You and Mira continue browsing the market stalls, pretending to examine a set of enchanted traveling boots while staying close enough to overhear the gossip. A second group of merchants — older, more well-traveled — leans in over a barrel of ale, voices low but clear enough for your enhanced senses (and Mira's sharp fox ears) to catch every word.
"—and get this," one grizzled trader mutters, "the Fifth Hero is so weak. Only B-rank when he arrived. The other four heroes look down on him something fierce. They treat him like a servant, not an equal. Make him fetch their meals and shine their armor while they train with the royal knights."
His companion nods eagerly. "Aye, and the Goddess herself gave her divine blessings to the first four heroes — strength that can shatter mountains, magic that bends fate, the works. But when the Fifth Hero knelt before her altar… she refused him. Flat out. Said he 'looks like someone who came to this world not long ago' and that the cosmic balance was already… disturbed. No blessing, no holy weapon, nothing. Poor bastard's been sulking in the palace ever since."
The group chuckles darkly. "He's probably going to be used as cannon fodder when the war with the Dragon Dominion starts. The King's keeping all five heroes in the capital anyway, but the Fifth one… he's basically worthless compared to the rest."
Mira's ears twitch sharply. She leans in closer to you, pretending to adjust a cloak on the stall, and whispers so only you can hear:
"Another otherworldly hero… and the Goddess denied him her blessing because of timing? My lord… that can't be a coincidence."
You feel it instantly — a quiet certainty settles in your chest like starlight clicking into place. You know the truth. The Goddess refused to bless the Fifth Hero because of you. When you arrived and wished for the full, unrestricted powers of a true genie, it shifted the cosmic balance of this world. The "summoning slot" or the flow of divine favor was already claimed by your genie essence. The Goddess sensed the disturbance… and withheld her blessing from the latest arrival to keep the world from breaking.
Your secret remains perfectly hidden. No one — not the heroes, not the Goddess's priests, not the King — has any idea the real reason is a Wish Djinn named Grim walking among them in a simple merchant cloak.
Mira's tail curls protectively around your leg under the stall counter, her emerald eyes flicking to you with absolute loyalty and a hint of fierce pride. "Whatever you decide, my lord… I am yours. If these heroes are a threat, I will cut them down. If you wish to ignore them, we walk away. Your will is all that matters."