.Amidst the applause, Sheen looked at Eze and smiled as he extended his hand.
“Thank you very much, Mr. Ein. Without your help, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly. Once this matter is settled, you will be richly rewarded.”
In Sheen’s plan, Ein—that is, Eze—would no longer appear after completing the monster identification, leaving the confrontation to himself and Roderick.
After all, those familiar with the Adventurer’s Guild know how things operate.
Sheen indeed used Eze, but he didn’t want him to lose his life because of it.
Not having Eze appear was for his own safety.
However, Eze rejected this proposal and put forward his own idea:
“I don’t think that’s enough. What if he shifts all the blame onto his subordinates, claiming they lied about the monster’s species? What then?”
Sheen thought about it and realized Eze was right.
That’s why they devised the plan together just now—to force that chairman to choose between his life and telling the truth, thoroughly cementing his guilt.
The result was a great success.
Eze smiled as he shook the other’s hand in response:
“You’re too kind, my lord. I merely did what I could.”
Taking down a mere chairman was nothing compared to the bigger matters Eze had dealt with before, but he was in a remarkably good mood.
After all, his former teammates never thanked him for anything he did.
Besides, Eze felt that Sheen was someone he could get along with.
Not only was he talented, but also clever and smooth, quick to understand, and though he used people, he still had his own limits instead of exploiting them like tools.
Eze realized his previous judgment of him had been a bit harsh.
Sheen shook his head:
“Not at all. Only now do I truly understand how accurate Miss Vivian’s evaluation of you was. And calling me ‘my lord’ is too formal—you are now a friend of the Edgar Family and a friend of mine. Just call me Sheen.”
These words were not just a statement to Eze but a declaration to all the important people in the city—words worth their weight in gold.
“This… doesn’t seem quite appropriate, does it?”
“What’s inappropriate about it? Or do you, Mr. Ein, not recognize me as a friend?”
Eze hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“In that case… I shall respectfully comply. I look forward to working with you, Sheen.”
Here, all parties were overjoyed.
Meanwhile, Heidi, buried in the crowd, was just as frustrated.
Originally, as a princess, she was supposed to be the star of the banquet. Even Sheen, the host, was only a supporting character in terms of rank.
And many people would have wanted that position but lacked the qualification.
But now, all eyes, attention, and applause were focused entirely on Eze and Sheen, while the princess herself had become an inconsequential backdrop.
Recalling the earlier scene where she was rejected by Eze and outmaneuvered by Vivian, the current situation was the final straw that broke the camel’s back.
Heidi felt an unprecedented irritation.
And anger.
Silently, she clenched her fists, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood to keep her expression from breaking. Her slender frame trembled unnoticed in the crowd—
—Correction, she wasn’t completely unnoticed.
Vivian smiled as she came to Heidi’s side, patting her shoulder and teasingly saying:
“You really do have an excellent fiancé~”
“…Th-thank you…”
“Too bad he’s mine now!!”
Leaving behind a smile dripping with mockery, Vivian wove through the crowd and, in full view of everyone, threw herself onto Eze, starting a display of public affection.
At that moment, Heidi had already reached her breaking point, numb and overwhelmed.
Her mind blank, she abruptly averted her gaze and wandered through the crowd like a sleepwalker, heading outside the manor to a shadowed, secluded spot.
Weak all over, she leaned against the building’s wall and slowly slid down to the ground, collapsing there.
The impact of Vivian’s final taunt was so overwhelming she couldn’t even understand it herself.
She couldn’t even say what emotions she felt at that moment.
Anger, impatience, frustration.
Maybe all of them, maybe none.
She didn’t know.
Her mind was blank, as if she’d been punched hard—unable to think.
She stayed in a daze for a long time.
By the time the guests at the manor had started to leave with chatter and laughter, Heidi finally pushed herself up, using the wall for support.
Wiping her face, she was surprised to find some transparent liquid there.
“Tch, what a disgrace—”
Heidi clenched her fists, gritting her teeth.
If she couldn’t figure it out, then she wouldn’t think about it. None of it mattered.
Right now, making that woman pay was the most important thing.
She recalled what had just happened and suddenly had an idea, a faint smile creeping to her lips.
“The Adventurer’s Guild Tafia Branch chairman, Roderick… hmm, can be used after all.”
