Rey came to my room.

Instead of her usual armor, she was wearing polka-dot pajamas—perhaps her sleepwear.

"Your pajamas are pretty fancy."

"...They were cheap, and they help me feel composed."

Not quite understanding her reasoning, I observed her more closely. Upon inspection, the pattern wasn’t polka dots but stylized faces of Ivy. It seems Ivy has finally ventured into the realm of fashion.

"Mii!"

Incidentally, Ivy was also here. Naturally, I had obtained Rey’s permission beforehand.

For clarification, Ivy and I sleep in separate beds. She alternates between sleeping in her own bed, on the floor, or occasionally sneaking into mine—living her days as she pleases.

"Rey, so what’s this talk you wanted to have...?"

"Ah, with Maria—the former saint—arriving, I thought it necessary to have a proper discussion about my... identity."

"Your identity...?"

To be honest, I can’t say I wasn’t curious at all.

From the start, she was always a mysterious person. Unusually bad with directions, lacking common sense, and prone to outrageous behavior. Yet she had gained the trust of the renowned ‘Dragon Knight’ Logan and trained under him. Her body was so resilient that even when Sanshita bit her, it was Sanshita’s gums that bled. She was strong enough to defeat him, yet even the Endlord Marquis didn’t know of her existence. She dressed like an adventurer but lacked basic adventurer knowledge.

The mystery surrounding Rey’s true identity... I gulped involuntarily.

Noticing my nervousness, Rey chuckled lightly before casually revealing the truth.

"I’m... a hero."

"...A hero?"

"M-M-Mii?"

Ivy and I exchanged glances and simultaneously tilted our heads in confusion. The word she uttered was unexpected.

Heroes are famous figures often found in fairy tales. Though calling them figures might not be accurate, as there are multiple heroes. They always appear when humanity suffers from calamities or monsters.

One hero is said to have defeated an evil dragon, while another overthrew a tyrannical king to establish a new nation.

The tales of heroes are ones everyone in the kingdom has likely heard at least once. Though somewhat embellished, they depict saviors of the people and inspirations for children. To me, they always felt like stories from a distant, unrelated world.

But now... Rey is one of those heroes?

Even as she said it, the reality didn’t quite sink in. Yet, strangely, it didn’t feel out of place either.

"I see. So you’re a hero."

"Yeah, I’m sorry for keeping it a secret."

"Oh, not at all. Being a hero probably means there are things you need to keep hidden. I don’t mind at all."

Unlike her usual confident and bold demeanor, Rey now looked uneasy, lacking confidence as she glanced toward us. Her gaze carried a hint of uncertainty.

"...Smile."

"Mii!"

So Ivy and I decided to smile at her, as if to reassure her that there was no need to worry about anything. To help ease her heart.

For a moment, her stiff expression softened. Soon after, Rey returned to her usual self.

"I make the revelation of a lifetime, and yet... Bruno and Ivy, you’re both completely unfazed."

"Well, yes. It’s not like anything changes just because you’re a hero, right? Isn’t that right, Ivy?"

"Mii!"

With Icicle, a commander of the Demon King’s army, and Maria, a former saint, around, adding a hero to the mix doesn’t seem like a big deal anymore.

"I see... I see..."

Rey said this and stood up. She turned her back to us and stood still for a moment. Her shoulders appeared to tremble slightly, but we pretended not to notice.

After some time, Rey spun around to face us.

"Alright, tonight we drink until dawn!"

Though her eyes were a little red, we pretended not to notice that either—just as we had before.