pertwk Page 210
Page 210
"This is definitely not normal, but... should we tell Brother Ota?"
Kalia turned her head to look at the closed door of the study. She had come here today to discuss this matter with Ota, but she did not expect to hear such urgent and serious news.
Remembering Ota's anxious face, Kalia shook her head: "Don't bother your brother with such trivial matters."
At times like these, Kalia would usually go to the church to pray, but today she wasn't really in the mood, or rather, lately she seemed to have gradually come to feel that going to the church to pray wasn't really necessary.
With her mindset shifting, Kalia paused slightly, then turned her head, thinking of a certain place:
"Perhaps I should go to the Kingdom Library and consult the great scholar Astrid; maybe she can know something."
……
Erwin walked briskly on his way to the residence of Grand Duke Thanaus.
Only when he saw the dark red mansion, which seemed to be shrouded in shadow, did a slight smile appear on his stiff face: "In any case, Lord Dane's receipt of the honor of Warrior of Light is an absolutely great thing for the people and the kingdom."
"With the reputation of the Warrior of Light and his status as the adopted son of the Radiant Duke, Lord Dane's fame will soon surpass that of the Hero, and may even approach that of Lord Mino."
Inside the Thanaus residence.
The matches burned quietly in the fireplace, crackling and occasionally scattering sparks on the dark red carpet before disappearing into the dim room.
Thanaus, wrapped in a heavy coat, sat in a chair and coughed lightly a few times in the room. His tone was steady and low: "Hero Shana has been missing for a month."
"..."
"Although she has become a hero, her reckless actions have given us the best opportunity. At present, most people lack sufficient confidence in that hero and even have considerable resistance to her."
"..."
"If we handle this properly, we have a good chance to strip her of her hero status and let the title of hero fall back on you."
"..."
The firelight blazed brilliantly, but the house was deathly silent.
Thanaus turned his grey-red eyes to the recliner by the fireplace: "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Beside the stove.
Dane, wrapped in bandages like a mummy, sat slumped motionless, his eyes somewhat vacant.
Only upon hearing Thanaus's question did his body tremble slightly, his eyes gradually blazing with anger, and he forced out a sizzling sound from his throat: "Speak... what else can I say..."
Staring intently at Thanaus, Dane's emotions erupted like sparks from rubbing firewood together. He suddenly swayed and stood up agitatedly.
"Of all the plans you've made, have any of them ever actually succeeded? Huh?!"
"What happened to the promise of easily obtaining the title of hero? What happened to the promise of effortlessly seizing fame and power? When has it ever come to pass? You're just dreaming!!!"
Thanaus hadn't expected that even after a month, Dane's psychological trauma would still be so profound, making him seem like a wild animal reacting to stress. Thanaus could only lower his voice and comfort him, "Don't worry, one or two failures are acceptable for that grand goal..."
"Accept? Who will accept?!" Dane grew increasingly agitated, tearing at the bandages on his face, pointing at the still-healing skin, and roaring with tears streaming down his face:
"I'm always the one who gets hurt! Me—!!!"
"Have you ever been beaten by a legendary sword light? Have you ever felt the despair of being caught in a pincer movement with nowhere to escape? Have you ever bungee jumped off the roof of a palace?!"
"Calm down," Thanaus snapped, his tone tinged with displeasure.
"Don't forget who gave you your current status... If it weren't for your status as the adopted son of the Grand Duke, where would the Royal Knights' respect for you come from, and what about the Imperial Palace..."
"Shut up!" Dane suddenly stood up, cursing.
"So what if I'm the adopted son of the Grand Duke? If I keep messing around with you, I'm not even sure if I'll live long enough to inherit your title!"
Now I know how your sons died young!
"Thanaus, I'm telling you, our cooperation is over! Go find someone else for your grand ambitions!"
Slamming the door shut in a fit of rage, as if making a firm decision, and ignoring Thanaus's pleas for him to stop, Dane walked out of Thanaus's mansion, spat viciously at the tightly closed, thick door, and cursed:
"What kind of adopted son is he? He's not even fit for a dog..."
