[Sara POV] 2-3 days after Emperor/Head Mage meeting

  High above the clouds, Sara floated.

  Wings spread. Motionless. Watching nothing happen.

  [So boring. So very boring. Sara has been watching that elf and his maids for... how long now? Sara lost count. Months? More than a year? Time blurs when nothing interesting ever happens. Just regular people doing regular things. Construction. Training. Boring stuff.]

  Sara knew exactly why she kept watching them. The elf kept a monster. That monster-maid—Null. Powerful. Dangerous. Obviously not human. And the elf accepted her anyway. Kept her. Valued her.

  And then there were the Twins. Those dragon-phoenix-fox-monsters. Sara wasn't sure what they were exactly—or if they were one monster or two monsters. They felt... connected. Strange. But also clearly not human.

  [Sara is also monster. If elf accepts monsters... maybe one day accepts Sara too? Maybe?]

  But they hadn't done anything interesting in weeks. Just boring construction work. Boring training. Boring normal life. And that damn happy harpy—so weak, so useless at flying, but always happy-happy anyway. Made no sense.

  [Sara is going insane from boredom. Maybe going to guild? Something different? Just for few hours? Then come back to watching?]

  The thought grew more appealing with each passing minute of watching clouds drift by.

  Finally, Sara made her decision. [Quick visit. Something different. Then back to watching.]

  She angled her wings and dove toward the nearest Republic city with an assassin guild.

  The Assassin Guild was in its usual state—quiet, professional, full of dangerous people pretending not to notice each other.

  Sara walked to the job board. Scanning the contracts.

  Murder. Theft. Kidnapping. Intimidation. Monster extermination. The usual fare.

  But two contracts still stood out. Same ones from before.

  The Cardinal Vescari information request—still there, still offering absolution of sins as payment.

  And the strange one. The heroic deeds posting.

  Sara stared at it. [Still here? Nobody took it yet? Must be very difficult. Or very stupid. Probably stupid.]

  But something about it nagged at her. She walked to the desk.

  The clerk looked up. Professional nod. No fear—guild training was excellent.

  "Sara has question. About this hero contract." She pointed at the board.

  The clerk glanced at it. "Information gathering. Documented heroic actions. Payment negotiable based on quality of information."

  "But... why? Who wants this? What is point?"

  The clerk shrugged. "Client didn't say. Just wants reports of people doing heroic things. Selfless acts. Saving others. That sort of nonsense."

  [Very strange. But...] "Where does Sara report findings?"

  The clerk pulled out a ledger. Wrote down coordinates. "Cave system. Middle of nowhere. Standard dead drop location. Leave your report, payment will be arranged based on content quality."

  Sara took the information. Memorized it. [This sounds so random. But also... interesting? Different from boring watching. Something to do. Simple.]

  "Sara will try this."

  The clerk looked mildly surprised but said nothing. Just nodded.

  Sara left. [How hard can finding heroes be? People do good things sometimes. Sara just needs to observe. Something different to do.]

  It was not easy.

  Sara flew for hours. Searching. Watching. Looking for heroic deeds.

  She found... nothing. Just normal life. Merchants trading. Farmers farming. Guards guarding. Adventurers killing monsters for money—which wasn't heroic, just business.

  [Where are all the heroes? Stories always full of heroes. Brave warriors. Noble knights. Selfless saints. Where are they?]

  By evening, Sara was frustrated. Tired. Annoyed.

  She found a cave—some monster den, judging by the smell. Landed inside.

  The monsters living there—some kind of large reptilian things—felt her presence and immediately fled. Running deeper into the cave. Hiding.

  [Even monsters run from Sara. Of course they do. Everyone runs.]

  Sara was too tired and frustrated to care. She just collapsed on the stone floor. Didn't even bother with her usual collar. Didn't arrange a gold pile for sleeping. Just... lay there. Exhausted. Annoyed.

  [Stupid hero contract. Stupid boring day. Nothing interesting happening anywhere.]

  Sleep came poorly. Uncomfortable. Restless.

  All night, Sara's mind churned. [How to find heroic deeds? Where do heroes exist? What even counts as heroic? Maybe Sara doing it wrong? Maybe—]

  Then, just before dawn, a thought.

  A wonderful, terrible thought.

