DEMON'S VIRTUE

Eiro reached the royal castle together with Solomon, and stepped out of the carriage that they were traveling in, "Did you get a chance to talk to them yet? I have some ideas, but I don't know how exactly they plan on continuing with certain things." Eiro pointed out, and Solomon slowly nodded his head.

"Yes, I've spoken to them a little before, but it was mostly related to the organization of the tournament, since they wanted to make sure that everything proceeded properly and without tricks." The king explained, as they stepped through the main entrance of the castle. And to their surprise, Silia was actually standing there and was waiting for Eiro and Solomon.

"Greetings. Should we proceed with our conversation immediately?" She asked, not wanting to lose another second, and Solomon lightly smiled at her, "Of course. Let us move toward my study, there we can talk without anyone listening in on us."

"Let us do that." Silia said, and waited for Solomon to lead the way. Eiro thought that this woman was acting somewhat weird, but that was probably just a cultural difference, something that Eiro wasn't used to. So he figured he should just ignore it, and followed Solomon and Silia over into the king's study, where Eiro swiftly created a barrier using the ace of cups.

"You possess one of the Divine Cards?" Silia asked, and Eiro shrugged slightly, "Kind of the wrong term, since they're anything but divine, really. They're Arcane, which is a whole other category of forces." Eiro explained, and Silia looked back at him, staring into his eyes for a few moments, "...But yes, I am the owner of five cards now."

"Huh? Five?" Solomon asked, and Eiro slowly nodded his head, "I recently acquired a new one." He pointed out, slightly tapping his chest, and Solomon understood that he seemed to have taken the bloodstone from Evelyn.

"...Five, I see? You understand the power of those cards, do you not? The fact that they can give a person an elemental affinity is something incredible." Silia pointed out, "So if you will, could you consi-"

"I am not giving my cards to the Hero." Eiro said bluntly, "No discussion."

"...Aha, if you says so..." Silia replied, "Then-"

"No. Seriously. I am not giving the cards to a child that already has such dangerous things to live up to. Did you know, that every single card has some repercussions? Using the Ace of Cups means not only being hidden from the world, but that everyone will forget about you during the duration. Even you yourself might forget things, which is the only reason why I try not to use it in its intended way. And I'm not talking about forgetting memories, but your personality might change. The Three of Swords, if you're not careful, will turn you into a doll whose only purpose it is to kill those around it." Eiro said, "That is not something that I am putting onto a child."

Silia locked eyes with Eiro, and then fully turned toward him, "Then let me ask you. Why do you want to join the Hero in his conquest of slaying the Monster King?"

Eiro sighed slightly, noticing the suspicion that Silia had for him, and started to explain, "I just want to make this world a better place for my children, alright? That's all I want. Even if I hadn't gotten this chance to become the companion of this hero, I would have chosen to go and kill the Monster King, with all it takes."

"Killing the Monster King is not such an easy matter. You will have to break through his first line of defense beforehand anyway, the Royals. They are superior monstrosities that are each strong enough to destroy a country. And then, there is the Monster King, a being that is stronger than all of them." Silia explained, and Eiro crossed his arms, "I already killed two royal monsters."

"You- I have only heard of one of such instances. Which was the other that you have slain?"

"I first killed The World, and then I killed the Death. I am currently making preparations to kill the Devil as well, since he is a particular threat even when the Monster King is gone." Eiro explained, and Silia slowly closed her eyes.

"If that is the case, then I might have underestimated you. You must not have shown even close to your full power in the tournament, correct?" She asked, and the Demon immediately nodded his head, "Yes, that's right. I haven't."

"And you have a wide range of abilities, as well as experience as an educator, correct?"

"...Yes. Although I haven't been teaching for that long. Well... that might not be true. I have been teaching my children for nearly a decade, but I haven't been a teacher at the Academy for even half a year, so be aware of that." Eiro explained, but Silia was still impressed, "If that is the case, then would you listen to my suggestion? Out of the currently selected companions for the hero, you seem to be the one that will do the best as a teacher for him. As such, could we ask for you to reposition to our country and personally instruct the hero?"

"No." Eiro said, "Not anytime soon, at least. I was told I could watch my children grow up, so no." Eiro had replied bluntly, without even a moment's hesitation. Silia hadn't even closed her mouth yet, and Eiro had already started responding.

"So are you rejecting the position you have fought to attain?"

"What? Of course not. I'm just not going to do everything you ask me to do. And in the first place, the whole way you're doing things seems rather idiotic." Eiro pointed out, something that Silia seemed to have taken quite some offense to, "Could you elaborate on that, please?"

"Sure. Your country is a tropical island country, correct? That is a very specific environment. And the monsters there are quite weak as well, correct? Sure, they make that up in numbers, but... the hero won't have to deal with numbers, but a single strong opponent. Everyone else can take care of the numbers if needed, but the hero has to fight the monster king." Eiro pointed out, and Silia stared back at him with a deep frown, "So, what are you suggesting?"

"It's simple. Change the rules. Don't have the 'teachers' travel to meet the Hero, but have the Hero travel to meet the teachers. That way, not only can the teachers instruct the Hero in the best way they can, in an environment they are used to, but the Hero can get used to having to travel long distances and spending time in different climates. And for example, here a bit further up north, the monsters tend to be larger and stronger, albeit less numerous. It's a good place for the Hero to train." Eiro explained, and Silia's expression slowly relaxed. She was clearly understanding the point that Eiro was trying to make.

"You do have a point." She muttered, "I will relay this suggestion to the Kingdom, and we will then inform you of our decision."

"Sure. But... Isn't it a bit too early for the hero to train anyway? He can only awaken as the actual hero once he turns of age, but he's still seven years away from that." Solomon pointed out.

"Yes, of course, but being the hero, he already has the capability to learn a wide variety of things even at a young age. He is quite prodigous, most likely in response to the power of the current Monster King." Silia explained quickly, and Eiro slightly frowned, "So you're teaching a child combat and magic abilities?"

"Only in a limited manner, of course. He is still a child after all. However, if we can teach him the basics now, then he should have an easier time growing more powerful in the future, correct?"

"...Right, sure." Eiro replied with a deep sigh, "Fine. Either way, I won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

"I will relay that fact, of course. However, you will still be required to go on a short visit to our country soon, so that you can at least meet the hero and his caretaker. Just see it as a vacation of sorts. Your family is free to come with you as well. I heard that people from this region quite enjoy vacation in tropical climates." Silia explained, and Eiro slowly looked back at her, "So just a stay of a couple of weeks?"

"Or however long you wish to stay, yes. You will just need to relay the information to us, and we will make all the necessary preparations. We are planning on calling all the winners of the tournaments at the same time so that you can meet each other as well, so please work together with us in regard to scheduling such things."

Eiro looked at Silia, and then simply let out a deep sigh, "Alright, fine. That sounds reasonable, at least." He pointed out, "Summer Vacation is coming up for the kids anyway, so it's a pretty good time, I guess."

"I am glad to hear that. Then now that we discussed this, I would like to speak about the actual responsibilities that fall upon you, now that you are the hero's companion.." Silia explained, "That means public responsibilities to not dirty the name of the hero or our country, as well as the responsibilities you have as a teacher for the hero as well as an actual combatist once we begin to move in order to conquer the Monster King."