Chapter 64

〈 Chapter 65 〉 The Rose and the Cat

*

Outskirts of Basilium.

Two girls were passing by the ruins outside the barrier.

Well, one of them only looked like a girl; her age said otherwise.

The one who didn’t look like a girl had red hair that reminded people of a rose.

They called her the Rose Knight.

Her name was Gwen Reedval.

“Sniffle…”

Walking behind her was a black-haired girl sniffing her nose.

She was the girl who came to find her after being introduced by Allen a year ago, currently in the position of her successor.

Gwen called out to her without turning her head.

“Hey, stray cat.”

In reality, the girl was someone Gwen shouldn’t be careless with, coming from a noble knight family in the Leim Kingdom.

She was none other than Ershiarah, the third princess of the Leim Kingdom.

But for now, that girl was merely a homeless stray cat and her apprentice.

“And…?”

A short reply.

She didn’t particularly like Ershiarah.

Calling her a stray cat instead of a thief cat was a concession made because she was a princess.

“I was just wondering if you were feeling better.”

After all, she was her successor.

Even though they bickered daily, concerns like these could be shared by a mentor.

Ershiarah respected her as a teacher.

“I’m fine. Just a little angry.”

“Angry?”

Gwen was on her way back from a trial in Basilium with Ershiarah in tow.

But for some reason, after passing the trial, Ershiarah was walking with a pale face while simply sniffing away in tears.

“God damn it, that bastard showed me the memories of that day again.”

Gwen’s expression also stiffened.

The memories of that day likely meant the coup happening in the kingdom right now.

The coup would also affect the Reedval family, closely associated with the royal family.

“So what were you angry about?”

“About how powerless I was back then.”

“You did your best just by managing to escape.”

She meant it.

Escaping from the pursuers hired by the kingdom and fleeing to Basilium was almost next to impossible.

Especially for a princess who had never left the Leim Royal Palace before.

“Even making that judgment is impressive.”

At this, Ershiarah stopped in her tracks.

And with a gloomy voice, she said.

“It wasn’t my judgment. If it weren’t for the Divine Seat, I wouldn’t have survived.”

“But the Divine Seat didn’t force you. Running away was still your choice.”

“That’s…”

Gwen halted her steps too.

“Choosing not to go to Sakh and coming to me was also your decision.”

Ershiarah could have stopped any time on the way here.

But she didn’t.

She persevered, and with her determination, she came this far.

“What’s important is always your judgment. So what do you want to do?”

“I want to take revenge on the knights who instigated the coup. That’s why I’m learning swordsmanship from you.”

Ershiarah began to walk again.

Gwen smiled.

She had been absorbing swordsmanship lessons from Gwen quite well.

It felt different from when she taught Allen.

While Allen absorbed well too, there was a sense of flaw in his swordsmanship.

But Ershiarah was growing like a wind at her back, enhanced by her innate talent.

“Speaking of which, I wonder what that guy is up to?”

It was at this moment that Gwen thought of Allen.

“Actually, my going to you was even approved by the Divine Seat.”

She hadn’t known this.

It seemed the boy had even charmed the Divine Seat.

She recalled that boy’s slippery smile.

“I’m really curious.”

He was an enigma she couldn’t pin down.

Even his stated goal of becoming a hero left her puzzled.

She asked the inn he worked at, but they didn’t seem to know either.

“Was it Weiss?”

That woman with the transparent hair said to her when Gwen visited the inn.

He had wanted to prove something.

Was that proof about becoming a high-ranking hero?

If so, maybe he had completed that proof already.

“Then what on earth could he be doing now?”

It was shocking news she heard not long ago.

The boy named Allen Pleuk captured three Demon Kings under the title of Pathfinder.

Indeed, it was he who had captured the 71st Demon King.

He didn’t stop there but also killed the 13th and 67th Demon Kings in Sakh.

Acknowledged for this achievement, he had become a hero without going through the candidate stage.

