Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

The great wind rises, clouds scatter and fly—

Where are the Heroic Spirits to guard the land?

Alaya—always be on guard. There's no avoiding it.

Just think—you're at home, happily eating hotpot, singing, dreaming of the future, when suddenly Alaya stabs you in the back.

Snap—

Backstabbed. The joy vanishes instantly.

Truly, the best days are the ones without Alaya!

Souma sighed, staring at the boiling beef and fish balls in the pot, suddenly finding them flavorless.

Damn it, Alaya!

Is this how you show your love for me?

Is this what the ultimate Nameless fan looks like?

If I can't swear, then I have nothing left to say!

The light gradually faded from Souma's eyes.

He was such a fool—really. He knew he was the most convenient tool, knew Alaya would never let him off so easily.

Yet he still naively dreamed of living an ordinary life.

Souma finally understood.

This black-hearted capitalist clearly wants to trick him to death so he can return to the Throne of Heroes.

Then continue working endless shifts for him!

Dream on! Not a chance!

Work? I'll never work again, not in this lifetime!

I've had enough of being a hero of justice. Only by slacking off like this can I keep living.

Lazing around every day feels like winning the lottery.

I'll slack off all year—not a single day of work!

The feeling in Fuyuki City is a million times better than working for Alaya.

Back when I was working, I had to walk through human history, fighting one powerful enemy after another, with no free time at all.

But in Fuyuki City, everyone's so talented, and their words are so pleasant—I love it here!

It seems that if I want a stable life, I'll have to shake off Alaya's backstabbing first.

A glint gradually returned to Souma's eyes as he decided to give this battle his all.

One day, I'll make you kneel before me and sing "Conquer"!

"Judging by Alaya's usual pattern, it's probably like with Gilgamesh—starting off on great terms, then some minor issues cropping up later," Souma mused.

Back then, he had spent a long time with Qin Shi Huang, diligently protecting him.

If this relationship were exposed, even the lofty First Emperor would surely come looking for him.

And if Qin Shi Huang found him, enjoying a peaceful, ordinary life would become… exceptionally difficult.

So, for now, better lay low.

Luckily, he wouldn't have to appear before him anytime soon.

He'd also have to keep a closer eye on that troublemaker kid, lest they cause any problems.

If one day that kid were dragged before him, things would spiral out of control.

Souma silently resolved to add a few more layers of seals to the brat.

Back then, the two of them had a rather… enthusiastic battle, and that guy had an instinct for screwing him over.

No worries, stay calm—this round, I'll win!

Just then, Fou—who had disguised himself as an ordinary kitten using a cognitive filter—leaped onto his lap.

"Fou… Fou~ (I'm here with you.)"

She sprawled elegantly between Souma's legs, stretching out to flaunt his adorable charm.

"You're the cutest, really."

Souma reached out and rubbed her little belly.

The tiny creature trembled slightly in response, purring contentedly.

His violet eyes blinked softly, as if seductively pleading—"Pet me, don't stop!"

A bewitching little gremlin.

As Souma gently stroked Fou, he casually clicked on the video to see how he'd been filmed.

Admittedly, Alaya was a master filmmaker—the framing was impeccable.

Like a personal cinematographer, perfectly capturing his heroic moments from every angle.

For someone who craved fame and the spotlight, this would be a dream come true.

But the problem was—

I quit being a hero of justice ages ago!

The moment he opened it, a flood of comments instantly bombarded the screen—

-[Ahhhh, I'm so hyped! It's a video exposing the First Emperor!]

-[Damn you, Emiya the Great, did you even conquer the First Emperor?!]

-[Alaya, you've outdone yourself—the First Emperor is my favorite Servant!]

-[Don't look! Don't look! Don't look! The First Emperor is MINE!]

-[I'll look! I'll look! I'll look!]

-[...]

The comments exploded in an instant.

"Qin Shi Huang! Alaya did a great job. Just as Qin Shi Huang arrived in Fuyuki City, the video got exposed directly!" Roya's little face was full of excitement.

Two days after King Arthur of Britain, the Dark Saint of France, and the King of Heroes of Uruk gathered in Fuyuki City.

Qin Shi Huang descended while riding his Noble Phantasm, the Epang Palace.

