TFHITS Chapter 245

I picked up on something in his words.

But I deliberately pretended not to understand and replied in a carefree tone.

“Uh, yeah. Sure, we should go. Adwin. Let’s see the hero and the heroes off.”

“No. Hyung. You know what we are talking about.”

“…….”

“We are going.”

When the same words were repeated by two people, Neril seemed to catch on as well.

She asked, her fingertips trembling slightly.

“Don’t tell me… you’re saying we should split up?”

“…….”

“You have been planning this behind my and Mide’s backs?”

“Um. Yes.”

“Why, why. Why do we have to split up?”

Neril was showing many sides of herself today that were different from usual.

Back in her days as the Witch of Carnage, she wouldn't have reacted, but now she genuinely looked like she hated this separation.

Xenia spoke playfully.

“What, then are you saying we should all live together in the newlyweds’ house?”

“That’s not what I mean. Didn’t I say this before? We were all going to run a restaurant together in the Raynus territory…”

“I definitely said that, and I still want to do that. But.”

Xenia continued, her expression gentle.

“When I really thought about it, I realized that all of us still have a lot we need to do individually.”

“…….”

“For example, I need to attend Ophelia’s wedding, right? And then inherit my father’s position.”

“The Order of the Holy Knights of Light?”

“Yes. The current commander is only temporary. When the Black Sun incident happened in the capital, I made a promise with my father. That after I built up enough fame, I would come back and take over as commander.”

I shut my lips slightly.

Yeah. No matter what, the Order of the Holy Knights of Light must mean an immense amount to Xenia.

She must have spent most of her life there.

That was where she met Ophelia, and where she became friends with Agril.

I understood completely, but Neril still seemed regretful as she said this.

“There’s no Celestial God anymore. Won’t the Order of the Holy Knights of Light be disbanded?”

“But the force called holy power still remains. And it’s true that holy knights can use that power well.”

“…….”

“I want to prove that holy power is one of the energies that has existed in the world from the beginning, just like mana. I plan to systematize it and develop the organization.”

“…….”

“If I don’t step in, the emperor might use the Order of the Holy Knights of Light for his own selfish desires. I don’t think the current emperor would do that, but give it a few generations and it definitely will happen.”

That was something one could be certain of.

“So while you’re a hero with ‘plenty of fame,’ you’re going to establish all kinds of rules. So that even future emperors can’t touch it.”

“Yes. Well… even so, I might get swallowed up someday after I’m gone. But I still need to do what I can while I can.”

“Hoo. Alright. I get you. Then what about you guys?”

At that, Offense spoke up.

“For me, it’s obvious.”

“Ah, right. Looks like seeing us today really moved you. Of course, with Serein and....”

At that moment, Serein, her face bright red, opened and closed her mouth from the side.

“Ah, ahaha. What is this lady even talking about?”

Even though she was being called “lady” for the first time in a long while, Neril didn’t get angry.

“That kind of thing doesn’t hurt me anymore.”

“So annoying!”

Offense said,

“Anyway, I obviously need to find my parents.”

“Want help?”

“No need. Honestly, I don’t think I will need the help of a large-scale search magic circle anymore.”

Serein looked at him with strangely demure eyes, then spoke.

“It’s a different meaning from Offense, but I’m going to look for my parents too. And I’m thinking of starting a business.”

“A potion business?”

“That would be good too… I plan on doing everything I can. When I first joined this party, all I could think about was a potion business, but traveling with all of you really broadened my horizons.”

“Looks like the continent’s richest person will be born soon.”

“Ahaha. Of course that’s how it will turn out, right?”

She smiled proudly, without a trace of modesty.

I looked at Adwin.

He opened his mouth with a bright smile.

“I’m obviously going home. I need to greet my father and mother.”

“And then?”

“I don’t have any particular plans for now. I’m going to stay under my parents for as long as possible. At least until I become an adult.”

“…….”

“Our family hasn’t had much time where we were all together.”

He was right.

Finally, Lisel spoke.

“I’m going back into the bosom of the world.”

“Huh? You just came out of there.”

“Bion said so. That turning me back into a complete human will require some research.”

“Ah.”

“She said that since only she knows about the laboratory’s devices and facilities, she has to handle everything herself. She is going through trouble because of me, so I should help out as much as I can. Even if I don’t know how much I will actually be able to help.”

I let out a small laugh and said,

“Make her late-night snacks. That’s probably what Bion wants most.”

“What?”

“You made late-night snacks when the laboratory first created the existence of a spirit too, right? That’s why you supposedly had a stake in the spirit.”

“Ahaha. That’s true. I’m confident about that, at least.”

She smiled warmly.

Up until now, we had shared a common goal.

At first, it was killing Idria.

Then Velosian, then Aktion.

And finally, the Primordial Demon King and Kaeld.

All of it was a shared goal.

‘Now that our days as heroes are over…’

From here on, we each had to move toward our own goals.

I took a light breath and said,

“Alright. Go do what each of you wants to do.”

“…….”

“But this doesn’t mean our bond is cut. You all know that, right?”

Everyone nodded as if it were obvious.

In truth, even if we wanted to cut our ties, we couldn’t.

Not just in this era, but having been together for a full 230,000 years.

