Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

Besides, Qin Shi Huang would announce the matter soon anyway—telling her a little early wasn't a big deal.

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed! I won't tell a soul!" Roya vowed without hesitation.

After watching the First Emperor of the Ages video, her two little friends had grown oddly distant, leaving her bored and alone.

Then, out of nowhere, her new sister called.

And when Roya heard Mordred's words, she nearly gasped aloud.

"What?! Qin Shi Huang is also looking for Nameless?! I knew it!"

Just as she'd predicted.

After watching the exposé, Qin Shi Huang must have regained his lost memories.

Back then, Nameless had cared for and guided the young emperor like a mentor—even a father figure.

Now that he remembered, of course he'd want to find him!

Tch. Alaya, you're really spoiling him, huh?

Roya grew even more convinced—this was clearly Alaya's way of compensating Nameless for silently safeguarding humanity, making all the heroic spirits who'd forgotten him remember again.

And preparing a grand harem for him in the process.

But here was the problem—

Now that even Qin Shi Huang was joining the fray, would Nameless be enough to go around?

Given the pride of heroic spirits, none would ever agree to share.

If he were found, he might end up facing a knife ending—terrifying to imagine!

Thankfully, this has nothing to do with me.

...Probably. Maybe.

Roya stared blankly for a moment after hanging up the phone.

What if she had been some extraordinary heroic spirit in her past life? If she awakened those memories, should she go look for Nameless?

Ahem, pure wishful thinking!

As an ordinary little loli, she should just stick with that equally ordinary shut-in.

Roya dialed his number.

Earlier she had sworn not to tell outsiders, but Souma was family—he didn't count as an outsider.

Lowering her voice excitedly, she said, "Souma, I've got huge news to tell you! You absolutely can't tell anyone else, or we're doomed!"

"Uh, what is it? You know I'm tight-lipped—I won't tell a soul!" Souma sounded utterly confused.

Had the brat gotten some information from Mordred?

"I heard through the grapevine that after watching the 'First Emperor of the Ages' video, Qin Shi Huang wants to find Nameless!" Roya continued whispering while covering her mouth.

Out of loyalty to her little sister, she didn't reveal who told her. That way, even if word got out, the source wouldn't be exposed.

Then,

After a brief silence, the voice on the other end replied, "Yeah... we're doomed."

"Right! So don't you dare tell anyone, or we're really finished!" Roya urgently emphasized.

This guy knew full well she was with Mordred. If he blabbed, there'd be trouble.

He added, "Come home tonight—don't stay over at Illya's place!"

"Hmph, feeling lonely and desperate for my company?" Roya shot back casually, though inwardly she felt a little pleased.

As expected, she was the most important person in his heart—he couldn't bear to be apart from her for even a moment!

"Yeah, yeah, I miss you so much. Hurry back already!" Souma rolled his eyes in exasperation.

After hanging up,

Gilgamesh, who had been standing nearby and overheard their conversation, laughed heartily. "Hahaha! My dear friend, it seems the First Emperor truly seeks you out!"

This wasn't something Souma had told him voluntarily.

He had accidentally overheard it using [Sha Naqba Imuru].

"Shut your trap!" Souma sighed heavily.

Zheng'er, I'm seriously considering grabbing that brat and making a run for it!

If you come knocking, where the hell am I supposed to hide?

With other heroic spirits, I could at least use the First Emperor as a shield.

After all, this is Chinese territory—those spirits wouldn't dare act too recklessly.

But now...

If the First Emperor himself shows up, what am I supposed to do? Block him with my head?!

"Hahaha! My dearest friend, the first to find you wasn't Qin Shi Huang or King Arthur—it was me, Gilgamesh!" Gilgamesh's laughter grew even more delighted.

As expected of the King, far surpassing those incompetent spirits who can't even locate you!

Seeing his friend's pained expression, he couldn't resist smiling. "Shall I, in my magnanimity, grant you political asylum in Uruk?"

Uruk only had him, a lone heroic spirit—he was sorely lacking high-caliber assistants.

"No. Unless you drink gender-bend potion yourself, then maybe I'll consider it!" Souma rolled his eyes.

If he actually fled to Uruk, how could Gilgamesh alone possibly hold off all those other spirits?

Gilgamesh snorted. "You bastard—you're planning to do to me what you did to Merlin!"

"Speaking of which, what's Merlin been up to lately?" Souma asked curiously.

That guy hadn't shown his face since the two of them force-fed him genderbend potion and turned him into [Magi☆Mari].

No.

She still shows up every day, continuing her livestreams!

How strange, she's still persisting as a virtual idol!

