Lian didn’t let go of her collar. She stared at Feiyin from an extremely close distance, trying to find even the slightest hint of a joke or deception in those crimson eyes —
“…Why?”
But she failed. Thus, she could only ask Feiyin that question.
“Because it is what must be done to keep you in this world. To remain here, you must be liberated from the destiny of the Hero.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
Feiyin’s words left Lian completely bewildered.
“Then let us start with a history lesson. Do you know how many Heroes there were before you?”
“…Four.”
“Exactly. They were all summoned from another world through a summoning ritual just like yours. Over 1,000 years ago, the first Hero, Nolan, fought the Demon King to a draw. He established the oldest human nation using his own name and used the borders of his country to divide the Empire into the Human Realm and the Demon Realm.”
“More than 170 years after his death, a new Demon King invaded the Human Realm again. In response, humanity summoned the second Hero, Elon. Unexpectedly, he did not choose to challenge the Demon King head-on. Instead, he established a country in the southeast of the Empire… You know the name of this country, don’t you?”
“Yilansiya.”
“Correct, the very country we are in now. The second Hero Elon’s indirect struggle bore fruit — by the time he was age 60, Yilansiya had become a powerful force in the Human Realm that could not be ignored. Furthermore, he united all the forces that could be allied within the Human Realm, forcing the Demon King of that time to withdraw his army.”
“But that Demon King’s ambition did not vanish with a single defeat. In the hundreds of years following the second Hero’s death, he led his army into the Human Realm once more… And the one who blocked him this time was the third Hero summoned by humanity.”
“This time, the third Hero finally launched a direct challenge against the Demon King… But he lost to the Demon King and perished.”
“However, his sacrifice was not in vain. Before he died, he left the Demon King with a fatal wound. After entrusting his unfulfilled grand ambition of conquering the Human Realm to the next successor, that Demon King passed away.”
“The following few hundred years were a tedious cycle — a new Demon King and a new Hero, the same war, and the same outcome. The fourth Hero and the ninth Demon King perished one after another… Until it came to you and Gila.”
“I know this history! But what does this have to do with what you said about being ‘liberated from the Hero’s destiny’ — “
“Don’t you understand even after I’ve explained this much? You are different from those pitiful Heroes… You are the only Hero from another world who defeated and killed the Demon King. The reason you were expelled from this world is entirely because of that.”
“…Because I defeated and killed the Demon King, I was expelled from the world? I’ve never heard of such an absurd thing… Even as the casters, Sephy and Linxi never said such a thing!”
“Because they have no experience with it either. This is the first time in history such a thing has happened.”
Lian’s grip on her collar slowly loosened. Feiyin’s words sounded like a fairy tale, yet they were surprisingly logical — not only did they align with the history of this world, but they also explained her own experience.
“This is the mechanism of the Hero Summoning Ritual. From the moment of your summoning, you possessed a Magic Power capacity thousands or tens of thousands of times beyond the limits of a human — this is the power the world bestowed upon you. It is simply too strong… strong enough for a human to defeat the Demon King, and strong enough to transcend the laws of reality, distorting time and space to send you back once your mission was accomplished. Because a world without a Demon King has no need for a Hero with such immense power.”
“No, that’s impossible… I don’t believe it… No one ever told me these things… And what does this have to do with you turning me into a woman…!”
“Calm down. Take a deep breath.”
Seeing Lian stagger backward, Feiyin reached out at the right moment to support her. Lian, her mind in a state of chaos from the shock of those words, did not push her away in time —
“I finally caught you.”
Feiyin began to smile eerily… Gazing into those crimson eyes, Lian suddenly felt a wave of weakness wash over her entire body.
“Feiyin… you set me up!”
Lian stumbled and fell into Feiyin’s soft embrace. She felt as if her limbs were sinking into a swamp… unable to move even an inch.
She couldn’t help but curse her own carelessness. ‘How could I believe her nonsense? Even Sephy and the others weren’t very clear on information related to the Hero Summoning Ritual. How could she, a member of the Demon Race, possibly — ‘
” ‘How could a member of the Demon Race possibly know more than them,’ right?”
