Chapter 257

Li En frowned; Hela was still a problem, and it seemed he could no longer avoid it.

"She's actually a distant relative of the Princess, sent here specifically to assist, but her identity is a secret. You know as well as I do—those rumors about the so-called Second Princess—should she reveal her true status, it would bring countless unnecessary misunderstandings and gossip. For the sake of national stability, please help keep this secret."

"Of course, as a loyal knight, it is my duty and honor—but how should we treat this 'Princess'?"

Did Claire believe it? Probably not—and she'd certainly investigate later, likely even approaching Dainya.

But her tone was clear: as long as you remain part of the "Royal Loyalist" faction, whatever you say, we'll believe.

The best way to draw closer is to share a "common secret."

After establishing their stance, their conversation became much more relaxed.

Li En himself didn't care much about Rex standing behind him; for the Kingdom's loyal knights, even if he declared he intended to marry the Princess, they'd support him without hesitation.

Looking at the tall woman clad in lion hide, bearing the blood of the northern lizardfolk, Li En suddenly thought she might be a good candidate.

To prevent the "Princess and Hero" story from repeating, the easiest solution is to produce a female Hero—and right now, the royal family has no prince.

"At least not yet." Li En felt a strange pang of guilt, yet found himself liking Claire even more.

He intended to strive for the Hero title, gain power and reputation in the process, but had no intention of being permanently bound by it.

He had promised Dainya he'd fight for her future to land safely—but he had no plan to get trapped himself.

Another thing he couldn't tell Dainya: if he truly became the Hero and the rumors were confirmed, she might never find a husband.

"No rush. We'll take it one step at a time. All the female candidates this time seem quite strong."

If he truly secured the title, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to pass it to a safe, female Hero.

Lana and Hela's potential are no less than this woman's.

Li En himself could never obtain the Rex Hero title from the Hall of Spirits; the Kingdom's Hero title is another matter entirely.

One step at a time. At my current strength, I'm probably at the bottom among Rex's inheritance candidates. Hmm, with Lana around, I'm second-to-last?

Potential is potential—it requires time, resources, a nurturing environment, and fortune that isn't strangled.

Right now, Li En's main task is to ensure this competition remains relatively healthy: gaining sufficient attention and popularity while providing these talents with an environment suitable for growth.

With his current strength, this goal is as absurd as fishing for a whale with a rod—those "talents" could crush him effortlessly with raw power—but if viewed as a two-year long-term mission, it's another story.

"First, try to win over these Hero candidates—at least build some goodwill."

Two knights from the same faction naturally got along easily.

Especially since Li En had the Holy Knight aura, and Claire, as a candidate, was already planning to curry favor with the judges—even if she knew classical Holy Knights rarely showed favoritism, could a Judge truly remain unaffected by liking or dislike?

With mutual needs and both being Order-aligned knights, they naturally got along well—especially since, in a certain sense, they were truly of the same kind.

As previously mentioned, Claire wasn't just a lizardfolk—she was also a powerhouse on the "False Dragon" path.

Her title was Red-Haired Demon—clearly, she was a lizardfolk with Red Dragon bloodline.

Blood ties were hard to resist; Claire grew increasingly warm toward Li En, even vaguely feeling that if she had a "younger brother," he'd be just like this.

She became even more enthusiastic, even teaching the "newcomer" some insider customs.

"Every family runs their shops through merchant guilds—that's an insider secret. Most guilds are backed by some ghost noble. Your Sudar family isn't good at this."

Yesterday, Li En might have explained that he had little connection to the Sudar family.

But now, he could only smile wryly and agree.

As they chatted, they also watched the "live feed" of the underground ruin, commenting on the newcomers.

"The big fish haven't entered yet—they're unlikely to surpass the knights' progress."

Based on what Li En had seen so far, the situation was delicate: the real experts hadn't shown up yet—and the Kingdom's Hero candidate was the most watched.

But it wasn't just because of him—his teammates were exceptionally strong.

A High-Rank Priest and a Grand Mage as a team? That's not something ordinary adventurers could afford.