I WAS The Rank–1 Hero-Chapter 164: Act 1: The Truth

"Was I in love with you?"

The moment she said that, my face froze. She was staring at me with that curious look on her face.

I found myself looking away from her.

And somehow, I recalled that one time Ruby gave me a quick peck on my cheek.

My entire face went hot.

How did she find out?

Does this version of Ruby also— freewebnoveℓ.com

No. No. Impossible.

"Eh?!" Just now, I saw her face flush.

"That expression—"

Her eyes wavered on my flushed face as I kept trying to avoid looking at her.

"Is that true? Was I?!"

She took a step back, as if not believing it.

Stammering, she asked,

"Ho—How did you pull this off?!"

Alright, now this somehow pissed me off.

"Hey, that's rude, you know… and for your information…"

I grinned slightly before answering.

"...Ruby's the one who proposed to me."

Well, that's a lie. But I still wanted to say it.

Blinking at my obvious response, she narrowed her gaze.

"Now, that's a lie."

"..."

"Ahem," I changed the topic. "Now, do you believe me?"

She still had some doubts in her eyes.I can't blame her.

I mean, who in their right mind would believe that a person can cross between timelines?

Certainly not me.

"I'm still having a hard time accepting all of this…"

She slumped down on the sofa, slamming her head on the backrest, massaging her forehead.

"A person crossing between alternate verses—that's ridiculous."

I gazed at her thoughtful figure.

"So, would you help me out?" I asked genuinely.

Ruby, puffing out her cheeks, squinted her eyes.

"I'm still having a hard time believing it. That I, from your world, fell for you."

"Sigh, would you please drop the unnecessary matters."

Picking up her hot chocolate and sipping softly, she gestured for me to sit down.

"Alright, take a seat and ask me everything you have in your mind."

To her request, the first thing I asked was…

"Was my sister killed?"

It still hurts me to even say those words. But I have to do it, if I want to reach the truth.

"Fuu…"

Lifting her cup, she simply said,

"Correct."

I clenched my fists.

I took out the three students' photos from my pocket.

"Then—are you telling me that these three are the suspects?"

"Precisely." She confirmed it.

I rasped.

"Then… why didn't you do anything against them?"

She was the headmistress, and she knew that those three had killed her. So why couldn't she punish them?

Those three must still be lavishly roaming in their grand noble houses. Smiling. Laughing. As if nothing ever happened.

"They don't deserve to live," I murmured. "Why didn't Nova—why didn't you do anything?"

The glow in Ruby's eyes dulled, reflecting something sorrowful.

"You make it sound so easy, huh?" she said. "Why don't you go do it yourself?"

I was planning to, but…

"You can't, right?" She answered herself.

I knew I was being too direct with her.

Expecting something from her that I myself feared to do.

After all, I've got my mom and dad to look after. What would happen to them if I went against three influential noble houses?

I knew the answer clearly. Yet.

Ruby's gaze softened on me.

"I've got my students after all. Just like your parents. I too have people I care about. You know the Hero Association—you seem familiar with them. Then you must know what they're capable of."

I couldn't go against them. It was funny.

A Rank 1 Hero, whom the world once worshipped, who without question followed whatever the Hero Association told him to do…

I was bound.

Bound by the people I cared for.

I didn't want them to suffer because their son did something foolish.

And Ruby was the same.

In this world, she didn't have 'me'. But still, she was afraid to go against them.

She didn't know what they would do to her academy or to her students. After all, not everyone in Nova Academy belongs to a noble house.

Lowering my head, I simply said,

"I'm sorry."

"Mhm," she nodded. Then her eyes darted to the three photos in my hand.

With a murmur, she spoke.

"In a place where power speaks, the ones who suffer will always be the weak."

"It's a cruel place, no?" She asked, looking at me.

Cruel must be a small word.

Just as I was about to speak, Ruby's wristband buzzed.

"Hm?" Looking down, she requested. "I sec."

It must be something important. Tapping on the holographic screen, she was reading something.

And with each words, the color of her expression changed.

She jolted from her sofa.

"What the—?!"

The astonishment on her face was evident.

"What is it?" I asked, seeing her sudden reaction.

