Chapter 26: The One Gazed Upon by the Goddess

"Mmh..."

The blinding sunlight shone upon his face, causing Mino’s brow to twitch as he gradually drifted into consciousness.

"What... what happened to me?" Mino blinked, his memory hazy. It took a long while before the events of the previous day began to resurface.

"Hmm, after a grueling and protracted struggle, I suppose I finally collapsed under the relentless, bottomless cruelty of the enemy's interrogation..." Mino reconstructed the events in his mind and let out a long sigh toward the ceiling. "I did my best. I really did."

A rustling sound by the bedside caught his attention.

Mino turned his head slightly and noticed a mass of soft hair, fragrant with roses, draped over the edge of the bed. Clementina lay there, her head tilted to the side, revealing a sleeping face that looked somewhat bewitching.

A pale pink gown clung to her graceful figure, and the skin visible in the sunlight shimmered with a captivating glow...

Clementina’s brows were slightly furrowed, as if she were caught in a nightmare.

*Did she... watch over me by this hospital bed all night?* Mino thought for a moment before leaning his head toward her ear.

His lips moved rapidly as he utilized a high-speed divine incantation technique, whispering:

"From now on, give the Hero Mino an extra egg with every meal..."
"From now on, give the Hero Mino an extra egg with every meal..."
"From now on, give the Hero Mino an extra egg with every meal..."

"Seriously? Buddy..." Altotai, who had been watching from the sidelines for a long time, finally couldn't help but chime in loudly. "You finally get a chance to pull a seduction, and this is the low-tier trash you come up with? You’re going to be listed as a shameful case study in the annals of hypnosis!"

Mino lowered his head.

A flush of crimson had appeared on Clementina’s sleeping face.

"Don't pretend anymore. I knew you were faking sleep a long time ago," Mino chuckled.

Clementina stopped smiling. Her eyes snapped open, a vein throbbing in her temple. She sniffed, then quickly adopted a look of sorrow. "Nonsense. I was clearly worried about your health and stayed by your side all night. To think you'd say I was faking it... even a demon would be hurt by your words, Hero..."

Mino nodded, looking her up and down.

"So, in the process of watching over me all night, you found the time to take a bath, change your clothes, and apply makeup to make your sleeping face look more pitiful and moving? And finally, you didn't even wipe the grease from your breakfast off the corner of your mouth..."

Clementina froze. Her face turned as red as a steam engine, and she hurriedly turned away to wipe the grease from her lips.

"As expected of Mino. Even just after waking up, your observation skills are as sharp as ever." She sighed softly, abandoning the plan she had impulsively concocted upon arriving at his bedside.

Mino rubbed his head, lifting his chin with a hint of pride. "It’s nothing, really. Altotai was secretly telling me everything in my head..."

"..."

Clementina looked at the holy sword in the corner and, for the first time, considered the idea of letting it stay asleep forever.

"So, what do you want?"

"Naturally, the follow-up to yesterday’s interrogation—this time, I still need you to provide some intelligence regarding Prince Ota..." Clementina wore a bright smile. "The Hero Awakening Ceremony is about to be held, and I certainly don't want it to proceed so smoothly. If Prince Ota were to fall at this critical juncture... I believe it would give many people an opportunity to strike."

*So, the selection of the next hero is finally beginning?*

A few thoughts flashed through Mino’s mind.

Over thousands of years of battle against the demon race, the human faction had gradually uncovered the mysteries of the "Hero." The most widely accepted theory was that a hero is someone "gazed upon by the Goddess"—to fight the demons, one needed more than just raw combat power; only those capable of bearing the Goddess’s blessing and forging a contract with a sacred artifact could wield the power necessary to oppose them.

Although Mino still possessed his blessing and the holy sword, the Goddess’s gaze could not linger within demon territory, meaning he was no longer a true "Hero" (one gazed upon by the Goddess). The Awakening Ceremony was simply a precursor, a way to use a magic circle to select the candidate from among the qualified fighters who best possessed the necessary traits to channel the Goddess’s gaze.

*Is it really necessary to use such underhanded tactics and intelligence gathering just for a preliminary selection?* Mino looked at Clementina, who seemed exceptionally confident.

"Hero, believe me, it is within the human race itself that the most treacherous schemes are hatched. There are many who do not wish for a new hero to emerge. As long as there is an opening... we don't even need to lift a finger; others will gladly bring about the destruction."

Mino’s heart sank as he realized once again how cunning and difficult the demon race was. To be able to study human nature to such an extent—it was as if they were manipulating the humans themselves. Clementina... she was truly the most troublesome Archdemon beneath the Demon King.

"Heh, Clementina, what do you take me for..."

At that moment, a fire of determination ignited in Mino’s eyes, and he straightened his back.

"I am the strongest hero in human history, the source of the demons' fear, the holy and virtuous Holy Sword Hero, Mino Lake!"

"Do you think I would sit by and watch you extend your dark hand to turn the kingdom’s interior into a muddy mess, stripping the Kingdom of Kur of its sturdy armor to expose its most tender and sensitive underbelly, leaving humanity to sink into total ruin under your crude conquest?!!!"

Clementina: "...It’s not as lewd as you’re making it sound."

"My Lord, you should really drop the 'holy and virtuous' part. Just stick to being your usual lewd-joke-telling hero..."

"Mino, are you saying... you’re backing out?"

Clementina’s lips curled into a dangerous smile as she stared at him. The scent of roses grew thicker, sliding like a snake in the night, winding itself stickily and sensually against Mino’s skin. This was no longer a flirtatious fragrance; in his previous battles against the Rose Shadow Demon Clementina, this scent would eventually deliver the most troublesome neurotoxins, which were difficult to resist even with his blessing.

Mino tilted his head back and gave a disdainful laugh.

"Clementina, though I am a hero, do you really think I keep my word to everyone?"

"Since your plan threatens the interior of the kingdom, how could I face my country, or the 'Mino Alliance'—the most popular political faction—if I provided you with intelligence? How could I face the people who worship me like an idol?!"

"For the sake of that, even if I have to be a treacherous, faithless villain, I accept it!"

Mino’s tone was so resonant that it silenced Altotai, who had been about to mutter, "Are you actually that popular?"

Clementina’s expression turned serious. She had almost forgotten that the hero before her was the most troublesome opponent of the human faction, the most iron-willed...

[Ding—Stage Two Interrogation Task restarted.]

[Stage Two Interrogation Task: The interrogation by the demon Fim effectively alleviated your pain. Now that you have recovered, you are feeling refreshed and have decided to talk... In the face of Clementina’s questioning, provide at least one piece of critical intelligence regarding Prince Ota.]

[Reward: One chance at "Healing," one personal item belonging to the demon "Clementina."]

"But I'll talk."

Feeling refreshed, Mino talked.