Chapter 237

Hela was angry.

From her perspective, she had every reason to be angry.

Her mother was insane, coming here specifically with hope to see her father's reincarnation.

"Wow, you actually activated Father's heroic spirit?! Can we finally talk? I have so many wishes and thoughts I want to tell Father."

"Father seems busy. Wait a bit."

But she kept waiting, waiting in every corner of the city, watching her father rush to save the city, then disappear into a room with another woman?!

Fine, the other woman is the lawful wife; if it's only one day, she naturally takes priority.

She endured it. After all, she was just a bastard daughter, insignificant, even one who had dared to take his surname.

"I'm really not angry at all, not one bit. After all, we've never met—he's a stranger. The shared surname is just coincidence. I'll go change my name right now!"

It looked like the "daughter" was furious.

Li En sighed, unconsciously walking over and gently hugging the girl.

This time, he allowed himself to feel the unexplained guilt and affection within. Lex was a bastard—but his reincarnated self was not.

The girl before him had no reason to suffer such misfortune or unfair treatment.

Warm, gentle—if all his burdens were this adorable, then fine, he'd bear them.

"How about I call you Father?"

But the girl smiled, saying something that even Li En found hard to swallow.

He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. Yet, this silence seemed to be a kind of tacit consent.

"Just kidding. 'Parents' are already a negative word to me. Your scent feels so young—your physical age seems younger than mine. I can't bring myself to say it."

Li En had just relaxed, when suddenly he felt himself pulled tighter.

The girl bowed her head, embracing him. The strength in her grip felt almost absurd.

"Just hug me. Then let's start as friends."

She hugged him, then let go—effortlessly, carefree, a confidence and poise utterly unlike Dainya's.

For some reason, Li En felt that if these two swapped roles, the kingdom might truly be revived.

【Atherin's Heavenly Fortune (Unknown Rank): While on this decaying land, she gains maximum Heavenly Fortune enhancement】

If Lex hadn't been such a coward and had activated the Heroic Spirit inheritance now, Li En could have used the Heroic Spirit Codex's candidate identification ability to see Hela's Heavenly Fortune.

Heavenly Fortune—or divine favor—is a subtle force in the main plane. Plainly put, it means things go smoothly, with a certain degree of protagonist aura.

It's typically a "privilege" unique to a specific region, exceedingly rare and hard to perceive. But to the Thousand-Faced Dragon, it's the easiest thing to detect.

Why on her? Likely because she's the strongest and most reliable remaining member of the royal family. Even more likely, the world has grown weary of the Alisha bloodline.

The clearest evidence? This is only Hela's Heavenly Fortune for the region of Atherin—not the entire Atherin Kingdom's.

Or perhaps this land itself no longer cares about the kingdom's survival, even despises this evil royal house that should have perished long ago.

A realm losing its Heavenly Mandate usually occurs when the monarch is tyrannical—the classic omen of collapse. But given that both princesses carry the Thousand-Faced Dragon's bloodline, capable of resisting Heavenly Mandate, this privilege doesn't seem to exert absolute influence or serve as a definitive omen.

Yet, just as Li En's instinct from Lex suggested, if Hela became the candidate monarch and activated her Dragon Vein, transforming the regional Heavenly Fortune into the kingdom's, she might truly spark a revival.

But clearly, this is now impossible. Perhaps this Heavenly Fortune will ultimately cultivate a great sword saint worthy of historical record—possibly even more valuable than the kingdom itself.

Hela had left without notice, but Li En felt she'd sneak back tonight.

"Of course she left," Li En said, referring to the royal spies outside.

Clearly, the royal family didn't fully trust this "eldest princess," and had kept watchers on her constantly. But mutual constraints prevented open conflict—at least while cooperation remained possible.

And her staying with Li En also eased Dainya's concerns slightly.

"Forget it. Just focus on my own duties."

The entire city entered its post-disaster recovery phase; operations gradually returned to normal, meaning Li En's own tasks could proceed more smoothly.

"Date, date!"

But the first to notice Li En had free time was Sallyman, who had been eagerly waiting—her sense of crisis had reached its peak.

For the past two days, she'd become strangely clingy, even daring to hiss at the princess she swore loyalty to.

Yet Li En still refused her. Though he hated to admit it, the state of Lex's heroic spirit possessing him was simply too tempting.

He could feel his swordsmanship, combat experience, and battle instincts rising every moment.

A little practice, and suddenly he grasped insights and sword techniques he'd never been able to master before.

This wasn't just about saving time—it was about possessing "treasures" his natural talent could never have reached, now simply in his hands.

"You're not really falling for the Queen, are you? I know she's more mature and beautiful than me, but I'm your girlfriend, right?"