Torture the hero, why has the Demon King's castle collapsed again?

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"Although the aftermath affected Pope Brad, it was also the key to turning the tide of the battle."

A hint of reminiscence appeared in Ota's eyes: "That kind of powerful strength even made me feel a bit of Mino's style, it was as if Mino himself was on the field! He possessed an incomparably pure aura of light and powerful destructive force!"

"Erwin, if I'm not mistaken, that sword light... that's the legendary sword technique: Ex-Curry Stick, right?"

"That's right, Your Highness."

Erwin leaned closer, his voice tinged with excitement: "That's exactly the same sword light that appeared in the Dragon's Lair Mountains! It's the legendary sword technique once used by the ancient heroine Joan of Arc! A powerful move that only true beings of light can master!!!"

This sword technique has appeared before.

They first appeared in the Dragon Hidden Mountains outside the capital, wiping out the Wolf Mercenary Group, which had always been regarded as a scourge by the kingdom, and even nearly preventing the demons from sabotaging the divorce agreement of King Callest.

The second instance occurred on the night the God of All Weapons was activated, when he suppressed the Second Demon and the Minotaur, which were wreaking havoc in the capital.

Given the close proximity of the time and place, it's not hard to deduce that the protagonist in both instances is the same person!

After all, legendary sword techniques aren't commonplace moves; it's impossible for two people to suddenly master such rare techniques at the same time. Therefore, the truth is obvious:

"Within the kingdom, there is a hero imbued with the power of light and justice, constantly protecting the kingdom's safety from the shadows..."

Otta leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh: "This integrity and composure are in no way inferior to that of Scholar Astrid, Erwin."

"So... you've confirmed the true identity of that Shadow Hero?"

“Yes, I have concrete evidence!” Erwin straightened up and said in a low voice:

"According to the testimonies of numerous eyewitnesses in the palace, on the night of Pope Brad's fall, Lord Dane, the adopted son of Duke Thanaus and a former candidate for hero, walked out of the palace covered in wounds... It was clearly a symptom of overexertion of strength, but for some reason, it also seemed to be accompanied by some serious falls."

“But there’s no mistake, Your Highness Ota!” Erwin said with absolute certainty, his fist clenched.

"—The mysterious warrior who appeared both in the Dragon Hidden Mountains and atop the Imperial Palace was none other than Lord Dane!!!"

"Using such a powerful sword technique must have been a burden for him... But even a surprise attack capable of severely injuring a Great Demon with a single strike—the power of Dane the Hero is absolutely beyond our imagination!!!"

"Dane, it really was him."

Ota closed his eyes, not surprised, his tone tinged with emotion and regret:

"What a pity. If he could have become a hero... perhaps he really could have become the next Mino."

Unexpectedly, that somewhat outstanding candidate unleashed such great potential after becoming Thanaus's adopted son. If it weren't for the "Sword of Light" as Dane's "brand name," he would have almost suspected that the other party was some kind of sinister person with ulterior motives.

"Your Highness, what do we do next? Should we confront Lord Dane?" Erwin asked expectantly.

“No, please don’t do that.” Ota shook his head.

“If Dane had wanted, I could have even bestowed upon him the same merits as the Astrid scholars, granting him a reputation and status no less than that of a hero… However, we could have seen from these two incidents that Dane was not the kind of person who pursued those things.”

"Perhaps, like Tonk, he was deeply influenced by my dear friend Mino... and possessed the noble ideal of leaving without a trace and keeping his achievements hidden."

Thinking about this, Ota felt a pang of sadness.

"Since losing Mino, everyone has lived in his shadow... I heard that the Ice Saintess also sealed away her memories with Mino, just to completely protect the safety of the kingdom without Mino."

"Then, Your Highness, regarding Dane..."

"Just pretend you don't know anything."

Ota looked up at Erwin: "I'm sure Dane himself knows how remarkable and dazzling his achievements were that night, achievements that can no longer be concealed."

