Under the setting sun.
The orange-red light shone on Enri's slightly pale cheeks, leaving a mottled area. The light and shadow slowly moved up, covering her eyes.
"Mm—"
Enri let out a soft groan. As her consciousness returned, she felt a sore and swollen sensation throughout her body.
It was the same kind of exhaustion she felt after a day of hard work during the busy farming season in Carne Village, where her whole body felt weak. No, it was even more intense than that feeling.
'Captain, what's the situation now?'
Remembering that she was still on the battlefield, Enri quickly opened her eyes. What came into view was a hazy yellow light, and she closed her eyes again.
Raising her hand to shield her eyes, she opened them again.
'This isn't the battlefield?'
Enri's blurry vision cleared. Looking at the lamp post above her head and the familiar surroundings of the inn, her eyes showed confusion and panic.
"Morning… Oh, it's already evening."
"It's about the time I calculated. You've been sleeping for two days and two nights, Enri."
A gentle chuckle came from the side.
The familiar voice eased the tension and nervousness in Enri's heart as she had just woken up.
"—Captain—"
"I, I was able to help."
Minori didn't expect the first thing Enri said after waking up to be this.
"You have to believe that you possess unimaginable talent," Minori replied with a smile.
Although this talent was a little different from what he had originally expected... Speaking of which, it could be more or less noticed from the light novel version that Enri's luck seemed to be consistently good.
"Yes!"
Enri's eyes were slightly red, and she nodded vigorously.
From the beginning, only the Captain believed in her. Even she herself had doubted whether she truly had the talent the Captain spoke of.
She felt more and more that the Captain was amazing.
"Gurgle~"
"Gurgle~"
A strong rumbling of her stomach interrupted their conversation, as if protesting. Enri's cheeks instantly turned crimson.
"Good luck."
"There happens to be a banquet inviting us to attend later," Minori said with a hearty laugh.
A moment later.
Kuro pulled the carriage, traveling down a main street in E-Rantel, slowly weaving through the crowd. As usual, it drew attention wherever it went.
Compared to the past, when passersby only discussed and were surprised by the terrifying monster that was the Soul Eater, now, many people who saw the Soul Eater already knew the adventurer team that this monster represented.
"Captain, could that carriage be..."
Located on one side of the street, a five-person adventurer team all stared intently at the carriage passing in front of them.
"Only they would use a dangerous monster like a Hellhound, with a difficulty of 30 or higher, as a horse to pull a carriage."
"Adventurer team 'Free Will'!"
The captain of the adventurer team, a tall man carrying a hammer, spoke in a deep voice with reverence in his eyes.
"Is it really them?"
"It is said that those two legendary undead were both dealt with by this adventurer team?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? No matter how you think about it, it's impossible."
"However, the confirmed news seems to mention that the legendary undead Soul Eater was resolved by 'Free Will'."
"Before the legendary undead, let alone seeing them, I had never even heard of them. Captain, what is the difficulty of a legendary undead?"
Someone in the team asked curiously, their tone filled with disbelief.
"The difficulty is probably above 100," the burly captain with the hammer on his back said, slightly hesitant.
Hiss—a sound of gasping was heard.
"It's fake, right!" A voice that was too surprised and whose tone had become sharp rang out.
"Who knows, that's what the rumors say."
"Completely unimaginable terror!"
"We low-level adventurers might be able to see this level of expert with our own eyes today."
"Haha! Let's go, everyone!"
"Today might be the most unforgettable moment for all adventurers in the Holy Kingdom."
The burly captain reluctantly moved his gaze away from the departing carriage and scanned the many adventurer teams on both sides of the street, a number he had never seen before. He straightened his chest.
Over the past few days, the events that occurred in the Abelion Hills have been gradually fermenting and spreading.
Legendary Undead Death Knight!
Legendary Undead Soul Eater!
Tens of thousands of undead army!
The evil organization [Zurrernorn], and every piece of news is already an unimaginable and unbearable disaster for commoners and nobles.
And this disaster, which is said to be able to threaten a country and cause hundreds of thousands of deaths, was actually resolved without most people knowing.
This indescribable sense of shock made anyone who heard the news think it was a joke!
