Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: The Hero Hears Interesting News
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Spring had arrived.
The world was buzzing with life once more, and new beginnings were springing up everywhere.
And in one of those places where fresh starts were underway, the young gathered!
It was the Empire's cradle, the Academy.
With the long winter break finally over, just before the entrance ceremony, returning students began sharing the stories they'd heard over the vacation.
"No way the Empress got taken down by that dungeon boss..."
"So the propaganda covering for the Clear-Eyed Lunatics wasn't true?"
"As expected of the world's strongest~ So even the Sword Saint getting defeated—"
"Hey, are you trash-talking the Sword Saint right now?"
"No, why are you suddenly..."
Beren the Sword Saint was the idol of countless boys and girls at the current Academy.
He'd risen to the top through sheer self-made grit, and after tying the knot with the Empire's Empress, he was the epitome of "the hero slays the demon king and lives happily ever after with the princess."
So especially among commoners, he had outright worshippers!
If their role model the Sword Saint had just lost to Balzac once, they could've made excuses.
But since he'd lost to Balzac in one-on-one duels over twenty times, they couldn't even claim a moral victory, and it hurt like hell.
Anyway, the Academy was abuzz with the topic.
But now the entrance ceremony was underway, and new students were filing into the auditorium.
The Imperial Academy had a tradition of returning students attending the ceremony.
So the veterans couldn't head to their classrooms; they had to sit through the dean's boring speech with the freshmen.
Thus, unlike the bright-eyed newbies, the returning students started zoning out with vacant stares.
But right then, a beam of holy light suddenly poured down from the auditorium ceiling.
Whoooosh!!
"Uh...?"
"Wh-what's this?!"
"No way!!"
As everyone panicked, one female student bathed in the light wore a dazed expression.
The girl uttered a single word.
"Eh?"
And so, during the Academy's entrance ceremony, a new hero was born.
**************
A second-year at the Imperial Academy became a hero right in the middle of the ceremony.
The story made headlines across the Empire's newspapers.
"No way a commoner kid under twenty became a hero?"
"Hee hee hee, what a blessing for the Empire."
"Man, what kind of talent does she have to receive the Celestial God's blessing at that age?"
"Let me see, name's 'Luel'... and a girl?"
"""Ooh."""
Adults loved hearing they had another sturdy shield to protect them...
"But why her and not me?"
"Wh-why?!"
"I worked so hard..."
The teens at the Academy felt massive envy.
To top it off, this second-year girl who became a hero had perfectly average grades!
So the top students were eaten up by thoughts of "Why her and not me...?"
Anyway, the being who became the hero this time.
Luel, with her standout golden hair and golden eyes, was pale-faced and drenched in cold sweat.
'Wh-why am I the hero...'
The girl was a total ordinary citizen overwhelmed by the pressure, her stomach churning.
But she'd already received the Celestial God's blessing.
And just like that, she was whisked away in a lavish carriage that arrived at the Academy, straight to the imperial palace.
"Urrghhh!!!"
"This hero gets portal-sick, huh."
"Can't be helped at her age. But didn't the current Empress grow into a hero like this? We just have to trust and wait."
"Ah, true enough."
"""Hahaha!"""
The surrounding hype hitting max didn't help; Luel had witnessed that sky-piercing sight live, making her stomach roil even more.
While Luel was lost in "Where am I? Who am I?", others handled everything, and soon she was right before meeting the Empress.
Dragged into a palace antechamber, the girl!!!
"Th-this is a dream!!!"
Went berserk in the middle of the room.
The girl's dream had just been to graduate from the Imperial Academy and live a leisurely life!
But suddenly the scale exploded.
Time, however, was cruelly fair.
"Oh ho, so this is the girl who became the new hero."
"Eek! Eek!!"
"Hee hee hee... Beren, didn't you look exactly like that when you were little?"
"W-well, yeah..."
Watching Luel flail like a puppet, the Empress smiled, reminded of when she first met her husband.
Luel, with her massive black history moment, shed tears inside.
Thanks to this unprecedented young hero, special personnel were assigned to her.
"Hero Luel, the one on your right is Hero Herim of the Celestial Blade, and on your left is Hero Lowell of the Morning Star."
"Hahaha... Never thought I'd meet such a junior hero."
