Noeya became selfish and opened her mouth to everything.

The hero, Timothy Rnif, second son of the Rnif family which rules over the neighbouring empire, Nova. Despite being the second son, he leads in the line to become the next king and for all the good reasons. His extraordinary achievements in the battlefield, charisma and his latest exploit of successfully leading a coup against the tyrant king of Nora empire, has embarked him with the title of HERO.

Being the hero, he obviously can't do everything by himself. He shares his work burden with five of his most trusted companions, one of them being his Wife. This team is renowned in all five kingdoms for their heroism and bravery. 

Last year a suggestion was made, to build a new team of young people who can succeed them, in case something unexpected happens. That team is Five Malvales.

The five members of this team are chosen from the five kingdoms. The only requirement for joining was to win an under 18 championship which was held in each kingdom. The winner from each being taken into the team.

The Leader John, from the Nova Empire, belonging to house Markus.

The Tank Julia, from the Dimitrie Empire, belonging to faction IronBreed.

The Knight Jeremiah, from the Holy Empire, belonging to church Stevens.

The Mage Sarah, from the Manaly Empire, belonging to the scholarly house Mint.

The Ranger Noeya, from the Nora Empire, belonging to house Smith.

All five of them are under the training of the current group of heroes and were training almost every day, until something happened, after which all five of them are now going through hell inside Lilith's Basement.

"*clap**clap**clap* Bravo! Bravo! See?! it wasn't so hard, was it?" said Lilith while giving Noeya and her friends a face full of smiles.

But that smile caused sweat to run down behind their neck and shiver up. John who also just woke up had a face of defeat and betrayal, how is he supposed to report back to his Teacher, Hero Timothy now? is he supposed to tell him that one of them wasn't able to keep the mouth shut and reviled information about them to a group of murderers?

Same thoughts going through every young hero's mind, except for Noeya who was just thinking about herself and not her duty as a hero's student.

"By the way, Little Noeya. What is it that caused you all to come here, those heroes can't be so stupid that they would send such younglings to this forest, all alone."

Noeya flinched and looked at her companions, who were giving her looks of disapproval and started feeling guilt and shame, how is she supposed to meet eyes with them now? she can't betray them any further and remained quite.

"Ne, Little Noeeeeyaaaa....." softly said Lilith and moved her mouth near Noeya's left ear.

"HIIII!!!" Noeya suddenly shrieked in surprise and tried to move her head away but she couldn't. Her jaws were being held firmly into place by Lilith's hand, while her mouth whispered into the ears, with a tone of sinister curiosity.

"Sweet Noeya, do you see this knife?"

"Haaa, Haaa, Haaa!" Noeya's breathing started getting heavier and heavier. The gleaming blade being hanged in front of her eyes, reminding her of its sharp edge and the ease with which it can cut human skin.

"You see, this nifty little tool can be used for something other than cutting vegetables and killing people. Do you want to know what?"

"Haaa,...N-nO...."

"Yes? well, aren't you a curious one. You see little princess, this thing can also be used to make people wish they weren't alive. Its power can be used to make people believe that they should be better off dead."

"HAAAA!!!   HAAAAHHHH!!!!   HUUUHHHHAAA!!!  HHHHHAAAAAHH!!!!!" tears started trickling down Noeya's eyes. Her breathing becoming violently ragged and rough, the once emotionless face now booming with all sorts of emotions. The glaring eyes of her teammates told her to not betray her position as hero's apprentice any further. A being worse than death speaking vile uses of Knife into her ears

"Once you bring the blade above a certain temperature, it becomes hot red. That scorching hot blade when it comes in contact with skin, the sizzling sound, the smoothness which it travels, the dark red trail it leaves behind, the state of the art it makes the human body become. The constant irritation, itching, pain it causes furth—

"STOP! STOP!PP!!! I WILL TELL EVERYTHING!!! EVERYTHING!!! SO...SOO...SOO!! PLEASE DON'T DO THAT TO ME!!!!"

Lilith retreated from Noeya's ear and tucked the knife back.

"Good girl, now speak"

Noeya'a friends were shaking their heads, telling her to not do it, but they didn't experience what Noeya just did. The only thing inside her mind right now was to make sure that Lilith's words just now don't come true. Just the thought of a hot red knife burying into her skin was enough for her to break.