However, their Holy Kingdom's most elite Holy Knight Order and Priest Order, two forces, were actually stationed in E-Rantel, and some people even saw Lady Remedios, the Captain of the Holy Knight Order.
In addition!
Recently, the most lively thing in all of E-Rantel has been the surge in the number of adventurers. Large numbers of adventurers are arriving from both the northern and southern Holy Kingdoms.
To celebrate the birth of an "Adamantite-Rank" adventurer team in the Holy Kingdom!
Due to the Holy Kingdom's long-standing national policy, the status of adventurers has always been relatively low!
But at this moment.
Because of "Free Will," all the adventurers who appeared in "E-Rantel" felt the different eyes with which the citizens looked at them.
Inside the carriage.
Enri held a piece of soft white bread, half-eaten, and clenched her fingers.
"Miss Verdant, stayed in the Abelion Hills?"
Minori nodded.
Enri's shoulders relaxed. She hadn't seen Miss Verdant just now and thought something had happened. Although she didn't know why the Captain had arranged it this way.
But the Captain must have his own reasons.
"Enri, what did you feel when you swung your sword and attacked?" Minori was a little curious about the more detailed information about Enri's profession.
He needed to judge Enri's future strength improvement.
"I don't know either."
"I just felt—" Enri pursed her lips in recollection and told him in detail everything about the situation she was in at the time, holding nothing back.
Minori was lost in thought.
The Soul Eater had the ability to release 'Fear Aura' and 'Instant Death Aura'. The distance between them at that time should not have been far.
Because of the 'Fear Aura', everyone was subconsciously fleeing, thus triggering a panic spread, while Enri was able to ignore that situation.
And the 'Instant Death Aura'!
The lower the level, the less likely one was to pass the 'Instant Death' judgment. At that time, Enri's level was undoubtedly the lowest on the entire battlefield.
However, at that distance, Minori couldn't be sure if Enri was affected by the 'Instant Death'. If she was affected?
—Then Minori's eyes flashed.
The passive abilities of the [Heroic Believer] profession include at least 'Complete Fear Resistance' and 'Instant Death Nullification'.
Special professions usually have 2-3 professional skills!
'Heroic Moment' is just one of them. The other skills need to be judged through level increase later.
Actually, there's no need to think too much.
Just based on the effect of the 'Heroic Moment' skill, Minori already had a basic idea of Enri's profession structure in his mind.
"I originally just wanted to be a supporting character in this incident."
Minori felt a headache hearing the enthusiastic discussions on the street outside the carriage.
"High-profile" was never what he wanted.
Even the elimination of the Death Knight and the leader of [Zurrernorn] was achieved with the help of the Slane Theocracy's power, which could be explained by combat awareness and potions.
Only Enri, an ordinary girl, had eliminated a Soul Eater with one blow.
It was a bit exaggerated.
"The Theocracy will probably have some speculations about Enri," Minori pondered in his heart.
Should he have Enri pretend to be a "player" and stand at the forefront?
The moment this thought appeared, it was extinguished by Minori!
Pretending to be a "God-kin" is safer than pretending to be a "player."
Moreover, Enri can withstand investigation!
The biggest difference between players who descend to another world and the local natives, besides the difference in power, is that their past is completely blank; they appear in this world out of thin air.
Enri is from Carne Village and has parents and a younger sister. As long as this is investigated, the Theocracy will withdraw its suspicion of Enri being a player.
The problem is whether the Theocracy will suspect him because of Enri. This is what Minori is worried about.
"Fortunately, I had already had Imina prepare for this," Minori thought to himself.
Since he knew the "characteristic" of players' blank pasts.
How could he not be prepared? Manipulating "Eight Fingers" in secret was originally to use the power of Eight Fingers to control the underground world of the Kingdom.
Making something false appear true is sometimes not difficult!
"It all comes down to the issue of strength."
"These were originally prepared to confuse the Great Tomb." Minori thought of the ritual he had set up in the lava zone according to his own ideas, and his heart was filled with fervor.
Perhaps his strength would usher in a significant increase!
"Still missing something."
The image of the "Spiral of Death Ritual" appeared in Minori's mind, and he began to modify and adjust it.
The birth of the Death Knight and the Soul Eater gave him a deeper understanding of the "Spiral of Death Ritual," especially the Soul Eater that Khajiit had transformed into.