  [...offer never said Sara can't MAKE heroic deeds herself. Just needs information and reports. If Sara creates situations where heroism happens... that counts, right? Sara just... using the system cleverly. Being efficient.]

  The more she thought about it, the more sense it made.

  [Sara should make three heroic deeds. Three is good number. Not too few to look lazy. Not too many to look desperate. Three is professional number.]

  She stood. Stretched her wings. Ready to work.

  [Time to be hero. Or... make heroes? Either way, time to do something interesting.]

  Finding targets didn't take long.

  Sara flew low over a trade road. Searching. Analyzing. Looking for opportunities.

  Then she spotted it. Slaver caravan. Six wagons. Armed guards. Two caged wagons full of slaves.

  [Perfect. Freeing slaves is definitely heroic. Very heroic. Heroes always free slaves in stories. This is good first deed.]

  Sara descended. Fast. Straight down like a meteor.

  She landed directly in front of the caravan. Impact cratering the road. Dust and debris exploding outward.

  The entire caravan stopped. Horses panicking. Guards reaching for weapons.

  Sara straightened. Composed herself. Tried to sound heroic and honorable.

  "Excuse Sara, fine gentlemen. If you would be so kind as to free all those poor souls in your caged wagons, Sara would be very grateful. You see, Sara needs some heroic deeds for important contract, and freeing slaves should qualify nicely. Please cooperate?"

  Silence. Absolute silence.

  Then—acrid smell. Urine. Coming from the caged wagons.

  [Oh no. Slaves are terrified. They probably think Sara will eat them. Stupid body. Stupid scary appearance.]

  Sara tried to ignore the smell. Focused on the slavers.

  They looked terrified but trying to maintain professionalism. The lead guard stepped forward. Voice shaking slightly.

  "We... we have papers. Legal papers. Guild-certified. We're not bandits. This is legitimate business—"

  "Sara doesn't care about papers," she said simply. "Sara needs heroic deed. Freeing slaves is heroic deed. So please free them now?"

  The slavers exchanged looks. Panic. Calculation. Desperation.

  "We can't just—we have contracts—clients paid—"

  [This is going nowhere.]

  Sara sighed. Started walking toward the caravan.

  The guards raised weapons. Crossbows. Swords. Magic staves.

  Sara ignored them. Just walked. Calm. Professional.

  The first guard tried to stop her. Sword swing. Good form. Professional training.

  Sara caught his head mid-swing. Squeezed slightly. Skull crunched. She dropped the body and kept walking.

  The others attacked. All at once. Desperate.

  Sara killed them one by one. Methodical. Efficient. No art this time—not a painting contract. Just simple elimination.

  Snap neck. Crush skull. Rip throat. Professional work.

  Within minutes, all the slavers were dead.

  Sara walked to the caged wagons. Found keys on one of the bodies. Broke the locks—keys were too small for her talons anyway.

  "Please come out," she called to the slaves inside. "Sara has freed you. Heroic deed complete. Please exit cages so Sara can remove collars properly."

  No response. Just whimpering. Terror sounds.

  [They watched the bloodbath. Now too scared to move. Damn.]

  Sara tried again. Louder. Firmer. "COME OUT. NOW. OR SARA WILL BE VERY ANNOYED."

  Her voice carried... perhaps too much intimidation. The psychokinetic pressure she unconsciously radiated when irritated.

  The slaves scrambled out. Terrified. Some crying. A few unconscious—their companions had to drag them out.

  Sara used the key to remove collars. One by one. Professional. Efficient.

  Then she pulled out parchment and charcoal from her Item Box. Started writing her report.

  Heroic Deed #1: Liberation of Enslaved Persons

  Date: [today's date]

  Location: [trade road coordinates]

  Details: Encountered slaver caravan transporting approximately 23 enslaved individuals. Negotiated for their release. When slavers refused, eliminated threats and freed captives. Removed all slave collars. Granted freedom.

  Perpetrators eliminated: Slaver 1, Slaver 2, Slaver 3... [Damn. Should have asked their names. Too late now.] ...Slaver 6.

  She looked up at the freed slaves. They were huddled together. Shaking. Not moving.

  "Sara needs names. For report. What are your names?"

  Silence. Just terrified stares.

  [They probably don't want to give names. Think Sara will hunt them later. Or sell them. Or eat them.]

  Sara sighed. "Okay. Fine. Sara will just write that freed slaves preferred anonymity. Understandable."

