Reincarnated Hero System - Chapter 1154 - 1154: Ambition [Monthly Bonus 2]
Evan had already suspected that the Hero in Tarse was a Royal.
Why?
Take a look at the other Heroes he already knew of.
Abigail, Laurene, and David, the First, Fourth, and Fifth respectively, were all Royals of their own nations.
From that alone, Evan had guessed there was a strong possibility that Tarse’s Hero would be a Royal as well, a suspicion that was confirmed when he arrived at the Sandfire Palace last year and sensed lingering traces of a Hero Authority.
He wasn’t sure what the Hero had done with their Authority, but whatever it was had been significant enough to leave remnants that persisted until Laurene arrived months later and sensed them too.
When Evan had visited the Sandfire Palace last year before the FCD incident, all the Royals had been present except for three, so he’d narrowed his suspicions to that trio.
And one of those three was the woman now standing before him, the First Princess of Tarse, Bianca Eileen Austin.
From Lloris and Cayenne’s reactions, it was clear that Bianca’s Hero status was a secret even to them.
‘Makes more sense why Ciarrucrorth is one of her protectors…’
That thought crossed Evan’s mind as Bianca finally turned toward the Imperial Couple and bowed.
“Greetings, Your Majesties. I have come in response to your summons.”
She lifted her head, her gaze returning to Evan as she continued.
“But first, there’s a more important matter that needs to be resolved.”
Evan’s lips curved slightly as he already had an idea of what Bianca was getting at.
In the next moment, her black pupils turned into slits, an oppressive aura bursting from her body as she narrowed her eyes at Evan and spoke.
“Which one are you? Maddox, or Eris?”
The power of her Dragon Fear crashed down on him, and seeing this, Eliza summoned her staff, its spear tip extending as she instantly went into battle mode.
However, Evan raised a hand to stop her, his eyes still on Bianca as he activated his Intimidation skill and met her pressure with his own.
“I should be asking you something similar. Which one are you? Bianca, or Felicia?”
The tension in the room grew dense, and no one present could even think of intervening under the immense pressures radiating from both Evan and Bianca.
Just when it seemed a fight was about to break out, an exasperated voice echoed through the room.
“Evan, we came to find our fellow Hero, not fight them. Geez.”
Eliza’s shadow wriggled and expanded, and from it, Laurene stepped out, pressing a finger to her temple as she shook her head. Kuro, who had teleported her into the castle, followed soon after, hopping from the shadow onto her lap and curling up comfortably.
Bianca’s eyebrow rose at Laurene’s sudden entrance, but just as her fingers twitched and her nails began turning to claws, Laurene faced her and said, “That’s not Felicia, Evan.”
“You sure?” Evan asked, raising his eyebrows as he deactivated his Intimidation skill.
“Do you think you, of all people, would still be sitting so leisurely when you’re obviously not Arlan?”
At that question, Evan nodded and said, “Fair point.”
Seeing this exchange, Bianca withdrew her Dragon Fear, her gaze alternating between Evan and Laurene as she muttered, “You two…”
Laurene turned to her with a faint smile. “Nice to meet you, Princess Bianca.”
She then faced the two Royals present and offered a polite greeting before returning her focus to Bianca.
“As you’ve probably already figured out, I’m not Yvonne,” she said, then gestured toward Evan. “And he’s not Arlan.”
Pointing towards Bianca, she continued, “You, on the other hand, are clearly not Felicia, so there’s no reason for any of us to be hostile toward each other.”
The moment she said this, Lloris slammed his hand on the table, his eyes narrowing as he demanded,
“Explain yourselves. I only permitted your teleportation into my Palace because you said you wanted to confirm something important.”
Evan turned toward him and replied, “Ah, well, I can’t exactly give you the full details, but just keep in mind that the current generation of Heroes is divided. There are some who aren’t exactly fond of our predecessors.”
From his words, it was evident that both Evan and Laurene belonged to the group that held little affection for the previous generation of Heroes, and judging from how casually Evan spoke to David, it was likely that he, too, was part of that group.
In other words, what Evan had wanted to confirm, and the reason he had called Laurene there, was whether Bianca stood with them or against them.
It seemed obvious now that she was with them, so they had no reason to act against her. But if she hadn’t been…
Lloris narrowed his eyes at Evan at that thought, and though Evan could easily tell what he was thinking, he acted oblivious and turned to Bianca.
“Come, have a seat, Princess Bianca. We’ve got a lot to talk about, and it’s definitely not about you being a Hero.
I’ve got something far more important to deal with before we get to that.”
After saying that, Evan looked down, activating his Inventory and reaching inside to take out a bottle, which he then placed on the table.
It was a brown bottle containing honey from Denerth Prime, and the words inscribed on it weren’t in any language the others could read.
“…what?”
Bianca’s surprised voice echoed in the otherwise silent room as he poured the honey into his tea, naturally, because she noticed the golden glow of the symbol in Evan’s eyes.
Evan’s Inventory skill was a mimicked skill, and in order to use it, he had to first activate his Mystic Eyes.
With them active, Bianca could, just like Laurene and David before her, tell that Evan’s Mystic Eyes had reached Stage 6.
