Xenia hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking.

“…If I try to imprison this witch, you’ll stop me, won’t you?”

Neril cut in.

“Could you even imprison me?”

“I was asking Mr. Mide. But if I had to answer… I think it’s possible.”

“Hmph.”

Neril only let out her usual nasal scoff, surprisingly not angry.

I said,

“Neril is already my companion. And if you spend more time with us, you’ll realize she’s not as vicious as the rumors say.”

“But still…”

“There are some truths behind the horrors attributed to Neril that you don’t know, Xenia. If we stay together, you’ll find out eventually.”

It’s still not the time to reveal Dame’s corruption.

There’s also the matter of Neril’s ‘item’, but more than that—saying outright that Dame is a villain without any evidence might only distance Xenia, who deeply respects her father.

After a brief pause, Xenia spoke.

“…Witch—no, Miss Neril. Let me ask you one thing.”

“Ask away.”

“Did you kill Ophelia?”

Before answering, Neril glanced at me.

I considered how best to respond, then gave a small nod—my way of expressing that I trusted her judgment completely.

After a moment of thought, Neril answered.

“I didn’t kill her.”

“…! Then she’s alive?”

“No. I just said I didn’t kill her.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

She turned to me and asked,

“Is she telling the truth?”

“She just said it herself—why ask me? I haven’t even been traveling with Neril that long.”

“I want your judgment. You, who claim to be a Hero.”

I didn’t know what she meant by that.

But still, I put on a serious expression and spoke clearly, word by word.

“Yes. I believe it’s true.”

I saw it clearly—Xenia’s expression softened in that instant.

A face that said: ‘At least I’m not traveling with someone who murdered my friend.’

In other words, she was placing her trust in my judgment.

Xenia murmured,

“Come to think of it… I never actually witnessed the scene myself. I only received a report that the witch’s residue had been left behind.”

“……”

“It could have been a misunderstanding… or maybe someone’s deliberate interference.”

Her last words were surprisingly close to the truth, and I couldn’t help being startled.

Though she likely hasn’t yet considered that the “someone” could be her own father.

“To verify that… I need to stay close and observe the witch’s character firsthand. From now on, I’ll be joining you. As a form of surveillance.”

“Thank you.”

“I said surveillance.”

“Yes, you’re free to call it whatever you like if it helps you save face.”

“Ugh, you’re so irritating!”

And just like that, Xenia became a member of my party.

With this, I had successfully recruited two heroes.

If I could bring in one more, I’d have three party members just like Kaeld.

My heart pounded for no reason.

That’s when Neril said to me,

“Mide. Now that we’re traveling together, let’s make one thing clear.”

“Hm?”

“Why do you speak informally to me but use honorifics with her?”

“……”

“Aren’t you older than Xenia?”

Xenia’s brow twitched.

“There’s nothing wrong with using honorifics when we respect each other’s character, is there?”

“Respecting character? You called Mide calculating not long ago.”

“I meant he’s a balance of brains and brawn.”

“That’s what I said.”

“I agree with it, that’s all.”

“You never let anything slide, you brat.”

“Hmph. My apologies, granny.”

“G-granny…?”

Calling Neril “granny”—when she freaks out even at being called “auntie”—had a tremendous effect!

I clapped my hands lightly and said,

“Let me explain. Even when I worked as a mercenary, I always spoke casually with comrades I trusted.”

“……”

“So, Xenia, I’d like to drop the formal speech with you too. Is that alright?”

To that, Trail let out a dry laugh.

[Seriously?]

‘No. I worked alone, remember?’

[Now every time you open your mouth it’s a lie. Even Idria would weep.]

I was about to retort when Xenia, looking slightly surprised, said,

“You think of me as a comrade you trust? Even though we’ve only known each other for a few days?”

“We faced the Martial King together, didn’t we? I believe I can entrust my back to you without worry.”

“…Alright. Then, go ahead. Speak comfortably.”

“I will. Let’s get along, Xenia.”

Xenia nodded firmly.

That’s when Neril’s voice chimed in.

