It was practically a stream of endless light.
They weaved through the crowds in great numbers, and yet they didn't hit a single allied hero as they only targeted the villains with pinpoint accuracy and brutality.
There goes my chance to shine... Ferris sheathed his sword in disappointment, that instant promotion to C-class will be given to him another day.
3 seconds.
It only took 3 seconds for the battlefield to grow quiet in the air.
This was what Ferris meant by a symbol of strength.
After the job was done, the lights shattered into glowing dust, gradually disappearing from the air like dandelion seeds.
Ferris then stared at the source of the destructive lights.
There was a woman walking towards the center of the courtyard and she was accompanied by bodyguards who looked much stronger than her.
But Ferris could tell that those bodyguards didn't benefit her in strength. They were only there for show.
At first glance, seeing her peerless skin and her almost shining platinum-colored hair and ruby eyes made her seem like a rich heiress belonging to a conglomerate.
But that would've been strange if she was here—that meant that she took the hero examination instead of attending the academy.
Regardless of her past, Ferris continued to watch what she did next.
As she walked towards the center stage, the people around her parted, giving her way.
Other than her heels clanking against the floor, every other sound was dead silent in the courtyard.
What an aura... Ferris lampooned quietly on her princess-like presence.
Once she arrived at the center stage, she took a long look around the area.
Then, Ferris had an idea—right after the amazing display of her blessing, it was the perfect time to give a victory speech!
Right, if she gives an inspiring speech now, she could instantly improve the dwindling morale. Ferris was actually glad that she was the one to save the day.
If it were him who defeated all the villains, he wouldn't know what to say after. Speeches weren't his thing, even if he was a knight.
Ferris waited for her to say something, but the mall was still dead quiet.
She looked around and inspected random people, making eye contact with them for a few seconds before moving to the next one.
After a while, he found himself in her piercing gaze, but after a few seconds, she turned to another person.
This went on for an uncomfortable amount of time—so much so that even the people who were awestruck by her strength began to feel the awkwardness in the air.
. . .
. . .
. . .
She stared blankly into nowhere for a while before leaving with her bodyguards.
Huh?! Ferris was the most confused out of all of them.
Stage fright? He considered the possibility, but that sounded unlikely unless he was close enough to observe her body language.
The woman disappeared after going up the floors. Soon after that, the rest of the people began cleaning up the "mess."
His expectations were now shattered. Instead of the hero faction celebrating, they were now only left with a bitter ending that didn't give a boost of hope. What a party pooper... He concluded.
Ferris turned around to see that the person he saved was still flat on his butt.
Now that there was no longer any danger, he decided to help him get up on his feet.
"Are you ok?" Ferris asked, extending his hand.
The man hesitated a little, as if his mind was still stuck in the past. He was still shaking in fear.
He had messy black hair, an unassuming build, and wore plain civilian clothing that made him look entirely out of place on the battlefield.
"Y-yeah, thank you." He finally grabbed Ferris's hand, then was suddenly jolted upwards from his pull. "Woah!" He staggered on his feet.
Seeing this weak sight, even Ferris was slightly concerned about this person's presence alone. What was such a guy even doing here in the first place?
"City 1 hero applicants are really different, aren't they... Anyways, thanks again," he said. Ferris noted his words carefully.
When he referred to City 1, he had a hunch that it was related to the woman that made everyone uncomfortable, so he asked about it immediately, assuming that this person knew more than him.
"What do you mean?" Ferris asked.
The man stumbled on his words, surprised that his savior would even dare ask that kind of question. "You know, the pseudo capital of the hero association? Apparently it's almost villain-free. Coupled with its beaches and high standards of living, it still has the most hero exam passing rate!" He geeked a little, which made Ferris a little bit more concerned.
"I see... How does that relate to that woman?" Ferris continued asking.
'That woman.'
The man instantly went into shock when Ferris simply said, "that woman."
Did I say something bad? Ferris's worries were now at their limits.
. . .
"S-she's not just some woman! She's Queen Elizabeth, the daughter of the CEO of one of the biggest medical companies, the Elizabeth Foundation. I mean... she literally has queen in her name!" He raised his voice against Ferris.
"The internet keeps saying that she's the next Lady Victoria. Imagine being a hero applicant and you keep getting compared to the rank 1 S-class hero. Isn't that crazy?!"
"Do you get it? Who 'that woman' is to you?" He finished his outburst.
... Even inside his mind, Ferris had nothing to say to the man in front of him. He wanted to sigh and sob so badly, but he couldn't do it, fearing that it might lead to another outburst.
"Right, I might've forgotten," Ferris weakly chuckled.
. . .
"Oh no! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to raise my tone against you, sir!" He immediately bowed, shaking in fear.
This guy has no back at all... Ferris was considering forgiving him before leaving him alone, but knowing that this man had some internet knowledge, he could leverage it to learn some information.
After all, since a month ago, Ferris had only been focusing on his training, disregarding important info that he might've found if he spent a bit more time on his phone or laptop.
"It's fine... I might've never known who she was." Ferris reluctantly placed his hands on the man's shoulders before asking him,
"What's your name?"