Strength 99999 but the Holy Sister

With the Holy Sister selection approaching, Vivian had been undergoing combat training for the past few days. Filia was aware of this, having accompanied Vivian in battle and offering her advice from her own perspective. Filia had to admit that Vivian was incredibly skilled and had extensive experience battling monsters. Among adventurers, she was undoubtedly a highly reliable teammate, possessing the strength of a top-tier silver medalist.

And Vivian is very smart. Filia can use some of her skills with just a little guidance from Vivian.

Vivian's strength makes her very competitive in the selection of Holy Sisters.

But Vivian is a mage, which is her biggest disadvantage. After all, mages are not suitable for dealing with opponents like warriors in head-on combat. If the selection method is determined to be a ring match, then every mage will face this problem.

It might feel unfair, but there was no such thing as fairness in reality - danger always came unexpectedly, and it would not arrive until you were fully prepared. The enemy would try every possible means, and traps and sneak attacks were extremely common, and it would not be any different just because Vivian was a mage.

Everyone needs to practice hard to learn skills to deal with various unexpected situations. For a mage, improving his ability to deal with close combat is also an important step towards becoming a strong man. In this regard, Vivian has done quite well compared to other mages. Even with bare hands, Vivian has considerable strength. But at the same time, Vivian is not facing ordinary people, but other equally powerful holy nuns. If she encounters an experienced warrior head-on, Vivian will still be at a disadvantage.

So Vivian has been practicing her skills hard these days in order to be able to better cope with the competition. She is improving both magic and martial arts, and Filia has been watching.

"In that case, let's go together."

"Will it be... too much trouble for you?"

"What's the matter? I haven't drawn my bow for two days, and I want to exercise - but first, let's go get something to eat."

Filia said.

……

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142. Thorne's Tavern

These days, Filia and Vivian rarely eat in the monastery. They basically find a place to eat when they go out for training or come back.

It's not that she has any complaints about the monastery, she just doesn't like being stared at while eating, it's awkward - Filia can still deal with it relatively calmly, just ignore it, she is very good at this, but other people's gazes are a disaster for Vivian.

Vivian always wanted to stay away from those people, which was not easy. This situation was inevitable as long as they were in the monastery. After all, no one in the monastery didn't know that they were friends of the "hero" who defeated the demon general.

At this time, they came to a tavern.

This tavern was discovered by Filia. It was a bit remote, located at the intersection of West Street and East Street. In this small place, not many people knew Filia and Vivian.

West Street was a relatively unsafe area, with the streets on both sides relatively deserted, having not yet fully recovered from the recent turmoil. However, the tavern was doing very well. It was said that the tavern owner and his friends had saved many people during the ghoul outbreak, and they had come to express their gratitude. Since most of the people here didn't have much money and the owner wouldn't accept gifts, they simply came to show their support, and the place suddenly became lively.

It can be seen that the boss is very popular.

Of course, another reason cannot be ruled out. It is said that many people saw Elsa having a brief conversation with the owner here at close range, and they sounded familiar with each other. This alone has given this tavern a golden touch.

However, the bustle only occurs in the afternoon and evening. It is still morning now and there are very few diners, most of whom are staying overnight - the pub is relatively quiet only at this time.

Vivian and Filia walked into the tavern. They found an empty seat and sat down, then saw the boss busy at the counter.

"Two beautiful ladies, what do you need?"

The boss asked them.

The owner of the tavern was a one-armed old man named Thorn. Filia had ordered some drinks here before, and she had to admit that Thorn's taste in wine was really bad, but he was a very capable person - the way he held the wine glass made it look like he was ready to use it as a shield at any time. Although he looked like he was approaching old age, his movements were coordinated and steady, his arm muscles were tight, his steps were calm and powerful, and he possessed all the qualities required of an excellent striker. Filia could tell at a glance that he was once a capable adventurer.

Vivian ordered some milk with bread and a fried egg. Most of the other diners had the same thing, and at most added a glass of beer. It was perfect for breakfast.

However, Filia directly ordered an all-meat meal, which was totally inconsistent with her indifferent appearance and status.

Vivian was hesitant to speak. She had read in books that elves didn't eat meat or drink alcohol. However, since becoming friends with Filia, this wasn't the first time Vivian had seen her eat meat or drink alcohol. Vivian was curious, but she didn't know if asking was rude.

Filia saw the confusion in Vivian's eyes and spoke to herself:

"Whether we half-elves eat meat depends entirely on our mood. We don't really care about that. It would be even better if we could show those arrogant elves from the Western Continent a glimpse of it. I love seeing them get furious."

Filia said with some malicious interest that for half-elves, eating meat was a form of resistance to their own elven bloodline.

