As dusk approached, the “Hermit” Truth walked out of the Mist:
“The Mist Energy is rising rapidly, Suna has reached Second Tier, there’s even a temporary NPC, and now there’s a new little brother— wait, no… little sister?”
Hiss… Calling her “little sister” doesn’t really fit Tia either, she’s not that little, Truth mused:
“Whatever, I’ll just call her Tia. For now, she’s the only one who knows I control the Mist, so I can rely on her a bit more. Then there’s Reg’s little reward.”
With a thought, Truth used her mark to locate Reg near the Academy. He was searching for something in a narrow alley, and five minutes later, he felt a sudden warmth on the back of his hand.
“You did a good job. Suna has already reached Second Tier. What reward do you want?”
Truth appeared directly behind Reg, making him jump:
“Whoa, can’t you stop scaring me like that when you show up?”
“No.”
“……”
Fine, given my status, I can’t really ask Truth to change. Better think about my reward…
Reg began to ponder.
He knew Truth was strong and generous. If he wished for ten thousand gold coins, she’d probably smack a bag of coins into his face the very next second.
And besides money, she could probably fix any of his huge problems with a wave of her hand— like laundering money, hiding from his family’s search, or even finding Anderson, who’d disappeared somewhere…
Because he got separated from Anderson in the Mist while following the hamster, Reg was now trying to find Anderson to discuss a solution.
But having Truth solve something like this would be such a waste! Since he had this chance, why not see if she could help with one of his life’s big goals:
“First, let me say, I’m not being arrogant. It’s just— I think with my talent, I won’t stay in Deya City for long. Boss, you can see that my constitution is different from most people’s, right?”
Reg had never used magic in front of Truth, and his physical abilities were extraordinary, so the truth was obvious: he possessed the same “Heroic Constitution” as the first Human Hero!
The “Heroic Constitution” isn’t exclusive to Heroes— it was just made famous by the previous generation’s Hero.
Strictly speaking, it’s a rare constitution that sacrifices magical talent for a powerful body.
Only one in a hundred thousand is born with it. Natural-born warrior, with limitless potential!
Truth just shook her head:
“I didn’t notice.”
“……”
Please don’t look at me with that utterly unconvinced expression. Come on, you’re really weak—I honestly can’t tell the difference!
Just like with other villains, unless Reg suddenly became King Rank and jumped in front of her, Truth had no interest in pondering the subtle differences between Reg and other weaklings.
When it came to talent, anyone at King Rank could be “Absolute Mana Control,” “Elemental Lord,” “Demon God’s Soul,” or other top-tier talents, so anything less than King Rank wasn’t worth mentioning to Truth.
A good talent doesn’t guarantee you’ll reach King Rank, but anyone who does is sure to have a great talent!
As for Reg, all Truth could see was that he could take a beating. And that was really it.
“Fine, let’s skip that…”
Reg said helplessly, feeling his pride trampled, but at least the one trampling it was Truth.
Just thinking about how Truth could slap him to death in an instant made Reg feel a lot better, so he continued:
“I’ll just be straight with you. My lifelong dream is to become one of the strongest Adventurers, or even the legendary Hero. But Deya City is just too small, there’s no way it can support my ambitions.
There are no opportunities here, no room to grow. If I stay, it’ll just be a slow death for me…”
Because he’d secretly left his family, Reg had no connections and was struggling in human society.
Now, he could only pin his hopes on Truth:
“So please, Boss, help me out. Give me some precious opportunity so I can pursue my little dream!”
Please, Boss, this kind of thing is nothing to you! Reg bowed deeply.
“Tsk…” Truth looked utterly disdainful.
I’m talking to you about material things, and you’re talking to me about ideals?
Becoming a Hero… that’s a tall order. Should I refuse? I’m not some wish-granting machine, nor can I conjure up a Hero’s exclusive weapon to give you.
Unless you can get my backpack key back.
Besides, meeting me is already your big opportunity. Isn’t that enough? But if I refuse outright, it’ll make me look petty… better to compromise:
“Alright, give it some time.”
How long is “some time?” Maybe two days, maybe two years— just wait and see.
Staring at Reg, who was still bowing deeply, Truth said nothing more and left, heading for the Academy to check on Suna and see if she could recover the fun she couldn’t find from Tia.
Reg silently cheered behind her:
Great, there’s hope for my future now!
Then he went off to keep looking for Anderson……
At the Academy entrance, Suna sprinted toward the teaching building.
Since it was closer to home, she decided to return to her lab and look for the panties the demon had carelessly tossed aside.
She anxiously searched on the floor for several minutes, and finally spotted her black lace panties under a chair.
Thank goodness, no more going commando!
Suna finally breathed a sigh of relief, but just as she was about to reach out, a pair of small, delicate feet suddenly appeared, blocking her path.
“What are you looking for, Miss?”
Suna looked up and saw a round, adorable little face, making her heart nearly stop:
“Truth?!”
Truth had somehow already arrived in the lab, watching Suna with curious eyes. Suna quickly retreated two steps to keep her distance:
“Wh-when did you get back?”
“Just now. After being questioned at the Law Enforcement Bureau, I left. Huh? You seem a bit off— did you get hurt in the Mist?”
Truth approached Suna with genuine concern, wanting to check her carefully.
But just as she reached out, Suna instinctively clutched her skirt, her face bright red:
“No, I’m definitely not hurt!”
“Your skirt… Did you hurt your thigh again?” Truth tried to lift Suna’s skirt for a closer look, but Suna slapped her little hand away, her voice trembling:
“No way!”
I’m really not hurt! Seriously, why do you care so much about every little injury? Stop trying to heal everything!
Besides, if you really lift my skirt, my pride will be seriously hurt!
“Eh… Suna, do you hate me now?” Clutching her slapped hand, Truth took two steps back, her face full of disbelief:
“I was so worried about you, but you…”
Eh eh eh? What’s going on now? I just… slapped her hand!
Seeing Truth on the verge of tears, Suna panicked:
“N-no, it’s not that at all! Listen to me, I really don’t hate you, really!”
“Really?” Truth’s voice had a hint of a sob.
“Really!”
“Then…” At that moment, Truth’s pitiful little face quickly changed, taking on a sly and composed look. She spoke each word clearly:
“Lift your skirt right now, so I can check you properly.”