-Naty’s PoV-

Leon is acting as weird as always.

I often hear him lie about various things.

It got me curious. Why is he like that?

It feels like he knows more than he tells.

He clearly knew about the existence of that giant octopus.

Many other things too… If we think that he knew about everything beforehand… It would explain a lot.

However, from where did he get all of this information?

…That is what I want to find out.

Even now, due to Leon’s plead, we changed our established course and went to the Litor.

A city not far away from the capital.

It was quite far from Lake city, so we took a carriage… Agness was pleased.

Why does he want to go there so badly… Knowing Leon and his obsession with saving others… Will there be an event similar to that of a Kraken appearing?

Let’s think… What do I know about Litor…

It’s mostly known for its military prowess. The size of it isn’t big, but men all around the country travel here to become soldiers. It’s hard to actually be accepted though. The requirements are very strict. But those who graduate become at least of Skilled rank. 

The family that build this city from the ground up is the Litor family… How original… They are hailed as Kingdom’s Sword. The current head is a Titled powerhouse. His title is the Golden Sword Torum. Not only is he the best swordsman of the Kingdom, but he is also in charge of the military affairs of the Kingdom. 

…Litor… Now I remember him. Robert Litor was the one who took Lance away… Lance himself said that Robert is “a decent dude”, but I still hold some resentment… Wasn’t he a captain under the Church? Why someone from a family that is known for its loyalty to the Kingdom… works for the Church? Technically, the Church of Light is a close ally of the Kingdom…However, I heard that there is something going on behind the public’s eye.

Ha~ there is nothing I can think of.

No way the Litor family does something that would put its citizens in danger.

They can be called the true nobles of our time… 

I can’t believe that there are people who will exchange people’s lives for money.

Ah, I can see the gates, we’re finally here.

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.

.

Comparing Litor to any other city is pointless.

It’s bland. No fancy architecture or big building.

Even the nature around it is just flat plains with no trees or water.

The only thing that seems to have some semblance of a rich building is the Military Academy and the lord’s mansion near it… though the latter is much smaller in comparison.

Duke Torum isn’t greedy, but neither is he charitable. He simply doesn’t care about money all that much. And still, people speak favourably of him. Their lives in the city of Litor isn’t all that bad. Especially because of its low crime rates. There are almost no thefts or murders there, even the underground world can’t operate there… So inside information on this particular city is scarce.

Naty and others already got personal rooms in the lord’s mansion. This time Leon said not to hide, as they came to recruit someone straight from the academy. There are many youngs who may fit into the party. As for why it wasn’t on the list… The King probably wanted some talented people for himself only.

Naty was still very suspicious of Leon, but he wouldn't put them in harm's way, so she just kept on observing.

Now, they had an audience with the mansion’s lord Torum.

From the first glance, he seemed like a strong person, his movement and etiquette were polished… truly noble-like. Leon and a few others felt the strength behind his every step.

“Greetings, esteemed Hero. What brings you and your companions here today? I don’t think our humble city was on your list?”

His words too were worthy of his status as a Duke.

Lance didn’t like such formalities. However, he heard of Torum and held quite a bit of respect for him, so he tried to act in a way that wouldn’t put him in a bad light.

“...Yes, greetings… I, umm, I came today to… Look at your trainees…”

“Our soldiers to be? I’m happy to hear that you think so highly of our soldiers, but I believe they are still lacking to accompany you on your journey.”

Lance was bad at reading signs and following the proper, noble style of conversing. Now, he did not know how to answer. It was the first time when he actually regretted slacking on his lectures.

Leon noticed that. Considering he was the one to make Lance come here, he decided to help.

“Your Grace, I think you are underestimating your and your’s soldiers' abilities.”

“Mm? And who might you be?”

Torum was an extremely strict person… especially to the manners. He did not like Leon intruding in his chat with the Hero.

“Oh, I’m sorry for my rudeness. I’m Leon, currently the Hero’s comrade… a Magic Swordsman.”

It got Torum’s attention.

“Oh? Really?”

Torum was someone who appreciated talent. To be on the Hero’s party meant exactly that. But having talent in both sword and magic? Torum wanted to look at that.

“Yes… Duke Torum, I know that a commoner like me is in no position to ask you for anything… But, may I ask you for a personal favour?”

The way Leon spoke was formal, yet still bold… Torum saw his younger self in him.

“...I’ll listen first.”

Leon slightly bowed his head.

“Thank you, sir. I heard of your great prowess and achievements from afar… so I wanted to have a spar with such a grandiose person.”

