I’m a hero, but I don’t know if I should retire

“What?!”

Sera’s eyes widened.

“M-Miss? Why all of a sudden…?”

“I’m not going.”

“Sorry?”

“I’m not going to the academy.”

This was an extension of the rest she had finally earned.

‘Yes, rest. And an opportunity.’

An opportunity to make up for a tired and pitiful life buried solely in work.

Adelia turned her body toward the bed.

“From now on, I’m really, truly, going to focus only on having fun, Sera.”

“Wha…?”

Sera asked blankly, but Adelia didn’t bother to answer. Instead, she simply walked to the bed and threw herself onto the blankets.

Adelia’s small frame sank into the soft mattress.

Ah, this feels so good…

Yes, I remember now. This is what my bed felt like. There really were cozy moments like this in my life.

Adelia let out a hollow laugh as she rubbed her face against the blanket.

‘The academy, the imperial palace—none of it matters to me anymore.’

She had no intention of walking down the same path as before, not even a speck of it. Adelia decided to see this moment as a rightful vacation, a gift from the gods.

‘Because I’ve retired.’

There would be no more donning the fancy mask of a hero to return to that accursed battlefield, no more serving as a shield for the imperial family, no more becoming a scapegoat in front of the empire’s citizens.

‘I’ll think about it after I get some sleep.’

How long had it been since she last lay on such a soft, fragrant bed?

‘I just want to… really rest now.’

Sleep when tired, eat when hungry. She wanted to live, enjoying those basic things.

Adelia hugged the blanket close to her.

The comforting warmth of sunlight seemed to be infused into it. Burying her face in the blanket and inhaling its scent, her eyelids naturally grew heavier.

As Adelia became quiet, nestled in the blanket, Sera, who had been pushing the luggage to the corner, approached her.

“Miss, are you feeling sleepy? If you sleep like this, you’ll catch a cold.”

“…”

“Miss? Miss?!”

“…”

Oh, honestly. Sera added a few more nagging remarks as she adjusted Adelia into a proper sleeping position.

Adelia suddenly realized how long it had been since she’d heard Sera’s familiar scolding or felt her gentle touch.

It had been twenty years since she last saw Sera, so it was natural for it to feel a little strange.

‘I missed this….’

Adelia let out a faint smile as she squeezed her eyes shut.

‘Professor Felsen, I’ve returned to the duke’s estate as you wished. Neither of us could have imagined it would happen like this, though….’

Her consciousness, heavy like water-soaked cotton, sank endlessly into the comfort of the bed.

At the same time, Sera’s scolding grew faint and distant.

***

-“Professor Felsen is a quack, sister.”

-“Quite a harsh assessment.”

The Holy Sword would grumble without fail on the days Felsen visited and left the cabin.

Each time, Adelia would smile and stroke the hilt of the sword.

Felsen visited the cabin every other day to check on Adelia’s condition.

He was a kind and compassionate man, deeply concerned for a dear friend whose days were numbered.

-“I don’t feel at ease watching him look so disappointed every time…”

Felsen began to craft medicines for Adelia. He worked tirelessly, to the point where it was evident how haggard he was becoming with each passing day.

And each time, he would leave with a devastated expression upon realizing the treatments had no effect.

Then, one morning, Adelia’s remaining left leg also began to stiffen.

She climbed down from the bed and limped toward the window. The old wooden floor of the cabin creaked irregularly beneath her steps.

-“Judging by your condition, by tomorrow, it’ll be completely stiff.”

Adelia perched on the windowsill and lifted her now-rigid leg onto the ledge.

-“The deterioration is progressing too quickly…”

Even when told she only had six months left to live, she remained composed. She resolved not to waste the time she had left and began making plans.

She decided to travel to places she had never been, to the destinations she had only ever imagined.

And so, she wandered like the wind, spending every single day of those six months.

On the final day, she hoped to scatter like dust and return to the earth, somewhere along the peaceful path of her travels.

However.

Before she could even put her plans into action, her legs had stiffened as if mocking her resolve.

-“Looks like it’s going to rain tomorrow.”

