Are you serious, man? You’d even say something like ‘to survive’?
Vylian’s eyes widened sharply, the calm on her face finally cracking, her gaze filled with sudden confusion and bewilderment.
The two archbishops exchanged a look, already understanding.
Archbishop Meili’s action had confirmed Archbishop Glen’s suspicion.
When Archbishop Glen had bowed just now, there was actually a noticeable moment of hesitation.
If Archbishop Meili hadn’t bowed, he could have stopped instantly and dismissed his earlier thought.
But Meili had bowed, which meant his guess was all correct.
Archbishop Glen’s action had confirmed Archbishop Meili’s suspicion.
Archbishop Meili had also shown a clear moment of hesitation when she bowed just now…
Hmph, that Glen, he probably wanted to hog all the credit, but now it’s completely impossible to hide.
“Ohhh! I knew that old knight had a sharp eye!” The villagers, who had been somewhat tense, were now completely at ease.
“Sister Vylian really is Her Highness the Saintess! And she kept denying it! Look, even the two archbishops have bowed personally! To think our humble Kachi Village would be honored by the presence of Her Highness the Saintess, what an honor!”
The villagers’ gazes towards Vylian seemed to grow even more devout and worshipful.
The two archbishops listened quietly to the villagers’ chatter. When the words “Hero” reached their ears, their eyes lit up, and their expressions grew even more solemn.
Hero!
The newborn Hero from the prophecy had actually been born here!
Since the Hero was truly born in Kachi Village, then this Saintess before them, corroborating each other, must be the genuine article!
Archbishop Meili was the first to collect herself, replacing her expression with a kindly smile, doing her best to appear approachable.
“Your Highness Saintess, you must have come here because of the Hero, right? After all, the two sacred classes of Saintess and Hero naturally attract and sense each other.”
“We humbly request that Your Highness lead the way, take us to meet the Hero, so that we may devote ourselves to protecting and ensuring the Hero’s smooth growth.”
Vylian’s thoughts were still somewhat scattered. She truly couldn’t figure out how she had been mistaken for the Saintess.
If she had mind-reading, she would definitely want to take a good look inside these two archbishops’ heads to see what they were thinking.
It seems there’s no choice but to go along with it!
Steadying herself, Vylian spoke, “Ah, yes, follow me. However, the Hero has gone out and is temporarily not in the village. It might be… a while before she returns.”
“That’s fine. Please lead the way. It would be good to meet the Hero’s parents as well.”
—
—
Norman Street District.
Anlis was currently panting, leaning on a wooden stick, her right hand still clutching a poisoned dagger.
This dagger was one she had picked up earlier when she knocked the attacker’s weapon away with the stick. She hadn’t given the other party a chance to reclaim it from start to finish.
Although the three of them weren’t exactly reliable, they had still managed, with great difficulty, to defeat their opponent.
There was no other way.
Although Anlis’s class was Hero, and she had levels, she had never trained and had no technique. Fighting was purely about brute strength, no different from a street brawl.
Fula’s level was low, her flames weak, unable to deal much damage.
This victory, in the end, was mostly thanks to her father.
It’s just that she truly hadn’t expected her father, who worked in the fields every day, to have some hidden skill. Those sword moves, though seemingly not very powerful, at least showed recognizable form.
They hadn’t gone for the kill.
How could commoners just kill people freely in the city?
At most, they could knock the opponent unconscious, disable their ability to act, and then hand the culprit over to the city guards for handling.
The city’s rules were complicated; one always had to consider certain things.
Unintentionally, Anlis caught sight of the mark on the back of her hand.
It was one Vylian had placed on her before she left, saying at the time that this mark could help her resolve this crisis.
In the end, it hadn’t been of any use.
She gently rubbed the back of her hand.
‘It’s better that it wasn’t used.’
The thought flashed through her mind, and Anlis stopped dwelling on it.
Compared to this useless mark, she was more puzzled about why her father had been hiding his strength.
Thinking this, she quietly pulled up her father’s status panel.
[Status Window]
Name: Bolai Kachi
Lv: 120 (Cursed)
Class: Farmer
Imitation Dragon God Sword Technique: An imitation of the legendary, lost Dragon God Sword Technique. Though not as miraculous as the original, it possesses 60% of its power.
Born Divine Strength: Your Strength attribute is innately far superior to ordinary people. You require less training than others to gain greater strength.
Poison Curse Technique: Your level and various attributes are weakened because of this.
Anlis stared incredulously at her father’s entries and level.
Just looking at these, she could imagine a whole series of stories.
A spirited young man learns a sword technique many dream of, then, in the script of life, he charges ahead with high spirits, defeating countless powerful foes, only to unfortunately “take an arrow to the knee,” ultimately returning to the village disillusioned to live out an ordinary life as a farmer.
‘Was my father actually someone with such a story?’
‘Why have I never heard him or mother mention it?’
And the Poison Curse Technique…
Just as Anlis was about to ask something, a strange laugh suddenly came from the rooftop, forcibly cutting off the words at the tip of her tongue.
“Hahaha, excellent, truly excellent. I’ve been watching your performance, and it was quite the spectacle.”
Anlis once again caught a whiff of a foul Corrosion stench. This smell was different from the earlier attacker’s; it seemed mixed with a perfume scent. The two odors combined, making the smell bizarre and unpleasant.
She immediately became alert, looking towards the direction of the voice.
On the rooftop stood a figure in a butler’s tailcoat, slender in build, features blurred, making it impossible to tell if it was male or female.
[Status Window]
Name: Wubika Kachi
Lv: 130
Class: Corrupted Disaster
Corrosive Will: You are a being who walks within the concept of Corrosion, favored by it.
Cholera Deception: Your words are more easily believed, making it easier for you to corrupt others.
Corrupted Disaster!
Anlis’s pupils contracted sharply. The moment she saw this class, she suddenly realized that perhaps Vylian’s arrangement was only now fully revealing itself before her eyes.
In an instant, she connected many dots, stringing together everything she had experienced.
The initial attacker was just an appetizer, meant to gauge through this subordinate what level of strength she currently possessed.
Then, dispatch this subordinate, whom she currently couldn’t possibly defeat, to personally step in and force her to her limits.
Finally, when she was pushed to the brink, she would instinctively use the mark the other party had given her.
After using the mark to defeat the enemy, she would inevitably think well of the other party, feel grateful, and grow closer and more trusting of Vylian.
If Anlis knew nothing, she might truly have thought that way, seeing Vylian as a savior offering help in a time of need.
But after learning Vylian’s true identity as the Corrupt Monarch…
Anlis tightened her grip on the dagger in her hand and let out a heavy, turbid breath.
“Vylian, you really have quite the grand scheme laid out, don’t you?”