I don't want to be a heroic spirit

So, the group set out into the depths of the forest, targeting the restless monsters living there.

"Lord Fulilian..."

"What's wrong? Philen."

On the way, Philen came to Fulilian's side, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Lord Fulilian..."

After some hesitation, Philen finally asked, "That Volame's magic book... is actually a fake, right?"

"Yes, all the books of Volame that are circulating are forgeries."

Fulilian affirmed directly, adding, "This one is a fake among fakes. Among all the fake Volame grimoires I've collected over the years, it's one of the worst forgeries."

"But... Lady Fulilian still accepted it as a reward."

"Because that village really can't offer any good compensation, this is enough."

Taking the fake magic book out of her bag, Fulilian smiled slightly.

"Besides... even a poorly forged replica like this is worth collecting."

"...I really don't understand what Lady Fulilian is thinking."

This kind of conversation, which was not very meaningful but inexplicably relaxing, continued all the way.

Finally, they arrived at the place where the monster was.

Then... a huge, dead black monster appeared before their eyes.

432

Chapter 432: The monster that had already been conquered.

Ash and his companions received a commission to subdue a monster from a nearby village.

However, when they arrived at the place where the monster lived deep in the forest, they found that the monster was dead.

"This monster seems to have died not long ago."

This was the result of Philen's magic examination of the corpse.

"The wound is very fresh."

Hugh Tark squatted down and observed the wound on the monster's neck. "What a beautiful blow... That person must be a very experienced warrior."

"Although there are many wounds, they should all be caused by one person."

Ash circled around the monster's corpse. "So, that warrior defeated this monster alone?"

"Compared to this...what should we do?"

Hugh Turk's question attracted the attention of the others.

"We came here on a commission, right? But when we got here, the monster had already been defeated by someone unknown. Logically, we shouldn't be entitled to any reward, right?"

Glancing at Fulilian, Hugh Tark continued, "But, Fulilian has already accepted the reward, right?"

"Well...that's indeed a problem."

Jian touched his chin and rolled his eyes.

But... there's no need to worry too much about it. At worst, you can just return the reward.

After all, the reward they received was just books, and they were not important books at all. Even if they were returned, it would not be of any use... If it was food and had already been eaten, it would be difficult to deal with.

Hugh Tark suddenly said, "Are you saying... that we're going to take the credit for defeating the monster? Should we just tell the village chief that we killed the monster?"

Then, Xu Turk received the oppressive and cold gaze from Philen.

"You're kidding! I wouldn't do that! So stop looking at me like that! It's scary!"

In this way, several people set out on their journey home.

When they were still some distance away from the village, Jian and the others suddenly stopped and looked into the woods.

"Hmm? So you're adventurers?"

A voice came from the woods. Although the voice sounded a bit old, it sounded particularly powerful and full of energy.

An old man with white beard but upright posture walked out of the woods. Two long swords hung on his waist, and he was wearing a light armor that covered his whole body but did not affect his movements.

"So strong!"

The two magicians, Frelian and Philen, didn't feel anything, but Xu Tark could tell just from the other party's posture that the person in front of him was really powerful!

Among the people he had ever met, only his master Aize and Jian were stronger fighters than the other.

Yes, Ash... Although it was hard to believe, Xuttark's intuition told him that if he were to compete with Ash in warrior ability, he would most likely lose miserably.

"After all, he's an elf who's lived for who knows how many years..."

Hugh Turk could only comfort himself with this statement.

"Why do I feel like someone is saying something bad about me?"

The cold words belonging to Ash rang out behind him, causing Xutark's whole body to freeze.

How scary——!

Especially when recalling the scene where Ash smashed the heads of several monsters with his staff, leaving red and white blood all over the ground, Xutalk's legs began to go weak.

"I originally thought it was a child from a nearby village who accidentally ran away and got lost. Even if the monsters here are defeated, it doesn't mean this place is safe."

The old warrior looked at Ash and the others and said calmly, "However, since they are adventurers, I don't need to worry about them."

"I am the warrior Fedevo."

Afterwards, Jian and others also gave a brief self-introduction.

"Mr. Federvo."

Jian asked the old man in front of him, "Excuse me, did you eliminate the monster in the forest?"

"Oh? Have you seen that already?"

Fedewo was slightly surprised, then nodded, "Yes, I did it."

"Huh? Was that made by you, old man?"

Xuttark belatedly glanced at the old warrior, then scratched his head with a pained expression. "We just accepted the commission to defeat that monster, and you already took care of it... Even though we already accepted the reward."

"Hmm? Is that so? Then it seems I have done something unnecessary."

Fedewo's tone was gentle, completely different from his fierce demeanor. "In that case, why don't you just tell the villagers that you were the ones who dealt with the monster? That way, it won't be a problem, right?"

Hearing this, Xiu Tark was shocked: "Hey! Is it possible?!"

Philen: "..."

Hugh Tark: "No! That's not what I meant! I really wouldn't do that... That was just a joke!"

