Dorothy held Isha, feeling a sense of bewilderment as she observed the girls’ reluctant expressions.
“What’s wrong? Why would I leave you all?”
Isha’s voice remained muffled, sounding exceptionally pitiful, which stirred a pang of tenderness in Dorothy’s heart.
She tightened her embrace, now understanding why they spoke of her departure.
Once the assessment concluded, she would no longer be their instructor. Celia and the others naturally assumed their interactions would cease then.
A warmth spread through Dorothy’s chest. She looked up at Celia and Aurora, asking softly, “Do you wish for me to stay?”
“Mm!”
Isha gave a firm affirmation, simultaneously releasing her embrace and looking at Dorothy with wide, expectant eyes.
Her small hands unconsciously clenched the hem of her pink skirt. In that moment, she was particularly nervous, dreading a disappointing answer from her senior.
Aurora, however, seemed to grasp the implication of Dorothy’s words, a faint smile curving her lips as joy sparked in her golden eyes.
Celia bit her lip, her cheeks flushing slightly, her hands clasped behind her back as she debated whether to voice her true feelings.
But when she saw the Silverbloom Senior blink at her, showing confusion, she fidgeted before finally giving a soft ‘mm’.
Before her words fully faded, Dorothy tilted her head, chuckling softly. “Then I’ll stay, of course.”
“Eh?”
“Really?!”
Isha’s eyes lit up, her previously sorrowful expression instantly transforming into pure delight.
She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, meeting Dorothy’s gaze, needing to hear her affirmation once more.
“Of course, it’s real.”
Having received the answer she longed for, Isha embraced Dorothy, planting a kiss on her cheek. Then, giggling, she bounded away, skipping back to Aurora’s side.
Dorothy, touching the dampness on her cheek, smiled indulgently.
“Even if I’m no longer your instructor, I’m still your senior. How could I possibly leave you?”
From the very beginning, she had no intention of abandoning Celia and the others. After all, she was Celia’s mother; how could she possibly forsake her daughter again?
Moreover, the months spent together had made Isha and Aurora equally indispensable, becoming another reason for her decision to stay.
“Then, if we leave Vidona in the future…” As Isha spoke, she cast a furtive glance at Dorothy, seemingly aware that this thought bordered on wishful thinking.
She assumed the Silverbloom Senior’s promise to stay likely meant only until they departed from Vidona. After that, they would naturally never see the Silverbloom Senior again.
How could the Silverbloom Sword Princess possibly follow them on their travels? They were merely some of the juniors she had mentored, not important enough for such devotion.
Pouting, Isha had braced herself for disappointment, only to hear an answer completely beyond her expectations.
“Then I’ll follow you when you leave.”
This time, not only Isha but even Celia stood frozen in disbelief, questioning her own ears.
“Silverbloom Senior, is… is this truly alright? Won’t it be too much trouble for you?” she asked cautiously, fearing Dorothy might retract her words the next second.
Dorothy merely smiled, explaining:
“How could it be troublesome? I am alone now. If I can mentor juniors, it fulfills my past duty as a Hero.”
“Yay!”
Isha pumped her fists high in the air, celebrating her triumph. Celia and Aurora exchanged glances, a shared joy gleaming in their eyes.
However, alongside their joy, there was a faint trace of heartache.
From being renowned across the land to finding herself utterly alone, the Silverbloom Senior’s journey had likely been far more arduous than they could imagine.
“Tomorrow, we will definitely pass the assessment!”
“Good luck!”
With their earlier despondency dispelled, Celia now felt a faint tremor of nervousness for tomorrow’s Hero assessment.
Regardless of the challenge, they could not afford to fail. This was for themselves, and for the Silverbloom Senior.
****
Time swiftly passed, bringing the day of the Hero assessment.
The assessment grounds, a training area magically constructed within the guild, were surrounded by numerous Heroes eager to watch. Inside, three provisional Heroes were locked in combat with a Tier 3 Minotaur.
Their strength paled significantly in comparison to the Minotaur’s. Even with the magical support from her teammates, the shield-bearing Hero swayed precariously under the Minotaur’s charges.
Though the sword-wielding Hero managed to strike the Minotaur’s body several times, the attacks left only superficial scratches, failing to penetrate its flesh deeply.
Finally, after enduring for over ten minutes, another powerful charge from the Minotaur shattered the magical shield in the shield-bearer’s hands, sending them flying backward.
With the shield-bearer incapacitated, their protected teammate was left exposed to the Minotaur’s gaze.
Exhaling a plume of hot air, the Minotaur fixed its eyes on the Hero. After scraping its hind hooves on the ground twice, it charged directly at her!
“Danger!”
The sword-wielding Hero cried out, but it was too late to reach their teammate. The Hero targeted by the Minotaur froze in place, utterly overwhelmed and helpless.
As the Minotaur’s sharp horn lunged forward, she clutched herself, closing her eyes in resignation.
Seeing this, Guild Master Sharlene, who had been observing, instantly materialized in front of the Hero. With a single hand, she grasped the Minotaur’s horn, halting its advance completely.
“Assessment failed. Try again next time; you still need to work harder.”
While her intervention saved the Hero’s life, it also signified the failure of their assessment.
With a helpless sigh, the three Heroes dejectedly departed from the assessment grounds. After this failure, they would likely have to wait another year to participate in the next assessment.
The Heroes watching from the sidelines buzzed with discussions about the displayed strength.
“They actually did quite well. If that young girl had been a little bolder, they might have had a chance to turn the tide.”
“It’s shameful to admit, but even I can’t guarantee victory against a Tier 3 beast like that now. I must have been incredibly lucky to pass my assessment back then.”
“Indeed. I heard Celia’s team is going to challenge a Tier 4 beast for their final assessment. That’s terrifying.”
“Back in our day, we were still struggling to defeat Tier 3 beasts, weren’t we? Their talent… tsk, tsk.”
This year, Heroes had flocked to witness the assessment, filling the area to capacity. It was safe to say that most Heroes, unless on a mission or outside the city, had gathered here.
Even Guild Master Sharlene was present.
In previous Hero assessments, she had never made an appearance.
Adjusting her gold-rimmed glasses, Sharlene sat elegantly on a long bench, her legs crossed, her eyes filled with anticipation as she gazed towards the entrance of the training grounds.
If she could, she wouldn’t have come either. But today, a truly renowned team from Vidona was participating in the assessment. What’s more, they were her most highly regarded rising star Heroes.
Most of the other Heroes who came to spectate harbored similar thoughts to hers.