If only we could catch her, we could make her feed the doctor strawberry cake, fulfilling that old promise.

Too bad that scoundrel Merlin is hiding too far away.

"Tsk, she's probably looking to cause you trouble again."

Gilgamesh gazed at him with pity in his eyes.

Knowing Merlin as he did, how could that guy possibly let things go after suffering such a major loss?

Hmm, might that incubus team up with that fox spirit?

A sudden thought occurred to Gilgamesh.

Neither of them are human, and both want to cause Souma trouble—they could absolutely collaborate.

However, he chose not to warn his friend.

Wouldn't it be more amusing to wait until his dear friend encountered trouble and had to beg for his help?

"Let's set that guy aside for now. First, let's see how Qin Shi Huang plans to find me."

Souma felt an overwhelming headache coming on.

Fortunately, this time he hadn't left any coordinates for the First Emperor.

No need to panic—this situation was different from the one with King Arthur. There's no way he could be found!

By the next morning...

Gilgamesh had long since departed, naturally not staying overnight.

The presence of two Beast-class entities made it impossible to relax.

After preparing breakfast, Souma turned on the TV and saw the front-page headline news:

[Qin Shi Huang to Personally Bestow Title Upon Nameless Heroic Spirit!]

"Zheng'er, how many times did I teach you to be as steady as Mount Tai? Why must you be so impatient?"

Souma held his forehead, feeling deeply exhausted.

The mighty Qin Shi Huang couldn't even wait a single day!

"So soon?!" Roya rubbed her eyes, all sleepiness vanishing instantly upon seeing the news.

She'd just heard Mordred mention this matter last night, yet the news was already out by morning.

Truly the speed of China!

The internet had already exploded.

Qin Shi Huang—this was China's most popular heroic spirit.

The discussion frenzy was even more intense than when King Arthur appointed the Knights of the Round Table—

-[Here it comes, just as I expected!]

-[His Majesty is mighty! I wonder what title he'll bestow upon Nameless.]

-[Last time, King Arthur made Nameless a Knight of the Round Table. Surely this time it'll be something like Champion Marquis?]

-[Hard to say. Nameless's achievements are too great—so great that there's nothing left to reward or bestow!]

-[In ancient times, this would be a case of merit overshadowing the ruler!]

...

Under the expectant gazes of countless people.

Under Souma's slightly nervous attention.

The investiture ceremony was held at noon.

The location was none other than—

The ancient city of Xianyang.

An altar that looked eerily familiar to him had been constructed overnight in the exact same spot.

"Uh, no way...?"

Souma felt alarm bells ringing wildly in his heart.

Qin Shi Huang was clearly planning something big.

No, no—better not worry too much. With just a modern replica of an ancient structure, there was no way they could find him!

"Wow, this is the very spot where Nameless stood on the altar, raising the Heaven-Questioning Sword to challenge the gods of the sky!" Roya marveled at the efficiency.

There was even a grave on this altar.

Everything was identical—no, not just identical, but a perfect recreation of the scene from the First Emperor of the Ages video, where Nameless drew his sword against the gods over two thousand years ago.

The only difference was—

This time, Nameless wasn't here.

Instead, Qin Shi Huang stood upon the altar.

Surrounding the altar were China's elite legions, each led by formidable heroic spirits.

One could clearly see powerful spirits like Xiang Yu, Lü Bu, and Zhao Yun standing solemnly in formation.

"The sovereign who surpasses the Three Sovereigns and overshadows the Five Emperors—this is Qin Shi Huang, this is I!"

Qin Shi Huang raised the Heaven-Questioning Sword and declared to the countless spectators: "In the past, the master personally taught me the Sword of the Son of Heaven, aiding me in destroying the six states, unifying the realm, and ending centuries of war."

"His merits tower higher than the heavens, yet his name remains unknown to all!"

These words resonated deeply with the listeners.

That nameless heroic spirit had fought desperately against the maddened gods to forge peace for China, yet no one knew of him.

The thought alone was enough to make one sigh with regret, evoking a profound sense of guilt.

"I refuse to accept this. All glory must be returned to him!"

Qin Shi Huang raised the Heaven-Questioning Sword in his hand.

The sword—one side depicting mountains and rivers, the other side symbolizing the nation and its people—radiated dazzling light, piercing straight into the heavens.

"By the name of Qin Shi Huang, I bestow upon you the title of Imperial Teacher of China, eternally blessed by the nation's fortune!"

A massive dragon-shaped silhouette manifested behind Qin Shi Huang. "Master, accept my investiture and claim the glory that is rightfully yours!"

***

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