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“My fault?”
Leo furrowed his brow.
“Don’t say absurd things.”
Fritz adjusted his glasses and narrowed his eyes.
His purple irises stared straight at Jane.
“The path of the hero is one’s own choice. Why is it Leo-sama’s fault that she chose this path?”
At Fritz’s icy words, Jane sharply turned her head away.
“There must be a reason he says such things.”
As if not minding Jane’s reproach, Leo walked ahead and said,
“Regardless, the important thing now is that we need to bring Chen Sia back to Lumeran.”
“How?”
Jane gritted her teeth and asked.
Just as much as she believed Chen Sia suited to be a hero, it seemed she agreed on the necessity to bring her back to Lumeran.
At Jane’s words, Leo crossed his arms.
“We should meet with Chen Sia first.”
“It won’t be easy.”
Jane slumped her shoulders.
“The royal family of Shan cannot engage in external activities. They must live entirely in the shadow of the palace.”
“That may be so. But still, Chen Sia is still a student at Lumeran.”
With composed steps, Leo moved towards the Warp Gate and continued speaking.
“If we can’t meet her, then we must have a serious talk with the Emperor of Shan.”
At this, Jane shivered.
“The Emperor Himself?”
“Yeah.”
Fritz lightly patted himself and added,
“We also carry the principal’s letter.”
Leo smirked.
“He probably won’t ignore it.”
Leo then boarded the Warp Gate.
After him, Fritz followed in his steps.
Despite hesitating initially, Jane eventually boarded the Warp Gate as well.
The wizards stationed at the Warp Gate exchanged glances, finding the situation somewhat strange.
It being this late for an official mission through the Warp Gate was odd.
Of course, such instances aren’t entirely unheard of, but it was peculiar to see Fritz, who appeared to be a freshman, and Jane accompanying second-year Leo.
‘Already on school duties with the student council?’
Although curious, the gate operators didn’t outwardly show their surprise and proceeded to open the Warp Gate.
Whoosh!
In a burst of bright light, the three vanished.
Leo and his group arrived via the Warp Gate in the outskirts of Sing, the capital of Shan.
Upon seeing the Warp Gate, Leo momentarily paused.
The unique architectural style of the Shan Empire caught his eye.
As Leo gazed at the exotic building designs, he murmured.
“It certainly feels like we’re in a different cultural realm.”
At his words, Jane, who had already exited the Warp Gate, straightened her school uniform and spoke.
“Welcome. This is Sing, the capital of Shan.”
Though slightly haughty, Jane’s tone was considerably refined.
She appeared similar to Fritz standing beside Leo, equally poised.
At her change in demeanor, Leo showed a puzzled expression.
“You’re completely different from how you were earlier.”
“From this point forward, I am not a student from Lumeran but a candidate for the Shadow of Shan, here to guide Leo Flove, the candidate for Hero.”
“Hmph.”
Fritz narrowed his eyes.
“You’ve got a silver tongue for someone who was being arrogant just a while ago.”
“Are you picking a fight?”
Jane glared at Fritz with sharp eyes.
Fritz, in response to her stare, flashed a cold smile.
“It’s my duty to assist Leo-sama.”
Leo cast a glance at Fritz.
The taller Fritz elegantly bowed his head towards Leo.
“Leo-sama, I humbly offer my service for the duration of this mission.”
Sighing, Leo looked up at the sky.
‘Now I understand why the principal paired these two with me.’
Just as there are various kinds of heroes, there are various kinds of Shadows.
Broadly speaking, there are three types of Shadows:
The Reaper, a hunter who chases and executes traitors and Hero-Killers.
The Guardian, who defends against Tartarus invasions in designated areas.
The Shadow, who directly supports and protects a Hero.
The defining feature of the Shadow is the willingness to sacrifice life without hesitation for the sake of their hero.
While Reapers and Guardians are often recruited among Hero candidates, Shadows are mostly trained from birth to fulfill their role.
And Fritz and Jane were Shadows.
Especially in Lumeran.
Fritz, from the Zeruon family, was the Shadow of Lumeran, and Jane from the Shan Empire had a subtle competitive spirit between them.
‘Both rank among the top-tier of the freshmen. They’re likely the twin pillars among this year’s Shadow candidates.’
Shan Empire is most famous for its Shadows.
However, the Shadows from Lumeran, who possess the Hero Record and specialize in cultivating Hero candidates, are on par with Shan in terms of prowess.
Be it in skill or background, they were poised to compete.
‘The problem is that these two want to compete as Shadows…’
Rina accepted the freshmen Shadow candidates with the intention of guiding them toward the path of heroes.
But these two showed absolutely no interest in becoming heroes.
To them, it didn’t matter whether it was a Hero or a Shadow.
But from Leo’s perspective, this was far from ideal.
“Listen carefully. Your status right now isn’t as Shadows-in-training but as Hero candidates.”
At Leo’s words, both Fritz and Jane looked at him.
“I’m your senior here, related only by the hierarchy of school.”
“But, Leo-sama, I’ve lived since childhood to become the shadow of a hero…”
“Do you think someone like me needs the protection of brats like you?”
“…!”
“…!”
At Leo’s sarcastic remark, Fritz and Jane’s eyes widened.
“Hmph! Fine. If that’s how you want it, I’ll treat you as a senior.”
Jane maintained her haughty demeanor.
Fritz placed his hand on his chest, closed his eyes, and trembled slightly.
Seeing this, Jane scoffed.
“Why? Did your pride get hurt from being dismissed?”
“Leo-sama! No, Senior! I understand your grand purpose!”
“Huh?”
