The Hero and the Witch (5K)

"No, it would be my honor to serve you," New replied nervously, his voice trembling slightly.

Hmm, it seems she's not only great at rubbing backs, but also very good at talking.

That's for sure.

New is the thirteenth member of the Shadow Garden, belonging to the alphabetic order after the Seven Shadows, and second only to Lambda, who is an instructor at the Shadow Garden.

It belongs to the Gamma school.

After joining, he stayed by Gamma's side, helping to handle both major and minor matters related to the Chamber of Commerce.

Upon hearing that he was coming to the Holy Land, Gamma specially sent her over to serve as his caregiver and liaison.

Incidentally, New is one of the few humans in the Shadow Garden.

Being able to move around him in his human form made it easier for him to assume this role, hence the appointment.

"Speaking of which, New, your original name was Nicoletta, the eldest daughter of the House Marx, right?"

"Yes, Mahiro."

"So you don't want to go back to the House Marx?"

"..."

The moment he asked that question, the movement in his hand paused slightly, and even his body stiffened for a moment.

What is my lord doing?

Why ask such a question?

Are they testing my loyalty?

Once a socially adept young lady from a marquis's family, she was now thrown into disarray by a single sentence from Mahiro, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Okay, don't be so nervous. I was just asking casually, just chatting."

"Yes, I understand."

Do you really understand?

"But I don't want to go back. The Nicoletta Marquez of the past is dead as a [Demonic Possession]. Now, only the Shadow Garden remains, and she has no connection with the House Marx anymore."

These weren't flattering or Mahiro words directed at Mahiro; they were her true feelings.

According to the normal course of her education, she should be a second-year student at the academy now.

It's just that she usually wears more mature makeup, which makes her look a little older.

But from the moment she experienced the symptoms of [Demonic Possession], her life completely vanished.

She was ruthlessly abandoned by her former family and parents.

And their name was erased from the history of the marquisate.

Even those close friends from the past probably don't remember me anymore.

She could understand this approach, but while she understood it, she also had the right to choose.

If the family of the past is unwilling to accept the person from the past, then why should the person in the present go back?

The Shadow Garden is clearly her current home.

Although she had to hide in the shadows, with no place for herself on the open world stage, she still had so many family and companions by her side.

What's more... I have my beloved lord by my side.

Humans are very weak creatures, so they want to depend on a supreme being, a principle she understood from a young age.

So.

If, for the entire world, the supreme being is God.

Therefore, for the "Shadow Garden", Mahiro is the supreme being.

However, he was more idealistic than God.

Because as long as you open your eyes, you can see him within your field of vision.

You can touch him as long as you reach out your hand.

Just like now.

"Alright, alright, since you don't want to talk about this, let's change the subject. How's Sherry doing at the academy?"

Because she was lying face down, he couldn't see New's face, nor did he know what she was thinking, so he assumed that New didn't want to talk about it.

New York's answer, however, was much more concise—

"Lord Ita has already made contact with Miss Sherry, and the news from the academy says that the two are getting along very well."

"What about Lutheran? Has he made any moves?"

"As always."

"That's good."

Mahiro sighed softly.

It seems that old fox Lutheran is quite shrewd after all.

He then asked:

"What about the Holy Land? When are Alpha and the others planning to make their move?"

"Lord Alpha asked me to convey your message: please enjoy the festival to the fullest. Lord Alpha will handle the rest personally."

"It's that simple?"

"Yes, it's that simple."

New nodded seriously.

She suddenly realized.

Mahiro not only possesses the majesty and power of a god, but also occasionally displays the endearing qualities of a human.

No wonder all the adults like Mahiro so much...

Chapter 214 Heroes and Witches (5K)

What comes into view.

It is a magnificent Holy Church built on a terrain that looks like a small piece of a mountain cut out, with a town landscape below that is predominantly white.

The main thoroughfare running through the center of the town connects at one end to the long staircase leading to the Holy Church, where many tourists pass by.

