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The group wrapped up a full day of shopping in the commercial district.
Orario's fashion sense was impressive.
While it couldn't match the sheer variety of the modern world Anos had once known, it carried a unique charm of its own.
"Ais… want to go to the banquet with me?"
Anos extended his hand toward her.
By now, Syr and Ryuu had already left, and Bell had also been dragged away by Lili.
Though Lili had misunderstood the situation, thinking Anos wanted to be alone with Ais, and acted accordingly.
Anos simply smiled and let things unfold naturally.
You couldn't rush something like becoming Ais's emotional anchor, Feelings needed time to grow. Push too hard, and you'd only scare her away.
"Mm… let's go together."
Ais nodded softly, pulling her gaze away from him.
She felt as if she kept looking, her heartbeat would speed up.
And that feeling unsettled her.
Since becoming an adventurer, the only time her heart had raced was in danger.
Right now… she couldn't tell the difference between fear and something else entirely.
And so, the two of them walked toward the banquet venue like a perfectly matched pair.
Even in formal attire, their strength made the distance effortless.
"Anos… have you ever read Hero Tales?"
Ais suddenly asked.
"Of course. Pretty much everyone who comes to Orario has, right?"
Anos smiled.
It was a collection of legendary stories, myths, and heroic epics, A romanticized world of heroes.
Many people came to Orario because of it.
Just like Bell.
Bell had been raised by Zeus himself, taken in after the fall of the Zeus Familia.
Ais, on the other hand…
Her story ran much deeper.
"Anos… what do you think a hero really is?"
Her voice was quiet.
She had been searching for that answer for as long as she could remember.
A distant memory surfaced.
A man kneeling before her, lowering himself to meet her eyes.
"I can't be your hero, I already have your mother."
"But one day… I hope you find your own."
That was what Albert had told her.
The greatest hero of a thousand years ago.
Her father.
Anos knew exactly who he was.
The man who had wounded the Black Dragon and forced it back at the cost of everything.
"A hero… is someone who gains and protects."
That was Anos's answer.
"Gain… and protect?"
"Honestly, I don't have a great impression of heroes."
He said it with a faint smile.
In his previous life, he had studied myths and legends.
Heroes were often just glorified conquerors.
Wrapped in divine blessings, fate, sacred weapons, and dramatic narratives.
But beneath all that…
Ais's idea of a hero was very different from reality.
"Not a good impression?"
She tilted her head slightly, confused.
"A hero is only a hero when he belongs to you alone."
"But once he becomes the world's hero… he stops being one."
"That's just how I see it."
Anos shrugged lightly.
He wasn't mocking heroes.
He simply didn't consider himself anything noble either.
When he crushed Diadora, it wasn't because he disapproved of him.
It was because he was in the way.
"Is that so…"
Ais tried to understand, but the more she thought about it, the more it slipped through her grasp.
"You don't have to force yourself to understand."
"Just find your own answer."
"…Okay."
She nodded, deep in thought.
Anos knew that was enough.
He didn't need to change her all at once.
Just plant a seed.
A seed of doubt.
Ais had misunderstood her father's words.
What he meant was a partner.
Someone she would love.
But she had always interpreted it as a hero.
And heroes…
Weren't meant to be lovers.
Heroes didn't live ordinary lives.
They fought monsters, saved women, claimed glory.
Most had divine blessings, legendary weapons, or unnatural advantages.
Without those, they wouldn't have achieved anything.
And their relationships?
Even worse.
Most were built on rescue, conquest, or fate.
Rarely anything resembling genuine love.
And they rarely had just one partner.
"By the way… Ais, do you have spirit blood in you? Your presence feels… close to one."
"Then you should be careful."
"In most stories, spirits end up being rescued… and then becoming a hero's wife."
Anos added with a faint smile.
"Why… 'end up'…?"
Ais didn't quite understand.
"I'll let you figure that out."
He didn't explain.
Because to him, the answer was simple.
They lost themselves.
And became something secondary.
That was what he wanted to change.
Not her strength.
Her understanding.
Only then could everything else follow.
Ais was the daughter of Albert and Aria.
A hero and a great spirit.
A thousand years ago, when the Black Dragon descended, Albert fought it.
He drove it back.
But Aria was devoured.
And Ais vanished.
Until nine years ago, when she reappeared in Orario as a child.
Since then, everything she had done—
Every battle, every step forward—
Was driven by one thing.
Revenge.
That obsession had made her who she was.
The Sword Princess.
But Anos knew.
She was still far from strong enough.
The Black Dragon had wiped out both the Zeus and Hera Familias.
Those groups had Level 9 and Level 8 adventurers.
And even now, the strongest in Orario were only Level 7.
That creature…
Was something far beyond.
"We're here."
They arrived at the banquet venue.
From a distance, Hestia spotted them and immediately ran over.
There was no way she was letting anyone steal her Anos.
Loki, who had been arguing with her moments ago, noticed too and rushed over.
There was no way she was letting anyone take Ais.
…Although, if she could recruit Anos instead, that might be even better.
Her priorities shifted slightly.
"Anos!~"
Hestia leaped straight into his arms.
"Oh…"
Ais blinked, surprised.
So that was an option.
"Anos, Anos~ your title's been decided!"
Hestia said proudly, clinging to him.
"Is that so? What is it?"
Anos smiled.
He didn't actually know.
He had only predicted one thing.
It would be something… meaningful.
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