༺ Birth ༻
“Hmm…”
Glaring at the Demon King, Glare’s eyes narrowed like a bowstring.
“Heh.”
Ruby discreetly covered her lips with her hand and laughed at Glare.
“Eek…”
Her sly and simultaneously menacing demeanor made Glare involuntarily clench her fist.
“What are you talking about?”
Ruby, casting a condescending look at Glare, inquired with an innocent face.
“Eh.”
Soon, everyone’s attention turned to Glare, including high-ranking officials, Imperial Family members, church representatives, and even the gaze of the Imperial Princess and Young Duchess Serena.
This was an entirely new and overwhelming situation for a modest girl accustomed to poverty in the back alleys.
– Thump, thump.
“Uhh…”
Glare’s heart raced as an unknown fear slowly enveloped her. Always indifferent to life, the sudden attention felt like a piercing blade.
“It’s just as I said!”
Yet, giving up was not an option. She was determined to achieve greatness to safeguard the Hero.
To achieve this greatness, she aimed to start by helping others. She couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
If she faltered now, she feared that the ring the Hero gave her would be tainted– a ring that gleamed in sunlight by day and starlight by night.
“What do you mean?”
“Egh…”
Regardless of her strong determination, there were uncontrollable factors, such as the ‘Fake Hero’ Ruby, who watched her with a chilling expression.
“What?”
Even though she clearly had a spine-chilling expression, those nearby appeared strangely unaffected.
‘She’s not ordinary…’
So far, Glare had been secretly looking into Ruby’s identity while hiding her own. She didn’t know much about Ruby’s true self or capabilities.
Glare only knew that Ruby was the Hero’s adversary. Ruby sometimes detected Glare’s stealth abilities, surpassing even what her mentor could perceive.
“…Gulp.”
Now, she could unmistakably sense Ruby’s abilities, even though the demon had only revealed it slightly.
Ruby’s aura, targeting Glare alone, could easily overwhelm a girl her age.
“Frey… hasn’t done anything wrong!”
“……..”
Still, Glare shouted with narrowed eyes.
To Frey, she was just a girl with a Mental Strength of 6, a bit braver than others her age.
Yet, her fervent desire to aid the Hero and her determination to stop his enemies shielded her mind.
– Can you handle it?
“…..!”
But Ruby wasn’t ready to let Glare off easily.
– Step back before it becomes irreversible.
Like Irina, Ruby manipulated even the laws of magic to project her message into Glare’s mind.
– Quickly…
“The one at fault is Ruby over there!”
Nevertheless, Glare gathered her courage and shouted.
“Ruby attacked Frey… I saw it with my own eyes!”
A momentary hush fell around them.
“I guarantee it. It was definitely her…”
In the dead silence, Glare prepared to continue, fists clenched.
“HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”
“Hehe! Hehehe…”
“Hehehehehe…”
Laughter burst from all directions, causing her to pause and look bewildered.
“That lecherous brat… almost got assaulted?”
“Kid, know when to joke.”
“It would have been better if that happened… I wonder how scared Ruby must have been.”
People dismissed her words entirely.
“Oh dear… how unfortunate…”
Glancing at the crowd, Ruby shifted her gaze to Glare.
“It seems another pitiful child… has fallen for Frey…”
She murmured with a sad face.
“I might have been brainwashed like that just a moment ago…”
Although she murmured, her voice was clear enough to everyone.
“But, but…!”
“Do you have any evidence?”
“……..”
Expressions of those observing Glare turned cold or sorry.
“Take her away.”
Standing next to the Hero, Vener pointed at Glare and signaled the other knights with a cold voice.
“Anyone who dares to lay a finger on my disciple will be considered an enemy of the Magic Tower.”
“…..!”
At that moment, the Tower Master, who had been quietly observing, stood up.
“If you want to fight with this old woman, try it.”
“………”
She looked frail enough to make others think that a mere touch was enough to make her collapse. However, no one dared to approach her, thanks to her earlier transcendent battle with one-armed Dmir Khan.
“Hmm…”
As things settled, the Tower Master addressed her fidgety disciple.
“Even though it’s belated, I’ll offer you some guidance.”
“Master…”
“For now, you’ll stay in the Imperial Palace. In the meantime, I’ll look into the Hero’s qualifications and the truth. Let’s conclude this discussion.”