She's a 16-year-old child, no matter how much she trains and becomes strong, the thought of having her body tortured in the worse way possible and realization that the act will most likely happen....is not something children her age can shake off.

She threw the final lair of her pride as the hero's apprentice and told Lilith why they came here.

It happened after that Coup, on the king of Nora Empire. The Coup which was lead by the hero and his companions was a great success but there was one small problem.

Five Malvales had no hand in it.

They, who are supposed to be the hero's party apprentice didn't have a single hand in the success of the Coup. According to Timothy, they were just not ready yet and still had to go through a lot of training before becoming capable of helping them.

The Five Malvales took it as a sign of mistrust that they have in them. Their Teacher doesn't trust them, they don't think of them capable enough to lend a helping hand.

This hurts their pride.

They had to prove themselves to be useful.

So they made a plan. Plan to do a meritious deed, and make themselves feel worthy of being Hero's apprentice.

So, last night they sneaked out without telling anyone and came here, in search of a great deed. They have heard the rumours about this Silvia Forest. This was a perfect place for them to prove their worth and hence they entered.

"...are you all just a bunch of idiots?" asked Lilith with a face full of curiosity.

Their heads hung in shame and embarrassment, for they know they acted like bunch of spoiled kids throwing a tantrum. They were so insistent on keeping quiet because they didn't want a bunch of strange murderers to know about their greatest and most idiotic failure.

"Well, a great bunch of students you all are"

They already know, they didn't need Lilith to tell them the same.

"haha..."

"hmm?" suddenly a soft laugh came from the entrance of the room. Lilith looked back and saw Isabelle trying to hold back her laughter.

"Hahaha, dear student, trying laughing again after you do the same thing in the future" and with those words, Isabelle immediately stopped her laugh and stood straight like a tree again.

"Noeya, you are a very good girl, unlike your friends. Say, why not answer a few more of my questions?"

To Lilith's question or more like an order, Noeya just agreed by moving her head. Her pride was already broken, she just wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible and live a peaceful life, quitting the party in the process. She didn't want anything to do with this hero thing anymore.

Her friends now glaring daggers at her, telling her to not disgrace the party any further than she already had. But to her, they were now former friends, she felt dumb about believing that hero's training party was where she belonged, idiot for believing that she can be a hero too.

"Cute Noeya, do you the people who helped the hero from inside the King's castle?"

"!!!" Isabelle got taken back, a glint of surprise in her eyes, but she didn't speak. After all, she wasn't allowed to right now.

"..."

"You don't need to fear your dumb companions, I promise, they won't lay a hand you. Unfortunately, I will if you don't speak, so please, don't make me go there. I really do dislike ruining beautiful young girls like you"

'Are you sure?' Isabelle's eyes filled with extreme doubt

Noeya ignored the scorn of her former companion eyes and spoke

"I-I...want to...ma..ma-make a d-deal..."

"Hmm, interesting, you are not dumb after all. Go forward, girl, speak what is you want"

"I can't show my face to the hero's party, my current companions also probably don't want anything to do with me, they will most likely bully me for a lifetime. S-So...I want you to .....pro-protect me...."

"huh? that's strange. Isn't one supposed to be heroes and the other their students, why would someone like them bully you? it doesn't fit, you know." Lilith, tilting her head in confusion

"..."

she didn't reply

"hmm......well, fine. I ensure that you will stay safe, but only if you tell the truth. I can tell when someone is lying"

"I-It's a deal then...?"

"Yes, yes. I swear upon myself that I won't let anyone harm you"

"...huh?..th-that's wrong. You swear upon the gods...don't you...???"

"Nahhhh, to hell with them. They won't stop fucking their own sisters, daughters, sons, uncles, nieces and what not, take time to listen to my oath and come down from heavens to punish me if I break it."

"...hhhhuhh?......"

"So rest assured, I will definitely punish myself if I break the oath. So, now start speaking. Who worked from inside to overthrow the king"

"O-ok...but why do you want to know?"

"hahaha, can't tell the reason to a bunch of kids who are going back to their homes now, can I?" said Lilith and looked at the now four members of five Malvales, who just had their fifth pellet fly apart.

"Now, don't be so surprised you four. I don't kill someone who isn't on my bad spectrum. You four are still safe and can go back to your homes after a few minutes. Of course, many of my people will keep an eye on you four for the rest of your life, so try speaking about this incident to your hero and see what happens to your lovely families"

""""!!!!!!!!!!""""

