"That is a good look to have, Hero Kael."
"Pope Altheran, it is good to see you again."
Kael smiled at the man.
"I am sure you are already tired by everything that happened, so I will not take more of your time."
"Haha~ That is not true. This is still within my expectations."
Kael laughed, and seeing him act like that, the Pope's smile widened.
"It is like you are a different man than you were when I first saw you.
You were so… confused back then. Using strange words like 'Info Dump', 'Isekai'.
It looked like you still believed that you were in a dream."
"Hahaha~ I did think I was dreaming.
After all, this isn't something that happens to you every day."
"But you are handling yourself quite well, much better than anyone had ever expected. To think you have already grown enough to save an entire town within a few weeks. As expected of the Hero chosen by Lord Feraos."
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Kael smiled politely.
"No, Hero. I do not. I have heard about how hard you have pushed yourself. Your growth isn't related to your talent alone. It is the combination of your talent and the blood, sweat, hard work, and determination you have shown.
To do all this for a world and people you do not know—all of this doesn't just deserve simple praise, what you are doing for us has far surpassed whatever we could do for you in return.
The Pope then bowed his head and,
"Thank you for being the Hero Nerathis needs."
Another wave of hush fell over the hall. Only that this time, it wasn't tense. It was filled with awe, surprise, and… respect.
Kael quickly held the Pope, stopping him midway.
"Pope Altheran, please. I am doing what I am supposed to do. You do not have to do this."
He smiled. Then, as if he recalled something, he questioned,
"Though I do have one question that I would like an answer to."
"When I was summoned here…
I wasn't the only one who had that magic circle beneath me. My friend was the same. I assumed that he was also summoned here, but no matter how much I tried to look for him, I was unable to find or hear any news of him. Do you know something about this?"
Kael questioned, and hearing his question, the Pope frowned.
Kael nodded. The Pope, however, shook his head.
There can be only one Hero, and that Hero is you."
Kael's expression changed when he heard those words.
He momentarily turned towards Elira, and the Mage nodded, understanding what he wanted. In an instant, a sound barrier was created around them, and the Hero questioned directly.
"Is it possible that some other force summoned a Hero as well? If that is the case, I might be able to get in contact with that Hero, and if the two of us work together, things would become much simpler."
"That… shouldn't be possible."
The Pope shook his head again.
"The resources required to summon a Hero are exorbitant. Not to mention, one requires Lord Feraos's blessing to even try summoning a Hero.
If some other force somehow got Lord Feraos's blessing, the Church of Feraos should know about it."
"Is it possible for any other force to get Lord Feraos's blessing?"
"As I said, if they somehow did, we would know about it."
Kael spoke, and it didn't take long for the Pope to understand Kael's line of thought. He, however, wasn't offended. He just smiled and,
"It is good that you think that way, Hero Kael.
And yes, it might be possible for another force to get Lord Feraos's blessing. After all, the Church only serves Lord Feraos. We were never able to understand his actions.
However, if there is one thing we are certain about, it is that Lord Feraos will do what is right for Nerathis.
So if there is another Hero out there, it is good for us."
"Has it happened before? Lord Feraos blessing another force?"
"Lord Feraos loves us. He blesses humans all the time, but blessing an entire force with enough energy to summon a Hero?
That has never happened before.
And you should already know this, Hero Kael, you are the first Hero we have proper records of, so I am as much in the dark about the matter as you are."
Kael nodded and smiled inwardly as he confirmed his thoughts.
Hero summoning sounded like a pretty big deal—lots of resources, Feraos's blessing, and whatnot. Sure, some other force might be able to get all this, but…
There was never a possibility of there being just one other Hero. Kael still remembered it clearly. Excluding Mark and the Security Guard, he saw tens of people—students and teachers alike—all having that circle beneath them.
If all of them were summoned to Nerathis, this matter could never be hidden. He had also talked about this with Elira, and the Court Mage shook her head as well.
There was no news of there being another Hero, and Kael believed it.
Then why ask the question?
Well, he just wanted to divert the attention that he had been receiving.
The possibility of there being another Hero… there is no way these nosy nobles, who were eavesdropping on every conversation, would miss such a detail.
Kael even had Elira create the barrier to attract even more attention. And seeing the looks on the nobles' faces as they looked at them, Kael's inward grin widened even further.
Yes, they tried to hide it—looking around, continuing their conversation as if they respected the Hero's decision to have a private talk with the Pope—but Kael knew it.
At the very least, he would get some breathing space with this.
With his goal accomplished, Kael turned towards Elira and nodded again. The Court Mage removed the barrier, and he smiled at the Pope,
"Thank you for answering my questions, Pope Altheran."