As the nations of the Human Realm were discussing and deciding on matters regarding the Hero, both the Divine World and the Demon Realm were similarly stirred.
In the Divine World, the Three Great Goddesses had already gathered.
Moreover, right from the start, Lidas launched into a serious accusation against Anima and Nadura.
"You two, did you already know that scumbag was the Hero?"
Lidas was so angry that she was on the verge of exploding, the corners of her eyes faintly tinged with tears.
Anima and Nadura glanced at each other, then both wore wry smiles.
"Sorry, Lidas," Anima apologized, her voice filled with regret, "We were worried you'd act rashly out of concern, so we thought it best to keep it from you for a while."
"Yeah," Nadura said with a sigh, "If you had known Shane was the Hero from the start, you'd definitely have done something, right?"
"What do you mean..." Lidas protested, "Am I really that tactless?"
Instead of a response, Anima and Nadura answered with silent stares.
These stares deeply wounded Lidas.
"What the... what the... I'm also very aware of the bigger picture, okay...!?"
To this, Anima and Nadura could only continue with their wry smiles and quickly tried to comfort her.
"I know Lidas is very responsible, but this matter really shouldn't be known by too many people. You're not very good at hiding your feelings, so we took it upon ourselves to investigate first," Anima advised softly.
"I, too, have been keeping an eye on that Hero," Nadura said with a slight smile, "And thanks to that, I've come to understand quite a bit about him, so you don't need to worry about us being incapable."
Hearing this, Lidas finally grew somewhat silent.
Then, the Goddess of Fate spoke quietly,
"Is he, really the Hero?"
Lidas still asked this question.
"We have both personally confirmed it; his Holy Sword possesses tremendous power, and his potential may even surpass that of Hero Mitra,"
Anima and Nadura agreed with nods.
Lidas was silent once more.
After a while, the Goddess of Fate spoke with a trace of dejection, "I can hardly believe that among us, who view the Hero as a noble being and eternal companion, such a scoundrel could appear."
Lidas found the fact that Shane was the Hero very hard to accept.
Anima and Nadura momentarily smiled knowingly.
But the next second, they resumed their grave expressions.
"The fact that he is the Hero is certain," Anima said seriously, "The problem is that until now, we still haven't figured out why a new Hero has been summoned when the Great Secret Rite for Hero Summoning is sealed."
"Moreover, the Hero's identity has been exposed, which is very serious," Nadura said, her voice laced with concern, "I fear the Demon Clan might react strongly to this news."
This was an issue that needed to be resolved.
Otherwise, the peace that had been maintained for a thousand years could collapse in an instant.
Anima and Nadura had always tried to prevent such an event from occurring.
Now that Shane's identity had been exposed, they couldn't help but worry.
Lidas, without thinking further, spoke out directly.
"Why don't we just bring that guy to the Divine World?" Lidas said in a rush, "If we bring him to the Divine World and watch over him ourselves, the Demon Clan wouldn't be able to do him any harm, right?"
This was a lousy idea.
"Listen, Lidas, the Hero is someone we must protect, but we must also respect his wishes. Bringing him straight to the Divine World and keeping watch over him against his will isn't protection; it's house arrest," Anima immediately objected.
"I also disagree with doing this. If we were to act in such a way, it might provoke the nerves of the Demon Clan, making them think we intend to use the Hero for some purpose, which could render the conflict irreconcilable," Nadura likewise rejected the idea.
Lidas still seemed anxious.
The Goddess of Fate was exactly like that, easily causing trouble due to excessive responsibility and sense of duty, which was why Anima and Nadura didn't want her to know too soon.
"For now, just calm down, Lidas," Anima patted Lidas's shoulder, comforting her, "Don't worry. The situation isn't like a thousand years ago. Many among the Demon Clan don't wish to disrupt the current state of affairs, to break this peace. I believe they will handle this matter thoughtfully."
"Exactly," Nadura agreed, "Moreover, that Hero has connections with several demons, especially with Dragon Demon Ai Yi. Their relationship is even better than ours with the current Hero. I believe she wouldn't just stand by and watch the Hero battle the Demon Clan."
"Really?" Lidas was very skeptical, "That savage Dragon Demon would really vouch for a Human, especially for a Hero who is our natural enemy?"
Clearly, Lidas was not convinced.
She had already forgotten,
"Have you forgotten how the Dragon Demon protected him at your Blessing and the Hero's engagement banquet?" Anima reminded her, leaving Lidas speechless.
