Chapter 46: There Are Still, Still, Still Experts? (Seeking Readerships!)
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The news of Shana’s birth as a Hero spread across the kingdom and the continent overnight.
Like light piercing the deepest darkness, the panic and grief that had shrouded the kingdom were swept away in an instant. And to make matters even more astonishing, this new Hero was none other than the younger sister of Mino, the strongest Hero in human history!
The Goddess had not abandoned them!
Within the kingdom, which had been in turmoil, every restless movement and every malicious force with ulterior motives suddenly fell silent. Like a chain reaction, the influence spread all the way to the kingdom’s borders, reinforcing the defenses with renewed and unshakable resolve.
The cool, sacred moonlight fell upon the kingdom’s frontier like a blessing from the Goddess…
Endless silver radiance illuminated a tall figure walking through the desolate wilderness.
Her long, silver-white hair, already reaching past her knees, drifted beneath the moonlight like threads of light. A sacred white veil covered her head. The woman’s figure was slightly voluptuous, and she wore a pure-white, holy vestment. Through the faintly translucent fabric, skin as smooth and lustrous as milk could just barely be seen.
Clutching the luminous white cross against her chest, the woman came to a stop. Her somewhat tight dress swayed gently in the wind, revealing thighs with a hint of softness.
“Shana… has she truly become a Hero as well?” a mature, gentle voice murmured.
Then, a gaze cold enough to verge on the divine turned toward the distance.
Beyond the kingdom’s border lay the Demon King’s castle, leading into the depths of darkness.
“Then at last, I no longer need to hold back. I can avenge you now… little Mino.”
…
The Demons’ Council.
“Hero: Shana Lake.”
When the name of the new Hero was discovered by Sveil, the Demon of Books, Clythina fell into silence at the long table.
She had underestimated Mino once again.
“The new Hero is actually that worthless Mino’s little sister? Has the Goddess gone blind?” Migo’s voice emerged from the ghostly flame, sounding indignant.
“How could something so unbelievably coincidental happen?”
Indeed. Something this coincidental could not possibly be a coincidence…
As though she had realized something, Clythina tilted her head back and closed her eyes.
Looking back now, Mino’s former attitude of complete resignation suddenly made perfect sense. He had clearly been certain from the beginning that his sister Shana would become the next Hero!
And someone whom the strongest Hero in human history had confidently declared would become the next Hero…
Just how terrifyingly overwhelming must her strength be?
Clythina no longer wished to think about it.
Was even this part of your calculations… Mino?
Complex emotions welled up in Clythina’s rose-pink eyes.
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“The birth of a Hero was inevitable. What we must do now is reduce the Hero’s strength as much as possible. In addition to the Hero and the contracted sacred artifact, the Goddess’s blessing conveyed through the Round Tower is another troublesome power… Next, we will have to contend once more with that most troublesome Holy Mage, Lak.”
Clythina’s slender white fingers tapped lightly against the table. As brilliant roses bloomed amid terrifying waves of magic, she suppressed the distracting thoughts in her mind and coldly, swiftly laid out one plan after another.
“Furthermore, we can no longer limit ourselves to interrogating Mino. Other targets capable of yielding information must also be brought into consideration. For example…”
Without warning, Sveil, the Demon Strategist, began to emit an unprecedented tremor of ghostly flame.
“Secretary, this is bad! Just now, the Demon King’s army on the front line suffered an unprecedented defeat. The humans have begun launching a counterattack against us!”
“Who?” Clythina narrowed her eyes slightly.
The Kingdom of Kur had only just completed its memorial ceremony and witnessed the Hero’s awakening. She did not believe that King Kur II would recklessly forgo the opportunity to stabilize his rule and calm the people, choosing instead to launch such a risky counterattack.
The only possibility left was that someone with authority had made an independent decision at the frontier.
“She is a particularly troublesome opponent. I fear even the elite demons alone will not be enough to resist her.”
Sveil exhaled softly before giving the answer.
“It is the Ice Saintess, Reina.”
“She is?” Clythina was somewhat surprised.
During the few brief occasions on which she had dealt with Saintess Reina, she had sensed that the frost-faced saintess was an exceptionally calm and holy being. She should not have made such an impulsive move.
“It is said that before Saintess Reina was chosen by the Holy Church, she and the Hero Mino came from the same village. Their relationship… may be deeper than we imagined.”
“Could they have been childhood sweethearts or something of the sort?”
After pondering for a moment, Clythina shook her head helplessly.
“Human love truly is a troublesome thing…”
“What should we do, Lady Clythina?” Sveil asked softly.
“Saintess Reina is not as powerful as Mino. If we gather the greater demons currently available, we can certainly deal with this reckless human—”
“No. The risk is too great.” Clythina interrupted him in a soft voice.
“Do not forget that the kingdom’s Morning Star still hangs above our heads—the most cunning and treacherous opponent of them all. Besides, the most troublesome thing about Saintess Reina is the holy relic bestowed upon her by the Holy Church: the Frozen Heart.”
“With that holy relic protecting her, Reina cannot be worn down through a battle of attrition as Mino was. Heh… but things are different now.”
Clythina quickly arrived at an idea.
“After all, we now possess the finest possible source of intelligence…”
Whoosh—
A boundless gale suddenly surged through the hall. Every demon present except Clythina was drawn toward the newly emerged source of magic, their gazes turning in its direction.
Sveil’s ghostly flame paused, then quickly curved into a smile.
“Welcome to awakening, Eighth Demon, Demon Sword—”
“Lord Apophis.”
…
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In the corner of the prison cell, the Holy Sword Altortai suddenly shuddered.
“My lord, I suddenly feel a chill down my back. It seems something bad is about to happen.”
“Oh.” Mino nodded casually.
“Then turn over and go back to sleep.”
“Hey!” Altortai said in anguish. “Could you show even a little sense of danger, you has-been Hero?!”
“Who are you calling a has-been Hero? Where are your manners?” Mino said with righteous indignation.
“Don’t you know male stars and idols don’t enter their has-been phase until after thirty? I’m not Reina! Besides, middle-aged Heroes are very popular in other worlds too! Understand?”
“You’re not even an idol, are you?” Altortai narrowed its eyes. “Besides, most of the kingdom’s current crisis can be blamed on you being captured and handing over vital intelligence for free… Fortunately, nothing went wrong with the Hero ceremony, and it seems neither Prince Ota nor Chief Lak suffered any mistreatment.”
“Hmph.”
At that, Mino inexplicably began to feel guilty. Everything he had done had been for the sake of building up strength and striking back against the demons.
But once you gave yourself away so completely, it was hard to convince anyone that you had done so deliberately.
“Altortai, a cold, emotionless holy sword like you can never understand what I’ve been through.” Mino spoke with the profound tone of a man seasoned by experience.
“You have to experience it firsthand to understand how impossible the demons’ interrogation methods are to guard against. If you were in my place, you wouldn’t have lasted either.”
“Ha! Are you joking?”
At that moment, the Holy Sword raised its head proudly and burst into hearty laughter.
“I am the holy sword that has accompanied the greatest number of Heroes throughout history! I house the most powerful and unyielding force of light—the Light Holy Sword that charges ever forward!”
“No one can make me submit.”
Its forceful words rang through the prison cell, and the Holy Sword Altortai’s voice brimmed with pride.
“No one!”
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