Save the Hero Party (1)
Having resolved yet another incident today, Sisilia headed to her designated seat—the far corner diagonally across from the training grounds—with a bag of bread clutched proudly in her hand. The Windsor Knights bustled about, and every now and then, she spotted some newbies. The newbies' outfits had already shed their beginner vibe.
This is all thanks to me...
...Weird. What did I even do?
It felt like she hadn't done a thing for the newbies themselves, really. Anyway—
"The world's peace is holding up nicely."
Sisilia nodded to herself, nibbling on a baguette bought with one gold from Edward.
In truth, no one in this world had noticed, but astonishingly, Sisilia's "ending" plan was progressing smoothly.
"At this rate, it'll wrap up in two years."
Even if it looked like Sisilia was stirring up trouble here and there, she had the big picture in mind. With the discovery of this dragon, she'd cleared the prerequisite for taking down the Demon King.
If I just clear the episode where I meet a 'living dragon' and get some advice, I could even aim for the Ma-shin.
I was worried the difficulty spiked compared to the previous work, but it's dishing out rewards to match. As expected from the Goddess of Operations.
Nom nom. As she slowly melted the baguette in her mouth, Sisilia sank into her private thoughts.
Who could the dragon she'd already met be? She'd pegged Lydia as the prime suspect, but a sudden thought struck her.
...There's no guarantee the demons don't have a dragon on their side.
If that were the case, things would get very serious. To beat the Ma-shin, she needed to uncover one "secret," and in "Another World," the goddess had revealed it to Sisilia back when she was level 1.
"Hero who has traveled far, Another World is currently in crisis. Please save ** to save this world."
To be precise, it was right at the character creation screen.
"The goddess...? Oh, no, I've never met her."
But none of the current newbies claimed to have met the goddess either.
...I could just cosplay as a dragon and tell them, but it feels off.
Why hadn't the goddess spilled the most crucial detail for clearing the game? And the newbie summons being Lydia's doing felt suspicious too.
If Lydia wasn't the dragon, the tangled story would give even Sisilia a headache.
...For now, let's take down the Demon King first.
The Ma-shin was still too far off. She'd deal with that after bagging the Demon King, she decided, and set off.
Her destination: the plaza. If she sat there looking pitiful, some kind-hearted newbie would approach. Sisilia had no qualms about handing them a quest—
"What is this?"
Just as she headed for the plaza, at the main gate of the knight order HQ, she spotted Edward surrounded by a swarm of female newbies.
"Give me your number, oppa!"
"Kyaa! He's so handsome. Like, is this for real?"
Edward was Sisilia's certified number two handsome guy in the world.
(For reference, number one was Chiron.)
As a royal, knight order captain, and bearer of the Handsome trait, Edward was Sisilia's greatest rival. No matter how pretty or cute she was, female newbies went wildest for a total stud.
"If you keep skipping classes to come find me like this, it'll be a problem."
Who knew he'd be this popular? Probably that personality. Unlike his usual self with her, Edward wore a kind smile.
Weird. He's always mad at me.
Sisilia felt oddly wronged as she bit into her baguette.
Those newbies are cute, though...
"Thanks for saving us last time!"
"We came to give you that thing!"
As Edward tried to enter HQ, the newbies shouted. He paused, glanced back slightly, and said,
"It's just my job."
The girls swooned, while Sisilia's mood soured.
Edgelord showing off.
Sisilia let out a silent burp. Her stomach felt incredibly queasy.
But—
...Fine. Gotta be cool if you want the newbies to like you.
Sisilia's dream was to be a heroine loved by men, women, young, and old alike. At this rate, she'd only appeal to guys. That was a huge problem.
Sisilia immediately sought out Beatrice, who had just finished training and showering, wrapped only in a towel.
"Lady Sisilia...? Why are you here?"
"......"
Sisilia stared intently at a certain part of Beatrice's body.
She might even lose out to guys in popularity. But Sisilia wasn't one to wallow in despair. She was the type who always found the right path forward, even in tough spots.
That was Sisilia Windsor.
"I came with a question. A very important one, so answer honestly."
"O-okay, got it."
Beatrice swallowed hard at Sisilia's serious demeanor.
"Betty, when do you think I look the coolest?"
"...Is that really a serious question?"
"Dead serious."
Beatrice looked down at Sisilia, who was at least 10cm shorter, with cloudy eyes.
Coolest moment...?
"Hmm."
Truth be told, Beatrice had one too. Watching from afar, vowing to become like the Sword Princess someday.
Back then, Sisilia was an otherworldly existence. Even from a distance, her unique aura made her the epitome of cool.
So.
"Lady Sisilia just needs to keep her mouth shut."
