Chapter 201: One Heart, One Purpose

"Old people always like to chatter about nonsense."

Like a granddaughter being scolded by her grandfather in front of acquaintances, Dainya grumbled as she walked toward the tent.

Earlier, Knight-Captain Kain, after drawing Dainya's attention, had tried to cover it up—but there were plenty of other honest knights who didn't need to hide anything.

After learning of it, she gave no response.

Dainya herself didn't really care; after all, even the most painful scars were old wounds, and she was already used to the admiring glances laced with fear—or even hatred.

For those who believed rumors, just maintaining a surface-level courtesy was enough; she no longer expected their understanding.

Even without the rumors, the kingdom's downfall bore undeniable responsibility from the royal family. Beneath the girl's confident exterior lay an unspoken sense of inferiority and helplessness.

"What would he think?"

For no reason at all, the girl on the journey felt a sudden sadness, almost like crying.

She remembered the first time Li En looked at her—surprised, bewildered, yet utterly free of the hatred and fear others showed.

At that time, he likely didn't know her title: "the deposed princess."

As she reached the tent, she grew fearful; she touched the ring hanging over her chest, trembling slightly.

Being despised by the ignorant and outsiders was painful, but acceptable—they didn't understand me. But if someone I trusted turned away again, even I would be wounded once more.

If Li En looked at me with that same gaze—the one of respect tinged with fear—I would be heartbroken.

"Dainya is not the deposed princess!"

But as she drew near the tent, she heard that man, in a firm, unyielding tone, speaking words with no logical basis—pure, blind favoritism.

"Dainya has nothing to do with the second princess of the prophecy. She could never be the cause of the kingdom's fall."

Li En said it calmly, with certainty.

It was a declaration, a stance: within his sphere of influence, no one was permitted to regard Dainya as the deposed princess.

He gave no reason—only treated it as fact.

In truth, he had grounds for saying this—nearly certain verification—but the reason could not be spoken aloud.

"Lex is the Many-Faced Dragon—he cannot be predicted! Therefore, this prophecy cannot unfold normally!"

This was information Li En had verified through countless spirits: the Many-Faced Dragon is only recognized after death (his face erased from records), and all other known prophecies are invalidated.

Thus, with Lex having two descendants, they have undoubtedly intervened deeply, twisting this fate, this future.

"Then who is the second princess of the prophecy?"

"Of course, the younger sister of the previous princess—the legendary illegitimate daughter, Dainya's aunt."

Others nodded in understanding—but not because they believed him. They merely "understood" his intent.

Li En had clearly signaled his position: if someone must bear the blame, the curse, the hatred, then let it be the missing royal sister.

"This favoritism isn't even pretending?"

They looked at Li En with strange expressions—this defense was too firm, too irrational.

I'm being unreasonable. I'm being biased. So what?!

But Li En knew: what he said was very likely the truth.

If the prophecy was real, then this future was already the result of interference by the Many-Faced Dragon—the prophecy had been rewritten.

Suppose, hypothetically, the Many-Faced Dragon Lex had never existed: then the two princesses would have grown up normally, fulfilling the prophecy's prerequisites.

The second princess would have been Dainya's aunt!

"In my personal judgment, Dainya's birth prevented the prophecy from manifesting in its worst possible form. The prophecy has already been fulfilled—and the kingdom still endures."

Without Lex, fate unchanged, the kingdom would have already collapsed.

In truth, whether the "Elephant" crisis or the "Dragon Plague," neither could have been contained without the support of the "Strongest Hero."

Lex may indeed have been a scoundrel—but he steered the future toward a better outcome.

From this perspective, the queen's marriage (and coronation), and Dainya's birth, marked the end of the kingdom's doom prophecy (the first princess became queen—therefore, no second princess remained!).

"She's not a cursed child—she's a blessed child."

Her birth meant the kingdom's rebirth, the reconstruction after disaster.

To label her the "cursed child" is utterly unjust.

Li En declared his judgment with finality, signaling that this topic was closed—accept his words as truth.

"Snap!"

A sudden sound outside drew Daimon's attention near the tent flap.

He leaned out to look—but saw nothing.

"What was it?" Li En asked.

"Nothing. Probably just a small animal. This is a secure zone guarded by knights."

A minor incident, meant to pass unnoticed—but at that moment, someone asked a question.

"Um… how did the former princess manage it? Prophecies aren't without reason, are they?"

In this world, prophecy was a specialized discipline, with numerous classifications and schools, often involving forces of cause, effect, and fate.

The birth of the second princess caused the kingdom's fall? How could a princess locked away in the inner chambers possess the power to destroy a nation?

This seemingly trivial question—Li En had planned to brush it off—but after consideration, he realized it might be crucial.