“Hmph. Maybe it’s better if we do use honorifics? If we respect each other’s character, we should, right?”

What do you want from me?

I turned to Xenia.

“By the way, you need to report to your father, right?”

“To the Captain.”

“Same thing.”

“…Anyway, yes. I do. Why?”

“Slip my name into the report, would you? Mention that I’m being hailed as a Hero in the territory of Lior.”

Xenia tilted her head.

“I was going to anyway. But why specifically mention that?”

I grinned.

“Just laying a little groundwork.”

Dame buried his head in his hands after reading Xenia’s report.

‘What on earth is she talking about? Why would she want to travel with the Witch of Carnage?’

There was also the matter of Ophelia Mace, but beyond that—his daughter’s nature was fundamentally incompatible with that witch.

Unless there were some exceptional mediator.

‘Ah. That’s right. She did mention a mediator.’

Xenia had named that mediator: “Hero” Mide Mohan.

To be precise, she hadn’t called him a Hero herself—she’d said that the people of Lior territory hailed him as one.

Dame laughed in disbelief.

Then sneered,

“A mere mercenary, called a Hero?”

But Xenia’s unexpected reply was icy.

“Could a mere mercenary really defeat the Martial King?”

“……”

“Mr. Mide didn’t just win—he toyed with him. He’s strong. Maybe even… no, without a doubt—”

Xenia swallowed the words: “Stronger than you, Father.”

Thankfully, Dame failed to catch the implication.

Regardless, his focus shifted elsewhere.

“Neril is at least keeping her promise. Well, she would have no choice but to, wouldn’t she?”

If that was the case, then he could afford to wait a little longer.

After all, he had never managed to win an argument against Xenia once she started being stubborn like that.

And to be honest, he wasn’t really in a position to keep thinking things over any further.

There was a guest waiting outside.

Someone with such overwhelming fame that even the captain of the Holy Knight of Light felt uneasy about making them wait any longer.

He called for his assistant and said,

“Let him in.”

“Understood.”

A moment later, the door opened, and a man stepped in.

He had his red hair tied back tightly. His features were rugged but gave a kind impression.

The man sat down across from Dame and spoke.

“It’s an honor to meet you. My name is Kaeld Wake.”

“You’ve come a long way. I heard you accomplished a great feat in the Takiar Territory.”

“I’m embarrassed. I didn’t expect someone as renowned as you, Captain Dame, to request a meeting over something so small.”

“No need to be modest. The unexplained epidemic in the Takiar Territory had even the capital worried. Of course I had to meet the man who resolved it in a month.”

Dame looked quietly at Kaeld, the so-called Hero of the South.

Naturally, the report from his daughter flashed through his mind.

‘Mide… They say he’s being called a hero in the Lior Territory. If I were to compare him with Kaeld…’

You could call him the Hero of the North.

And just then—

Kaeld suddenly opened his mouth with a strange expression.

“Are you thinking about someone named Mide?”

“……!”

Dame was so shocked he shot up from his seat.

“What? How do you know that name?”

“I apologize. I overheard the name while waiting outside.”

“What? Impossible.”

This room was thoroughly soundproofed.

Not just in the physical sense—materials blocking noise and so on.

As the captain’s office, directly connected to the Empire’s central intelligence, it was protected by various layers of magical soundproofing.

The magic circles, designed by some of the Empire’s most renowned mages, were embedded throughout the room.

And he heard the conversation from outside?

But unlike the flustered Dame, Kaeld simply scratched his head.

He looked like nothing more than a innocent young man.

“I spoke out of turn.”

“If you know it was inappropriate, then tell me honestly—how did you hear it?”

“As I said. Magic doesn’t really work on me. Ha ha.”

“……”

“In any case, you’re saying there’s someone named Mide in the northern continent, right? Seems like he’s been doing some amazing things too.”

Dame sat back down in his chair.

And replied in a cautious voice.

“He defeated the Martial King, so yes, you could say it’s amazing. He also exposed the foul deeds that Martial King committed behind the scenes. Still, he hasn’t achieved as much as you have.”

