“Hooray! Long live the Hero!”
“Long live the Leaf Empire!”
The Leaf Empire and its imperial capital were roaring with cheers.
A group of people made their way through the crowd at the center of it all.
At the forefront of this group was a woman clad in pure white armor, carrying the famous holy sword on her back.
With her striking blue hair and blue eyes, she was the warrior everyone admired.
Hero Irushil.
Having single-handedly dealt with the massive monster wave that occurred in the northern region, she was now being praised by countless citizens of the Empire.
She was seen as the hope of the Empire, and many believed she would one day bring victory in the ongoing war against the demons.
However, despite all this, Irushil’s expression at this moment was far from bright, despite being the center of all the cheers.
“Hero… are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“Hmm…”
Her companion Cecilia’s voice was filled with concern.
To this, Irushil responded with a blank expression.
But Cecilia knew.
She knew that deep inside, Irushil’s heart was burning with anguish in that very moment.
‘She can’t be feeling good… especially since it was her mentor, of all people, who ended up like that…’
Her mentor, Mari, had been like a mother to Hero Irushil.
The news of Mari’s fall had been a huge shock to her.
When she first heard the news, Irushil had locked herself in her tent for three days, refusing to eat or drink, and had even screamed in despair.
Despite that, as a hero, she had forced herself to stand up, focusing on completing her mission.
But it was easy to imagine that her heart was still shattered.
Surrounded by the cheers, Cecilia and the other companions remained silent, walking beside Irushil, who simply moved forward, silently and with a heavy heart.
Meanwhile, Irushil, leading the group at the front, kept her silence amidst the roar of the crowd. Deep inside her heart, she quietly thought to herself.
‘Disgusting fools…?’
Hero Irushil.
Her childhood had been filled with nothing but misfortune.
An orphan without parents, she had grown up enduring harsh abuse at her relatives’ house.
She didn’t even know what happiness was, living each day like a withering weed.
But one day, a glimmer of light began to shine in her life.
It was a snowy day.
Hunger, cold, and the wounds from the abuse she had endured… Irushil was dying in an alley.
It was then that the hand of salvation reached out to her.
The Great Witch Mari.
Mari had legally punished her abusers, and then took Irushil in as her disciple, showering her with love as if she were her own daughter.
For the first time, Irushil experienced kindness, happiness, and love.
Mari became a figure far more significant than her biological mother, someone who had given her a chance at life.
Though Irushil had talent with a sword, not magic, she eventually trained under someone else, but Mari would always remain her eternal mentor and mother.
For Irushil, the news of Mari’s death wasn’t just the loss of a teacher—it was the pain of losing her mother.
And it sparked hatred even greater than she could have imagined.
At this moment, the hero, who had brought news of victory, was being praised by many.
Seated before her, on a magnificent throne, was the middle-aged man—Emperor Hiren III.
He appeared kind-hearted on the outside, praised as a virtuous ruler by the people, but Irushil knew the truth.
She knew that the death of her mentor, Mari, had been orchestrated by this very man.
‘There’s no way my mentor would die so helplessly… He must have been the one behind this.’
As a hero and the strongest sword in the Empire, Irushil had received the attention and kindness of many people.
But having lived a harsh life from a young age, Irushil knew one thing.
The world was never easy.
When people approached her with smiles, there was always a reason for it.
It was for their own gain.
Though Mari, her mentor, had bestowed upon her priceless kindness, it was only because Mari was one of the few truly good people in this world.
In truth, the world was one where, if you stood idle, you would be exploited.
To prevent such exploitation, one had to stay sharp, always keeping a careful watch over their surroundings.
So, as soon as Irushil gained some strength, she began thinking constantly and gathering information.
In the cutthroat world of politics, where it was eat or be eaten, information was essential.
Knowing what your opponent desired, what weaknesses they had, meant you were equipped with the basic tools of offense and defense.
Based on her title as a hero and the strength she possessed, Irushil had built various connections, gaining access to the information of the Empire’s high-ranking figures.
And through this process, she discovered something.
The weakness of the man sitting in front of her—the Emperor himself.
To be more precise, it was a piece of information that could be considered his shame.
It was related to none other than her mentor, Mari.
If this information came to light, it could cause a massive upheaval in the Empire, which placed great importance on bloodlines and rank.
Realizing this, Irushil immediately wanted to inform Mari, her mentor.
Although she had remained quiet up until now, this was something that could threaten her mentor’s safety.
As the wars dragged on, the authority of the Magic Tower had grown stronger.
Especially the efforts of Mari, the head of the tower, who had been more passionate than anyone in fighting the demons, had earned her widespread support.
On the surface, it seemed like simply a heroic figure of the Empire was performing well, but…
From the Emperor’s point of view, he wouldn’t be able to view it so easily.
As Mari’s presence grew, it meant that the Emperor’s authority could be directly threatened.
Realizing that the Emperor might take extreme measures, Hero Irushil immediately sought to act.
But unfortunately, the Emperor’s hand was faster than hers.
‘It was only a few days… Could it be that in those few days…’
Officially, her mentor Mari had been killed in battle against the demons.
But Irushil could sense the truth.
It wasn’t a noble death—it was just a purge.
That filthy Emperor, had orchestrated the death of a hero who had devoted herself to the Empire, all for his own selfish gain.
But even knowing this, Irushil could do nothing at the moment but remain silent.
In her heart, she wanted nothing more than to slice the Emperor’s throat right then and there.
But this was the heart of the Imperial Palace.
Surrounding the Emperor were two of the Four Imperial Knights, powerful figures who could not be underestimated, standing ready to defend him.
Additionally, the Great Sorcerer at the back and the Chancellor standing to the Emperor’s right were no pushovers either.
Even if Irushil somehow managed to land a fatal blow on the Emperor, the Chancellor’s divine magic would surely save him.
In such a situation, attempting an assassination would be futile.
‘More importantly… even if I somehow managed to kill him instantly, it wouldn’t be worth it…’
To Irushil, the Emperor was the mortal enemy who had unjustly taken her mother away.
Naturally, he deserved to die slowly and painfully, experiencing the agonies of hell.
For now, though, Irushil kept her emotions in check and lowered her head, silently continuing to serve as the Empire’s loyal hero.
She would bide her time, waiting for the right moment.
She dreamt of the day she would have her revenge on the Emperor.
For now, it was more important to enhance her reputation as a hero, to earn the Emperor’s trust as quickly as possible.
To do that, she would need to accomplish something even greater than the monster wave she had already defeated.
And that opportunity didn’t take long to arrive.
“…Demon King subjugation?”
“That’s correct, Hero. His Majesty the Emperor has ordered the subjugation of the newly appointed Demon King.”
She heard that Adolf, who had long served as the Demon King, had been killed.
The exact details were unclear, but what was known was that he had been executed for treason.
Anyway, the new Demon King that had been recently appointed.
Though the name was not yet confirmed, the Emperor had issued an order to subjugate the one called Moeder, for convenience.
Without hesitation, Irushil answered.
“I will obey His Majesty’s command. Everyone, prepare yourselves.”
“Yes, Hero!”
“Understood.”
The newly appointed Demon King was likely weaker than the previous one.
As it was basic military strategy to strike when the enemy was in disarray, Irushil accepted the task without question.
Of course, her true motivation wasn’t out of loyalty to the Emperor, but rather as a stepping stone for her future revenge.
‘Just wait, Emperor… I will definitely kill you, and avenge my mentor—no, my mother!’