  She turned the parchment toward them. "Please sign this. As proof Sara freed you."

  No response.

  "SIGN. NOW."

  They scrambled forward. All of them. Fighting to be first. Shaking hands making marks on the paper. Signatures. Thumbprints. Whatever they could manage.

  Sara nodded. Satisfied. Rolled up the parchment carefully. Stored it in her Item Box.

  "You are free now. Go. Live good lives. Don't get captured again—it's very inconvenient."

  She spread her wings and launched into the air. Leaving the terrified freed slaves on the road with broken cages and slaver corpses.

  [One heroic deed complete. Two more needed. This is going well.]

  Sara flew for another hour. Searching. Looking for opportunities.

  Then she spotted something. Below. In a forest clearing.

  An animal—small, furry, very cute—backed against a tree. Wounded. Bleeding. Making last stand.

  And surrounding it: an adventurer party. Five people. Armed. Professional-looking. Clearly hunting it.

  [Perfect! Save helpless animal from cruel hunters. Very heroic. Heroes always save cute animals in stories.]

  Sara descended. Fast. Landing directly between the animal and the adventurers.

  The impact sent leaves and dirt exploding outward. The adventurers jumped back. Weapons raised. Alert.

  Sara straightened. Tried to look heroic.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  "Sara makes heroic deeds today. Please stop hunting this poor wounded animal. It is very cute and sad. Clearly needs saving. Please cooperate?"

  The adventurers stared at her. Then at each other. Then back at her.

  One of them—human male, appeared to be the leader—spoke carefully. "That... that's not a pet. That's an extremely dangerous—"

  "Sara doesn't care," she interrupted. "Sara needs heroic deed. Saving cute wounded animal counts. So Sara is saving it."

  She pulled out a fresh parchment. Started writing while talking out loud.

  "Heroic Deed #2: Rescue of Endangered Creature. Date: [today]. Location: [forest coordinates]. Details: Encountered party of evil, murderous, inhuman adventurers hunting poor innocent wounded animal for cruel sport..."

  "We're not evil!" one of the adventurers protested. "That thing poisoned the—"

  "Description of perpetrators: cruel-faced, evil-looking, clearly psychopathic hunters who take pleasure in tormenting helpless creatures..."

  Sara noticed the animal was dying. Bleeding out. [Need to act fast.]

  She reached into her Item Box. Pulled out a healing potion. Advanced grade—very expensive. Sara had collected many over the centuries but never used them. Her body didn't need healing.

  She poured it over the animal.

  The effect was instant. Wounds closed. Bleeding stopped. The creature's eyes opened wide—fully healed.

  It looked at Sara for one moment. Then bolted. Running into the forest. Gone.

  "Wait!" Sara called after it. "Friend! What is your name? Sara needs it for report! Please come back!"

  The animal was already gone. Vanished into the trees.

  Sara sighed. Turned back to the adventurers. "Animal declined to provide name. Understandable given trauma."

  She looked at them. "Now. For perpetrator information. What are your names? Sara needs to fill report properly."

  The adventurers looked at each other. The leader spoke carefully.

  "Look. I don't know what you think is happening here, but that creature you just saved is one of the most poisonous—"

  They attacked.

  All at once. Coordinated. Professional assault.

  Sara blinked. Surprised. [They're attacking? Sara was being polite. Asking nicely. Why—]

  The first sword hit her chest. The blade shattered. Pieces flying.

  Sara's wings came up instinctively. Covering the parchment. Protecting it.

  "STOP! YOU'LL DAMAGE THE REPORT! BE CAREFUL!"

  Her shouting only seemed to panic them more. The mage started casting. Fire spells. Ice spells. Lightning.

  All of it washed over Sara harmlessly. She barely felt it.

  [They're not cooperating. Need alternative approach.]

  Sara reached out with her psychokinesis. Grabbed all five adventurers. Froze them in place. Suspended in air. Unable to move.

  "Please stop attacking. Sara needs information. Just give names calmly."

  They struggled. Screamed. Completely non-cooperative.

  [Fine. Sara will find names herself.]

  She started removing their equipment. Searching for identification. Found guild cards. All five.

  Sara pulled out a magical reader device from her Item Box. Standard Adventurer Guild verification tool. She'd looted it from somewhere decades ago.

  She scanned each card.

