As Anyi continued his meal, he stole a glance at the quiet figure seated at the far end of the table—Miruku, the Thorn Hero. Unlike Ariana, whose radiant presence seemed to command the room, Miruku sat hunched, her head slightly bowed, hair veiling her eyes like a protective curtain. She ate quietly, almost nervously, never meeting anyone's gaze.

To Anyi, it made sense. As an assassin, she probably valued discretion and self-protection. Still, she intrigued him, remaining the most mysterious of all the Heroes.

Meanwhile, Miruku's heart raced. He's looking at me...! Did I do something wrong? Or am I eating strangely? Oh no, do assassins have special ways to eat that I don't know about?

She desperately fought the urge to apologize out loud, mentally rehearsing the words just in case.

Sensing the thick silence, Ariana, ever the social one, decided to break it. "For the two of you to be chosen by Kami-sama as Heroes, you must be particularly strong in some area, right? I know Anyi was already strong enough to defeat large monsters before becoming a Hero. What about you, Miruku?"

Boom! Miruku’s mind imploded. Me?! Compared to Anyi?

She froze, her mind blank as Ariana’s innocent question echoed in her ears. How could she possibly respond? I don’t have a monster-slaying resume! Her grip on her fork tightened, hands trembling as she mumbled, "No, no."

Ariana tilted her head, confused. "Hmm?"

Miruku’s face flushed. She hadn't meant for her response to be so weak. But before she could mentally unravel any further, Anyi cut in, saving her from total embarrassment. "She’s probably just tired, maybe not in the mood to talk right now," he suggested, his tone neutral, but his glance at Miruku was enough to make her breathe a silent sigh of relief.

Hero! Miruku's heart soared with gratitude. You're my hero!!

"Oh, I didn’t realize!" Ariana’s eyes widened with sincere concern. "I'm so sorry, Miruku, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable."

Miruku’s mind scrambled once more. No no no! I’m the one who should be apologizing! I’m sorry for not being able to answer, I’m sorry for not having talent, I’m sorry for... just everything!

"I... I’m so sorry..." Miruku muttered in a broken whisper, her words confirming Anyi’s earlier thoughts. Using ‘sorry’ to respond to ‘sorry,’ he mused. She really does feel responsible for everything.

Not wanting to push Miruku any further, Ariana shifted her focus. "That reminds me, Anyi, how did you manage to take down a large monster? I’ve never seen one before, but I’ve heard they can easily destroy entire villages."

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Anyi took a sip of his soup, barely glancing up as he replied. "It's simple. A monster dies when you kill it."

Ariana blinked, clearly not satisfied with Anyi's curt explanation. "Just a Hobgoblin," he had said, as if that was enough. She pressed him again. "But how did you knock it down? Surely, there's more to it?"

"If you kill it, it will be knocked down," Anyi repeated without a shred of elaboration.

"But—" Ariana's brow furrowed. "Shouldn't there be more detail? Like the technique you used or how you strategized?"

Anyi remained unfazed. "It was just a Hobgoblin. I forgor."

Ariana sighed, feeling she was getting nowhere, though she wasn’t one to give up so easily. "Even if it was a Hobgoblin, you weren’t a Hero then. You didn’t have Kami-sama’s blessing. So, how did you manage to defeat it?"

Anyi’s eyes finally shifted slightly. "Because I’m a genius. There's no swordsman in this world more talented than me. If I want to kill, I kill."

A moment later, he suddenly felt a strong gaze on him. Miruku, hiding her face behind her hair, had been silently listening the entire time, her eyes wide with admiration.

'A genius...' she thought. 'He said that with such confidence! No one in the world is more talented than him! He just... wants to kill, so he kills.'

In her imagination, Miruku now saw herself standing on a grand podium, her name echoing through a cheering crowd. In this daydream, a host approached her and asked, "How did you defeat the Demon Lord?"

With a calm, emotionless expression, Miruku replied, "Because I am a genius. There's no assassin more talented than me in this world. I wanted to kill the Demon Lord, so I killed him."

...

Anyi cast a quick glance at Miruku.

She immediately dropped her gaze, pretending to focus intently on her food, her heart racing. I've been caught! He knows! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I wasn’t staring on purpose!

Without acknowledging her reaction, Anyi spoke with a calm, measured tone. "In my opinion, the key to defeating monsters lies not solely in talent but in determination. There may be more skilled swordsmen than me in the world, and Miss Miruku, you are only fifteen. It’s impossible for you to be the strongest assassin yet. Even the Shield Hero is just twenty, hardly the greatest shieldbearer in the world."

He paused, weighing his words carefully, then continued, "The people chosen by Kami-sama are not necessarily the strongest but those who are determined to slay monsters. It’s just a theory, but perhaps you can help confirm it, Miss Miruku. Why do you want to slay monsters?"

The sudden shift in focus to her made Miruku freeze.

'Right! I thought I wanted to destroy monsters!' she thought. But her heart told her otherwise. She didn’t have a burning desire for world peace or to vanquish evil for the sake of humanity. No—she simply wanted to be admired, to be welcomed and praised.

'But...' she hesitated, her face paling beneath her hair. 'If everyone else wants to save the world, does that make my selfish desire... wrong?'

"Ah... I... I want to save the world..." she murmured, her voice hollow, devoid of emotion, as if she were reciting a script. Her eyes, hidden beneath her dark bangs, stared blankly ahead.

'See?' she cursed herself. 'I'm selfish! I'm a fraud!'

Ariana, oblivious to the inner turmoil, smiled warmly. "As expected of a chosen Hero! Like you, Miruku, I also want to save this world. If the monsters continue their invasion, humanity could face extinction."

Anyi watched the exchange in silence, his sharp gaze not missing a thing. 'The Thorn Hero lied,' he thought to himself. If she truly meant those words, there would have been more conviction in her voice.

...

Somewhere, four kilometers away, inside a rattling carriage, a booming voice bellowed, "Uncle! Have we not arrived yet?! I can’t wait to meet the other Heroes! Hurry up! Faster, faster!"