[Vol. 8] Chapter 170: Spirit Hero
While quietly complaining in her mind, Violet nodded and didn’t say much more about the situation. After all, there were too many people around. Besides their group, many unrelated merchants were also nearby. Although Elunie’s identity as the Heaven Hero was completely public and not something that needed to be hidden, it was still better to keep the real secrets covered as much as possible.
It had been more than half a month since the Chosen Heroes Ceremony ended. According to the original plan, the selected heroes had each left the Angel City, taking on their own journeys with new companions they picked up along the way.
The world was on the brink of chaos. Wars had already started or were about to start all over the land. There was no shortage of places for training and gaining experience. The Priestess had given them the foundation to become real warriors, but how far they would go and what they would finally achieve still depended on their own efforts and what kind of fate they met.
There wasn’t much time left for them to grow. As the future heroes who were supposed to save the world, they were about to get very busy~
Of course, even though the Priestess had already left most of the responsibility to these heroes, she didn’t completely let go of everything. After giving Edwina some basic instructions, Violet personally set out with Elunie Light, the Heaven Hero she had been especially curious about, and headed to the newly discovered ancient ruins in the Theo Province.
It was like fate had silently pulled the strings at the perfect moment. This time, nothing could stop her from reaching the Resting Place of the Serpent.
The Theo Province was located to the east of the Holy Empire. As one of the border provinces, its easternmost city was only about 300 kilometers from the national border, practically on the front line of war.
Even though the war with the Austre Empire hadn’t yet reached the western part of the province where they were, on the way there, they saw many families fleeing the war, moving deeper into the empire to seek safety. The air already felt tense and dangerous, and even the setting sun looked redder, like it had been stained with blood.
Now, in the buffer zone, the two major empires had started a full-scale war through their vassal states. Both sides had suffered losses, but since they were both powerful with strong armies, no one had gained a clear victory yet. As expected, the battle was in a stalemate for the time being.
Among the Three Saintesses, the Judgment Saintess had rushed to the border right after the Chosen Heroes Ceremony to help oversee the battlefield. The other two Saintesses also didn’t return to their own territories. Instead, they stayed in the Holy Capital, ready to support the frontlines at any moment.
All temple personnel in enemy territory had already been withdrawn. The whole country’s military was now operating at full speed. Over ten Holy Knight regiments and many special forces were being sent to the east and south. The total army had now grown to over 300,000 soldiers. Known for their elite tactics, the Holy Empire’s soldiers were said to be able to fight ten enemies each. Not even during the four great Demon Wars had they ever gathered such an impressive military force.
Everyone understood clearly, the personal descent of the Goddess had inspired the faith and fighting spirit of millions of believers. In the face of Austre Empire’s threats and provocation, the Holy Empire, this ancient giant that had remained quiet and never started wars, was finally ready to get serious.
But to a certain Miss Priestess, it was the same as always. No matter how bloody or intense the war got, it was still a matter for mortals. As long as no god-level power stepped onto the battlefield, she wouldn’t get involved. Some of the Chosen Heroes might choose to join the war, but...
In the end, since the World Sustainer had already sent its followers to cause trouble during the Hero Trial, who could say they wouldn’t try something during a war, which made it easier for them to act? Sending the heroes to handle it was actually the most fitting solution.
As for Violet herself, her current top priority was to figure out what was going on in the ruins. That dark lunar eclipse that appeared that night had to be closely connected to the sudden discovery of these ruins. It was a very important clue, and it would definitely be very interesting~
By the way, although the two angel ladies, Leila and Rene, had gone with Frederice to guard the border, and their usual companion, Theresa, was still training under the Goddess of Life, and Edwina, being the Pope, couldn’t leave the Holy Capital so easily, Violet was still not alone this time.
Besides Elunie, who had chosen her own five-member team as the Heaven Hero, Violet also brought along Xiao Guang and her two loyal vampire maids. And since some people had no one to take care of them, everyone around had gone off somewhere, they were also brought along by the Priestess.