"Is that so... Um... Sorry, I just thought of some random things without your permission..."

"It's nothing. Everyone who sees me eating meat will have this question."

As they were chatting, several people came down the stairs.

"Ruth, Winnie, good morning."

"Good morning, uncle..."

"Did you sleep well?"

"It's just okay... I had a nightmare that scared me to death."

The ones who came down were Winnie and Ruth. In Filia's opinion, Winnie was a little younger. Her immaturity was also reflected in her unadorned eyes and her indifference to the surrounding situation. Winnie and Thorne were talking about a dream that was a bit ridiculous. Filia glanced at them and looked away.

Ruth behind Winnie noticed Filia's gaze and looked at her - even with a hood on, Filia's emerald green hair was too eye-catching.

However, Ruth quickly withdrew her gaze and did not linger for long. After all, staring at someone was still a bit rude.

"Speaking of which, where's Caesar?"

Ruth came downstairs and asked Thorne.

Thorne said as he neatly arranged the wines for sale.

"He should be in the Knights Order now, right? - It seems that today is the Knights Order's recruitment day. He has been waiting for this day for a long time, so he couldn't wait to go there early in the morning."

"So it's today? I almost forgot..." Winnie sighed and said in self-deprecation, "I really hope he gets elected. If that happens, it will be just Sister Ruth and I who are still jobless."

"I hope everything goes well with Caesar."

"Haha, don't worry about it. It's just a selection for a reserve knight. With his strength, he should be able to pass it. Even if he can't become a full knight, a reserve knight is still a good choice. Compared to this, I'm more curious about the appearance of his sword."

As he spoke, Thorne burst into laughter, as if he had thought of something funny.

While listening to their conversation, Filia chatted with Vivian about training - although she was an archer, she was not completely ignorant of magic.

"In a battle, we're naturally at a disadvantage when it comes to strength compared to the soldiers, but similarly, they're at a disadvantage when it comes to range. Besides overcoming our weaknesses and learning close combat techniques and methods, the key to victory is to maximize our strengths—"

Vivian's strength has surpassed most magicians Filia has ever seen. She encouraged Vivian and also made suggestions, and Vivian listened humbly - Filia was an excellent gold medal adventurer with rich practical experience, and the suggestions she could give were indeed feasible.

At this time, Thorne also brought their food.

"You two, please use it slowly."

Thorne smiled, turned around and brought the plates back to Ruth and Winnie. He sat down too, and the three of them started eating breakfast.

"Winnie, honestly, your handicraft shop can have us support you partially. Just open it first and we'll see."

Thorne said, his tone sincere.

Winnie is the youngest and the poorest among them. She still has parents to take care of. Although her parents are now living with relatives, she said she wanted to go out and make money, but now the handicraft shop has no place to go. Thorne can naturally see the anxiety in Winnie's heart.

"Oh, I told you not to..."

Winnie waved her hand and put her knife and fork on the plate.

"Uncle, your pub has just opened, and it's time to spend money. Don't worry about me, I will find a way myself."

Thorne smiled. His tavern business was very good. He could earn more than one gold coin a day. Even after deducting the costs, he could still make a lot of money. In some time, he would be able to help Winnie.

Ruth also said, "Winnie, just let Thorne be a good guy for once."

"Oh, no, no, and I still have some savings. I'm not that poor!"

"Speaking of this," Thorne looked at Ruth, "how have you thought about it?"

"How about what?"

"Go back and be an adventurer—you see, you'll be an adventurer in the future. Caesar will help you with relationships, and when you're tired or hungry you can come to my place to rest. If your clothes or boots are broken, you can ask Winnie to mend them. How nice."

“This isn’t the same thing at all, is it?”

Ruth didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Thorne shook his head and looked at Ruth seriously: "Honestly, the tavern is my dream, and the knight is Caesar's dream. These are the paths we chose ourselves, and Winnie is also moving in her own direction."

Only Ruth remained where she was. Thorne, Winnie and Caesar all knew that Ruth's dream was to be a traveling adventurer. She had been preparing for this dream for several years, but now she had stopped here and had not even set foot out of the Western Province. As Ruth's good friends, how could they not see Ruth's inner struggle?

Moreover, they also knew the reason why Ruth stayed. It was just because they stayed that Ruth wanted to be here with them - and this made Thorne and the others feel guilty, as if they had deprived their friend of her ideals with their own hands.

It would be fine if Ruth really let go and thought it through. Being an adventurer is indeed not a very stable career, but Thorne and Winnie watched the light in Ruth's eyes gradually fade away day by day, and she spent more and more time in a daze every day - that doesn't look like letting go.

"Speaking of which, have you met the nun? I wanted to thank her in person one more time—this is the second time, right? We owe her two lives."