“...a spar?...Ha! Truly similar!”

The Duke laughed loudly and the tense air in the room disappeared.

Leon didn’t get a straight answer, but he was no fool.

“Ha~, but I have a better idea… How about you fight with my youngest? He’s in need of some experience.”

“Huh?”

“What? Don’t want to?”

“Oh, no, it’s an honour!”

Leon was surprised.

Though he never met Torum personally, he knew quite a bit about him.

The one thing everyone told to Leon… was that Torum never declined a spar.

But it seems that it was a white lie, so he didn’t think of it much.

…Though his plan was now at a risk… 

He first thought of showing to Torum his strength in a fight and gaining his trust… But that won’t work perfectly now.

Torum didn’t wait long and called his son over.

 

The son of Duke’s name was Reymond.

Rey was just a year older than Leon, but his height was on par… as for the skills… We just have to wait and see.

Leon and Rey greeted each other briefly and took their stances.

.

.

Meanwhile, Lance went to the training ground to pinpoint some talents… in his own way.

Trainees were told to continue their training and disregard the Hero’s presence… It was hard for them to do.

The training was done in form of spars, so they went at one another with Killing Intent… Just to get Hero’s recognition.

For now, Lance just stood there, silently watching.

He was alone.

There was no need for anyone else to be there, so they went to do their own business… like watching Leon’s fight and cheering him on…

It was no secret that Lance was talented in the way of a sword, so he could somewhat guess the person’s talent while observing.

There were only two arenas and over a hundred trainees, so it would take some time to check them all… But two fights at a time was probably Lance’s limit anyway.

.

.

Leon’s fight has just ended.

As expected, Rey lost, but it was a close fight…

…No, he was utterly destroyed.

It didn’t end with one hit(it could), but Leon still didn’t have even a scratch.

Leon walk to Rey and held his hand to him.

“It was a good match.”

Leon was smiling, and Rey couldn’t look at his face.

It is not known for sure if he found it annoying, was embarrassed about losing… or something else.

But he still took it.

“...Yeah.”

“A good match indeed, but as expected, Rey needs more training…”

The man in question who was now treated by medics hung his head in shame under his father’s gaze.

“Ah, well, he has great talent considering…”

Rey was adopted.

It was common knowledge, but telling it out loud wouldn’t fit Torum’s character.

“Anyway, Leon. Your way of handling magic and a sword at the same time is exceptional! Even I would have some trouble dealing with you!”

Torum spoke with a smile. It was a kind smile, so Leon thought his plan somewhat succeded.

“Thank you, sir Duke.”

“Leon! We come to cheer you…on? Did it end already?”

The girls were too late for the party.

“Yeah, it’s just a spar anyway. How’s Lance doing?”

“He is in the middle of picking someone out.”

“While the Hero is busy, why don’t I treat you to some tea? You are my guests after all.”

Torum now had a “kind old man” vibe around him… though he had just a few grey lines on his beard.

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.

Lance finally picked a few candidates.

He told the teachers who oversee the fight their numbers, and they dismissed everyone except for them.

There were 5 people left.

Two girls and three boys.

Among them were nobles and commoners.

A proud son of a noble couldn’t understand why two commoners were picked by the Hero.

He wouldn’t voice his thoughts though… Looking at the girl with black hair and a slim body… She was really beautiful… and really strong. So he knew why that commoner was picked… but him? A boy with bangs and a height of 150 cm? He was at the bottom of the ranking. The other 4 were in the top 4 of said ranking… The earlier mentioned girl being the 1…

All of them thought they would fight one another to determine the strongest, but Lance had another idea.

“You all, come at me.”

He took swung a training sword a few times and took a stance.

Those 5 looked at each other and were a bit confused about what to do.

But one girl did not hesitate and ran straight into battle.

Lance gave her some bonus points in his head.

Others didn’t wait for long either.

The fight was not tense for Lance at all.

All he did was evade and block their attacks.

Lance is bad with his words, but the Hero could only have “worthy” people on his team.

So the way to pick such people for him… is through a fight.

He is very good at “talking” with a sword. Understanding others too.

So this fight was not only to determine their talent… but their personality too.

Some moments later, the fight ended.

“That’s enough.”

Everyone except for Lance was exhausted.

Almost all of them were Masters and some were even close to a Grandmaster rank, but it was still not a problem for Lance.

Lance gave them time to take a breather… but the girl with the most enthusiasm for this chance couldn’t wait any longer.

