Rose sat completely still, in a very different sort of shock from that caused by her earlier battle. Platus and Melody sat on either side of her at a round conference table, both as pale as porcelain. Kellela and Hayedalf were doing better, being used to a life around high-ranking nobles, but the [Lieutenant] was looking completely out of his depth. Even the [Commander] was looking a little flustered. The other pair of soldiers had thankfully been excused, and had gone to get themselves a stiff drink.

The reason for their conditions stood in the middle of the table. Not literally; his actual location was half the country away, and even if he had been there, he certainly wouldn't have been standing on a table. He was using a magical tool to project his image, but that didn't change the fact that he was the [King]. Even remotely, he projected a certain amount of majesty.

"I thank you for responding to my summons," he stated. "For the sake of our adventurer guests, I won't stand on ceremony, so please be at ease."

The adventuring party remained very much not at ease.

"First, let me explain the situation as we understand it. Kellela's unborn child, conceived approximately one month ago and given the name of Mystery, holds the occupation of [Hero]. All heroes in recorded history have been reincarnated individuals with memories of another world. While these memories usually manifest between the ages of ten and fourteen, we believe that Mystery somehow possessed his full memory and intellect since conception."

"Her," corrected Kellela.

"Sorry?"

"Her, not his. Mystery is a girl."

The [King] blinked. "Is she? How do you know?"

"Mother's intuition."

The [King] paused, then shrugged. "Sure, why not? Heroes are normally male, but female isn't completely unheard of. It's far less strange than everything else."

Kellela nodded appreciatively, while Platus looked aghast that anyone would ever counter the [King] like that and give intuition as an excuse.

"So, as I was saying, we believe she has her full memories and intellect. Of course, since they are of another world, they do not include our local languages. Despite her rapid skill progression, communication has proven impossible. Is that still correct?"

"Yes," agreed Hayedalf. "The most we've done is blink lights at each other. We've been trying to teach her, but we don't know how much she understands, since she can't talk back."

"Very well. Then let us move on. Traditionally, when a [Hero] is born, they are raised normally for some time, before combat training begins as they recover their memories. Monster activity steadily increases, followed by demons exiting the demonic forest and invading the surrounding lands. The [Hero] puts together a party, defending against the demonic incursions until the party has grown sufficiently in power to enter the forest and slay the demon lord, which causes monster activity to drop back to usual levels. Normally, the [Hero] is in their late teens by that point. This cycle, the [Hero] seems to have made a head start, despite the other side sticking to the usual timeline. Ignoring the recent demon attack, activity around the demonic forest is what would be expected if the birth of a [Hero] was imminent. It's at a level that is unusual, but not, on its own, sufficient evidence to suggest the rise of a demon lord."

Platus and Melody looked very much like they didn't want to ignore the recent demon attack, but were far too cowed by the virtual presence of their monarch to voice their objection.

"Of course, that has now changed. Another well-known fact is that demons can intuitively sense heroes, and will devote their all to killing them. If one has come, chances are good that more will. So, we wish to discuss our next steps. I wish for Kellela and Hayedalf to return to the capital, where you can be protected until the hero's birth."

"Is that an order?" asked Hayedalf.

"You would rather remain there?"

"That's something we'd have to discuss amongst ourselves," he answered, knowing Kellela's public humiliation meant she was still against returning to the capital. Being chased out, only for the [King] himself to demand their return, would be an even bitterer pill to swallow.

"It is not an order. It is what I wish, but several advisors have pointed out that your presence there is... useful."

"Sorry?" asked Kellela, eyes narrowing.

"With the unborn [Hero] living on the forest border, demonic activity is likely to be... focused. Our border with the forest is extensive, nor are we the only kingdom tasked with its defence. If we spread our army across the full length, our defences will end up somewhat porous. For as long as the [Hero] is waiting on the edge of the forest, attacks are likely to be focused there. You'd be acting as bait to protect the rest of the kingdom. Perhaps even the world."

"And is that an order?" snapped Hayedalf.

"Of course not. Had you agreed to return to the capital, I wouldn't have even mentioned it. But I believe you sufficiently capable of self defence, given your skills with warding, and I will assign you extra guards. I just ask that you pay some mind to what you will do in the face of further victims like Rose. Demons are not like monsters. They will ruthlessly exploit your humanity to gain an advantage."

Hayedalf nodded. "As I said, we will discuss it."

"Very well," said the [King] with a slight frown. "But the mention of Rose brings me on to your situation. The achievement you obtained implies that the [Hero] has invited you to be a permanent party member, and you accepted. How did you manage that without communication?"

Rose paled further, realising she was expected to speak. "I... umm... didn't accept anything? I didn't even know she was a [Hero]."

"But now that you know, you do want to? You would be willing to fight monsters and demons alongside her, and eventually enter the depths of the demonic forest to fight and slay the demon lord?"

"I... Uh... But... I'm only iron ranked... I can't... fight a demon lord," she stammered.

"You are iron ranked now, but recall that a [Hero] would not normally enter the forest until their late teens. You have time to train. In fact, I intended to invite you to the royal academy. You would get the best education and training we can provide you with to prepare you for your task."

Platus bit his tongue in an effort not to shout. How could he let his daughter face such danger? But the [King] was obviously not demanding she obey. It was her choice. Also, despite his feelings towards his daughter, his survival instinct was pointing out that shouting at a [King] was not a great career move.

Twitches on Melody's face suggested she was experiencing similar thoughts.

Meanwhile, Rose's thoughts were largely trapped in a loop of 'I'm talking to the [King]. I'm talking to the [King]. I'm talking to the [King]. I'm talking to the [King]', but in the background, she was remembering the demon attack. The terror of it. The belief she was about to die. And how good it felt when the tables were turned. The utter catharsis of that face-punch.