Thorne said this with emotion. This sentence made the silent Ruth raise her head and also attracted the attention of Filia and Vivian. They stopped their knives and forks at the same time and raised their eyebrows slightly. Ruth's next words made them convinced.

"Sister Aisha is a 'hero', she's not that easy to meet," Ruth lowered her brows, her eyes filled with longing and loss. "For someone like her... to even remember me is incredible..."

Sister Elsa?

Doesn't this refer to Elsa?

Filia and Vivian looked at each other, and saw the same expression in each other's eyes - people who can directly call Elsa "Sister Elsa" and "Miss Sister" must have known Elsa before.

I have to say, it’s quite a coincidence.

"It's also..."

Thorne shook his head and raised his glass.

The three of them clinked their glasses lightly.

"Maybe what I said was a bit redundant, don't take it seriously. I just saw that you have been listless recently, so I still hope you can cheer up soon."

"Don't worry, I'm not that fragile."

"Uncle Thorne has said everything I wanted to say. I just hope Sister Ruth finds a lover and settles down soon. It's not bad to stay home peacefully instead of traveling around the world! Maybe she can even come and help out in my shop."

Winnie said with a laugh that almost made Ruth choke.

Filia on the side thought about it, but finally did not take the initiative to talk to her or say anything. After all, she was Elsa's friend, and just a friend.

But she still kept the faces of these people in her heart.

"Later...I plan to go check out the guild."

Ruth said finally, and both Thorne and Winnie showed a look of surprise and joy.

Filia ate the meat in silence.

She and Vivian happened to be going to the guild later.

……

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143. Let’s buy some souvenirs?

To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and panic, Elsa didn't show up outside the fortress with her dragon in tow. She introduced herself to the guards at the gate and explained her purpose. Soon, Lord Okai Seaborn came out to greet her personally.

After the incident with the Demon General, Elsa was able to move freely in all parts of the fortress, even the heavily guarded lord's mansion. Although not all soldiers knew Elsa, they were specially arranged to remember Elsa's appearance. As long as Elsa reported her name, the guards would immediately treat her seriously.

This was also Hebern's order.

Hibern agreed with the sage's point of view. If this was truly where Elsa was determined to go, who could possibly stop her? In that case, it would be better to simply let Elsa go completely. It wouldn't cause any trouble for her, and at least his attitude would be impeccable.

However, following the advice of the sage, Shibern specially arranged for the magicians of the warlock alliance to create some small props. It was a kind of magic device that had no use but only emitted a warning light. The magic circuit inside was very stable and simple. Its only purpose was to prepare for Elsa to walk through each level. If the light went out when Elsa walked past, it proved that it was Elsa herself and not an enemy who pretended to be Elsa through various means.

Shibern didn't know the reason behind this, but since the sage said so, he just did it.

And I have to say, it is very easy to use, the process is simple and easy to identify, so it will not be unpleasant.

As soon as Sibern saw Aisha, he immediately went forward to greet her enthusiastically.

"Lady Faris, I'm so sorry I didn't know you were coming—what do you need from me?"

Shibern smiled and acted very welcoming to Aisha.

However, Elsa did not exchange too many pleasantries with Siberian. Instead, she went straight to the point and explained the matter of the mechanical dragon, and handed him the letters from Ryan and Tricia.

After reading the letter, Hibben immediately showed an expression of surprise, but it was quickly concealed.

He immediately gathered people from the magician corps and the warlocks and sent them directly to the northeast wall of the fortress. The mechanical dragon was thrown there by Elsa at this time - Elsa also followed it. It was not until the magicians used the sealing props left by Tricia to control the dragon and confirmed its safety that Elsa came to prepare to leave. Seeing this, Shibern hurriedly called her.

"Lady Faris, you must be tired from the journey. Why don't you rest for a while in the castle? I have arranged for someone to prepare a comfortable and quiet room for you."

Hibern extended the invitation enthusiastically. Since he finally had the chance to communicate with Elsa, he naturally wanted to take the opportunity to build a good relationship with her.

But Aisha shook her head: "Sorry, maybe next time, I have other things to do today."

After saying goodbye to Sibern, Elsa left alone in the direction of the fortress, leaving behind only cracks in the ground and the turbulent wind pressure. Sibern looked at Elsa's leaving back with a pang of regret - he had heard that Elsa didn't accept gifts very often, so he tried another way, but it was obviously of no use.

However, he was not discouraged, because there had been contact from the Empire, and it was obvious that the Empire was about to take action. If he could not establish a good relationship with Elsa now, he would have no chance of making friends with Elsa when the Empire sent people over.

He thought about it and quickly called his most trusted guard.

"It seems Lady Faris is going to the fortress. You should follow her quickly—remember, be smart!"