Chapter 05
A few days passed after the wedding was cancelled.
“…My strength is definitely still the same.”
Roshane looked down at her hand as she kept opening and closing it.
During the past few days, Roshane first checked her body step by step.
Her body itself had almost no physical strength, but strangely she could still use her full power.
This was because of the god’s protection and blessing placed on the soul of a hero.
Not only her strength, but also her agility and her sharp ability to sense presence were still the same.
‘Then why couldn’t I sense the Grand Duke that time?’
He was the only person whose presence Roshane could not feel. She frowned and placed her palm on the teacup.
She quickly pulled her hand away in surprise. It was hot.
“…This is the only problem.”
Everything else was the same, but her body could not fully defend against outside attacks or pain.
This meant that even if she fought well, if the enemy hit her once, she could die.
The only good thing was that her power itself was still the same, so she could protect her body.
But…
“If the hero’s blessing on my soul is still there, it would be better not to use my power.”
If the blessing on her soul remained, that meant the sealing spell on her soul also remained.
If her identity was discovered, she could lose her freedom and be sealed again at any time.
‘I must hide who I am.’
This magic could not be broken by killing the emperor. Hundreds of years ago, someone had tried killing the emperor to break the seal.
But a powerful protection spell activated, and they could not even touch a single hair on the emperor’s head.
Even stranger, this magic recognized the next person who became emperor as its master if the current emperor died.
That meant killing anyone was useless unless the seal itself was broken.
‘I should avoid mages.’
The Magic Tower probably placed the sealing spell. If she got involved with them, they might discover the magic on her soul.
Roshane looked outside.
The cancellation of the wedding had caused a big stir in high society.
It was even bigger because the person who cancelled it was the daughter of the Duke of Leilaten.
Some people even started rumors that the duke had begun protecting his daughter.
When those rumors spread, the Duke of Leilaten made an excuse that he was sick and stayed in his bedroom.
Perhaps because he was embarrassed, he did not seem to plan on telling others about the power Roshane used.
‘I must be careful around the imperial family, including the emperor who manages the Guardian’s seal. They probably already noticed my soul disappeared and will try to find me.’
Roshane carefully picked up the teacup again. The bitter taste of the tea was new, but she quite liked it.
To become completely free, she had to break the seal.
Her eyes shone with determination.
Roshane was a hero, but she did not know much about heroes.
She had simply been born that way.
Some people are born with strong holy power for no reason. Others are born with strong magical power.
Roshane was born with great strength, a body as tough as steel, and the agility of a wild animal.
Her parents were afraid of their daughter and abandoned her.
So Roshane grew up alone.
At seventeen, she volunteered as a soldier in a war for the first time and gained attention by cutting off the enemy general’s head.
For a seventeen-year-old girl who had never trained in swordsmanship, it was an incredible achievement.
The emperor quickly noticed how special she was.
And then the emperor of that time sealed Roshane.
She could not die, but she also could not truly live. He placed a leash on her life.
That was the entire story she knew about herself.
‘What happened to the people who fought with me to defeat the Mad Dragon ten years ago?’
When the last seal had been released.
Cheyton, who had been the youngest back then, was still alive. But she had no idea what happened to the others.
If someone had fought beside the hero back then, they might know something about heroes.
Roshane put down her teacup and stood up.
There was no need to search everywhere. There was someone nearby who could answer her questions.
With elegant steps, she headed toward the Duke of Leilaten’s bedroom.
But—
“I’m sorry, but the duke is resting right now.”
She was stopped at the door.
The butler stood firmly there, blocking her entrance.
“I have something to ask the duke.”
“You should call him ‘Father,’ not ‘Duke,’ miss.”
Call him father? The boy who used to cry because he was scared of frogs?
Roshane frowned.
“The duke needs rest right now. If you do not follow proper manners, I cannot let you in—”
“I have something to ask Father.”
Hearing she could not meet him, Roshane quickly corrected her words and cut the butler off.
“Now it’s fine, right? Bring me Father.”
Roshane stretched out her palm in front of the butler, as if she were demanding someone return a kidnapped person.
The butler looked confused.
“This is the first time you have come to see the duke yourself, miss… I will ask him first.”
The butler entered the bedroom.
Roshane quietly stared at the large door.
‘If they don’t open the door… should I just break it?’
Her habits as a hero still remained.
After thinking for a moment, she shook her head.
She had just decided to hide her power and identity. She could not start breaking doors immediately.
So she calmly waited for the answer.
One… two… three…
Wait. Why is it taking so long?
‘How do other people stay patient like this?’
Roshane tapped her fingers while staring at the closed door.
She had always been fighting, breaking things, and running. She did not know how to be patient.
Just as she was about to knock, the butler finally came out.
“Miss, the duke says you may come in.”
The moment the butler gave permission, Roshane walked inside.
The duke’s bedroom was much larger, more comfortable, and more luxurious than hers.
“Roshane.”
In one corner of the wide room was a desk with documents.
The duke was sitting there.
“Duke… I mean, Father. Did you hurt your hand?”
Noticing the butler watching, Roshane quickly changed how she addressed him and pointed at the bandage on his hand.
The person who answered was not the duke, but the butler.
“The duke injured his hand in a small accident on the day of your wedding.”
“…My wedding?”
“The duke’s condition is a secret, so he will rest until the wound heals.”
Roshane looked closely at the duke’s bandaged hand.
‘That hand… isn’t that the hand he shook with me?’
As if he had read her thoughts, the duke slowly lowered his bandaged hand.
“…You said you had something to ask me? Ask quickly and leave.”
The Duke of Leilaten spoke coldly.
Roshane looked away from the bandage and stared at his face.
“I read that ten years ago a subjugation team was formed to seal the Mad Dragon.”
“You’re interested in something like that?”
“Let’s skip the small talk so I can ask my question quickly, Father.”
“Hah. Where did you learn that strange way of speaking? Butler, who taught Roshane to talk like that?”
The duke scolded the butler beside him.
“The only person the young lady has met recently is the Viscount Jichellia.”
“I see. Just thinking about how he dared to come yell at me after the wedding was cancelled still makes me angry. …Fine. Continue, Roshane.”
“Okay. The team that went to seal the Mad Dragon ten years ago… where are those people now?”
The duke did not react much.
“You came all this way just to ask that?”
His reaction was very casual.
It was so casual that Roshane suddenly smiled.
She felt relieved, thinking they must all be living well.
After all, they had fought together, and the team atmosphere had been good.
If they were alive, they might know something about heroes. They might even help her.
“They’re all dead.”
But the hope was not for Roshane.
Her bright smile shattered at the duke’s indifferent words.
Without even looking at her expression, the duke calmly continued speaking while resting his chin on his hand.
“Ah. There is one person who survived.”
“….”
“The Grand Duke of Barpheus.”
Roshane remembered the back of the man she had met a few days ago.
