The statue of Selina stood motionless, silently towering in place.
It offered no response to Sophie’s question.
“Lady Selina, why do you remain silent?”
Sophie was deeply puzzled.
The Holy Land had used sacred arts to guide Selina’s soul back to the Hall of Heroes.
Under normal circumstances, her words should have reached Selina’s heroic soul.
A disrespectful question like that should have provoked anger from the hero.
Yet the silence felt utterly baffling.
It was almost as if…
Selina’s soul was not here at all.
“Did I make some mistake?”
Sophie muttered.
During the previous campaign against the transcendent beast, she had unconsciously unleashed astonishing swordsmanship.
The Holy Knights who accompanied her had even remarked that it resembled Selina’s style.
That was precisely why she had come—to meet Selina’s soul and clear her doubts.
“Should I try another statue?”
After a moment’s thought, Sophie temporarily left Selina’s statue and walked to another.
This one depicted a heavily armored knight wielding a great two-handed sword pointed forward, as though confronting a colossal monster.
And indeed he once had.
Long ago, an evil dragon corrupted by abyssal aura had invaded the human realms, slaughtering countless innocents and turning many into demonized beings.
The devastation had been incalculable.
The Radiant Knight had stepped forward, burned his life to the limit, slain the dragon, and purified the abyssal taint—bringing hope back to humanity.
Like the other heroes, his soul had been guided to the Hall of Heroes by sacred art and now slept here.
“Greetings, Lord Radiant Knight. Can you hear my voice?”
Sophie bowed respectfully.
A faint glow rose from the statue.
A deep, steady voice that pierced straight into the soul echoed in Sophie’s mind.
“Young kin, you have roused me from slumber. What do you seek?”
“You are here?”
“Of course. This is the Hall of Heroes. As long as the sacred flame burns, the souls of heroes may rest here and watch over humanity.”
“…”
Sophie frowned.
She turned to look at the grand altar in the center of the hall.
The sacred flame burned steadily.
there were no signs of disturbance in the hall’s operation.
“Lord Radiant Knight, how long can a heroic soul remain?”
“As long as we are not kept awakened for extended periods, we may linger for a very long time.”
“Then is it possible for a soul that entered the hall to vanish within twenty years?”
“…That should be impossible. I myself entered four hundred years ago and have been awakened thrice. With the sacred flame’s support, I feel no sign of fading.”
“Then… could you check whether Lady Selina, the Silver Sword Princess, is still here?”
“That is not within my duty, kin. If you seek something, you should speak to each soul directly,” the Radiant Knight explained. “We heroic souls are not omnipotent as we were in life. The aid we can offer is limited.”
“I understand.”
“Is there anything else?”
“No, Lord Radiant Knight. I apologize for disturbing your rest.”
“Hm.”
The Radiant Knight sounded slightly displeased
why had this girl woken him for such trivial matters?
Still, he did not hold it against a descendant.
The glow from the statue dimmed as he returned to slumber.
“By all rights, Lady Selina’s soul should still be here… Why is there no reaction at all?”
Sophie returned to Selina’s statue.
Could it be…
Was Lady Selina angry with her?
Her question had indeed been outrageous
doubting the hero who had brought peace to humanity.
But even if angry, would a hero who could fight the Demon King to mutual destruction really stay completely silent?
Or perhaps…
“The Holy Land never actually guided Lady Selina’s soul to the Hall of Heroes?”
The moment the thought left her lips, Sophie clapped both hands over her mouth and glanced around.
No one was nearby.
Her words should not have been overheard.
The idea was far too bold.
Yet if it were true, it would perfectly explain why Selina’s soul seemed to have vanished.
Because it had never been here to begin with.
“But the Holy Land did publicly perform the sacred rite to guide Lady Selina’s soul back to the human world. If it isn’t in the Hall of Heroes, then where did it go?”
Sophie grew even more confused.
Could Selina have already entered normal reincarnation?
If that were the case, it would make sense.
After all, the Silver Sword Princess was the spiritual totem of the current human era.
If the Holy Land announced that the guiding rite had failed, it would cause unrest.
“What a pity… With Lady Selina gone, no one can answer the doubts in my heart.”
Sophie sighed.
She gazed at the heroic statue.
Unlike the others, this one was equipped with Selina’s actual gear that the Holy Land had recovered.
In addition to the silver sword gripped in the statue’s hand, five more swords floated in the air, orbiting the silver armor.
This was the legendary armament of the Silver Sword Princess
Divine Might Armament.
Selina could control all six swords at once, facing entire armies alone and displaying unmatched combat prowess.
“With Lady Selina’s soul gone, no one can inherit Divine Might Armament the way the other heroes’ relics can be passed down. Such a waste… this legendary set is already bound to her.”
Sophie murmured regretfully.
Yet the instant her words fell—
The six swords of Divine Might Armament stopped their slow orbital motion.
Together, including the one held by the statue, all six swords drifted toward her and began circling the red-haired girl as though she were their true wielder.
“W-What is happening?! Why is Divine Might Armament doing this?”
Sophie’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She wondered if she was hallucinating.
Her heart pounded wildly; her hands trembled.
Her breathing quickened.
Slowly, almost involuntarily, she raised one hand toward the silver sword
just as Selina once had
and grasped it.
The sword resonated with her.
Rose-red hair danced like living flame.
“Ah—?!”
Sophie’s entire body shuddered.
Her soul quaked.
Countless overlapping images flashed before her eyes like fragments of a forgotten past, rushing through her mind in a torrent.