I don't want to be a heroic spirit

"Maybe it's because I'm more reliable."

Ash smiled. "But... after all, we're partners who've been on adventures together. This level of trust should be natural, right?"

"That's why Haita, the drunken monk, always gets drunk without worry. He trusts Xinmeier and all of us. He believes that with us here, nothing will happen even if he's missing. Just like we believe that Haita will stand up and be useful when we need him."

430

Chapter 430 Giving out knives makes me happy.

"Is this snow... worse than yesterday?"

Inside the warm cabin, Jian peeked out the window, but she saw nothing but a raging snowstorm.

"The weather here is just like that, you just get used to it."

Fulilian was very calm. "From the looks of it, this heavy snow will probably continue for at least three days."

Three days was shorter than a blink of an eye for Fulilian, who had lived for more than a thousand years.

But it's different for others.

"It'll take three more days..."

Xutark collapsed to the ground, wailing.

The cabin was not big, but it was very empty. There was nothing in it except the stove to provide heat. Jian and the others even slept on the beds they brought with them.

Flillian: "If you're willing to cross the Xuevia Mountains under these circumstances, it's not impossible."

Hugh Turk: "Will I die if that happens?"

Fulilian: "Isn't this nonsense?"

Hugh Tark: "...That's right."

Bored, Jian took out a piece of bread and knocked it on the ground, and then he heard a "bang bang" sound.

"That's not the sound bread should make. It feels like it could just smash a monster's head with some magic... Hey, Flillian, do you have any magic to soften bread quickly?"

"No, why don't you just roast it over the fire?"

"Because it takes a long time to bake... and this frozen bread won't taste good even if it's softened."

They need to kill time before the heavy snow stops. Ash, Fulilian and Philen can read books and study magic, but Xutark, who knows nothing about magic, can only exercise alone.

"How about I tell you a story?"

Jian's words, which seemed to come out of a sudden impulse, attracted the attention of several people.

Feilun put down the book in his hand and said calmly: "Master Jian likes stories very much."

"I don't really like it... I can only say it's just so-so."

After thinking for a moment with his head down, Jian said, "It's just... just like Fulilian loves collecting magic, there has to be a goal to persevere in, otherwise this life would be too long... For me, stories are magic."

"Are you going to tell one of those fantastical stories again?"

Fulilian moved her butt and sat a little closer. Then Feilun asked Fulilian, "Lady Fulilian, have you also heard Master Jian tell stories?"

"When we traveled together before, Jian told us many fantastic stories."

Fulilian whispered, "Magic is a miracle that transforms imagination into reality. The strength of magic depends on the strength of imagination. If the magician can't imagine defeating the enemy, they will definitely not be able to defeat the enemy...Jian's mastery of magic is very good, perhaps because she has an imagination that can write so many stories."

"This is the first time I've heard Lady Fulilian speak so highly of others..."

Fearon was surprised... although her face remained expressionless.

As a disciple, when Haita asked Fulilian to accept her as a disciple, the answer she got was "She will only be a burden to me."

Although he didn't say it, Philen still felt a little frustrated in his heart.

Meanwhile, Fulilian was shouting, "It's so cold, I'm going to freeze to death," while pulling away the quilt wrapped around Jian and crawling inside. Then, Jian complained, "Wow, your body is so cold, stay away from me," and "If you're cold, go to the stove."

"So, who's stronger, Fulilian or Ash?"

With these words, Xu Turk got the attention of the three people present.

"... Could you please say something? Just staring at me in silence is kind of hurtful for some reason."

"Lord Hugh Tark is such an idiot."

"It's even more hurtful..."

Returning her gaze to Ash, Fulilian asked, "So, what kind of story are you planning to tell this time? Is it the story of the brave hero chosen by the goddess, so cautious that he even bought three sets of armor? Or is it the story of the fifteen heroes who sealed the Demon King, and then their reincarnations sacrificed their lives to seal the Demon King again after he had been unsealed?"

"...Why do you remember it so clearly? Aren't you interested in these fictional stories?"

"Because the endings of these two stories were not very happy, and both Xinmeier and Haita were moved to tears by the stories, I was particularly impressed."

"That's right..."

Jian rubbed the bridge of her nose and recalled the scene when those grown men cried because of the stories she told them.

To be honest, it was so satisfying to see Xin Meier and the others crying because of the knife in the story, but then it was so frustrating when they were asked to change the plot with a sword at their neck.

"that……"

Hugh Tark raised his hand timidly. "I have a bad feeling... Can I not listen to the story?"

Listening to the conversation between Frillian and Ash, Shuttleck felt a little scared... What kind of horrible story could make the brave warrior Sinmel, who defeated the Demon King, cry?

"Don't be afraid, it's not a horror story. It's just that a lot of the main characters died at the end."

Without further explanation, Jian tightened the blanket around himself and said, "But, well... that kind of story isn't suitable for children. It would be bad if it made you two develop a world-weary personality... This time, I'll go for a more humorous and nonsensical story, about a devilish hero and a mentally retarded goddess."

"How about this, in return for my storytelling... please tell me your story too."

Jian smiled and said to them, "The stories before you met me, the stories before you embarked on this journey... I want to record them all."