“So…is anyone to your liking?”

It could’ve been taken in a wrong way coming from such a girl… but it’s Lance who we are talking about here.

“Yeah.”

Everyone became excited. Not only those 5 but the teachers who spectated too.

Lance was relaxed and sipped some water.

But the trainees grew nervous.

“S-So?... Who is it?”

Without delay, Lance pointed his finger at a person.

“You.”

“...Me?”

“Yes.”

“...Thank you, sir Hero.”

“Just call me Lance.”

There were no outraged screams of people refuting his choice.

Everyone kind of knew it would happen.

They knew who the best among them was already, so the rest just walked to her to give their congratulations.

The Hero himself slightly smiled and continued drinking his water.

“I knew you would be picked! Congratulations, Tera!”

“Thank you. It seems that I will be leaving preemptively.”

Tera’s smile was worthy of her title “the Queen of the Academy”.

“Ah~, We will miss you.”

“We need to make a goodbye party! I’m sure teachers will allow it!”

“Haha, yeah!”

Four people were happily chatting with one another.

One boy had no place in that group, he had no friends in this place due to his shyness.

So he just turned to leave.

Lance saw that, so he forced the rest of the bottle down his throat.

“*Cough* And you! Wait!”

‘“Huh?”’

Everyone turned to Lance, not understanding what he meant or who he said it to.

“This water is hella tasty… Come here.”

He pointed at the boy and called him over.

“...Why?”

“What do you mean why? I picked you?”

‘“What!?”’

It was a surprise to everyone.

What did he mean by that?

The boy could not understand it either.

“What? Didn’t you pick Tera?”

“I did.”

“...So why are you switching it to me all of a sudden? I don’t deserve it, either way, please reconsider.”

The attitude the boy showed just set in stone Lance’s choice.

“Y-Yeah! Why would pick him instead of Tera!? He is weak and stupid! It’s just dumb to change it like th-!”

Tera was the one to interrupt her friend.

“Please stop. Don’t be rude to the Hero. I will not judge his decision, but… Who said there can be chosen only one person?”

Hearing that Lance smiled widely.

“Exactly! Girl, I start to like you!”

Tera took it in the wrong way and blushed.

“...Does that mean that I was actually chosen too?”

“Yes? Did you think I was joking or something?”

“...To be honest, Yes.”

“Haha, You’re underestimating yourself too much! Now, let’s go meet the others.”

“Y-Yes!”

It was feeling like a dream come true for the boy. 

The girl just followed Lance silently.

.

.

.

Lance choose two people.

I was a bit surprised, but it seems that this place is full of talents.

“... So you chose Tera and Greg…”

“Yes, Duke Torum, is there a problem with it?”

“...There is, actually.”

Hm? Why would there be?

“Why?”

“Every single person in this Academy is a future soldier of the Golden Kingdom. Not just any ordinary soldier, but an elite one at that. No matter how much I want to help you the Hero, I can’t give away two people without King’s approval.”

That isn’t a lie… I already feel bad for one of them.

“But…that…”

Yet again Lance couldn’t come up with a proper sentence… how hopeless are you?

“Lance… I actually agree with Sir Torum here. We can’t take both of them.”

Leon? You too?

“Huh? You too? Why? Both of them are great! They can help!”

“No, it’s better not to.”

“...Why?”

“We already have 2 people on the front of our formation. It should be fine with one more swordsman… but we still have many cities to visit… If we don’t balance our formation, it may have dire consequences.”

“...I see.”

Just by looking at Lance, I can tell that he didn’t understand half of it… He just chose to believe in Leon. I would do so too. After all, I don’t remember Leon being wrong about something.

“...I’m sorry, one of you won’t be on the team… But, both of you, don’t give up! I personally approve of your talent. You have a great future ahead of you!”

At least he’s good at giving speeches.

“Y-Yes! I won’t give up!”

How old is that boy? He looks rather small… I think he is on the Hero’s fan club.

The girl on the other hand… She’s composed. Can’t really tell much about her.

“Well… It’s getting quite late already.”

Mister Torum’s way of giving signs is as noble as possible… Do I really need to get used to such things?

“... Sir Torum, we might stay a bit longer than intended… Is that okay?”

“Yes. The guest rooms are usually empty anyway.”

…It’s much better than sleeping in a tent.

“Thank you… We will conduct a proper interview tomorrow.”

Ha~ I think the girl will do just fine… but the boy is sweating even now.

Good luck Greg. Good luck.

