Leisha's Hero(?) - II

Holding the <Orb of Guidance> in my hand, I noticed how much it had lost its original luster.

"How should I bless Lila with light-attributed mana?"

After a bit of thought, I decided on what to do. It wasn't that hard, honestly.

Looking out the window of my carriage, I spotted the eldest daughter of the Shierain family, marching forward with a wary expression.

It was clear that she was dreading having to fight a monster almost on par with a dragon while having to protect such a large group of people. Little did she know that <Wyrm With No Name> was right beside her.

***

Floating above the caravan, veiled in invisibility, I gripped the <Orb of Guidance>. With strange, instinctual familiarity, moving as if it were all muscle memory, I invoked the effect of this legendary source of power.

[Blessing of Light].

A small, bright star emerged from the orb. It was a beautiful symbol of hope and life. Holy and pure, this star zoomed towards Lila at the speed of light.

I didn't even notice when it disappeared.

And Lila had no way of knowing what just happened.

This was her 'awakening', orchestrated by yours truly.

***

"What would you do if you were suddenly given a responsibility you never asked for?"

Having tea in a luxurious carriage were two individuals of vastly different walks of life. The person who just spoke was a young man with black hair and shining obsidian irises. Dressed to match the dark tones of his hair, he sat leisurely. There was no sign of fatigue on his face.

Sitting opposite him was an elegant woman with dark brown hair and fiery red eyes. Despite her elegant mannerisms, she was clad in dragon-scale armor. The two long swords resting on her lap exuded a burning aura. 

Her ferocity filled the carriage yet the young man didn't seem bothered at all.

"..?" Lila raised a brow. A flash of suspicion flitted past her eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

"I was just wondering. There are a lot of things in the world that force us into situations we never wanted." A smirk began spreading across Aventine's lips. "And you seem like someone thrust into exactly that kind of situation."

"..."

Lila stayed silent. She realized then that Aventine's senses went way beyond the world around them. His gaze seemed to pierce into even her greatest worries at the moment.

"Hah,"

After a few moments of silence, Lila gave in. Her shoulders drooped as she looked out of the carriage window, feeling the light that shone into the carriage.

Light-attributed mana was the mana of the Hero of Leisha.

This was a well-known fact, proclaimed by generations upon generations of humans.

"I somehow awakened to something I never expected to have." She said, feeling the invigorating feeling of being fuelled by the sun itself. "It's a jarring feeling. All of my plans for the future have crumbled."

A chuckle came in reply.

"Lila, friend," Aventine shook his head, "Just because you've awakened to an ability doesn't mean that you have to bear the responsibility that comes with it."

Light swirled around the carriage, summoned by Lila with a mere thought.

"Even if it's the mana of the Hero?"

"There are others who hold the same powers, yet aren't destined towards heroics." Aventine marveled at the beautiful display of mana control for a moment. "I have a friend. Her name's Melia, with all the traits a hero should have — and that includes light mana. However, is she the Hero of Leisha?"

She was supposed to be.

But Lila didn't know anything about that.

"Is it because she doesn't own the Sword of Light?" Lila asked.

"Correct." Aventine took another sip of his tea. "Unless you somehow come across the Hero's signature weapon, I doubt that there would be anything forcing you into such a life."

Moreover, even if you did have the sword, there was no real need to save the world.

Aventine knew this for a fact.

[Name: Aventine Tidea]

[Level: 1]

[Health: 20/20]

[Mana: 280/280 (Core Mana: 50/150)]

[Gift: Absolute Awareness (???-Rank)]

[Physique: 2]

[Mind: 3]

[Spirit: 28]

[Traits: Power of the Sky (A-Rank), Power of the Sea (A-Rank), Power of Death (A-Rank), Blessing of Light (SS-Rank)]

Even with an immense talent for light-attributed mana and the true <Sword of Light>, there was no requirement for him to save the world or annihilate the demons.

Half of that lack of responsibility was because the <Sword of Light> ended up sealing a greedy failure of a dragon instead of a true <Being of Light>.

There was no angel of goodness telling him what to do.

Instead, he got a grumpy old worm that constantly screamed profanities and demanded to be freed.

Luckily, after draining the <Wyrm With No Name> of all his mana, Aventine had found peace.

"Is that so?" Lila scrunched her brows. "However, what if the Hero doesn't want to fight? Would that not doom all of humanity?"

Hearing these words, Aventine shrugged.

With monstrous powers like the <Archmagus > Daimyuon, he severely doubted the extinction of the human race in this world.

"Do you look down on your fellow humans that much?"

A memory began to surface within Lila's mind. The lawlessness of the adventurers she had to deal with, and the complex political wars she had been dragged into, were all foul memories.

She had long lost hope in humanity.

Lila was someone who lived only for herself and those she had come to care about. Thus, she asked a counter-question.

"Why? Don't you?"

Hearing this, Aventine just laughed.

***

When the ghost, Haveinnisui, was freed from her shackles, a certain part of history became available to Aventine's prying eyes.

The innocent soul, who was bound to the past and used as a seal to keep the world from knowing of a mountain of sins, was a sad existence forced to suffer endlessly for ages. Her insanity was silent, seeping into all those who knew of her with every breath.

The ones who sentenced her to such a hell were the ancestors of a certain and familiar royal family.

Leisha had been built by those would could pile corpses into mountains without batting an eye. Genocidal bastards who would bleed their own species dry for the sake of creating a special place in the chaotic world of the surface.

A place that they could call their own.

A place for humanity made by humanity.

The original <Hero of Leisha> and the first user of light-attributed mana had never been known as a hero.

She had a much more terrifying nickname that struck fear into the hearts of the myriad races.

<Queen of Demons>.

Indeed...

"The brighter the light, the darker the shadow."

Aventine couldn't stop giggling.