Chapter 46: Isis: The Strange Hero

“Thank you…”

“It was only right… Huh!?”

Looking down at the newly awakened Isis, Ron, who had been responding, immediately felt the sudden increase in weight around his neck.

“Hmm.”

Shyness—the hero, who always presented herself with an aloof and icy demeanor, now had a blush on her face like the daze of a hangover or the budding feelings of a maiden.

As for her movements, they were unusually bold. With a gaze that was almost stringy and full of attachment, Isis wrapped her arms around Ron’s neck.

“Isis?”

Ron looked into those blood-red eyes. The deep intoxication and emotion within them frightened him, especially as Isis’s arms kept tightening, continuously drawing their distance closer.

“!?”

Isis repeated her thanks, but this time the title she added at the end made Ron break out in a cold sweat. His frozen expression showed disbelief and incomprehension.

‘How did I get exposed again?’

‘How on earth can she recognize me!’

“Mmm—”

After Isis spoke, her words became indistinct, but her hands showed no intention of letting go of Ron.

Seeing this, Ron quickly realized that Isis’s awakening wasn’t entirely clear. It was more like a loading process after a machine reboot.

The few nouns he could make out from the hero’s words formed a clue, pointing to the past Ron had spent with her.

Memories.

‘This kid remembers all of this?’

So many ordinary conversations and incidents.

At the time, Ron, focused entirely on blackening cultivation, hadn’t even paid them any mind. But for Isis, each one was a most precious memory.

Even in this unclear state, these were what she thought of.

“Hey, Isis!”

Understanding the situation, Ron relaxed, but when he reached out, he couldn’t undo Isis’s grip around his neck.

“Master, please… don’t leave Isis alone this time.”

As if Ron’s call had an effect, Isis blinked with vacant eyes and muttered a plea.

“Even a hero has things she lacks the courage to face… Isis doesn’t want to lose you.”

Her words were a tender, affectionate confession, but in action, Isis forcefully pulled Ron’s neck and pressed her head against the side of his face.

‘Is she… treating me as me?’

Ron thought of a rather strange phrasing that would sound odd if said aloud.

Fortunately, Isis’s awakening was a fact. Ron used the tiny bit of mental energy he had recovered after exhausting it to check.

Thanks to the miraculous effect of the prayer, the demon king remnant soul was too preoccupied to defend itself.

Isis, rekindled with hope, found an opportunity to break through the cage and regain control of her body.

But this… didn’t seem like a victory without cost.

“Strange.”

After his check, Ron felt something off, but before he could investigate further, Isis’s next move left him even more bewildered.

“Mmm…”

Her warm cheek gently rubbed against Ron’s face. As if that wasn’t enough, or perhaps thinking Ron was distracted, Isis let out affectionate whimpers.

‘This is way too wrong!’

‘Even the old me never got this treatment from Isis!’

Ron was thinking about how to make Isis let go, and then check her again once his mental energy recovered a bit, when he met her eyes again. The white-haired hero had instantly changed her expression.

“Mr. Ron…”

Master.

The previous restlessness in her body and hands, which had been leaning toward even more ambiguous development, completely disappeared.

Now, Isis’s expression was half-cold, half-embarrassed and annoyed, with an extra hint of threatening glare.

“Isis, what just happened was…”

“Sorry.”

Clearly, Isis was now fully recovered, and she was aware of what had just happened.

This apology, which cut off Ron’s flustered response, was also her acknowledgment that the problem lay with her.

Once, the master’s rescue had brought her out of the dark cage of the slave market.

Now, Ron’s persistence had helped her escape Casalima’s Consciousness Prison.

It was the similarity between the two situations, along with the memory flow during her awakening, that caused Isis to mistakenly identify the Ron holding her as that master of the past.

Of course, in a sense, she wasn’t wrong.

“Please don’t repeat what you just heard. There’s no need to tell Lifa.”

Compared to her earlier stiff apology, Isis’s tone was now much calmer.

“No problem, but…”

Ron didn’t mind, but after a moment of hesitation, he pointed to Isis’s arms still wrapped around his neck.

“Ahem.”

Hearing the cough as a prompt, the two exchanged a silent look. Then Isis silently let go, turned her face to hide the blush, and sat back down properly beside Ron.

“Isis, the priority now is for you to go support Lifa.”

Remembering that his disciple was still in the middle of a fierce battle with the earth dragon lizard, Ron quickly made the request after briefly explaining what had happened during Isis’s unconsciousness.

“I understand.”

“Sister Ash, watch out!”

Lifa shouted loudly from the side to warn Isis, who was still lost in thought. The latter belatedly noticed the earth dragon lizard crawling rapidly toward her.

“Presumptuous…”

The move Isis made coincided with what Lifa had been thinking moments ago.

The hero’s sword was drawn. Isis held the hilt horizontally with one hand and placed the palm of her other hand against the base of the hilt.

The demonic beast and the hero.

The earth dragon lizard, pouncing with high speed, was like a heavy cavalryman charging.

“Roar!”

But this time, after the beast’s roar, what awaited it was no ordinary blade forged from mortal iron.

Click.

In the forest, Lifa widened her eyes; the scene before her seemed frozen.

The sound of a blade piercing flesh was heard. The hero’s sword flashed with white light, instantly vaporizing the earth dragon lizard.

Yes, vaporized.

“S-so strong.”

Lifa rubbed her eyes, convinced that the earth dragon lizard, after taking Isis’s attack, had turned into white mist and dispersed into the woods as if it had never existed.

“Lifa, I’m late.”

Sheathing the sword, Isis, having truly displayed her strength, looked at Lifa with concern.

“It’s okay, Sister Ash.”

Lifa shook her head, her golden hair swaying. At that moment, she was simply happy that Isis had woken up and recovered.

“Let’s head back first.”

The place where the two had fought the earth dragon lizard was quite a distance from the camp.

With all the rocks and trees blocking the view by the lake, Ron could only guess what was happening from the sounds.

“Okay.”

Isis walked ahead, her reply concise, as if she were thinking about something.

Lifa followed behind. She was worried that with both her and Isis away, Teacher might be in danger.

But in an absentminded glance, Lifa noticed Isis’s pace slowing down. She could faintly hear a few low gasps, as if the attack that had instantly killed the earth dragon lizard had exhausted her strength.

This was clearly wrong…