Just a Little Longer
"Just wait a little longer, my brothers and sisters who died before my eyes."
She had only wanted to survive. That was why she had fled the royal palace, following the words of the Constellation. They had pursued her tirelessly. All the way here, to the Holy City Heilen.
So, while it might look like a beautiful city on the surface, to Princess Ersiala, it was anything but.
I will, without fail...
She would have her revenge. Entering the Hero Academy was merely a means to that end. She would obtain power, no matter what, and make them pay.
"Elsie."
Gwen's voice suddenly broke her reverie.
"Yes?"
"Relax your face. People are staring."
She must have been scowling without realizing it. Touching her face, she realized her expression was indeed stiff and tense.
"I'll be careful."
"Elsie, remember what I told you? The truly strong know how to conceal their strength."
She had indeed heard that before. But since she had never met anyone truly strong yet, the concept felt abstract. Even Gwen admitted that she herself had not yet reached the level of the 'truly' strong.
If I go to the Hero Academy, will I finally meet them?
She had heard that promising talents from all over the continent gathered there. Moreover, the faculty was said to consist of many legendary figures who, though retired from the front lines, had once made names for themselves.
And perhaps...
I might even run into Alan.
Of course, meeting him as a fellow student was out of the question. He had already ascended to the unreachable heights of a high-grade hero. But for that very reason, he might be somewhere in the Holy City Heilen. After all, Heilen was the city of heroes.
In fact, heroes were a common sight on the streets of Heilen. Many of the shops targeted heroes, displaying goods tailored specifically for them. When she was fleeing the Reim Kingdom, she hadn't had the luxury to notice, but this place was starkly different from any other city.
"They'll provide all the equipment you need once you enter the academy," Gwen said, noticing her eyes wandering toward the shops.
The items on display certainly looked flashy, but none of them seemed practical enough for actual use. Still, there was something she was curious about.
"About the entrance exam... If candidates are allowed to use real holy relics, doesn't that create an unfair advantage?"
Before arriving in Heilen, she had heard about the Hero Academy's entrance exam from Gwen. Gwen was an alumnus of the academy, which allowed her to provide a vivid account of the testing process. Of course, the exam format might have changed over the years.
"It's not an issue. In fact, some hero candidates can't even draw out their true power without a holy relic. The academy considers the ability to handle a relic as part of one's skill."
"But what if someone with absolutely no skill shows up carrying a 5-star relic?"
"First of all, a 5-star relic isn't something a novice can just pick up and wield. Just think of the Royal Sword. You know how ridiculously strict the conditions are to even activate it."
"Ah..."
The Royal Sword, passed down through the Reim royal family. Indeed, that sword required incredibly demanding conditions to awaken. As a result, not a single member of the royal family had successfully activated it in nearly a century.
"And don't worry too much. The evaluating professors are all veterans. Even if you don't use a holy relic, they'll easily recognize your latent potential."
"Yes..."
"Have some confidence. Your potential is among the highest of any hero I've ever seen."
Gwen placed a hand on her head. While it was a natural gesture between a master and disciple, it looked rather odd from the outside. Unlike when they first met, Elsie was now nearly the same height as Gwen.
She casually brushed Gwen's hand away. It wasn't just because it looked silly.
"How many times do I have to tell you? If you keep touching me, my Optical Modification will flicker."
The first place they visited was the Church HQ in Heilen. Specifically, the hero registration office located within the massive headquarters. It was here that she had to register as a hero candidate first to qualify for the Hero Academy's entrance exam.
To those who believed the academy's acceptance itself should determine whether one became a hero, requiring candidate registration beforehand might seem redundant and unfair. However, because the annual entrance exams consumed a significant portion of the academy's budget, the candidate qualification served as a basic filter to prevent unqualified applicants from flooding the exams.
Even so, becoming a hero candidate wasn't particularly difficult. The standard was simply raised from a Pathfinder—who required no combat ability—to someone possessing the bare minimum strength to fight a Chaos Beast.
The examiners would assess the applicant's skills to judge whether they could hold their own against a Chaos Beast, and the bar wasn't exceptionally high. Ersiala would easily pass.
That is, if Gwen hadn't overlooked one crucial detail.
"I thought we arrived early, but..."
Despite arriving two weeks before the entrance exam to give themselves plenty of time, the Church HQ was already packed with people seeking to register as hero candidates. Consequently, Elsie had to wait a long time for her interview.
After a grueling wait, her turn finally came.
