The Hero King, Reincarnate to Master the Art of War - Chapter 401: 16 Year Old Inglis and the Highland on Distance Sea (10)

Runes were not absolutely determined by the first Baptism and could evolve into more powerful ones after much effort. Apparently, Prince Winsel Alucard, Lahti’s brother, also experienced such evolution. So, it wasn’t impossible, but witnessing it like this was the first time for them.

“U-, unbelievable… I’m a Special Grade Rune…”

Leone was taken aback, staring at the Special Grade Rune on the back of her right hand.

“Congratulations, Leone. Isn’t that great?”

Among Rafinia, Leone, and Liselotte, Leone was the most diligent in training, so it might be natural for her to reach this point. She consistently trained well and had been through various battles since enrolling in the Knight Academy. These experiences had steadily expanded Leone’s strength.

“Inglis… Y-, yes…! Thank you!”

“Let’s have more mock battles with heaps of Artifacts later, okay? I’m sure it would be good training.”

Inglis smiled excitedly. She was glad that Leone, her most frequent training partner, was now an owner of a Special Grade Rune. The intensity and quality of training with Leone would also increase.

“D-, don’t be too hard on me, okay…? Having a Special Grade Rune doesn’t suddenly make me more powerful, after all…”

“Well, that’s obvious~ We didn’t change your rune to make you stronger~ It’s your Rune that doesn’t match your strength, so we only engraved a suitable one~”1

“Th-, thank you very much…! Professor Vilkin…!”

Rafinha bowed to First Professor Vilkin.

“It’s nothing~ I’m just giving a service to my guests~”

“I also want to thank you! Your face reminds me of bad memories, but you’re actually a good guy, aren’t you?!”

“Hahaha. Even if we both use High Mana Coats, it’s the personality, the soul, that’s important~ Well, I guess it’s great that my ground customers don’t hate me~? Don’t wanna damage the reputation, after all~”

The professor beamed.

“Good for you, Leone! Congratulations!”

“We had no one with a Special Grade Rune in our year! You’re our representative!”

“B-, but in terms of strength, Inglis is…”

“I’m in the Squire department. Besides, you fit this role better than I do, Leone.”

A holy knight with a special mark is certainly more straightforward. From an outsider’s perspective, Inglis is just a strong runeless, but mysterious.

In the battle against the resurrected frozen Prisma, she had to go public and make a name for herself due to the circumstances, but from now on, even if another Prisma appears, she could just pretend that Leone was the one who defeated it.

Taking credit in such an obvious way would just invite trouble, just like being inundated with marriage proposals. This time, the royal family announced to shut the matter down, but if the situation settles down, another surge might occur.

To prevent this from happening again, Inglis planned to overshadow the previous major incident with a new, commendable act. That way, past events would fade into the background as attention shifted to the new deed.

For example, if another Prisma appeared and caused chaos in the country, it would be acceptable as long as neither Inglis nor Rafinia were the ones to publicly defeat it.

“…well, I’m just thrilled that Leone has become even more incredible, you know? But I hope you won’t use this as a reason to take unnecessary risks!”

“I fully agree with you. It motivates me to work harder to catch up with her.”

“…thank you, everyone…! I’ll strive not to let you down.”

Leone nodded, her expression filled with sincerity and determination.

“Hey, do you think Liselotte could receive a Special Grade Rune too?!”

“I’m not sure, but I’d like to be checked as well…!”

Liselotte’s eyes sparkled with hope.

“Certainly~ You’re next then~”

“Yes…!”

Liselotte reached out to touch the approaching sphere.

Chime Chime Chime Chime!

This time, a different alarm sounded.

“…?! Wh-, what’s happening…?”

“Another error?”

“Important information! Important Information! A subject with aptitude level SS was found! Recommend immediate capture and initiation of the Hyrule Menace conversion procedure! Automatic capture in 10, 9, 8, 7……”

The sphere began to flicker intensely and circled Liselotte.

“Eh…eh…?! What does this mean?! Converting to Hyrule Menace…?!”

“OOOoooh~ That’s spectacular~ I’ve never encountered someone with SS level aptitude~𝅘𝅥𝅮”

The professor exclaimed with excitement.

“But it mentioned automatic capture, right…?!”

Rafinha raised a crucial point, questioning if Liselotte would be forcibly captured if no action was taken.

“Cease…! Or else…!”

Eris interjected with a warning.

“Alright, alright~ Cancel enforced capture, no automatic procedures, no no~ She’s our esteemed guest, after all~”

Professor Vilkin quickly instructed, and the sphere ceased its flashing and calmed down.

He made this decision because they were guests, but it raised the question: if Liselotte wasn’t a guest, would he have proceeded to capture and convert her without consent?

Who would be here if not as a guest? A Midlander who was captured? Or someone that was sent here as part of a trade, along with food and other goods from the Midland? It seemed it was a routine practice to assess large groups for their aptitude.

Special Envoy Theodore may support the people of the Midland, but that doesn’t mean everyone from his homeland shares his sentiment. Nor is it certain that Charalia is the only country interacting with Illuminas.

This incident implied that such practices were standard procedure.

“Aah, that gave me a fright…”

Liselotte exhaled a sigh of relief.

“So, what do you think? You heard it yourself; you possess exceptional talent, you know~? I mean, SS level aptitude, wow~ The procedure could be completed in half a day… or instantly. The success rate is 120%~! I assure you of guaranteed success, so how about it? Interested in becoming a Hyrule Menace?”

Vilkin, eyes gleaming, stepped closer to Liselotte.

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1. Lio: Ah, so it’s just a matter of the person growing stronger and thus having a higher grade rune being available to them.