[Vol. 8] Chapter 190: The Snake’s Trail
“Ahem—alright, that’s enough remembering. What you saw was the artifact protecting you.”
Now that she had roughly sorted through the information and formed a basic picture of the situation, Violet gave a light cough and calmly interrupted the conversation.
“Elunie, there’s something you must always remember, knowing more doesn’t always mean better. Not understanding something isn’t necessarily a flaw. It can be a natural form of protection. When it comes to true mysteries, even a single word or phrase related to them can be extremely dangerous. And you are… very special. You are also the one most easily affected or harmed by those things.”
“Even though you are now the goddess’s chosen Heaven Hero, you’re still far from ready to deal with such powers. Your [Staff of Eternal Radiance] will guide and help you to some extent, but in the end, it’s up to you to build a clear understanding of what’s dangerous… Everything I just said applies to all of you. Consider it a piece of advice from me as your Hero Instructor.”
“…Yes. Thank you for your guidance.”
It sounded a bit mysterious, but Violet had just shown a terrifying level of power that none of them could have imagined, defeating an enemy even the Hero Party couldn’t clearly see, with ease.
Real battle is the most convincing proof of strength. After what happened, Violet’s position in their hearts had risen even higher, reaching a level they had never thought possible. Naturally, everything she said now carried greater weight.
Even if some of them still had doubts or questions, they accepted her words seriously and respectfully. None of them said it unwillingly.
Violet nodded slightly, then looked at the center of the camp, where the huge fire snake had appeared. Now, the campfire just burned quietly again, occasionally making small crackling sounds. Without saying more, she subtly changed the subject.
“We’ve traveled all day, and everyone must be tired. The food is nearly ready. Eat something and get some rest early. We’ll have to leave again in the morning.”
“Also, just in case, don’t touch any of the wild plants or food in this Chaos Magic Valley for now. We have plenty of supplies. But there’s no need to panic either. That thing took a hit just now, it probably won’t try anything again for a while. Mia, Selna, go ahead.”
“Yes, Lady Violet~”
Hearing the command, the two maid girls immediately understood what their mistress meant. They removed the wild root vegetable that had stopped leaking black liquid, but clearly couldn’t be eaten anymore, and brought over the freshly prepared food. With Eudora’s help, they started cooking and dividing up the dinner near the campfire.
The Hero Party members quickly stepped forward to help without being asked. Very naturally, no one brought up what had just happened, the overwhelming divine pressure that had burst from Violet like a god. And, just like that, no one asked where Xiao Guang had suddenly gone either.
Everyone understood, knowing too much wasn’t always a good thing. Violet’s earlier warning had been very clear, and no one here was stupid.
After all, if you’d made it into the Hero Party, you were definitely above average in intelligence.
They would get their chance to face deeper mysteries someday.
But not yet.
…………………………………
Later that night.
After eating a simple meal, everyone, each with their own thoughts, went back to their tents to rest. Only the two maids remained outside, cleaning up small things. The earlier battle now felt like a dream, and the night air seemed especially peaceful.
“Phew…”
The light faded away as Violet slowly withdrew her fingers from Eudora’s forehead, where the six-winged divine mark had reappeared once again.
She let out a quiet breath, feeling a bit more relaxed, but also… slightly helpless.
"Everything’s fine now… Nothing's wrong. You should go rest too."
"Okay. Good night, Sister Violet~"
Violet gently patted the pink-haired girl’s head. The girl nodded obediently. Then, Mia, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward and led Eudora, who had just finished her physical check-up, back to the tent. Violet simply stood there silently, watching their backs, her silver-blue eyes flickering with light as if lost in thought.
Just as Violet had said, Eudora’s body was perfectly normal. Violet had even checked her soul core and magic power, the most private parts of her being, and everything looked completely fine, nothing unusual at all. In fact, compared to the last time Violet checked her, Eudora seemed to have become about one-third stronger, as if the strange transformation earlier had not harmed her but actually helped her instead.
But then… what exactly was that mysterious change Violet saw earlier?
Violet didn’t return to the tent. She didn’t need sleep to stay healthy, and at the moment, she had no intention of resting. So, she walked to the edge of the camp and sat on a large rock, letting the soft, flawless moonlight shine down on her. She pulled out a small knife, and guided by a feeling in her heart, began casually carving into the rock, stroke by stroke.
“Shh~”
No one knew how much time had passed before a tall figure suddenly appeared beside the rock without any warning. But Violet didn’t seem surprised at all, she didn’t even look over. Her hand kept moving, and she greeted the person in a familiar tone:
“You’re back. How did it go?”
As expected, the visitor was the Dragon God, who had disappeared ever since the strange fire snake appeared and attacked the group. Although she had been gone for quite a while, Xiao Guang looked completely normal. There was no sign that she’d been in a fight.
“Master, I followed its scent and found its rough location. But… how should I put it… things are a little complicated.”
“Oh? What do you mean by ‘complicated’?”
“It’s hard to explain. That thing… I’m not even sure if it’s really a living creature. And its appearance…”
Just as the dragon girl was about to explain further, Violet suddenly looked up, put away the knife she had been using to carve the stone, and motioned for her to come over.
“No rush. Come take a look at this first. Tell me, does what I carved look like the thing you saw out there?”
“?”
Still confused, the dragon girl walked closer. But once she saw the carving on the rock, though it was simple, the image was quite clear, her face showed clear surprise.
“It really does look similar… But there are still many differences overall. Master, what is this supposed to be?”
Hearing the question, Violet just smiled faintly and curved her lips slightly.
“Do you remember the fire snake we saw earlier? When I fought it, a name suddenly popped into my head, like something inside me recognized it… as if it were a natural-born enemy.”
“Later, I followed that feeling and carved out this image. And now, it seems… I wasn’t wrong.”
The dragon girl’s expression changed slightly, as if she’d realized something too.
“Are you saying this is…”
“Yes. This is the World-Devouring Serpent, Jörmungandr.”