17 Helena

"Granddisciple of a d-d-demigod?"

Al stuttered, and bit his lips immediately to stop it. This was a nervous tic of his that he had tried very hard to get rid of, but it returned in full force now as his world felt like it had been shattered.

'She must be lying! How can demigods have disciples and grand disciples? Aren't they just the voice of the gods, ever-present to guide humanity to satisfy those beings in the best way possible? What would they want to do with disciples? No, no, no, maybe I heard wrong!'

His inner monologue was so fast that he finished it by the time the woman registered his confusion and cocked her head.

She smiled, then, and as he gazed at her and looked closely for the first time since they had met, his breath caught.

'She's… beautiful.'

Her lips were small but oh, so adorably cute. The way she puckered them as she studied him was endearing, and her green eyes looked like emerald pools that he wanted to sink into. Her black hair fell straight down her back, and she had a tiny birthmark on the very tip of her nose.

'Is…is this love?'

The stupid question finally made him return to his senses. The very fact that he had remembered that word made him feel queer; it was a world that had already hurt him once, so he cursed his heart for even bringing it up again.

Yet, when she spoke, he found himself hanging on her every word while noticing that her voice had a lilt to it that he had never heard before.

"Oh… I forgot. Well, it's going to be made public knowledge soon, anyway, so I see no problem in telling you. The demigods have begun to accept disciples, too. I spoke to Her Highness, myself, and I was as confused as you when my master told me that he had been taken under her wing, which meant that I automatically got this title. She peered right into my mind. It was as if she could tell what I was thinking! Oh, and the way she glowed… she was a beauty, through and through, but with a sort of divine allure that no one on earth can hope to match!���

She seemed to be blabbering, but Al absorbed it all, both recognizing that it was important information that he had luckily come across, and because the way she waved her arms around while talking had captivated him.

"She told me that even demigods want to create perfect odysseys that will elevate them in the eyes of the gods. This news is going to change the very foundation of what people think about them, so you should feel privileged to have found out about it before the embargo lifted. The government spotted it as an opportunity to entice heroes and villains, so they have already recorded a bunch of interviews that will all go public at once. I don't know when exactly that will be… but it's definitely in the next few days. When it happens, I-"

"Miss? We need to go. Remember we booked a famous group of sidekicks for your odyssey?"

The butler interrupted her chatter, and for a moment, she looked annoyed.

Putting her hands on her hips, she glared at him and he took a step back. Turning to Al as if they had never been interrupted, she held out her hand again and said, "Well? Are you going to shake it, or not?"

His hand sprang up before he could control it. Her skin felt smooth to the touch, and when she smiled, Al's heart beat faster.

He engraved the image in his mind, and when she let go, he continued staring.

The butler cleared his throat somewhere nearby. Al felt his ears burning as he got the hint, and he hastened to speak to break the tension.

"Pleased to meet you, too. It's not necessary for you to help me in an odyssey. I'm confident that I can win all of mine on my own."

She raised her eyebrows and made an inverted 'U' with her lips mockingly. "So confident, huh? I don't like keeping debts, so whether you like it or not, you're being carried by me. Butler, give him my card. Goodbye!"

It was his first time seeing someone so expressive, so for a moment, he was dazed. She finally shot him a strange look as she seemed to have realized that he was staring a lot, making him cough and avert his eyes. By the time he looked back, she was walking away, and the butler appeared in front of him before pressing a rectangular object into his hand.

"I know that look. Don't harbor fantasies that will never come true. She is a princess, and only a prince is worthy of her. For your safety, keep your head down and mind your own business."

Somehow, he spoke quietly and calmly at the same time. His eyes seemed to blaze for a moment when he said the last part, and when he looked into them, Al felt as if a weight had appeared on his shoulders, pressing him down to the ground.

The feeling passed when the man turned around and began to run in the direction of his mistress. They were heading back to the Main Enclave, and right before turning into the road that would get them there, Helena looked back and waved.

"I'll be looking forward to hearing from you! I've always wanted to be a villain, at least once!"

With a wink and a grin, she ducked into the alley and disappeared.

For an entire minute, Al stood there, his hand outstretched, still holding the card that he had been given.

He almost felt giddy due to the fact that three thoughts were fighting within him at the same time. First, the memory of having his heart broken was telling him to put this entire thing out of his mind. Second, her face remained in his vision, bright and pretty as a picture, and he was unwilling to let it go. And third… the words of the Butler still echoed in his ears.

'Worthless. In so many words, he basically called me worthless. DAMN HIM!'

The third thought won out. It suddenly felt as if a wild boar was wreaking havoc throughout his body, looking for an outlet, so turning to the side, he sent his fist flying with all his might.

It met the wall and made pain shoot through him, but he hardly felt it. His anger wasn't satiated one bit, and as he saw blood seep down the red bricks, he understood that this was not the right way to deal with it.

He turned around again, facing the direction they had disappeared in. He had closed his fist around the card before in his anger, and now, as he opened it, he saw that it had been crumpled. Smoothing it out carefully, he put it in his pocket and looked up before saying, "I won't forget this. She may be a princess now… but when I reach the peak, there will be many like her who will beg to speak with me. I'll prove it to you. One day, you'll regret that you spoke to me in this manner. I swear it!"

Only of the empty alleys bore witness to his oath, but he felt determination taking the place of the rage as soon as the last word left his mouth.

He turned around and abruptly, her face reappeared in his mind. He felt a smile reaching his lips as he recalled her every detail, but he stopped in its tracks.

'Achievements first, smiles next.'

Chanting this to himself, he took a step, and then another.

That was when he finally remembered the healing ward in his pocket. Hastily, he checked, and heaved a sigh of relief when he found it exactly where it was supposed to be.

'Mom…I'm coming!'

With this thought, he jumped in the direction of the teleportation station and ran the rest of the way, envisioning the dream he had dreamt for so long…and also hoping that it would come to be, with no more drama or difficulties in the way.

Everything looked fine for the rest of the way, but when he reached his building…something suddenly felt wrong.

He looked to his left, and there they were.

Laughing between themselves, the thugs who had stolen from him walked forward.

His face blanched, and he felt all his hopes evaporate. For a moment, he fought with his pride that wanted to fight.

It lost when he saw the knives in their hands. With no more hesitation, he turned around…and ran.