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–––Luvias’ viewpoint

It was still up in the air whether our country should also elect a hero. We had plenty of candidates, but they were all selected only because of their status or their raw power, so there were always problems with their personalities. If one of them were to be elected as a hero, they could easily drive the kingdom’s reputation to the ground just like Leble’s heroes did, so selecting one was a very delicate subject.

Then there was Lapis. She had more than enough strength, or rather, it was hard to believe someone stronger than her existed. And her personality? There were no problems there either. According to the reports, she worked earnestly every day in the city, and her name had never been sullied by any form of crime.

She also got along nicely with the people of the city, and more than anything, she did all she could to get back at Leble’s heroes after they bullied her friend. That she would do so much for someone she called a friend, without regard to their rank or status, showed just how pure and noble her heart was.

The military officials were largely in accord that she could be nominated as a hero. After seeing her overwhelming strength, there was no one else they would think of as a hero. But the nobles showed clear disapproval. They wanted to put someone of their own families as the hero to increase their influence and political power, so they were strongly against her as a hero.

While the discussion kept becoming complicated, Father remained silent while crossing his arms. My brother Stied, surrounded by nobles, was also strongly against the idea. When I thought this would never end with a peaceful resolution, Father spoke to Count Grom.

“Grom, how do you think Lapis would take this? If we decided to name her hero, how do you think she would react?”

Count Grom was the person with the lowest status in the room, so he had remained silent since the start. Though rather than being careful because of his position, it was more like he knew anything he said would fall on deaf ears. Having kept his distance from that worthless conversation, he had been rewarded quite generously now. To a certain extent, I felt like that was his intent all along. When Father spoke to him, he finally opened his mouth.

“Well…this is only my personal opinion, but I don’t think she would accept the title of hero even if everyone agreed to grant it to her.”

Everyone started muttering amongst themselves as soon as he spoke. The military officials all stood up trying to deny his opinion, but Father stopped them.

“Hmm…tell me why you think that.”
“Yes, His Majesty. The first reason is that she detests standing out more than anything, to a quite considerable extent. Defeating the Lich made her fame skyrocket, but afterwards she would do all she could to not stand out, working a menial job everyday. Considering her might and beauty, she had more than plenty of chances to become more famous, but since she avoided all of them, I believe she simply wanted to avoid attention.”

Many of the people present nodded while going through the other information provided to them. Something had probably caught their attention.

“The second reason is that she doesn’t want to get away from the city of Surfour. Many close friends of hers live there, so it’s hard for me to imagine she would put them all aside to become a hero in the capital.”
“But we can just make her obey with a royal order!”

One of the nobles yelled while slamming his desk, but Grom did not waver in the slightest. Grom turned to look at him with a calm and level headed stare.

“If I may speak, are you sure you want to earn her dissatisfaction like that? I think everyone is already aware of her overwhelming power, so forcing her to obey would be impossible. Maybe she would obey if you could assure her the safety of all her friends, but in the worst case, she might even go to another country. So tell me, who would be responsible for dealing with her if she became our enemy?”

The noble bit his lip, siting down in a rowdy manner. He understood that everything Count Grom said was not a mere rebuttal, but the actual truth. Witnessing that interaction, Father spoke to Grom once again.

“Then, Grom. What do you suggest we do in regards to her?”
“Probably…carefully supervising her would be the best, Your Majesty.”
“Careful supervision you say?”
“Yes. Rather than handling it poorly and having her leave us, I think we should let her be and try to maintain the current situation. The title of hero should only be given to someone striving for it. Luckily she works hard as an instructor, valuing her students more than anyone else. I’m sure that if we let her continue training people, one of them will become the hero of our country.”

I could agree with everything Count Grom said. The military officials that tried naming her as a hero also understood that, their sour faces vanishing as they regained calm and silent expressions. The nobles on the other side were also silent, but probably thinking where to lead the conversation from thereon.

“…It seems Grom’s suggestion is really the best. We won’t consider naming her a hero, but will let her train someone to become a hero candidate. As for who that candidate should be-”
“Father! Please give that role to me!”

Father and everyone in the room looked surprised at me, putting my name out like that. That was an obvious reaction, I had barely participated in the discussion so far, but now I was volunteering to be a hero candidate.

“…Luvias, what are you saying? Do you think anyone would recognize you as a hero?”
“You heard him! Just stay away from this!”
“No, Father, Brother. I don’t think anyone but me can carry this on!”

I felt nervous going against my father, but not so much against my brother. Stied was probably planning on sending someone who followed a similar line of thought as him, and I could already imagine they would never get along with Lapis. He would choose someone pompous who always looked down on regular people. The result of Lapis meeting someone like that was more clear to me than the light of day. But even if my brother did not suggest someone himself, anyone chosen by the people here would be similar.

That’s why I figured I would be the most suitable person for that role, I was still part of the royal family but I had no qualms when lowering my head to someone who might have a lesser rank. Father and the rest looked at me with disapproval, but I tried convincing him as much as I could.

“Think about it. What would the populace say if I was a hero candidate? The royal family taking up the sword to protect its country, I’m sure they would be happy knowing that. It should give us a better look in other countries as well. While other countries are selecting heroes of dubious backgrounds, we’ll be the only ones selecting one from the royal family.”

Father remained silent after I said all that. What I said was the truth, but there was one thing I had kept to myself. The fact that I would get to be independent. As things were, I was going to be sheltered in the palace and there was a high chance that once my brother stepped up on the throne, I was going to be used as a political tool.

But if I also had the title of a hero? I would not be a simple princess anymore, and if things went well, I might even inherit a small territory of my own just like my male siblings and be able to live the rest of my life in peace. I felt bad for hiding that, but I could not let this chance go.

Seeing how fervently I tried to convince him, something I very rarely did, he finally gave in, albeit reluctantly.

“Luvias, if you insist so much, then I’ll appoint you as hero candidate and send you to Surfour. But be very cautious, once you’re officially a hero candidate, you won’t be allowed to use your royal position to get away with something. Make sure you thoroughly train yourself, not only for our kingdom, but for all of humanity.”
“I’m aware of that much, Father. Thank you for listening to my willful wish.”

After I respectfully bowed my head, Father heaved a deep sigh. He probably was still against the idea, but he was prioritizing his position as king before that of a father. So to respond to his expectations, I had to become stronger than anyone else. As I left the conference room, I was unable to repress my excited feelings. I could barely contain myself imagining just how strong I would become after training with Lapis.