It had been a week since Lishe started staying with Charles.
“The Hero’s condition never seems to tire out. You’re the very essence of health!”
Lars said as he reported the results of the regular check-up. Lishe listened intently.
“However, your stress levels have actually risen a bit. Is training becoming a burden?”
“Ah, no? Master plans it out perfectly for me.”
Hmm.
Lars speculated on Lishe’s condition. Since coming to the Imperial Family, she had been increasingly positive and lively, but the counseling indicators showed slight discrepancies from her appearance.
“Have you ever recognized Charles? Like when your reflection in the mirror talks to you?”
“Gasp! Isn’t that a ghost?”
“Exactly. It’s dangerous, so you should break the mirror. By the way, there isn’t a full-length mirror on the 4th floor of the Moonlight Palace. If you see one, never engage with the person inside.”
Eek!
“I’m just kidding.”
“What’s that? You scared me!”
Lars grinned mischievously. Lishe enjoyed his playful antics.
It was a secret regarding Charles, though. She had told him not to mention her — it was obvious he would think of her as dangerous, and it wouldn’t be good to be caught being close.
“Why is my sister dangerous?”
—Because it wouldn’t be good for you. Lars seemed to have picked up on that.
“But she also shared a lot of good know-how!”
—True.
“That’s strange.”
She felt uneasy about lying to Lars. Still, she didn’t intend to keep it a secret forever, so she thought it would be fine.
“So, I still don’t know what kind of characteristics Charles possesses.”
“Oh, yes.”
“I haven’t seen her since the last counseling. Can she resonate with the Holy Sword?”
“Hmm…”
Lishe fiddled with the Holy Sword strapped to her waist. She was confident that handing the initiative over to Charles wouldn’t be difficult now.
“Shall we try?”
“No, not right now. Your condition itself has been improving, so we can stretch the check-up interval. Let’s meet once a week from now on.”
“Once a week?”
At Lars’ words, disappointment filled Lishe’s heart. She thought she’d be swinging her sword the whole time without getting to see him more often.
“Okay then, you’re a busy teacher after all. I’ll make sure to show you my better usage of the Holy Sword next time!”
“I’ll be cheering you on.”
Lishe forced a bright smile as she ended the check-up with Lars.
As long as she maintained a positive and bright attitude, most problems wouldn’t arise. Even if they seemed like they would, she could smoothly bypass them.
It was a strategy Lishe had mastered since childhood, dealing with the irritable villagers.
Endure the unreasonable. Prioritize positivity over anger. Harmony is better than conflict. Believing that if she remained the good child who smiled first, eventually everyone would be like that, Lishe kept her faith.
Even the elders of the village were merely affected by evil. They had their wealth taken by the aristocrats, and the youth had all fled to the city, leaving no hope. Their fury was unleashed on Lishe through harsh words.
Ultimately, they faced a grim conclusion, being decimated by an epidemic.
But Lishe thought, surely good things would come one day.
She didn’t even feel burdened by her attitude. She just had to suffer a little more than others.
—That would eventually tire you out, though.
Charles spoke to Lishe.
A drop of dark ink fell into the sparkling white heart of Lishe.
—If you’re going to end up too tired and give up anyway, why not start moving for what you want from now?
“I’m not giving up. I’m a Hero now!”
—You’ve endured life at least once. So why didn’t you talk about me? Lars said I’d be bad for your growth.
“That’s just because sister told me not to…”
—I said that because I understand Lars well!
Charles pinpointed Lishe’s secret thoughts. There was no way to hide her true feelings from her.
—Do you want to see Lars more often?
“Of course, but since he said once a week, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
—You could see him tomorrow.
“How?”
—It’s simple. Lars can never pass by someone who’s injured.
Lishe realized Charles’ sinister intent.
“…You mean, hurt myself on purpose?”
—I’ve done that a few times. When I felt there was no other option. Thanks to that, sometimes it ended up just the two of us.
Lishe’s mouth dropped open as she listened to Charles’ suggestion.
“Th-That won’t do! It’s stealing from the teacher’s time, and it’s troublesome for Master and the knights!”
—So what? After all, you only live once, so you should first grab what you desire, right?
“But I’m a Hero! If I train diligently, I’ll be able to save everyone…”
—Even if you do it half-heartedly, your peak abilities will be about the same.
Charles was resolute. Lishe’s heart wavered slightly under her temptation.
Before making a decision, Lishe asked one last thing of Charles.
“So, what do you want to do?”
—Secret.
“Are you trying to steal the teacher for yourself?”
—Of course, I want Lars.
“Y-You can’t just take him! He’s not an item!”
—To get Lars, you need to eliminate the third princess first. If she’s around, Lars will be in danger.
“The Royal Princess? Um, she is quite a scary person…”
Charles skillfully changed the subject.
*
“I see Lishe is lying.”
That was my judgment.
During the last check-up, the increase in her sympathetic nerve activation and rising stress levels were proof of this.