All in all, the group had exactly ten people.
When she thought of this, the black-haired girl turned her head and saw the little girl who had just stepped out of the carriage with Mia’s help.
She had long, beautiful pale pink hair and eyes as clear and pure as amethyst crystals, though there was a faint, hard-to-describe charm in her gaze. She looked like a cute porcelain doll around 13 or 14 years old.
If Elunie Light was simply a petite girl who had already grown close to an adult's height, then this girl was a real loli. A truly small and childlike girl.
Even though they had known each other for about two years, and even though this was the age when girls usually grow the fastest, this little one’s body had not changed at all. That’s because she was no longer human. She was a succubus, a race with a much longer lifespan and slower growth. So, she would likely keep this young appearance for a long time.
In fact, not many people around the priestess could be described as truly "loli". Small in height, young in heart, and young in age. A certain vampire prince didn’t count. Even the Dragon God “Light”, though still young, was becoming more mature and steady recently. So in the end, only this little girl truly fit the title.
As the girl walked over after getting off the carriage, the priestess gently stroked her soft, silky pink hair, which naturally gave off a charming glow, and smiled.
“Little Eudora, you’ve been stuck in the carriage all day. Feeling bored and tired?”
Very few people knew her real identity. To most, she looked like just a normal half-blood girl. She accepted the head-patting like a habit and obediently shook her head.
“Big Sister Violet, Eudora isn’t that delicate. Compared to the older brothers and sisters who walked here on foot, I’m lucky to have a carriage to ride in.”
See? See! This is what you call a little angel. The difference is obvious!
Unlike the magician girl from a noble family in Elunie’s team, Eudora came from a poor background. She was later taken in by the priestess and others by chance, and then she received incredible blessings that would make anyone jealous. Even though her status was now very noble, her kind and humble heart had not changed one bit.
That was also one of the main reasons why the priestess had always liked Eudora so much, and why she chose to bring her along this time, and even—
Why she chose her to become a Chosen Hero.
Yes, this sweet and innocent-looking girl who seemed only around 13 or 14 years old was actually the last and most unexpected of the six Chosen Heroes. Even Violet herself hadn’t seen this result coming.
In fact, Eudora didn’t even participate in the trials to become a Chosen Hero. Although she had grown a lot since they first met, to a girl her age, a title like “Chosen Hero” felt like something from a fairy tale. Something far away, something she had never seriously considered for herself.
No one, not even Eudora, ever thought that someone like her would become one of the God’s chosen guides for the world. But sometimes, fate works in strange and surprising ways.
Back during the Chosen Hero trials, something unexpected had happened.
Among the [Six-Line Array Palace], five of them had at least one or two promising candidates who could be considered for the role. But the Beast Path was different.
It had no one suitable.
This Beast Path was special. It was very different from the other five paths, and it had one unique and difficult requirement: the person chosen must have a pure and innocent heart, like that of a child. Everything they do must come sincerely from within. Only then could they resonate with all the beasts in the world and borrow their power.
But the problem was that although “pure and innocent” is a relative concept (since no one is completely without selfish thoughts), the more someone lives in the world, the more their heart gets clouded. Meanwhile, those rare people with truly pure hearts are usually hidden away and would never even hear about the trials, let alone show up to join them. So from the beginning, the whole thing was like a paradox.
In the original Gate of Beasts trial, a huge wave of beasts appeared, created by the power of divine laws. It was an unstoppable force that no human could resist or escape by normal means. The test wasn’t about fighting or running. It was about whether the challenger could use their natural kindness and connection with animals to communicate with the beasts and protect themselves.
Any attempt to use force or tricks would result in losing points, or even immediate failure.
And the result was just as expected.
Even though a few people tried strange or tricky ways to survive the beast horde, like a certain thief named Le Qiaoqiao, who used lots of flashy tricks to protect herself and barely passed the trial because there were no better options, she was really just the best among a group of weak choices. She couldn’t satisfy the priestess at all.