“…Did you read my mind?”
“Yes, this is also one of my ‘Miracles.’ Do you believe me now?”
“Don’t be ridiculous… Let me go right now!”
Feiyin rested Lian’s head on her lap, affectionately stroking Lian’s hair. “You’re still trying to struggle using your Magic Power. Even though I’ve been so honest with you.”
“The things you said — “
” ‘I don’t believe a single word of it.’ “
“There’s no way you could know — “
” ‘Things that even the Sage and the Holy Maiden don’t know.’ “
“…Stop reading my mind!”
Lian grit her teeth in anger… As her Magic Power surged violently, she felt the sensation in her limbs returning.
“Oh dear… I didn’t expect that even after the new Hero awakened, your power would still be so strong. It seems I’ll have to use some special means to make you behave.”
Feiyin tilted her head and thought for a moment, then had a sudden realization. “Right, you haven’t experienced it yet since becoming a girl, have you? That kind of pain only a girl can feel.”
Feiyin snapped her fingers. Following that sound, Lian felt a change somewhere in her body… She felt a sudden, unbearable surge of sharp pain in her lower abdomen.
“Ugh… nngh… Wh-what did you do…?”
The cycle of refining Magic Power within her was instantly interrupted by this burst of intense pain. She felt that this agony was no less than the pain of having her abdomen pierced by a Demon Sword…!
“Since you didn’t believe that this body of yours was crafted by me, I had no choice but to prove it to you. By the way, making you feel this pain ahead of time cost me 2 years of my life.”
“Ugh…!”
Lian was usually well-accustomed to pain — she wouldn’t even flinch if she were run through by blades or spears. But this was her first time experiencing this kind of internal bodily pain —
She couldn’t get used to it immediately. She curled up in Feiyin’s arms… The pain was so intense she couldn’t even straighten her back.
“While we have a moment, why don’t we finish the conversation we started? I know you still have many questions.” Feiyin took out a Handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from Lian’s forehead. “As I said before, this world without a Demon King has no need for your existence as a Hero. So, to bring you back, what should the first step be?”
Lian’s face turned even paler.
“That’s right. First, a new Demon King is required. Only a living Demon King allows the Hero Summoning Ritual to locate you and bring you back to this world.”
“…You… stop for a moment…”
“No. You must listen to me until I’m finished. I know you’re wondering how you were able to return to this world… Just as you suspected, someone summoned you again.”
“You… you are…”
“Yes, yes. Turning you into a lovely young girl was also something requested by the person who summoned you. Even though you were summoned, you are still a Hero. No matter what, you would have to embark on a journey to defeat the Demon King again… But that person hoped that this time, after being summoned, you wouldn’t have to shoulder such a cruel destiny.”
“That person’s plan is proceeding smoothly — the Hero Summoning Ritual has already been performed… But the world could not find the male Hero named Lian En Klauscher. Therefore, the world, left with no choice, had to pick the person in this world who most resembled him and had the closest blood relation to inherit his power and fight the newborn Demon King.”
“That is your daughter. She is awakening as the new Hero and is taking away the Hero’s power bestowed upon you by the world. You’ve noticed, haven’t you? The reason I can restrain you so easily is partly because you are injured, and partly because your power has weakened.”
Lian’s mind was in total chaos. Amidst this intense pain, she could no longer organize the information Feiyin was feeding her. In the end, she could only squeeze out one sentence through her teeth —
“What… do you… plan to do with me…?”
“I don’t plan to do anything to you. Just as I said, I’ve worked hard so that you can stay in this world and escape the destiny of the Hero. Now, my task is basically complete — the rest is up to you.”
“Your wish is to return to your original form and stay by your family’s side, right? Then please help your daughter become a true Hero and search for the ‘Relics’ lost across the Empire. The effects of those ‘Relics’ are complex and varied… Perhaps there is something among them that can turn you back.”
As Feiyin flashed an intrigued smile, Lian’s consciousness plummeted rapidly into darkness.