An Unborn Hero

You have learnt to detect the presence of spirits, upgrading [Soul's Eye] with [Sense Spirit]. Level cap of [Soul's Eye] increased by 10.

For observing a new aspect of reality, [Soul's Eye] advances to level 34.

For refusing to shut up, [Telepathy] advances to level 2.

For bringing a touch of hope to the despairing, [Telepathy] advances to level 3.

For repeatedly draining and recharging your mana, [Mana Absorption] advances to level 3 and [Increased Attributes] to level 9.

You have learnt how to read the thoughts of a willing partner, upgrading [Telepathy] with [Reciprocity]. Level cap of [Telepathy] increased by 10.

For discovering a new aspect of psychic communication, [Telepathy] advances to level 4.

For successfully sending a message, [Telepathy] advances to level 5.

Achievement unlocked: [Pioneering Guider].

For saving the life of another with your teachings, [Magical Girl Transformation] advances to level 20.

For pushing your soul to its breaking point, even if for a good cause, [Astral Projection] advances to level 21 and [Robust] to level 19.

"[Telepathy] was the big winner there. Thank goodness Rrillandral could help me with translations, or I wouldn't have been able to get the message through to Rose. And thank goodness Mum could help me with the mana, too; [Telepathy] doesn't use much for a simple message, but blasting it out for hours still adds up. What's the achievement, though? For sending messages to an unconscious person? And that's an odd level-up message for [Magical Girl Transformation]."

Pioneering Guider (Epic)

You have shared your knowledge and taught your protege wisely, setting them on a new path, never before travelled. May your guidance prove fruitful, and your mentees prosper. Those you tutor enjoy a 300% experience boost in skills you possess at a higher level, and have improved chances of picking up occupations related to those skills. 20% of experience they earn in such skills is fed back to you.

"Wait... Doesn't that mean Rose earned experience in [Magical Girl Transformation]? When? I would have noticed if she'd suddenly transformed..."

While Mystery was recovering, and wondering what exactly Rose had done, Rose was wondering something rather similar.

"Uh... Sorry to interrupt... but my status has gone weird..."

"Oh? Weird how?" asked Rrillandral.

"I've changed occupation and earned a new skill. The skill is rare, and the occupation is epic, but I can't read either! And I have an epic [Pioneer] achievement, too, for earning an occupation that no-one has ever had before."

"It's just one chunk of excitement after another with this group," grinned the elf. "Can you transcribe what you see?"

Rose started to do so, which immediately made the problem apparent.

"Well, that explains why you can't read them," said Kellela. "It's all English."

"Indeed. Congratulations on being the first... Uh... [Magical Swordsgirl]? Is that related to [Magical Swordsman]? That's not a new occupation, though. Nor is it epic."

Had Mystery been out to witness it, she'd have cheered the non-sexist class name, but would still have complained that she was still stuck with [Hero] instead of [Heroine].

"[Translate] is giving me something more like 'young female swordsman who battles evil using the magical transformation powers of friendship,'" pointed out Kellela.

"What? How did you get that much from two words? What about 'magical' or 'swordsgirl' implies battling evil or transformations?"

"Don't ask me," shrugged Kellela.

"I believe the cause is that our language lacks the concepts held in those words, else her status should not be unreadable to begin with."

"And where does [Dancing] come into it?" asked Grace.

"[Dancing]?"

"She learnt the skill when she shouldn't have been able to, so must have been part way to an occupation change already."

"Keep going, Rose," asked Kellela. "What's the description?"

"There isn't one."

"That's normal for new occupations," pointed out Rrillandral. "You're the one building the class. It's up to you to decide what you are."

Rose continued with the new skill instead, which, of course, turned out to be [Magical Girl Transformation].

"You're going to need more mana... I suggest you start work on [Increased Attributes] and its [Mana Storage] sub-skill, which are easy to get and will boost your maximum capacity."

"I already have [Increased Attributes], but yes, [Mana Storage] sounds sensible."

"And... we need to rethink our plans," added Grace. "As much as it pains me to admit."

The room fell into silence, everyone thinking the same thing. They'd been attacked here, in the capital, the best defended city in the kingdom and far from the borders of the demonic forest. A stone had been set rolling back when Rose had slain the first demon, although none knew it at the time. Now it had become a full avalanche, and there could be no escape. The demons had shown a determination to slay the [Hero] that wasn't going to be stymied by a simple retreat.

