In the profession slot, the words “Sword Saint” had disappeared, replaced instead by —
‘Hero.’
After Erin’s reminder, Serena also realized the problem: the reason her stats had skyrocketed and she had become stronger in every way was because she had changed her profession to Hero!
Thinking this, she looked at the Holy Sword held together with Erin. To her surprise, the brilliance that once shone from the sword had completely faded away.
It had turned into a rusty, battered piece of junk, and with a ‘clack,’ it broke into two halves.
This scene caused Serena’s eyes to lose their sparkle, almost driving her into a yandere-like panic: “E-Erin, the Holy Sword… the Holy Sword is broken?! What do we do?”
Erin’s mind was already scrambled into a mess, and Serena’s sudden alarm only made her more irritated.
“What do you mean, what do we do?”
“The Holy Sword is broken! Isn’t the Holy Sword supposed to be the Hero’s exclusive weapon, with immense power against the Demon Clan? Isn’t it terrible that it’s broken?” Serena looked at the dull, broken half of the sword in her hands, her whole body in a panic.
After all, she was a native of this other world, having grown up listening to the legends of the Hero saving the world. The Holy Sword was a sacred weapon not to be violated, and now it was reduced to half its former self!
“Well, if it’s broken, it’s broken. No need to make such a fuss. Maybe this weapon…” Erin pinched her chin thoughtfully. Before Serena’s profession change, the Holy Sword had shone brilliantly. Now it was utterly useless—the light was gone. Could it be that —
“What do you mean, maybe?” Serena asked, a little flustered.
“Maybe this weapon is the fundamental reason for your profession change! The Holy Sword isn’t really a weapon but a symbol used to trigger the job change! Only by obtaining the Holy Sword can one change into a Hero!”
Detective Erin pointed at Serena and added that the reason she herself hadn’t successfully changed professions was probably because the Holy Sword rejected her for her insufficient combat power.
In other words, the Holy Sword was the item for profession change into Hero. When someone with sufficient combat power grasped the sword, they would automatically become a Hero. At the same time, the sword’s blade—the carrier—would be damaged, but the fundamental power of the Holy Sword would have entered Serena’s body. This explained her sudden surge in strength!
Erin thought this through and handed the decorative mithril sword at her waist to Serena, saying, “Try it. Infuse your energy into the blade, just like you usually do.”
Serena blinked, not understanding Erin’s intention but obediently took the mithril sword. She exhaled softly, and in the next moment —
A golden light shone brilliantly, illuminating the entire underground tomb.
Serena was so surprised that her mouth gaped wide enough to fit several Erins inside.
“This…”
Erin narrowed her eyes slightly. “Just as I thought, Serena, you really have become the Hero. Now, no matter what weapon you hold, that weapon will become a Holy Sword!”
No wonder she valued the Holy Sword so much—it wasn’t really a weapon but a vessel for the Hero’s power to pass on! The sword was only a carrier, and after completing its mission, it disappeared.
Serena uttered an “Eh?” “I, I’m the Hero? Although my profession changed to Hero, wasn’t the Hero only recently appointed by the Church?”
“Then, there’s only one truth!” Erin cleared her throat, “That Hero was a fake, or maybe — ”
After his death, the Hero’s power was passed back into the sword, but Erin preferred to believe the former.
That guy? How could he possibly be the Hero? Did he deserve the title ‘Hero’?
He didn’t even have a pure and righteous heart!
Fake, fake, definitely fake!
“F-Fake?” Serena was shocked and began pondering, “Why would the Church do such a thing? Who was the fake Hero set up for?”
“…The Hero is the emissary of the Goddess. Only those approved by the Goddess can become Heroes. This is the Church’s method of proving its legitimacy.”
Rita couldn’t help but step forward, lowering her eyelids slightly, hands clenched over her chest.
Her words caught Serena’s attention. She looked at Rita and asked, “Prove the Church’s legitimacy? Why do they need to prove such a thing?”
Erin was also a little confused and glanced at Rita. Actually, she had long felt that Rita was hiding something important.
But since Rita refused to speak up, Erin wouldn’t force it.