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.

.

When everyone went to their rooms, they were presumably asleep… but not Leon.

He quietly left his room and went to Timmy’s.

“...Are you sleeping?”

“...No.”

“Good. Do you remember what I told you?”

“...Do I really have to do it?”

“We can’t be too safe.”

“...Fine. I’ll take the northern part.”

Like that he left… still in his sleepwear.

Leon paid it no mind and went to patrol his part of the building.

There weren’t many guards inside of the mansion, and it bothered Leon.

Only lord’s room had a few stationed near it… And it seems that Torum isn’t asleep yet.

A few moments after Leon started watching at the lord’s room, Greg exited, with his head down.

‘Hm? Why he was there?’

Soon after, Tera left the room. She was composed as always, so it wasn’t obvious what was on her mind.

‘Ah… I get it… Torum too thought it was strange for Lance to pick Greg… He pressured him… But that’s understandable considering his character… But the last word is on Lance alone… Under normal circumstances I would root for Tera, but… Tera… Is it just a coincidence… or…? No, it simply can’t be. It’s just two similar names. That’s it.’

Leon left, brushing his suspicions off.

At that time, the wind slightly opened Torum’s door. Neither guards nor Leon noticed it. And a quiet whisper echoed not far away. “...interesting…”. But, yet again, nobody noticed it.

.

.

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Today is the day of the interview.

I wasn’t really supposed to be here, but I came to ease the tension of the kid… I pity him.

Only I, Lance and Leon were in the room.

“Tera, you’re first.”

Oh… my… She looks even better with make-up on.

And the green dress fits the colour of her eyes… Should I take some tips from her?

“Greetings.”

A proper bow… It seems she knows her etiquette.

“Yes, Good morning. We don’t need to waste time so just tell us about yourself. Your life your hobbies.”

…Her expression changed for a moment.

“... I am not sure of the exact place where I was born. My parents died before I could remember their faces. I got picked up by a kind couple. They raised me and taught me how to live and survive…”

There is a frown on her face… She’s probably been through a lot.

“... Ha~, they too were killed…”

…It’s sad… Her expression tells me that she loved her parents…

“...So…From that day. I had a dream. A dream where no child will suffer as I did. I joined this academy just for that dream… But I believe that being with the Hero will help me achieve my dream faster…”

…Honestly… I was rooting for Greg before, but now I’m not sure.

Tera’s ideals and convictions truly fit the image of a Hero’s teammate. From the determination in her eyes, it’s obvious how important this opportunity is for her.

“...As for hobbies… I, I don’t really have any.”

Hm? A lie? Why?

“... I see… Okay, that’s enough for now. You can leave.”

“Yes.”

Hmm… Why would she lie… Well… She had a slight blush. Maybe she was too embarrassed to say it?

…I can understand her feelings… Even I would want to appear perfect to someone like Leon… I mean Lance… Yeah…

“Naty?”

“Y-Yes!?”

“Did she lie at any point?”

“What? No? Why?”

Why would he even need to check her?

Why would she ever lie?

…Apart from the last part…

“...Just to be sure… Okay, Greg! Your turn.”

Right, Greg.

…Visibly, he is nervous… A lot.

“H-H-Hello…”

“...Hi. Please, tell us about yourself.”

The first impression isn’t that good…

“Oh, ummm… I was born in this city… My parents raised me in care… I always dreamed of joining the academy… So I trained hard… You can guess the rest… That’s about it…”

…What? Why?

“...Okay… What about hobbies?”

“...I like reading…”

“...Reading?”

“Y-Yes.”

“...How about friends, do you have any?”

“...No…”

Poor kid.

“...I see… Last question… Why do you want to be on Hero’s team?”

“Umm, does there have to be one?”

“...No?... Do you not want to be on the team?”

“Ah! No, no… I mean yes! I want to be on the team…”

“...And the reason why?”

You’re pressuring him a bit too much, Leon… But I’ll let it pass.

“... I want to live a better life…”

…That’s… selfish… But understandable.

“...Okay, you can leave for now. We will call you two after we discuss something.”

“Y-Yes.”

It’s strange… Why would he do that?

“Okay, Lance. What do you think?”

“...The girl is good. The boy is shy and bad with words… I like ‘em both.”

“Tera is certainly a very good candidate. She fits well… The boy seems to have troubles socialising, so we would need to spend a bit more time on figuring him out.”

Will he not ask me?

“I too think so, I can’t choose yet.”

…Really? 

