Chapter 29: The Big-Hearted Sister
His words, delivered with passionate conviction, were met with confused stares from the guards.
His intentions were noble, of course, but he was newly summoned, untrained, his magical and martial skills nonexistent. To face the Demon Beasts in his current state would be suicide.
Only Lena Martithes, despite her delicate name, was moved by his speech. Her heart, as fiery as her namesake, swelled with admiration. She pounded her fist against her chest three times, the metal gauntlets striking her breastplate with a resounding clang.
“Hero!” she exclaimed, her voice booming with enthusiasm. “Your spirit is noble, your heart pure, your soul filled with compassion! I, Lena Martithes, pledge my sword to your cause! I will follow you into battle, I will fight by your side, I will cleanse this land of the Demon scourge!”
“Let us depart at once!” she declared, her eyes blazing with righteous fury. “I know of a Demon encampment, seventy thousand strong! I will lead you to victory!”
Seventy thousand Demons?
Qin Chu’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t be serious.
He wanted to kill Demons, to absorb their power, to grow stronger. But he wasn’t suicidal.
Lena, her heart overflowing with gratitude for this selfless, dedicated Hero, was ready to charge into battle, to storm the Demon King’s castle, to single-handedly bring peace to the Heavenly Continent.
Her enthusiasm, her unwavering belief in his abilities, was both endearing and terrifying.
Fortunately, her subordinates, though clearly sharing her admiration for the Hero, possessed a greater degree of common sense.
They rushed forward, grabbing her arms, restraining her before she could drag the Hero to his doom.
“Captain, please reconsider,” one of them pleaded.
“Calm down, Captain. The Hero might possess two Super-tier Abilities, but he’s still new to our world. To face seventy thousand Demons now… it’s suicide!”
Lena glared at them, her voice firm. “I, a knight, have sworn to protect the Hero. I will not fail him.”
“Captain, with all due respect,” another guard said, his voice laced with exasperation, “you can’t possibly defeat seventy thousand Demons on your own. Even if they were all low-level Slimes, you’d be overwhelmed.”
Lena’s face flushed.
She hadn’t thought of that. Seventy thousand Demons… that was… a lot.
The fire in her eyes dimmed, replaced by a sheepish embarrassment.
“Well,” she mumbled, her voice losing its usual confidence. “Perhaps… we should… reconsider our strategy.”
She had boasted about leading him to victory, and now she had to back down. The shame was almost unbearable.
She worried that her change of heart might discourage the Hero.
“Perhaps… you could… familiarize yourself with the Heavenly Continent’s… combat techniques?” she suggested, her voice hesitant. “I could teach you my Explosive Flame Battle Qi…”
The other guards groaned, exchanging weary glances.
Lena’s heart was in the right place, but her impulsiveness, her lack of foresight, often led to… complications.
“Captain,” one of them said gently, “the Hero Squad will be training the Hero. They possess far superior techniques. Explosive Flame Battle Qi is… inadequate.”
“Besides, teaching him without authorization would be a breach of protocol, a direct challenge to their authority. You could be punished.”
Explosive Flame Battle Qi was a mid-tier technique, a pale imitation of the advanced methods wielded by the Hero Squad.
Lena knew this, but she still felt a surge of resentment.
“Those stuffy old fools!” she muttered under her breath. “Who knows when the Hero Squad will arrive? Is the Hero supposed to sit around twiddling his thumbs while people die?”
To her, their inaction was criminal.
Every day, countless lives were lost to the Demon Beasts, yet the so-called leaders seemed unconcerned, their priorities focused on maintaining their power, their prestige.
“Bah! The Hero Squad! A bunch of self-serving glory hounds! They’re just afraid of losing their influence, their control over the Hero.”
Her subordinates paled, their faces reflecting their growing alarm. The vice-captain, his expression thunderous, stepped forward, his voice sharp and commanding. “Lena, enough! Control yourself! You are speaking out of turn!”
Lena flinched, her gaze dropping to the floor.
She was the captain, the vice-captain her subordinate, but his anger was a force to be reckoned with.