"Y-yeah, Herim senior."
"Kieeeeeek..."
Facing the Empire's two most famous heroes, Luel screamed.
Hero Herim of the Celestial Blade had reached Balzac solo before even the Sword Saint.
Now he was renowned as the fixer cleaning up demonic realms in the Middle Realm and world chaos.
Hero Lowell of the Morning Star had earned his moniker "Morning Star" during adventures, consuming countless elixirs from the Abyss's depths and training with comrades.
These two would mentor the very young Luel and guide her.
"But I'm not even a senior like Herim, and it's not long since I became a hero, so I don't have much to tell Luel..."
"Aw~ Lowell, don't sell yourself short. More importantly... you okay?"
"Uuugh... Euugh..."
Overhearing the two heroes chat, Luel felt like her stomach was about to burst.
But her ordeal wasn't over.
"Uh... wh-where is this?"
"It's a place every hero must visit. See that sword stuck in the ground over there? That's the legacy left by the Hero of Light."
"Hero of Light? So that sword..."
"...is the holy sword."
Facing the holy sword radiating mystical energy, Luel blanked out.
But she realized what she had to do.
"No way... you want me to pull it out?!"
"Luel, don't stress. Just try it thinking you probably can't."
"Lowell's right. Give it a shot."
Pushed into the holy sword pull that every hero of the era had to face, Luel gripped the blade in the ground.
Pop!
"Huh?"
"Hm?"
"Eh?"
And just like that, Luel became the new owner of the holy sword.
**************
[A being has drawn the Hero of Light's holy sword!!]
The massive news bulletin sent the world into a frenzy.
Anima, gathering outside intel, reported it straight to Balzac.
"Ooooooh!! A hero who drew the holy sword used by the Hero of Light!!!"
"Quite intriguing..."
"Yeah."
"But what's the Hero of Light?"
""What?""
Hey, why are you looking at me like that!
I lived on a mountaintop until I entered the dungeon!
But Orek backed me up.
"I lived far from the human world like big bro here, so I don't know much about the Hero of Light either. So, Ferguson bro, could you explain?"
"Hmm... Makes sense for you two."
"Balzac bro, simply put, the Hero of Light is the protagonist of the Great War."
"Protagonist?"
"This 'Lumen' guy, the Hero of Light, took on all the demon kings solo without a single party member and won, from what I know."
Oh ho, a hero who handled everything alone!
A guy who gets romance.
But the sword stuck in the ground—does that mean the Hero of Light died during the Great War?
"Bro, that hero didn't die."
"Huh? Then why's the sword in the ground?"
"From what I heard, after the war, he abandoned the god's blessing and the holy sword and vanished."
"I've heard all sorts of theories here: maybe guilt from massacring so many in the Great War, or injuries from bloody fights with demon kings that never healed, or even going mad, and tons more."
"I see."
Such a powerhouse crumbling in the end—truly a shame.
To me, it looked like the hero suffered post-traumatic stress disorder... PTSD, you know?
And since he did it all alone, no one was around to support him.
The ultimate end for someone with no friends or comrades.
Anyway! His legacy would surely pass to this hero who drew the holy sword.
So I'm really looking forward to the day this hero comes for me!!
"Let's see, name and description of the hero who drew the holy sword this time..."
"Name's Luel, blonde with golden eyes?"
"Common look. And a commoner."
In this era, commoner means you flubbed the parent gacha.
No backing.
Which means this hero with the holy sword is prime for exploitation by outside forces.
But the Empress leading the current Empire is sharp enough to snag the Sword Saint, so she's probably prepared countermeasures!
"Wow... you guys gotta see this."
"Vampire, what's up?"
"These two most famous heroes are assigned to this girl Luel?"
"Oh ho, the Empress is competent as expected."
With two prestigious senior heroes attached, no outside force would dare touch her.
Now Hero Luel can grow in peace, so I just wait!
"Heh heh heh... New challengers are always welcome."
"Seriously... Big bro has zero worries; must be nice."
"Carel, it's Balzac bro."
"Vampire, worrying about big bro is a loss."
Vampire's still fretting over nothing.
But from the looks of it, an NPC awakened this time, not a player.
Wonder how the game story flows from here?
Every day is full of anticipation!