After the war ended, Minori specifically went to the pit and conducted research and investigation.
In addition.
Through resurrection, he had obtained complete information from the Alliance Leader. He also knew the specific identities and current locations of the remaining eight high disciples of [Zurrernorn].
The Alliance Leader was actually connected to the Slane Theocracy, but not as a member of the Theocracy as imagined, but as a figure born 200 years ago,
A figure from the time of the Thirteen Heroes.
"If anyone asks about your abilities, just say it's the effect of an innate anomaly," Minori said to Enri.
"Yes, I understand." Enri was a little puzzled, but still nodded vigorously.
Adventurer's Guild.
The Adventurer's Guild in E-Rantel is relatively old. Due to lack of attention and the scarcity of adventurers in the Holy Kingdom.
This led to the existence of the Adventurer's Guild being more symbolic.
At this moment!
The entrance of the Adventurer's Guild, which had always been empty, was now crowded with adventurers.
These people were all adventurer teams who had come from nearby cities, and even from the Southern Holy Kingdom. The rumbling sound of carriage wheels rolling on the ground came from the distance down the street.
"They're here!"
A soft exclamation came from among the adventurers.
In an instant, pairs of excited, fervent, and curious eyes looked towards the carriage pulled by Kuro that was coming down the street.
As Kuro tightened the chains, stopping the forward momentum of the carriage, the wheels slowly came to a halt.
Click!
The carriage door opened.
Minori was the first to get out of the carriage. Looking at the hundreds of adventurers gathered in front of the Adventurer's Guild, a helpless expression appeared on his face.
Enri also followed closely behind. Facing the gaze of those fervent eyes, she subconsciously wanted to lower her head.
"You are no longer the Enri who needs others to take care of you and hide behind."
Minori spoke to the figure behind him and walked towards the Adventurer's Guild.
The shadow blocking the way gradually moved away from Enri's body.
Miss Verdant isn't here either.
Usually, she just needed to follow behind Miss Verdant.
Enri's fingers trembled slightly. Looking at the pure white back in front of her, a voice suddenly emerged in her heart.
I can help the Captain now.
This was what she had just said not long ago!
Step~
Enri took a step. The inferiority and cautiousness from the border village in the depths of her light brown eyes were gradually disappearing.
Step—
Enri's other foot stepped firmly on the ground. Suddenly, she put her hands behind her back and showed a simple and kind smile to all the adventurers who were looking at her.
Her three-strand braid bounced slightly on her left chest, and she quickly followed Minori.
A hint of heroism gradually condensed in her steps!
"The young man walking in front is the leader of 'Free Will', right?"
"That's right!"
"It's 'Genius Alchemist' Minori."
"Only two people? Didn't they say the 'Free Will' team has three people, and one of them is a demi-human?"
"Demi-human? Could it be that they knew we Holy Kingdom people dislike demi-humans, so they didn't come together?"
"That girl is so young, could it be that she is the one who eliminated the legendary undead as rumored?"
"She feels so weak, though."
"Wait, she smiled at me, so cute!"
Whispers and discussions continuously rose from the adventurers on both sides.
Guildmaster Bortkin had already been waiting at the entrance of the Adventurer's Guild. Seeing Minori and Enri appear, he quickly stepped forward to greet them.
"Welcome back, Sir Minori, Miss Enri."
Guildmaster Bortkin bowed slightly, his face showing a hint of respect as he spoke to Minori and Enri.
His gaze lingered on Enri for a moment.
If he hadn't received confirmation from the members of the Holy Knight Order, he really couldn't imagine that this ordinary girl could actually slay a legendary undead.
'Oh my god!'
'I actually had Miss Enri open the door back then.'
However.
Her aura is indeed a bit weak.
Guildmaster Bortkin suppressed the various thoughts in his mind and quickly withdrew his gaze after a brief pause.
"This is a bit too lively, Guildmaster Bortkin."
Minori gestured with his eyes to the surrounding adventurers. Changing adventurer rank plates wasn't a big deal. Even for an "Adamantite-rank" adventurer team changing their plates,
There really wasn't any special ceremony.
The reason for the current situation,
Minori could roughly guess that Guildmaster Bortkin had intentionally done this to address the extremely low presence of the Adventurer's Guild in the Holy Kingdom.