Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 250: The Ancient Ruins (Part-22)
Zora understood Prince Kael’s concern for Guinvere, but she also wanted to know where he would stand when matters truly reached the point of life and death.
Guinvere’s disguise was flawless. In front of Prince Kael, she had always been gentle, composed, and seemingly harmless. It was difficult for anyone to see through such a mask.
Yet Zora knew very well that the hostility between her and Guinvere would never simply vanish. There would come a day when Guinvere surely would no longer hold herself and act against her directly without any pretense.
"Darling..." Prince Kael said slowly after collecting himself from the unexpected question, his gaze fixed on her, solemn and unwavering, "You can be assured that there won’t be such a day. Guinvere will never go against me. You saw earlier that she still sided with us and forced Sigmund to back down when House Storm and House Night’s spirit warriors acted against us."
"And if there is?" Unconvinced, Zora pressed on with her eyes deepening, no longer playful. "You can’t guarantee that decision without imagining the scene first, can you?"
As her words fell, she turned her gaze away, no longer looking at him.
A faint, unspoken thought stirred in her heart. Compared to the many years Prince Kael and Guinvere had known each other, the time she had spent with him was still short. It was not unreasonable for doubt to arise.
"If that day truly comes," Prince Kael said after a brief pause, his voice low yet firm, "I will stand on my darling’s side. Always. Regardless of who is right or wrong..."
There was no hesitation in his tone now, no room for ambiguity.
The certainty in his words was something he had already decided long ago. The brief silence before his answer had not been doubt, but rather his unwillingness to even imagine such a scenario.
Yet if it ever became reality, his choice would remain unchanged.
Zora looked back at him, clearly surprised by not just his answer but by his gaze. When she saw the resolve in his eyes, the faint discomfort that had lingered in her heart quietly dissipated.
"I hope that day never comes," she said softly under her breath. "It’s not a scene I wish to see either."
If Guinvere chose to stop while she was ahead, Zora would not deliberately push matters to extremes.
But if Guinvere insisted on forcing her hand, she would never sit and wait for death.
This question had never been about provoking conflict, but about letting Prince Kael prepare himself for a future that might one day arrive.
Fortunately, his answer had not disappointed her.
Meanwhile, the attention of everyone remaining in the hall slowly shifted back to the towering statues, and the atmosphere grew solemn once more.
Until this very moment, the crowd still found it hard to believe what they were witnessing.
A statue moving, speaking, even judging people.
If they had not seen it with their own eyes, no amount of explanation would convince anyone.
This was no illusion, no lingering echo of some sound.
It was a will so powerful that it had transcended death and remained sealed within this ruin for countless years.
Putting away the matter of Guinvere from her head, Zora then stepped forward with her fingers curled into a fist and placed them on her chest, her movements calm and unhurried as she gracefully bowed. "Greetings, Your Graces."
She knew very well that, in front of these two figures, she was insignificant.
Yet since she had already stepped into their domain and stood here alive, she accepted her position as a later generation with clarity and dignity. Anything less would only make her appear foolish. So, her greetings were neither servile nor filled with arrogance.
Her action seemed to awaken everyone else.
One after another, the surrounding Spirit warriors followed suit, performing their greetings with sincere respect etched across their faces.
The lesson from moments ago was still vivid in their minds. Guinvere and Sigmund had been expelled without mercy. Who among them would dare to show the slightest disrespect now?
After all, when faced with someone who could erase you with a single wave of the hand, pride was nothing more than a joke.
The woman’s statue curved her lips into a gentle smile, her gaze falling naturally upon Zora. "This little girl understands propriety. I like her."
The simple praise caused a subtle shift in the expressions of many present.
Fiona, in particular, felt a wave of regret rise in her chest.
Had she known this would be the outcome, she would have been far more cautious from the beginning. Now, watching the relic’s mistress openly express favor toward Zora, she could not help but feel stifled.
Since Zora had appeared, nothing seemed to go as expected. What others did was wrong, while whatever she did ended up being right. The contrast was frustrating enough to make one grind one’s teeth.
The male statue nodded slowly, his gaze deep and contemplative as it rested on Zora. "No wonder this little trick suited her so well. The Glaze Sword choosing her was no coincidence."
His voice was steady and powerful, carrying an innate authority that came not from loudness but from absolute confidence. Beside him, Celia stood gracefully, her expression serene and affectionate as she looked at him, the bond between the two evident without the need for words.
Zora neither showed excitement nor false humility. She simply smiled and inclined her head slightly. "Thank you, Your Grace, for your kind words."
She had learned long ago that praise meant little until the final outcome was decided. Before that moment, nothing was truly certain. Guinvere and Sigmund were the clearest examples. At the beginning, who would have thought they would leave this ruin empty-handed?
The man’s gaze then swept across the hall, his presence alone pressing down like a mountain. "Since you young ones have reached my ruin, you are naturally people of talent and opportunity."
His name carried weight as he spoke it himself. "I am Azrael Ben Noah."
The moment those words fell, the hall seemed to grow heavier. His posture was relaxed, yet the pride and dominance of a peerless powerhouse radiated from him effortlessly, as if it were part of his very existence.
No one dared to meet his eyes directly. They lowered their heads, their hearts filled with awe.
Celia looked at Azrael with unconcealed admiration, her eyes warm and gentle. The deep affection between the two was unmistakable, as natural as breathing.
"There is no need for unnecessary words," Azrael continued, his tone decisive. "You have all come for the inheritance that Celia and I left behind. There are two inheritances in total. Whether you can obtain them will depend entirely on your own ability."
Those words instantly ignited a spark in everyone’s hearts.
Two inheritances.
This was something none of them had anticipated. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
If there had only been one, the competition would have been merciless. But two meant hope. It meant possibility. It meant that even those who felt outmatched now had a reason to hold on.
As Azrael raised his hand, the halos beneath everyone’s feet began to tremble and rotate once more, glowing brighter as if responding to his will. The air itself seemed to tighten, and every Spirit warrior present understood one thing clearly.
The true test of this ancient ruin was about to begin.
"Darling," Prince Kael said in a low voice beside her, his gaze fixed on the shifting halos beneath their feet, "according to my master, the Light of Inheritance examines a Spirit warrior’s roots. It peers into one’s foundation, talent, and potential, then makes its judgment."
Zora nodded faintly.
She did not need much explanation to sense what was happening.
As the halo rotated, a gentle yet unfamiliar force seeped into her body, neither invasive nor oppressive, but thorough.
It brushed past her meridians, swept across her mana core, and lingered for a moment, as though carefully weighing something invisible. It felt less like an attack and more like a gaze, calm yet penetrating.
She was not worried.
Ever since her mana core had healed, she had understood her own talent clearly. Being labeled "trash" in the past had never meant she lacked ability, only that circumstances had crushed her before she had the chance to bloom.
As time passed, the changes became obvious.
The halos beneath everyone’s feet no longer looked the same.
Some glowed brightly, their light steady and vivid, while others dimmed, flickering weakly as if struggling to stay lit. The contrast was so clear that no one needed an explanation to understand what it meant.
Zora lowered her eyes to look at her own feet.