“Let’s stay in touch from time to time. Communication orbs are fine… or even through Bion.”

“Yes.”

“When you want to meet, just meet on your own. When you want to meet all together, contact each other and set something up.”

“Of course.”

What is this?

Is it just my imagination.

I’m sure I’m speaking cheerfully.

But somehow my vision feels a little blurred.

And in the eyes of the party members I’m looking at, tears were welling up too.

Before those tears could spill down their cheeks, I hurried to finish my words.

“As of today, the hero party is disbanded. Everyone, you have all worked hard.”

***

Time passed.

Xenia was busy at work again today as the commander of the ‘former’ Order of the Holy Knights of Light, and the ‘current’ Guardian Knights.

Guardian Knights was a name she herself had changed.

The high and mighty probably thought that the object of this guardianship referred to the emperor or the empire.

But Xenia intended to shape the order so that even if the emperor died, even if the empire itself collapsed, they would survive and protect all ordinary people.

That was why it wasn’t the Imperial Guardian Knights or the Emperor’s Guardian Knights, but simply the Guardian Knights.

Of course, saying this outright right now would invite objections, so she kept it a secret.

‘Gaining autonomy was huge.’

Perhaps because the title of hero carried such weight, the emperor delegated all authority over this massive organization entirely to Xenia.

If so, she needed to start laying the groundwork little by little.

And for that, she would have to keep working today as well.

She stared at the towering pile of documents stacked on her desk and made a miserable face.

Suddenly, she felt hungry.

Xenia wriggled in her chair.

“Ughhh. Why am I the one putting myself through all this suffering. Mide and Neril are having such a lovey-dovey time. Even Serein, who was ‘that’ lifelong single woman!”

Not long ago, she had received a message from Serein.

At the time, Serein had rambled on excitedly about something, but for the sake of her own mental health, Xenia decided to delete it from her memory.

She looked back at the pile of documents.

“Ugh. This isn’t something I can just entrust to anyone either……”

Her bold ambitions and plans were still too early to bring to the forefront.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t do it right away if she wanted to, but if things were misinterpreted, it could leave a blemish on her ‘reputation.’

If it were only her own reputation, that would be one thing, but if Mide’s reputation were reduced by even one point because of it.

‘That can’t happen. No way.’

She let out a sigh and gave up.

Looks like for the time being, she would just have to suffer on her own.

‘If only there were just one person I could trust enough to hand work over to.’

In the end, with her stress reaching its limit, she got up to head to a restaurant.

At that moment, the communication orb glowed with a bluish light.

“Hm? Who could it be?”

When she picked up the communication orb, a familiar voice came through.

-Xenia, do you happen to have a moment?

“Mariana?”

It was Mariana, Adwin’s mother.

They had been on good terms since their very first meeting, and even now, years after Adwin had returned to his hometown, that hadn’t changed.

-If you’re in the middle of work, I can contact you later.

“No. I was just about to eat.”

-What? Isn’t that more important than work, at least for you, Xenia?

“……Sounds like you heard that from Adwin.”

-Not at all. I knew from our first dinner together on the day we met.

Xenia changed the subject.

“So what’s going on?”

-Hoo. I just needed someone to complain to. Do you know how much this is eating me up inside!

“What happened?”

-It’s my son. Adwin. He went and made the girl next door cry not long ago.

“What? Adwin? He is not that kind of kid.”

-So here’s what happened…….

The whole story was this.

After becoming an adult, Adwin somehow became quite popular.

He had always had a cute face, and as he grew older, it matured into a handsome one.

On top of that, once he sealed away that infamous ‘embarrassing’ way of speaking, he seemed to have grown into a man who made women’s hearts flutter.

‘Ah, wait. Come to think of it.’

Hadn’t Bion mentioned something like that.

That Adwin had been quite popular during his time living at the laboratory.

But that his approach to romance had been rather open.

‘I did say back then that I could tell from the start.’

Sure enough.

-He was seeing them at the same time……

“Don’t tell me, two people at once?”

-No! Three!

“…….”

-And he says he didn’t even mean it that way. That they never agreed to date, and nothing in particular happened, and that the girls were just misunderstanding. But when you listen to what the girls say, his actions and words were exactly the kind that anyone would misunderstand!

Xenia pressed her forehead.

Looks like his old laboratory habits had resurfaced.

It was then.

Swoosh.

Xenia’s gaze landed on the pile of documents.

‘Come to think of it, didn’t I just say I was looking for someone I could trust to handle work?’

Mariana’s complaints continued.

-How did it come to this. He used to be a kid who didn’t even know how babies were made.

“Well, there was definitely a time like that.”

-Yes. But during your journey together, he asked me about it through the communication orb.

“I remember.”

-It was the first time I had ever been asked that kind of question, so I was happy and…… I think I explained it a bit too specifically. That must have been when it started. When he threw away his embarrassment and turned his attention in that direction!

“…….”

-It’s all my fault. His father just says it’s great and coddles him, so I don’t even have anywhere to vent.

“Mariana.”

Xenia said with a gentle smile.

She didn’t know it herself, but somehow that smile closely resembled the expression Mide used whenever he was planning some kind of strategy or scheme.

“If it’s alright with you, how about sending Adwin to the capital?”