Hellstar coughed, avoiding Hector's gaze. He then forced the conversation in a new direction. "Speaking of which, Hero Disciple Hector, I need to examine your body at some point."
"I'm fine."
There were several ways to resist Dark Qi, but the most efficient was to accumulate multiple blessings. Hector carried far more blessings than most active heroes, let alone hero disciples. If he avoided direct attacks, prolonged exposure to Dark Qi posed little risk.
Hellstar seemed to grasp this and nodded. He then focused on diagnosing the students who had spent especially long periods in the Otherworld. He personally used divine power to heal those with residual Dark Qi in their bodies.
" Wow! My body feels so much lighter."
"Don't overdo it for now. Eat frequently to restore energy—meat, mushrooms, garlic, and so on."
"Yes! Thank you!"
Hellstar subtly shuddered every time he was greeted by a student, though the reason was unknown.
Hector could only watch Hellstar's back with mild surprise. He knew that a priest's divine power was practically church property, strictly controlled and not to be used at will. The church had ways to measure the remaining divine power in a priest. Any discrepancy between the recorded healings and the actual remaining power could result in severe reprimand.
Hector had heard that even high-ranking priests were not exempt; in fact, their purer divine power drew even closer scrutiny.
I heard that the Seventy-Two Churches are far stricter than the Sun Church.
Of course, the source of this information was Junian, so he took it cautiously. In any case, Hector hadn't expected a Bishop of the Seventy-Two Churches to use his divine power so freely to heal a single student.
He will definitely be reprimanded when he returns.
There was no way Hellstar didn't know this. Nevertheless, this man calmly—no, almost obsessively—diagnosed and healed the students. He seemed determined to ensure that no Dark Qi remained in the children who would one day shape the empire.
The first time this demeanor faltered was when Hellstar met Charon. Hellstar had been freely exercising divine miracles, but his expression stiffened the moment he saw Charon in bed.
"What do you think?" Hector asked.
"It isn't good. The location is particularly bad. The miasma might've spread to the brain through the optic nerve," Hellstar replied.
"Then what will happen?"
"I've seen several cases where miasma has reached all the way to the brain. They usually end up looking as if they are possessed by demons," Hellstar replied gravely.
He was talking about screaming madly, lashing out unpredictably and being unable to recognize even their close acquaintances or parents.
Hector couldn't help feeling bitter. Charon wasn't a particularly likable person, but he was a comrade who had gone through hell together. He was irreplaceable on the battlefield.
Hector didn't want to see him become such a beast. "Is there any way?"
"I will do everything possible. I stake my honor on it."
For Hellstar, it was a situation where his name, honor and everything he had built up so far were at stake, so he was forced to say that.
Hector was unaware of the situation and couldn't help smiling slightly.
Hellstar asked, "Why are you smiling?"
"I think that rumors truly aren't credible."
"What?"
Hector maintained his smile. "Since childhood, I have observed many religions. I never felt the desire to belong to one. However, if I had met someone like you back then, I might've thought differently."
Hellstar's expression became a bit strange when he heard this.
"What's wrong?" Hector asked.
"How do you see me?"
"You have become a reason for me to reflect on the gods' teachings, which have always been vague to me."
"The gods' teachings...?"
"To drive out evil, help the weak and benefit the world at large."
At that moment, Hellstar's face turned red, leaving Hector puzzled. Was it embarrassment, or had he crossed a line?
The other person held a noble status. Of course, Hector's own status wasn't something to be ashamed of either. Due to the difference in age, Hector bowed his head respectfully. "I'm sorry."
"No, I merely..." Hellstar murmured to himself, then lowered his head fully and sighed.
"Are you all right?" Hector asked.
"I just had a moment of repentance."
Hector looked even more confused.
"It's nothing. Rather, I will do my best with Hero Disciple Charon, so leave it to me."
"Please. I'll stop by again tomorrow when I have time."
Unfortunately, Hector was unable to keep his promise. That afternoon, he received an imperial summons.
***
Naturally, Hector was the one to receive the royal decree. At the sight of the messenger, he felt a flicker of annoyance. He concealed it, kneeling on one knee as the imperial decree was read aloud.
In short, it was a simple story. The young heroes who saved the capital from the evil church's demons were to attend the imperial court tomorrow to receive the emperor's commendation. The imperial decree mentioned three people—Hector, Luan and Seren.
As expected, they didn't summon everyone. Hector knew what the selection criteria were. It naturally wasn't their performance, but their family's prestige.
In the past, Hector would've considered this type of treatment deserving. Now he felt dirty. There were so many hero disciples who were much more active than him, and the decisive role was played by the raid group. It wasn't just Luan and Seren, but also Mir, Charon and Evan. They were the heroes who deserved praise.
He couldn't express his disapproval of the imperial decree. Therefore, Hector simply lowered his head quietly and asked, "May I speak?"
This was a messenger who delivered an imperial decree, so his status wasn't low. This meant that Hector was forced to be polite.
"Go ahead."
"Luan Badniker has not yet fully recovered from his wounds. Please allow him to be excused."
