Chapter 271: The Emperor's Past (Part 2)
Sorry for the delay, I will post the bonuses with tomorrows daily chapter and an extra chapter with them *^
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After all, the Hero had grown with her help.
This was the best reward for her as the Saintess.
However, this simple and happy time didn't last too long.
As the Hero's power grew stronger and stronger.
Gradually, Freya found that those little thoughts she put in the jars were no longer liked by the Her
The Hero began to complain.
"Only this much money?"
"There's nothing but junk inside."
"Give me some good stuff."
"Apples again? My backpack is already full. Throw them away."
The carefully arranged cans no longer held any appeal for the Hero.
She quietly picked up the items the Hero had called "junk" and tossed on the ground, carefully storing them away.
Looking at the mud-stained apples, Freya felt a bit aggrieved, but still walked to the small stream, cleaned them with clear water, and silently nibbled on them as her dinner.
Yes, as the Hero's demands for the items in the cans grew higher, the time and energy she had to invest also increased.
Sometimes she would even skip meals, just to find tastier and rarer fruits, better bandages, and higher-quality whetstones for the Hero.
Finally.
It seemed that her constant efforts had finally paid off. On this day, the Hero actually took the initiative to find her.
Although Freya was extremely excited inside, she didn't dare show it too much, afraid of being disliked by the Hero again.
Fortunately, the Hero didn't seem to mind her nervous state and only expressed his willingness to continue the journey with her to the next destination.
She couldn't be happier.
She thought her relationship with the Hero had finally improved.
Along the way, she talked a lot with the Hero, who seemed to enjoy chatting with her as well.
However, only Reji himself knew the real situation.
Because the low-level maps had been fully explored, and he believed that to obtain high-level materials and better weapons and equipment, he had to progress the main storyline and go to new maps, which was why he went to talk to Freya.
This led to what happened next.
From Freya's perspective, as soon as they arrived at the new location, the Hero seemed to change into a different person, just like before, not coming to find her, avoiding her, and then going out to explore on his own. Find more to read at empire
Freya was only dejected and lost for a moment before quickly recovering. She seemed to have gotten used to it.
She cheered herself up, ready to imitate the pattern from the village and continue to silently support the Hero behind the scenes.
Since they had arrived in a city this time, obtaining high-level items was much more convenient than in the small village before. Freya could use her Saintess identity, along with her small treasury, to purchase many rare items.
At the same time, as a precaution, she took the lead and arranged cans around the city before the Hero did.
Because Freya discovered that the number of times the Hero went to smash cans every day was always fixed, never exceeding fifty times.
So, as long as she made sure that all fifty times the Hero smashed cans were her cans, the Hero wouldn't destroy other public property like before.
She even specifically tampered with the cans, using Radiant spells to make her cans appear more shiny to the Hero compared to others.
These glittering cans were indeed more favored by the Hero.
The high-level items she bought from the big shops in the city also revitalized the Hero, who no longer complained about "junk" and showed the smile she loved to see again.
It's just that...
Although the city had more good things to buy, the prices were also much, much higher. Seeing her increasingly empty wallet, Freya could only find extra work in the city during the day, working hard to earn money to support the Hero's expenses.
However, one day, a commotion suddenly broke out in the city. It turned out that someone's carriage had been robbed at the city gate.
When Freya, who was working at the time, heard about it, she immediately felt something was wrong and hurried to the scene of the incident.
After inquiring, she found out that it was indeed the Hero who had directly pulled the passerby off the carriage and rode it himself.
Seeing that the city guards were about to arrive, Freya, in order to avoid making a big fuss, immediately apologized to the victim and compensated them with her entire month's hard-earned salary. She then had no choice but to use her "Radiant Saintess" identity to make the city guards leave and not pursue and arrest the Hero.
After doing all this, Freya was actually very perplexed and remorseful that day. After all, the Hero's behavior was no different from that of a bandit.
It was all her fault for indulging the Hero before. She had failed to educate the Hero properly and guide him onto the right path.
Should she continue to cover up for the Hero's evil deeds?
Or...
Just as Freya was struggling internally, she inadvertently discovered some clues from the commissions at the Adventurers' Guild.
Earlier that day, a villager had rushed to the Adventurers' Guild in a panic, urgently seeking help from the adventurers there. Their village had been attacked by monsters, and they begged the lords present to help them.
However, as a mere villager with a lowly status and not a penny to his name, he didn't even have the right to issue a commission and was quickly driven out by the staff with wooden sticks.
The helpless villager could only kneel outside the guild's entrance, pleading with the passing adventurers, but he was met with only indifference.
After all, without a formally registered commission document and no reward, and judging from the villager's description of the number of monsters, there were at least a dozen of them, possibly even elite leaders. The danger level was so high that it could cost them their lives.
Anyone who accepted it would be a fool, an idiot.
But...
There was indeed one fool who accepted it.
The people at the Adventurers' Guild were still laughing about it over drinks, mocking that reckless youngster who didn't even have proper equipment or a horse, yet still wanted to help others. Wasn't he just going to his death? By the time he arrived, the village would probably all be dead.
Hearing the adventurers' jeers and mockery, Freya's eyes suddenly lit up. When she immediately set out to find that villager and confirmed his appearance, it turned out that the fool was indeed the Hero.
Her Hero.
The carriage robbery earlier must have been out of necessity to save the village under monster attack.
Following that, Freya became worried. Would the Hero be in danger? Could he handle it alone? She... she had to hurry and provide support!
When Freya rushed over anxiously to provide support, she found that the battle had long ended. The ground outside the village was littered with monster corpses, and there were even two high-level elite leaders.
Under the night sky, the villagers who had escaped death surrounded the Lord Hero, thanking and expressing their gratitude, while the Hero didn't seem to mind their meager rewards and was chatting with them in a very friendly manner.
At that moment, Freya seemed to truly understand the Hero a bit.
He was a Hero who loved money, had a collecting obsession, and would rather smash cans every day for a few silver coins, loving to take advantage of small benefits.
But he was also a Hero who was willing to lend a helping hand, no matter how lowly the other party's status was, even if there was no reward, and do all kinds of dirty and hard work.
Such a Hero...
She...
liked him.
Freya also wanted to join in the celebration with the Lord Hero and the villagers, but unfortunately, the Saintess ultimately left quietly because she knew the Hero didn't like talking to her.
Freya noticed that the Hero still had many wounds on his body, some of which could cause big trouble if not treated in time.
She couldn't go over to heal the Hero, so she could only use the power of the Radiant Saintess again to obtain a bottle of Holy Healing Potion from the temple as a supplement.
She also couldn't give it directly to the Hero, but that was fine. Freya quickly returned to the city, found the villager who had initially issued the commission to the Hero, and then handed the precious Holy Healing Potion to the villager, asking him to give it to the Hero as a commission reward.
Later, the Hero indeed returned. Upon seeing the unexpected surprise reward of the Holy Healing Potion, his excited and happy appearance made Freya, who was hiding behind the scenes, feel that everything was worth it.
But...
Fate always plays tricks on people.
Her frequent use of the Radiant Saintess identity, coupled with the Hero's increasing activity, finally aroused the displeasure of the Temple.
So on that day, several Temple Elders forcibly summoned Freya back together.