She moved discreetly and murmured.
“Ugh… why must my disciples be like this…”
“Um, excuse me…”
“…Remember this.”
As Glare attempted to speak again, the Tower Master turned and said with an unexpectedly serious tone.
“Once a perception forms, it seldom changes without a decisive event.”
“……”
“This holds true for magic and the human heart alike.”
No one paid further attention to Glare.
People assumed that a kid, captivated by Frey’s beauty, had stirred a momentary disturbance.
Attention shifted to the Tower Master, who intervened to prevent the situation from escalating.
“Still, remember…”
The Tower Master gazed down at the disheartened Glare.
“…Avoid actions you’ll regret.”
With a gentle expression and voice, she whispered to Glare.
“I already did.”
With those words, the Tower Master moved ahead, leaving her second disciple in bewilderment.
Following that, a prolonged silence lingered.
“Then… Now that things have settled, let’s discuss the mastermind behind the incident.”
It was Clana, carefully watching the unfolding events, who spoke up.
“I point to the Church… as the mastermind behind this incident.”
“”…….!!!””
The prelude to a large-scale clash emerged between Clana’s faction, now in control of the Imperial Family, and the Church.
.
.
.
.
.
“………”
Silence fell amid the heated exchange between Clana and the bishops, with circumstances nearly escalating into a military confrontation.
“…Sigh.”
Beside the remains of the once-secret building, now reduced to debris, Glare sat with one arm on her chin, legs crossed, sighing.
“Suddenly… they want me to join the Hero Party?”
Glare wanted to return to her place in the Magic Tower, but she waited quietly in a temporary tent because a high-ranking official had contacted her.
“Why join the Hero Party without the Hero?”
Glare knew Ruby wasn’t the actual Hero; she considered it a waste of time. So, she intended to reject the offer as soon as the official arrived.
– Whish…
“I won’t join that party, as the Hero is…”
Just as the tent flap opened and someone entered, Glare spoke with crossed arms.
“Hello?”
“Gasp!”
Instead of an official, Ruby entered the tent.
“Up close… You look even cuter than I thought.”
Glare stared at Ruby, who mocked her with a disdainful gaze. She tried to stand up hastily.
– Rustle!
“Stay seated.”
Ruby gestured, sealing the entrance with an unknown power, making Glare grimace.
“I’ll be direct.”
Glare composed herself and sat down as the Demon King softly addressed her.
“Join me.”
“I refuse.”
“Hmm.”
Upon Glare’s immediate rejection, Ruby displayed an annoyed expression.
“I’m not really into women… Can’t help it, I guess.”
A cracking sound rang out.
– Whoosh…
“This isn’t a request, kid.”
“……!”
In an instant, Ruby revealed her true form as the Demon King to Glare.
“So… You were the first to uncover my true identity, weren’t you…?”
“Uh…”
“I had a feeling when you occasionally glared at me in the orphanage… I never thought such a cute little child would figure out my identity…”
Ruby’s tail gently brushed against Glare’s cheek.
“Who are you…”
“Who am I?”
Shortly after, the Demon King grabbed Glare’s waist, her expression turning menacing.
“I am…”
She was about to murmur something in a chilling, low tone into Glare’s ear.
“Hero.”
“…..!”
Vener’s voice interrupted her from the tent’s entrance.
“As we suspected… Frey is still alive.”
“…Is that so?”
Shortly after, she responded to Vener’s words using her human voice.
“That’s why we’ve dispatched pursuit squads across the empire. If Frey’s alive, it’s just a matter of time before he’s caught.”
“Is that so? Thank you for your efforts.”
“Yes, Hero. Have a good night.”
With that, Ruby concluded that conversation.
“…The Hero’s adversary…”
Returning her gaze to Glare, she whispered in a chilling tone.
“Is not someone a mere child can contend with.”
‘’Ugh…’’
Her overpowering presence was too much for the young Glare to handle.
“Either join me or stay silent and live peacefully.”
“……….”
With Glare silent, Ruby brought her face close.
“But it’s odd. Why isn’t the special system working for you?”
“Ugh…”
She tilted her head, murmuring to herself.
“Usually, once someone discovers my true identity, they can’t speak so casually about it…”
“Eeek!!”
