Inside the room, Aul sat on an expensive sofa, leaning on his cane with both hands as he sized up the hooded girl before him. The atmosphere felt heavy.
This was his first meeting with Celia’s instructor. Dignified and elegant, her long silver-white hair cascaded down to her chest, drawing the eye.
In his memory, few Heroes had such hair color.
The hood couldn’t fully hide her face. After a closer look, Aul was certain she wasn’t a popular Hero.
This realization gave him a slight headache. The hooded girl was likely a veteran among Heroes, meaning she had strong connections.
That would undoubtedly bring him trouble.
Dorothy didn’t know his thoughts. She gave Aul a quick glance and said, “Mr. Aul, just speak plainly.”
Clearing his throat, Aul repeated his reasons for blocking Celia from becoming a Hero.
“Miss Dorothy, as the young lady of the Fiona Clan, Celia cannot be a Hero. I hope you understand this, Instructor.”
“Have you asked her wishes?”
“Her wishes don’t matter. The Fiona Clan has only her as heir. And Miss, you know Heroes can sacrifice their lives anytime.”
He paused, his tone turning firm and cold.
“From birth, she cannot be a Hero.”
Across the entire Rosi Empire, no scion of a great noble family had ever become a Hero.
It wasn’t disdain—they simply preferred luxury over a life on the edge of a blade.
Similarly, some Heroes, after receiving land from the Empress, retired to become nobles themselves.
But Dorothy only felt anger at his words.
Disregarding Celia’s wishes entirely?
Did the Fiona Clan see her as mere property?
Celia was her daughter. This infuriated her.
She’d abandoned her partly to spare her suffering.
Being a princess second only to the Demon King in the Demon Race was far happier than hiding on the run.
So how had Celia become the Fiona Clan’s heir? And why didn’t she know her Demon Race heritage?
What was Demon Queen Sophia up to?
She couldn’t fathom it.
Besides…
“The Fiona Clan’s heir isn’t safer than a Hero, Mr. Aul. You know that better than I.”
Though Dorothy rarely followed human empire affairs, she’d still seen plenty of noble gossip.
The Fiona Clan was one of the empire’s three great houses. They’d offended many nobles, their power even threatening the royal family.
Many sought to eliminate them. As heir, Celia was the prime target.
Becoming a Hero might actually be safer.
“The young lady will have guards for protection. Safety isn’t your concern, Instructor.”
“But who knows if those guards are loyal? Betrayals happen often. You’re being too optimistic, Mr. Aul.”
After a silence, Aul smiled.
“Instructor, are you claiming your strength surpasses my chosen guards? Then you must be a Sage-level Hero.”
Why Sage-level?
Only a few Council-level Heroes existed—he knew all their faces, and she wasn’t one.
As for Sixth Rank? Her demeanor made that impossible.
“Miss, why not share the title the Hero Council granted you? This old man could learn something.”
He dropped pretense this time, asking the question he craved most.
Knowing her title would let him dig into her past and connections.
She’d be easier to handle then.
“My title? That was long ago. But since you insist, Mr. Aul…”
A troubled look crossed Dorothy’s face. Then, as if deciding, she slowly removed her hood.
“In the past, they called me the Silver Blossom Sword Maiden. Have you heard of her, Mr. Aul?”
Her silver hair and face were fully exposed. Aul didn’t marvel at her beauty—her words hit him like a shockwave.
Silver Blossom Sword Maiden?!
“…Didn’t she fall at the Demon King’s Castle over twenty years ago?”
He recalled clearly: twenty years prior, the Hero Silver Blossom Sword Maiden led a squad into the Demon King’s Castle. She was defeated by the Demon King and captured.
What happened after—even as a Demon Race member, he’d heard nothing.
Was she the Demon King’s plaything? Or already dead? He had no idea.
Now, the girl before him claimed to be her?
He wanted to disbelieve, but the aura she deliberately released forced him to accept it.
She radiated at least Seventh Rank power.
“My story’s complicated, Mr. Aul. Just know I’m here now.” Dorothy twirled a strand of chest hair, her tone teasing. “So, do you still think I can’t protect Celia?”
Aul looked away, falling silent again.
The Silver Blossom Sword Maiden—humanity’s strongest Hero twenty years ago, a Hero Council member, the first to storm the Demon King’s Castle. Rumors said she’d touched the threshold of Ninth Rank…
Compared to her, the Fiona Clan meant nothing.
Using clan pressure on her instructor was now a joke.
To take Celia, he’d need another way.
“I admit Miss Silverbloom is formidable. But even she can’t guard the young lady every second. I’m still uneasy.”
Facing the Silver Blossom Sword Maiden, Aul gave a bitter smile and proposed a fair compromise.
“I hear becoming a true Hero requires passing the guild’s assessment—defeating a demon beast.”
“Then this: in six months, if Celia’s Hero team defeats a Fourth Rank demon beast, I’ll allow her to be a Hero with no further interference.”
“If they lose, she returns with me to inherit the Fiona Clan. Miss Silverbloom must not intervene.”
After a few seconds’ thought, Dorothy agreed.
She knew this was Aul’s maximum concession. Pushing further would raise suspicion.
Besides, defeating a Fourth Rank demon beast in half a year wasn’t impossible.
Having her answer, she stood to leave, asking one last question.
“Where are her parents?”
“Apologies. That’s the Fiona Clan’s private matter. Best not to pry, Miss Silverbloom.”
One deep look at Aul confirmed he’d never tell.
Why Celia was the Fiona Clan’s heir—she’d investigate that herself later.
