Ah-choo!!!
Accompanied by a huge sneeze, Histori rubbed her slightly reddened nose from the cold and shivered all over.
After escaping from the Elven Forest, she and Amir had only traveled north for less than half a day before the surrounding scenery underwent an extremely dramatic, cliff-like change.
The lush towering ancient trees were gone, replaced by increasingly sparse, frost-covered coniferous forests.
The soil beneath their feet had become as hard as iron, and the air was filled with a biting chill that felt like swallowing shards of ice when inhaled.
“S-so cold!”
Histori wore only a black dress from the Demon King’s Castle and a dark green cloak that Amir had given her for stealth in the Elven Forest.
In this suddenly plummeting temperature, the fabric was about as useful as a layer of window paper.
Feeling the cold wind against her ears, Histori silently shivered.
She crossed her arms over her chest, her teeth chattering in her mouth.
“Um, Lady Amir, where are we going? The temperature difference is too much. Before we continue, shouldn’t we find a nearby town and at least buy some thicker clothes—”
“Here, put this on.”
Amir, who had been walking a few steps ahead of Histori, stopped.
She deftly flicked her fingertip across her storage ring, casually tossing something onto Histori’s forehead.
It was a very thick, pure white cold-weather cloak, with a trim of snow-white animal fur around the collar, and it radiated a faint warmth.
“Huh?!”
Histori frantically pulled the heavy, warm cloak off her head, then wrapped it around her nearly frozen body.
Instantly, a comfortable warmth enveloped her, making her let out a long sigh of relief.
However, when Histori poked her head out of the collar and looked at Amir’s expressionless profile, a wave of吐槽* surged in her heart.
*[TL: “tsukkomi” – a comedic retort or complaint in Japanese culture.]
In this short time traveling together, Histori felt she had completely figured out the inventory of this Hero.
—Five percent food, five percent odd gadgets, and ninety percent cloaks.
A simple dark gray cloak for obscuring vision, a black matte cloak for infiltrating the Great Forging Assembly, a dark green cloak for infiltrating the Elven Palace, and now this white fluffy cloak purely for warmth.
…Purely for warmth?
If their destination was a snowy mountain, then wouldn’t this white cloak also become a stealth item?
As expected of the legendary Hero, she truly committed to every job.
Her storage ring was probably already filled to the brim with all sorts of stealth gear, leaving no spare space.
That’s why she had to carry those dry rations that could make you feel full in one bite.
“What’s wrong? Why are you staring at my storage ring?”
Sensing Histori’s intense gaze, Amir turned around and gave her a slight smirk.
“What, can’t wait? Want to try going back to your original world now?”
“No, no, of course not! We’re nowhere near that! And the voice I heard said we must gather all the Sacred Artifacts first, or else it won’t work at all!”
Hearing this, Amir shrugged nonchalantly.
“Then let’s pick up the pace. I hope I can help you gather them all soon.”
“Is that so…”
At this efficiency, that day might not be too far off.
“Haha… Thank you for being so dedicated to my cause, respected Lady Amir…”
What do I do?
What happens when they’re actually all gathered?
The anxiety was already setting in.
Wait, according to my cheap Demon King father, aside from the necklace I’m wearing, there are only six Sacred Artifacts in the entire world.
In just a few days, Amir has already collected two, and from what I’ve seen, she didn’t even try very hard to get them…
That means the time to implement that return plan might really be not far off…
—Help.
Seeing Histori’s expression, Amir raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Hmm? Is it my imagination, or do you not look very happy?”
“No, no!”
Histori hurriedly waved her hands, changing the subject in a panic.
“I was just thinking about how thorough you are! You’re like a walking survival guide! With you by my side, even through a sea of blades and a mountain of fire, I’d—”
“Also, in a snowy environment, heat escapes easily through your mouth, so I suggest you talk less.”
“…”
And so, after silently passing through the last frost-covered coniferous forest, what appeared before them was a wide, fast-flowing river.
On the other side of the river stood an endless, sky-piercing snow-capped mountain.
The mountain was a solemn pure white, its summit hidden in thick clouds.
At first glance, it almost inspired a sense of reverence.
Having reached this point, Amir looked up at the sky, then turned to Histori and said—
“Alright, we’ll stop here for today. We’ll camp by this river tonight. Crossing the river and climbing the mountain can wait until tomorrow.”
As she spoke, she expertly picked a flat area behind a wind-sheltered boulder by the river.
After that, there was no room for Histori to do anything.
Amir deftly drew the short blade at her waist, cut a few dry branches from a nearby pine tree, then scraped the blade against a rock, producing obvious sparks.
With a few soft crackles, a warm campfire quietly ignited in the cold wind.
Then, Amir walked to the river, and with her black short blade, she quickly flashed it over the water twice.
Splash splash splash—
Three plump, lively fish were precisely scooped onto the shore, landing right next to the fire.
“My work is done. Your turn.”
Amir dipped the short blade in the water to rinse it off, then stretched lazily toward the setting sun and waved at Histori.
“Now it’s your job to prepare the fish.”
“…M-me?”
Having lived a life of luxury since the transmigration, Histori nodded dejectedly, accepting the only task that could prove her worth.
But, credit where it’s due, Histori actually knew how to handle fish.
After removing the innards from the slit Amir had already cut, she used nearby branches to scrape off the scales and then placed the fish over the fire to roast.
The sky gradually darkened.
The warm firelight reflected on Histori and Amir’s faces, making Histori momentarily dazed.
Sitting by a campfire in this wilderness, sharing freshly roasted fish with a delicately featured, elegant black-haired beauty—this should have been a pleasant experience.
But now, Histori’s mind wasn’t on the aroma of the fish.
It kept circling back to the meaningful words spoken by the Elf Queen Fuleiyasi before she handed over the Holy Grail, right before they left the Elven Forest.
—Poor child, I sincerely hope that during this long journey, you can find what you truly seek in the depths of your heart, and attain the peace that belongs to you.
Poor child?
And something she wants?
Those two phrases, in Histori’s view, had nothing to do with Amir.
If she was really a professional killer who would do anyone for money, then she wouldn’t be pitiable at all.
What Amir wanted…
No matter how she thought about it, a top-tier professional killer wouldn’t be short on money, so she must be after something money can’t buy…
Then it should be…
…the title of the strongest?
No, it didn’t seem like that.
Rather, after killing the Demon King with one sword strike, Amir should already hold that status.
There was no need for her to keep searching.
And, during their journey together, except for the encounter with the Knights Order, Amir almost never boasted about having slain the Demon King.
It was as if it were just a trivial thing she did casually.
So, was Fuleiyasi just talking nonsense?
Was that speech just to salvage her pride in front of Amir at the last moment?
From Histori’s perspective, that was the most likely scenario.
But when the Elf Queen said those words, Histori clearly saw that, for a single moment, Amir’s usually ice-cold, deep eyes—which seemed incapable of any emotional ripple—rarely showed a distinct flicker of feeling.
So, it definitely wasn’t baseless.
Fuleiyasi might have actually seen some side of Amir through the Sacred Tree Leaf…
Histori quietly raised her head to look at the black-haired girl beside her, who was dozing off with half-closed eyes while sitting on a tree stump.
It was only then that Histori suddenly realized she had never seriously thought about a question that seemed ordinary at first glance but now felt quite odd.
—After hearing Histori’s words, which didn’t have much credibility, Amir immediately took action, continuously plundering Sacred Artifacts from various races along the way.
What exactly was her purpose?