Half the cake remained, and the discarded candles lay scattered haphazardly across the floor. Alisa bent to gather them, then settled onto the sofa, the smile slowly fading from her face.
The party had ended, leaving the living room in utter disarray, a scene of complete chaos. Burst balloons lay strewn across the floor and sofa, while celebratory confetti seemed to be everywhere, creating a truly overwhelming sight.
Despite the lively celebration, Alisa felt an undeniable emptiness, as if the most vital part of her heart was missing.
Mrs. Josephine, ever diligent, had already picked up a broom and begun to tidy the living room. Watching her busy back, Alisa hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking.
“Mom, you don’t believe me, do you?”
Though Mrs. Josephine would always nod and praise Alisa whenever she spoke of her acquaintances—Lena, the shop manager, and the hero girl—Alisa suspected that deep down, her mother never truly believed she could know such people.
Mrs. Josephine set down her broom and sat beside her. She gazed at her grown daughter, a gentle smile gracing her lips, revealing the faint crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes.
She tenderly stroked Alisa’s head with her calloused hand.
“I know you only sought out heroes to put my mind at ease,” she said. “But please, don’t ever compromise yourself. We are just ordinary people. As for magic and heroes, let them be.”
“But you used to…”
“That was when your father and I were wrong. We didn’t consider your feelings back then, and for that, I’m truly sorry.”
Mrs. Josephine’s face was etched with regret. She had once been disappointed by Alisa’s lack of magic, and now, looking back, she realized how deeply hurt Alisa must have been.
She felt immense relief that Alisa hadn’t strayed down a wrong path because of that pain, but had instead continued to grow and thrive.
“Seeing you with so many friends today truly made me happy. My little Sasha has grown up, and I can finally rest easy.”
“I grew up ages ago! I can take care of myself even without them. You, on the other hand, shouldn’t worry so much; you’ll exhaust yourself!”
Alisa crossed her arms, pouting slightly in a show of mild displeasure. Mrs. Josephine merely chuckled, a few strands of white hair softly falling by her ear.
Neither of them spoke again. Alisa gently rested her head on her mother’s shoulder, and the only sounds in the room were their quiet breaths.
The rain outside continued to patter, yet the clouds in the sky had begun to part. Amidst the scattered starlight, the silver moon reappeared in the night sky, a truly breathtaking sight.
****
The white longsword cleaved through the crimson flesh wall, and a gust of wind scattered the raindrops. Celia executed a swift backflip, evading the demon’s attack, and stood poised before the opera house.
The rain had soaked her dress, clinging uncomfortably to her body, and her golden hair, no longer flowing freely, made her appear particularly disheveled.
Yet, she paid it no mind. After raising her hand to shake the blood from her sword, she glared at the demon before her and declared in a cold voice, “You’re not getting past me!”
Not far from her, Aurora and Isha also stood with weapons in hand, encircling the Tier 3 demon.
Though they had never faced a demon before, two months of grueling, devilish training had enabled them to exchange blows effectively with the Tier 3 creature.
Consequently, the demon had been unable to advance an inch since their encounter.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t kill it either. This demon possessed terrifying regenerative abilities, capable of resurrecting itself in the blink of an eye, even from a mere head.
Noticing its wings begin to tremble faintly once more, Celia tightened her grip on her sword hilt, poised to strike, when a familiar voice echoed from above.
“Enough! I’ll handle it.”
The dim night sky ignited with the glow of flames as a figure descended like a meteor, smashing directly into the demon and tearing it to shreds.
The rain evaporated instantly upon nearing the newcomer. Gazing at the familiar back, Celia couldn’t help but exclaim, “Roland?”
The person who had arrived was none other than Roland, a Tier 4 hero from the Hero Guild.
She nodded to Celia, then turned her icy gaze to the demon, which had just regenerated its body. Dazzling flames began to dance between her five fingers.
Once the magic power had condensed in her palm, she let out a cold snort and unleashed the flames.
A crimson wall of fire enveloped the demon, preventing even a single raindrop from entering and leaving the creature no escape. Under Roland’s command, the flames began to contract.
The demon’s monstrous pupils trembled frantically as it desperately sought a weakness in the fire wall. However, with Roland’s teammates arriving, its struggles proved futile.
Its blood-red body was slowly incinerated to ash. Even with its terrifying regenerative capabilities, it was utterly powerless in this situation.
Silently observing the scene, Celia felt a profound sense of disparity. The demon they had struggled to merely hold back was effortlessly dispatched by Roland.
And yet, even a hero as formidable as Roland was described as incredibly fragile before a Tier 4 Demonic Scorpion. With the Hero Assessment only two or three months away, could they truly defeat a Tier 4 magical beast?
The vast gap between them and Roland caused Celia’s resolve to waver for a moment. She had forgotten that she was only Tier 2 in magic and had only been a probationary hero for two months.
After confirming the demon’s complete demise, Roland turned to face Celia, asking with an unreadable expression, “Are you still probationary heroes?”
Her flames had shielded her from the rain, so despite the battle, not even her shoes were wet. Celia and her two companions lacked such ability; under the heavy downpour, they were all thoroughly drenched.
“Yes, we haven’t undergone the Hero Assessment yet.”
“For stopping a demon from ravaging the city, even probationary heroes will be rewarded by the guild. So, do you have time to visit the guild now? Bring your instructor with you.”
Roland spoke calmly, though there was a slight, almost imperceptible tremor in her tone when she mentioned Celia’s instructor.
“Apologies, but we still need to find someone. We can discuss the reward later.”
Celia declined. After exchanging a glance with Aurora, she eagerly turned and sprinted towards the opera house.
Although they had successfully intercepted the demon, preventing it from harming the people behind them, they were still deeply worried about Lena’s safety. After all, Lena still hadn’t replied to Celia’s message.
Roland watched them disappear into the rainy mist, her face expressionless, lost in thought. Her teammate, meanwhile, walked up beside her, a frown on their brow, and asked with some uncertainty:
“Captain, they only registered as probationary heroes two months ago, didn’t they? And now they can deal with a demon like this?”
“I also heard they killed many Tier 3 magical beasts in the Silent Forest. If that’s true, isn’t their progress absolutely terrifying?”
Roland remained silent.
She hadn’t forgotten their naive appearance when she first met them two months ago, a time when she had even reprimanded their instructor. Now, looking back, she realized she had been short-sighted. That instructor was likely the ‘senior’ Sharlene had spoken of.