“But he still refuses to come forward and acknowledge us, so we must respect his choice; it’s a tacit understanding.”

"A tacit understanding?" Erwin asked, puzzled.

“That’s right.” Ota’s eyes shone with certainty: “Dane is sending us an implicit signal that he just wants to be an unknown hero, someone he does out of interest, but—”

"but."

"If the kingdom faces a crisis, he will still stand up without hesitation!" Ota instructed in a deep voice, his hands clasped to his chest.

"So, all we need to do when a crisis occurs is push Dane forward and let him handle it himself... Don't look at anything else, don't ask anything!"

"I understand, Your Highness!!"

Erwin's spirits lifted, his eyes filled with deep admiration, and a sense of peace settled over him.

Who says humanity has no heroes?!

—Even if the sky falls, Dane will hold it up!

"Be prepared, Erwin, this blessing ceremony... is destined to be anything but peaceful."

At the desk, a fierce flame burned in Ota's eyes.

He is no longer alone behind him. The great scholar Astrid, Chief of Lak, Dane, Tonk, Lena... The one who brings these powers together is not him, the so-called king, but his best friend, the hero of light who is still suffering a hellish life in the Demon King's castle: Mino Lake!

Although the entire kingdom has fallen into silence since Mino was captured, no human will ever forget this fact—

The hero imprisoned in the Demon King's castle is the greatest disgrace to all of humanity!

Now is the time to repay that humiliation tenfold.

"Any demon that dares to invade the capital must pay a terrible price..."

Looking at the empty figure cabinet against the wall, Ota gritted his teeth and said:

"—I'll make them pay tenfold!!!"

Chapter 258 The Tea Party of the Princess and the Saintess, "The Rise of the Hero"

The palace, gardens, and courtyards.

The scorching afternoon heat filled the courtyard, and the sunlight fell directly among the flowers, casting swaying shadows on the damp soil and causing water vapor to rise and form clouds.

However, in an instant, the biting cold dispelled all the heat in the courtyard, and white frost formed on the surface of the flowers.

A woman appeared as if she were emanating from a mixture of cold air and floral fragrance.

Her snow-white hair, as pure as snow, cascaded down her shoulders. The saintly robe, outlined with gold threads, flowed upwards along the mature woman's body, revealing a pair of chilling eyes. On her chest, an ice-blue gemstone, like a teardrop, adorned her delicate collarbone.

Before the path through the flowerbeds, head maid Lucy slowly approached and bowed slightly to the ethereal woman before her, who resembled a flower of ice.

"Your Holiness, welcome. Her Highness the Princess is over there. Please allow me to show you the way."

Lena turned her icy blue eyes and nodded slightly to the head maid. The chill emanating from her body subsided, and the undulating wind left only a slight coolness.

Head maid Lucy felt a slight tightness in her chest. Although the chill had subsided, Lena before her seemed to grow ever more imperfect and indifferent, like unmelting ice.

Is this the "Ice Rose of the Kingdom of Kuer," the Ice Saintess who is said to possess an impeccable and perfect mind?

Although I've seen Lena many times while she's with the princess, none of her appearances have been as aloof and icy as this one.

"Your Highness, please forgive my lateness."

Following the path, they came to a shady spot sheltered by trees and parasols. A low, round table with two seats was laden with freshly brewed black tea and delicate pastries. Lena bowed her head and greeted the elegant figure seated there.

"The relief efforts around the capital and in the commoner districts are taking longer than expected, and the Holy Church is short-handed at the time."

"Ah, Sister Lena, there's no need for such formalities." Upon seeing Lena, the girl in the elegant and dignified dress stood up and gave a gentle smile.

Her smooth golden hair shimmered in the sunlight filtered through the trees, cascading down the girl's fair shoulders and back. Her pure, watery eyes trembled slightly, and her hands, gloved in white silk, gently lifted the hem of her skirt, causing the fluffy princess dress to bloom like a flower. Kalia returned a perfectly standard aristocratic curtsy to Lena.