  Jack, Scout, B-Rank

  Maria, Mage, B-Rank

  Tormund, Warrior, A-Rank

  Selene, Healer, B-Rank

  Drastus, Ranger, A-Rank

  The reader displayed basic information. Everything else was encrypted—needed official guild access to read.

  [Good enough.]

  Sara added the names to her report. Then looked through their belongings more carefully. Found a diary in one pack.

  She opened it. Scanned a few pages. Found the entry she needed.

  "Sanctified Resolve continues tracking. We've finally cornered the poison beast in the eastern forest..."

  [Oh! Party name! Perfect!]

  Sara added that to the report. Then—satisfied with her thoroughness—stored the diary in her Item Box.

  It appeared in her personal library. Hundreds... no, thousands of other diaries. Different sizes. Different languages. Different centuries. All collected. All saved. All read repeatedly.

  [Good diary. Sara will enjoy reading this one later in detail. Learn about their lives. Their thoughts. Their belonging to each other.]

  She turned her attention back to the suspended adventurers. Still struggling. Still screaming.

  [They had their chance to cooperate. Now they are documented perpetrators of cruel animal hunting.]

  Sara's psychokinesis tightened. Compressed. Squeezed.

  Like crushing fruit.

  It was over quickly. Professional. Efficient.

  Five bodies dropped to the forest floor.

  Sara looked at her report. [Should add drawing. Animal was very cute. Need to document properly.]

  She pulled out charcoal again. Drew quickly from memory. Small creature. Four legs. Fluffy tail. Large eyes. Distinctive spotted pattern. Adorable features.

  [Good drawing. Very accurate. Professional documentation.]

  Sara rolled up her parchment carefully. Stored it safely.

  [Two heroic deeds complete. One more needed. This is going very well. Sara is excellent hero.]

  The closest city appeared on the horizon as Sara flew. Moderate size. Republic settlement. Typical layout.

  Then she spotted it. An orphanage. Near the city center. Modest building. Church symbols everywhere. Clean. Well-maintained.

  [Perfect! Donation to orphanage! Heroes always help orphans in stories! Very heroic! Easy final deed!]

  Sara was tired. Done with complicated heroism. This one would be simple. Quick. Efficient.

  She descended toward the orphanage yard.

  Perhaps... perhaps with slightly more force than necessary.

  The impact was loud. Ground cratering. Building shaking.

  Orphans playing in the yard screamed. Ran. Scattered in all directions. Pure panic.

  Adults emerged. Nuns. Caretakers. Most of them saw Sara and immediately fled.

  One nun remained. Standing frozen. Too terrified to run. Just... standing there. Shaking.

  Sara approached. Pulled out her third parchment.

  "Hello. Sara makes donation to orphanage today. For heroic deed. Please wait moment."

  She started filling out the report. Speaking out loud as she wrote.

  "Heroic Deed #3: Charitable Donation to Orphanage. Date: [today]. Location:—" She paused. Looked at the frozen nun. "What is city name?"

  The nun's mouth moved. No sound came out.

  "And orphanage name?"

  Still nothing. Just trembling.

  "Okay. Sara will leave blanks. You fill them."

  Sara handed the parchment and charcoal to the nun. Pointed at the blank spaces.

  The nun took them. Hands shaking so badly she could barely write. But she managed. Filled in the information. Handed it back.

  "Thank you. Very helpful."

  Sara reached into her Item Box. Started pulling out coins. Counting.

  [Need gold that follows Imperial standard. Easy to use anywhere. Common. Accepted.]

  Finding the right coins took effort. Sara's Item Box was... disorganized. Centuries of just tossing things in. Everything mixed together. But eventually she found a bag of appropriate currency.

  She dropped it in front of the nun. Heavy bag. Hundreds of gold coins. Small fortune.

  "For orphans. Use well. Buy food. Clothes. Education. Whatever orphans need."

  She took the filled parchment. Rolled it carefully. Stored it with the others.

  "Sara is done now. Thank you for cooperation. Much easier than previous two deeds."

  Sara spread her wings and launched into the air.

  As she climbed higher, she looked back. The orphanage yard was filling with armed people. Guards. Militia. Adventurers. All rushing toward the building.

  [They thought orphanage was under attack. Probably for best that Sara left quickly.]

  But it was done. Three heroic deeds. All documented. All signed. All proper.