“It’s clear she’s been in contact with Charles and is influenced by her, so why is she hiding it?”
There was no doubt that Charles was adversely affecting Lishe. As Lishe continued training, the steadily decreasing probabilities of the Holy Sword Destruction and Unbinding endings had vanished.
“Why does Charles want to break the Holy Sword?”
In the future, Lishe was always the ideal Hero, conveying positivity to those around her. Conversely, it meant that while there were people who received energy from her, no one was giving it back.
She probably didn’t have anyone to confide in. Although we talked sometimes, we never went that deep.
She had never spoken her true feelings.
In other words, both Lishe and Charles were skilled at lying.
I felt the need to meet Charles again for counseling.
‘There are two ways.’
Either persuade Charles not to break the Holy Sword, or remove or isolate Lishe from the influence.
The latter would require a potion made through alchemy. The rank of [Alchemy] had to be steadily raised as well.
“Teacher, urgent duty.”
While I was working in the Inner Palace, I received a call. It was a knight from the Moonlight Palace.
“Is it about the Hero?”
“Yes.”
I prepared emergency treatment with Chloe’s team. This was the third incident this week.
As we rode out on the emergency carriage, chaos erupted in the barracks.
Lishe had sustained a significant injury to her leg. The Holy Knights were administering emergency treatment.
“Ah, Teacher!”
Even while injured, Lishe smiled at me with effort.
“I’m sorry, I’ve made you busy…”
“It’s fine. It’s our responsibility. Let’s take a look at the wound.”
I laid Lishe’s leg on a makeshift examination table and proceeded with cleansing and disinfection. For the chaos it caused, it didn’t look that deep. I thought Chloe could handle it well.
“It happened during squad training. The knights collided in a risky situation, and the Hero got hurt while defending a comrade.”
Tanya calmly explained. From the story, it sounded like an honorable wound sustained for a comrade.
“Fortunately, it seems not to be severe. The rest will be taken care of by our team to ensure recovery.”
“Um, Teacher.”
“Yes?”
As I was about to stand up, Lishe called for me.
“If it’s alright with you, could you check up on me afterward? I’ve had a bit of a headache since yesterday…”
Hmm.
“In that case, let’s go inside and take a look.”
Lishe smiled gently at my response.
*
“…Draw, fourth circle.”
Acella struggled to draw the fifth magic circle with her trembling hand after having drawn four.
Her hand froze mid-air, quivering in place, and she blinked repeatedly before drawing a line in the void. The spell was severed, and Acella wiped the sweat from her forehead, scattering her mana.
“No way.”
It’s broken.
Something had clearly gone wrong in her magical system.
What caused it—her magic circuit, mana, or knowledge—was beyond her comprehension, sending Acella into a spiral of frustration.
Huff.
No one was allowed in her workshop. She couldn’t show this kind of scene to anyone.
When she stepped outside, she found a pile of documents that the head maid had left on the table.
Some time had passed since the meeting.
A report indicating that the Kingdom had begun to take action.
They were planning a martial arts conference across the entire continent to discuss candidates to fight alongside the Hero—none other than the Hero’s party.
The political motives behind this were too obvious. Acella was already aware of this from Lars and was preparing a response.
The timing was in six months.
Having made such a notable move, the Empire would have to act as well.
‘…How am I in this state?’
She wouldn’t be able to show the dignified demonstration worthy of the next Emperor of the Empire.
Another report left Acella breathless.
It was about the Hero’s growth rate slowing since returning from the dungeon.
After repelling the intermediate dungeon without a single casualty, the Hero had been sustaining various minor and major injuries and illnesses during training and patrol over the past two weeks.
‘Why is this happening all of a sudden?’
Naturally, every time the Hero got injured, Lars was the one suffering.
While treating the side effects of the Holy Sword’s resonance, Lars had asked Acella not to meet with the Hero.
Since she only received written reports on what kind of treatment they were performing, it left Acella feeling frustrated.
‘…What do I do?’
Should she unload her magical problems onto Lars and request treatment?
It was troubling.
After all, she already owed him a tremendous debt.
She didn’t want to add more to it before paying off the first.
For now, it was a break time.
Acella decided to call the guard knights waiting on the first floor, having come up from the basement where her workshop was located.
At that moment, she sensed a presence in the back yard.
In the small space of the vent window, she unexpectedly spotted the Hero’s red-tinged hair, and she unconsciously focused her gaze.
“Ugh, isn’t this poisonous herb a bit dangerous? Right. I’ve never been wrong listening to my sister. Yes, I’ll do as I’m told.”
Madly rambling to herself, the Hero discreetly began munching on leaves.
Her face quickly turned pale as if barely stifling nausea.
As the Hero slowly walked toward the Moonlight Palace knights, she collapsed in the middle of the yard, and soon after, Lars came rushing out with the doctors.
“Ha.”
Acella grasped the cause-and-effect of the events written in the report after witnessing the unfolding scene.
She hardened her gaze coldly, striding out with the determination of going into battle.
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