At that time, Ai Yi indeed had not hesitated to protect Shane, even facing Lidas, whose power was above her own.
It wasn't just Ai Yi; Sera, too, had made an appearance at that engagement banquet, vouching for Shane.
The current Hero didn't only stand out in personality but also had exceptionally good relations with the demons.
This only added another layer of concern for Lidas.
"The Demon Clan wouldn't be trying to win over the Hero to their side, would they?" Lady Lidas couldn't help but say, "Given that the Great Secret Rite of Hero Summoning remains inexplicable in the Divine World, could it be that something went wrong within the Demon Realm?"
Hearing this, both Lady Anima and Nadura furrowed their brows.
In fact, they had entertained such thoughts as well.
Although the Hero Summoning had always been a Great Secret Ceremony of the Divine Race, as the saying goes, sometimes the best understanding of oneself doesn't come from within, but from one's opponent.
Being the natural enemy of the Demon Clan, it was not as if they had never conducted research targeting the existence of Heroes over the ages.
And if their research continued unabated into the present, a thousand years later, could there be a possibility that they had truly discovered an alternative method to summon a Hero?
Could it be possible that this generation's Hero was not summoned by the Divine Race, but rather by the Demon Clan?
Would it then be suspicious that this Hero had such a good relationship with Demons?
"The Great Secret Ceremony of Hero Summoning was personally created by the Mother Goddess, hailed as the second great feat after the creation of the world. I don't believe that the Demon Clan could achieve such a feat."
Lady Anima shook her head, rejecting this conjecture.
"The Demon Clan is a Race known for its power, but in terms of capabilities, they simply cannot be as omnipotent as us from the Divine Race, so I also do not believe they could accomplish this."
Nadura echoed the same denial.
Lidas thought about it and finally nodded in agreement.
"Even I couldn't do it; it's indeed impossible for someone from the Demon Clan to manage it."
As the being closest to omnipotence, Lidas was qualified to make such a statement.
"Alright, let's not dwell on the matter behind the Hero Summoning for the moment," Lady Anima said: "Our priority is to contact the Demon Clan and convey our stance here."
"Yes," Nadura said thoughtfully: "Moon Demon Sela is an intelligent person, and I'm very curious to know what her attitude towards this matter would be."
That individual's attitude also represented, to some extent, the overall stance of the Demon Clan.
Even if the Demon Clan reacted violently to the matter of the Hero, the measures that person would take in response would determine what actions the Demon Clan would ultimately decide to take.
If Sela deemed the Hero a threat and also suspected that the Divine Race had covertly restarted the Great Secret Rite of Hero Summoning, she might use this as an opportunity to strike.
If the other party had a different thought, then what that thought was would be extremely important to the Divine Race.
"In that case, I'll make a personal visit to the Demon Realm," Lidas immediately volunteered.
"Wait," Lady Anima stopped Lidas.
"Don't be impulsive, let's try contacting them first."
Nadura quickly interjected.
If Lidas, one of the strongest of the Divine Race, and the most powerful being in the world today, were to personally descend upon the Demon Realm, it could likely escalate the Demon Clan's vigilance even further.
"Let me go," Nadura said: "Although I'm not quite at ease about the situation with Merica, if I go, I can enter the Demon Realm undetected and make contact with Moon Demon Sela."
This was the best approach.
"Agreed," Lady Anima thought for a moment, then readily consented: "Then let's leave this matter to you, Nadura."
"Don't worry," Nadura nodded.
However, just at that moment, a Goddess arrived.
"Lady Lidas, Lady Anima, Lady Nadura," the Goddess spoke frantically: "There's a message from the Demon Clan."
That sentence prompted a reaction from all three Goddesses.
"A message from the Demon Clan?" Lady Anima exclaimed in surprise.
"Could it be Moon Demon?
Nadura quickly caught on.
"Let me see!" Lidas immediately snatched the letter over, tearing open the envelope, pulling out the parchment, and started to read.
Upon seeing the contents, Lidas's eyes bulged.
"What... what...!?" Lidas gasped aloud.
"What's wrong, Lidas?"
Lady Anima and Nadura immediately tensed up.
They quickly leaned over to look at the letter.
Upon their gaze, both of their expressions changed simultaneously.
They turned very peculiar.
"Has actually made such a decision...?"
Lady Anima and Nadura's mouths twitched.
Lidas stood there, dumbfounded.
Seeing this scene, the Goddess who delivered the message felt a wave of unease.
A delicate atmosphere immediately spread throughout the room and lingered for a long time.