The problem with a "Hero" is that they shine. Literally.
As I speed-walked toward the town training grounds, I could feel Zania's aura pulsing from three streets away. To a normal human, she just seemed charismatic, but to a Demon Lord—or a High Inquisitor she was a walking lighthouse. If Inquisitor Rael got within ten feet of her with his detection crystal, the game was over. He would see that her "mana pool" wasn't a pool; it was an ocean.
I needed to cap that ocean immediately. I scanned the street stalls as I walked, looking for a medium, a physical object to anchor a Mana Suppression Seal. An apple? No, she would eat it. A sword? She would break it. A necklace? Too romantic; she might get the wrong idea.
My eyes landed on a textile merchant's cart where a spool of simple red velvet ribbon sat on the top shelf.
"How much?" I asked, slapping a copper coin on the table.
"Two coppers for a yard," the merchant haggled.
"I will give you three if you cut it now," I snapped.
Ten seconds later, I had the ribbon. As I walked, I ran my fingers along the fabric, weaving microscopic runes of Dark Void magic into the threads. Consume light, I commanded the fabric silently. Devour the excess. Make her ordinary. The ribbon turned a slightly darker shade of red as it absorbed the spell. Now I just had to get it on her.
I found Zania at the Guard Training Grounds. She was alone in the sparring ring, hacking away at a wooden dummy that looked like it had personally offended her ancestors.
"Hah! Yah! Take that, bandit scum!" she yelled, swinging her training sword with terrible form but terrifying speed. Every impact made a crack that echoed off the stone walls.
"Zania," I called out, leaning casually against the fence and trying not to look like I had just sprinted across town.
She spun around, sword raised. "Ren!"
Her face lit up. She was sweaty, her hair was a disaster, and she had a bruise on her chin. "Did you come to see my training?" she beamed, jogging over to the fence. "I am practicing my 'Justice Strike.' Captain Orik says I rely too much on instinct, but I think instinct is cool."
"It is very cool," I agreed. "But Orik is right. You are telegraphing your overhead swing."
"Psh. Details." She wiped sweat from her forehead. "So, did the scary Church guy leave your shop? I heard he bought bread."
"He did," I said, my voice serious. "And he is coming here next. To see you."
Zania's eyes widened. "Me? The High Inquisitor wants to see me?"
She started hyperventilating. "Oh gods. My armor is dirty. My hair is a mess! I look like a goblin! I can't meet the Inquisition looking like this! It is disrespectful!" She frantically tried to smooth down her auburn hair, which was currently escaping her ponytail in wild tufts.
"Relax," I said. "I brought you something."
I held up the red ribbon. Zania stopped fussing and looked at the ribbon, then at me. Her cheeks turned a faint shade of pink.
"A... ribbon?"
"For your hair," I said, opening the gate and stepping into the ring. "You can't have hair in your eyes if you want to be a Silver Star Knight. It is a safety hazard."
"Oh," she said, her voice dropping. "Right. Safety. Totally."
She turned around, presenting her back to me. "Okay. Help me out? My hands are shaking too much to tie it."
I stepped behind her and gathered her messy hair. It smelled of sweat and sunlight. Focus, Ren, I told myself. This isn't a scene from a bard's romance ballad. This is a tactical containment procedure.
I wrapped the red ribbon around her ponytail. As I tied the knot, I activated the spell
[Seal: Abyssal Dampener - Grade 4].
A tiny spark of black electricity jumped from my fingers into the ribbon. Zania shivered. "Ooh," she whispered. "Did you feel that static? It gave me goosebumps."
"Dry air," I lied. "There. Done."
I stepped back. The effect was instant. To my Demon Eye, the blinding pillar of light that usually erupted from her soul suddenly shrank. The ribbon acted like a black hole, sucking in the excess mana and leaving only a faint, normal glow. She no longer looked like a demigod; she looked like a talented, but human, teenager.
"How do I look?" Zania asked, turning around and twirling a lock of hair.
"You look..." I paused. The red ribbon actually suited her. It made her amber eyes pop. "...You look presentable. Professional."
Zania grinned. "Thanks, Ren! You are the best sidekick ever."
"Sidekick?" I raised an eyebrow.
Before I could correct her, the heavy iron gates of the training ground creaked open. Captain Orik walked in, looking nervous. Behind him walked High Inquisitor Kael.
The atmosphere in the yard changed instantly. Rael didn't walk; he glided. His white robes remained spotless despite the dust of the training ground.
"Zania," Captain Orik barked, trying to sound authoritative. "Stand at attention!"
Zania snapped her heels together and saluted. "Sir!"
Rael stopped a few feet away, adjusted his glasses, and looked at Zania. Then he looked at me.
"Ah," Rael smiled thinly. "The baker again. You two are inseparable, it seems."
"I was just delivering... moral support," I said, stepping back to the fence. "And a hair tie."
Rael hummed and turned his full attention to Zania. "So," he said softly. "You are the one who defeated three armed bandits single-handedly."
"Yes, Your Eminence!" Zania shouted, perhaps a bit too loud.
"Relax, child. No need to shout." Rael reached into his sleeve and pulled out a transparent crystal prism…a Mana Siphon. "Captain Orik tells me you have potential. I wish to measure it. Please, place your hand on the crystal."
Zania looked at the crystal, then at me. I gave her a small nod. Trust the ribbon, Zania.
She reached out and touched the prism. Usually, a touch from a Hero would make this crystal explode or shine like a supernova. Kael watched intently.
The crystal flickered. A soft, pale blue light emerged. It grew steadily, glowing about as bright as a candle, and then stabilized. It was above average the level of a talented Knight Captain but it wasn't legendary.
Rael stared at the light, frowning slightly. He tapped the crystal with his finger, as if trying to shake more power out of it.
"Is... is that bad?" Zania asked nervously.
Rael pulled the crystal away, letting the light vanish. "It is... adequate," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "You have strong physical enhancement mana. A B-Rank potential. Rare for a frontier town."
He looked disappointed. He was hunting for an SSS-Rank Savior. He found a good soldier. "I see," Rael sighed. "The rumors of a 'Holy Shout' were likely exaggerations of the peasantry."
"I mean, I can shout pretty loud!" Zania offered.
"I am sure you can." Rael turned away, dismissing her entirely.
He looked at me one last time. His gray eyes lingered on the red ribbon in Zania's hair. My heart hammered against my ribs. Did he notice the enchantment?
"A pretty color," Rael commented. "Red."
He turned to Orik. "Captain, have your men continue their drills. We will be departing for the Capital tomorrow. There is no Hero in Garia."
"Yes, Your Eminence!" Orik bowed, looking relieved that he wouldn't lose his best rookie. Rael swept out of the yard, his retinue trailing behind him.
When the gates closed, Zania let out a massive breath and slumped against the training dummy. "Oh my gods," she groaned. "I thought I was going to throw up. He was so scary!"
"You did great," I said, genuinely relieved.
"He said I was 'Adequate'," Zania pouted. "Just B-Rank? I thought I was at least an A." She touched the ribbon in her hair. "Ren, do you think I am just average?"
I looked at the girl who could literally vaporize a mountain if I took that ribbon off.
"Zania," I said. "Being average is the greatest blessing in the world. Trust me."
She laughed, slapping my arm. "You are weird, Ren. But thanks for the ribbon. It is my lucky charm now."
"Don't take it off," I said quickly. "Seriously. Keep it on. Even when you sleep."
"Okay, weirdo," she rolled her eyes. "I am gonna go hit the dummy some more. I need to work off the adrenaline."
"Have fun."
I turned and walked out of the training grounds. As soon as I turned the corner and was out of sight, I leaned against the stone wall and slid down until I was sitting in the dirt.
"Malphas," I whispered to the air.
"My Lord?" The General's voice came from the shadow of a rain barrel.
"We survived," I said. "The Inquisitor is leaving tomorrow."
"A victory," Malphas agreed. "Shall we celebrate? I can bake a cake. I have been practicing my fondant."
"No cake," I said, closing my eyes. "We need to prepare for the Festival. If Rael is leaving, it means the coast is clear. But Volcan is still out there and has gone rogue on us…
I stood up, dusting off my pants. "The hard part isn't over, Malphas. The Inquisitor was just the health inspector. Now we have to deal with the rats."