With the benefit of hindsight, she'd noticed a few odd points. Despite the sudden boost to her physical abilities, she hadn't suffered any issues controlling herself. And that stunt where she'd materialised a sword out of thin air... She'd just known she could do it, and so she did. She felt there was more she'd yet to unlock. Yes, apparently she had to wear a stupid costume. It was cute, but 'cute' had no place on a battlefield. Maybe the spell was something from the hero's old world, and that was normal there. She could tolerate it for now, and once the [Hero] had learnt to communicate, she could teach Mystery what real armour was supposed to look like.

It was an attractive proposition. An iron ranked adventurer joining the hero's party. Mystery could have picked from powerful knights, arch-mages or high-priests. Instead, she chose Rose. How could she turn down such an honour?

If, at this point, Rose knew that Mystery had chosen her for her hair colour, the world's future would have been very different indeed. And probably shorter.

"Umm... I'll fight... And thanks a lot for the offer, but I'd rather stay near Mystery. If she heads to the capital, I'll follow. If she stays here, I'll defend her."

The [King] gave her a shallow nod.

"Very well. We shall be reinforcing our border with the demonic forest and preparing for the upcoming monster waves, but keep in mind that each wave repulsed will have been done so at a cost of blood. Whether here or in the capital, protect Mystery at all costs. If she dies and we must wait for another [Hero], it is likely this kingdom would not survive. We'll refrain from publicly announcing the discovery of a [Hero] for now, given her age and that the demons have no reason to be attacking internationally, but we won't be able to hide her existence forever. Keep your eyes open for foreign spies seeking out the [Hero], as well as demons. The nonsensical situation will stymie their attempts for a time, but kings across the continent will want to curry favour in the hopes of controlling a [Hero] once the demon threat is dealt with."

The [King] paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

"You are certain Mystery is female?" he asked.

Kellela nodded.

"Hmm..." he said, without further elaboration. "Well, don't let me detain you further, and thank you for your time."

The image vanished, and the [Lieutenant] practically fled, uncertain why he'd even been there. The [Commander] had ordered him to attend, and had said he wouldn't need to speak, but hadn't explained his reasoning; simply to act as an eyewitness. Had the others said something about the demon attack that wasn't true, he could have pointed it out.

The [Commander] hadn't said anything either, but that didn't mean he hadn't been listening. He acted on the implicit orders of the [King], putting together a guard detail for Hayedalf's farm. As much as his training insisted on bringing them inside the town walls, he knew Hayedalf's wards made boring piles of stone unnecessary, and being positioned remotely reduced the prospect of hostages or collateral damage.

Mystery had equally maintained her silence, although, of course, in her case it hadn't been by choice. Unable to understand the conversation, she'd soon got distracted by the magical projection, the equipment worn by the [Commander] and the short, unmoving invisible person leaning against the wall behind him, their features hidden in an oversized cloak.

ding
For viewing the flows of mana through several magical items, [Soul's Eye] advances to level 22.
You have carefully inspected the results of someone masking themselves from sight, vitality and mana senses, upgrading [Soul's Eye] with [Pierce Illusions]. Level cap of [Soul's Eye] increased by 10.
For observing a new aspect of reality, [Soul's Eye] advances to level 23.

Pierce Illusions (Uncommon)
In the game of cat and mouse between the hiders and the seekers, this sub-skill will let you launch the opening salvos for the seekers, permitting your sight to pierce basic illusionary skills and see what is really there.

If only she'd focused on learning the language instead of skill grinding, she might have been able to comprehend more than a few nouns. But she was happy with her new sub-skill, even if it didn't have a great effect. She could see the faintest hints of mana and vitality, and maybe her view of the wall behind was slightly distorted, but she'd never have noticed the discrepancy without the aid of [Sense Soul] to tell her exactly where to look. Whoever was hiding was apparently rather good at it. Just a shame they were missing a stealthy soul skill. Or maybe there were actually a dozen invisible people in the room, and this was the only one who couldn't mask their soul? How would she ever know?

And on the other side of the connection, a [Prince] and [First Princess] dipped their heads before a throne.

"You summoned us, father?" asked the [Prince].

"I did. I'm sure you've both been keeping yourselves updated on the [Hero] situation?"

"Of course," answered the [Prince], looking at his sister in confusion. He was to offer his sword skills to the hero's party, to forge a connection between the [Hero] and the royal family—as the [King] had admitted, kings across the continent would be making their moves, and he was no different—but as far as the [Prince] knew, the [First Princess] hadn't been tasked with anything. Every [King] knew better than to let any [Princess] get involved with a [Hero], let alone a [First Princess].

"Well, I have a new update. This [Hero] is female."

"Oh," said the [Prince], simply, while the [First Princess] opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"You wish me to join the hero's party?" she asked.

"Speaking practically, you would be a worthy addition to her team. You have great affinity for holy magic, and high levels in healing and purification spells. Earn yourself the [Cleanse Miasma] and [Purge Demon] sub-skills for [Purify], and you'd practically be built for the job."

"My skills might be worthy, but I would not claim that I am. I've never left the capital before, let alone attempted proper adventuring work. I haven't even graduated the academy. Would I not be a liability more than a worthy addition?"

"I have just spoken to the first party member, who trembled at my mere projected image. An iron ranked adventurer, who came very close to death at the hands of a demon. She was obviously terrified of facing another one, but not only did she agree to continue, she declined my offer to join the royal academy, preferring to remain in the border region with the [Hero] despite being younger and weaker than you and knowing more demons would come."

The [First Princess] clenched a fist, fear battling against a sense of responsibility. How could she let the kingdom's subjects put themselves at risk if she herself refused to? "Then best I start packing," she replied as she turned, her pure white hair fluttering as she walked.