  [Time to report. Sara is very good hero. Very professional.]

  The cave system was exactly where the coordinates indicated. Middle of nowhere. Standard dead drop location.

  Sara landed at the entrance. Walked inside.

  Empty. Just stone walls and darkness.

  She looked around. Searching for the reporting mechanism. The collection point.

  Then she saw it. A small notice. Pinned to the wall.

  Quest Canceled - No Further Information Required

  Sara stared at it.

  [...canceled?]

  [CANCELED?!]

  [Sara did THREE heroic deeds! DIFFICULT heroic deeds! With documentation! And signatures! And everything!]

  [And it's CANCELED?!]

  She stood there. Wings drooping. Holding her three carefully prepared reports.

  All that work. All that effort. The freed slaves. The saved animal. The donation.

  For nothing.

  [Sara's day is ruined. Completely ruined.]

  She flew back toward the Assassin Guild. Sad. Disappointed. Annoyed.

  [At least Sara can return to watching elf and maids. That's still interesting. Sometimes. When they do interesting things.]

  The Assassin Guild was different when Sara entered.

  People sat around a table. Drinking. Looking sad. Depressed atmosphere.

  [Did someone die? Important assassination? Guild member lost?]

  But no. That didn't make sense. Assassins died regularly. It was the profession. Nobody usually gathered like this for it.

  Sara walked to the job board. Checked.

  The Cardinal Vescari posting—still there.

  The heroic deeds posting—gone. Removed.

  She walked to the desk. A clerk sat behind it—different person than before.

  "Sara has question. About hero contract. It was canceled?"

  The clerk nodded. Gestured toward the sad table. "Yes. Removed yesterday evening. Continental-wide cancellation. Same moment everywhere. Very coordinated."

  She paused. Looked at Sara with something like sympathy. "You took it too?"

  "Sara... tried. Did three heroic deeds. Documented properly. But arrived to report and found cancellation notice."

  The clerk's expression softened. "You should join them." She nodded toward the table. "They're mourning too. Many people took that contract."

  "Mourning? For canceled contract?"

  "You'll understand. Go sit. They'll explain."

  Sara walked to the table. Uncertain.

  The assassins looked up. Saw her. One of them—human male, scarred face—gestured to an empty chair.

  "Come. Sit. Mourn with us."

  Sara sat. Confused. "Sara doesn't understand. Why mourn canceled contract? Contracts cancel sometimes. It happens."

  The scarred man laughed. Bitter sound. "Because that contract was... different. Strange. Impossible. But also..." He trailed off. "It was interesting. Made us do interesting things."

  Another assassin—elven woman—spoke up. "Finding heroic deeds was nearly impossible. So most of us made them ourselves. Created situations. Saved people. Helped others." She paused. "It was... pleasing. For once. Doing something good instead of just killing."

  Sara blinked. [Others did same thing? Made heroic deeds themselves? Sara thought Sara was being clever and unique.]

  "But who posted it?" Sara asked. "Who wanted hero information?"

  The scarred man shrugged. "We tried finding out. Many tried. But the client used layers. Hired goon working for hired goon working for hired goon. Probably someone at end of chain was real client. But nobody got that far. Too expensive to chase. Too much effort."

  "Mystery that will never be solved," the elf woman said. "Interesting contract from interesting person. Now gone forever."

  Silence settled over the table. People drinking. Reflecting.

  Then someone spoke up. "Should share stories. Our heroic deeds. Before they're forgotten."

  Agreement. Nods.

  People started talking. Sharing. One by one.

  Sara listened. Fascinated.

  Multiple orphanage donations—but all done quietly. Professionally. No terror involved.

  Several slave liberations—also quiet. Discreet. Slavers found dead later, slaves mysteriously freed and vanished.

  One person had infiltrated a corrupt noble's house and left evidence of his crimes in the guard captain's office. Anonymous justice.

  Another had assassinated a known child trafficker. Professional hit made to look like accident.

  When they reached orphanage stories, Sara spoke up. "Sara also did orphanage donation."

  Several people looked interested. "How did yours go?"

  "Sara flew to orphanage. Landed in yard. Gave large donation to nun. Got documentation. Left."

  Silence. Odd looks.

  "That's... straightforward," someone said carefully.

  When they moved to slavery stories, Sara shared hers. "Sara freed caravan of slaves. Removed all collars. Very heroic."