"If it weren't for me, you should be able to deal with that monster easily."

Fedewo looked at Fearon and Shutark with a doting gaze, then glanced at Jian with a mixture of awe and doubt. Then he said, "So, even if you take the credit, it's fine. I don't intend to let the villagers know it was me anyway."

"It's you who defeated the monster. We will never do anything like stealing someone else's honor."

Ash said this with a firm expression.

After looking at each other for a while, Fedewo nodded.

"Then it seems I was being presumptuous."

"I have one more question."

Jian stared at Federvo for a long moment, then said, "Do you... know Fulilian?"

Her words drew puzzled glances from Xiutalk and Philen behind her.

"Hmm... have we been discovered?"

"Yes... because your expression changed slightly when you heard Fulilian's name just now."

At this time, Hugh Tark wondered, "Isn't that normal? After all, Fulilian is a magician of the brave Xinmeier team. It's normal for her to know, right?"

Jian turned around and glanced at Xiutark, smiling slightly.

"You're right, so...it's probably just my intuition."

"Intuition..."

Fedevo narrowed his eyes, stroked his beard and laughed.

Then, Fedewo told his story to everyone.

"It's a bit embarrassing to say... When I was very young, the only thing I was good at was fighting. The kids in the village who were five or six years older than me couldn't beat me. Back then, I acted arrogant and domineering, but inside I was very confused... because I didn't know how to do anything else except fighting."

"Then one day, a caravan passed through our village, and the people escorting that caravan were none other than the brave Xin Meir and his group..."

"I remember being quite disdainful at the time, saying things like, 'A dignified hero shouldn't go and defeat the Demon King, but is instead doing trivial tasks like escorting a caravan. He must be scared.'"

433

Chapter 433 The world is slowly getting better.

"and then?"

Seeing that the old warrior Fedwo seemed to be lost in memories, Xiutark subconsciously urged him, then Jian closed the book he was carrying and clamped the quill pen. With his free hand, he held the staff and knocked the rude Xiutark on the head, making Xiutark cover his head with his hands and look like he was about to cry.

Fedwo was not annoyed when his memories were interrupted, and continued to talk about his past.

"Then... several monsters broke into our village. Even now, I'm very grateful. I'm grateful that those monsters arrived just when Xinmei was escorting a caravan through our village."

"It's ridiculous. I always thought I was pretty good at fighting... but when those monsters rushed towards me, I couldn't even run away. My legs were so weak from fear."

"Then, Xin Meier came to me and eliminated all the monsters that I thought were so terrifying... That scene really shocked me."

Fedwo smiled bitterly and shook his head. Because of Jian's reminder, Xu Tark and the others stopped urging him and just waited patiently for the follow-up. Jian kept writing something in the book.

"I remember that time, he turned to me and said... 'Look, if I hadn't chosen to escort the caravan and instead went straight to defeat the Demon King, I wouldn't have been able to save this village from the monster attack today.'"

"So he heard what I said during the day... But he didn't say anything at that time, nor did he defend himself. It seemed that everyone cared about the popularity that everyone was fighting for, and he didn't care about honor at all."

"It was at that moment... I, who had been feeling uncertain about my future, suddenly had this thought... 'Ah, I want to be like him.'... And so, I embarked on a journey, learning warrior skills from others, defeating monsters, and helping others."

"When I learned during my journey that Sinmeier had truly vanquished the Demon King, achieving a feat that no brave warrior had accomplished in the past thousand years... I wasn't particularly surprised."

"Unconsciously, so many years have passed... The brave Sinmeier-sama has passed away, and I have become an old man who is always reminiscing about the past... But the words that Sinmeier-sama said to me that night are still clear in my memory."

"During my journey, I defeated countless monsters and helped countless people in need... 'If it were Sinmeier, I would definitely do this'... This thought has always supported me."

After a pause, Fedewo looked at Fulilian with an inexplicable emotion, "I didn't expect to meet Xinmei's companions here..."

With the last stroke of the pen, Fedwo's story had been written in the notebook, which made Jian smile happily.

"Thank you for sharing your past, Mr. Federvo."

"Thank you for listening to an old man like me reminisce about the past. After all, when we get old, we just like to reminisce about the past."

"Well, do you mind if I ask one last question?"

Closing the book, Jian looked directly into Fedvo's eyes and smiled slightly.

"Based on my understanding of Xin Meier, he certainly doesn't want his influence to cause others to embark on a path of regret. So, my last question is..."

"Did you enjoy this journey?"

His mind went blank at this moment, and Fedwo fell into a daze.

In his mind, all the things he had experienced kept replaying... some were thrilling, some were dull, some were rewarding, and some were boring.

However, if I had to make an overall evaluation...

"Of course I'm happy..."

Fedevo's voice was soft, yet firm.

"Because, on this journey... I've been chasing the figure of the brave Sinmeier..."

……

The old warrior named Fedwo had to continue his journey, so he had no plans to stay in the nearby village.