Previously, she wasn't qualified to go to the scene and could only admire Qin Shi Huang's heroic demeanor through livestreams - so domineering it left people in awe.

Now, Alaya actually directly exposed Qin Shi Huang's video. Does it want Qin Shi Huang to also seek out Nameless?

"This is a backstab!"

Beside her, Miyu took a deep breath after seeing the video.

Definitely a backstab from Alaya!

Even though her brother only wanted to live an ordinary life, he kept getting forcibly exposed like this.

Clearly trying to trap her brother into continuing to work for it!

Damn Alaya!

The problem was, without Alaya's exposure, she would have completely forgotten about him.

Never knowing that the happy, warm daily life she enjoyed was bought by his desperate battles.

Miyu watched the video with complex emotions.

The video began.

A narration heavy with historical vicissitudes sounded—

[After the Battle of Gods, immortals disappeared from the mortal world.]

[The Flame of the Zhou Dynasty's Feudal System Extinguished.]

[The Hundred Schools of Thought Wander in the Lightless Darkness.]

[Centuries of Turmoil in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods Never Cease.]

[The One Who Ends the Chaos is Quietly Born in an Enemy State.]

[His Name is—Ying Zheng! (Qin Shi Huang)]

...

A simple narration outlined that bygone era.

The man who would annihilate the six states, unify the land, and become the First Emperor of ancient China—Qin Shi Huang—was initially just a discarded hostage in the State of Zhao.

The late Warring States period.

The six generations of Qin kings before him were all wise rulers, gradually transforming the northwestern state of Qin into the most powerful nation.

The other states regarded it as a dire threat.

To appease Zhao somewhat, the King of Qin sent Yiren to Handan, the capital of Zhao, as a hostage.

He was the father of the First Emperor.

And Ying Zheng was born in this enemy state, enduring oppression from childhood.

For the people of China, this history was so familiar it was practically mandatory exam material.

On the screen.

A fair-skinned, rosy-lipped little boy, looking exceptionally adorable, was cradled in his mother's arms.

"Wow, is this the First Emperor as a child? So cute!" Roya couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Having just watched the live broadcast of the invincible First Emperor arriving in Fuyuki, seeing this adorable little boy now created a stark contrast.

"That should be him."

Beside her, Illya nodded in agreement.

The earlier task of receiving the heroic spirits had concluded, and the three of them had gathered at her home, about to start a pillow fight when this exposé video appeared.

"Mm-hmm, according to history, the nine-year-old First Emperor began his escape from Handan, pursued by enemy soldiers."

Roya blinked her large eyes, staring intently at the video.

She admired many, many heroic spirits, but the First Emperor ranked first in her heart.

It could be said that it was precisely his conquest of the six states and unification of the land that prevented China from fracturing into dozens of small nations like Europe!

The title of "The First Emperor of the Ages" was truly deserved!

Clip-clop, clip-clop—

In the video, the sound of galloping hooves filled the air as a carriage frantically fled westward.

Behind it, hundreds of cavalrymen gave chase, surrounding the carriage from all sides.

The wealthy merchant Lü Buwei wore an expression of sheer panic. "Damn it, how did they catch up?"

Years ago, he had used the strategy of "hoarding a rare commodity" to persuade Yiren, the Qin hostage left in Zhao, to invest all his family fortune in this man.

He had even gifted Zhao Ji to Yiren as a wife.

If Yiren ascended to the Qin throne, Lü Buwei stood to gain returns dozens or even hundreds of times over.

And Yiren had promised that if he became King of Qin, he would share the state with Lü Buwei!

Now, returning to Handan to retrieve Yiren's son, he had never imagined the Zhao army would catch up.

If captured, all his investments would be lost—and he, too, would face certain death!

Hundreds of Zhao cavalrymen had the carriage completely surrounded.

The Zhao general at the lead sneered. "Lü Buwei, you dare to help the Qin bastard escape? You're dead!"

Capturing the Qin heir would earn him lavish rewards from the King of Zhao.

A future of marrying into nobility, promotions, wealth, and reaching the pinnacle of life awaited him—just thinking about it made him giddy with excitement.

So he absolutely would not allow any mishaps!

"We're finished!" Lü Buwei's heart sank into despair.

***

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