At first, Violet even thought, "Ugh, this is so annoying. Maybe I’ll just randomly pick someone and get it over with." But then, the one she valued the most, Le Qiaoqiao, that silly girl, shouted during the first question of the trial, “I fight because I want to get more tasty food!” That made everyone around look at her awkwardly.
...And then, the goddess immediately tossed her out with a look of disgust.
One reason the identities of the three "dark-path" Chosen Heroes were kept secret was, just as the goddess said, because secrecy was better for shadow-type classes. But the other reason was that Violet still hadn’t found a suitable candidate for the Spirit Hero, and she was still very annoyed by that silly pig girl. So in the end, she just left that position empty for the time being.
Even though Le Qiaoqiao was someone Violet personally knew, that wasn’t a good enough reason to blindly help her rise to such an important position. Being a Chosen Hero was no joke. If the priestess was going to invest in someone, that person would face challenges far beyond what normal people could imagine. If someone had high status but didn’t deserve it, it would only bring harm to themselves and others.
However later on, when Violet was complaining about this to Sethlin, something unexpected happened. The goddess herself personally recommended someone.
That person was Eudora.
At first, Violet had her doubts. But since Sethlin went out of her way to say it, she had to at least give the little girl a chance. So after a long, deep conversation through the night, during which Violet explained everything to Eudora and got her agreement, she held a private trial just for her.
And the result… was that the youngest of the six Chosen Heroes, the Spirit Hero, was born not long after.
While chatting, the people from the merchant caravan had already finished setting up tents. They had spread bug-repelling and snake-repelling powder in the area, creating a rough border for the camp. Just like that, a simple, private campsite was complete.
Scenes like this had become normal to the priestess recently. She didn’t pay much attention to it and gave a few instructions to her companions before walking toward the girl who was both the leader and head guard of the caravan.
“Miss Sasha, thank you for everything these past days. After tonight, let’s part ways. We might need to stay around this area a bit longer, so we won’t delay your trade route any further.”
“Huh? Oh... you’re leaving already?”
The black-haired girl spoke directly. Sasha, who had been busy giving orders to the caravan members while showing a mix of maturity and youthful energy, was surprised and looked a little disappointed.
Seeing this, the priestess smiled and teased her.
“What’s this? You’ll miss us? For a caravan, having passengers get off early after already paying the full fee should be a win, right? Feeding ten mouths every day isn’t cheap, and it’s not like we were helping with the work~”
Already used to the priestess’s odd way of lightening the mood, Sasha could only shake her head helplessly again.
“Miss Violet, please... don’t start with this nonsense again. I’m not some shy girl who blushes at every little thing... I just feel a bit sad, that’s all. Before we left, the guild president told me over and over to take good care of you. If the war hadn’t broken out and he wasn’t busy with urgent business at the Union’s main office, he definitely would’ve come to lead the caravan himself…”
“Haha~ Mr. Xavier still worries too much, as always.”
That’s right, this caravan that Violet and her group had been traveling with belonged to the Xavier Merchant Guild, which had a deep connection with her. They had met many times before under all kinds of circumstances.
Since the Fourth Demon War, when the Xavier Guild formed official ties with the [Light Worshipper Church] and the Cecilia family, they had helped during tough times and expanded their trade during the most critical points of the war. Because of that, the guild’s power and size had grown very quickly.
With strong support from the government and Mr. Xavier’s excellent leadership, the guild went from a local business in the Human United Kingdom to a top-class trade group with operations across several countries in just over a year.
Now, the Xavier Guild had over twenty branches in nearly ten countries, including the Human United Kingdom, the Holy Empire, the far southern Azure Sky Kingdom, and even the Austre Empire. Rumor has it they’re now planning to send a trade caravan across the frozen lands to the icy world in the far north, breaking through the snow barriers to do business even there.