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Marian continued to answer diligently as an instructor, regardless of whether Rilya was stamping her feet in frustration.

“But there’s one thing for sure. There’s a hypothesis widely accepted among scholars, and if you look at the time when the Faceless Hero first appeared in the rumors, they all—”

Ding ding ding—!

Just as she was about to explain the Seven Heroes of the Last Continent, the bell announcing the end of class rang. It was expected since she was only trying to give a brief explanation in the spare time.

Rilya said her goodbyes to the Opal Black Class, claiming she had to prepare for the next lesson, and left the classroom.

Gwen spoke up with a disappointed voice.

“I wanted to hear about the Faceless Hero too…”

“Well, there will be a chance next time.”

Schurz patted Gwen on the shoulder.

“And the Faceless Hero is quite unique among the Seven Heroes of the Continent. If you believe even half of the rumors floating around, he’s an overwhelming powerhouse of the continent, but as with all rumors, there are many bad stories too.”

“Bad stories?”

“They come with the territory of being a hero—like timing and jealousy. Some say he’s just a simple fraud, and since no one has seen his face, others say he’s actually a fallen demon… there are so many rumors that it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s false.”

“I see…”

“If you’re curious, should I tell you more about the Seven Heroes of the Continent?”

Gwen nodded eagerly like a puppy.

Schurz explained various stories about the Seven Heroes of the Continent to Gwen.

The tale of how ‘The Goddess’ Great Warrior blocked the shattered city gates by himself and saved the city.

The story of how ‘The Crimson Sage’ used transcendent magic to annihilate the demon beast army.

The account of how ‘The Light’s Hero’ and ‘The Saint of Battle’, part of the hero party, defeated the Demon King after a grand sacrifice.

Marian silently observed Schurz, who was explaining so enthusiastically.

While he seemed to be describing it normally, Marian, with her exceptional ability to read subtle emotions from social gatherings, could clearly see Schurz’s excited tone and the joy he couldn’t quite hide.

His usual poker face, keeping his thoughts to himself, felt quite unexpected—almost like that of a boy his age.

You’re a fan, huh?

Even though he’s the son of a prime minister, a boy is still a boy. It’s evident that he’s thrilled about the Seven Heroes of the Continent like any other boy his age.

If I manage to get my grandfather’s autograph, would it make things easier for us to get along? Marian ventured this plausible guess.

Gwen, with a delighted expression, said in response to Schurz’s explanation.

“So what about our teacher? What was he like?”

“The Swordmaster’s case is probably the most famous…”

“Shut it.”

Bam!

Saladin, who was sitting in the corner, kicked his desk loudly.

The classroom was suddenly enveloped in silence.

“Seriously, enough with all this talk about the Seven Heroes of the Continent. Do you think it’s just you two using it in class? Huh? Just you two?”

Saladin stood up with a fierce expression.

“Saladin, what’s wrong with you?”

Schurz sensed the atmosphere in the classroom was uncomfortable and spoke calmly.

“If we were too loud, I apologize. Calm down and cool off.”

“Anger? When did I say I was angry? It’s just ridiculous. Is that story really that interesting? What’s so funny about it?”

Saladin directed his voice downward, as if he was openly trying to pick a fight. He claimed he wasn’t angry, but anyone could see he looked upset.

Marian frowned, while Titania and Gwen exchanged puzzled glances. Batar scoffed with his arms crossed, and Elizabeth silently regarded Saladin.

Only Osnia seemed entirely uninterested in the quarrel occurring in the classroom.

“The Seven Heroes of the Continent are ridiculous. The more I hear, the more absurd it seems. Why are they the heroes of the continent? They’re probably just the heroes of the Empire.”

“…What does that mean?”

“Were any of the heroes you just mentioned fighting in the Al Kamil Kingdom? They were too busy protecting the Empire’s land. We dealt with the Demon King’s Army without help from the Empire, yet they slap ‘the Continent’ label on themselves. Doesn’t that sound funny? Right?”

“You…”

The Demon King’s Army that came rushing from the North launched a massive invasion on humanity’s territories. Most battles took place within the Empire since it stood longest against the demon beasts, but that didn’t mean the other nations weren’t invaded.

