Reincarnated as a failed hero?! Watch me Defy Fate!

I was genuinely surprised by Amelia's progress. She was clearly training hard, and I could tell just from the way her body felt when she hugged me.

"Yeah… I missed you too, Amelia. Haha. But… could you let go for a second? I can't breathe," I said, almost gasping. Honestly, I thought I was about to pass out.

"Ooh… hehe, I just missed you so much," she replied with a cool smile.

I could feel that familiar yandere aura radiating from her. It sent a chill down my spine.

With a sigh, I placed my hand gently on her head and said, "I missed you too…"

That simple gesture softened her expression, turning her intense smile into something more bashful and endearing.

Inside my head, Envi suddenly shouted, "Hey, you idiot Nao! You should've hugged her tighter and kissed her! Why are you treating her like a child?!"

I scolded him in my mind. "You moron! The King is right here! Show some respect!"

Just then, King Aslan approached us and commented on Amelia's progress. He mentioned that she had succeeded in forming a contract with Hyperion, although it was still incomplete.

She would need a few more weeks before she could fully synchronize with Hyperion and summon him properly. That was understandable.

I told the King that it was great news and expressed my trust in him to guide her through the process. After all, he was the one who knew the most about forming contracts with Hyperion.

Suddenly, Amelia turned toward me and asked, "Um… Naoki, would you take a look at my familiar contract mark? Father said it's halfway formed. What do you think?"

"Ah, that? Sure. Show me."

Without warning, Amelia pulled down the zipper of her training outfit, exposing part of her chest.

"!!!" Both Envi and I froze in shock.

My face instantly flushed bright red. I hadn't expected her to act so carelessly… or was she doing this on purpose?

I could practically feel Envi losing his mind inside my head. If that perverted system took control of my body now, he'd probably pounce on her!

I had to suppress him with everything I had. No way was I going to let that horny lunatic take over.

Amelia leaned in, her expression curious. "Well? What do you think, Naoki?"

I couldn't speak. I was completely overwhelmed.

"It's… it's… wow, it's huge!" The words slipped out before I could stop myself.

I wasn't even thinking straight. My mind was short-circuiting from seeing her—well, seeing those. Envi screamed in agreement from inside me.

Amelia's cheeks turned bright red. She leaned in closer and whispered, "You can touch them if you want…"

"H-Hiii!! I-I mean, yeah, your father was probably right! The contract seal is definitely halfway formed. I'd say… in about two weeks, it should be complete," I blurted out, quickly turning my head away in embarrassment.

Damn it, I was seriously flustered. I wasn't used to situations like this, especially with Amelia being this aggressive. Compared to Serena, Amelia was on a whole different level of boldness.

Ever since we got engaged, she had been more forward with me—way more.

Amelia gave a satisfied nod and zipped her outfit back up. I wiped the sweat from my forehead. That girl was dangerous. I really needed to strengthen my mental defenses when I was around her.

Envi had finally calmed down, but he kept mumbling about how much he wanted to touch Amelia's chest. I figured he was probably broken at this point and let him ramble.

King Aslan, meanwhile, burst out laughing at the scene he'd just witnessed.

"You two really are close. Should I just go ahead and marry you off tomorrow?" he said with a grin.

"Please have mercy, Your Majesty…"

"Hahaha! I'm only half-joking! Honestly, I can't wait. I just hope this war ends soon so I can see you two live your lives together," he added with a warm smile. Amelia blushed again.

"I hope so too," I replied, smiling back.

Then I turned to him with a serious expression. I had a question that had been on my mind for a while now—one that might lead me closer to the traces of the Goddess of Benevolence in this world.

"Your Majesty, I wanted to ask about the contract seal for familiars within the Braveheart royal family. The hero families—Flamemore, Winterfell, Stormheim, Starlight, and Blackmore—all receive blessings from the gods and goddesses, and through that, they form their contracts with familiars. But with the Braveheart family… where does your divine power come from? How are you able to use Divine Magic and summon beings like Hyperion?"

The king looked at me with a thoughtful gaze, then placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Naoki… I suppose it's time you heard the truth."

I tensed, waiting for the answer.

"I… have no idea! Hahaha!" he laughed heartily.

"…You're kidding, right?" I muttered.

"Nope," he said confidently. "What your father said is true," Amelia chimed in. "My father, myself, my sister Aria, and even Arsene—we all awakened our Divine Magic at the age of seventeen. It's something that just happens naturally. When the time comes, we undergo a ceremony at the Hall of Ascension to awaken it fully. But unlike you heroes, we don't receive our blessings during the ceremony. Instead, the blessing is passed down from the previous wielder to the chosen successor. It's inherited."

She continued, "In the Braveheart royal family, the contract with Hyperion is passed down from the first king, then to the next, and so on. If you ask who our patron deity is… we don't really know. All we can say is that sometimes, we hear a faint voice—something divine—but we don't know which god it belongs to."

"You don't remember the voice clearly?"

"That's right," she nodded. "In our dreams, we meet the gods/gpddess, but their voice never fully reaches us. Even so, we can still feel their power flowing through us."

King Aslan added, "The first king, Arthur von Braveheart, never left any records of the origins of Divine Magic. That's what makes this power so mysterious."

"If you really want to find answers," he said, "talk to the Saintess. She's the only person outside the royal family who possesses this power. Sometimes, she can hear what she calls the 'Voice of the Divine.' Maybe she can help you."

I nodded in understanding, thanking him for the advice.

Perhaps it was time to meet the Saintess again. If I was lucky, she might help me find a clue—something that would bring me one step closer to meeting the Goddess of Benevolence herself.

....

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