  More odd looks. "How did you free them?"

  "Sara asked slavers nicely to free them. They refused. Sara killed all slavers. Then freed slaves."

  The looks intensified. Less comfortable now.

  Finally, when nobody mentioned anything close to Sara's animal rescue, she decided to share that too. "Sara also saved wounded animal from evil hunters."

  The entire table went silent.

  Complete. Absolute. Silence.

  Sara waited. [Something wrong? Why they all staring?]

  Finally, the scarred man spoke carefully. "What... what kind of animal?"

  "Sara has drawing!" She pulled out her second report. Unrolled it on the table. "See? Sara always documents properly."

  On the parchment was a detailed sketch. Small creature. Four legs. Fluffy tail. Large eyes. Distinctive spotted pattern on fur. Adorable rounded features.

  Every assassin at the table leaned in. Looked at the drawing.

  Then leaned back. Fast.

  "Small. Very cute. Very wounded when Sara found it. Bleeding badly. Sara healed it with expensive potion and it ran away. Very grateful, probably."

  "And the hunters?"

  "Party of five. Called themselves 'Sanctified Resolve.' Sara asked them nicely to stop hunting. They attacked instead. Very rude. Sara had to freeze them with psychokinesis and crush them." She paused. "Oh! Sara found diary afterward. Good reading."

  The silence somehow intensified.

  Everyone staring. Expressions ranging from shock to horror to something like awe.

  "Why everyone staring? Sara did good heroic deed. Saved cute animal. Very heroic." She paused, confused by their expressions. "Please explain? Sara doesn't understand."

  The elf woman spoke first. Very carefully. Very gently.

  "Sanctified Resolve. They were... they were the only legitimate heroes in this entire region. Actual heroes. They saved villages. Fought monsters. Protected people. For free. Out of genuine goodness."

  Sara blinked. [Oh.]

  Another assassin continued. "Most of us here reported THEIR heroic deeds. Multiple times. They were... they were the real thing. Actually selfless. Actually heroic."

  [Oh no.]

  The scarred man spoke next. "And that animal. That small cute wounded animal." His voice was flat. Factual. "That's one of the most poisonous creatures in existence. Extremely rare. Deadly. Many nobles keep them as pets to harvest their poison—but they're so poisonous that if one drinks from a well, the water isn't safe for months."

  Sara felt something cold in her chest.

  "Sanctified Resolve was probably hunting it because it was poisoning local water supply. Killing villagers. Being dangerous." He paused. "And you killed the heroes and saved the poison monster."

  [Oh.]

  [OH.]

  The table was silent. Everyone processing. Everyone understanding.

  Sara stood. Quickly. Knocked her chair over.

  "Sara needs to go. Right now. Immediately. Goodbye."

  She practically ran for the exit. Wings spreading. Launching into the air before she even cleared the doorway properly.

  Behind her, she heard voices.

  "Should we—"

  "Leave her. She's processing."

  "At least she didn't crush us like she did them."

  Sara flew high. Very high. Into the thin air where breathing was difficult.

  [Sara killed heroes. Real heroes. Good people. Selfless people. People who were actually doing what Sara was pretending to do.]

  [Sara saved poison monster. Dangerous creature. Killer. Thing that hurts people.]

  [Sara is worst hero ever. Worst. Most failure. Most disaster.]

  But underneath the shame—deep underneath—another feeling.

  Pride.

  [Sara saved lonely poisonous animal. Animal that everyone avoids. Everyone hunts. Everyone fears. Just like Sara.]

  [Poor animal. Sad animal. Lonely animal. Nobody wants it. Nobody accepts it. Everyone tries to kill it. Just because it's poisonous. Just because it's dangerous. Just because it exists.]

  [Just like Sara.]

  [In Sara's books, saving that animal WAS heroic. Most heroic thing Sara did. Only REAL heroic thing.]

  [Everyone else can think what they want. Sara knows truth. That animal deserved saving. Deserved to live. Deserved to exist even if everyone fears it.]

  [Just like Sara deserves to exist. Even if everyone runs away.]

  Sara flew back toward her watching spot. Back to observing elf and maids. Back to hoping they do something interesting.

  But inside—deep inside—she felt warm.

  [Sara saved something like Sara. Something lonely and poisonous and hunted.]