"Lord Dane!"
Erwin's joyful voice came from behind him. Dane turned around alertly, pressing his back tightly against the door where he had just spat, seemingly unwilling to expose his back to Erwin.
"Lord Dane, your injuries seem to have almost healed. You can even walk on your own now." Erwin jogged over, genuinely pleased.
“When I came to see you last month, you were still lying in bed and couldn’t even take care of yourself.”
"Heh, heh heh." Dane's face twitched a few times, suppressing the urge to beat up the knight commander in front of him, and asked in a stiff tone, "Commander Erwin, you've come here to...?"
"Oh, look, I've forgotten the important matter." Erwin slapped his forehead, then handed a lacquered red wooden box to Dane with a hint of mystery in his voice.
"Your Excellency Dane, this is the medal awarded to you by the kingdom. Please take a look."
Dane accepted it absentmindedly, secretly sneering. He knew it was probably just a medal of some kind, like a third-level or second-level merit, which might be a great honor for ordinary civilians, but in Dane's eyes, it was just a piece of scrap metal. Who would really want to risk their life for the kingdom for a little bit of honor!
Stab it--!
The golden light suddenly blinded Dane, and his eyes trembled as he stared at the golden winged medal in the wooden box, speechless with shock:
"Holy crap, the Warrior of Light?!"
Dane's mind went blank on the spot. As a soldier who came from the Brave Candidate Camp, he naturally understood the significance of this medal.
The soul of a hero, the qualities of a warrior! The one who leads humanity to break through darkness and into the light, the great being who ascends to the pinnacle of kingdom and prestige, the most powerful and sublime warrior!
This medal was awarded to him? He doesn't recall ever performing a feat that saved the entire kingdom and humanity!
Dane looked on in disbelief, his hands trembling as he held up the medal.
For a moment, he almost had the idea of betraying Thanaus and switching to the Kingdom of Kur: although he really took the EX curry stick, the kingdom really gave him the honor of being a hero!
“They’re back, they’re all back…” Dane’s eyes welled up with tears.
The hardships I've endured during this time have finally paid off.
"Your Excellency Dane, please enjoy your visit. I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."
Erwin bid farewell at the gate. If it were earlier, he would have been in the mood to warmly congratulate Dane, but after hearing such horrifying news in the study, he wished he could take on multiple roles and rush to various parts of the kingdom as soon as possible.
The news of Dane becoming a Warrior of Light will soon spread throughout the kingdom. Coupled with his prestigious status as the adopted son of a grand duke, he will become a model and example for the rise of commoners! His status and fame will be amplified to the maximum!
It's like... a second Minotaur, no, perhaps even more dazzling than Minotaur! At that time, even the morning star of that kingdom will no longer dare to underestimate me and will have to take me seriously.
Standing at the gate, Dane was jolted awake and quickly realized this. The ambition in his eyes gradually spread and burned fiercely again, like the embers in the fireplace!
Without hesitation, Diane turned and returned to Thanaus's mansion. Amidst Thanaus's questioning gaze, he stepped through the door and said aggressively:
"--when!"
"I'll be the adopted son of the eldest prince!"
Chapter 306 Hero of Sin, Hero of Light
"Uh……"
Inside the room, Thanaus remained stunned for a long time before he came to his senses.
Although he knew that Dane was just sulking and would come back once he calmed down, after all, he and Dane were already in the same boat.
Moreover, once that bloodthirsty power has been used, one will no longer want to be an unknown ordinary person. He and Dane had long since run out of other options.
Lowering his head, Thanaus coughed lightly a few times: "I didn't expect you to figure it out so quickly, but... that's a good thing."
"You are the most suitable person for my plan to overthrow the kingdom. It was I who gave you the opportunity, and it was the opportunity that chose you."
