Chapter 155

A week had passed since Evan began staying in the Holy Kingdom Valkran.

‘What is going on…?’

Suddenly, Evan felt a threat to his life.

He didn’t understand the reason well.

He had sensed from the moment he arrived that the paladins were looking at him with a strangely hostile gaze.

But recently, that hostility seemed to cross a line, giving him the chilling feeling that they were targeting his life.

Naturally, he was curious about the reason and asked Dannes, but the response returned was merely to acknowledge that they were older figures and that it was something he had to deal with, telling him to earn their recognition.

When they said to earn their recognition, he interpreted it as a sign that they were wary of him.

In other words, Evan understood that their reactions indicated they regarded him as an outsider.

Though it was puzzling to think they would see the Hero as an outsider, it was a comprehensible reaction.

No matter how much of a hero he was, to them, he was simply an unfamiliar face; even if the Saint herself said it was okay, they might not believe it unless they witnessed it themselves.

That wasn’t all.

“Are you the Hero, sir?”

An elderly man with a gentle and kind expression.

He was the Pope, the highest leader of Valkran, whom everyone revered and respected. For a moment, he tilted his head in curiosity… but the gaze upon him felt strangely hostile.

‘Did I… do something wrong?’

He didn’t think they would do anything dangerous right away.

It was Aria who smiled and introduced him as the grandfather, along with her knights; he didn’t believe they would be planning anything sinister secretly.

Yet, despite that, he couldn’t help but feel wronged.

Nothing he had done warranted such looks; if it were just a few people, it would be one thing, but even the Pope was behaving that way, leading him to wonder if he had made some mistake.

‘This is my first time here today…’

Of course, he had been to Valkran before.

He had visited briefly with his mentor before starting at the Academy, and also the first place he arrived at when he accompanied Aria to take the Trial of Wisdom.

Even when he first came to Valkran for the Trial of Wisdom, there were knights who looked at him with hostile eyes, but not to this extent.

Now, it felt like they had turned into bitter enemies.

‘What did Aria say about me…?’

The reason they were looking at him with such hostility was basically one.

When Aria was badly hurt, what had the Hero done? It suddenly occurred to him that they might harbor resentment for that reason.

‘Is that why…?’

It could genuinely be that Aria, who had spent time with the paladins and the Pope like family, may have some lingering grievances about having to sacrifice herself repeatedly while he hadn’t been able to protect her.

Once the thought reached that point, he realized that everyone had been sending such gazes toward him all along.

Evan clenched his fists tightly.

Of course, he still felt wronged.

It was hard to think that everything that happened to Aria was entirely his fault.

Since he began attending the Academy, there had been a continuous string of incredible events, most of which were too overwhelming for him to handle alone.

The first event where Aria had to sacrifice herself was when he faced that high-ranking demon, who had been secretly preparing to ambush the Academy before he had even fully awakened to his powers as the Hero.

Moreover, two members of the Demon King Army had shown up, threatening not just the Academy but also the lives of the Hero and the Saint, Aria.

To be frank, if Argen Isis hadn’t been there, their survival would have been impossible.

And…

‘If it weren’t for Aria… I might not even be alive right now.’

It was all thanks to her.

This world where that child had to sacrifice herself… this reality was so painfully heartbreaking.

It wasn’t that he didn’t have any faults.

What on earth was he doing as a Hero, unable to share the burden with the Saint, who was bearing all the pain?

He felt self-loathing.

He felt guilt.

He was confused about what he had done until now, for what purpose he had wielded his sword, and what he had been training for.

Therefore…

“I’m sorry.”

Evan bowed his head toward the Pope, or rather, a girl’s grandfather… her family.

At Evan’s sudden action, the Pope, who had just shown strange hostility, displayed a look of confusion.

‘A-apology?’

He was bowing his head and apologizing directly to him.

As a Pope and as Asclyna’s guardian dragon, he couldn’t help the feeling of surprise.

But…

‘What could be the reason for this apology?’

Let’s just listen to what he has to say.

With that thought, he remained seated facing Evan.

Evan, with his fists clenched tightly, cautiously began to speak.

“I am still very much lacking. As a Hero, I must save everyone and lead the world to peace… yet, I find it pitiful that I cannot even bring happiness to one person.”

Happiness for one person.

At those words, Asclyna’s eyes widened.

Only then did she understand why Evan wanted to apologize to her.

‘Is he upset with himself for not being able to do anything despite his feelings for Aria…?’

Suddenly, Asclyna wondered why she had harbored such hostile feelings towards the Hero.

Yes, it was because a child who felt like family was flirting with a man she didn’t know, and the thought of her having children made her feel as if that child was drifting away from her.

But perhaps that was not the only reason.

‘I heard this generation of Heroes is incredible…’

She thought he was not someone who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong just because he was family.

The life she had lived as a Pope was but a fraction when compared to what it meant to be a dragon.

She was a guardian dragon, a being that had lived for an unfathomable length of time… a living fossil, or perhaps even history itself.

So, if she stripped away her personal feelings for Aria and looked at the Hero from an objective perspective, it was hard to find someone as unfortunate as him this generation.

He possessed the strongest and highest qualifications, yet regrettably had to endure far too many trials in a short time.

He intended to grow stronger when entering the Academy, only to clash with the high-ranking demon that had secretly infiltrated and was preparing to ambush, witnessing Aria, who selflessly threw herself to save him and Stella, sustaining significant injuries.

That was not all.

When they were supposed to experience the magic realm as a test, at that very moment, the monster of the end, which had been sleeping below, awoke.

He was far too weak to face the high-ranking member of the Demon King Army, so there must have been nothing he could do if he had not awakened.

The same was true during Maleficent’s attack; countless demons ambushed them along with the high-ranking members of the Demon King Army, and even though Aria sacrificed herself, it would have been extremely difficult had he not succeeded in his second awakening.

It was thanks to Aria disabling the Life Vessel and almost completely weakening Maleficent that they could bring her down easily, but it would have been impossible without Argen Isis.

Though he learned later that she had set up magic circles in the basement of the Academy to create a place for her descent.

If it weren’t for her, even if he destroyed the Life Vessel, it would have been impossible to subdue Maleficent.

In other words, this Hero had done everything he needed to do.

Yet…

“I might not even qualify as a Hero.”

Did he really just say that?

For Asclyna, it was nonsensical.

“But…”

However,

That was why Asclyna couldn’t dismiss her doubts about this Hero.

“I promise I will protect Aria… I will definitely eradicate the Demon King for her sake. I will surely make Aria happy.”

From the depths of his heart came words that resonated with sincerity.

He was declaring that he would truly make Aria happy.

Right in front of her, the grandmother and Pope.

“That is… my atonement for Aria.”

Asclyna met Evan’s unwavering gaze.

Then she chuckled and lowered her head.

‘At this point, I have no choice but to acknowledge him.’

If he is saying that much, how could she not acknowledge him?

He had passed.

‘I will support you.’

Wishing for their relationship to improve, Asclyna decided to return to her role as the Pope.

She felt that would be enough.