Chapter 49: Ron: The Box-Opening Hero

“This, this isn’t really appropriate.”

At a loss, Lifa stepped back half a step, her focus quickly shifting from the hero’s sword and Isis to seek help from Ron.

“It isn’t really appropriate.”

Lifa heard her teacher speak and nodded along, but she soon noticed that her teacher’s expression was terrible.

“Miss Ashen, please take this back.”

Ron’s tone grew even stiffer as he pulled Lifa to his side, his expression serious.

The hero’s sword was not only a Legend-grade weapon, but also symbolized the identity and legacy of a Hero.

If earlier Isis’s words about wanting to die wearing the radiant set could be taken as a joke, now Ron understood that she truly had that intention.

She must be overthinking again…

Ron clenched his fists, extremely dissatisfied with Isis’s attitude now that she had finally woken up.

“Mr. Ron, this is between Lifa and me.”

Isis tried to make her smile gentle, her gaze warning Ron not to interfere.

“I am this child’s teacher and guardian.”

Based on his understanding of Isis, Ron had some guesses about the Hero’s current thoughts.

And precisely for that reason, his stance was not only firm but also displeased.

“Miss Ashen, deciding such things behind my back…”

“I cannot accept it.”

In the previous save, Ron’s identity was easily seen through by Isis, forcing him to reload.

He had tried hard to avoid Isis, and even the thoughts he had while being hypnotized by Casali were not unfounded.

But now, in Isis’s eyes, Ron was simply Lifa’s Mentor, without the slightest hint of suspicion.

After gaining a deeper understanding of the situation, he made the decision to save Isis, but instead Isis now longed for the outcome of legacy and death.

This completely opposite development left Ron feeling both irritated and ridiculous.

“Mr. Ron, you can take back the radiant set at that time…”

Isis was expressionless.

“At that time?”

“Isis, how long are you going to keep this up? Take the hero’s sword back!”

Ron raised his hand to block Lifa beside him, then sneered and emphasized his tone.

Eye.

“Isis?”

Lifa’s emerald eyes blinked with confusion and familiarity with that name, and after a few seconds, as if realizing something, she slowly opened her eyes wide.

“Mr. Ron…”

Isis’s originally gentle gaze turned cold the moment Ron pointed out her real name, and as she swept her eyes over, it was like a silent interrogation.

“This time it’s my turn to expose you, Isis.”

“Take the hero’s sword back.”

“Isis.”

Without any fear, Ron chose to repeat his earlier words, staring back at the Hero without backing down.

From the situation just now, in order to wake up immediately and create a window period to interfere with Casalima, Isis had likely overdrawn herself and paid a considerable price.

That didn’t just mean a massive drop in strength, but also that Isis herself must have had a reason she felt she had to do this.

“Sister Ash, what Teacher says…”

“Lifa.”

Isis withdrew the hero’s sword and also interrupted Lifa’s cautious question.

“I’d like to take a patrol around the area with Mr. Ron. You organize the camp supplies—we’ll set off deeper into the magic beast forest shortly.”

Leaving.

Isis looked at the sun gradually rising at the edge of the sky, stepped back half a step, and turned around on the soft grass.

“Alright… Huh?”

Ron immediately agreed and prepared to follow Isis.

“Teacher…”

Lifa grabbed his finger.

“Teacher, the Isis you mentioned… is she the Isis I know?”

Lifa’s gaze shifted, and Isis, a little farther away, turned sideways, then with extremely fast movement, pretended not to hear and entered the jungle.

“Yes.”

By saying Isis’s real name at this moment, Ron of course wanted Lifa to know.

“Sister Ash is the Hero Isis?”

Lifa still couldn’t believe it.

“Yes.”

“Miss Ashen is the Hero Isis.”

“I’ll explain when I get back.”

Ron knew Lifa had countless questions, but he first patted the girl’s head, then placed his finger over her lips, turned around, and left.

“Mm…”

Lifa watched Ron and Isis walk into the jungle one after the other, clearly intending to talk without her.

Besides surprise and curiosity, Lifa suddenly felt an inexplicable worry about what Teacher and Isis were hiding.

“Here will do.”

When Ron walked into the forest, Isis suddenly leaped down from a tree beside him.

“Mr. Ron, I’ve always thought you were a man of great wisdom.”

Isis’s words were a compliment to Ron.

bang

But the next moment, the Hero grabbed Ron by the collar and shoved his ordinary human body into a tree trunk.

hiss

This impact was clearly Isis’s way of expressing her dissatisfaction and warning toward Ron.

After that noise, Ron’s torso collided with a tree that took two people to wrap around, and the pain in his lower back quickly chain-reacted with the unhealed wound on his shoulder.

“From now on, you just need to take care of and teach Lifa.”

Isis lowered her head, her white hair falling to cover her eyes that hid her emotions.

“You don’t need to worry about anything that happens these two days.”

“When the time comes, my weapons, everything I have, including the origin crystal, will be left to Lifa.”

Ron tried to break free, but with such a huge gap in strength, he could only let Isis grab his hands, struggling uselessly.

“When I chose to use the demon force and became like this, I already had the mental preparation to face this outcome.”

“Consider this my repayment to you.”

Isis slowly released Ron and pointed her finger at her own blood-red eyes.

There was another reason she hadn’t told Ron.

“So.”

“Telling Lifa my identity is harming her.”

She had once killed her own beloved master.

Now Ron telling Lifa his identity would undoubtedly force Lifa, besides killing a friend, to bear the additional pain of killing an idol.

“Mr. Ron, you told me yourself.”

“Lifa admires and aspires to become a Hero like me.”

Isis closed her eyes.

“But when she kills me, it will inevitably be as an ugly, fallen demon race.”

Like a red spider lily in full bloom, the blood-red in Isis’s eyes spilled over onto her pale cheeks.

Strange, evil flames rose around Isis. She wanted Ron to see and feel for himself the form she was about to transform into.

At the same time, she thought that perhaps leaving some injury on Ron would make it easier for Lifa to accept…

“You are harming her.”

Isis emphasized again, still unable to understand Ron.

Even the Ron from not long ago would have felt the same.

Yet this time, there was no need for guilt. Isis willingly planned to pass everything on to Lifa.

Safety, the hero’s sword, the origin crystal…

All were within easy reach.

He just needed to accept it silently.

Before answering, Ron walked toward Isis through the flames.

“I want to save you.”