang out from inside the box.
Leon caught it before it could hit the ground and tilted his head.
“This is...”
“Hand it over.”
At that moment, Phil snatched the book from Leon's hand. He looked so desperate that his hands were visibly trembling.
Leon frowned in disappointment.
“I was the one who opened it. Couldn't you at least let me take a look?”
“I know. But I have to be the first one to read it.”
With that, Phil opened the book.
Turning the pages one by one, he spoke in a trembling voice.
“This... is my master's last testament.”
“A last testament?”
“Come here. You did help me after all. Let's read it together.”
Leon stepped beside Phil and leaned in.
Standing together, Phil began reading the contents aloud.
“To the one who reads these words.”
I am a craftsman who established a small workshop in Elphrel.
If you are reading this, then you are likely a craftsman just like me.
Before I say anything else, let me first congratulate you.
As the person who managed to open this box already knows, the box containing my final words was made from a very special object.
This box only reacts to pure Atilans' Tear.
It was a gift I received from a distinguished individual living in the Dragon Mountain Range.
Leon asked curiously,
“The Dragon Mountain Range?”
“A mountain range near the Holy Kingdom. It's said that an ancient dragon once used it as its lair. Though... a distinguished individual from the Dragon Mountain Range... Could my master have met one of the legendary Dwarves?”
“A legendary Dwarf?”
“The founder who established most of the techniques the Dwarves use today. I've heard their appearance is quite different from that of ordinary Dwarves.”
Just as Phil had expected, the testament contained information about the legendary Dwarf.
As Leon and Phil slowly continued reading, they suddenly stopped at one particular passage.
“…Leon, before you came here, you mentioned a Witch, didn't you?”
Phil spoke in a trembling voice.
His widened eyes were filled with disbelief.
Surprisingly...
The testament was about Witches.
It stated the following:
That the legendary Dwarf was actually a Witch named Kirke.
After reading every word, Leon couldn't help but laugh softly.
‘Kirke... just who exactly are you?’
The Kirke described in the testament was nothing short of omnipotent.
The ability to read the future.
The power to alter the future.
Along with various other descriptions about the Witch race.
Rather than a last testament...
It resembled a diary far more closely.
The passages recounting adventures in the Dragon Mountain Range appeared to have been written in excitement, as the handwriting occasionally became crooked.
“I have to go to the Dragon Mountain Range.”
After finishing the entire account, Phil spoke with unwavering determination.
“A Witch named Kirke... If I had only read my master's testament, I never would've believed it.
But thanks to you, Leon, I do now.
I have to see it with my own eyes.”
“It won't be easy. There's a barrier there that doesn't allow outsiders to enter.”
“…You're serious?”
“Yes. If fortune hadn't favored me, I wouldn't have been able to enter either.”
Phil's shoulders slumped in disappointment.
Seeing that, Leon shrugged.
“Still, if fate is on your side, you'll be able to meet her.”
“Fate? What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”
“You won't believe me, but fate is exactly why I was able to meet Kirke.”
Leon pointed upward with his index finger.
“If the One above grants permission, you'll meet her.”
“…You little brat. If you're going to mess with me, at least do it properly.”
“I'm serious. You really don't believe me?”
“If you were me, would you?”
Phil clicked his tongue.
Then, as he walked out of the workshop, he said,
“I'll grant your request someday. You should head home as well. I'm planning to leave Elphrel for a while, so we'll meet again another time.”
“When do you plan on returning?”
“Not until the fate you mentioned allows me to.”
His face was filled with determination.
He didn't look like someone making an empty promise.
Leon chuckled.
“You'll never come back if you wait forever.
If things don't work out, just return.
A fate that isn't meant to happen simply won't happen.”
“We'll see about that. More importantly, this is a gift for you.”
Phil tore out a single page from the testament and handed it to Leon.
“It was the very first page. Read it.”
After saying that, Phil departed completely.
Leon watched him disappear into the distance before looking down at the page.
It was filled with praise for the person who had opened the box.
Naturally.
The box had been constructed so that no one but an exceptionally powerful individual could open it without damaging what lay inside.
At the very least, one needed to have reached the peak stage of the Supreme Realm to open it intact.
‘How strange.’
After all, the contents of the box had been intended solely for Phil.
Or more accurately...
For a craftsman.
That left Leon puzzled.
In Elphrel, blacksmiths were the profession chosen by those who failed to become warriors.
As a result, most craftsmen possessed virtually no talent for martial arts.
Yet the box left behind for such craftsmen required this level of ability to open.
Something about it didn't add up.
If it had simply been a testament for blacksmiths, there would've been no need to hide it inside such a box.
‘Did he have some other intention?’
Leon pondered for a while before shaking his head.
Whether martial artists or craftsmen...
Those who reached the highest realms were all eccentric in one way or another.
Leon decided this box was simply another product of that eccentricity.
Nothing more than a whimsical choice.
There was no point dwelling on it further.
It would only complicate his thoughts.
Putting the matter aside, Leon returned home.
Back at home, Leon ate the meal Heath had prepared.
He had eaten it yesterday as well, but once again he was reminded...
Nothing surpassed a home-cooked meal.
Leon had sampled every delicacy the Empire had to offer, raising his standards considerably.
