Celia had never expected Orl to speak like this, his words sent her mind reeling.
“Miss, you’ve grown up. Since you are determined to walk the path of the hero, as the steward of the Fiona family, I should support you wholeheartedly.”
Before she could respond, Orl pulled out a bottle of red magical potion from his coat, placing it on the living room table.
“This is a sixth-stage magical potion that can heal injuries. I am truly sorry for my actions yesterday, and I hope you can forgive me.”
“In the future, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. You are the Miss of the Fiona family, and the entire family will be your steadfast support.”
After placing the potion on the table, his gloved right hand remained on his left chest, his head bowed in a respectful gesture, maintaining the noble etiquette.
Celia was astonished. She had never seen Orl like this. In her memory, this family steward was always a stubborn old man, never changing his mind for her sake. What was happening today?
“Are you… really Orl?”
“Of course.”
Orl maintained his respectful posture, his head still bowed, not looking at Celia.
“Silverbloom… did something to you?”
It seemed that Orl had changed only after she was rescued, so Celia could only think that Silverbloom must have severely admonished him, forcing him to change his mind. Silverbloom was truly… extraordinary.
But Orl simply shook his head and replied,
“She didn’t do anything to me; I just realized the truth.”
“Celia, you’ve grown up, and I can’t control you like I did when you were a child.”
He sighed, as if truly aware of his mistakes. Celia bit her lip, feeling a flicker of doubt. She couldn’t help but question it.
The Orl of the past had also promised to keep his word, but in the end, he had broken it. She found it hard to trust someone who had betrayed her once.
Orl didn’t push the issue. After a few more casual exchanges, he left Celia a magical communicator for easy contact and then departed from Lena’s villa.
As the sun set, Celia watched his figure gradually disappear at the end of the street. Suddenly, she felt that perhaps Orl’s words this time might be true.
Yet, she still murmured softly,
“Lena, should I believe him?”
“Just give him one more chance; maybe this time he’s serious.”
“I knew you’d say that, Lena.”
Celia turned around, looking at the silver-haired beauty behind her, and said with a wry smile,
“He had one chance, so he’ll have another. You’re too kind, Lena, and easily deceived.”
She then crossed her arms and huffed.
“But since you said so, Lena, I’ll believe him again.”
Lena smiled and reached out to ruffle Celia’s hair, but Celia skillfully dodged.
“Lena, don’t treat me like a child!”
“Alright, alright.”
Gradually, the sun dipped below the horizon, and guided by the magical markers left by Isha and Aurora, they arrived at an opulent restaurant still open for business. Despite the chaos of the beast tide, some places had remained untouched, and this restaurant was one of them.
The restaurant was bustling with customers. With many shops still closed, many residents had come here to enjoy their evening meals.
Arriving at the reserved private room, Celia pushed open the door.
Bang—!
Fireworks exploded on either side, and colorful confetti drifted onto Celia’s golden hair, causing her to flusteredly pat it down.
Next, she saw Guild Master Sharlene approaching with a red box held in both hands.
“Congratulations on becoming a true hero! This is your exclusive hero emblem; please accept it.”
Her eyes fell on the copper-yellow emblem, and her heart swelled with excitement. She saw her hero identification number on it. From now on, she was a true hero! Her dream had come one step closer.
Embracing the emblem, Celia couldn’t help but smile with joy, and seeing this, Lena’s lips curved slightly.
“Thank you!”
“No need to thank me; it’s the result of your hard work.”
Sharlene waved her hand, glancing at Lena, before taking her seat. In front of her was a large dining table laden with sumptuous dishes. At either end of the table, Isha and Aurora sat waiting for Lena and Celia to join them.
Unlike the reserved Aurora, the little glutton Isha sneaked a lick of her fingers, her plate already empty.
They had planned to wait for Celia to wake up and then go to the Hero Guild to receive the hero emblem together. But the excited Sharlene had brought it directly to them. So, after some discussion, they decided to reserve a table at the restaurant, waiting for Celia’s arrival.
After receiving the emblem, Celia pulled Lena to a seat and, with a graceful smile, said,
“Congratulations, Guild Master, on becoming a sixth-stage hero. You’re probably heading to the Hero Council to receive your title from the Council Chair, right?”
On the way, she had heard from Lena about the aftermath of the beast tide and knew that the Guild Master had broken through to the sixth stage, becoming a hero of distinction with her own title.
“Oh my, Celia, you’ve guessed my itinerary perfectly.”
Hearing Celia’s question, Sharlene covered her mouth and laughed, her giggles echoing through the private room.
After laughing for a while, she adjusted her glasses, her expression slightly disappointed,
“Unfortunately, Vidona has been under lockdown recently, so I won’t be able to leave for a while.”
“Lockdown? Was it ordered by Governor Roy?” Lena asked.
“No, it was ordered by the hero Skyfire, who came to support Vidona.” Sharlene rested her chin on her hand, looking troubled,
“She’s a sage-level hero, and I have to call her ‘senior,’ so of course, I have to listen to her.”
If it had been Governor Roy’s lockdown order, she could have ignored it, but not Skyfire’s. Originally, Skyfire was just there to support them, and she should have left after the beast tide ended. But for some reason, she stayed and used the power granted by the Council to sages to command the governor and guild master to cooperate with her.
It was as if the situation was exceptionally dire. Perhaps because of the Silverbloom Sword Princess?
Sharlene was a bit puzzled. If Silverbloom wanted to escape, how could a lockdown possibly stop her? And even if she didn’t, with her disguise, Skyfire wouldn’t be able to see through it…
Quietly glancing at Lena, Sharlene became more convinced of her suspicion.