The Church of Light enjoys a certain degree of autonomy within the Human Kingdom.
To avoid entangling church and state, Leah did not attend.
She was both a member of the Hero Squad and the Saintess of the Church of Light.
Celes had gone ahead, saying she needed to speak with their Mentor, the one who had formed this squad, the former Great Hero, Rolls.
She said there was something she needed to tell her.
Vina had yet to return.
So, on the road to the Royal Palace, only Ella and Zero walked together.
“I don’t know if it’s because of me, but I feel like Celes has been acting a bit strange lately. It’s as if she’s misunderstood me somehow.”
With just the two of them, Ella brought this up in a roundabout way.
Or perhaps, not so roundabout.
“Mm… maybe a little,” Zero replied, not saying much more.
“But don’t worry. It’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
Is it really nothing to worry about? Ella thought to herself.
She had been pretending for quite a while now, trying to be a good girl for several days, yet her plan for revenge had barely moved forward.
Except for Zero, who had trusted her from the start, the others had always treated her with a certain wariness.
Vina was clearly scheming, Leah was distant, and Celes was guarded.
Sigh… she was exhausted…
“Ella, Ella, look, pancake rolls~”
At some point, Zero had run off to a street vendor and now came skipping back, handing her a piping hot jianbing.
“Just a bit of scallion and cilantro, no chili.”
“Thanks.”
Ella took it, examining it curiously.
“How did you know I don’t eat chili, and only want a little scallion and cilantro?”
Zero answered reflexively, “I noticed when I watched you eat over the past few days.”
Ella grew even more confused.
“But I haven’t seen you at any meals recently.”
So when exactly did you see me eat?
“Uh… hmm… I think I heard it from someone else… Anyway, Ella, is the pancake roll good?”
Zero’s answer was vague, quickly steering the topic away.
“It’s alright.”
Ella took a small bite and chewed slowly.
She didn’t dwell on her earlier question, just sighed inwardly.
“Compared to being teammates for a month, you seem to know me better than the others.”
She actually wanted to ask someone about Celes.
Zero’s delicate face flushed a little.
“I guess so~”
Totally not on the same wavelength.
They finished the pancake roll halfway there, then continued along Royal Avenue, passing through the heart of the King’s City, heading ever deeper toward the Royal Palace.
“Ella, did you know why this road is called Royal Avenue? It’s because the King personally designed and oversaw its construction. Impressive, right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Haha, wasting the people’s resources, exhausting the populace with forced labor.
Compared to the Demon King, the King hardly seemed benevolent.
“Ella, look over there, that’s the Royal Garden. It’s huge! I heard that when the flowers are in bloom, the whole Royal Palace is filled with their fragrance.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Haha, pretentious displays, all for show.
The Demon King’s practicality was far superior.
“Ella, Ella, look, flowers~”
Ha… wait, when did you pick a flower?
When did you even leave my side?
Zero came running back, a White Rose blooming brilliantly in her hand.
“You picked a flower from the Royal Garden? Won’t you get in trouble?”
Ella was a bit worried.
“It’s fine,” Zero’s light-colored eyes curved in a crescent-moon smile.
“No one saw me.”
True enough.
Even the Demon King hadn’t noticed when Zero picked the flower.
“Ella.”
“Mm?”
“You’re so pretty.”
It was only then that Ella realized the White Rose had been placed in her hair.
She had no idea when Zero had done it.
Faced with the girl’s beaming smile, the Demon King set aside her critical gaze for a moment and remembered a small dilemma.
Should a good girl blush at a time like this?
“Mmm…”
Ella made a blushing sound.
Wait, what am I doing?
We’re both girls!
Why am I blushing like a teapot on the boil?
“Hehe.”
Zero grabbed her hand.
“We’re almost there. Let’s go~”
***
In a secluded side hall of the Royal Palace, known as the Offering Hall, lived those who had made great contributions to the Human Kingdom.
This was not Celes’s first visit. Every time she came to see her teacher, as she walked from the corridor into the main hall, she would see the bold calligraphy on the wall.
【Law of Conservation of All Things】
“You’re here, little Celes.”
An old man emerged from the inner room, greeting her as he set down the teapot in his hand.
“Just brewed some good tea. Pour yourself a cup if you want any.”
Stories among the people described the Great Hero Rolls as a giant two meters tall, strong enough for a man to stand on his fists and a horse to gallop across his back, every muscle radiating masculinity.
Yet with the passage of years, the real Rolls was now a kindly old grandfather, his white beard fluffy as if spun from cotton.
Celes poured two cups of tea, bringing one to her teacher before sitting down with her own and taking a sip.
“First, congratulations on passing your trial. You managed to defeat the Demon King through teamwork, you all did very well. As a reward, you may ask me one question. Is there something you want to know?”
“There is.”
Celes set down her cup, asking seriously, “I want to know about Zero’s origins.”
Rolls’s expression grew odd.
“Did she cause some trouble in your team?”
“No, I just feel that she…”
Celes hesitated, but still voiced her thoughts.
“She’s too innocent, as if her mental age doesn’t match her appearance.”
Rolls nearly spit out his tea, coughing violently.
Celes hurried over to pat his back, helping him recover after a while.
“Cough, cough, thank you. Cough. Well, Celes, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you… cough… but this touches on… cough… political matters… cough… It’s not convenient to say.”
A few minutes later, Rolls, now settled in his chair, spoke again.
“I can’t answer that question. Instead, let me tell you something more important, why I absolutely had to gather you all and form the Hero Squad.”
Celes straightened her posture.
“Before I get into that, let me ask, have you heard the rumors about my sit-ups?”
At this, the girl’s expression turned a bit awkward.
“I’ve never really believed those rumors…”
“They’re true,” Rolls cut in.
Now Celes’s expression became even more complicated.
The rumor went like this: When Celes first made her name, becoming the youngest Sword Saint in history, people exclaimed that the kingdom was truly blessed, that the Human Kingdom had produced another genius like the Great Hero of old. Rolls himself gave her high praise.
When Vina’s reputation shook the Magic Court, earning the awe of countless people, Rolls frowned slightly but still forced a smile to congratulate the talented mage.
When the radiance of Saintess Leah illuminated the kingdom, Rolls would clutch his beard in worry, constantly asking if there were any unusual happenings outside, if the Ancient Dragon in seclusion had stirred, or if the long-dormant Abyssal Rift had begun to shift.
But when, from who-knows-where, news of Zero reached him, Rolls went pale and collapsed on the spot.
Three days later, he suddenly sprang up, full of energy, looking as if he’d shed decades, well, at least a dozen years.
He immediately called in every favor he could, gathering four girls and forming them into the Hero Squad.