Like the now-destroyed Ionia Kingdom and the Al Kamil Kingdom. Especially the Al Kamil Kingdom received no support from the human alliance.

The reason was simple: the Empire viewed them as heretics.

The most widespread religion on the continent is the worship of the Goddess. Most of humanity, regardless of nation or race, worships her. Even Batar, who Marian sometimes dismisses as a savage, refers to the Goddess as his mother, demonstrating that despite different methods, they fundamentally honor the same deity.

But the Al Kamil Kingdom is different. They worship another singular god, referred to as the Father of the Sun. This creates an unbridgeable divide that has historically led to numerous conflicts and disputes.

From the Empire’s perspective, it might have actually been a relief that the heretical group was fated to disappear due to the invasion of the Demon King’s Army. The Empire, which also declared the worship of the Goddess as its state religion, likely felt similar.

Thus, the people of Al Kamil had to face their demise while barely receiving any token support, arguing that they were too far and that other places had more urgent needs.

Marian was well aware of this fact, so she somewhat understood Saladin’s statements. Although his tone was aggressive, it could be taken into account considering many people must have died in his homeland, adding to his grudge. That was up until this point.

“First, calm down. I understand your feelings, but this doesn’t seem like the place to talk about it.”

Schurz seemed to agree, as instead of getting angry, he attempted to placate Saladin. They were going to see each other a lot from now on, and it wouldn’t be good to start off with raised voices.

But Saladin’s words were crossing lines more and more.

“Did I say something wrong? Aren’t they heroes of the Empire, not the continent? In fact, questioning if they’re even heroes at all seems quite reasonable, right? Did that distinguished hero really take down the Demon King’s army by himself? The Imperial soldiers were pounded into the ground before he landed the final blow. Rumor has it he even used the soldiers as a shield to land that final hit—what kind of nonsense is that—”

“Saladin.”

Elizabeth interrupted coldly.

“That’s a statement I absolutely cannot overlook as a member of the Galatea Imperial Family.”

What Saladin had just said was essentially questioning the achievements of Wilhelm von Galatea, the rightful prince of the Galatea Empire, and tarnishing the honor of the Empire and its royal family. The situation was even more serious since he had said it in front of a member of the royal family.

She spoke in a calm tone, yet the message was clear.

“Can you handle the consequences?”

“Ugh…!”

“Be careful. There won’t be a second chance.”

If Elizabeth had not intervened, this could have sparked a diplomatic incident between the Empire and the Kingdom. Elizabeth seemed to be saying she’d let it slide this time, which could come across as her being lenient toward Saladin.

Did he take that as an insult? Saladin clenched his fists in rage and humiliation, but sensing the danger of insulting the royalty again, he hesitated to continue.

Instead, he redirected his target.

“What about the Faceless Hero then?”

“Huh?”

“That guy seems like a total fraud. They say he’s covered from head to toe in black armor, right? Would a clean guy hide away like that?”

Unlike the six heroes who have established names and identities, the existence of the Faceless Hero remained ambiguous.

And there’s no point in insulting someone who doesn’t exist.

Saladin seemed to be banking on that. Many people in this class had personal connections to the other seven heroes, but not to the Faceless Hero.

But from Marian’s perspective, who knew the true nature of the Faceless Hero, Saladin’s comments were extremely distasteful.

What does he know to say such things?

Is there really a need to placate him? This is genuinely infuriating now.

Looking back, that guy had been uncooperative with the class since the start. With a grumpy expression, he looked perpetually displeased, never leaving his room in the dormitories. Even during physical training, Schurz had taken the initiative to approach him, but all he received was a sharp response.

And now it was the same. Saladin continued his aggressive remarks.

“They say he has no name, no face, nothing—how can anyone know if there’s a real demon beast under that helmet? How can such a person be called a hero? The reason he hides his identity could be that he’s actually a criminal.”

Finally unable to hold back, Marian spoke up.

“Hey, seriously, that’s enough—”

Crash!!

It wasn’t Marian or Elizabeth who silenced Saladin.

“You.”

A purple electrical current brushed against Saladin, pinning him against the wall.

“Shut your mouth.”

The sparks crackled from Osnia’s fingertips.

“Before I kill you.”

She, who had always worn a neutral expression, was now glaring at Saladin with a chilling gaze he had never seen before.

 

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