Naturally.
He had even met the Emperor of the Empire in person.
He had also shared meals with the Elf King of Aurel.
It would've been stranger if his standards hadn't risen.
Yet despite all that...
Heath's cooking surpassed every dish Leon had tasted in the Empire.
Normally, Leon already ate two or three times as much as an average person.
But now...
It felt like he was eating five times—
No, ten times as much.
‘It's only bread, soup, and boiled meat.
Yet it feels as though I'm tasting food from the heavens.’
Heath watched Leon with a satisfied smile.
Anyone felt happy when someone enjoyed the food they had prepared.
Especially when that person was their own child.
There wasn't a parent alive who wouldn't be delighted watching their son enjoy their cooking.
Just then—
“Leon, are you free tomorrow?”
Adam asked while eating his bread.
Leon nodded.
“Yeah. I was planning to meet up with some friends for the first time in a while.”
“Friends? ...Ah, you mean Terran and Carlson. I completely forgot.”
“Why? What's up?”
“Father told the three of us to go somewhere.”
At those words, Leon's eyes immediately sparkled.
“Father?”
“Yeah. But if you're busy tomorrow, then we can always—”
“No. Let's go tomorrow.”
“Hm? Aren't you meeting friends you haven't seen in a long time?”
“I can meet them another day.
Father's words come first.”
Adam nodded awkwardly.
Father's words were certainly important...
But since when had Leon become such an obedient son?
‘He's always had a blind devotion whenever Father was involved...’
But now that he'd grown older...
That tendency seemed even stronger.
‘Could it be... he caught a glimpse of Father's realm?’
If that were the case...
Then Leon's attitude made sense.
Zeke's martial prowess had truly reached the realm of the divine.
His full power could split mountains and divide seas.
It was a level worthy of being called supernatural.
‘Even I was utterly shocked the first time I saw it.’
And Leon desired strength more than anyone.
It was only natural for those feelings to surpass mere respect.
“Alright. Then let's leave tomorrow afternoon.”
“Where are we going?”
“Atilans Lake.”
“I've never heard of that place.”
“Neither had I. I only learned about it recently.”
Adam pointed toward the distant mountains.
“Apparently, once you cross those mountains, there's a small lake.
Father said he hid something important beneath it.”
“Now you've got me curious.”
“Right?”
It wasn't just anyone's hidden treasure.
It belonged to Zeke.
Zeke, King of Elphrel, had never been a man consumed by greed.
He had little attachment to material wealth by nature.
More importantly...
To someone like Zeke, gold and treasures were worthless.
After all, he possessed the power to obtain anything he desired.
Would someone like him care about ordinary riches?
No.
If anything, acquiring them too easily would've only bored him.
Yet someone like Zeke had gone so far as to describe the hidden object as important.
His children couldn't help but be curious.
Leon asked impatiently,
“Can't we go right now?”
“Elsa isn't here. She said she had something to take care of.”
“I see... She'll definitely be back by tomorrow, right?”
“She said she'd return before dawn, so she should.”
“I can't wait for tomorrow.”
Leaving only those words behind, Leon returned to his room.
Simply hearing that Zeke had hidden something was enough to set his heart racing.
To calm himself, Leon entered meditation.
The next day.
Without even eating lunch, the three siblings headed straight for Atilans Lake.
Whoooosh-!!!
Three figures sped across the snow-covered plains.
They moved so quickly that they left no footprints behind.
“Brother.”
One of the three figures—Leon—spoke curiously.
“Why is the lake we're heading to called Atilans Lake? The Atilans I know was a giant who died long ago.”
“Who knows? Maybe Atilans is buried there.”
Adam chuckled at his own joke.
Since it wasn't particularly funny, Leon ignored him and turned to Elsa.
“What do you think, Sis?”
“Well... Since it's a place where Father hid something, I suppose even the name is extraordinary.”
“That doesn't answer my question.”
Leon sighed.
Still...
He understood.
Atilans was a figure from mythology.
Because of that, many places bore his name.
For example, the location said to be where Atilans shed the greatest number of tears was known as Atilans Valley.
His name was commonly used in place names.
‘The lake is probably the same...’
And yet...
For some reason, Leon felt there had to be a deeper reason behind its name.
Before long, a small lake came into view.
Just as Adam had described...
It really was tiny.
Normally, one would need a boat to cross a lake.
But the one before Leon looked small enough that they could simply walk around it.
Leon tilted his head.
“It's smaller than I expected.”
“Yeah, it's surprisingly small.”
Adam stroked his chin in agreement.
Then he peered into the lake and grinned.
“As expected of Father.
He always manages to surpass my expectations.”
“What do you mean?”
“You'll understand if you follow me.”
With that, Adam stepped into the lake.
Zeke had said he hid something beneath it.
So entering the lake itself wasn't strange.
And yet...
For some reason, an ominous feeling welled up inside Leon, preventing him from immediately following.
Seeing this, Elsa asked,
“Is something wrong?”
“I just... have a bad feeling.”
“When it comes to Father, that's perfectly normal.
He's anything but ordinary.
I'll go first too.
Come on, Leon.”
With those words, Elsa also entered the lake.
“…It's not like I can avoid it.”
Leon followed after her.
Splash-!