"This is just the initial stage of the plan. Getting dirty and tired is to be expected. Once you obtain the rank of hero, you can rest assured and be the noble and great hero in everyone's eyes. I'll take care of the remaining filth and darkness..."
Dane sat down noncommittally, not taking Thanaus's promises to heart: "You said there's a plan to abolish the Hero...?"
He is now single-mindedly focused on becoming a hero. With the identity of a warrior of light and a hero, he will probably be able to surpass even the hero Mino!
Thinking of this, Dane's hands trembled with excitement; this was something he had never dared to imagine before.
“That’s right.” Thanaus chuckled in response. “And this time, we don’t need to get involved. What we need to do is very simple, even very basic… We just need to throw some mud at that hero.”
"Smear campaign?" Dane asked, puzzled. "Wasn't this a plan we abandoned before?"
In theory, this measure only works before the hero completes the blessing. By defaming the hero's reputation, it shakes the public's attention, thereby disqualifying him as a hero and causing him to completely lose the goddess's favor.
But after Shana was awarded the titles of Hero of Evil and Hero of Sin, that plan became impractical.
"Moreover, since she has already completed the blessing, the only way to revoke her status as a hero is to stir up protests throughout the kingdom and make most people question her ability as a hero."
Dane looked at Thanaus: "What do you plan to do?"
“That’s the crucial point.” Thanaus coughed lightly. “Why do you think the people can tolerate the existence of a hero of sin? Is it because they place their hopes on her power, fear her atrocities, or believe that she is not inherently evil?”
“This…” Dane hesitated.
"The answer is, none of that matters," Thanaus said calmly.
"These reasons may hold true for the sinful heroes of the past—but not for the hero Shana: she did not perform well in the training camp, the crimes she committed were abhorrent, and as for the rumors about her... she was just a 'crazy red-haired girl,' and many people couldn't even remember what she looked like."
"There is only one reason why she has been tolerated by the people and even the kingdom to this day: that is, she is 'Mino's sister', nothing more."
"Those fools still cling to the unrealistic fantasy that she can bring hope and miracles to the kingdom like her brother Mino, which is why they acknowledge her as a hero. But now, that has reached its limit."
"The disappearance of the hero Shana after the blessing ceremony has caused doubts and dissatisfaction among the people throughout the kingdom... There are quite a few voices that suspect that she fled to escape punishment and that she has lost her qualifications as a hero."
"What we need is just to add a little more fuel to the fire in this situation."
"That would completely shatter this delicate balance, reignite public opinion, and force the kingdom to disqualify that sinful hero."
Dane suddenly realized, looking at Thanaus, whose expression was dark and uncertain by the fire, and felt a chill run down his spine. After all, he was a Grand Duke who had risen to the top of the kingdom's political system. Only he could have come up with such a dark and invisible method that could push someone to the brink of despair.
"So, where should we add fuel to the fire? A little bit of infamy falling on the hero of sin and evil won't hurt much, will it?" Dane asked, spreading his hands.
A slight smile appeared on Thanaus's lips: "Didn't I already say that?"
He stood up, lightly dusted himself off, walked to the fireplace, knelt down, and slowly pulled out the thickest piece of firewood. Instant sparks danced before his eyes, but the flames inside the fireplace burned even more fiercely.
“What we need to target is her greatest asset in maintaining her identity as a hero, her most impenetrable weakness.” Thanaus’s grey-red eyes reflected intense flames:
"What we want to smear is not that evil hero, but the light in the hearts of all the people, the former number one enemy of the demons, the strongest hero in human history..."
"The Warrior of Light, Mino Rayker."
"The Mino Warrior?" Dane was stunned, then his eyes widened in disbelief: "Are you serious?!"
"That is the shining hero of the Kingdom of Kur! The dragon slayer who shook the continent! The pioneer of humanity who forged the alliance with the dwarves and assimilated the goblin sages! A synonym for perseverance and indomitable spirit, and even in the rumors about him and women, there has never been a single scandal!!!"