They'd assumed the capital was safe, but that had been proven wrong in spectacular fashion. How could they spend a few peaceful years in the academy knowing the demons would be launching constant attacks? Who in the group would be willing to put innocent children at risk? Or the more general population of the capital? And what if the demons launched a full-scale invasion of the kingdom in an attempt to reach the [Hero]?

"I... have little guidance I can offer in this regard," admitted Rrillandral. "Never before has a [Hero] slain a greater demon and then attempted to retreat from war for years. I can say that demons generally do not forgive or forget, and will go to great lengths to take revenge on any holder of a [Demon Slayer] achievement. The presence of the [Hero] only exacerbates that. On the other hand..."

"On the other hand, what?"

"I often visit the demonic forest during periods of heightened monster activity, to check for the formation of a new demon lord. I have seen the demon lord of this cycle. Or rather, its egg. From what I saw, it will not hatch for a further year or two."

"What are you implying?" asked Grace, the expression on her face making it obvious that she knew full well what the elf was implying.

"I'm implying that we could invade the demonic forest now. Slay the demon lord before it even hatches."

"Or we could move again. How did the demons know where we were? Can we take measures to avoid being tracked?"

"It's possible. Mystery will shine like a beacon to any nearby demons, particularly now that she has [Diligent Hero], so hiding long term will be difficult. Perhaps Hayedalf can build a magical tool to mask that effect?"

"It might be possible, but it would take time, and I'd need a cooperative demon to help out."

"There's another factor, too," pointed out Kellela.

"Hmm?"

"I'm pregnant."

The group peered at her questioningly.

"Oh!" gasped Rose in realisation.

"Exactly. It's fine now, but as Mystery grows, I'm going to lose mobility. Given the... physical changes... caused by [Magical Girl Transformation], it's unlikely I'll be able to use it safely for much longer without putting Mystery at risk. It'll become increasingly hard to keep Mystery protected and safe. And once she's born, she'll have zero mobility. Do we really want a baby with us on the battlefield?"

"So either we need to be very sure of our hiding place, and commit to remaining there for years, regardless of any moves the demons make in the meantime, or else we need to finish up the entire war within the next couple of months," agreed Hayedalf.

"Dammit... We're seriously going into the forest, aren't we?" asked Grace. "Damn demons, wrecking our plans."

"You were really looking forward to going back to school that much?" asked Rose. "I only really went to daycare for adventurers' kids, but they gave us a few lessons, and I remember it being really boring."

"Well, sorry for thinking you should learn to read," snorted Platus, still in the room, but not taking part in the conversation. As much as it pained him to admit, he wouldn't go running into the demonic forest, even if he could turn himself into a superpowered little girl. Especially if he could turn himself into a superpowered little girl.

"Yes, I agree it was a good idea. That didn't make it any less boring."

"We aren't leaving right this second," pointed out Kellela. "We need to do at least some preparation. We should teach Mystery more spells, including a private tutor for some combat magic. Continue to work on our communications issues, too. And I think it would be a good idea for all of us to learn [Magical Girl Transformation], which should be easier now that Rose can help."

"Right, if we're staying here, I'm off to ward the place," declared Hayedalf, immediately standing up.

"Uh... Would it not be more efficient to request Mystery performs the spell?" asked Rrillandral, her curse making her equally reluctant. "Her level will assuredly be higher than anything we can reach in a short amount of time, even before considering the effect of the [Spell Forger] achievement that she must hold.."

"I..." started Grace, before clenching her fists, face set in determination. "Fine. I'll do it. And if I'm doing it, you two are too!"

"Surely defending ourselves against another monster attack comes first?" whined Hayedalf.

"Just how easy do you think it is to invade the capital? With this attack foiled, they aren't going to launch another one within the next few hours."

"Please don't tempt fate..." sighed Kellela.

The room fell into contemplative silence for a moment.

"Well, if that's all done, can we get back to the fact the [First Princess] was sobbing over my daughter?" spoke up Platus again, somewhat spoiling the moment. "The last we saw you, you were glaring daggers at each other. When'd the pair of you get so lovey-dovey?"

Melody smacked him over the head, while Rose pointedly ignored Grace's blush.

