Chapter 62 – The Legacy of the Hero
“I discussed it with the gardener. We thought a pathway lined with tall garden trees and small wildflowers would best suit the castle.”
She had once entertained the idea of planting vibrant flowers like in the capital, but such blossoms didn’t suit the grand castle where snow fell year-round.
“I see. Then there’s no helping it. I only said that so you wouldn’t worry.”
Elliot nodded—he’d never seen bright flowers bloom in the duke’s castle either.
“We might change our minds later, so I’ll do what I promised.”
“Good. Then let’s wrap up the garden talk. There’s something more important.”
At Evelyn’s words, Raven blinked.
“More important? Don’t tell me… is there a sign the evil god is awakening?”
Raven’s face stiffened. He’d only just arrived in the North—was the evil god already stirring? So much for rest.
“Well, no… or maybe yes?”
“It’s something needed to deal with the evil god,” Evelyn said, crossing her arms in thought.
Elliot nodded gravely.
“We found a former hero’s legacy.”
Clatter!
“Why are you only telling me now?! Wait, did you say an ancient relic?!”
Raven shot to his feet, yelling.
“Dear gods! And it’s a hero’s legacy at that?! That’s huge! You’ve been keeping your mouth shut this whole time?!”
“There were too many people around. Most still don’t know I’m the hero.”
“You should’ve told me the moment I set foot in the castle!”
Raven looked as if every second of small talk had been a waste.
“You can’t see it until the garden’s finished.”
“What?! That’s not fair!”
“Work comes first, right?”
Evelyn’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. She didn’t even need to push—he was already on fire and would finish the garden in no time.
“If I just take a peek…”
“Out of the question. Like you said earlier, I need the optimal magic circle completed. You only need to reinforce the existing one.”
“You think that’s easy?”
Raven clutched his head in despair. His own words had turned into a leash.
“You’re a genius.”
“I am! I’m a genius!”
Raven’s head shot up. His eyes already looked half-crazed. Whatever his master had told him to do had long since vanished from his mind.
Who cared what the Duke thought? Evelyn chuckled darkly as Raven began muttering incantations under his breath.
One week later
“Hah, there’s nothing I can’t do. I really am a genius.”
Raven blew a breath up to push his bangs out of the way and surveyed the garden’s magical array with glowing red eyes.
“Truly, the Magic Tower Lord’s disciple is in a class of his own.”
The Graham duchy’s mage looked in awe at the newly arranged magic circles.
“I’ll finally get to see it.”
“Excuse me?”
The mage tilted his head, not understanding what Raven meant, but Raven only chuckled darkly.
He couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of exploring the legacy soon to be in his hands.
“Nope. Not yet.”
“Why not?!”
“Because the garden isn’t finished.”
Evelyn had heard the base work was complete and rushed over, only to shake her head at Raven’s hopeful face.
Raven practically leapt in protest, but Evelyn was firm.
If she let him in early, he’d definitely abandon the garden.
There had also been other delays, and even the duchy’s mages hadn’t entered the ruins yet.
At this point, it would be better to have Raven sign a silence spell contract before entering.
The Graham knights had already signed and were training inside the ruins.
They were going to pretend Elliot had discovered it by accident, but he refused.
“Didn’t think I’d be revealing I’m the hero to the knights this early…”
Though the Graham knights were fiercely loyal, Elliot had made them all sign magical silence contracts. They couldn’t reveal the secret that the duchess was the hero until Elliot allowed it.
The truth had floored the knights—some literally collapsed in shock, while others shed quiet tears, believing peace had finally come to the North.
When Raven eventually entered, the duchy’s mages would enter too.
They, too, would sign contracts.
“I’ve already finished everything I was supposed to do.”
“All you did was add temperature and defensive magic to the ground.”
“I’ll add preservation and other helpful enchantments too.”
Without needing to be told, Raven nodded. He stared persistently at Evelyn.
“Can it be done by the day after tomorrow?”
“I could finish it tomorrow, actually.”
Seeing him so motivated made Evelyn smile. She’d already ordered the trees—they were waiting in the castle’s warehouse.
The staff could easily handle installing the trees, benches, and fountain.
Any further delay and Raven might explode—better to show him the ruins now.
“Then I’m counting on you.”
Evelyn turned and left as Raven enthusiastically got back to work.
“Is the garden finished?”
When she returned to the training grounds, Elliot greeted her.
“Almost. What about training?”
“They’re on break right now.”
Normally the grounds would be bustling with knights, but it was empty. Elliot looked around with a pleased smile.
The knights had been inside the ruins for five days straight.
The hero’s training grounds corrected their posture to perfection, no matter the exercise.
It was twice as hard as training outside, though no one knew why.
But the knights could feel their bodies improving and refused to leave.
When Evelyn checked on them occasionally, they would beg her for mercy—but Elliot was pleased by their rapidly improving skills.
“Thanks to you, our knights might even conquer the summit of the Snow Mountains.”
If their skills improved enough, they could go beyond the mid-slope they currently controlled.
“It’s thanks to their dedication.”
Evelyn saw the pride on Elliot’s face and smiled.
Whenever he found something that benefited the North, he looked overjoyed.
And whenever he was like that, she wanted to do more for him.
Because he treated her so well, it made her want to repay him.
Maybe I can ask the previous hero to let Elliot train, too. It’d be great if they could enter together.
She glanced at Elliot. In just a few days, his body had already changed thanks to the new training ground.
If he trained under the hero directly, he’d improve even more.
“I’ll try to find a way for you to join me in my personal training ground. Tomorrow evening, I’ll bring the mages into the ruins.”
“I’m fine. Just training with the knights, I can already feel a difference.”
Evelyn could tell he truly meant it. He really does love the sword.
She remembered the first time she’d held a sword as a child.
“The ancients were clearly wiser than us. Designing something that lets you feel the movement of every muscle so clearly…”
It was revolutionary. Elliot earnestly listed all the benefits of the new training area.
“You’d get even more from training under the hero.”
Evelyn knew how great the training field was—but being taught directly by the hero was another level entirely.
“No matter what, I have to persuade him.”
Six months of training there would take only two days. She looked forward to seeing how Elliot would change in just two days.
[Your husband?]
“Yes. He’s your distant descendant.”
As soon as Evelyn stepped into her private training ground, the hero spoke. She immediately brought up Elliot.
[Only authorized people can enter here.]
The hero’s tone was filled with irritation.
“He’s also my comrade in battle.”
[That doesn’t mean I can let in every companion of a hero.]
“Even though he’s your descendant and the current hero’s husband?”
[Is your relationship so bad that you want me to train him?]
Why is he so difficult when it’s for a good cause? Evelyn stared at the empty air where the hero’s will lingered.
“He might break through his limits soon.”
[Really? Then maybe he’s worth something after all.]
[He’s not very personable, but he’s almost as skilled as you.]
The holy sword agreed with Evelyn.