Rita stepped back like a frightened fawn and explained, “…I, I was just rambling. Don’t pay it any mind.”
It had been a while since leaving the territory. Grandpa hadn’t stopped her—was he letting her seize these last moments to enjoy the adventure?
Or was he scheming again, trying to drag Sister Erin into something? To become that so-called Saintess?
A coincidence that Serena was the Hero? Or was everything predestined?
Rita was quite puzzled.
Serena’s gaze lingered on her, muttering softly, “Erin, now that the mask is off, I think this girl looks a lot like Roswiser…”
Erin nodded in agreement. “When I first met Rita, I almost mistook her.”
As they talked, suddenly Serena knelt before Erin. This startled Erin: “W-What are you doing all of a sudden?”
Serena grabbed Erin’s hand anxiously. “Erin, you’re not mad at me anymore, right?”
Erin sighed softly, eyes narrowing slightly. “That’s hard to say. After all, what you did is hard for people to accept…”
Eh?
Serena was stunned. The atmosphere had been pretty good just moments ago! Just like last time when they teamed up in Endimion City to fight the Shadow King. How did her attitude suddenly change after the fight?
“Erin, I really know I was wrong. Please, forgive me. I’ll do anything! Let’s start over, okay?”
“Really? Anything?”
She saw a faint mischievous smile at the corner of Erin’s mouth and her heart skipped a beat. Oh no, was she being schemed again?
But the words were already out. No going back now. She nodded solemnly.
“I’ll remember this promise. No backing out.” Erin smiled, “Actually, I’m not that angry with you anymore. A few days ago, Mother sent a letter explaining that the rumors you accidentally spread were exploited by spies from the Empire.”
“Those spies have been caught. Although the root of all misunderstandings started with you, my sudden withdrawal from the team was indeed irresponsible…”
This was something Erin only realized later, or rather, after Helga’s reminder. She had been like a mother to the team. Without her, the team naturally ran into all kinds of problems.
Her talents were the core of the team. Without her, it wouldn’t be an S-rank team anymore.
She only learned this later, but it didn’t stop Erin from feeling she had indeed made mistakes.
Her original intention was to recruit better support members, but it backfired.
Mistakes piled up, misunderstandings deepened, and it spiraled out of control. Maybe with time she had come to accept it, or perhaps the memories of the Mage King’s life she had inherited influenced her.
After seeing the Mage King’s grand life, she no longer fussed over these small things.
Or maybe it was because the female Sword Saint named Frida in the Mage King’s memories looked strikingly like the Serena in front of her. She must be Frida’s descendant.
Lastly, with more encounters and more possessions in hand, Erin no longer cared so much about these petty matters.
Besides, she had sincerely apologized, even threatening to die for her beliefs just now. If Erin continued to be harsh, it would only make her lose face.
As for doing anything? Well, that could be taken advantage of!
Helga’s complexion improved after the Holy Light treatment. She stepped forward and patted Serena’s shoulder: “If I’d known it would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have been so stubborn back then. By the way, after the team disbanded, what about Roswiser and the others?”
Serena glanced at Helga and smiled faintly. “The two went back to the Holy Capital. Roswiser seems busy with the ‘Saintess Trial.’ As for Reif, she’s already become the captain of the ‘Shield of the Goddess’ knight order. She hasn’t had it easy. Her father is a traitor in the Holy Capital. To restore her family’s honor, she’s been pushing herself hard. Hopefully, she’ll change after achieving success.”
“Traitor of the Holy Capital?” Erin and Helga had never heard of this before.
Serena sighed and shrugged. “…I just happened to hear it from her. No wonder you didn’t know. Reif’s family is a famous noble lineage descended from saints in the Holy Capital, but years ago her father conspired with witches and heretics to assassinate the Pope. The whole family was branded as traitors…”
Serena’s eyes flickered. “She has carried the mission to revive her family all these years and dares not make a single mistake because she bears the title of the daughter of a rebel. Everything she does is magnified and scrutinized.”
“She has forced herself into becoming a ruthless woman who would do anything to climb up.”
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