Within the Goddess’s Blade Squad, Eze was responsible for planning, intelligence gathering, and tactical directives, as well as handling miscellaneous tasks.
As the noble First Chosen Hero, how could he waste time on trivial chores?—Lia had always thought so.
However, with Eze gone, Heidi out, and another teammate, Rosa Lynn Meredith, heavily injured and still unconscious, Lia, despite her thousand objections, had no choice but to manage the backlog of tasks.
After ordering Constantine, once Eze’s adjutant, to bring all the relevant documents to her, a stack of papers, half a person’s height, was dumped onto the desk in front of Lia with a thud.
Lia was stunned on the spot.
“Th-this… all of these?”
“Yes, Lady Lia.”
Constantine answered expressionlessly.
Lia’s temper flared instantly, and she started cursing the pile of documents:
“That idiot Eze, not only unfit as a hero, but how could he slack off on these tasks? Owing so many favors—what exactly was he doing all along?! Was I too lenient on him!?”
The Knight Captain’s lips curled slightly. Usually expressionless, he now showed a hint of mockery for a moment.
Then, still without changing his expression, he said:
“Lady Lia, these documents are only the amount generated in the few days since the operation began. Everything before that was already handled by Lord Eze.”
A few days’ worth?
Just reading through this pile would take days, let alone processing it.
And Eze still managed to handle intelligence, command, and planning?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
Lia suddenly recalled that Constantine was apparently Eze’s confidant?
She was certain Eze had sent him to mess with her!
With that certainty, Lia snorted coldly and pointed at Constantine’s nose, shouting:
“How could there be so much work in just a few days!? Do you take me for a fool!?”
“……”
Constantine said nothing, his expression unchanged.
Because he tacitly agreed with the latter part of Lia’s sentence.
But Lia thought she had hit the mark and grew even more smug:
“Did Eze order you to do this!? That guy never left, he’s hiding somewhere among you, right!? He’s doing this just to make a fool of me, isn’t he!?”
Unable to bear it, Constantine shook his head.
“Lord Eze has indeed left, and many people can attest to that. As for this work, compared to the usual volume Lord Eze handles, it’s quite little.”
“…What?”
“Before this operation started, Lord Eze took care of many things in advance. What remains now is only half of his usual workload.”
“You’re lying!!”
“Every word is true.”
Constantine remained expressionless, his tone so even that no emotion could be discerned.
Just as Lia was about to explode again, the tent’s flap was lifted, and a familiar figure stepped inside.
“Calm down, Xia, as the Goddess’s Hero, it’s not good to yell like that and be overheard by the soldiers.”
A woman around twenty years old.
Her silver hair flowed like a waterfall, pure and smooth, nearly reaching the ground. Even in the dim lamp light, it shimmered brightly.
Her features were flawless and alluring, her skin flawless and fair. Combined with pure blue eyes and a gentle, natural smile, she surpassed mere beauty and charm, reaching a divine level.
She wore a white, loose, and light robe adorned with sacred church symbols, holding a silver staff that glowed faintly gold, made of the same material as her holy sword.
Standing there, she looked like a goddess descended to earth.
Rosa Lynn Meredith, the fourth member of the Goddess’s Blade Squad.
Physically, she might have been weaker than Eze.
But as a priest-type hero wielding numerous healing, dispelling, purifying, and buffing skills, she was an immensely powerful and versatile support in team battles—capable of buffing an entire army.
Because of this, Vivian had seen her as the greatest threat during the battle.
Shortly after the fight began, she was heavily targeted by ranged spells, becoming the second most severely injured after Eze, and remained unconscious for over two days.
Lia and Rosa Lynn had a decent relationship, so Lia’s anger softened somewhat upon seeing her.
But she still glared fiercely at Constantine and shouted:
“Get out!!!”
Without hesitation, Constantine swiftly exited the tent.
Lia sighed and absentmindedly picked up the topmost document, flipping through it while speaking to Rosa Lynn seated opposite her:
“When I came to see you this morning, you weren’t awake yet. How is your injury now?”
Rosa Lynn smiled and nodded.
“I’m fine now. Actually, I woke up in the afternoon, but seeing so many injured soldiers, I couldn’t leave them, so I kept treating them. That’s why I’m only here now—don’t blame me.”
“What of it? It’s just the hero’s job.”
Saying this, Lia grew irritable again and shook her head unhappily.
“If only some useless people could be like you.”