"Joan? Are you listening?" the queen asked.
She was too shocked to answer. She woke up this morning and had a rather calm and relaxing breakfast with the Queen. A rather jarring experience, the only meal she had ever had with the Queen had been to celebrate a victory.
But this morning Emmeline was very friendly, asking how she was sleeping and if she felt weak or in pain. In fact, the Queen seemed a bit worried about her. It felt so strange without a king or Hadwin to keep the peace, and a few times she had to pinch herself to make sure it wasn't another dream.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find the trap. Finally, she reluctantly yielded to the urging.
When the Queen offered to let Joan meet the others, Joan nearly choked on her food. What's more, there are only two guards around them at all times. She couldn't take her eyes off the six divine objects. Spear, gauntlets and boots, crown, bow, shield and war hammer. How stupid this is. They should be locked up so no one can take them.
"Do you want to touch it?" Ameline asked, interrupting her thoughts. "You can if you want."
Joan turned and stared at the Queen. She briefly wondered if the Queen could read her mind, but quickly pushed the thought out of her mind. She was convinced that if the ruler could, she would have been executed by her. "What? Me? But I-"
Although she was considered incredibly talented and skilled, she nearly blew her arm off using a spell that should have been easy for her.
She stepped forward, stretched out her fingers, and grasped the handle of the hammer.
Joan felt the tingle of magic, divine power within them. A weapon that can never be broken. It can even kill gods. The touch alone was incredible, it felt almost familiar as she tried to move the hammer, but the weight it moved could be as heavy as a mountain. She suspected not, but she couldn't help but feel rejected by a close friend.
She shook her head and pulled her hand back. "No, I'm afraid not. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sad, child," said Emmeline, shaking her head. "There can only be six others, and there is no shame in not being one of them. After all, only the gods know who they are."
Joan tried not to laugh and resist the urge to tell the Queen that she knew who they were. For now, only Hadwin knows. She couldn't wait for him to come back so they could finally start their search. However, despite the presence of six other weapons, one is still missing. "I guess. What about the eighth?" she asked.
"Eighth?" Emmeline asked.
"Hero Star?"
"Oh, that."
The room felt colder. The queen's smile dimmed a lot. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Haven't you found it yet?" A new wave of panic filled her. What if something happens to the stars? Would it even exist if there were no heroes to wield it?
The Queen sighed softly, then shook her head. "No. After all, this star can only be used by, ahem, heroes. We don't know where it is."
Joan was sure now. The Queen was visibly disgusted, even annoyed. "He hasn't shown up yet?"
"No, we're all lucky," she said, then turned and walked back the way she came.
She believes Batwatch Valley is the source of the woman's wrath, but is there more to it? She ran after the woman, her heart racing. "Do you hate heroes? But he's not even here yet. Has he?"
Ameline sighed softly, then shook her head. The courtyard was almost silent except for a few gardeners tending the tall, thin bushes that lined the stone paths that wound between the castle and the many small buildings in the courtyard. "I don't hate the hero. I don't trust the hero." Although she said this, her tone made Joan suspect that there was more than just a distrust of the ruler's feelings. The tone was all too familiar. Part of her desperately wanted to get out of the conversation before it turned sour. But she can't. She was so close to the answer.
"Doubtful? But he's a hero. Shouldn't everyone believe him?" Zach asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
The Queen looked back at her. "How familiar are you with the story of the Chosen One?"
"Only vaguely," Joan whispered, unable to hide the embarrassment in her voice.
"Okay. Can you let me cheer you up?" Emmeline asked.
Joan nodded slightly. The Queen's pace slowed down a lot. She blushed when she realized it was to help her keep up, since her legs were shorter than the ruler. ha.
"The seven heroes selected by the gods will appear when the world needs them most. They will face more serious threats and dangers. The era when they appear has always been an era of great chaos and crisis, but they have never None have failed to save our world. Now, in many stories, they are led by an eighth hero. I assume this is the story you've heard?" Emmeline asked.
"Yes. More or less. Which hero, the eighth, will be greater than them all?" Joan asked, trying to hide the excitement in her voice. She was so close to the answer, she could almost taste it.
Emeli
e sighed softly and looked at her. "Or so they say. Joan, you're still a child. I don't want to take away the comfort of being a hero."
"I'm not afraid you won't be able to handle it. Maybe I'm just too worried. Please don't let it taint your faith. After all, a hero is someone everyone can turn to in time of need, right?" Emmeline asked. Although there was a bit of biting coldness in this sentence, it was not consistent with him at all.
"You don't believe this, do you?" Joan asked, doing her best to keep the conversation going.
Emmeline shook her head. "No I don't. Please don't worry about such things. You are too young to care about such things. If a hero appears, it will be my duty to take care of him."
