“Because… I’m the Hero?”
Anlis was taken aback, her words tinged with confusion and doubt.
“Yeah.”
Vylian responded, her footsteps slowly approaching. Her skirt brushed against the edge of the bed, and she finally sat down beside Anlis.
“You know? Being a Hero has never been just about glory. You also have to bear a heavy mission and an inescapable responsibility, and… the disasters that follow.”
“From the moment you were chosen as the Hero, you were destined to become the focus of the entire world. Countless forces will investigate you, dissect you—your strengths, your weaknesses—they’ll know everything inside out.”
“These people you cherish will all be used as a means to target you.”
“Since they can’t do anything to you as the Hero, they’ll go after the people around you, using your weaknesses to break you down.”
“In other words, the reason Fula caught the attention of the Heretic God and did something so fanatical today is all because you’re the Hero.”
Every word Vylian said clearly drilled into Anlis’s ears, weighing heavily on her heart.
Admittedly, if someone had an unstable mind, they would definitely start doubting their identity after hearing such words.
After all, what’s the point of being a Hero? If you can’t even protect the people closest to you, instead bringing them endless trouble and danger?
What meaning does such a Hero have?
Even Anlis herself had to admit that there was some truth in Vylian’s words.
The Demon King Vylian disguised as a saintess, lurking by her side; the God of Life setting its sights on Fula, casting its gaze upon her.
Wasn’t the root of all this the fact that she was the Hero?
But that couldn’t shake Anlis’s confidence.
Anlis knew in her heart that Vylian’s motives were never pure.
She just wanted to undermine her confidence as the Hero, make her wallow in guilt and self-doubt, give up growing stronger, and ultimately not even have the ability to defeat the Demon King, leaving her at Vylian’s mercy.
Anlis’s mind went blank. Lying on the bed, her eyes were a bit unfocused, lost in thought.
Finally, her pupils gathered, and an idea emerged from the depths of her heart.
In that case! Since those hostile forces would go after the people around her!
Then all she had to do was make Vylian, the 999-level Demon King, appear as the only person she truly cherished, right?
With Vylian’s strength, what ordinary schemes or tricks in this world could possibly hurt her?
If those people tried to use Vylian to scheme against her, they’d be blown to pieces first.
Thinking this, Anlis sat up.
“In that case, I need to get stronger quickly.”
“Huh?”
Vylian hadn’t expected Anlis to respond like that.
‘Shouldn’t she be wallowing in self-pity and asking heaven why it gave the identity and responsibility of [Hero] to a village girl like her?’
‘Such a mentality… really cannot be left alone.’
Before Vylian could react, Anlis continued, her tone softening a bit.
“If I don’t get stronger quickly, those people might target you, right? You’re the person I treasure the most. If they go after you, I really wouldn’t know what to do.”
“Huh?”
Vylian was stunned again, even more bewildered.
That phrase “the person I treasure the most” caught her completely off guard.
Vylian stared at Anlis, trying to tell if these words were true or false.
But what reason would Anlis have to lie?
It couldn’t be that she already knew her identity and purpose, was planning to use her as a shield, and was just fooling her, could it?
So, was this actually her true feelings?
Vylian was naturally happy.
But not because Anlis considered her the most treasured person—she wasn’t that lovesick.
She was happy because after her unremitting efforts, the Hero had finally developed some dependence on her.
That was her goal, wasn’t it?
To make Anlis rely on her, gradually lose her fighting spirit as a Hero, and ultimately be unable to defeat her no matter how hard she tried.
Vylian’s tone instantly softened, and a hint of deliberately feigned tenderness crept into her eyes. She crawled a little closer to Anlis, and the faint, sweet fragrance of the girl’s body wafted over, carrying a unique warmth.
“Don’t worry. I’m very strong. Stronger than anyone in this world. So you can rely on me as much as you want.”
“You can grow slowly under my wing. Even if you don’t want to bear so many responsibilities or grow up, that’s fine.”
“Since I’m the person you treasure the most, you should rely on me even more, right?”
At that moment, a strange sense of guilt rose in both their hearts simultaneously.
They both knew that manipulating someone’s feelings like this was wrong—very wrong and heartless.
But there was no choice.
To achieve their hidden goals, to protect what was more important to them, they could both temporarily give up something.
Anlis’s cheeks immediately flushed crimson. Embarrassed, she turned her head away, not daring to meet Vylian’s gentle gaze.
Vylian also sat up straight, hiding the pretense in her eyes. The guilt in her heart gradually gave way to scheming thoughts.
Now that the matter was temporarily settled, Anlis relaxed a little. Feeling her strength return, she pushed herself off the bed, intending to get up.
There was nothing else to do now. All that remained was to wait patiently for news from Fula.
But the moment she let her guard down, the curse on her lower abdomen flickered faintly. That instant of relaxation allowed another emotion to sneak in.
Her face flushed slightly, her breathing became more rapid, and her eyes grew hazy.
“Hey, I say, how long are you going to keep wearing that outfit?”
Alright, Vylian admitted that sitting up straight and not looking at Anlis earlier was partly because she was seduced by the other’s outfit.
So why had Anlis put on such a shameless piece of clothing?
“Don’t you like me wearing this outfit?”
“Huh? What do you mean by ‘do I like it or not’?” Vylian rebutted instinctively, her tone a little unnatural. “The point is, don’t you yourself feel repulsed by wearing this? You’ll be the one embarrassed. If someone else sees you like this, you’d better not bury your head in the ground.”
“Then… do you like seeing me in this outfit?”
“Huh?”
Two questions in a row. Vylian hadn’t even processed the first one and responded normally.
But when she heard Anlis’s inexplicable second question…
‘No! Something’s wrong!’
‘She would never say something like this when she’s clear-headed.’
‘It must be the curse activating!’
“Cough, cough. I, I should go back. If I don’t go back first, your mother will start cooking again. You, uh, make yourself at home.”
Vylian quickly averted her gaze, her tone flustered. She made a lame excuse, wanting to escape this awkward and dangerous atmosphere.
This time, she didn’t restrain Anlis’s hands and feet. Last time, tying her up had only made Anlis “hone herself through hardship.” Now that she’d learned her lesson, she absolutely wouldn’t repeat that mistake.
“Don’t go, nya~”
But before she could stand up, her wrist was tightly grabbed by a warm little hand.
“Nya?”
What kind of weird tone was that?
She turned around and saw Anlis sitting on the bed like a cat, licking the back of her own hand. Her pink tongue darted out and retracted rapidly, little by little.
Anlis was absolutely enticing in that outfit, especially with the strange, exotic allure it gave her.
“Don’t go, nya~ Stay here, nya~”
Anlis stretched out her words. The faint glow on her abdomen indicated her current state.
“No, really no!”
‘Is this how you test a cadre?’
‘What cadre could withstand such a test?’
Vylian lifted her leg to leave. With her level 999 strength, she could escape instantly!
But she hesitated for a moment.
Just as a wavering thought emerged in her heart, before she could make a move to flee, Anlis lunged at her, latching tightly onto her small loli frame.
Then a warm breath brushed against her ear, carrying a deadly temptation.
“Nya~”