Raising Yanderes to save the world

”That Cardinal seems to have lost his mind. Does he truly think he can fool everyone by trying to introduce a new hero candidate? People are not so foolish.”

Leon pointed out with an annoyed look on his face, and Kael wanted to say that he agreed with him.

But he had a feeling the Cardinal had not gone off the rails just yet.

”I have a feeling the Cardinal is planning something. He would not have shown his hand so clearly if he was not confident that he would win.”

Kael could narrow down the things the Cardinal could try, and he could only come to one conclusion—the Cardinal likely wanted to use Seraphina.

That was the only reason he would have tried to separate everyone else.

”I don’t think Seraphina is foolish enough to fall for the Cardinal’s trap. But I still have this strange feeling that something will go wrong.”

Leon sounded irritated as he pointed it out, and Kael rubbed his back to try and make him feel better.

”Have some faith in Seraphina. She will be fine. I am sure she would never deliberately betray us.”

Seraphina had an honest character, and even if she did come across as...weird sometimes, it was likely not deliberate...mostly.

”Tsk, you truly don’t know her character.”

Leon was speaking more to himself than anyone else, but Kael decided he should not pay attention to it. Leon had no obligation to believe in Seraphina, but as the hero, he should show some faith in her.

...

Someone came to get them soon after they were done, and Leon was given new clothes to change into (which he ignored).

The ceremony they had to attend was going to take place right in the middle of the people’s chamber, which had more than enough capacity to hold 10,000 people.

And currently, the hall was overflowing.

Leon and Kael entered the hall first, and Kael’s eyes immediately went toward the kid he had seen before. The kid was standing beside the Cardinal, but he gave a small wave as soon as his eyes met Kael’s.

The Cardinal noticed this, and he subtly pushed the kid’s hand down so that he would not be able to greet Kael.

Kael felt bad for the kid, but this was none of his concern. So he kept walking until he took his place at the altar.

And then Seraphina came inside.

Unlike Leon (who was dressed plainly), Seraphina was decorated with a heavy veil and various jewels. Her jewels reflected the light, making her shine even brighter and stand out even more. But there was something about her presence that felt off.

’Is she under some kind of spell? I feel like I should interfere.’

Kael moved toward Seraphina, but Cardinal Flux was faster and welcomed her onto the stage.

”Our dear Saintess and the Hero are here after ending the war. Everyone, please welcome them...what is this?”

A bright light filled the chamber, and Kael felt heavy magic slamming into him.

He doubted anyone else could feel this magic because it was too much for them to handle. And as expected, most people only saw the bright light.

Once it started to dim, Seraphina spoke up.

[The Goddess has sent another message to her people. Her words say, ’Please do not worry! The fake Hero shall be exposed, and the one who found him shall lose everything. The one who carries the mark of my presence shall be crowned as the Hero.’]

Seraphina’s words were laced with divine power that even an ordinary citizen could feel. These words...they were not normal.

”Is that...a prophecy? The Saintess made a prophecy?”

”But she talked about the Hero. But why? Wasn’t the Hero already found?”

”The prophecy talks about the fake Hero. Do you think...our current Hero is fake?”

People started to form opinions on the topic, and even Kael felt shocked by what just happened. After all, this was not something that had happened before.

But he was not as concerned about what just happened as he was about Leon and Seraphina.

Leon...looked like he did not care, but Seraphina looked sorry and annoyed. It was almost as if she had not wanted to say anything, but those words had come out of her mouth anyway.

Moreover, Kael also felt traces of magic mixed with her divine power.

’Was that even a prophecy? It felt unnatural...’

Kael wanted to point it out, but Leon grabbed his hand and shook his head.

Cardinal Flux decided this was the right time for him to step forward and take control of the stage.

”Oh my! I did not expect the Goddess to send her words. The situation must be dire for her to do so. She must have wanted to tell us the truth. Alas, my fears have come true. The person we considered a Hero up until now was a fake.”

Cardinal Flux did not simply say these words; he put his whole heart and soul into his acting.

Kael felt like he was watching a Broadway actor when he looked at the Cardinal, and he could not help but want to clap his hands at the ridiculous performance he was seeing.

Unfortunately, the people were eating up his act and looking concerned.

”What do you mean by this, Cardinal Flux? You knew that the Hero was a fake?”

”How dare you deceive us until now.”

The Cardinal noticed that the situation was turning against him, so he quickly calmed the people down.

”Everyone, it is nothing like that. How could I have known about this until now? It is clear that the Goddess decided to take pity on us and show us the true way. She even sent the real Hero along my path. And I will present him to you right now. Neil, show them all your mark.”

The Cardinal pushed a young kid forward. It was the same kid Kael and Leon had seen in the inner chambers before.

The kid hesitated before he lifted his shirt and showed a huge mark on his back that vaguely looked like the Goddess’s symbol.

However, Kael doubted a physical symbol was enough to prove that this kid was the Hero and Leon was fake.

’There is no way people would believe such evidence—’

Unfortunately, it seemed like he had overestimated the common people by a lot.