"I'm Elsie from Basil. I don't have... a last name."
While some nations like the Reim Kingdom or Sak issued official identification documents, there were countless heroes from places like Basil that had no such system, so the Church did not require identification. The examiner simply scribbled the name 'Elsie' on a piece of paper.
Watching this, Ersiala steeled her resolve.
From now on, my name is completely Elsie.
At least until her revenge was complete. In truth, she had blurted out the name 'Elsie' on the spot when Alan asked her. Even she had to admit it was a lazy alias, but she didn't want to discard it. After all, Alan would remember her as Elsie.
If she changed her name on top of altering her appearance with Optical Modification, he would never be able to recognize her. That was also why she stubbornly clung to her black hair.
"Do you have a holy relic you use?"
Elsie handed Gwen's sword to the examiner. He placed the weapon onto a strange-looking device—apparently a relic measuring instrument.
"Confirmed. 2-star holy relic, Breeze Bringer."
He handed the relic back to Elsie.
"Now, I would like to assess your basic combat capabilities."
He pointed to a training dummy standing in the corner.
"This dummy has been treated to match the durability of an average Chaos Beast. You have one minute. Use any method you like to inflict as much damage as possible."
Elsie gripped her sword tightly and approached the dummy. Though it looked like ordinary wood, it was bound to be much tougher if it truly replicated a Chaos Beast's hide. Not that it mattered to her, since she intended to strike with everything she had anyway.
With a heavy thud, her downward slash carved a deep gash into the dummy. Even with her full strength behind the blow, it didn't split completely in half, proving its durability.
But that was all.
Elsie's sword dance erupted. It was a tempestuous, raging dance, as if fueled by pure, unadulterated wrath. In an instant, the dummy was shredded to tatters.
"T-That is more than enough."
The examiner stopped her after barely twenty seconds had passed. The dummy was already mangled beyond all recognition.
"I will register you as a hero candidate."
For some reason, the examiner's face was pale. As the examiner hurriedly filled out the paperwork, Gwen placed a hand on Elsie's head.
"Elsie."
"I know."
"Good, then."
"But didn't I tell you not to put your hand on my head?"
Gwen sheepishly lowered her hand.
On their way out after completing the registration, they happened to pass by other testing areas. Because heroes utilized a wide variety of weapons, the Church HQ maintained separate testing rooms for each type.
Among them, the archery testing room caught her eye. There was no particular reason other than the fact that a sizable crowd had gathered there.
"Gwen, didn't you say archery wasn't very popular?"
Gwen had indeed said that. Elsie remembered the reason clearly. The higher the grade of a holy relic, the more likely it was to take the form of a sword. Bow-type relics were exceedingly rare.
"Yes, normally that would be the case. But this year is different."
"What do you mean?"
"Ryutmila, one of the few high-grade heroes who uses a bow, failed to find a successor among last year's graduates. That means the opportunity has rolled over to this year's batch."
Gwen looked at the archery testing room with a cold, critical gaze.
"Most of those kids are washouts from swordsmanship. They're crawling over here thinking archery might be an easier alternative."
But that seemed counterproductive.
"But if so many people crowd in like that, doesn't it defeat the purpose?"
"Exactly. That's why most of them will naturally be weeded out anyway."
Gwen's gaze suddenly locked onto a black-haired man.
"Gwen?"
Elsie called out to Gwen, who had frozen in place. Only then did Gwen tear her eyes away from him, muttering to herself.
"No, it can't be. He looks nothing like him. Besides, there's no way he would be here. And he wouldn't be using a bow, either."
Hearing Gwen's cryptic muttering, Elsie looked over at the man. He was a man with black hair and black eyes.
Alan?
For some reason, he came to mind. Even though this man had a much larger build and a completely different face. But...
There's no way Alan would be here.
She shook her head and turned away, following Gwen.
The black-haired man left behind in their wake.
The moment the arrow left his hand, a sudden gust of wind whipped from his fingertips. The arrow flew like a streak of lightning, piercing the exact center of the target.
"Oh, impressive. You pass."
The examiner watching from the side asked,
"What did you say your name and origin were again?"
"I'm Sung Yu-rang, from Sak."
He turned his head to look at the two women walking away in the distance. He spoke with a trace of regret.
"I promised we would meet again."
It seemed that promise would be difficult to keep for now. Even if it were kept, it would have to wait a little longer.
It's all for your sake. Just wait a little longer.