“I know you’re here,” Aisha called out, her voice clear and steady.
“As expected of one of the strongest Heroes,” I replied, stepping out from my hiding place.
It was a pitch-black night, and as always, Aisha was out here, training alone under the stars, her sword slicing through the air with precise, practiced movements.
For the past few weeks, I had been observing her. She never skipped a day of training, her dedication and seriousness unwavering.
“I’m not a strong Hero,” Aisha said, lowering her sword, her breath visible in the cool night air.
“You are, though,” I insisted, shaking my head.
I understood what she meant—she was comparing herself to the very best. But in truth, she was stronger than most of our classmates. Only Jason, Aiden, Sienna, and Gwen could claim to surpass her.
“Not enough,” Aisha replied quietly, a note of frustration in her voice.
I activated the Eye of Odin and glanced at her level.
Lvl 53.
It was impressively high, all things considered. She simply faced more challenges in leveling up compared to the others.
“Why do you want to become so strong?” I asked, walking over to a nearby bench and taking a seat.
Aisha remained silent for a moment, her expression thoughtful. Was this a sensitive subject? I was confident she would eventually open up to me; we had grown quite close over the past few weeks.
“On Earth, I felt strong,” she began, her voice soft. “My family protected me, I excelled in both academics and sports; I thought I was safe until one of my father’s friends tried to attack me.”
Her revelation hit me like a bombshell, and I couldn’t help but widen my eyes in surprise.
“My father saved me,” she continued, her gaze distant as she relived the memory. “But ever since then, I’ve always felt weak. And in this world, with magic and monsters, I feel even weaker. Here, everyone looks at me like an object to impregnate,” Aisha said, her voice tinged with bitterness.
Her words hung in the air, heavy and raw.
Right. As one of the strongest Heroes, Aisha was a highly sought-after marriage partner for the nobles of the Empire. A child born from Aisha, imbued with the blood of a Hero, would undeniably possess great strength.
That’s what they all wanted.
Now, I understood her problem and why she was so determined to become stronger. Despite her composed exterior, Aisha was deeply wary of the Empire and the people surrounding us.
She feared being forced into marriage one day, and she wanted the strength to fight back when that time inevitably came.
The unfortunate truth was that the Empire of Light had the power to compel us all into marriages if they truly desired. None of us could resist because of the Divine Knights. Radakel alone was stronger than me, and I didn’t even want to imagine the power of the others.
I could probably hold my own against Radakel for a minute, but that would be my limit. The others would be defeated in less than a minute if they fought together.
Now that she had brought up the subject, I felt a twinge of worry too.
“I understand. I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, my voice filled with genuine sympathy.
Aisha shook her head and took a seat next to me. She pulled a bottle of water from her bag and took a sip.
My eyes involuntarily fell on her sweat-glistening porcelain neck, made visible by her black hair tied back in a ponytail. Once she finished drinking water, I looked away.
We sat in silence for a moment, the weight of our shared concerns hanging between us. The night was calm, the only sound the gentle rustle of leaves and the distant hum of the city below.
“Aren’t you going to train outside?” Aisha broke the silence, her voice gentle but curious.
“How do you know I’m training outside and not doing something else?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I’m not that stupid,” she replied, giving me a scrutinizing look. “I know you’re training, but…” She paused, her eyes narrowing as she studied me closely. “It seems you aren’t progressing well.”
I smiled, grateful for the special Ring Artifact Khione had given me. It looked like a spatial ring, which it was, but it also had the ability to alter my level and presence. Even Radakel couldn’t tell that I was stronger than all the other Heroes, thanks to this artifact. Khione had managed to get it for me despite being closely watched by several gods.
That’s why I couldn’t ask her to bring me SSS-ranked skills or any other powerful artifacts. She had offered, but I refused. I preferred to pick my skills directly from the countless books in the library. The number of skills I could possess depended largely on my level and my personal ability to handle them, so I was careful about my selections for now.
Moreover, one single mistake could doom us both. If we slipped up, all the gods of Olympus would come down upon us, and I would be killed without hesitation.
“I’m progressing just fine,” I said, my smile widening. “I guess I’m just good at hiding it.”
Aisha looked skeptical but didn’t press further. She took another sip of water, her eyes briefly meeting mine before she looked away. The night was serene, the stars twinkling above us as if they were watching over our secret conversation.
“Why do you hide your strength?” She asked after a moment, her voice barely above a whisper.
She was asking about the way I was feigning too much weakness with Oscar and the others. Even though I was weak from her point of view, the way I acted with the others sounded like I was hella weak which wasn’t the case. She had been watching me very well, I was quite proud of that since it means she was interested in me.
“It’s safer this way,” I replied, my tone serious. “For both of us. The Empire is full of dangers, and not just from the monsters we fight.”
Aisha turned to look at me before quickly erasing her surprise.
I said exactly what was on her mind but she never revealed it to anyone.
“The only ones we can count on are ourselves and our close friends,” I said, grasping her soft hand.
Aisha didn’t react as she was looking ahead.
She could hear my words deeply resonating within her.
My [Deep Voice] and Luck were active all this time after all.