She had calmly thought such things while gazing at the sky outside the window.

She had no idea that the next morning, she wouldn’t even be able to open her eyes before meeting death.

***

“Ugh…”

“Miss!”

Adelia, who had dozed off for a moment, let out a groan as the heat enveloping her entire body overwhelmed her.

“Do something, please!”

As Sera pressed Dr. Reynald urgently, he stepped back, wiping the sweat from his forehead after examining Adelia.

“She’s taken a fever reducer, so the temperature should go down soon.”

“Is it a cold? Can a cold cause this much pain?”

“It doesn’t seem like a cold… But this is my first time seeing a case like this.”

“What kind of doctor are you?! Do something to bring her back to her senses!”

As Sera, agitated, grabbed Reynald by the collar and shook him furiously, he stammered in alarm.

“S-Sera, p-please calm d—”

“Calm down?! How am I supposed to calm down when the miss can’t even stay conscious?!”

At that moment.

“Adelia being sick wasn’t mentioned in the letter.”

The door to Adelia’s room opened, and Derek Ester, dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Knights, stepped inside.

The heir to the Ester ducal family and Adelia’s older brother, Derek, had arrived.

Judging by the slight dampness of his bangs, it seemed he had rushed over in a hurry.

“Y-Young Master!”

“Young Master, please save our miss!”

Sera, as though encountering a savior, hurriedly ran to Derek.

Derek frowned deeply at the sight of his younger sister groaning in pain on the bed.

“What’s wrong with Adelia, Reynald?”

“Well, she suddenly developed a high fever, and…”

At that, Sera interjected into the conversation.

“Yes, Young Master. She’s been saying strange things since this morning! Of course, the fever only started a little while ago.”

“Strange things?”

“Yes, like what I mentioned in the letter.”

“Ah.”

The letter from the duchy had reached Derek earlier in the evening, just as the sky was painted with the hues of sunset.

It had described Adelia asking peculiar questions—about her age, the Empire’s calendar, and whether Theos and Derek were still alive.

Not to mention her sudden declaration that she wouldn’t attend the academy, ordering her luggage to be unpacked immediately.

Or was it that she told them to burn it all instead?

“And then she suddenly developed a fever?”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Derek sat down on the chair beside the bed.

“Adelia.”

“Ugh…”

“Your brother is here. Adelia…”

Derek, having erased his previously stern expression, softened his gaze as he called out to Adelia.

However, Adelia still couldn’t open her eyes. Like a child caught in the rain, she was drenched in sweat and writhing in pain.

“Adelia…”

To Derek, Adelia was more precious than his own life—a cherished younger sister and the most precious gift their mother had left in this world.

He pitied Adelia, who had lost their mother so young. It made him want to care for her all the more.

He could remember their mother’s smile and the warmth of her embrace, but Adelia likely could not.

To make matters worse, their father, Theos, was often absent from the duchy.

Because of that, Derek tried even harder to stay by Adelia’s side, hoping she would grow up never knowing loneliness.

Perhaps as an unintended consequence, Adelia had declared she wanted to become a knight so she could follow him into the imperial palace.

‘Though that was until yesterday. Today, she’s canceled her academy enrollment.’

He had come to understand what had prompted her sudden change of heart, only to find her in this condition.

Derek let out a long sigh and placed a hand on Adelia’s forehead.

“Adelia, when your fever goes down, I’ll buy you all the pudding you like from Demiorte Street, Number 3. We can stop by Lemurier for some plum ice cream, too. As for the rainbow cotton candy, let’s wait until Father comes back…”

Muttering softly, Derek suddenly stopped speaking. Beneath the palm resting on Adelia’s forehead, he felt a strange energy.

This wasn’t just a fever. Beneath the heat was a pulsating, enigmatic force.

No way…

Derek’s crimson eyes wavered.

…Aura?

It made no sense. Aura typically manifested only after coming of age and through rigorous training to reach a certain threshold.

But to sense aura in a seven-year-old child?

“Adelia.”

Derek looked down at Adelia with a bewildered gaze.

“What on earth happened to you?”

Derek began to gradually suppress Adelia’s aura with his own.