The snowflakes outside the window danced wildly in the storm, ruthlessly cutting through the air and hitting the windows as the wind roared.

That night, someone couldn't sleep.

“Ashi-sama, you idiot…why did you let Kazuma-sama die?”

"It wasn't me who caused Kazuma's death... and wasn't he later resurrected by the goddess?"

"But he still died... He perished in the dungeon with the Demon King, and even his body couldn't be found. Even Aqua-sama couldn't revive him. I was so worried..."

By the light of the fire, Jian saw Philen's eyes filled with resentment, and the faint traces of tears at the corners of his eyes.

Although it may seem a little bit abnormal to say this...but Jian feels quite happy inside.

Damn, when did I become a pleasure freak who enjoys feeding knives to others?

Well...it must be Honkai Impact 3rd's fault!

Based on Jian's understanding of Kazuma, if he knew that there was a beautiful girl in another world crying because she was worried about him, he would definitely be so proud that he would be at a loss.

431

Chapter 431 Reward.

I remember it was spring one year.

The sky is clear and the wind is gentle and gentle.

"Sorry, I just accepted an escort mission."

He only disappeared for a while, and when Xin Meir appeared again, he brought this news to Jian and others.

"He's here again..."

"After all, that's who Xin Meier is..."

Fulilian and Aize complained, as if they were already used to it and were not surprised.

"Isn't this good?"

Jian smiled and nodded. "After accepting the gold main quest, you should also take on a few blue side quests along the way, and a few purple event quests during the holidays. Otherwise, where will you get the stones to draw new characters?"

"Zhan is saying something incomprehensible again..."

"After all, that's just the kind of person Ash is..."

At this moment, Haita lifted his glasses and asked Xinmeier.

"I don't understand, Xin Meier, what's the point of doing this?"

"Meaning... This is a really profound question. Let me think about it..."

Xin Meir glanced out the window. The night sky was quiet and deep at this moment, and the stars in the sky seemed to contrast with the lights on the ground.

"Well...Haita, what do you think is our responsibility?"

"Defeat the Demon King."

Without a moment's hesitation or thought, Haita gave this answer.

"Defeat the Demon King, yes, that's not wrong... but that's not what I truly desire."

Xinmeier withdrew his gaze, which was not sure whether he was gazing at the starry sky or admiring the lights, and turned to meet Haita's puzzled eyes.

"I hope the world can change... for the better. I became a hero with this as my goal."

"If I want to change this world, simply defeating the Demon King isn't enough... I want to make as many changes as possible within my power."

"Even if we truly defeat the Demon King, we will soon be forgotten. However... the footprints we leave on this journey will subtly change the world in the future."

"That day may be very far away... so far away that we cannot even reach it, but... there will always be someone who can see that day coming."

Having said that, Xin Meir silently glanced at Fulilian, who was pinched on the cheeks by Jian and kneaded into various shapes because she tried to touch Jian's ahoge.

His eyelids were slightly lowered, covering the ripples in those gem-like, clear eyes.

"I hope... that one day in the future, they can truly feel—ah, the world really is getting better."

……

29 years after the death of the brave Sinmeier.

On this day, Jian and his companions arrived at a village.

"I see. A monster-slaying commission?"

Yu Fulilian stood at the front, negotiating with the old man in front of her who seemed to be the head of the village.

"Yes... Ever since that monster arrived, no caravans have been willing to pass through here. The crops in the village can't be sold and are about to rot... If we don't quickly deal with that monster, the villagers will be in great trouble."

"Really? That's really a matter of urgency."

Fulilian touched her chin and said after thinking: "So, what can you offer as a reward?"

"Well... to be honest, since the crops can't be sold, the village really can't pay enough recently... I wonder if those unsaleable crops can be used?"

"We are still traveling and can't bring so many things."

"That's right..."

Behind Fulilian, at a short distance, Feilun pulled on Ash's sleeve and whispered in his ear.

"Why doesn't Lady Fulilian just complete the commission for the villagers for free? I think they are all quite pitiful..."

"You're saying this... Of course, it's to reassure the villagers."

Ash organized his words and then quietly explained, "We defeat monsters for them, and they prepare our rewards. Fulilian insisted on this 'deal' to establish an equal relationship. If we didn't charge them anything, it would put them in a weak position, making them uneasy. After all, many things in this world aren't without prices, but rather lack pre-determined pricing. And these things are generally much more expensive than those with pre-determined prices."

Meanwhile, Fulilian pondered for a moment and asked the village chief, "Do you have any magic books or anything like that? Or even magic tools?"

"A magic book... I think there is such a thing, but there is no one in the village who can use magic, so it is no different from waste to us."

Following the village chief to his home, I saw him take out a very old book and hand it to Fulilian.

"Volame's spellbook...?"

The villagers were not interested in the book, so they didn't even know its name, so Fulilian just glanced at it.

After a brief silence, Fulilian accepted the book expressionlessly.

"That's it... Just give me this as payment."

"It doesn't matter if I give it to you. We can't understand this book anyway... But is this really all you need?"

The village chief seemed very surprised, so he confirmed with Fulilian again and again, and all he got was Fulilian's affirmative answer.