“Hmm. So your daughter was assigned to keep an eye on Mide.”

“You know my daughter too?”

“Ha ha. She’s just as famous as you are, Captain. Lady Xenia, after all.”

Kaeld left something unsaid.

‘She was originally the one I intended to make my fourth companion.’

Which is why he used Dame’s invitation as an excuse to come to the capital.

And now Mide had scooped her up?

Just what kind of bastard was this Mide?

Kaeld lightly tapped the armrest of his chair with his index finger.

So far, everything had gone according to plan. Googlᴇ search novel✦fire.net

He had already gathered three hero-class companions, and Kaeld himself was steadily walking the path to becoming a true Hero.

But at this moment—for the first time—

‘I think I’ve run into an obstacle.’

Kaeld’s eyes grew deeper.

Dame continued chatting on, and Kaeld replied casually.

But in truth, Dame had already vanished from his thoughts.

Much later, Kaeld made up his mind.

‘I’ll have Offense go meet this Mide.’

While in route to our next destination, I asked Trail to check on the current situation.

<Fame points needed to level up: 7,760 / 20,000>

<Your name is echoing across the Drucker Territory. (All points collected!)>

<Your name is echoing across the Quelk Territory. (All points collected!)>

<Your name is echoing across the Lior Territory. (All points collected!)>

I’d been waiting for this moment.

‘Map!’

[Sure.]

Trail responded a bit sarcastically and projected the continental map onto the screen.

It had been hard holding back from looking.

[Why hold back? You could’ve asked to see it any time.]

‘I wanted to wait until I had collected all the points from Lior. Hmm.’

I folded my arms and smiled in satisfaction.

My influence in the northern continent had spread significantly.

Lior Territory had a wide area, sure—but even accounting for that, the growth was impressive.

‘Looks like my reputation is starting to spread into other territories too.’

[Yeah, good momentum. But compared to Kaeld… huh?]

Trail suddenly sounded discouraged.

Kaeld’s black fog hadn’t expanded much compared to last time.

Sure, it had grown somewhat—but it looked like that came from natural word-of-mouth rather than him actively doing anything new.

[Is this guy not working or what?]

‘If he’s not working, that’s good news for us. Show me the numbers.’

[Just a sec.]

<Mide Mohan – Cumulative Fame: 7,760>

<Kaeld Wake – Cumulative Fame: 20,980>

If I remembered right, Kaeld’s Fame last time was 20,450.

Yep. He’s been sitting on his hands.

Thanks to that, the gap between us had shrunk significantly.

[You’re acting like you knew this would happen.]

‘I did make a move. Couldn’t be sure it would work, though.’

[Let’s hear it.]

‘Xenia said she was originally supposed to meet Kaeld together with Dame in the capital. In other words, he’s there now.’

And probably had a meeting with Dame.

I had asked Xenia to report my achievements to Dame.

[So now Kaeld likely knows about you through Dame?]

‘Yeah. Didn’t expect it to go this smoothly, though.’

[But why would you want to make yourself known! You’ve just made him wary!]

‘So simple-minded.’

[Take that back. I’m complex.]

Hmm.

Is that really the right word?

In any case, I shrugged and explained.

‘Kaeld may look simple, but he’s actually extremely cautious. Just look at how he deceived the entire continent.’

[And?]

‘And he probably never even considered that someone else might be walking the same path he is. If I know him, he’ll prioritize investigating me over starting anything new.’

[Huh. So you intentionally steered him in that direction? By having Xenia report to Dame?]

I nodded.

‘Right. It’s important for me to catch up quickly—but it’s just as important to keep him from widening the gap.’

[Still, he knows about you now. You sure it’s worth the risk?]

‘I figured it was a risk I had to take. And even if he knows, he’s not the type to just fly over here and challenge me head-on. He’ll probably send someone to scout first.’

And if he does send someone to scout, one name comes to mind.

If Kaeld sends Offense, that would be ideal.

That guy is at least someone you can talk to.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep