Upon hearing Isha’s desire for Lena to experience the roller coaster, Celia’s brow furrowed slightly. “Don’t listen to Isha,” she advised. “Sister Lena, if you’re scared, there’s no need to force yourself.”
Such a thrilling ride, which could easily frighten an ordinary person, was likely to scare Lena. Celia certainly didn’t want to see her usually gentle and sweet friend look utterly terrified.
Lena had already agreed to her, so she gently patted Isha’s head and smiled as she declined. “I’m afraid I might disappoint you, Isha, but I’m not brave enough to try these things.”
In truth, she wasn’t afraid of these exhilarating amusement rides at all. Her real concern was that if she appeared too calm, it might arouse their suspicions.
However, feigning fear was also a challenge, as her acting skills were not particularly refined.
Considering her options, she decided it was best not to go.
Isha seemed slightly disappointed by Lena’s refusal, but her spirits quickly rekindled. She soon led Lena to other areas of the amusement park.
They visited the haunted house, enjoyed the water rapids, and rode the Ferris wheel. Isha enthusiastically took them on almost every non-thrilling attraction until dusk began to settle, at which point they finally paused.
Holding a freshly bought skewer, Lena elegantly took a small bite. “As Heroes,” she asked, “aren’t all the attractions here rather boring for you?”
She could tell that even the haunted house failed to pique Celia’s and Aurora’s interest. After all, the battles Heroes faced were far more thrilling than any ride. Only the lively Isha seemed truly to be enjoying herself.
If Lena were truly an ordinary person, and perhaps a decade or so younger, she might have found joy in these activities as well.
Aurora, who was holding Lena’s arm, leaned closer to the skewer in Lena’s hand. She then opened her cherry-red lips and stealthily took a small bite.
Lena was slightly surprised; this time, it was Aurora who had stolen a bite, not Isha.
Seeing that Lena wasn’t at all annoyed, Aurora covered her mouth to swallow her food. She then leaned her head sweetly on Lena’s shoulder. “As long as I’m with Sister Lena, nothing is ever boring.”
This tender scene, witnessed by Celia with her arms crossed over her chest, inexplicably stirred a hint of jealousy within her. Yet, being rather thin-skinned, she merely watched Lena from a distance, refraining from vying for attention.
However, this did not mean she would let Aurora off the hook with her words.
“Aurora, the way you say that gives me goosebumps!”
“Celia, you’re probably thinking something similar, aren’t you? You could say those words yourself, you know.”
“Huh? How could I possibly say such sickeningly sweet things!”
Celia dropped her crossed arms, instead placing her hands on her hips, a flush rapidly spreading across her pretty face.
In just a single exchange, she had already conceded defeat.
Lena watched their bickering quietly, a faint smile gracing her lips, unnoticed even by herself.
Despite Celia and Aurora’s frequent squabbles, their bond was exceptionally deep—a fact Lena knew intimately.
Her own team used to be like that, too…
Lena paused, realizing she was once again reminiscing about the past. She quickly suppressed those thoughts.
Noticing some advertisements posted along the roadside, Lena glanced at their content. “There’s still some time before Alisa’s birthday party,” she suggested. “How about we go see an opera? Coincidentally, it’s about the Hero Skyfire.”
Skyfire was a renowned Hero from a nearby city, with advertisements featuring her frequently displayed on billboards throughout the streets and alleys. Even as a florist, Lena was well aware of Skyfire’s fame.
The trio of Isha, Aurora, and Celia did not object. Having spent half the day at the amusement park, they were a bit tired, so sitting down to watch an opera seemed like an excellent alternative.
However, a subtle change crossed Celia’s face when she heard Skyfire’s name, a hint of defiance in her expression.
Leaving the amusement park, the four of them headed toward the opera house.
Operas about Hero Skyfire were typically very popular, so by the time they arrived, only a few tickets remained.
Fortunately, there were still tickets for consecutive seats. After purchasing them, they quietly entered the grand opera hall and took their places, with Isha munching on snacks the entire way, her mouth never ceasing its activity.
After a short wait, the lights dimmed, and the opera officially began.
Urgal, a city near Vidona, was a hotbed of countless evils. Its most formidable underground syndicate secretly manipulated Urgal’s governor, allowing them to commit atrocities within the city with impunity.
Skyfire was a Hero oppressed by this very syndicate. She rose in rebellion, fighting fiercely against them, eventually slaying their leader and completely freeing Urgal from the shadow of their influence.
Her path, however, was fraught with setbacks. In her youth, she had once been defeated by the syndicate’s enforcers, forced to flee in panic. She only escaped with her life by hiding deep within the Silent Forest.
It was precisely in the Silent Forest that she unexpectedly discovered a mysterious flaming feather, achieving the realm of a Seventh-Tier Sage. This allowed her to evade the pursuit of four Seventh-Tier demonic beasts and return to Urgal.
Empowered by the flame feather’s might, that night, the sky seemed to rip open, and an endless fiery rain descended from above, incinerating all of the syndicate’s enforcers. Urgal’s darkness, too, was consumed by the scorching fire.
“That was quite good, wasn’t it? So, that’s how Skyfire became famous.”
After the opera concluded, Lena couldn’t help but exclaim. She always held a deep admiration for outstanding younger generations.
However, Aurora, who was beside her, shook her head, expressing some dissatisfaction with the opera.
“It’s been adapted too much,” Aurora commented. “The flaming feather Skyfire obtained supposedly wasn’t something she found after great hardship, but rather was given to her by a very powerful and mysterious senior.”
Compared to Aurora, Celia appeared even more vehement.
“Hmph, Skyfire isn’t all that impressive.”
Sensing her strong disdain, Lena’s curiosity was piqued. “What’s wrong, Celia?”
Celia, for some reason, turned her head away and didn’t answer. Instead, Aurora, her teammate, explained on her behalf:
“It’s because people often compare Skyfire to Chiling, saying that Chiling isn’t as good as Skyfire. So, of course, the young lady, who idolizes the Silverbloom Sword Princess, isn’t going to stand for it.”
Fearing that Lena might not understand the relationship between Chiling and the Silverbloom Sword Princess, Aurora thoughtfully added, “Chiling is the Silverbloom Sword Princess’s teammate, a Hero who ventured into the Demon King’s Castle with her. Celia’s just showing her loyalty through association.”
“Tch, Skyfire isn’t as good as Chiling, and that’s a fact! How could a teammate of Senior Silverbloom be surpassed by Skyfire?”
Celia detested anyone belittling Chiling. In her heart, even if Chiling wasn’t quite on par with Silverbloom, she should only be slightly inferior. To say she was worse than Skyfire was simply intolerable!
“Pfft—”
Lena let out a soft laugh.
“Sister Lena, what are you laughing at?”
“You’re cute.”
Celia’s face flushed at the comment, and she turned her head away with a huff.
Lena didn’t truly care about these debates. Even Chiling herself, upon learning of comparisons between her and Skyfire, would likely only find it uninteresting. However, Celia, as a devoted fan of Senior Silverbloom, diligently defending her idol’s image, struck Lena as particularly adorable.