He heard that Luan had already woken up and was wandering around just fine, but it wasn't unknown when Hector would run into that wanderer. In other words, this was what Hector momentarily came up with.
Seren's condition had improved a lot, so it should be no problem for her to attend the event.
Upon hearing this, the messenger nodded as if he was expecting it. "The benevolent Lotus Jade Emperor has already considered such a situation."
"That means..."
"A proxy attendance is permitted. The selection of the proxy will be entrusted to Hector Badniker," the messenger stated.
"I will comply with the imperial command." Hector suppressed his sigh as he said so, his mind racing.
He had managed to handle his troublesome younger brother's issue for the time being, but he was worried about who to select as a proxy. ' He needs to be human and of noble birth. It has to be someone who isn't that inferior compared to the Badnikers and Goodsprings. Of course, it must be a hero disciple caught up in the Otherworld.'
Meanwhile, he bid farewell to acquaintances from the academy. Fame was fleeting; only those who achieved extraordinary feats, like the Iron-Blooded Lord, remained remembered. Therefore, Hector took advantage of the attention focused on him, knowing that the faint connections he maintained now could serve him in the distant future.
Of course, this had strong political motives behind him and the mental toll it took on him couldn't be ignored.
Only one person was an exception. It was the young inquisitor of the Sun Church. Her characteristic relaxed face was familiar.
"I heard that the atmosphere in the imperial family has been unusual lately," Junian said.
This woman was both an inquisitor of the Sun Church and a Great Master in the Badniker family, so she was the most reliable among the many great figures Hector met at the academy. After all, she was a member of the family.
Hector replied, "The demon king almost descended in the middle of the capital, so it is only natural."
"Well, that is one reason. However, the atmosphere I mentioned is a bit different," she noted.
"How so?"
"The purpose of this imperial ceremony isn't simply to honor your achievements."
"What do you mean?"
"You know that the imperial family and the Hero Society aren't on good terms these days, right?"
Hector nodded. "Yes. However, the mutual check between the two forces has been going on for a long time, right?"
"It isn't just a simple competition to recruit talent first. That type of thing happens often on our side too," Junian said with a troubled expression.
Hector had heard that the relationship between the Seventy-Two Churches and the Sun Church, two religions which seemed similar at first glance, was also quite complicated.
Junian continued, "The atmosphere has become quite heated in recent years. It is because the Hero Society's performance is unusual. This is rather uncomfortable for the empire, especially the imperial family, since they should be the strongest among the three powers of the empire. Thanks to this, now both the empire and the Hero Society can't afford to have members joining both sides."
There were many people who were members of both the imperial family and the Hero Society. This was the case with the Middle Names, the S-class heroes in the Hero Society, and the Iron-Blooded Lord.
"What do you want to say?" Hector pressed..
"You intended to join the Hero Society, right?"
"That is true, but how do you know this?"
Hector's ultimate goal was to be acknowledged by the Iron-Blooded Lord and become the head of the family. In order to achieve that objective, he judged that it was better to join the Hero Society than the imperial family. This would allow him to travel around the continent a lot, and he would naturally have more contact with the church. This meant there were many opportunities to make achievements.
If I'm lucky, I might be able to go on a mission with Father... This was Hector's secret wish.
Junian explained, "You have already received a Hero Badge at the Badnikers' training camp. It might be temporary, but it means you are affiliated with the Hero Society. Due to this, there are some rumors that the Iron-Blooded Lord intends to send all his children to the Hero Society."
It seemed true. Among all the children of the Iron-Blooded Lord, the most famous ones were the eldest son, Heero, and the second daughter, Nero. Both of them were currently members of the Hero Society. It just so happened that Hector and Luan, who played a big role in this incident, had also obtained a badge for the Hero Society, even if it was temporary.
"Then why would the imperial family call us directly to praise our achievements?" Hector asked.
"They probably intend to put their mark on you. The imperial family will treat you as the son of a noble family, not a member of the Hero Society. They will ask you about your career path and coax you to join the imperial court," Junian speculated.
"What happens if I refuse?"
"The current imperial family is focused on strengthening its power. There are more monsters like the Seven-Colored Archmages and the Middle Names."
"Are you suggesting that the imperial family will intimidate me using force? Me, a Badniker?"
Junian smiled cynically. "The imperial family. On the surface, they might seem to value etiquette and law, but that isn't really the case. In my opinion, they are a group obsessed with maintaining their overwhelming power.
"To be honest, I would've prevented you from going to the imperial court if you weren't a Badniker. Of course, as you said, they probably won't act first. They will likely provoke you instead. So don't respond. No matter what they say, let it enter one ear and exit the other ear."
"I understand." Hector nodded and thanked Junian. Then he headed toward the imperial palace with Seren and the person he found as Luan's proxy.
Before Hector could even marvel at the overwhelming grandeur of the imperial palace, the moment he set foot in it, someone challenged him. "Are you the genius of the Badnikers? I heard that you have good talent in swordsmanship, so I will teach you a lesson. Draw your sword."
"Thank you, but I must decline."
"Why? For you, who has only seen the Badnikers' shabby swordsmanship, this is an opportunity to broaden your knowledge."
Hector fumed. What did this bastard just say?!