Chapter 29

When Half-Elf Mio woke up, she found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Where... am I?"

"Ah! You're awake! That's great, miss!"

Sitting beside the bed was a large man clad in golden armor.

"Who are you...?"

"I'm Lawrence! The kingdom's hero!"

"Hero... so, you saved me?"

"Not exactly! It was me and that guy over there, the two of us!"

Mio looked towards the corner of the room, where a man with sharp, predatory eyes stood.

"He's Act Age! A kind-hearted man who saved you from the thieves!"

"Thieves... right, I was sold by slave traders and then attacked by thieves... and then..."

She remembered being taken to the thieves' hideout. But when she woke up next, she was here.

"Where... am I?"

"It's an inn in the capital! On our way to the capital, Act and I helped a village that was being attacked by thieves and then destroyed their hideout!"

"Heroes are amazing..."

"No! I couldn't have done it alone! Thanks to Act, we were able to find the hideout! And he also healed your injuries!"

Mio looked at her reflection in the window, her face showing shock.

"Unbelievable... my face... my injuries... they're healed..."

She had suffered severe burns on her face and multiple bruises and fractures all over her body due to Dranix.

But now, she was completely healed.

"Amazing... I didn't even know elves had such powerful healing... What are you, exactly?"

"I'm just a guild master."

"No, that's not right. Ordinary people can't heal like that... Wait, what happened to your left eye?"

The left side of Act's face was wrapped in talismans and bandages.

"It's none of your business."

"Ah, right... Well, thank you for saving me. Lawrence, and Act."

Mio bowed deeply, and Lawrence shook his head with a smile.

"Great! I'm glad you're safe! Right, Act?"

"Yeah. By the way, you mentioned being sold. What happened?"

"Actually..."

She explained her situation to her rescuers. She had been exiled from her country because she was a half-elf and had suffered at the hands of Prince Dranix after opposing him.

"What a cruel act! I can't forgive this!"

"Calm down, Lawrence. What do you plan to do?"

"Protest to the prince!"

"Forget it. He won't listen to anyone. It would be a waste of time."

"Ugh... But I can't just ignore it!"

"The expulsion of half-elves has already happened. There's nothing we can do about it now. ...Besides, you have other things to do."

The hero's mission is to defeat the demon king. It would be pointless to start a fight with another country and get captured.

"Sorry, Act. I lost my composure! I'll reflect on it! I'll run it off!"

Lawrence put his foot on the windowsill and went outside.

"Well, Mio, what will you do now?"

"I want to... see my mother."

Mio didn't know how much time had passed since the prince expelled the half-elves or where they were.

But she longed to be reunited with her beloved mother.

"Do you have any leads? Any money?"

"......Nothing at all."

Tears streamed down Mio's face.

"I'm... powerless. With my tainted blood... I can't do anything..."

She couldn't protect her dignity or search for her mother. Mio was crushed by her own weakness.

"Look up, Mio. It's too early to decide you can't do anything."

Act leaned in close to Mio, his uncovered right eye looking at her.

"I have a proposal. Are you willing to become an adventurer?"

"An adventurer...?"

"Yes. As an adventurer, you'll have many opportunities to travel and gather information. Plus, it's the best way to earn money."

"But... with my tainted blood, becoming an adventurer is impossible."

Mio had lost all confidence after being powerless against the prince, losing her home, and being separated from her mother.

"What makes you think it's impossible?"

"Huh...?"

Act looked straight into Mio's eyes. It wasn't the cold, indifferent gaze the prince had given her, like he was looking at a stone on the road.

His eyes were serious and focused on her.

"Don't limit your potential based on assumptions."

"But... I'm a half-elf..."

"Do you think being a half-elf is a mark of incompetence?"

Mio's mind was filled with the faces of the elves who had looked down on her.

"I see, it runs deep."

Act patted Mio's head.

"Don't worry. You have a hidden, special power. It's a formidable talent that far surpasses the elves who belittled you."

"That's... impossible. I don't have such a great power inside me..."

"You do."

Mio wasn't a child to believe everything a stranger said, but at least he was looking at her seriously, unlike the other elves.

He saw her as an individual, not through the lens of her tainted blood.

"Trust me. You have talent."

"That's right! Miss!"

Lawrence returned from the window and smiled.

"He's Act Age! The guild master of 'Heaven-Given Talent' and the world's best appraiser! He recognized and nurtured my talent as a hero!"

"Really...? That's amazing..."

"So, what will you do?"

Mio thought and then made her decision, based on the words of her rescuer and the kind, encouraging words of the man before her.

"Please, Act... sir. Let me join your guild!"

Act nodded and allowed her to join the guild.

"Act, what talent does the miss have?"

"She has good ears."

"Ears?"

"Yes. With training, she can distinguish sounds from far away. Plus, she can hear the voices of the voiceless, like animals and dragons."

"Amazing! What a wonderful ability! But why would the country expel someone with such great power?"

"They saw her through the lens of prejudice as a half-elf and didn't try to recognize her true potential. The foolish prince was indeed a fool."

Act chuckled and looked at Mio with determination.

"Don't worry. I'll polish your raw talent. I'll make you so exceptional that the foolish prince who abandoned you will beg for you to return."

【To the Readers】

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