Glare, free from Ruby’s tail, glared and suddenly swung her arm.
– Slash!!!
A sharp sound resonated within the tent.
“Hmm…”
Despite being afraid of the Demon King, Glare had just slapped her vigorously.
– Boom!
Swiftly, she pushed Glare down and began to choke her.
“You ‘attacked’ me…?”
“Ugh…”
“You were planning this from the beginning… foolish child.”
The Demon King, peering down at Glare as she displayed a pained expression, started to tighten her grip with a sinister smile.
“And if you refuse to be my subordinate…”
“Uh…”
“You have no choice but to die.”
As her vision slowly blurred, Ruby whispered in a delighted tone.
– Snap!
In that instant, a faint sound of a finger flick echoed.
“What did you do?”
However, the Demon King observed Glare, who was distressed, and tilted her head.
“Used some magic, did you?”
“………”
“You think… a kid’s magic will work on me?”
Though not magic, it was true that Glare’s ‘ability’ did not affect the Demon King.
She could shatter anything into pieces except living beings.
“Hmm?”
Her magic proved ineffective against the Demon King.
“You… die…”
One of the horns on her head had shattered.
“Aaaaaaaah!!!”
The Demon King screamed, experiencing an intense pain she had never felt before.
“You, you vermin…!”
But she was still the Demon King.
“How dare… how dare you…!”
Ruby clutched her bleeding horn, which had already begun to regenerate. She conjured a grotesque spear with one eye closed as blood streamed down her face.
“Dieeeee!!!”
With all her might, she attempted to thrust the spear into the nearly unconscious Glare.
– Whooosh…!
A transparent wall materialized between them.
Simultaneously, an opaque system window appeared before Glare.
[As the Demon King, under no circumstances can you attack the operator of the Helper System.]
The Demon King, pressed against the transparent wall, was no exception.
“”………””
A cold silence lingered between the two, separated by the wall.
“…….!”
Ruby was the first to break the silence.
“Damn it.”
– Swooosh…
Gritting her teeth, she fiercely struck the barrier with her spear.
“You’ll regret what you did today…”
Looking down at Glare, who wore a tense expression, she whispered arrogantly.
“…Dear child.”
Soon after, she vanished, clutching her regenerating right horn.
“I… will never regret…”
Glare remembered her mentor’s words even in such chaos and murmured.
– Swish…!
Soldiers, led by someone, burst into the tent, and Glare quickly shifted her attention.
“It’s, it’s the demons!”
“It’s an ambush!! An ambush!!!”
“We need backup!!”
Having witnessed Ruby’s sudden appearance just before she vanished, the soldiers mistook it as an ambush by the demon army and began shouting.
“………”
However, Clana’s response differed.
“Excuse me.”
“Pr, Princess…!”
Ignoring her soldiers preparing for combat, she approached Glare, who was lying on the floor.
“That, that was… Ruby. Ruby is actually…!”
“I know.”
“Huh?”
Ignoring Clana’s status, Glare clutched onto Clana’s hem. Clana looked at her with a gentle smile.
“Shall we… become friends?”
Hearing those words, Glare suddenly recognized the person before her and stood there in shock.
“I appreciate your words today.”
“Huh?”
“That person… proposed to me, you see.”
Trying to calm her nerves, Clana blushed.
“Anyway, I want to repay you. Any wishes?”
She asked, hoping to befriend a potential ally.
To perhaps become friends with a valuable ally, she presented the question.
“The academy.”
“Huh?”
After staring at Clana for a while, Glare finally spoke.
“I can’t give you the academy…”
“Please help me get into the academy.”
“…..?”
“My mentor and the dean don’t get along, and I’m underage. I can’t be admitted.”
With a nervous feeling, she revealed her wish.
“So, please let me join as a freshman next year.”
“Um… if that’s the case…”
Considering Glare’s request, Clana silently calculated in her mind.
“…Because I have to help the Hero.”
Hearing Glare’s words, Clana paused, momentarily stunned.
“You’re helping… the Hero?”
Glare stared back with a determined look in her eyes.
“I owe a debt that I need to settle.”
The conclusion of the Inauguration Ceremony didn’t herald the arrival of a Hero but rather the birth of an ally who would change the course of events.
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