All four of them suddenly taken back in shock. How does she know about their families? She wasn't supposed to know even their names till a few minutes ago.

Isabelle also surprised, how did she extract information about their families? and also, she only has five people in her group. That's not many people that she can send off to spy.

She has to be bluffing, was what going through the four's head. She just learned about a few minutes ago, she can't know about them so fast.

"John, your elder sister is quite a beauty. She's going to get married next month right? I should pay the wedding a visit, don't you think?"

"!!MMMmffffff!!!!"

She isn't bluffing. How did she know? If she knew, then why ask about their names in the first place? Isabelle's mind was working quickly but not coming to any answers, she just has to ask Lilith later.

"Back to the topic, Noeya tell me the names you know of"

Noeya was also taken back, her fear towards this woman growing even further. The fear becoming one of the many factors in her revealing the names

"All the ministers of the king, his advisor, his son, his gardener, the workers at the castle......they were all involved"

*Thunk!*

suddenly Isabelle fell on her knees. She knew about her brother's involvement, she also guessed the involvement of the ministers.....but why Brook?

Brook gave his life away to save her...how was he also involved in the Coup? This girl Noeya could just be lying but it's also a fact that he threw her into the forest behind the castle, which is filled with deadly monsters, knowing that Princess has not survival or fighting skills.

"Ha..hahaha......hehehe....brook....hahahaha....oh wow.....hehehehehehehhhahahahaha!!"

suddenly something switched inside Isabelle and she started laughing.

"Betrayers....pigs....no....You are lying....hehehehehehhehehe......I swear....hahahahehheehhehe!!!!......it's lies, all lies"

Amanda was surprised but not by Isabelle's menacing laughs but by Lilith's eyes...

...which were showing a small hint of worry towards the girl.

.

.

.

Meanwhile inside the royal castle of Nora empire, situated in the capital city of dusk. Inside the king's office which was decorated with exquisite furniture from all five empires, three men were wearing a grim face.

The one sitting on the king's chair, a tall handsome man, messy black hair, badges of honour adored on his suite. Two people sitting in front of him, one almost his age, the other an old man with a bruised face.

The one to break the silence being the one sitting in king's chair

"Brook, are you really certain that your plan to kill the princess worked?"

"Of course, it did, prince Timothy. There's no chance that dumb, spoiled girl can survive even an hour inside that forest, she's already eaten by the monsters. I'm telling you there was no need to put those wanting posters, they are just a waste of time. No one's going to find what's already dissolved inside a Monster's belly"

"Brook is telling the truth, Timothy. There's not even a million chance that stupid sister of mine could survive that forest, I think she just killed herself before even becoming useful as food to some monster"

"You both are correct, worrying is just a bad habit of mine. But let's leave that behind and focus on the future"

"Yes, Timothy. That father of mine really did a number on this kingdom, it's going to be tough to bring this kingdom back to its feet and clear extreme poverty and crime"

"True, but we won't give up. We have to live up the expectations and make this kingdom great again"

"Of course, prince Timothy. We should start implementing your development schemes as soon as possible."

"No need to remind me of that. By the way, why did you two have to make princess die such a horrible death, we could have just killed her without any suffering. It was quite wrong of you two, to make her go through such horrific death. You realize that right?"

"Yes, Timothy"

"Yes, prince Timothy. We know it was wrong of us to do that and we are ready to face punishment for it"

"Then why? why do it in the first place?"

"We just let emotions take over our mind, the anger and hate towards the dusk family, it just all came pouring out and that child is not a normal one"

"huh? Princess was not normal? she seemed quite sweet to me"

"Yes, she's sweet and caring....but the princess was cursed. She carried something which generations of dusk family dreamed of having, it was the reason she was isolated inside the castle, not told anything about the outside world and needed to be killed by something other than a human's hand"

"what? what was she cursed with?" Timothy's eyes growing wide with tension, sweat dripping from his forehead

"She carried the curse of dusk. Curse of the Hawks. If awake, it can bring calamity upon anyone, bring anyone to despair and destroy anything in its path. The curse first manifests at the age of 18, so she was destined to be killed before that."

"huh...interesting. Then it worked out quite well"

"Yes, so rest assured, prince Timothy. That cursed being will never bear its fangs upon the five kingdoms."

"True...but nevermind thinking about the dead. Let's focus on the future and work on making the five kingdoms united and great again!".