Startled by Fritz’s dramatic expression of enlightenment, Jane blurted out something incoherent, and Leo wore a puzzled expression wondering, ‘Why again…?’
“To say I’m insufficient as a Shadow… you’re urging me to improve, right? Understood! Until the day I earn your approval as a proper Shadow, I will endeavor endlessly!”
“Are you immune to feeling insulted after hearing such things?!“
Jane screamed, bewildered, and Fritz wore a blank look.
“Why should my pride be hurt?”
Seeing Fritz, who discarded his former cool image and positively reacted to all of Leo’s statements, Leo looked at him with disbelief.
‘Wait, when exactly did this guy get so attached to following me?’
He looked at Fritz again, bewildered.
Then, shaking his head, Leo walked out of the Warp Gate.
“So, which way do we go for the Palace of Shan?”
“We can’t go today.”
“Why?”
“Sing is divided into four major districts.”
Jane explained.
Sing is one of the oldest cities in the world, and it was enormous.
“The first district, where the palace is located, can’t be accessed after sunset. This rule applies regardless of rank or status.”
The Warp Gate was located in the third district.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. We’ll stay at the accommodations around the Warp Gate tonight and visit the palace early tomorrow morning.”
At Jane’s comment, Leo nodded.
“Guide us, then.”
“Yes.”
Jane took the lead, heading toward the nearby inn.
Leo and Fritz followed closely behind.
Leo gazed at the foreign streets of Sing.
Most of the people wore traditional dresses with voluminous sleeves and had an exotic appearance.
There were also some foreigners here for trade, but they weren’t in significant numbers.
The locals mostly looked in curiosity at the trio—students of Lumeran Academy.
As the three walked through the crowd…
Snap!
Suddenly three figures appeared in front of Jane.
Startled, Jane lowered herself and shivered.
Swish-swish!
At once, seven men more revealed their presence around Leo.
Then Fritz raised his right hand and tightened his grip.
Click.
The audible crack of his knuckles could be heard.
From the group blocking their path, a presumed leader stepped forward and bowed respectfully toward Leo.
“Lord Leo Flove. I am the head guard of the Shan Palace. I’ve come to escort you at the Emperor’s command.”
Jane’s eyes widened in surprise at these words.
Even as Fritz remained on high alert, Leo asked,
“The school did not notify us that we would be coming to Shan, did they?”
The man bowed low in response to Leo’s inquiry.
“Lord Leo, Shan is the land of Shadows. Shadows exist everywhere.”
The overt implication that they were aware of Leo’s purpose caught his attention.
Fritz, upon hearing it, smirked.
“It seems there’s no need for us to wait until tomorrow.”
Fwoosh!
bl**d spattered.
Trudged—Trudged—
A man clad in pure white swung his long sword.
“Exactly the same as before, the Shadows of Shan.”
The man with black hair and eyes casually strolled over the corpses at his feet with a faint smile.
Despite creating a mountain of bodies, not a single drop of bl**d stained his clothes.
“Their tenacity is ridiculous to the point of being pointless.”
Shaking his head, the man flicked his wrist.
Whish! Slash!
“Gurgling?”
A shadow lurking in the corner, waiting for an opportunity, had their head cleanly severed by a sword stroke emanating from the tip of his sword.
“Could you really expect such methods to work on me? All these tactics are ones I taught you.”
With a grim smile, the man stopped.
Squelch—
Standing in the mud thick with bl**d, the man retrieved something from his bosom.
Pulling out a black crystal orb, he infused it with mana.
Whoosh-whoosh!
A sinister void opened in the air.
With that, an enormous dark pupil began to flash.
[Is that you, Sian?]
“It’s been a while, Giant King.”
Sian greeted the enormous black pupil respectfully.
[Yes? What’s this about?]
“I’ve heard some interesting news from the Demon King. Thought I’d clarify with you.”
Sian stroked his chin.
“Shan’s royal family has inherited an ancient sword through generations.”
Sian’s eyes gleamed.
“I’ve been informed that this weapon has some connection to the Hero of Beginning.”
[An unpleasant name I haven’t heard in ages.]
“Unpleasant? It was only a few months ago that the Hero of Beginning and the progenitor of the Star Clouds defeated the Demon Queen that manifested in our world.”
[All the messengers bringing such news died before even mentioning that dreaded name.]
Sian nodded.
“I see.”
[That ancient sword indeed has ties to the Hero of Beginning. Why do you ask this now? Did you not sever all ties with Shan long ago?]
“The ties have been severed. And I have no intention of returning.”
Sian smiled peacefully.
“But anything related to the Hero of Beginning… isn’t that something worth craving?”
[Something you crave… so, you now wish to inherit the power of the Hero of Beginning?]
“Yes. And to achieve that, I intend to use you.”
[You’re insane.]
Enmity flared in the giant eye of the Giant King.
[Even the most ignorant of gods would never allow a creature like you to be inscribed in the Hero Record.]
“What difference does that make? I’ll become a great hero by my own hand.”
Sian chuckled.
“I’ll eradicate all of you and claim recognition as a hero in history. Rest assured, that won’t be a problem.”
Sian, who openly declared hostility, made the Giant King end the transmission in distaste.
Although possessing a towering figure and cruel strength, the Giant King was renowned for his prudence and steadiness.
To him, Sian, who claimed to betray the world and use Tartarus for his personal ambition to become a hero, was no different than a feral dog unpredictably waiting to turn violent.
Nevertheless, Sian didn’t care.
“It’s been a while since I last saw father, hasn’t it?”
![[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1743806812-5548-TS-The-Protagonist-is-Conquered.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered")