After having breakfast at New's service, Mahiro headed in the opposite direction from the Holy Church, towards a place that resembled an arena.

He was also fiddling with a strange pendant in his hand.

The design features a demonic, menacing left hand pierced by a sword blade.

This is a specialty of the Sacred Land Lindwurm, and also a local legend. It is said that the hero Olivier cut off the Diablos's Left Hand with his sword and sealed it here.

To commemorate the great achievements of the hero Olivier, this pendant became one of the local specialties.

And statues of Olivier are everywhere.

However, all of these statues are male.

"Well..."

Mahiro looked at the three hero sculptures standing in the sunlight and sighed softly.

However, this attracted the attention of its peers in New York.

"Mahiro, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I'm just feeling a little emotional about how the cult has distorted the history of this world..."

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a complete mess.

The truth and falsehood are mixed together, making it impossible to distinguish between what is real and what is just a rumor.

As a senior member of the cult, second only to the Seven Shadows, Niu naturally knew some of the cult's actions, but she was unaware of the matters that Mahiro was lamenting.

Until she followed Mahiro's gaze and saw the largest statue of the Three Heroes.

"Mahiro, do you mean there's something wrong with that sculpture?"

"Hmm, and there's a big problem. That's not how the Three Heroes originally looked at all." Mahiro nodded Mahiro.

"It's not what it used to look like... Mahiro, please forgive my ignorance, but I don't know what the legendary Three Heroes originally looked like?"

"Hehe, I don't know much about the other two, but you'll be quite surprised when you meet Olivier."

Mahiro smiled mysteriously.

I stepped across the plaza with the statues of the three heroes once more, heading towards the arena for the trials.

All that was left was Niu, bewildered in the wind.

Would I be surprised?

For some reason, New York felt a sense of anticipation.

When Mahiro arrived at the trial venue, a bald man with a receding hairline was giving a speech.

The audience seats below were already packed.

Almost all those who come here are nobles and merchants from various countries, and they all paid a considerable sum to come here.

Just like in a medieval gladiatorial arena, everyone was preparing to watch the goddess's trial that was about to unfold below.

Even participants need to spend one gold coin, which is 100,000 Zeni, to be eligible to participate in this festival.

As for the process...

It wasn't as interesting as I had imagined.

Several people in a row failed to get the trial to react and summon any ancient warriors or heroes.

It wasn't until evening that someone summoned the ancient hero.

She appears to be Annerose, a traveler from the Land of Swords, Kingdom of Beccada.

They won the game in a rather ordinary way, without any particularly outstanding performance.

At least that's Mahiro.

She was even starting to feel sleepy, holding onto the armrest of the chair, resting her chin on one hand, her face full of weariness.

He muttered things like "So slow..." as he surveyed the venue.

However, on the opposite platform, in what appeared to be VIP seating, he spotted a few familiar faces.

Aside from the bald man, the most eye-catching person was Rose Oriana with her long, honey-gold diamond-shaped hair. As the president of the Magic Sword Academy, she had been invited here.

However, he didn't travel with Rose, because it would be inconvenient to have New with him.

Beside her stood a young girl dressed like a noblewoman.

She has captivating shoulder-length silver hair, cat-like blue eyes, and a beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

She wore a navy blue shawl draped over her shoulders and a shirt with the buttons fastened low at the chest, revealing a deep cleavage.

Yes, it's Beta.

However, she should now be called Natsume Kafka, a pseudonym combining Natsume and Franz Kafka, just like Conan Edogawa.

His public identity is that of the world's bestselling author, though he's known for plagiarism.

However, just as he was looking at Beta seemed to notice his gaze, raised her head and looked back at him across the distance.

Even from this distance, Mahiro could clearly feel the excitement and joy in Beta's eyes.

Alexia, who was standing nearby, noticed that Natsume- sensei's expression was a little strange, but just as she was about to ask, she was drawn to the fullness of his swaying chest.

His facial expression stiffened, and his eyes gradually turned hostile.

This is infuriating...

Alexia muttered to herself.