Xry'kl leaned against a wall back in the capital's slums, chewing on some stale bread he'd indirectly stolen. The bread had been paid for—the average stall holder in the slums kept a very close eye on their merchandise—but it had been paid for using coins salvaged from Fylith's pockets before he turned her in. It wasn't as if she was ever going to need money again.

Like Fylith, Xry'kl wasn't the sort of person who'd trade his life for his mission. Trading someone else's life, on the other hand, wasn't an issue. Not even the life of an ally.

His target still radiated its presence, an insulting beacon that he could feel no matter the barriers that stood between them. Not even the enchanted fortress walls of the capital blocked it. But not for much longer. He'd watched a squad of guards take Fylith away for questioning, and confirmed she'd been taken through the wards. He'd watched all his dream eaters but one emerge from her, while the last was tasked with ensuring the humans failed to extract any intelligence from their demonic gift. The barrier attenuated his control over them, but that hadn't come as a surprise, and so he'd given straightforward orders in advance; track the target's mana and infest anyone within five metres that fell asleep.

Once night came, the target would be eliminated. Maybe even the terrifying white one would die with it, but even if not, it didn't matter. His mission accomplished, he intended to return home. What came next wouldn't be Xry'kl's problem.

And so he waited patiently until night came.

And then, because he knew dream eaters took hours to kill their prey, he waited patiently until light came.

And then he impatiently waited some more, but the taunting presence of his target never wavered.

"Damn it," he swore. "What happened in there? Did they fail?"

Just like Zyfyl'p, had his orders been tweaked only slightly, the [Hero] would have died along with Kellela. If only he'd instructed the monsters to wait for nighttime, or had cut that five metres down to one.

He hung around for a couple more days, by which point he had no choice but to admit that yes, they had failed. A failure that left him with nothing. Fylith's skill at manipulating humans was leagues above his; he didn't even trust in his disguise holding should he get too close to one. He had no further monsters. He had no way to get inside the city. There was nothing whatsoever he could do.

"Do I fetch more monsters and try again, or is it time to seek backup?" he thought, dreading the reaction of his elders to his repeated failures. But at least he'd survived, unlike the other two, and making another attempt on his own risked spoiling that. What shame was there in admitting he was impotent against a group that had slain Zyfyl'p, and crushed every plan the demons had tried? The task needed to be promoted higher up the chain. And there it would end. There was no way an arch-demon—one of the most powerful beings on the planet—would fail.

Mystery (Human)

Age: -10 months

Occupation: Hero (L)

Skills:

- Soul's Eye (U) (34/100)

>> Sense Vitality (U)

>> Sense Soul (R)

>> Sense Mana (U)

>> Sense Light (C)

>> Sense Sound (C)

>> Pierce Illusions (U)

>> Sense Miasma (R)

>> Multi-focal (R)

>> Sense Spirit (R)

- Astral Projection (U) (21/60)

>> Sure Navigation (U)

>> Uncontainable (U)

>> Tether of Will (L)

- Robust (C) (19/40)

>> Hardened Soul (R)

>> Secured Mana (U)

>> Pain Tolerance (C)

- Stealth (C) (3/20)

>> Camouflage Vitality (R)

- Magical Girl Transformation (R) (20/30)

>> Age Correction (R)

>> Gender Bending (R)

- Light (C) (12/20)

>> Heterochrome (U)

- Increased Attributes (C) (9/20)

>> Mana Storage (U)

- Investigation (C) (2/10)

- Cosplay (U) (1/10)

- Mana Absorption (U) (3/20)

>> Drain Mana (U)

- Translate (U) (4/10)

- Telepathy (U) (5/20)

>> Reciprocity (U)

Achievements:

- Early Bloomer II (R)

- First Skill (C)

- Journeyman (U)

- Survivor of Zarklaxxos, the Arcane Infernal (R)

- I Broke The System, And All I Got Was This Lousy Achievement (E)

- Astral Explorer I (R)

- First Spell (C)

- I Broke The System Again, And Now The Administrators Hate Me (E)

- Spell Forger (R)

- Demon Slayer II (E)

- Monster Slayer V (E)

- Curiosity (U)

- War Veteran (U)

- Royal Audience (C)

- Diligent Hero (L)

- Studious (C)

- Pioneering Guider (E)