Even becoming a high-ranking hero of rank 100.

Considering how few high-ranking heroes had even fought a Demon King, being rank 100 might seem low, but given his past as a Pathfinder, it was an extraordinary rank.

Interest in his sudden rise as a high-ranking hero drew global attention, but no information about him was released at all.

As for whether he might quickly rise further up the hero ranks, there were speculations, but that too went quiet.

Allen Pleuk had vanished immediately after being appointed a high-ranking hero.

There were various theories.

He might be satisfied with being a high-ranking hero and quit hero activities.

He actually wasn’t skilled enough to become one, so he was under the church’s protection.

He was engaged in secret missions for the church.

Of course, nothing was certain until Allen himself came forward to clarify.

“Must have something up his sleeve.”

Somehow, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he wouldn’t just be sitting idly.

He was likely up to something somewhere.

Speculating that he might be on a secret mission for the church felt more convincing.

“If only he’d stay safe.”

She didn’t know how strong he had become.

But she did know how serious the scrutiny from the high-ranking heroes could be.

Especially since Allen had killed three Demon Kings. The threats from the Demon Kings would likely start pouring in too.

“Yeah, going incognito was definitely a good call.”

What happened after hiding was something Allen would handle.

Right now, she had other matters to tend to.

First and foremost, nurturing her successor behind her.

And lastly, finding the relics.

“All right…”

She turned to check on Ershiarah.

The golden hair that had begun to sprout in between her black hair was sparkling.

And the blue eyes unique to the Leim Royal Family were still present.

“Stray cat.”

“Yes?”

“I’m thinking of sending you to the Hero Academy this year.”

Over the past year.

Ershiarah’s enthusiasm had been more than sufficient, and thanks to that, she had taught her nearly all she could regarding swordsmanship.

Keeping her any longer until next year wouldn’t be efficient.

“The Hero Academy?”

“It’s a knight training institution directly under the church.”

“But I don’t need to become a hero…”

“You need the power for revenge, don’t you? Go to the Hero Academy, learn more about practical combat, and build your connections. Also, receiving relics based on your achievements upon graduation would be beneficial.”

Even if a one-star relic might eventually be picked up wandering outside the barrier, getting a relic of two stars or higher was tough.

And even if you did manage to get one, the chances that it would fit your needs were low.

In contrast, the church held a tremendous pool of relics.

Selecting a fitting relic for graduates from among those collections was their practice.

The three-star relic she possessed, [Ignis], was also allocated to her upon graduation.

“In that case… I’ll go.”

It seemed Ershiarah had solidified her resolve.

But before that, there was something they needed to address.

“By the way, do you plan to keep dyeing your hair regularly?”

The Hero Academy was quite a prominent place.

Young hero candidates with talent gathered here from all over the world.

Even though Ershiarah’s appearance had changed as she grew, her distinctive bright golden hair would stand out.

But if she were to keep dying it, it would be a waste of time and wouldn’t be very good for her health.

Moreover, even if she skipped dying it for a few days, her golden hair would start showing through.

That’s why what she was going to suggest was shaving her head.

“Ershiarah, I think…”

“I probably won’t need to dye it anymore.”

“Eh?”

Her hair began to warp.

In an instant, her black hair turned red, and her face transformed into a familiar shape.

“How does it look? Quite similar, right? It’s a power I acquired through this trial.”

The face she transformed into was Gwen’s.

Though she didn’t want to admit it, it was quite similar.

Of course, there was a difference between similarity and being annoyed.

As Ershiarah made all sorts of expressions with Gwen’s face, Gwen said.

“Hey, thief cat.”

Now there was definitely a reason to call her a thief cat.

“Uh-oh? Are you calling yourself a thief cat now?”

Seems her successor was feeling the effects of the hit she took a while ago.

It had been four days since she got knocked before entering the trial.

That day, Ershiarah had rolled on the floor until the point of almost dying, recalling the memories of the day she met Allen.

*