Chapter 431: D158. Quit/Color
The time reached dusk.
At the Count Mansion’s dining table, everyone gathered together, and the rare lively atmosphere brought a trace of a relaxed smile to the Border Count’s face.
In contrast, the Hero’s expression seemed slightly distracted.
“I feel like I’ve forgotten something…”
The usual delicious dishes—still delightful, but the discord lingering in her mind made her eat more slowly than usual.
[Perception counterattack failed, Extreme Failure in perception, the Hero’s memory was blurred and rationalized]
This feeling reminded her of the distant past, the scenes she faced with those thick and obscure tomes—the moment she finished a page, flipping to the next, she forgot the previous completely, having to flip back to remember what exactly she’d read.
And then, after closing the book, the memory of the entire book started to blur.
Although not all books were like this, only those Arcane Tomes that she was later not allowed to read gave her this experience.
But after becoming the Hero, to be precise, after becoming the Hero and growing stronger, she rarely experienced this.
Even if she couldn’t claim to master learning, at least in terms of memory, she could almost achieve photographic memory, even reciting the Nightmare Sage’s Exotic Species Magic without missing a word.
So why did she suddenly feel like she had forgotten something?
Yesterday’s memories were still vivid, no matter how she recalled them, nothing seemed missing, yet the feeling was persistent.
“What’s wrong? You look troubled, are you worried about tomorrow’s itinerary?” the village chief grandma asked warmly, noticing the Hero’s abnormality.
The Fourteenth Princess also nodded gently, suggesting, “Why not let Uncle Count assign you a logistics team?”
Realizing her demeanor had drawn concern from family and friends, the Hero shook her head and smiled: “It’s nothing, maybe I’ve just been too busy lately, so I’m a bit tired.”
Although she remembered the conversation with the Cruising bishop, there was always a dreamlike vagueness, probably because his words and actions had too much of an impact on her back then…
He was very troubled by the missing Saintess and the factional struggles within the Church, even planning to sacrifice himself to prophesy the Saintess’s whereabouts.
Naturally, the Hero was quite frantic at the time, not willing for the Cruising bishop to sacrifice himself over such an issue, yet she couldn’t think of a good solution for the moment.
However, perhaps inspired by her past experience playing a detective in a nightmare, after seriously conversing with the Cruising bishop, she seemed to have a flash of insight, acutely capturing the peculiarities in the event and expressed her analysis.
Despite it being merely speculative without much evidence, the Cruising bishop listened very enthusiastically, focusing entirely on the Black Gate.
In retrospect, the Hero also felt her analysis held some truth.
Even if it wasn’t the truth, at least it directed the Cruising bishop to focus his energy on dealing with the cultists, which was much better than having him conduct some live sacrifice ritual.
Breathing a slight sigh of relief, the Hero quickly ate the remaining food to avoid worrying others.
“I’m full, I’ll rest early tonight.”
However, although she finished washing up, turned off the lights, and got into bed early, once she closed her eyes, the image of the Cruising bishop’s pained and powerless expression constantly appeared in her mind.
Such a poor and humble man.
This thought flitted through a corner of her mind, causing the Hero to be slightly startled.
Clearly, he was trying hard in his own way, so why did she think that?
The Hero felt a vague unease, turning over but unable to calm her heart.
Saintess, Magic Cloud Undercurrent, disappearance, faction struggle, Black Gate…
A series of thoughts intertwined in her mind, gradually forming a tangled mess.
Until the Twin Moons hung high in the deep night, the young girl still tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
[Hero’s Luck (3+Nothing happened)]
D10=d10(4)=4
[Hero’s potential hit mark, successfully reached the Highland]
[Water Mirror Crane King’s attitude towards the Hero (85+welcoming)]
D40+60=d40(23)+60=83
→☆→☆→☆→✧←★←★←★←
“Ah~ah~ah~”
Beneath the boundless blue sky, amidst the vast emerald green prairie, the Hero spread her arms, bathing in the Highland’s light wind, and let out a joyful shout.
Early this morning, she had taken the military vehicle from the Count Mansion, arriving once again at the Western Plateau at high speed on the Black Feathered Chocobo.
The Count apparently considered the decreased danger level of the Highland during this time, dispatching construction teams to repair the road from the city to the Highland. Despite the steepness due to altitude differences, the comfort of traveling had significantly improved.
The sleep lost the previous day was made up during the journey, and those entangling thoughts seemed to have been carried away by the wind, leaving only a refreshing sense of openness and relaxation.
Her perception soared with the wind as if her domain expanded without boundary, taking in the vast scenery below.
Although the season remained in deep winter, and the air on the Highland was much colder than in the plains cities, the moist prairie was abnormally lush, displaying vigorous vitality.
In retrospect, the Corrupted Phoenix had been suppressed under the Central Volcano since ancient times. Despite the Ancient Hero’s seal being steadfast, over the lengthy years, the Great Demon’s power had undoubtedly slipped away, and after purification by the flames, possibly deeply affecting the surrounding environment, causing the Water Mirror Crane, a High-level Demon species, to choose nesting beside the volcano.