It's so hard being a hero!

"They didn't invade us because they were forced into it, nor did they wage war for survival. They are born with a desire to conquer, to destroy and plunder. It's an instinct etched into their souls, and you can't change it by reasoning with them."

She paused for a moment, then added.

"Being merciful to the demons is pointless. They will not be grateful, nor will they back down. They will not lay down their weapons because of your kindness. They will only think you are weak and easy to bully, and then they will attack you even more fiercely."

“They are different from orcs, elves, and dwarves. Although those races have conflicts with humans, at least they can communicate, negotiate, and coexist.”

“But the demons are different. They don’t have the concept of ‘kindness’ at all. To be kind to them is to be cruel to yourself.”

Frey didn't immediately respond after hearing what she said.

Looking into Sophia's blue eyes, which were so serious they were almost stubborn, a complex feeling suddenly welled up inside her.

She hadn't really thought about this question seriously before.

As a human, she was taught from childhood that "demons are enemies and should be killed," and she never thought about why demons were enemies or whether they should be enemies.

But Sofia is different.

From a very long time ago, she has habitually pondered these "whys".

Why must humans and demons be enemies? Why must demons be killed? Why can't we try to understand each other's perspectives?

On this issue, her views differ from those of most people.

That's why she helped the Spider Queen move, argued with Count Vlad, and said things like "They don't have the concept of kindness" when facing the demons.

This is not a double standard at all; rather, she is using her own methods to seriously distinguish the essence of each race.

She chooses to coexist with what she can.

She will not hesitate to take drastic measures against those who cannot coexist.

"You're right."

Chapter 127 I'm Going to the Knights of Dawn

Sofia changed her clothes, chatted with Frey for a few more minutes, then pushed open the door and walked out of the courtyard.

The Demon Suppression Pass was fully awake early in the morning.

The streets were bustling with people, all walking quickly. There were soldiers carrying weapons, medics carrying stretchers, and people pushing carts to transport goods.

There was a smell in the air, a mixture of dust, rust, and sweat—the distinctive smell of wartime.

Sofia walked straight down the street and soon saw a tent with a sign that read "Recruitment Registration Office".

There was a line of people standing at the entrance of the tent, mostly young people in their twenties. Some were wearing leather armor, and some had old swords hanging from their waists. They were clearly adventurers who had come from various places to help.

Sofia walked to the back of the line and stood there patiently.

After waiting in line for about fifteen minutes, it was finally her turn.

She went into the tent and saw a long table inside. Behind the table sat a middle-aged man in military uniform, who looked to be in his forties. He had an old scar on his face that ran from his brow bone to his chin, making him look like a veteran who had spent many years on the front lines.

The officer looked up, his eyes falling on Sofia as he sized her up from head to toe, then he frowned.

"Young lady, have you come to the wrong place? The logistics registration office is over there. Turn right, and it's the third tent."

Sophia wasn't angry. She simply took out her Adventurers' Guild identification and Tianxing Academy support certificate from her pocket, put them on the table, and pushed them over.

"I didn't go to the wrong place. I'm here to sign up for battle outside the city."

The officer was stunned. He lowered his head, picked up the two certificates, and looked at them. His eyes lingered on the words "Silver-level" and "Gold-level" teams for a few seconds before he looked up again, his expression a little strange.

"Are you fourteen years old?"

"Yes."

"A second-year student at Tianxing Academy?"

"Yes."

The officer put down the certificate, crossed his hands on the table, and said in the tone of an elder speaking to a younger person, "Little girl, your resume is indeed very impressive. A silver-level at fourteen years old, there are only a handful on the entire continent. However, you should know very well that fighting on the front lines is completely different from the kind of training you do in the academy."

Sophia nodded.

"I know."

"Since you already know, then I won't waste my breath on you."

The officer pointed to the sky outside the tent, blackened by the smoke of battle.

“It’s no joke outside. The demon soldiers won’t show mercy just because you’re young. We’ve already lost far too many people here. I can’t possibly send a fourteen-year-old girl to her death.”

He paused for a moment, and his tone softened slightly.