Looking at Lena sitting opposite her, Kalia smiled slightly:

"I'm sorry to invite you for afternoon tea during such a busy time, but I think you've been too busy lately, Lena... You should take a break and relax sometimes, shouldn't you?"

"You are right, Your Highness."

Lena nodded slightly, picked up the black tea on the round table, and the amber-colored surface of the water became slightly still, the faint steam rising from it instantly turning into pure white cold air.

Kalia was already used to this. Because she and Mino were both heroines and saintesses, and because of Kalia's own royal status, Lena was one of Kalia's few close friends.

Before Mino was captured, she often invited Lena to tea parties or afternoon tea.

"I was worried and sad for a long time when I heard that you suffered a backlash, Sister Lena... Fortunately, thanks to Pope Tobrad, you eventually woke up."

Kalia spoke sincerely, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes as she spoke of Pope Brad:

“Even such a noble and kind elder has left us. If Brother Mino knew, he would be heartbroken. He might even blame himself and take the blame upon himself. After all, he was such an upright and righteous person, and sometimes so stubborn that he was almost great.”

A hint of longing flickered in her eyes, the girl's pure gaze seeming to speak volumes. Soon, Kalia blinked, snapping back to reality, a slight blush rising to her cheeks.

"Sister Lena, I'm sorry to have made you laugh. I always say things that don't make sense."

“No, you are absolutely right.” Lena put down her teacup and said calmly, “If the Mino Warrior were still alive, the kingdom would never have suffered so many disasters.”

"As the saintess, I am the one who truly needs to take responsibility for this."

"Mino...the hero?"

Kalia paused slightly in her fingertips, then looked up at Lena with some confusion.

She wouldn't have used such an unfamiliar form of address before.

Kalia knew very well that Lena and Mino were from the same village and had grown up together. In the past, when talking about Mino, Lena would occasionally show a gentle look in her eyes, and her deep friendship with Mino could be seen from her subtle words and actions.

At first, Lena was a little shy when she met Mino, afraid that he would see through her feelings for him and make him uncomfortable. But after getting to know him and discovering his feelings, and with Lena admitting that he felt the same way about Mino as a younger brother, Kalia gradually let go of her reserve and began to see Lena as a reliable older person to confide in. They quickly became close friends.

Kalia knew that Mino was the only one who could touch the softest part of Lena's heart, but now Lena was acting as if she didn't know him at all.

Kalia's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly dismissed the absurd thought and awkwardly tried to change the subject.

Soon, she thought of something, quickly lowered her head, and picked up a book that she had been holding in her arms.

"Oh, right, Sister Lena, look!"

She showed the book cover, revealing a sweet smile, which she believed would surely elicit a reaction from Lena:

"I've recently been rereading your book, 'The Rise of the Hero,' which is my favorite book. The portrayal of Brother Mino in it is much more realistic than those legends!"

"To be honest, the biographies written by other scholars about Brother Mino are quite exaggerated." Kalia covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her eyes crinkling with a uniquely girlish charm.

"All those descriptions like 'born amidst purple mist and goddesses looking down,' 'a sacred sword descending upon the world,' and 'once bathed in dragon blood and yet surviving' are just exaggerated claims. Sister Lena, your book 'The Rise of the Hero' is the best... Only someone who has been by your side for years could write such a detailed and realistic biography."

Kalia's innocent voice reached the ears of the saintess sitting in front of her. A faint glimmer of light flashed from the ice-blue gem on her chest. Lena slowly put down the teacup in her hand, which was covered with a thick layer of ice.

"Oh, right! Sister Lena!"

At this moment, Kalia opened the book and took the initiative to start a conversation, asking:

"The Rise of the Heroes also says that Mino 'had some bad habits when he was a child.' It's unbelievable. Did he have a rebellious side? Kalia wants to know more about it."

A hint of curiosity flickered in Kalia's eyes. She raised her pure face to look at Lena and asked:

"What is that bad habit...?"