"...!"
**Having received solid advice, Sisilia headed straight out for volunteer work. But unlike ordinary volunteering, this was a prime honey spot. Why? Because Sisilia planned to leverage her connections as a high-ranking cool person.
"No orders from the knights, so I came to the academy."
In the headmaster's office, Chiron and Sisilia sipped tea.
Sisilia eyed Chiron's nearly immobile right arm with a heartbroken expression.
"...Must be really inconvenient, huh?"
At Sisilia's subdued voice, Chiron gave a wry smile.
"Sisilia."
"Yes."
"...It doesn't interfere with daily life. You know that, so don't treat me like a one-armed swordsman."
Chiron drank his tea flawlessly with his right arm.
Sisilia fell silent.
"Still, you brew tea great."
Sisilia brightened instantly.
"Think you could get married off?"
"Do it after I'm dead."
"......"
Sisilia blinked, then returned to the original topic.
"How's headmaster life?"
Chiron cracked his neck, stroking his bushy beard.
"Surprisingly suits me. Already graduated two user cohorts. Feels rewarding. And above all..."
Chiron looked at Sisilia with impassive eyes, then trailed off.
He couldn't say it was nice not stressing over a certain gold nugget.
"...Nothing."
"Felt like you just thought something hurtful."
Sisilia eyed Chiron suspiciously over her tea but asked anyway.
Truth was, she had a purpose today. Sisilia wasn't just some pervert licking newbies.
"Came to pick about four talented users."
"For the knights?"
"Planning a separate organization. Name: Hero Party."
It felt a bit early, but with two of the Four Heavenly Kings' heads claimed, now was perfect timing. She'd even found the mage for the Hero Party.
She'd form it ahead of time and eventually have them take down the Demon King.
Chiron said gravely,
"You plan to have them kill the Demon King."
"That's the point of summoning users, right?"
"It was. Forgot. ...They're so underwhelming."
Sisilia sipped her tea quietly. Then, after about five seconds, her eyes widened in shock.
She'd assumed by now they'd at least handle the Seven Deadly Sins.
"...Pardon?"
"Before the users arrived, you had high hopes. I did too. No one could match your childhood talent, but I figured some would come close."
But Chiron's expectations shattered.
Sisilia remembered every single lesson perfectly—not just memorized, but mastered beyond anyone. Teach her ten things, and she'd intuit the other hundred.
"You beat regular knights in spars within three months. Five months later, you matched the Windsor knights."
Others called it talent—but Chiron called it "effort."
Perfectly mastering one lesson wasn't talent alone. Sisilia swung her sword till dawn for that one thing. On bad days, she'd rage and skip her beloved cake entirely.
"...It's been nine months of training. Yet most can't even beat ungifted mercenaries."
Chiron realized now: effort was a talent too.
In his view, users lacked persistence—and the raw desire to grow stronger.
"...So they have potential?"
"Movements are awful. Like spoiled nobles who've never moved much. But the auras' talent is there. Mana accumulates faster than average."
"Hmm."
Sisilia hummed thoughtfully.
She preferred maximizing strengths over fixing weaknesses—in individuals or groups.
"Still, there must be standouts."
"...You're right."
Chiron rose, pulled files from a drawer, and dropped them on the table before sitting.
"Imperial Academy user training is four weeks. Top performers are grouped separately. These are their profiles."
Sisilia skimmed them. Thirteen in total. Some familiar names: Ruby and Siu.
But mostly new ones, making her heart race.
"One stands out especially. Good movement, real talent."
"Who?"
Chiron pointed to one sheet.
"Evan. Aura: Time. And the undisputed top among users."
Time—one of Sisilia's certified broken auras, top four.
But more than that, something nagged her.
Evan...? Feels familiar.
It hovered on the tip of her tongue. If it was important, it'd come to her. She moved on to the key question.
"What do you think they need most?"
Chiron sipped tea without answering. Sisilia tilted her head, then tried—
"...Daddy?"
"Real combat."
Chiron had grown annoyingly paternal lately.
"Can't you just order that?"
"Their 'real combat' now is knights escorting them safely. Users know they won't die with knights protecting them."
"Hmm. After nine months, they should handle newbie-only runs."
Chiron smiled bitterly.
"Getting old—got attached. Can't bear to see them die."
Here, Sisilia donned her pre-prepared monocle.
"Leave it to me. In one month, I'll turn those newbies into proper heroes."
She fully believed she'd be Professor Sisilia for the next month.
But Chiron knew his pretty daughter came to stir trouble—and that entrusting her with users was no punishment.
So he said,
"Go clean the main gate."
"...!"
Sisilia drooped, broom in hand, and trudged to the gate.