“If heroes don’t emerge, who will lead the electorate?”
The forced smile disappeared, replaced by a gentle and sincere smile. "Fortunately, there are many stories about how kingdoms were saved even without heroes. I pray this is one of those moments."
"Wait, is there one?" Joan asked, unable to hide the shock in her voice. "But I thought they were always together?" Her heart began to beat violently. Heroes always walk with them, this is what she heard in her previous life. If the hero doesn't do this, does that mean she failed in her previous life? Even before this attempt? Are there other "Jones"? Is this all just an eternal cycle of failure and trying? She tried to remember what the three sisters had told her, but the memories were distorted along with the others. She swore they said it was a one-time choice. But what if not? Or what if it all means something else? Even the Demon King calls her his "eternal rival."
"Joan?" Ameline asked, putting a hand to her forehead. "You look pale. Are you uncomfortable?"
"A little," she said. "Sorry, I--"
"Nonsense," Emmeline interrupted. "You're still recovering. If you feel dizzy, you should rest. A lot of the damage has healed, and even if you don't feel it now, if you push yourself too hard, it will hit you all at once. Come on, let's Go back to your room."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"I already told you, please call me Emmeline."
"I'm sorry." Joan slowly followed the queen back to the castle, her mind wandering with random thoughts. Is Emmeline telling the truth? Why doesn't she spend more time learning who and what the hero is? "Uh, Your Highness?"
"Emmeline."
"Correct. Emeline, I assume you don't have any records of past choices? I'd love to know more about them."
"Can you read?"
"Yes. "I learned it at the academy. " She said quickly. To be honest, although she 'learned' it in the academy, it was just as easy for her as almost everything else.
"Interestingly, I've heard that most mercenaries ignore these lessons unless they plan on becoming a record holder. You are indeed a unique kid, Joan. I'll have some delivered to your room, but don't push yourself .You still need to get enough rest.”
"Thank you," Joan said, and then fell silent. She had another question to ask, one she felt she should have asked a long time ago. "Your high—Emmeline, can I ask you one more question?"
"certainly."
"Why do you know such powerful healing magic?"
A look of shock. "Don't you know? You are a citizen of Star Breath City, aren't you?"
Joan shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't know, but I was born in the Human Empire. It's just never been discussed with me."
Emmeline sighed softly,
The surprise gradually turned into a gentle smile.
"No. I guess you wouldn't know, would you? You're too young to remember when I became Queen. That was at least ten years before you were born. Maybe even longer. Aren't you interested in the politics of the Empire? ?”
Well, I think you need to know more about this, especially if you are Hadwin's daughter. Whether chosen or not, he was of noble birth. The future has high expectations for you. "
Joan barely suppressed a mocking snort. She doubts expectations will ever be higher than they are now. "I will do my best."
"Well, I guess I can take some more time to explain. How familiar are you with our country's history?"
"Much less. I know that over the past few thousand years, more and more lands have fallen into the hands of demons. Now all that remains are the kingdoms of dwarves, the realms of elves, and the empire of men. There are other species, such as the changelings Spirits, fairies and goblins, have been absorbed into a kingdom, but most will soon become extinct. Right?"
"Really? Interesting. You learned about the current situation of the world, but you didn't learn anything about the politics of your hometown?" Ameline asked, with a hint of playfulness in her voice.
Her face turned red and she cursed herself inwardly. "I'm sorry," she said. Although she felt that she was not saying this to the queen, but to the entire world. She should know about this. Someone had probably told her. But she most likely put them aside and focused only on what she considered the "important part", namely the Three Kingdoms. In fact, if it weren't for one of the Chosen Ones entering the time loop, she probably wouldn't have known about or cared about the annihilation of the other races.
"It doesn't matter, Joan. Our entire land is now the domain of three cities and a dozen noble families. Therefore, the suitor for the monarch must be someone who has proven with strength, wisdom and authority that he can rule the land. They can Protecting the people from the demons of our frontier. Like you, I am a member of the Mercenary Corps. The healer of the Sunwolves before they were disbanded."
This caused Joan to stumble and nearly fall down the stairs, only to hit her knee on the step. "Are you a mercenary? You? Like me?"
yes dear. It’s the best way for me to survive and put food on my plate.
Joan felt her cheeks almost flush and stood motionless on the steps. "sorry."
Ameline smiled softly. "For what? If anyone should apologize, it's me. Imagine my friend had a kid all this time and I ignored it. I can't imagine what your life would be like. But you won't be alone anymore, Joan. Are your knees okay?"
"I'm fine, just a scrape on my knee. Wait, please don't—"
But before she could stop it, the Queen knelt down and placed a hand on her leg, easing the pain a bit. "Be careful. There are limits to how much healing you can get."
