At that moment, Lepia continued speaking.

“Idria, who seized my soul, sought you out, Mariana. You do remember meeting her, don’t you?”

“Y-yes. But she left without saying anything important.”

“When she spoke about a ‘vessel’… it was then that I became part of your soul.”

“……”

“I don’t know why she placed me inside you. What’s more, she cast a spell to keep me from taking over. The only reason my soul blended in peacefully wasn’t because I’m kind—it’s because Idria put me to sleep.”

It was similar to the case where she had given the Gem of Desolation to the Martial King.

Idria—for reasons utterly unknown—was throwing so-called growth items to those with potential across the continent.

Why? Why in the world?

‘If she’s the Demon King, shouldn’t she be wary of humans growing stronger? Why is she helping them instead?’

Just then, Mariana hastily asked,

“M-my husband? Do you know what happened to my husband?”

“……No. As I said, I merged with you and fell asleep immediately afterward.”

Mariana’s face visibly darkened.

Lepia opened her mouth again in a regretful tone.

“I’m sorry.”

“Yes?”

“I feel like I only confused you more under the guise of revealing the truth.”

“Not at all. You’ve been a great help.”

Lepia smiled gently.

It was a bit of a shame that she was wearing Adwin’s face.

The portrait recorded in the history books had shown her to be truly beautiful.

“Well, I’ll be going now. Iori is probably stretching his neck waiting for me.”

Then Neril spoke up.

“Please tell him I said, ‘Let’s not meet again.’ Not that there’s any chance of it happening anyway.”

It was genuinely surprising to hear her speak so politely to someone.

Of course, Lepia lived long before Neril, but by that logic, she’d spoken informally to Iori without hesitation.

‘So this is a Hero. Someone so remarkable that even Neril uses honorifics with them.’

[You’re admiring something strange.]

Lepia replied,

“Hehe. Iori probably likes you quite a bit.”

“No way. We literally fought each other to the death.”

“He’s incredibly generous to those he acknowledges. And your magical skills are more than enough to earn his recognition.”

“……”

“Besides…”

Lepia paused and looked at me.

“Hero of the future.”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

“I have a proposal.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Fortunately, in this Fifth Party gathering, there’s an outstanding necromancer whose body I’m currently borrowing. Through him, I’d like to support all of you.”

I instantly understood what she meant.

It seemed the others did too—their eyes widened.

“You mean—”

“Yes. I’d appreciate it if you summoned me from time to time. I also want to deal a blow to Idria—that Demon King of lies and deception.”

“……”

“Especially you, Mr. Mide. Your swordsmanship is quite unorthodox and free-spirited, perhaps because you learned on your own. Luckily, so did I. I think we’ll work well together.”

To be acknowledged by a legendary Hero—

As someone aspiring to become one, my heart raced.

But I couldn’t nod readily here.

Mariana sat across from us, her face filled with unease.

No mother would be thrilled to see her only remaining family—her beloved son—joining a dangerous Hero’s party.

“It’s a great honor, but… Adwin isn’t part of our party yet.”

Mariana let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Lepia seemed to notice and quickly adjusted her words.

“I see. Even if not through him, I hope we’ll meet again someday.”

“I hope so too.”

“And Miss Neril. If there’s a next time, how about receiving some instruction from Iori?”

Neril frowned.

“I don’t need instruction. But if it’s advice, I’ll listen to a few words—only because it’s you, Lady Lepia.”

“Ahaha. Iori will be quite upset if he hears that.”

At that moment, another spell began to glow on Adwin’s arm.

It seemed time to go back. Lepia’s voice began to fade.

“Everyone, I’m sorry. And thank you.”

“……”

“Idria is unusually powerful and cunning. I was very worried.”

“……”

“But seeing you all has eased my heart. Please, take care of this Empire and this continent.”

I hurriedly bowed my head to her.

“We’ll see it through.”

Everyone followed with deep bows, filled with respect and awe.

“Farewell.”

“See you again! Next time, let’s eat together!”

“P-please take care on your way back.”

…Was that last part appropriate for the situation?

In any case, that’s how Lepia departed.

Soon, Adwin slowly opened his eyes.

Noticing everyone’s attention on him, he opened his mouth.

“Fufu. Such intense gazes. Have you sensed the aura of the blue wolf slumbering within me?”

This incident was as spectacular and noisy as it was chaotic, so the aftermath caused a stir as well.

A catastrophe on the level of a castle and bell tower collapsing and townsfolk fainting in broad daylight.

The lord intended to report to the capital, and for that, he needed to grasp what had happened.

Since we were the ones who had resolved the incident, we took on the role of advisors and stuck by his side.

We spent a day helping him craft a report that was… tailored to our tastes.

The lord spoke to Xenia.

“I see. So all the recent ghost incidents in the domain were due to that wicked spirit.”

“Yes. It was a spirit far above Mariana’s class. It’s no wonder she didn’t notice.”

“Hm. I must apologize for that, then.”

“She’ll understand. She’s a good person.”

The lord, trying to change the atmosphere, looked to me and asked,

“I heard you played a great role. Is there anything you wish for?”

“Not at all. It was simply something I had to do.”

At my hero-like reply, Neril and Xenia twitched the corners of their lips.

But the lord seemed genuinely impressed and nodded.

“Hoho. Such humility. Truly befitting of a Hero.”

It seemed he added the last part without much thought.

Realizing the weight of his own words, he stiffened for a moment, but then softened his tone.