Hm… That’s rude toward the girl, Leon.

“Leon.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you not care if the boy lied or not?”

“Umm… Well, did he?”

“He did.”

‘“...He did?”’

“Yeah. Almost everything he said was a lie.”

“That’s… peculiar.”

“Oh, and I’m definitely rooting for Tera. I wouldn’t want someone who lies about his life on the team.”

One such person is already too much for me, but two? No, thank you.

“Well… We will need to check him out more anyway…”

“You like him a lot, don’t you, Lance?”

“...I think he’s better than the girl.”

…That’s surprising.

“Why? She seems much better.”

“...I’m bad with words, you know it… So I speak with my sword… And the sword told me that the boy was extremely kind and gentle. The girl on the other hand… She’s ruthless.”

“Tera is? You must’ve got it wrong.”

“...Or maybe it’s you who misunderstood the boy?”

Is he picking a fight?

“Are you saying that my divinity isn’t working properly?”

“...Maybe...”

You punk! You are picking a fight!

“You! Hmpf! I was never wrong about anything!”

“...And have I been wrong?”

“Grrr… Leon! Tell him something!”

“...”

Hm? Is he still thinking about something?

He fell into thought the moment I told him about the boy

“...Leon?”

“...Ah! Yes, yes. Let’s call Tera now. Tera! Your turn!”

“Ha~”

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.

We spend a few more hours asking various questions.

Tera never lied, and boy did… a lot.

By the end of it. Even Leon was more favourable toward Tera.

…Lance is a dimwit…

Leon said that they will have another test tomorrow morning… And asked me to participate too… I would regardless… Now, however, I will everything in my power to help Tera win.

…What are Agness and Mel up to?

I think both of them are in Mel’s room.

I have nothing better to do anyway, let’s visit them.

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*Knock-Knock*

“Who’s there?”

“It’s me.”

“Oh~, Naty! Are you done with the interview?”

“Yeah… For today, that is.”

“So Lance couldn’t choose?”

“Mhm. What are you two up to?”

“Hehe, come in first.”

“Sure.”

Agness is sitting by the window… she looks annoyed.

“...Hi, Naty.”

“Hello.”

“Na~ty, you came just in time!”

“...Why?”

“I and Ness had a debate and we can’t determine who’s right. Help us out.”

Debate?

“What is it about?”

“Leon’s best quality!”

…How childish.

“I’m leaving.”

“Noo! Don’t go! We really need your opinion!”

“...Let me go.”

My clothes are going to rip at this rate.

“Only if you help us!”

…I like this dress.

“...Fine.”

“Yey! It’s his appearance, right!? He looks so~ cool and handsome all the time, right, right?”

…Is she serious?

“But that’s not his best quality! His kindness is! He helps everyone he can! Remember how hard he tried at the Lake city?!”

…Are they serious?

“He is, he is… But his appearance is on a whole another level!”

…Is this a joke?

“How can you even compare that? I’m sure if a man could become a Saint, he would be one!”

…Why am I here?

“Are you saying he’s not beautiful!? Does your heartbeat not skyrocket when you look at his face?!”

…I want to leave.

“I-It does, but… Grrr, Naty, tell something to her!”

“Yeah! Naty, what is Leon’s best quality? Appearance or kindness? Tell us!”

…I’ll just tell what I think and leave.

Leon’s best trait… For me, it has to be…

“...Reliability.”

“...Say what?”

“I said it’s his reliability.”

“...Why?”

“...Maybe for you, it’s different… But when we are attacked, I can’t do much… Only hope that nothing will come flying at me… Even while fighting, Leon makes sure that no attacks hit me… He was a bit awkward at first. I was forced to use barriers often. Now he became better. I feel fully protected even on a bloody battlefield… He’s like my guardian angel…”

…It’s similar to a feeling I had in Tournament a few years back…

“Well, that…may be true for you…”

Agness won’t change her mind so easily… But what’s up with Mel’s face?... Why is she frowning… It’s weird to see her like this.

“Naty…”

Even her voice is a bit… creepy.

“Y-Yeah?”

“The thing…about protecting you and… being your guardian… Can’t it just be your amulet?”

My necklace?

“...This one?”

“That’s right. Do you remember the scene they caused when they saw it at the Church?”

“I do. They make a big deal out of it.”

“...And the words he said about this necklace… Do you remember?”

‘...Not only enhancement of divinity. Legends also say that wearers will be protected by angels. And if the belief is strong enough, he will even hear their whispers.’

It was something like that.