Why would the birth of a second princess cause the kingdom's fall? The prophecy was not baseless—it likely detected a possibility. His experience with the serpent had deepened his understanding of prophecy and fate: it was not fixed, but to alter it required key nodes.

The key node in this prophecy was naturally the royal family's second princess.

"Could it be that the royal family's second princess was born with the inherent power and fate to destroy the kingdom?" At that moment, Li En recalled abilities like oaths and contracts—often bound by bizarre, rule-based restrictions.

This could be easily verified: just check the royal genealogy to see if any generation ever had a second princess.

Other noble families might lack long records, but royal lineages were always extensive.

【Uncover part of the truth.】

The Spirit Codex seemed to confirm this direction's validity.

Li En silently noted it, planning to ask Sallyman to investigate Dainya's genealogy later. He sensed trouble ahead—but there seemed no other way.

He had realized: the past was already entangled with the present. Some things could no longer be avoided.

Having confirmed the small group's direction, Li En turned his attention outward—high-rank knights rarely had chances to socialize.

With nothing else to do, he went to the neighboring general store, bought some alcohol (on deep discount), and went over to the knights' camp to mend relations.

After all, he was the one who'd asked the sensitive question, causing them to be reprimanded.

The knights, already gathered around a fire, saw the alcohol arrive. The veteran knights and squad leaders pretended not to notice; since no enemy was likely tonight—with guards and support mages present—they allowed the gathering.

After a few cups of wine, some boasting, Li En recounted his battles in the underworld—especially the bloody fights against the giant beasts—and the atmosphere naturally warmed, the lingering tension dissolving.

As they chatted, no prompting from Li En was needed—the conversation naturally turned to the Heroine of the day.

But with veteran knights watching, and after Li En had just boasted of his battles, everyone avoided sensitive topics, focusing instead on past combat memories.

"The Heroine swung her sword, and a massive fissure appeared—terrible power tore through everything. That scar still remains, like a canyon."

"Her sword was swift and precise, flashing like brilliant starlight—each strike brought forth a spray of enemy blood."

As they drank, Knight-Captain Kain himself began to boast.

Though Li En knew the fan-filter was heavy, it still indirectly proved Lex's strength.

During this, Li En also learned some additional information.

For instance, Lex was a rare pure warrior—no supernatural abilities whatsoever.

His soul ability had long been known to the world.

"One-Hearted Path—the source of his strength lies in absolute focus on a single thing."

This soul ability sounded unimpressive—even ordinary—yet forged a top-tier warrior of his age.

Soul abilities were the greatest secrets of all supernaturals, but many knights and warriors didn't hide theirs. The Heroine was a prime example—he saw no reason to conceal it.

This ability primarily enhanced his training.

In combat, however, it was a double-edged sword: when he became obsessed, he could forget everything around him, pouring his entire being into one single task—and perfecting it.

It meant he was a true battle fanatic.

Once, during a war, his side ordered a retreat—but Lex, already in full combat mode, stayed behind.

The commanding officer noticed something was wrong, returned to the battlefield, and found the enemy army utterly slaughtered and scattered.

"Actually, Laina's soul ability is similar to Lord Lex's. She has always deeply respected him—even named hers something very similar."

Li En unexpectedly learned Laina's soul ability—but now that she had gained another soul ability, the original one likely could not be reactivated.

She hadn't publicly revealed it herself; after Lex, the Heroine selection process disclosed certain information for decision-makers and knights to vote on, spreading many records.

She named her ability "One-Hearted Purpose," but its actual meaning was different.

"Lock onto a target, and exhaust every effort to strike it." It was said to involve causality—once locked, the target would inevitably be struck.

This ability was powerful—nearly perfect for the Heroine's battle system of comebacks and one-shot kills.

That's why she successfully obtained Lex's sword, gear, and title.

"Pity—Laina was once a royal knight too, the youngest prodigy. She could have gone much further back then."

Even the veteran knight who most favored Laina, her own master, didn't believe she could match Lex—they were not even in the same league.

At that moment, Li En struggled to understand: how could such an ordinary soul ability and a pure warrior achieve such absurd strength? Laina's ability, paired with the Heroine gear, felt truly invincible.

To make Laina seem utterly incomparable—how strong was Lex really?

Laina is not weak among all historical heroines. It's truly a pity—otherwise, she would be holding the banner now.

Near the knights sighing over Laina, young Laina happily ate roasted meat, grease smearing her mouth. Her small hand crept toward the beer cup on the table—until Li En glared and stopped her.

Daimon and the others joined in—it was a rare chance for them to socialize.

Even the Princess and Sallyman were chatting in a corner of the ladies' area.

But whenever Li En looked over, Dai Nia would glare back at him with unusual sensitivity.

Had he accidentally offended her again? Li En rubbed his head, unable to recall why.

"Forget it. Women always have a few days like this. Why's she staring at me again? When did I offend her this time?"

(End of Chapter)