Chapter 37 — The Hidden Mage ( Part 1 )
Ren and Lyra stepped out of the inn and into the bustling streets.
The town was already crowded, but as they walked through the busy streets, they soon noticed that many people were talking about the events of the previous day.
"Hey, did you hear what happened yesterday?"
"Yeah. I heard a nearby town was invaded by demons."
"I heard the defeat was certain until some hidden mage suddenly interfered. Apparently, they used forbidden, evil magic to summon a giant flesh golem from the bodies of the demons and turned the entire battle around."
"Yeah. If it wasn't for that hidden mage, everyone in that town would've certainly been slaughtered by those evil demons."
"That's true, but for a mage to use so many evil spells... who knows how many lives that hidden mage sacrificed to learn and master such magic?"
Normally, that would have been a reasonable assumption.
Forbidden magic was extremely difficult to master, and some of the most dangerous spells required sacrifices or other horrifying methods to develop and perfect.
But Ren was different.
With his SSS-grade talent, he had created the Flesh Golem Summoning spell himself and successfully used it on his very first attempt.
"Yeah, that can't be ruled out," another person said. "Who knows how many people that hidden mage killed before mastering such spells?"
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"So what if that hidden mage suddenly gained a conscience and decided to help defend the town from the demons? That doesn't erase whatever evil deeds they committed before."
The people continued arguing.
"Still, that hidden mage saved everyone in that town. Shouldn't they at least be given a chance to redeem themselves?"
"So what? A crime doesn't simply disappear because someone did a good deed afterward."
Ren and Lyra continued walking through the streets as the arguments carried on behind them.
There was a heavy atmosphere throughout the town.
The recent demon invasions had left everyone uneasy.
Nobody knew which settlement would be targeted next.
And if another settlement was attacked, nobody knew whether they would be fortunate enough to survive.
Lyra listened to the conversations and gradually pieced together what had happened the previous day while she had been with Ren inside the carriage.
As for the hidden mage everyone was discussing, she already knew exactly who they were talking about.
Her Hero.
Ren.
The reason Ren's identity couldn't simply be revealed was more complicated than it appeared.
An SSS-grade talent hadn't appeared for such a long time that most people would find the claim unbelievable. Even if Ren openly admitted that he was the hidden mage, there was a good chance that people would still suspect him of lying.
And because he had used numerous forbidden spells, revealing himself could result in him being investigated, convicted, and potentially subjected to mind-reading magic, even though he was the Hero.
More importantly, if King Valen discovered that Ren had tampered with the Mark of Obedience, the situation would become far more dangerous.
The King would likely view Ren as a dangerous variable that could no longer be controlled.
And Lyra would most likely be killed alongside him.
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Eventually, Ren and Lyra entered a restaurant.
They found a relatively quiet table, sat down, and ordered several dishes from a waiter.
Once the waiter left, Lyra leaned slightly toward Ren.
"Sir Hero Ren, is it you they're talking about?"
She used a subtle mind-transmission spell, sending the words directly into his mind.
"Yeah, it was me."
Ren replied through the same spell.
Then he asked,
"What, Lyra? Do you hate me now?"
"No."
Her answer came without hesitation.
"I will love you no matter what you do. Even if you were evil and killed everyone, I would still love you."
Lyra leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.
"I know," Ren said aloud.
He had already used a sensory spell to examine her.
He knew that her words had come from the bottom of her heart.
Afterward, they quietly finished their meal before leaving the restaurant.
They continued walking through the crowded streets.
After a while, Lyra suddenly spoke through their mind-link.
"Sir Hero Ren, someone is following us."
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