As he did, Adelia’s tightly furrowed expression visibly relaxed.

‘It’s only a temporary fix.’

Derek’s aura was slightly stronger than Adelia’s, allowing him to contain it for the time being, but no one knew when it might get out of control again.

‘Will this hold until Father returns?’

No matter how he looked at it, the seal he placed wouldn’t last long.

Derek gazed at the sleeping Adelia for a moment before quietly leaving the room.

***

The southwestern region of the empire, near the border of the Chehartros territory.

A pool of blood collected on the dirt ground rippled in the eerie wind and rain.

The battlefield, where the first skirmish had broken out to gauge each other’s strength, had entered a temporary lull. Both sides remained eerily quiet, the stillness more pronounced than ever.

“What do you intend to do, Your Grace?”

“…”

The atmosphere inside the command tent wasn’t much different from the tense silence outside.

Duke Theos Ester sat in his chair, studying the map in front of him. At the sound of his aide Warren’s voice, he finally looked up.

Standing before him, Warren repeated his question.

“Are you planning to just stand by and watch?”

Despite the question, Theos spoke with an expressionless face.

“She refused to enroll in the academy.”

“Ah… yes, that’s correct.”

Theos brushed his hair back as he recalled the report Warren had delivered earlier about his daughter.

“You’ve observed her for a long time yourself, haven’t you?”

“…Yes, Your Grace.”

In the Rosiante Empire, there were no officially recognized female knights.

Every knight officially serving in noble house orders or the Imperial Knights was male.

Graduating from the academy was a prerequisite to taking the Imperial Knights’ entrance exam, and the difficulty of the exam itself was notorious.

As a result, the entrance standards for the noble families’ knight orders had also risen accordingly.

‘Not that most noble daughters would even consider becoming knights in the first place…’

For noble daughters to wield a sword was considered uncouth and shameful—a disgrace in the eyes of the aristocracy.

Warren scratched his furrowed brow.

“The young lady takes after Your Grace.”

At that, Theos tilted his head slightly.

“Does she?”

“I’m not referring to her appearance.”

“…”

In truth, there was little resemblance in appearance. Aside from her crimson eyes, Adelia was the spitting image of the late duchess.

‘Her stubbornness, that’s what I mean. Stubbornness.’

And not just that—she had the determination to act on what she believed was right, no matter what.

Warren let out a quiet sigh as he spoke.

“As you are well aware, many noble families and citizens of the Empire are keeping a close eye on House Ester.”

The Rosiante Empire had three ducal houses.

Among them, House Ester held the strongest power and influence by far.

This was due to the immense trust and respect the citizens of the Empire had for Theos.

And now, the only daughter of House Ester had declared her intent to wield a sword.

For an ordinary father, such a declaration would warrant severe reprimand. Yet the duke had not stopped Adelia. He had made no remarks, only told her to do as she wished.

‘And then, to everyone’s astonishment, she passed the academy’s entrance exam as the top candidate.’

It was an outcome even Warren hadn’t anticipated.

“There was already plenty of gossip when the young lady decided to take the academy’s entrance exam to become a knight. If she were to overturn that decision now, as if flipping her palm over…”

There were many who envied House Ester and waited for an opportunity to strike. This incident could serve as the perfect fodder for them.

“Warren.”

Theos called his aide in a calm voice.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Theos rolled up the map he had been studying and rose from his seat.

“We will expedite the timeline and bring this war to a conclusion.”

“Pardon?”

Warren stared at the back of Theos’s head, dumbfounded, and asked again. In response, Theos replied casually, as if it were nothing.

“What’s the point of dragging it out for half a year? We’ll end the war within a week and return.”

Wait, what?

This wasn’t just some routine suppression of a rebellion. They were up against a coalition of five allied armies, currently facing them in a standoff.

While it wasn’t yet an all-out battle, it was still a massive war that would realistically take at least half a year to resolve.

But now he was saying a week.

“Y-Your Grace, that’s not something that can be done so easily…”

“A week.”

Theos cut Warren off sharply before he could finish his stammering protest.

“There will be no revisions. Get moving.”