“...I do.”

“Can’t it be it?”

Something like that… is unlikely.

“It can, but I don’t think it is.”

“...Why?”

“...There is simply no way that’s true.”

It even sounds ridiculous.

How can an amulet make angels protect you?

It’s more likely they would protect me because I’m a Saint.

“...I see… But he~y that still doesn’t compare to how handsome he is!”

…And she’s back to her usual self…

“No! He’s so reliable because of his kindness! Naty just confirmed that!”

…I’m just going to leave.

.

.

My necklace… It reminds me of him… The first gift he gave to me… I hope he’s okay… but… I still don’t get it. Why something like this was in his basement? If I remember correctly, it was somehow connected to his mother… And he clearly knew what this necklace was… Didn’t my mother know something about it too? It’s weird… Maybe his mother was a Saint and my mother knew her? No, that’s plain stupid, moreover, the previous Saint died long before his birth… If I investigate this necklace… Will I find out more about him?... I should ask mom if I have a chance, she must know something.

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.

.

In the morning, Leon explained what the test would be to Tera and Greg.

Neither Naty nor Lance knew what this test is, but they didn’t care that much and just trusted Leon… His next word bemused them.

“We will be drinking and having fun all day.”

Everyone waited for the punch line… There wasn’t… It wasn’t a joke.

“...Really?”

Lance was excited when he understood Leon was serious.

However, it didn’t seem right, coming from a person like him.

“Yeah. We didn’t have any fun in a few months… And who knows when we will get an opportunity to. This way we can also get to know each other in a relaxing atmosphere… I’ll go get Timmy and the girls.”

“Hell yeah!”

Lance drank secretly a few times in the Hero Academy with Maxwell… And he liked it a lot.

Tera was processing the information and Greg still thought it was a joke.

A few minutes later Melissa and Agness entered the room.

“He~llo there, are you our soon to be recruited teammates?”

Mel waved her hand and looked at both candidates. She immediately noticed that Tera did not look bad at all. So she decided to vote for Greg and smiled at him.

“H-Hi.”

Greg tried to keep his calm, but it was very hard for him, who rarely interacted with men, and probably never with women.

“One of them will be, yes.”

Naty’s words were a punch to both Greg and Tera. One of them, however, took it with ease and another’s expression crumbled.

“...Where’s Leon?”

Lance did not want the chill vibe in the room to be broken, so he quickly changed the topic.

“Went to catch Timmy… Who knows where he might be, so it will take some time… Shall we start with a small one?”

A bottle of rum and a few 1-ounce shot glasses appeared out of nowhere.

Mel got an “order” from Leon and she must obey.

The girl marvellously poured 6 shots and distributed them across the table.

“Woi~la.”

Naty pushed away her glass.

“I don’t really like drinking, it’s a pass from me.”

Seeing that, Tera did the same.

“I tend to puke a lot after drinking, so I shall decline.”

Greg too wanted to follow.

“M-Me too, I-.”

“Uh-uh, no you don’t.”

Lance held the glass and didn’t let Greg push it away.

“Men drink. And that’s a rule you can’t break if you want to be in this party!”

“...Uhm… O-Ok…”

‘Mixen wouldn’t be in this party then’ ‘I won’t be in this party then’

“Great! Then let’s start! Bottoms up!”

Lance drank his shot and others followed.

They talked, played silly games and soon Leon and Timmy showed up.

Leon soon was forced to drink, but Timothy did not.

‘Why would he even bring him here if he won’t drink?’

Soon, Greg fainted and was out for the rest of the day.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened that day for Hero’s party.

They just had fun.

However, one person could not enjoy such an event.

So he left. for a day.

He visited his family and returned only on the next day… but it’s not like somebody noticed.

Leon was a bit scared that Lance will pick someone early, but that did not happen, instead, he said that he came up with a final test that will put an end to this choice.

He could prepare it himself, but he needed time.

Leon happily gave him that time.

‘Today nothing happened… again… I have no clues whatsoever… It can’t continue like this… I will confront him… right now.’

.

.

.

I do not know if this will work.

But I have limited time.

Only he can help me solve this.

And I can trust him… although, will he trust me?

*Knock-Knock*

“Come in.”

“Good evening mister Torum.”

“Leon, what brings you here today?”

“...I have a piece of… information, that you must hear.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“...Is this room soundproof?”

His face hardened…

“...It is.”

Here goes nothing.

“...There is a demon spy that infiltrated this place.”

.

.

.

‘How did he know?’