  [That counts as heroic. At least to Sara.]

  [That's enough.]

  [Emperor POV] Imperial Palace - Same timeframe

  The Emperor sat behind his desk. Head in his hands. Staring at ledgers.

  The Head Mage sat across from him. Also staring at ledgers. Also looking pained.

  She'd arrived remarkably fast—just one day after their dream conversation. Teleportation, probably. The same woman who'd been dealing with isekai problems across the continent. Now dealing with this catastrophe.

  "So," the Emperor said slowly. "Let me make sure I understand this correctly."

  "Your Majesty—"

  "We spent..." He checked the numbers again. "We spent MORE than the Empire's entire yearly budget. To pay some of the most evil, dangerous, professional killers on the continent. So they would..." He paused. Took a breath. "So they would make heroic deeds. Do good things. Help people."

  The Head Mage nodded slowly. "That... appears to be accurate, Your Majesty."

  "And we did this because we were trying to find isekai heroes. By tracking heroic deeds. Under the assumption that heroes would be heroic."

  "Yes, Your Majesty."

  "But instead, we just paid assassins to briefly become heroes themselves."

  "That also appears accurate."

  Silence stretched. Heavy. Uncomfortable.

  The Emperor looked at the ledgers again. Page after page. Thousands of reported heroic deeds. Millions of gold paid out. Massive continental operation.

  All to find isekai.

  All resulting in... the Assassin Guild doing charity work for profit.

  "This is the stupidest thing I have ever done," the Emperor said finally. "In a very long reign. This is the absolute stupidest."

  The Head Mage coughed. "If I may offer... perspective?"

  "Please. Any perspective that makes this feel less catastrophically idiotic would be appreciated."

  The Head Mage gestured at the reports. "Your Majesty. Look at what was actually accomplished. Multiple orphanages received large donations. Hundreds—possibly thousands—of slaves were freed. Corrupt nobles were exposed. Dangerous criminals were eliminated. Villages were saved. People were helped."

  She paused. Let that settle.

  "The Assassin Guild—the most dangerous, evil, professional killers on the continent—spent months doing good deeds. Helping people. Making the world better. Not because they wanted to. Not because they believed in it. But because Your Majesty paid them to."

  The Emperor stared at her. "That's your perspective? That I accidentally created a continental charity program using assassins?"

  "Yes, Your Majesty." The Head Mage's expression was carefully neutral. But her eyes held something like amusement. "And when you die—many, many years from now—and stand before the gods in Heaven, and they ask you about all the isekai you killed..."

  She leaned forward. Smiled slightly.

  "You can tell them that this one decision—this one 'stupid' operation—probably did more good for more people than all of those isekai heroes would have done combined."

  The Emperor blinked. Processed that.

  Then—despite everything—he started laughing.

  Not happy laughter. More like hysterical laughter. The kind that came from complete absurdity.

  "I paid assassins to be heroes. To catch heroes. And accidentally made the continent better." He laughed harder. "The gods will think I'm insane."

  "Possibly, Your Majesty. But effective insanity is still effective."

  The Emperor wiped his eyes. Looked at the ledgers one more time.

  "Fine. FINE. We're calling this a success. A catastrophically expensive, completely accidental, utterly absurd success." He waved at the reports. "File these properly. Document everything. And never—NEVER—tell anyone the real reason we did this."

  "Of course, Your Majesty. Official record will state: Continental Charity Initiative. Great success. Many people helped."

  "Perfect. Exactly that."

  The Head Mage stood. Bowed. Started gathering the ledgers.

  As she reached the door, the Emperor spoke again.

  "Next time I have an idea for finding isekai..."

  "Yes, Your Majesty?"

  "Tell me it's stupid BEFORE I spend the entire Imperial budget on it."

  "I will do my best, Your Majesty. Though I hear from your servants that they made approximately twenty objections during this operation's planning. Which you ignored."

  The Emperor groaned. Dropped his head back to his desk.

  The Head Mage left. Quietly. Professionally.

  Behind her, the Emperor sat alone. Surrounded by evidence of the most successful failure in Imperial history.

  [At least something good came from it,] he thought. [Even if we never found a single isekai.]

  [Even if we just paid assassins to briefly become better people.]

  [Even if it was completely, absolutely, catastrophically stupid.]

  [At least... at least people were helped.]

  That would have to be enough.