That meant his Level was at least 900.
Noticing her reaction, Evan looked up at her and said, “Oh, this?” He pointed at his eyes before smiling lightly. “Let’s just say the past 9 months weren’t exactly kind to me.”
Closing the honey bottle and setting it down, he continued.
“So I wasn’t kind to anything that got in my way. Do that long enough and you end up with a lot of EXP.”
He stirred his tea a little before glancing back at Bianca. “Now then, Princess, have a seat. We’ve got a lot to discuss.”
This time, Bianca could tell that Evan wasn’t making a request.
◇ ◇ ◇
Power was what Bianca Austin desired most.
It had always been that way, ever since she first came to understand what ‘power’ truly was and what it allowed one to achieve.
Whether it was physical might or political influence, she wanted all of it.
Born as the First Princess of a Major World Power nation, Bianca matured beyond her years after witnessing the many sides of life within the Sandfire Palace.
Politics, the constant scheming among Regional Chiefs, the endless factional disputes, and the quiet battles for influence that took place behind every closed door.
She had been a target of those schemes herself, a consequence of the circumstances surrounding her birth, for she was the Emperor’s illegitimate child, born to a mother whose identity was deliberately concealed.
Bianca, however, knew exactly who her mother was, and she also knew the status her mother possessed, something the Emperor of Tarse had chosen not to reveal at her mother’s request, because her mother was ‘powerful’.
The Regional Chiefs and their families, who secretly scorned Bianca for being illegitimate and disliked her being installed as the First Princess, dared not act against her for fear of Imperial retaliation.
They knew that even if they united, they couldn’t stand against the might of the Crown, so they could do nothing but remain silent and swallow their resentment.
Her father was powerful, the Empress Cayenne was powerful, and the Empress treated Bianca no differently from her own children, Bianca’s half-siblings, making her untouchable.
Growing up surrounded by such realities only deepened Bianca’s longing for ‘power’. And when she turned 7 and awakened her skills, that desire burned even brighter.
Indeed, Bianca was the first of the new generation Heroes to awaken.
She awakened her skills at age 7, long before even other deviants who awakened before age 12.
With that awakening came the memories of her predecessor, the previous Third Hero.
Though much of the experience was a blur due to the attempt to take over her body that awakening had triggered, she remembered her mother storming the palace in fury after sensing that something was wrong with her.
Through those inherited memories, Bianca came to understand the truth of what had truly happened during the great war a thousand years ago, how deeply their history had been distorted, and how much of the information known to the people of present-day Aidos had been manipulated.
With that knowledge, she realised that the dimensional rift on the Dark Continent would inevitably reopen within her lifetime.
When that happened, the invaders would return, and she refused to be powerless before them, not out of duty as a Hero, but because she wanted to survive and protect what truly mattered to her.
This understanding caused Bianca to change the kind of power she sought.
Her pursuit of political influence lessened considerably as she began to focus her efforts on acquiring physical and magical power instead.
Being born half-dragon and half-celestial had granted Bianca the traits and advantages of both lineages.
Her Hero status also allowed her to level up much faster than others, and she had access to the finest resources and instructors, both from the Sandfire Palace and from Dragondune, all dedicated to honing her combat ability and bringing out the full potential of her innate talents.
Being the hardworking type herself, she put a great deal of effort into growing stronger, and her frequent spars with young dragons in Dragondune from an early age fostered a competitive side within her.
She wanted to surpass others, both those on her level and those above it.
So when she began hearing about the achievements of her fellow Heroes, it was only natural that she took an interest. She wanted to see how she measured up.
For starters, all the Heroes she had heard about were younger than her, so there was bound to be a difference in how much time they’d had to develop.
But there happened to be one among them who didn’t seem to follow that standard.
She knew she was already far from ordinary herself, but everything she heard about this particular person made her own non-standard nature feel almost commonplace in comparison.
She wasn’t as accomplished, nor did she possess the same level of power or influence that he did when she was his age, and that realisation only fuelled her competitive nature.
As it stood, when comparing them, the only area where she surpassed him, aside from the difference in their birth status, was her combat power. However, even that advantage was dismissed when someone who had assessed both their strengths told her plainly that if she were to face him, she would lose.
She was powerful enough to defeat the continent’s top SS-Rank combatants, the Army Generals of entire nations, and even some of the Beast King’s daughters in direct combat.
All of them were experienced fighters who were older and unquestionably strong, and still, she was told she’d lose to someone she had almost a 10-year head start on.
The thought irritated her, but instead of sulking, she reflected and concluded that she simply wasn’t strong enough yet.
Compared to the threats the world would eventually have to face, she lacked the strength required to protect herself against them.
So, she chose to dedicate her time to growing stronger.
Through her connection to Dragondune, she learned of the existence of another realm linked to her world, known as the Regal Void Expanse, and she ventured there to hone her power further, spending several months within it.
It had been only a week after her return when she was summoned by her father to the Sandfire Palace.
Upon her arrival, she was met with the sight of that same Hero whose irregularity once made even her own uniqueness seem ordinary.
And now, he had become an even greater anomaly than she could have ever imagined.