Ruby didn't respond immediately.

Her brows furrowed, lips tightening as she scrolled through the message.

For a moment, she bit her lower lip.

"Tch…" she clicked her tongue.

Then, looking at me, she said, "The three noble houses that those three kids in the photos belong to…"

I listened.

"…they are no more."

"Huh?" I blinked, stunned. I was trying to process what she had just said.

"No more?" I repeated. "Did the three… die?"

"Much worse." She showed me the message on the screen.

Reading it, a chill ran down my spine.

"H-How?!" I was left speechless.

What was written on the screen didn't make sense. It was impossible to digest.

— — — — — — — — — — — —

[International Security Alert]

The noble houses of Duskveil, Starcrown, and Silverrest have been annihilated. All estates are reported in a state of complete ruin.

Every recorded family member has been confirmed dead.

All three attacks occurred simultaneously, within the last few minutes.

The cause is unknown. An investigation is underway.

— — — — — — — — — — — —

"You… You're kidding me."

My voice came out dry.

Three noble houses—wiped out.

All three?

Simultaneously?

Before I could ask more, Ruby spoke.

"Hold on, there's more…"

Her finger tapped on the screen, and three images popped up.

I shifted to her side to get a proper look.

The display of three noble houses—or, once, a noble house—filled the entire screen.

Their grand estate was now reduced to nothing but charred ruins. Stone walls shattered into pieces, their rooftops caved in. The flames were still flickering out.

All of it was too perfect, as if someone made sure no traces of them would remain.

But amidst them all, my eyes caught onto something.

It was a symbol.

A black pattern was carved on the stone wall, nearly ten feet in diameter, and detailed with intricate patterns.

It was a jagged circle. Inside, a single vertical line split it in half, and from its base, thin crooked branches spread out like cracks. Almost like a spine connected to a skull.

That symbol…

It was enough to make my blood run cold. I could feel my hands trembling, cold sweat sliding down my temple.

"What is… this?" Ruby's voice reached me, her eyes squinting at the images.

But when she turned to look at me, her face changed.

"Zane?" she called. "Do you know what that symbol is?"

Yes, I knew.

I don't know how, but my body was reacting to it.

Despite seeing it for the first time, it felt like I had known that symbol for eternity.

"Death." I didn't realize when I said those words.

My hands instinctively reached to my lips, covering them.

"What?" Ruby turned her gaze to me.

But unbeknownst to her, I was actually hiding my grinning face.

Of course, it was never a coincidence. How could it be?

That symbol on that noble house's walls, it wasn't something random.

I knew to whom it belonged. Agroth. The God of Death. And me—his apostle.

"Why did you go quiet?" Ruby asked worriedly.

Looking at her, I lifted my hand away from my mouth and answered,

"I think I know who did that."

Someone knew I was here. Someone made sure this image reached me.

The suspects Albert gave me, the ones who took my sister away from me— And now, their families wiped out… And right there, in the middle of it all, was the symbol of Death.

It wasn't hard to connect the dots. It had to be another Authority Holder. Or maybe— A demon with knowledge of Authority Holders.

But the real question was—How did they know about me?

Surely, I never used my Authority skills in a way that would let them sense me. Not to mention, I still couldn't recall anything from before my arrival in this world.

Noticing me lost in thought, Ruby raised a brow. "And who might that be?"

"I'm certain it was a demon." That's what I told her.

I asserted, without a single doubt in my tone.

"What?!" She gasped, her voice panicking slightly.

It was a demon. Or, more precisely, a demon who possessed knowledge about Authority Holders.

It wasn't a guess. It was my deduction.

Elise. Rowan. Cristine. Rina. The four of them went to Thorn Forest. A territory dangerously close to the Demon Continent.

"You mean a demon was here, inside the Human Continent?"

I nodded my head.

"I need to move—"

But, as I was about to speak, a blue transparent screen flashed in front of me.

— 「Bonus Objective: Uncover the Death」—

Progress: 15%

Reward: [Skill: <Resurrection—S Rank>]

Note: All rewards obtained in this world will also reflect in the real world.

— — — — — — — — — — — — —

"Huh?"