She understood, of course, that criticizing the Hero Squad was a breach of protocol, a transgression that could have serious consequences.
But she couldn’t help herself.
She was, as always, too honest, too outspoken for her own good.
Qin Chu, however, found her endearing. In this world of deceit and manipulation, her genuine, if somewhat misguided, enthusiasm was a refreshing change.
He remembered those who had wronged him, their betrayals etched into his memory.
But he also remembered those who had shown him kindness, their actions a beacon of warmth in a cold and unforgiving world.
Lena was one of them.
In his previous life, she had been one of his guards, alternating shifts with Nikles, their dedication unwavering.
The death of her younger brother at the hands of the Demon Beasts had fueled her hatred for them, her anger at the inaction of the ruling class.
But she had never wavered in her duty, protecting him, risking her own life to ensure his safety.
When he had despaired, his spirit crushed by the horrors he had witnessed, the lives he had been unable to save, it was Lena who had comforted him, her embrace strong and reassuring, her words blunt yet kind, “You can’t save them all, Hero. But you can save more. Don’t give up.”
Her words had rekindled his hope, his determination.
And when he had become a target, his very existence deemed a threat to those in power, it was Lena who had shielded him, her body a barrier between him and the assassins, her armor shattered, her blood staining the ground.
She had fought until every last assassin was dead, her greatsword the only thing keeping her upright.
She had died in his arms, her final regret that she hadn’t lived to see the Heavenly Continent at peace, her family’s Explosive Flame Battle Qi dying with her.
She had only been with him for six months, but he would never forget her.
This world wasn’t completely devoid of warmth, of kindness. But those flickering embers were easily extinguished by the overwhelming cold, the pervasive darkness.
He planned to eliminate the current members of the Hero Squad. Their positions would need to be filled.
Perhaps, he thought, Lena could be one of his new… champions.
He smiled at her, his expression soft and appreciative.
The vice-captain, misinterpreting his smile, panicked. He grabbed Lena’s shoulder, forcing her to bow her head. “Hero,” he said, his voice laced with desperation, “Captain Martithes spoke out of turn. She meant no disrespect to the Hero Squad. Please, forgive her transgression.”
The guards’ fear, their frantic attempts to appease him, made Qin Chu chuckle. “Relax,” he said, his voice reassuring. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything.”
The guards sighed with relief.
To be caught criticizing the Hero Squad… the consequences would be dire.
“While I might not be ready to face seventy thousand Demons,” Qin Chu continued, his gaze sweeping across their faces, “dealing with a few… rats within the city should be manageable.”
The guards’ eyes widened. The Hero had been attacked at the banquet. Did he mean… there were more Demon assassins lurking within the city? And he could find them?
Qin Chu smiled, offering no further explanation. He ate the food Angelica had prepared, then sat cross-legged on the floor, closing his eyes.
“Shaye,” he said mentally, “wake me up in two hours.”
He was exhausted. He hadn’t had a moment’s rest since his rebirth.
The guards, unsure of what he was doing, watched him in silence, forming a protective circle around him.
Two hours passed. The Hero remained motionless, his breathing slow and even, as if asleep.
But they knew he wasn’t sleeping. He was using his mysterious Super-tier Ability to sense the hidden Demons.
Two hours later, Shaye’s shriek, echoing in his mind, jolted him awake.
He stood abruptly, his legs wobbling, his balance unsteady.
He swayed, almost falling, but Angelica and Lena, their reactions swift, caught him before he could embarrass himself.
He had fallen asleep sitting cross-legged. His legs were numb.
“Ugh…” he groaned, his muscles protesting as he forced them to move. “I’ve located a group of Demons hiding within the city,” he announced, his voice strained. “We must eliminate them… at once!”
The guards stared at him, their eyes filled with a mixture of awe and concern.
What a dedicated Hero!
His pale face, his trembling legs, his labored breathing… he was clearly exhausted.
Yet, his only concern was the safety of the city, the elimination of the Demon threat.
He was truly extraordinary.
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