NOVPUB"Your wife!?" Astra was stunned, staring at Leon in disbelief.
"Yeah." Leon gave a small nod and smiled. "As I told you, Heroes have always been enemies of the Demon Emperors across generations. And as fate would have it, I'm one of the three Heroes of this era—a Sword Hero."
"And the Demon Empress, Liliana Crimson, is the current leader of the Demon Race. We clashed in a fierce battle at first, and then..."
Leon began recounting his encounter with Liliana. Astra listened quietly, her expression slowly shifting to one of wonder.
"Your story reminds me of something Luminus Troya used to tell us long ago," she said with a soft chuckle.
"A story?" Leon raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.
"Yes." Astra nodded, her eyes filled with nostalgia. "Back then, Luminus Troya often told Amon and me fascinating stories. He called them 'novels.' I never really understood what a novel was, but his tales were always thrilling and heartfelt."
Leon paused, a subtle frown forming.
"Luminus Troya knew about novels?" he muttered. "That doesn't make any sense…"
Novels belonged to his previous world. In this fantasy world, there was no such concept—at least not in the form he knew.
There were similar forms of storytelling, sure, but not novels as he remembered them.
Especially not seven thousand years ago, during the great war against the Evil God.
And judging from Astra's words, the novel Troya spoke of seemed to be a love story.
That could only mean one thing—there was a specific reason Luminus Troya knew about novels.
"He's a transmigrant... just like me!" Leon's eyes widened as his heart began to race.
It might have sounded a little far-fetched, but it wasn't impossible.
After all, he himself had come from another world—so the idea that Luminus Troya might also be a transmigrant couldn't be dismissed outright.
"Leon? What's wrong? You look confused and a bit troubled," Astra asked, her voice filled with concern.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Leon smiled faintly and shook his head.
"It's nothing," he replied casually.
He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo. It was a picture of him together with Liliana, Charlotte, Iris, and Fiona.
"This is Liliana. I'm sure you'll be surprised when you see her," he said with a soft chuckle, handing the photo to Astra.
Astra took it and stared at Liliana's face. The moment her eyes landed on it, they widened in shock.
"She looks so much like me!" she gasped.
"Pfft!" Leon burst out laughing. "Exactly. That's why, when I first met your shard of consciousness, I mistook you for Liliana."
Still stunned, Astra slowly opened her left palm, summoning a mirror from thin air.
She compared her reflection with Liliana's image in the photo—side by side, they looked almost identical. Ninety-nine percent alike, as if they were twins.
The only noticeable differences were their eye and hair colors.
"So things like this really can happen in this world," she murmured with a faint smile.
And now that she had seen the photo, a new feeling began to stir inside her—a deep, growing desire to meet Liliana in person.
Moreover, just by looking at Liliana's face, she could feel a blood bond between them—proof that everything Leon had said was true.
Her gaze shifted to Charlotte, Iris, and Fiona. Her eyes widened.
"Are they..." she began hesitantly, but Leon nodded and cut her off.
"You're right—they're my daughters with Liliana."
Astra looked momentarily dazed, then smiled softly.
"They're beautiful girls," she whispered.
Looking at the three of them reminded her of her son, Morgan Crimson.
She could see traces of his features in theirs, which only deepened the ache of longing in her heart.
"Leon." She lifted her head and looked at him with gentle eyes. "After all of this is over... could you take me to meet them?"
Leon was a little surprised, but he quickly nodded with determination. "Of course. I promise I will."
"Thank you." Astra closed her eyes and hugged the photo to her chest.
She could hardly wait to meet her descendants.
"Well then, let's deal with the dark power," Leon said.
"Mm!" Astra nodded firmly as she stood.
She glanced one last time at the photo in her hand, then reluctantly offered it back to Leon.
To her surprise, Leon shook his head. "Keep it."
"Thank you!" Astra's eyes lit up with joy as she carefully slipped the photo into her pocket, treating it like the most precious treasure in the world.
Leon chuckled softly at the sight. "She's just like a child."
With a snap of her fingers, Astra activated her magic, and in an instant, they vanished from the spot.
...
"Who are you?"
Zelda stood with her back to Leon, eyes wary as she faced the black-cloaked man by the altar gate.
The man seemed momentarily surprised to see her. "Is she... Zelda, the Elf Queen?"
His brows knit together, and his vigilance sharpened instantly.
He recalled the warning from the Dark Elf woman—to beware of the Elf Queen. She was immensely powerful and unpredictable.
Now that they had finally met, he couldn't afford any slip-ups. One moment of carelessness could cost him his life.
"You don't need to know who I am," the man replied coolly, his gaze locking onto Leon. Suddenly, a fierce killing intent radiated from him.
"My target is him," he said, pointing directly at Leon.
Zelda narrowed her eyes, clenching her right hand into a fist. "Do you have a problem with Leon?"
The man chuckled softly and crossed his arms. "More than a problem. It's a life-or-death feud."
Drawing his sword from its sheath, he leveled it forward. "So if you want to avoid injury—or worse—you'd better stay out of this."
Although cautious of Zelda, he felt no fear. His target was Leon and the altar, and their clash was bound to happen sooner or later.
For now, he aimed to intimidate her into backing down.
But that hope was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Instead of fear, Zelda remained composed, casting him a cold, dismissive glance.
"So, now I know who you are," she said sharply. "A member of the Temple of Twilight siding with the Dark Elves, right? Leon already warned me about you."
Her eyes narrowed. "The fact you could appear here means you've defeated Thalon. Your strength must be far greater than Leon described."
"Since you already know, step aside," the black-cloaked man snarled, his voice laced with deadly intent. "Or do you want to end up like your weak subordinate?"
"Hahaha!" A cold, chilling laugh escaped Zelda's lips.
Her calm presence shifted into something fierce and oppressive.
"Just because you defeated him doesn't mean you can defeat me." She stepped forward, stopping at the altar's edge.
Her eyes glowed bright green, and a tree-shaped symbol slowly formed on her forehead.
"Come forward... and witness the power of the Elf Queen!"
