The night deepened, but Liya stayed awake, sitting alone in the empty tent.
After two years as teammates, worrying about him leaving with such a broken body keeping her up—not a chance.
Quite the opposite, she was so certain Eze was just bluffing about leaving that she stayed up waiting.
She wanted to “teach” him a lesson the moment he came crawling back, shamefaced.
This was her duty as the team leader.
Her confidence came from two reasons: first, with Eze’s battered body, even if he lucked out and reached a town, no one would want a useless wreck like him—how could that compare to the life of a hero?
At least, that’s what Liya thought.
Second, she couldn’t think of any reason for Eze to suddenly lose it.
Was her attitude bad?
Was the work pressure too much?
Maybe, probably, possibly a tiny bit, but wasn’t that because he was slacking off first?
Wasn’t she just trying to help him?
A half-crippled hero who doesn’t work hard has no other way to prove their worth.
Besides, all he did was trivial, insignificant tasks.
If he was dissatisfied, he could’ve just said so—she’d been holding him to high standards from the start, and he’d managed fine for so long, so why snap now?
Thus, she concluded Eze would never actually leave.
Liya was even planning how to deal with him when he returned.
She wasn’t some devil; if he could sincerely reform, argue with her less, and faithfully fulfill his hero duties, she might forgive this little transgression.
But things didn’t go as planned.
From dusk to the rising stars filling the sky, the scene she imagined—Eze crying and kneeling before her—never materialized.
The smile on Liya’s face gradually faded, replaced by a worsening expression, rivaling Eze’s usual grim look, with her mouth twitching.
By 3 a.m., Liya finally couldn’t take it anymore.
She shot to her feet, sweeping everything off the table in front of her, the clattering noise echoing harshly in the space.
“What’s that irresponsible idiot freaking out about?”
Breaking the blessing that’s the foundation of a hero—not even apologizing with his life, he should at least be groveling with guilt.
Instead?
Not only no progress in humility, but he pulls something close to desertion…
Liya shook her head.
Close to?
This is desertion!
A hero abandoning their duty and running off—that’s beyond heresy, it demands severe punishment!
“Eze, oh Eze, I gave you time and a chance to correct your mistakes, but since you’re set on this path, don’t blame me…”
“Report!!”
A man’s voice came from outside the tent, sounding like he had something to report.
“Tch.”
Liya, in the middle of her rant, let out an annoyed sound.
She quickly straightened her clothes and picked up the mess she’d swept to the floor, tossing it into a hidden corner.
After all, they were still on an expedition, and if her subordinates saw the great First Hero lose her composure, it wouldn’t just damage her image but also disgrace the Goddess and the divine realm.
That was unacceptable.
After hiding the evidence and adjusting her mood, Liya returned to her seat, sat upright, cleared her throat, and said:
“Come in.”
The tent’s curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged man in armor entered, the leader of one of the knight orders in this operation.
He bowed to the young hero and began his report:
“Report: emergency treatment for the wounded is complete, the severely injured are loaded onto carts, awaiting transport to the rear at dawn, and the cleaning and sorting of the deceased will begin immediately after sunrise.”
“Good work.”
The blonde hero nodded absently, her mood souring further.
These trivial tasks were usually handled by Eze, but now that he’s gone, she has to clean up his mess.
Noticing Liya’s poor expression, the knight leader cautiously asked:
“…Lady Liya, regarding the next steps, everyone is awaiting your orders.”
“Next steps? Uh…”
Liya froze.
Eze’s stunt had thrown her off, making her forget the actual business at hand.
The primary goal of this expedition was to defeat the Great Witch and her army stationed in the Anlin Plain, which they’d barely accomplished. But what came next?
What was next again?
Eze’s overly detailed battle plan probably had it, but unfortunately, she only read up to the part about successfully defeating the target, ignoring the rest.
After all, anything following the conclusion she wanted with a “but” wasn’t worth her time.
Oh, and the map with all of Eze’s gathered intelligence?
She’d just thrown it, and now it was crumpled like trash in a dark corner.
So, she couldn’t even wing it.
“Um… next…”
Her stuttering made her subordinate wince, and he sighed softly, reminding her:
“Lady Liya, according to Lord Eze’s plan, we should now prepare to withdraw.”
“…Withdraw?”
Liya’s expression froze.
This operation was reckless from the start, so Eze’s plan was a hit-and-run—use the knight order’s high mobility to exploit a weakness, strike, and retreat quickly.
If they dawdled and let the enemy regroup, they risked being surrounded and annihilated.
It was more like a precise decapitation strike than a full-on assault, which was why Eze strongly opposed this mission—it was too much of a gamble, betting the entire army’s lives.
But Miss Hero clearly had her own ideas.
Faced with her subordinate’s words, her forced composure shattered, and she slammed the table, standing up.
“Withdraw!? Are you kidding!? We paid such a heavy price to take the Anlin Plain. If we hold it, we can attack the demon territory directly and end the war in one go! Why retreat now!?”
Liya had been agonizing over the massive losses—while they’d matched Silver Star’s achievement on paper, if they couldn’t act for a while, it was only a matter of time before they were surpassed again.
No way could they just go back like this.
If they could expand their gains into demon territory, the losses would become irrelevant, and no matter what Silver Star achieved, they’d never outshine her.
The knight paused, averted his gaze slightly, and shook his head:
“But our supplies are insufficient, and Lord Eze said that…”
“Eze, Eze, Eze! Am I a fake or something!? You realize that guy’s not only no longer a hero but shamelessly deserted!”
Liya cut him off irritably.
Another reason she opposed retreating—it was Eze’s plan.
When they were on the same team, fine, but now that he’s run off, she’s supposed to follow that coward’s advice? That’s disgusting.
And these guys below her, too.
Her soldiers seemed closer to Eze than to her, the team leader.
This was a perfect chance to correct their misguided loyalty and show them who’s really in charge.
With that thought, Liya raised her head, addressing the knight leader with a haughty expression:
“What? Do I need to remind you who the hero is, who the commander of this team is?”
“…No need.”
“Good. Issue the orders: arrange carts to transport the fallen and the severely wounded to the rear. Everyone else, fortify the defenses here to guard against a demon counterattack!”
“Also, immediately send messages to the surrounding lords and nobles, demanding they provide supplies for the next phase. Understood!?”
“…Yes, ma’am.”
It wasn’t that simple.
But faced with an arrogant Liya wielding her hero title, the experienced warrior and commander had no words, only nodding silently before exiting the tent.
Outside, several other knight leaders were waiting, the remaining officers of this small expedition force, minus the dead and unconscious.
“How did Lord Eze put up with that woman for two years?”
The reporting knight sighed wearily, glaring at the others with frustration.
“We agreed I’d do the report, but you guys owe me drinks in turn when we get back, got it!?”
The army under the “Blade of the Goddess” team was practically built by Eze, so the soldiers were closer to him than to their nominal leader, Liya.
His flawless battle record and mild, approachable demeanor earned him immense trust from his subordinates.
But now Eze was gone, and reports had to go to Liya.
This meant someone had to take his place and face her wrath.
The task was so daunting that even these battle-hardened veterans were spooked, resorting to drawing lots to decide.
The catch? The others had to treat the “lucky” one to drinks.
Hence, the earlier scene.
Hearing him, the others nodded quickly.
“Absolutely, it’s a deal.”
“But in return, you’re handling the reports for the next few days”
“I’ve got some ancestral blood pressure meds, meant for Lord Eze. Want some?”
“Get lost—”
The freshly tormented knight waved them off irritably.
“Forget that—any idea how Lord Eze is doing now? Sigh, if he was leaving, he could’ve at least said something…”