“Herentis… Herentis…”
A faint whisper echoed through the dark room—not the seductive whispers of a demon, but more like the hollow moans of someone whose soul had already given up.
A small figure huddled pitifully by the dim glow of the fireplace, hugging herself tightly as if hoping to find some warmth, though her lifeless eyes made it clear—this was nothing but a reflexive craving for comfort.
Just from the description alone, it sounded like something straight out of a horror story.
But in reality, this was just the reception room of the Demon King’s Castle.
And the ghost-like loli curled up in despair?
Not some tragic heroine from a bad ending in a galgame, nor the “after” state of a certain doujin character.
It was Triss.
More specifically—Triss after seeing the ruins of Herentis.
To me, she looked like a girl who’d been fangirling over an idol for ten years, only to accidentally find out said idol was moonlighting as a sleazy host at a local club—and she couldn’t even afford to book a table.
Actually, it might be even worse than that.
It sounded awful, but really, nothing crushes the heart more than seeing a beautiful dream shattered in an instant.
That said, I didn’t feel particularly guilty—I did warn her to brace herself beforehand.
So I sipped my tea guilt-free.
“Don’t be so disappointed. It’ll be rebuilt soon enough.”
“You’re the last person who should be saying that, Demon Lord! You have zero persuasive power right now!”
…See? Even my attempts at comfort backfired.
“Want some tea?” Syl passed by with another cup, offering politely.
Triss didn’t respond, just continued mumbling to herself in a daze.
Unfazed, Syl placed the tea in front of her anyway.
“Due to the War of the End, Herentis was reduced to ruins decades ago,” Syl explained.
“To you, this place may look like child’s play.
But as long as the Heart of Herentis still beats, I believe His Highness will lead us to rebuild Herentis to its former glory.”
“Easy for you to say…” Triss muttered weakly.
“Most legends of Herentis started just like this.” Syl took a refined sip of her tea.
“We might be forging a legend right now. Centuries from now, people will tell stories about us—just like those ancient ones recorded in history.”
Her emotionless voice, mixed with the tea’s aroma, carried a strange charm.
“But unlike those old legends that had nothing to do with you… the Herentis now is your legend in the making. One you’re shaping with your own hands.”
“…My own legend…” Triss slowly raised her head, a faint glimmer in her eyes.
“Yes. A legend that belongs to you, to all of us. Or more accurately, we are the legend.”
Her sapphire-like eyes sparkled, but a hint of doubt still lingered.
“But… can we really do it?”
“Put aside all doubts. Move forward with resolve. Even if we fail, at least we’ll be remembered as the raging torrents of history—not just nameless pebbles ground beneath its flow.”
Syl set down her teacup and turned to look at the girl beside her.
“So? Do you have that courage?”
The haze in Triss’s eyes finally cleared.
She clenched her tiny fists with renewed determination.
“I… I understand! I’ll do everything I can for Herentis! Please give me your orders, my Lord!”
Attagirl.
Out of Triss’s view, I secretly gave Syl a big thumbs-up.
I was seriously considering awarding her the “Best Motivational Speaker” medal.
But I suddenly remembered something more pressing.
“Actually, there is something I need your help with. You’re a high-tier professional, right? You can pass down sub-profession skills, can’t you?”
The game had only been out a short while.
Most players were still stuck at beginner levels for sub-professions.
If I could receive a high-tier transfer, it would put me leagues ahead of the curve.
Triss nodded.
“Yes. Through mentorship, I can increase your proficiency and success rates for gathering and crafting.”
That sounded pretty good.
But honestly, my mind was elsewhere.
“Is that it?” I pressed.
Sure, higher success rates were nice, but I didn’t have the time to slowly grind potion crafting from scratch.
“That’s the safest and most stable method,” Triss explained. “It ensures the best foundation in potion-making.”
But I caught the key phrase in her explanation.
“There’s… another method, isn’t there?”
“Well, yes… but I don’t recommend it.” Triss looked troubled.
“It lets someone skip straight to Apprentice-level Alchemist, but… they’ll gain less proficiency going forward, and the most they can reach is intermediate-level at best.”
In other words, it’s like mass-producing generic items on a factory line.
The value’s frontloaded—you’d never get a high-tier return later.
But…
Maybe I can make use of this?
“That’s the one! I’ll take it!”
An idea sparked in my head, and my eyes lit up.
“Eh?” Triss blinked in confusion and started waving her hands.
“Wait, no! That method is really bad in the long run! If you do that, then later you—”
Before she could finish, Syl gently silenced her by stuffing her mouth with red tea.
“No need to worry. His Highness would never do something that’s all pain and no gain.” Syl gave a meaningful look.
“You should be worrying about the adventurers instead.”
“Adventurers?” Triss blinked in confusion.
Is this chapter 33 or 32? Cause I was super confused when it went from 31 to 33.
Fixed~