Book 1 Chapter 923

923.

Trudge- trudge-

"Ugh…!"

Leaning on her sorcerer's staff, Perena, who had been walking with difficulty, collapsed onto the sand with a thud.

Currently, Perena was wearing a thick hood to protect herself from the desert's direct sunlight.

It was originally a high-quality item with temperature-regulating magic, but its function was lost during the forced crash.

Even so, considering the desert's heat, it was helpful in many ways.

If she hadn't had this hood, her face would have been buried in the sand and burned.

The heat of the sand felt through the thick fabric was indeed deadly.

"Am I really going to die like this?"

She wandered the desert without a sip of water.

Even as a first-year student at the Hero Academy, she was a superhuman who transcended the boundaries of ordinary people.

However, the harsh desert climate was enough to threaten her life.

Perena, who had collapsed in the middle of the desert, gave a self-deprecating smile.

'If only I had known… should I have formed a party with the students from other schools…?'

The reason Perena was crossing the desert alone was that she had refused cooperation with other Hero Academy students.

'Why on earth did I do something so reckless?'

As a minimal mercy, the first-year students who had free-fallen were given bags with a small amount of food and water.

Although she didn't know how long it would take to reach the test site, it was easy to guess that the supplies were distributed at a barely sufficient level.

The problem was that crossing the desert was not the entirety of the test.

The appearance of low-level monsters, which she encountered in a state where she could barely summon low-level summoned beasts due to mana restrictions, was enough to push Perena further into a corner.

'I'm disqualified as the Lumern year representative. If I had known, I should have just handed over the year representative position to Miliana or Vito?'

She had naturally become the year representative simply because her skills were superior to Milia and Vito.

Perena had no particular desire for the year representative position.

However, as she was representing Lumern, she thought she should at least not tarnish the school's name.

The year representative was a position that inevitably drew people's attention.

If she appeared incompetent as the year representative, it could disgrace not only the school but also the honor of the Hergin family.

'Even from the start… I'm disqualified as a shadow too.'

Perena bit her lip.

Since childhood, she had lived with the goal of becoming a shadow to her elder sister, Eliza Hergin.

There were mainly two missions for a shadow.

The first was the mission of a sword that cuts down those who betray the world.

The second was the mission of a shield that protects heroes from hero hunters.

From a young age, Perena had lived a life where she had to protect Eliza and, in case of an emergency, sacrifice herself in Eliza's stead.

If there were siblings in the direct bloodline, the one with outstanding heroic potential would be the successor.

The others would be raised as shields to protect the successor.

This was a common tradition among hero families with long histories.

In a sense, a shadow that protects a hero had to be the closest person to the hero.

Someone who stays close and protects their life.

Therefore, the role of shadow had always been entrusted to someone who could be trusted more than anyone else.

And it became natural to entrust that role to the most ideal blood relative.

'Originally, Senior Celia or Senior Chelsea would have had the same role as me.'

Perena thought of the two seniors who were in the same situation as her.

However, the two walked a different path than Perena.

'They are different from me. They were born with overwhelming heroic potential.'

Although born as the younger sibling of a hero family's successor, she possessed heroic potential no less than that of the successors.

It was a waste to let such potential go to waste as a shadow.

Even though they were in the same situation but had different fates, jealousy did not arise.

However…

She felt jealousy towards that person.

No, to be exact, she felt betrayed.

Chen Xia.

A shadow who became a hero.

The first-year students from shadow candidate backgrounds viewed Chen Xia as an object of admiration, envy, and respect.

Among the shadows, the Emperor of Shan was special.

The Emperor of Shan was always the strongest shadow.

A perfect shadow, in other words.

The next Emperor of Shan's name appeared in the Hero Records.

For the shadows, it was a shock as if an era of creation had begun.

But Perena was disappointed in Chen Xia.

She took pride in living as Eliza's shadow.

She believed that for heroes to shine, there had to be shadows like herself.

Although it was true that shadows were imprinted as beings of fear, taking pride as a shadow was by no means strange.

Perena had pride as a shadow.

Of course, it wasn't like that from the beginning.

'When people found out I was a shadow… the way they looked at me was really hard.'

As a direct descendant of the Hergin family, Perena had many interactions with visitors to the family.

Naturally, the guests were of a caliber befitting the Hergin family's status.

Among them, the head of the Hergin family would inform those with close ties to the family that Perena was Eliza's shadow.

'Among my peers, there were so many who looked at me with fear, contempt, and ridicule.'

Adults weren't much different.

Some even gave sympathetic glances as if they felt pity.

Whatever the case, for the young Perena, all such reactions were scars.

And she hated her fate of having to be a shadow, and while she loved her elder sister Eliza, she also hated her.

'She doesn't know.'

One day, while lamenting her fate.

She heard a story about a shadow.