"How about this, you go report to the logistics unit, help move things, and treat the wounded. That would be a contribution to the front line, and it would be much safer."

After listening, Sophia didn't rush to refute, but calmly asked a question.

"Sir, may I ask you a question?"

"go ahead."

"You just said that the front line is too dangerous and not suitable for someone my age. Let me rephrase my question: If a twenty-year-old Silver-rank adventurer came here and wanted to sign up for the Dawn Knights, would you stop him?"

The officer was speechless at her question.

He opened his mouth, intending to say something, but found that he really couldn't refute it.

Because what he said was true. If it were a twenty-year-old Silver-ranked player, he wouldn't stop him. He would probably pat the person on the shoulder and praise them, then quickly add them to the combat unit.

But the silver-haired girl in front of me still looks like a child.

“Your situation is different.”

The officer finally shook his head.

"What's different?"

Sophia pressed for more details.

"Is it because of my age? Sir, on the battlefield, the demons won't show mercy to anyone just because they look young. And conversely, I won't be able to defeat them just because I'm young."

The officer was speechless after hearing her string of words.

He was silent for a moment, as if he was thinking about how to say it.

"You said you have gold-level combat power?"

He changed the subject.

"Yes."

"Talk is cheap; I need to see it for myself to believe it."

Sophia felt relieved upon hearing this.

"Sure, where should we test it?"

The officer stood up and walked out of the tent.

"Come with me."

He led Sophia through several streets and then came to a circular open space that was completely surrounded by a protective barrier.

Several rows of wooden targets and some magic targets stood along the edge of the field, clearly indicating that it was a place for testing combat strength.

"Just pick one and try it out."

The officer pointed to the field and said.

Sophia walked to the center of the field, looked around at the wooden targets, and finally her eyes settled on the furthest cast iron target.

The target was about two meters tall, covered with a thick layer of metal, and covered with scratches of varying depths, indicating that it had been hit by many people.

She didn't draw her sword, but instead raised her right hand, fingers spread, palm facing forward.

A silvery-white light began to gather in her palm, growing brighter and denser, causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly from the fluctuations of this magical power.

The officer stood on the sidelines, his face initially bearing a scrutinizing expression, but his expression slowly changed when he saw that beam of light.

He could feel the power within that magical fluctuation, a power that was climbing upwards at a much faster pace than he had anticipated, quickly breaking through the limit he had estimated, and continuing to rise.

Sofia didn't use her full strength, only half of it, but she knew that half of her strength was more than enough to deal with the test in front of her.

With a push of her palm forward, a beam of silvery-white light shot out, slicing through the air and striking the iron target dozens of meters away.

Then came a muffled thud.

On the surface of the iron target, a hole the size of a fist appeared. The metal around the hole had been melted into dark red molten iron by the high temperature, which was slowly flowing down the surface of the target and making a "sizzling" sound.

The officer just stood there, his mouth slightly open, unable to close it for a long time.

He glanced at the iron target with a large crater in it, then turned to look at Sophia, his expression as if he had seen a ghost.

"This...this is a level seven spell?"

He stammered out the sentence.

"more or less."

Sophia withdrew her hand, turned around and looked at him, her tone as calm as if she were saying that the weather was nice today.

"Sir, may I go to the Knights of Dawn now?"

The officer remained silent for several seconds, then let out a long sigh and said in a tone that was both helpless and convinced, "Fine, go ahead, you're good."

He went back into the tent, pulled a form from the table, quickly filled it out, stamped it, and then handed it to Sofia.

"Take this and report to the Dawn Knights' headquarters in the west of the city. They will assign you a specific team."

Sofia took the form, said thank you, and turned to leave the tent.

She could still hear the officer muttering behind her.

"A fourteen-year-old can use level seven magic? What are these young people eating to grow up like this?"

Sophia pretended not to hear, quickened her pace, and headed towards the west of the city.

She had been to the Dawn Knights' headquarters yesterday, so she knew the place well and found it quickly.

The guards at the camp gate had changed, but they still recognized her. After all, yesterday, Leila's loud shout of "Sophia, what are you doing here?" had been heard by almost half the camp.

"Are you here to see Miss Lyra?"