‘I seem… to still be within the Illusion Realm.’
Looking at the boy’s eyes, Senia suddenly realized this.
‘Yes, this is an illusion. Because the infatuation in this boy’s eyes was so pure, and the smile on his face was so innocent… completely different from the Savior with a sorrowful smile who had appeared before her that day.’
“Miss Senia, you look like you’re still in college… so you must be older than me, right? How old are you?”
The boy stared at Senia with fascination for a while, then clapped his hands and asked this question that had been on his mind all along.
The boss, who was leaning by the serving window eavesdropping on their conversation, sighed and shook his head at this blunt way of asking.
“I am four hundred and fifty years old.”
“F-four hundred and fifty-six… Right, after all, the character you’re cosplaying must be an elf… Hahaha.”
‘Oh no. The pickup guide seemed to say that directly asking someone’s age was offensive… She wouldn’t be angry, would she?’
When feeling embarrassed, the boy always lightly scratched his cheek.
To cover up this awkwardness, he picked up his soda and took a big gulp, then quickly thought about what topic to steer the conversation toward next.
‘Could this world… be the Hero’s original world?’
But the boy’s guess didn’t even come close to what Senia was actually thinking.
Staring at the strange dark brown drink in the glass bottle in front of her, Senia imitated the boy and lifted the bottle for a big sip—
…Pfft!
The prickling sensation on her tongue first made Senia frown, but then the fierce stimulation and coolness in her throat caused her to spray out all the soda she had drunk.
“…” And the boy sitting across from her got the brunt of it, his face covered in soda.
Seeing this, Senia panicked and stood up, looking around for something to wipe him with:
“S-sorry! I’ll go find a handkerchief right away…”
“Haha, it’s okay.” The boy pulled out some paper from a small box on the table and wiped off the drink splashed on him. “Is this Miss Senia’s first time drinking a carbonated beverage?”
“I-I really am drinking it for the first time…”
“You’ve never even had a carbonated drink? Oh my.”
Seeing Senia at a loss, the boy laughed… And in his cheerful laughter, the surrounding light began to rapidly dim.
…
“Leon… Lord Hero?”
In the blink of an eye, the boy in front of her had disappeared.
In the darkness, Senia anxiously searched for his figure, then was once again covered by a leaf that came from nowhere—
When she brushed the leaf away, she found herself in the center of a huge plaza.
“Leon…!”
She was overjoyed to see that the boy was sitting right beside her.
She tried to touch his cheek, but her outstretched hand touched nothing and passed straight through his face.
“W-who are you people? What’s going on?”
She saw the boy’s face filled with panic… but not directed at her, but at the people behind him.
Senia turned around… and saw a fully armed, battle-ready human army.
Their clothing and weapons bore the insignia of the Yilansiya Imperial Family.
“Did the ceremony succeed? Sage?”
“I need to confirm.”
They surrounded the plaza in multiple rings, and the royal banners fluttered in the wind within their neat ranks.
Emerging from the innermost ring of soldiers were two women who left a deep impression.
One wore a magnificent holy robe embroidered with the golden cross of the Holy Nation, and her fair nun’s hood covered the bright amethyst hair beneath it.
The other was a tall woman, hiding her light green hair under a mage’s hat… In her eyes as she looked at the boy, mysterious magical formation patterns were spinning.
“Could it be the Holy Maiden of the Holy Nation… and the Sage?”
Senia had only seen these two once at the alliance oath ceremony of the Human Allied Forces… but that didn’t stop her from clearly remembering their faces.
Because even among the countless soldiers, the presence of these two members of the Brave’s Party was overwhelming.
The boy, stared at by the Sage’s all-seeing eyes, froze.
Although his face was full of confusion and fear, the pressure was such that he couldn’t utter a single word.
“Hmm. It seems it was a success.” After a moment, the Sage closed her eyes and made her judgment.
“His body does indeed house an incredibly vast magical power… even comparable to the Demon King.”
“Really…!” The Holy Maiden’s previously worried expression instantly brightened.
She stepped forward to help the boy, who was still unaware of the situation, to his feet, then ecstatically grabbed one of his hands and raised it toward the sky.
“Dear followers… our Savior has descended! This boy is the Hero of the prophecy! He bears the great power bestowed by the Lord… He will save us from the endless degeneration brought by the Demon King!”
The Holy Maiden’s declaration echoed throughout the plaza with her passionate magic… The soldiers surrounding the plaza and the common people watching the ceremony from the raised platforms in the periphery erupted into deafening cheers.
“Um… beautiful lady… you’re gripping me too tight… could you ease up a little?”
Amid the cheers that resounded to the heavens, it seemed only Senia noticed the boy’s quiet plea, as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.
“Your Holiness the Holy Maiden… could you please not hold him so tightly?”
Senia stepped forward and spoke to the Holy Maiden. But the Holy Maiden, caught up in her frenzy, still clutched the boy’s wrist, refusing to let go.
“Excuse me…!” Seeing that the boy was already crying in pain, Senia reached out directly, trying to pry her fingers open.
But as before, her actions touched no one.
‘These people… can’t see me?’ Senia looked at her hand with pity, then raised her eyes to the boy and the Holy Maiden.
“Please come with me. His Majesty the Emperor is waiting for you… Oh my… why are you crying?”
Clearly, no one present noticed her existence.
The cheering continued for several minutes before the Holy Maiden finally released the boy’s wrist.
The boy, clutching his bruised wrist, backed away repeatedly… with no intention of going with her.
“…Linxi. You grabbed too hard and hurt that child.”
The Sage spoke up from the side.
“Ah! How disgraceful of me! I’m sorry, Lord Hero, I will cast a ‘Miracle’ for you immediately—”
The Holy Maiden became flustered and tried to approach the boy to make amends.
But the boy’s expression toward her was only confusion and fear.
“Lord Hero… where are you going?! Come back!”
“Leon—!” The boy turned and fled. He squeezed through the gaps between the tall soldiers, running all the way to the outer perimeter.
Senia quickly followed behind him. Her body seemed to become a ghost, passing through ring after ring of soldiers.
“W-what is this place… I want to go home… I want to go home…!”
No one dared to stop the boy… because he was the Hero. They also couldn’t understand why he was crying so loudly.
In their eyes, the Hero should not show such an expression. And at the end of his escape, the boy saw an even vaster and wider crowd:
“So this is the Hero?” “Why… is he crying?”
The people’s confusion only lasted a moment… and then turned into blind faith and frenzy toward the hero and savior.
Seeing they seemed to want to rush forward, the boy was frozen in fear, squatting down and covering his head.
“Leon… Leon. Don’t be afraid. They don’t mean you any harm…!”
Senia rushed forward, wanting to shield him in her arms… but she couldn’t convey anything to the boy. Neither her voice nor her touch.
“Sir Soldier, could you please hold everyone back? I think the Hero seems very scared.”
Just then, a young girl’s voice rang out. The tone was very youthful… but the content revealed a maturity beyond her years.
“Yes, Your Royal Highness.” The anticipated collision didn’t come.
Senia and the boy both looked up… and saw a girl with deep blue eyes and long hair.
“Don’t be scared, big brother.” That girl smiled at the boy.