'Senior Xia.'

Among the shadows, Chen Xia had been a celebrity for a long time.

A shadow who was already active as a shadow at an age when others were training as shadow candidates.

A genius who, as the successor of Shan, was entrusted with the mission of eliminating traitors at a young age.

Perena knew Chen Xia before Eliza even knew of her.

In her childhood, Chen Xia's story became a reason for Perena to take pride in being a shadow.

She thought that the Princess of Shan, who had been active as a shadow from a young age, must have had an immense conviction.

Thus, the young Perena came to admire Chen Xia, whom she had never even seen, as much as her elder sister Eliza.

And when Chen Xia became a second-year student and it was revealed that she had enrolled in Lumern, Perena asked her father to enroll in Lumern the following year.

At that time, perceptions of shadows were slowly changing, and there were rumors that many shadow candidates would enroll.

Therefore, the head of the Hergin family thought it wasn't a bad idea to enroll his second daughter, who was a shadow, in Lumern.

And when she saw Chen Xia, whom she admired immensely.

Perena was disappointed.

She had imagined someone who would be more of a shadow than anyone else.

But Chen Xia, whom she thought would be a perfect shadow, was a bright, shining person like her elder sister Eliza.

Then, she made it into the Hero Records along with her elder sister.

'Why do you think you can't become a hero? It's not good to set your own limits. Perena, you are Lumern's year representative, aren't you? You should practice the school's teachings better than anyone else.'

As Chen Xia's words from a few days ago came to mind.

'I am a shadow. Senior Chen Xia. I am different from you.'

Her own pathetic voice, speaking coldly, also came to mind.

'To admire someone so carelessly… and then to feel betrayed so carelessly. How pathetic I am.'

Her venturing into the desert alone was a rebellion against not wanting to associate with hero candidates.

Her own stubborn, almost unreasonable rebellion had led to this pathetic outcome.

'…Should I drop out?'

Feeling her mood plummet to the worst, Perena felt her strength drain from her entire body.

Her consciousness grew hazier with the sun's heat.

'…Am I going to die like this?'

With that, Perena lost consciousness.

Step- step-

It was then that shadows, who had been observing the situation, approached Perena.

"Who are you?"

A small, hooded figure asked.

A clear voice that pleased the listener.

The shadows froze and looked at the hooded figure.

Given they were in the Ajo Desert, they were clearly first-years.

However, Anya, the successor of the Elf Shadow Lord, could not help but be wary of the person who appeared before her.

'There was no sign of anyone approaching?'

As Anya was wary.

"Haven't you seen a dwarf before? Why are you staring at me so unpleasantly?"

At the other party's irritated reaction, Anya, with a strange expression, looked to the side.

Another Elf Shadow, Tea.

He possessed the rare mana characteristic 'Truth and Lies.'

It was a rare mana characteristic that could discern whether an answer to a question was true or false.

"Is it Demian?"

"Yes?"

Anya looked at Tea.

Seeing Tea nod slightly, Anya tilted her head.

She was puzzled as to how she hadn't noticed the approach of the first-year student Demian.

"Go on your way. This person is disqualified."

"That shadow is disqualified?"

'Recognizing the shadow means she's from a shadow background? Then it's possible she couldn't have noticed.'

Thinking the opponent's stealth skills were excellent, Anya spoke.

"Yes. So don't worry about it…"

"What are the conditions for disqualification? Is it becoming incapacitated?"

"You are disqualified if you are rescued by us."

"Really? Then I'll take her."

"Comradeship?"

It seemed like she was helping a shadow as a shadow.

"Think whatever you want."

Answering like that, she slung Perena over her shoulder and walked away through the desert.

***

Crackling-

A campfire blazed in a rock crevice suitable for camping.

"Huh?"

Perena, who had been lying down in front of the campfire, sat up.

"You're awake."

Snap-!

As the dwarf, who had broken a branch suitable for firewood, spoke, Perena's eyes widened.

"What are you looking at?"

"No… are you an elf?"

"I'm a dwarf?"

"With that face?"

Perena's mouth dropped open.

Seeing Perena like that, the dwarf contorted his face.

Seeing the dwarf like that, Perena looked around.

"Did you help me?"

"Yes."

"…I owe you."

Perena gave a bitter smile.

Then she asked.

"Who are you?"

"Demian."

"I know that."

"What?"

The beautiful dwarf frowned at the miscommunication.

To the dwarf, Perena said.

"I know you're Demian, a first-year student. What I asked was your name. Since I owe you, I want to repay you later. But I don't think I've seen a Demian student with your appearance? With that look, you would have definitely stood out?"

Perena tilted her head.

Seeing Perena like that, the dwarf threw branches into the fire and muttered to himself.

'Demian student…'

Finally, Demian grasped the situation.

'This is reality.'