“Yes… a Hero. You are a Hero.”

“Oh, please—”

“Haha. No use denying it. It’s not just me who says so.”

Clack.

He rose from his seat.

Then he flung open the curtains and opened the window wide.

Outside, a roaring cry pierced the ears.

“The window’s open!”

“Is the story over?”

“Hey. Don’t block the view. I can’t see.”

“Do not cross this line! Seriously, don’t cross it!”

—

A huge crowd had gathered outside the barrier of the residence.

Xenia took a light breath and spoke.

“We experienced this at the last territory too… but still, it’s amazing. That cheering.”

“If you’re going to keep traveling with this guy, better get used to it.”

“I’m starting to worry I’ll become too shameless.”

“It’s fine. You’ve got the talent for it.”

“…Was that a compliment?”

“An insult, actually.”

I left the two murmuring behind and approached the window.

The lord moved aside to make room for me.

“Waaaaaah!”

“Hero! Hero!”

“It’s Hero Mide!”

“Thanks to you, my daughter survived. Thank you, truly, thank you. Sob sob.”

“Hero! Is the Demon King really descending?”

“You’ll defeat the Demon King too, right? Just like last time!”

Receiving their cheers, I slowly raised my arm.

Then I clenched my fist tightly.

“Everyone, be at ease. Nothing shall harm you. I, Mide Mohan, give you my word!”

“Wooooaaaaaah!”

A thunderous roar.

I quietly closed my eyes.

Just then, I heard Trail’s voice.

[Hehe. You’re enjoying it now. Isn’t it sweet?]

‘Yeah. Maybe this is why Kaeld didn’t want to kill the Demon King.’

He had tried to create a permanent crisis across the continent and empire by claiming the Demon King’s core instead of destroying him.

All to be praised as a hero forever.

[Building fame is like a drug. If you’re not careful, it’ll swallow you whole.]

‘Don’t worry. No matter how tempting fame is, it’s nothing compared to my vision of retirement.’

[Just what kind of value do you place on retirement, anyway…? Well, doesn’t matter. Look at this.]

A screen appeared.

<Ding! You have gained 5,000 Fame Points.>

<Fame Points needed for next level: 22,760 / 20,000>

<Your name will now echo through the territory of Raynus.>

<Total expected Fame Points from this incident: 8,000>

<Your name is spreading through the Drucker territory. (All points collected!)>

<Your name is spreading through the Quelk territory. (All points collected!)>

<Your name is spreading through the Lior territory. (All points collected!)>

<Your name is spreading through the Avis territory. (All points collected!)>

<Neril Slane thinks of you as “The man acknowledged by the Hero.”>

<Xenia Seide thinks of you as “The strongest man in the world.”>

Oh, I’ve met the condition for leveling up.

I quickly said,

‘I should level up.’

[Of course.]

He sounded just as excited as I was.

Soon, new messages appeared on the screen.

<Ding! You’ve leveled up.>

<Level: Fairly Well-Known.>

<Fame Points needed for next level: 22,760 / 100,000>

So I’ve gone from “Slightly Famous” to “Fairly Well-Known.”

At this rate, maybe I’ve already surpassed Kaeld’s fame.

I’m curious, but there’s something more urgent right now. This update is available on NoveI(F)ire.net

I closed the window and spoke to Trail.

‘I should be able to see higher-level secrets now, right?’

Trail replied as if it were obvious.

[Yeah. Now that you’ve leveled up, you can access B-rank secrets.]

‘Good.’

[Hate to spoil the mood, but B-rank still won’t cover Idria’s true objective.]

‘I’ve got plenty of other questions anyway. Like the secrets of Neril and the Enerika family. But what I need to know most right now is…’

I paused to collect my thoughts, then continued.

‘What happened to Adwin’s father, Somel.’

[Eh? That’s a more mundane secret than I expected.]

‘Don’t call it mundane. It’s about my comrade’s father.’

[Ahem. I didn’t mean it like that. Just that it’s not related to the continent’s crisis.]

‘You’re not wrong, objectively. But still—please show me.’

I’d never met Somel in person, but when I saw his image on the screen before, I couldn’t help but think of my own father.

A face now faint in my memory.

One of the few remaining fragments was from my birthday—when he cooked a deer he’d hunted himself.

His clumsy hands burning the meat, fumbling awkwardly in the kitchen… that image still lingered in my mind.

[Alright. Hold on a second.]

The screen appeared again.

<You have used the Eye of Omniscience.>

<Current level of the Eye of Omniscience: 3. Accessible secret tier: B-rank.>

<Chosen condition: “The secret between Somel Ayn and Idria.”>

<This is a B-rank secret. Now displaying.>

Oh.

Thankfully, it was a secret I could access at my current level.

Somel’s face appeared on the screen.

In the corner of the screen was a timestamp—it was the night he had placed the emperor on the throne and was returning home with his wife.

He gently stroked the hair of his sleeping wife, Mariana.

“Whew. It’s really amazing how you can sleep soundly anywhere. I, on the other hand, just can’t fall asleep.”

“You’ve got good instincts.”

Suddenly, a voice Somel had never heard before rang out.

But I had.

‘The Demon King!’

The one who had mocked and tormented us endlessly—Idria.

She was floating mid-air in the darkness of the room.

In the exact same pose children use when they lie down and read books.

“You’re just a lowly creature, yet you seem to know when your time has come.”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep