Chapter 297: The Legend of the Hero |
In the early morning of the second day, when the sky was just slightly bright, the old man carrying an oil lamp came to the door.
The sky was still overcast, and a strong wind swept up snowflakes, blowing howlingly. The muddy and icy lake water beat against the rocks on the shore and the ferry crossing, rolling up white waves one after another.
The old man glanced at the boundless lake surface and shivered. He came to the door, and just as he was about to knock, the door opened on its own.
The old man was taken aback for a moment, then lowered his head and said respectfully: "Lord Hero, the family head has already prepared the boat for you."
"I'll trouble you to lead me to the ferry crossing." The Southern Hero nodded.
"Please go this way," the old man said.
Bai Mu and Xiao Wei followed behind the Southern Hero and came to the shore together.
A small fishing boat was tied to a wooden stake at the ferry crossing with a rope. It was like a leaf, constantly rising and falling in the waves, as if it would overturn into the lake water in the next second.
The noble and the village guards, wrapped in thick wool coats, stood in front of the wooden stake. After some negotiation, the Southern Hero stepped onto the small boat alone. When he stood on that small boat, the boat's hull became stable, like a solid rock.
"I wish Lord Hero a safe journey," Bai Mu said. "No matter where you go, these thirty days traveling with you, sir, are an unforgettable memory for me. I will forever bear it in my heart."
"Please be careful on your way," Xiao Wei said.
The Southern Hero smiled and drew his sword: "Then... goodbye."
He swung his sword and cut the rope tying the small boat. The boat drifted away with the waves, and his figure became smaller and farther away.
On that boundless lake surface, the small boat rose and fell in the howling wind and waves. Under the dim twilight, his silhouette became increasingly minuscule. But even though minuscule, he was still so eye-catching, because in those terrifying waves, only he alone was advancing.
At a certain moment, he turned his body around, looking towards the opposite side of the lake.
And at another certain moment, his figure completely disappeared from Bai Mu's field of vision. Only the continuous sound of waves and wind could be heard in his ears.
On the opposite side of the lake, what exactly would he encounter?
Bai Mu couldn't help but wonder. However, this was something he had no way of knowing. The countdown only had the last 10 minutes left. After 10 minutes, the future of that man, and the future of this world, would be matters unrelated to him.
Thinking about it carefully, in these 30 days, he encountered many people and experienced many things.
Perhaps because there was the common threat of the Demon Race, the humans of this world were more united than he imagined.
If there were no threat from the Demon Race, becoming a pharmacist and settling down in a certain town, probably, that would be a life he quite liked.
Would days like that arrive after the war ended?
Bai Mu looked towards the boundless lake surface, and a notification sound came to his ears.
"The staying period has ended, teleporting to the community."
A white light flashed before his eyes, and thus the figures of Bai Mu and Xiao Wei also disappeared in a certain corner of the snowfield, as if they had never appeared.
And before Bai Mu returned to his room in the community, a screen similar to a game settlement appeared before his eyes.
Although there was no script introduction in realistic mode, it seemed that upon return, there would still be a summary similar to a game-clear screen based on what the player had done.
If he had been killed by something at some stage, it would probably also play a death replay for the player, letting the player die understanding how.
Flashing across the screen were some things he had done, such as scenes of him treating the injured from the Norm Merchant Guild in the first few days, and scenes of him helping villagers rebuild houses later.
In addition to the things he had done, there were also some scenes that seemed to be the aftermath of these things.
He saw people from the Norm Merchant Guild delivering supplies to some remote villages, and the people in the villages expressing their gratitude to them. Also, he saw firewood burning in those rebuilt houses; when the blizzard struck, many villagers gathered in the houses to keep warm together, huddling close to get through this cold winter.
Although Bai Mu was no longer in that world, the things he had done indeed had an impact on the people there. His practical and advanced architectural style was quickly secretly learned by carpenters, applied to new houses, and continuously spread in that region.
After these scenes ended, Bai Mu suddenly saw flowers, knights, and cheering crowds.
That was a party of figures Bai Mu completely didn't know: a silver-haired elf with pointy ears, a dwarf with a beard like a broom, a human dressed as a monk, and a blue-haired hero holding a sword.
"Hero Himmel, Warrior Eisen, Monk Heiter, Mage Frieren, thank you for your hard work in destroying the Demon King. This way, the world will usher in an era of peace."
"Frieren... I remember that's the party the Southern Hero said would ultimately defeat the Demon King," Bai Mu said in his heart. "As expected, things still proceeded according to the precognition..."
He saw bronze statues of those four erected in a fortress filled with blooming flowers. People were singing and dancing, and bards played instruments. These four, as heroes, enjoyed flowers, cheers, and honor surrounded by the crowd.
But the Southern Hero, seemed... to have already been forgotten by them in some corner. Even whether he was still alive was an unknown.
After the celebratory ball ended, that silver-haired elf picked up a suitcase and came outside the city walls.
"Frieren, where are you going?"
"I'm going to continue collecting magic. I'll probably spend about a hundred years traveling all over the central nations, but I will occasionally come back to see you guys too."
After speaking, the elf left the capital city and embarked on her journey.
Her other three teammates stood in place, watching her go far away.
"I really can't figure out an elf's concept of time."
"Yeah, who knows how many years she's lived."
Bai Mu had learned from the Southern Hero that elves in this world were a race so long-lived that they almost wouldn't die of natural aging. Under peaceful circumstances, living for thousands or tens of thousands of years was common for elves. Therefore, an elf's concept of time was quite unique, and their emotions were very faint.
100 years... by the time the elf returned, the human hero and human monk standing there would probably have become white-haired old men or even been put into coffins and buried in the ground.
But... how should he put it, Bai Mu didn't know these people anyway, so he didn't have much sentiment.
No matter what, it seemed the Southern Hero had fulfilled his long-cherished wish. Humanity won, and the world was at peace.
The screen moved with that silver-haired elf. She really went to many places. The surrounding scenery constantly changed, and bronze statues of that blue-haired hero were in many places. And in a spring after the rain and snow had melted, Bai Mu saw her arrive at a rural village.
That was... a place with many tea trees. Women carrying baskets were picking tea leaves in the tea fields.
Clear stream water flowed past the edge of the tea fields, and children played and ran playfully under the shade of trees. In this village, a bronze statue was also erected, but that bronze statue was not Hero Himmel, but a man with twin swords inserted at his waist.
The elf stood in front of the bronze statue for a while, then walked towards a small path, and finally came to a sunny small courtyard. She put down her suitcase and sat face-to-face with a white-haired old man who had lost his right hand and walked with a cane. Through the gaps in the grapevines, sunlight scattered in fragments upon them.
"Frieren, huh... I didn't expect there would be a day to see you again. I heard you are collecting magic in various nations. But if you want to take away some precious magic books from me, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
"You... can no longer use magic, right? I can't feel the flow of Mana on your body at all."
"That kind of thing doesn't matter. Want a cup of tea? Black tea from my hometown. Although it's not anything precious, I personally like this taste very much."
The old man took out a faded iron thermos cup, sprinkled tea leaves, and poured hot water into the teacup.
"A teapot with this shape is very rare."
"But its insulation effect is very good. Even in the northern nations, the hot water inside won't freeze into an ice block after a night."
"I heard that in your battle in Endae, you used a magic that doesn't exist in the world, and thus survived the siege of Schorf and the Seven Sages of Destruction. Is that true... What kind of magic is it?"
"Is that so, you think that was magic?"
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing, just remembered some happy things. Let me show you a good item. If it's you, you should be able to understand it."
The old man returned to the house, took out a locked iron box, and opened it. Inside, wrapped in a red cloth, was a black metallic creation.
"This is?"
"This is what rumors outside claim to be the non-existent magic. However, this is not magic, nor does it have the slightest relationship with magic. It is a gift given to me by a friend from afar, a weapon called a handgun."
The elf took the metallic creation in her hand to observe: "It indeed isn't a magic item, but the structure is very ingenious. So? What does this have to do with the non-existent magic in this world?"
"Are you very interested?"
"Collecting magic is what I have always been doing."
"Is that so... However, the truth should be completely different from what you imagine. Me defeating Schorf was something within precognition. Originally, I was supposed to die there, but... I carried medicines and weapons outside of precognition on me. This weapon named handgun just created an opportunity for me. The Demon Race has always relied on Mana perception to feel the world. Therefore, even Schorf and the Seven Sages of Destruction probably didn't foresee that I had this kind of weapon on me that completely didn't need Mana."
"It created a tiny sliver of opportunity for me, causing something outside of precognition to happen. To some extent, saying that it is magic that doesn't exist in this world... is probably correct too. That was an accident outside the threads of fate, allowing me, who was heavily injured and lost all Mana, to survive through a miracle of minute probability."
"I seem to have heard some strange rumors saying you once had a teammate, and some places say two. It's said there existed a magic to manipulate corpses and a magic to restore buildings. But it is generally believed that this is a rumor because you indeed didn't accept any teammates, and I haven't found any clues regarding these two kinds of magic either. Regarding the legend of the Southern Hero, there are many versions."
"That wasn't a rumor. The fact that I can still sit here and drink tea with you is tangible proof. But... do you want to hear it, the legend of the hero?"
"Sure." The elf closed her book. "I probably plan to stay in this vicinity for ten years. You can tell me all the details."
"Ten years... I really can't figure out an elf's concept of time. I can't tell a story as long as ten years. After all, that wasn't a happy journey. The truly interesting time in my memory is only about a month in length."
"You speak, and I will record the correct version." The elf took out a quill pen.
"Then... let me recall. I've forgotten many things. Right, let's start from there."
"On my way to Endae, to solve the rampaging Demon Race, I took a small detour. That was... truly a very, very cold winter. Due to a blizzard, I could only spend the night temporarily in a village with no living people."
"When I arrived in that area, the surrounding villages had already turned into dead lands. I searched alone in the snow for traces of the Demon Race. Everywhere was the smell of corpses and blood. Even when I think of it now, it's a terrifying scene."
"To be honest, I felt like I couldn't change anything at all. All I could do was transport the villagers' corpses into the church, and then wait for the people from the Norm Merchant Guild to transport them to the graveyard."
"I didn't like that feeling at all, sitting alone in a church piled with corpses, looking at those freezing pale faces, old people, children, women, as if every single one of them was looking at me..."
"Do you also have such emotions?"
"Of course, after all, I am also a human. I'm not like your elf race with such faint emotions."
"And then?"
"And then, on my third day there, right around noon, in front of the church, I saw a very strangely dressed person. He was indeed a human, but his attire... those kinds of clothes looked quite strange, but the workmanship was quite exquisite. His appearance was completely different from the people here; he had black hair and black pupils."
"By his side followed a corpse... or rather, a kind of race formed by a resurrected corpse, an undead... that's probably the legendary undead. Outside the village, I used Mana perception to sense him and that undead. I completely didn't foresee his existence. This was the first time my precognition magic lost its effect. I felt uneasy. Because he was acting suspiciously, I circled behind him and quietly observed him."
"He didn't notice me at all. His Mana was very weak. If he wasn't human, I would probably have killed him directly. But because he was of my kind, I wanted to figure out his origins... not figuring out the reason why my precognition magic failed always made me feel very uneasy in my heart. So, I asked him where he came from."
"Where did he come from?"
"Who knows? I totally didn't expect that when he saw me, he would suddenly raise both hands to make a surrender posture. I've seen prisoners of war surrendering on the battlefield, but his face didn't have that frightened and fearful expression of a prisoner of war. Moreover, what he spoke was a language I hadn't heard before. Clearly having a deadpan face yet raising his hands to surrender to me, as if if I didn't accept, he would suddenly pull out a knife and stab me. At that time I thought, ah, this is really an interesting guy."
"Later on, just as I thought, he indeed was quite an interesting person. Then I traveled with him for a month's time on this journey before reaching Lake Klitoya."
"That was a very unforgettable and pleasant period. After stepping onto that boat and arriving at the opposite side of Lake Klitoya, there were never such days again."
"Undead... black hair, black pupils, strange clothes... if undead exist, then souls and heaven should also exist." The elf said, "Tell me a little more about him."
"Sure, let me tell it to you slowly, Frieren. About the legend of the hero, which is about to be forgotten."